UMASS/AMHERST

312066 0333 3057 4

.(la. ^.

/

LIBRARY

OF THE

MASSACHUSETTS

AGRICULTURAL

COLLEGE

NO.. J.blii_L__^ DATE..4^l«:ri:(
souRCE__CQlixie.....Vu_r\ds.

V.50

This book may be kept out

TWO WEEKS

only, and is subject to a fine of TWO
CENTS a day thereafter. It will be due on
the day Indicated below.

uur iS ib9/

OOT 19ld9/

&>

y ^'(^ ^

«f ■'^..

ILLUSTI^ATED WEBKI^Y JOUl^Nftl,

OF

HORTICULTURE IN ALL ITS BRANCHES,

W. Robinson, Author of the "English Fkm-er Garden.'

** You see, sweet maid, we marry
A gentler scion to the wildest stock ;
And make conceive a bark of baser kind
By bud of nobler race : Tliis is an art
Wluch does mend Nature, — change it rather : but
The art itself is nature."

Shakespeare.

VOL. L.-CHRISTM AS, 1

LONDON :
OFFICE: 37, SOUTHAMPTON STKEET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.

-Per

.^'^

1^^^

MR. HENRY ECKFORD

(of Wem)
THE FIFTIETH VOLUME OF "THE GARDEN

^•s bciDiralci),

IV. R., Januaiij,

Jan. 2, 1897]

THE GARDEN INDEX

IISTIDEX TO VOLTJnVCE I-

(Illustrations in Italics.!

Abbiisbury, Eoles fror
Abelaiuo stris, l->-
Abulilon Goldtn Fleec

139

, SOB, 31)2 ; Silver

Ac-anthopanax ricinifoliuni, 121}; se:sili-

tiorum, 1;G ; spinosum, 12n
Acer p'.alamis purpuiascens Sizelte, 141
Achiuicnes, Ifa

Acldanthera bi olor, 27, 219, 2n
Aconilum autumnale, 341 ; Fischeri, 310 ;

japonlcum, 231
Acropera Loddige i, 204
Acbea spica a, 171
Adiantum Bessonianuiu, 49; cijillus-Vc-

neris cunjeform?, 217 ; priucef s, 16S ;
Kpt, 16S ; tinstum var. Faileyeuse,

338

-Esculus califoroici, S7
Africao flora, 134
Agapanthus uiijbellatus,
Agatbaia ccelestis, 383, 52
Agave dasylirio'.des, 41
major, 522 ; Roezliaua,
Ageratums, 2i7
Aglaoi ema Curtisi, 321
Air and shade, 37
AUamandas, 21
Almond, the dwarf Russi

small-growipg, 459

,315; theS

AlmoDdsbury, n tes from, 407

Alocxsia uietalticiA, c36

Alocisia metalii a, 336

Aloe ciliai is, 427

AJpitia mutica, 523

Alstrcemeriip, hybrid, 12

Alpines, t Ko useful, 250

Amaryllis Belladonna, 197 ; Be'ladoni

gantea, 175
Amaryllises, 102
Amasonia piinicea, 342
Amateurs, Peas for, 5(3

rLili.

Anagallis, the,

dry

I its allies, 307
A/utromida jap'niUa, 307; polifolia, 307;

f peciosa castinEefolia, 10
Audrosace lanugincsa, 31, 91
Anemtne japonica and its varieties, 433;

j^ponica el gans, 281 ; var. L5dy A-dilaun,

3i0, SES, 431, 453,490

AngKecum Eichlerianum, 460 ; Scottianum,
485

Annuals, a plea for, 453

Ajithericum Liliago, 12 ; Liliago maju», 90

fl utirrhinums, 11

Apera aiundiuacea, 491

Apios tuberosa, 23:i

Apple Aiiington Pippin, 264 ; Beauty of
Bith as sn e-paller, 75 ; Beauty of Kent,
94 ; Bi maick, 223, 263 ; Clapham Beau'y,
444 ; Ctlirt Peudu Plat, 447, 49S ; I ox's
Orange Pippin, 476; Luchess of t Idtu-
burg, 138 : liascoigne's Scarlet Seedling,
477 ; Golden Reinette, 323 ; Golden Spire,
363 ; Golden Winter Pearmtiio, 323, 405,
476; Grenadier, 356; Han* ell Souring,
296; IrisS Peach, 14; King of Tomkins
Co , 75 ; L dy Henniker. 498 ; L-.dy Sude-
lev. 179; Livc-riaore Favourite, 444; L&rd
( l', I. ■/■: ; M.y '; i >;i, :;ii:t: Mr. Glad-

I - ■.' , l; :.-■ ':; i ; Red As-

ruv;,^','o. , - ' ..: V I .1. i'.'i; St. l£d-
mand, -Ji ; - M ;;■! : M ; The Queen,
386, 447 ; : : i - - . trees, spray-

thr. e go.iu 1 ilf. ■^•.li ; two over-rattd, 367
Ap^lcut cultuie, 324 ; Hem.k.rk, 2.5 ; Large

Early, 303 ; the Black, 314 ; the Uiiincon,

312 ; the common, 312
Apr.cots, lu?, £63 ; in cutt'ge gardens, 407 ;

m light soil, 73 ; notes on, 160, 221 ; jrun-

ing, 5.0
Araihnanthe Lowi, 217
Aralia chineusis, 126 ; spinoia, 125 ; ipinosa

ill tht ijanhii at CastknlU n, 12d; t iob'.

Argeaaone hispida, iSl
Aristolockia (litjas rar. StUTttvanti, 37;
Aristolocbius, stove. 377
Artichoke, the white, 16

431

431;

cula

hardy, 431

Atclepias tuberosa, 51, 175, 271

Ashts, standing plants on, 316

Asparagus beds, manut jng, in autumn, 339 ;
culture in summer. 45 ; forcing, 495 ; forc-
ing in ordinary beds, 458 ; in auluoon, 291 ;
planting in autumn, 157, 211, 243, 279

Asparaguj d.cumbeus, 439; dcfltxus, 439
plumosus, 343 ; plumosus cristatus, 439
plum'Sus naux:s, 410; retiofractus ar-
b. Tcus. 439 ; sirmentosua, 219 ; scandens,
612 ; Sprengeri, 439 ; tenui£Eimus, 439 ;
varieties of, 439

Asplenium Herbsti, 321

Aster aciis, i72 ; AmeUus bessarabieus, 175,
272 ; amellus eleg-ans, 239 ; B.gelowi, 10 ;
cordifolius, 341 ; densus, 285 ; diploste-
phioidcs, 160 ; Eynsford Yerow, 238 ;
gi-andifloni', 388 ; Imearifo ius, 239 ; lincsy-
ris, 341 ; 1 ugifolius torn osus, 175 ; niveus,
239; Notffi-AigliM pulchelliis, 342; .\ovi-
BeJgii densus, 342 ; piarmicoides. 306 ;
ptarmiccides svperbu", 239 ; puniceus pul-
ct.ellus, S41 ; sa^itt folius, 341 ; Tbomso.i,
172 ; t rbinellus, SOi, 3il ; quilled. Yellow

Astrantia major, 342

Aubrietias. 350

August in South Devon, 246

Baden-Baden, notes from, stf, 197, 281

Bambusa palmata, 130

Birkeria Lindleyaoa, 426

Barons, 1 he, Twickenham, Orchids at, 2

Bean Bunyard •■ Exhibit! n Long pod, s

Beans, dwarf, and red pider, 15 ; tor sut

lion, 838 ; g od cropping, 292 ; late dv

48; .ate runner, 417; runner, 417;

wind-break, 292 ; topping, 339
Beech, the, 347 ; the Cuppir, 367, 430 ; t

in Oxfordshire, 430 ; at Btair Drun.m

Beet.

852

Lrc. : -. I'lla, 285; Knsign,

42s ; , i; ,. : Lorraine, 277, 410;
6'/n.r • J "; Gloire de Sceaux,

409; giacili-, 474: llaageana, 362, 622;
kew.:nsl--, ;-il ; Lobist; Closon Impioved,
173; MaitLana gracilis, 168, 37S ; me-
tal.ica, 153. 408; metallica hegina, 321 ;
odor-taroacafl -pL, 217 ;Preside tfarnot,
110, 317 ; temperfio. tns rosea, 149 ; s. mper-
florens rosea g gantea, 306 ; the tuberous,
as a bedding plant, 272 ; Westjnbirt Seed-
ling, ISl
Begonias, 17, 369 ; diseates In, 370 ; double,
239 ; double- flowered tuberous, 220 ; double,
in Sussex, 220 ; tuberou', at Bexby Heath,

BeU8ower, the laige white, 31

Bdnir, shaded uath at, 43

Bentbamia fragifera, 522

Berberisvtilgaris, 309

Berlin, public gardens in, 499

Bindweeds, the greater, 514

Birch, the purple, 128

Birches, 519

B;ackberries, 254 ; American, 14

Blaekbeiry ilants. treatment of, 81:6

Blair J)fummond, Perth, Beeches at, 317

Bletia Shepherdi, 426

Bookhauj, Carnations at, 78

Books—

" An Introduction to Structural B^t uy,
514

" A Traveller's Notes." 01

*' Book about Rotes, " 4.8

" Ferns and Fern Culture," 346

'• Flordegium Haarlemtn-.e," 428

'■Fruit Growing," 61

" Le Chrysaniheme," 282

" National Chiytauthemiun Socely's Cata-
logue," 4ij4

" Or.hids of South Africa," 514

"Os Chrysanthemos e a sua Cultura," f2 ^

"The District Councillor's Hand: 00k,"
61

"The London Burial Gioatds," 816

' The Narcissus or Di.ffjoil," 34)

"The Oichias of Burmab," 346

"The Plant Lo e and Garden Craft of
Shake spiare," 482
BocO' nia m cr.carpa, 197

Border, a'fine herbaeeou?, ISl ; a l.criuceous,

at Ht leton Bon, Kelso, ISl
BoiigainviUea glabra, 213, 317; fpectibilis,

Bouvar."ia Bridal Wreat*-, 312 ; Humbcldti

corymi iflo a, 140 ; jasminoidts, 2:5
Bouvardia.. 213, 276, 473
Box, iheGold-leived, 141
Box Thorn, the European, 127
Brachycome Sincl .iri, 65
Brake in forearound, effect of, 487
Bramble' dcuble-flowe.ed, 69
Brasavoli aoulis. 311 ; Digbyau-, 39
Brier, Sweet. Lord Penzance, iu bl..o:n, 383
Broccoli, a good November, 495 ; Si-0» 8

Winter Whli e, 495
Brodisea coccinea, 10 ; grandiflora, 11
B' 00m, the Black. 69 ; the Spanish, 26
Browallia Jamtsonl, ,64 ; s^eciota major, 520
BiU'sels Ppiout Ncrthaw Prize, 4:6;

Sprouts, 184, 243, 339
BucKeye, the Calitorui.an, S7
Bulb beds, dtcuratiiig, 423
Bulb pi nting, 436
Bulbs, Cape, 413 ; at home, 3 S ; combm.a-

tions with, 462 ; protecting, 414
BuUace, the, 314
BurUngtonla Candida, 59
Bushes, beiried, 367

THE GARDEN INDEX

[Jan.

hesd,

beds, crowded, 2S0; ox-uso Drum-
Sol : good autumu, 2SJ ; Uosette

Colewort, i.n ; spring, 101
C«tjbig«3. club iu, Sil ; red, splitting, ii7
C«L»cUuiu lX>uu« Canueu Macelo, lT:t
0»l«nthe bull»s rottiug, S77 ; nusuca, 17S ;

Vclt.hi iilki, 510 ; vestica, SOS
Caloeo'ari:> alba, 197; awploxicaulis, 110;

Burbuitfci, iS6
C»a-kS. -JiS : cirly, 439, 4S6
Callicarpu purpunsi. SS3, 481
CaldpsTclie ainintiiica, SSS
Oiljstemou sali)iDUs, 62. 140
Calochortus nitidus, U
Csdoohorti, S3
Cilystogia pubefccns fl.-pl., 90 ; Sepittin var.,

Or.iid:

Camellia alba pleoa, 437

Camo Dsia maxima, 3S$, 40S

Campanula ttalcbmensis, S17, 219, 210 ; car-
pitica, 31 : (ragilis, £39 ; (puviiuica bir-
^ut», 239 ; Hendersoni, 91 ; isophylla alba,
72 : psrsiciJolia graodiflora alba, SI ; pu-
mila alba, 90 ; Frofosiou, 173, 220 ; pyra-
midaliis 197 ; pyramidal s alba, 261 ; p.
alba compictf, S9, 91 ; fetdlings, 351 ;
soldaoelL-eflora carpaiica, 171 ; Van UoutHi,
10 ; Vidali, 153 ; Zoysi, 111

Campanula) from a gardener's point of vievr,
151 ; hybrid, 91 ; in SiTiiz>rland, 112

Canker, 49S

Canna Ami Ju'.es Chretien, 50; Au ore, 30

Cannas. two fjood new hybrid, 30ti

Canterbury Bo 1«, 34

Cipe Le dwort, the. 310

Camaion Alice MUU, 50; Bendigo, 71;
bl'xims splitting, 276 ; Bb^sbiuk^ Bride. 50 ;
Boreas, 50; Britinnia 90; Bum Pink,
153 : Cirolus Uumn, )4S ; D.ivbreak, 481 ;
Dick Donovan, H ; Duke o"t Fife, 337 ;
Duke cf York in p U, 318 ; Gloire de
Xancy, 153, 236 ; Golden Fagle, 50 ; Grena-
din, I, 63; Jim Sraytb, 49; Julian, tOi;
Ketton Bose. 7i ; King Arthur, 175 ; Uj-er-
ing, 112 ; La Belle, 383 ; Le Neige, 471 ;
Mile. Carle, 606 : Mme. d'Alberiina, 522 ;
Mme. Therise ».mco. SIS; May yueen,
50 ; Slephisto, 111 ; Miss .loliflfe, 337, 474 ;
Miss JoUife and mildew, 439 ; Jlrs. McRae,
49 ; Mrs. Bi ey, 4S1 ; Piimrose League, 50 ;
Princess of Wales, 504 ; Raby Castle, 62,
181, 236, £6S ; Shazada SSS ; Sir John Fal-
staff, 90 ; UrLah Pike, 32, 182, 198, 214, 250,
283, 326, 438, 4S1 ; Cnali P,k: at Loadwattr
Hoiut, 438; Voltaire, 49; W. Robinson,
388, 5C3 : Wm. Robioson Improved, 523 ;
Winifred, 71 ; Winter Bride. 427 Winter
Cheer, 281 ; Ye'lw Queen. 90 ; Yule-tide,

tarnations, 17, 35, 81
408 ; and Picotees,
Palace, ••0; and liii
cut _Hoxrtr$, 77 ; at Be
tonCouit, 79 ; at Wo
old and new, 117 ; t
dry weather, 118 ; fc(
Kel-o, 91 ; from Scot

ir.z ;

ckets,

from Tyn-

ninghame, 91 ; housi
a'ltumn, st iking, 511 ; Margueiite, 261,
408, 44S ; Moss, system of layering, 379,
410 ; p<jtting Ma'mai on. 317 ; propagating,
272 ; single. 1S2, 270 ; Tree, 4S ; Tree, dil:
budding il2 ; two Bne, 81 ; yellow, 506
Oaip^nteria CdUfomica, 1 1
Carrot grub, tL.e, 115
Carrot.. Julysoan, 417, 495 ; notes on, 351 ;

scarcity of, 85
Caryopteris mastacanlhus, 306
Ca«ia corymbosa, 103, 139, 168. 196, 212
Cassia co'.wot'yo«a, 139 ; marilandica, 271
Castle Martyr, 358 ; irater garJ-m o(, 358
Caterpillars, surface, 159
Cattleya Aclandia;, 4 ; Apollo, 320 ; Atalanta,
89 ; aurea, 163. 448 ; bicolor marginata, 178 ■
blcolor va-. Lewisi, 217 ; Bowringiana, 3,
345 ; crispa deUcatissima, 98 ; dolosa, 4 0;
Dowiana (Wheatley's var.), 320 ; EcUpsc,

69, 266; gigaj imperialis, 40; granulosa!
265 ; guttata Leopoldi, 98 ; Hardydna, i 9 •
Bardyani splcndens (Clarkes variety),'
130 ; Uarrisoni<ma, 203 ; Jujiiter, 320 ; la-
bUta, 311, 359; labUti autumnali) var
Mrs. E. Ashworth, 320; lablata pie:a, 398;
labiata var. Ashfords, 443 ; Le Czir, 3: 9 ■
I.odaigesi, 16i ; maxima, 266 ; maxima
alba, 40-j ; Moasia Brilliancy, 49 ; Mjssix
^jestica^29; superba, 59; Tircsia?, 443;

CattleyaV, notes on, SI
Cauliflower Autumn Gian^ 291, 339
Cauliflowers, 45, 114, 157, 292 ; autumn, 47 •
eiriy, 497 : munmoth, 339; potting, 416 ;'

CaaJor CasUt, Nairn, 5
Cawdor Castle, Nairn, 5
fJedir, the Deodar, 521

Celery, a good, 495; earthinj up, 185; fly,
the, 46 ; maggot, late attacks of, 2S0 ;
qualityln, 3;4 ; wattrlng anl feeding, 168

Cclsia creUca, 166

Cuphalottts follicularis, 345

Cerastium graudl&orum, 77

Ccrasus depressa, 315 ; gUuca, 315

Cestrum aunintiicura, 2*5

Chtenostoma hispidum, 306

Chimajpeuoj diacamhi, 108

Chambcrla'u, Mr., and his Orchid , 12

Cheluue Lyoui, 281

Cherry, a good late, 36; Bigarrciu, 324;
Bigarreau Napokoa, 324 ; B act a.ag e,
296 ; Black Tartwiin, 365 ; Dovvnton, 265 ;
Early Rivers, 296 ; Elton, 296 ; Emperor
Fi-anci-, 3SJ ; Geant do Hedelfinger, 73;
Keutsb Rtd,263, 356; I.a'e Duke, S64 ;
May Duke, 324 ; the BirJ, 315 ; the Cor-
nelian, 210; the dwarf Chinese, 3,4; the
Himal.ayan Bird, 314; the Japanese, 315 ;
the Mountiin, 315 ; tha Rum tr wild
black, 315 ; the Siberian, 312 ; tlie Ween-
ing Japanese 454; the wild, Sli: White
y/eart, !H1; isildrtd, 315; Werlers Early
Black, 296

Chenies, 293; and drought, 36; dessert,
4 15 ; Mirc'lo, in autumn, 304, 363 ; orchard,
2 1

Chestnut, the Ch'ncse, 227 ; the sicat, i,i the
Ti/rol, 389

Chestnuts, sweet, in Austria, 389

Chiswick, notes from, 38 i

Choisya ttrnat:i. 2J7, 240, 2ty2 ; in Corawall,
203; ,, - „ ■ :■: ■ m i -i- ■ 'J

Choke i;.,' 1 I'.. .;., :;

Chris nil- I,

Uirysaiiii ■ 'II ■ II V , . A ' '.■.

Guld, 3..l>; An-traliu, 3t.l, 37!', l',! ; Bar-
bara Forbes, 2fl, 289; Baronne de Buf-
fieres, 379 ; Baauty of Ttignmouth, 3S0 ;
Bronze Bride, 185 ; Calvafs .\ustralian
Gold, b79, 4 il ; CeJo Nulli, 427 ; Chas. H.
Curtis -422 ; Cbristmas Gold, i03 ; Com-
modore, 4S2: C m'e:se Foucher de Cariel,
832 ; C. W. RichsrJson. 463 ; Dr. Benny,
379 ; Dr. H. Bond. 4'!9 ; DoIIv. 379 ; Puchesa
of Fife, 402; Dul. ■ "f w,"iii,u>t,ii,, 41)!!;
Kdic Wright, 1- : -;

Emily Sikb^r^
380; Flora, 71

185; Gem of K . j,

.Seward, 431; o.,..- 1 .., ..,. , u,_,i,.ou

Elsie, 402, 443, lul; Uuldcn ^Wii, 391;
Golden Wedding, 2S9 ; Harold Wells, 452;
Harvtst Home, 1S3 ; John Lambert, 4t)6 ;
John Neville. .liU, 4i;i ; John .Seward, 361 ;
JoserTi 1'-' !-:- l_'l : • rml, n, l^n; King

fectiun, 40J ; Mario Stuart, ^'ir, ; Matthew
Hodgson, 422 ; Maurice Prichard, 71 ;
maximum filiforme, 91 ; Mignonette, 403 ;
Miss Dorothea Shea. 380: Miss Elsie
Teiclimanu, 4.JI ; Mits i.i.uisi- do Black,

Thon,- : I M .,■-:' I ■.

Mrs. .M., . ■ , , , . M,- M|

Tail. ;;■ . .M,-. i.- ,: . ., ,k. ,,.•.-. :.-■■ , ;
W. Filkii.., i,u , il,.,-,u.i,l..i, 1,J, Mil
Friend, 33i ; names, iVi ; Nathan Snii
White, 361, 380; Niveum, 462; Norbert I
Purves. 242 ; Notaire Gros, 329 ; notes, 41,
199 ; Nyanzi, 461 ; Oceana, 332, 461 ;
Owen Ihoua", 462; Pall.nza, b32, 394;
pallen?, 31 ; Pnoebus, 332 ; Piercy's seed-
ling, 320; Pride of Exmouth, 341, 359, 461 ;
Pride of Madford, S41, 379, 461 ; Queen of
the EarUes, 185 ; Rena Dula, 341 ; Royal
Sovereign, 381 ; Ryeeroft Glory, 332 ; Sar-
nian Gem, 402 ; Samuel Barlow, 86 ; show-
ing, 467 ; Simplicity, 421, 461 ; Sunstone,
424. 461 ; .Source d'Or, 394 ; Souvenir La
Petite Amie, .330; Surprise, 320, 332; the,
42 ; Tokio, 466 ; Vicomte Roger de
Chezelles, 462 ; uliginosum, 281 ; Vh-iand
Morel, 289 ; Viviand Morel, 289 ; Western
Kint,, 361, 3S0, 461; White Lady, 185;
W. H. Lincoln, 331 ; Wm. Tricker, 393 ;
W. Wright, 462, 482 ; Yellow TAmi Con-
derchet, 185
Chrysanthemums, 185 ; a good plan of
striking, 4e5 ; at exhibitions, 465 ; at

, 461 ; at Ghfnt, 42

buitonia>, 558 ; Baron Schin-dcr, 443 ; Cal-

Trent P.n
ing Brido

sinfrle, 1m.

41 ; 1

. .: 1 1 I . i!.\ ;i.;0 ; spot in
ug single, 112 ; two useful, 4.1;

white, 199
Cimicifiigi cordifolii, 196 ; simp'.ex, 361
Cirrhofe alum Th uirai, 266
C.omatis flammiila lubra marginsta, 181;

Jackmani, 148, 248 ; Sieboldi, 240; Viiicella

alba, 131
Clematises on their own roots, 469
Clorodendron fallax, 277
Clethra, 232 ; canescens, 49
Climbs rs carried by trees, i7; coloured, at

Gunton, 430
Olivia miuiata, 408

< "l. ^.i [.<■ I M-1 ii I, ::, (.1 ; fuscescens, 4S4

ColcLicum autuniiiale album plenum, 2^2 ;

roseum plenum, 2;1 ; Sibthorpi, 261

itious, ttrairs if, 270

1, the, 450

, « tjarden dor triih

i-i.il-i- ;-•) I! nil 11a, 31; lance. lata, 12;

liioL.,fii=i'oa, 6si
Cork for paving, 176
Cornwa'l, a note from, 72; Hydrangeas in,

256
Coronilla cippaiocica, 117
Corydalis claviculata, 2 :i
Corylus Avellana aurea, 107
Comus mas, 240
Costua igneus, 213
Cotoneaster frijiia, 285; horizonta'.is, 219,

335; rotundi'olia, 519
Cottagers exhibiting vegetables, 158 ; fruits

for, 482
Crambe coriifolii, 349 ; at Enanialt, 349
CratiBgus Uius^Mili, 30i; ; l-jraca-thi

Laslandi, i ■ ■ ; 1 mi lif li i. Ill
Creepers, fll,^^ I'mso of fljwer-

less, 22s ; t'.. '. . I - I ... ,if, 278

hycridum Powelli,

C.,..nml.»r Vr^.^rosi, 513; Royal Windsor,

' . :. i . s -'14 ;in pjtsforwinter

I - . Ill, 233

tJui'icc.^u.T iiuiK.icui-is, 03 ; n. argenteo-Vorie-
gata, lis ; n. aureu-vlridis, 68 ; n. com-
picta, 68; glauca, 68; n. lutea, 'S; n.
lutea, 68 ; n. nidi6ca, IS ; n. pen u'a, 6S

Currant La Versaillaise, 111, 138, ISO ; red, tlio
Cherry, 255 ; thu Comet, 90

Cyclamen, the, as an autumn-floweringplant.

Cypi ipediums at Cambridge Lodge, 311 ;

from Scotland, 383 ; hardy, 57
Cyrtanthus hybtidus, 239 ; Hutt ni, 62 ;

MrKeni, 63
Cytisiis nigricans, 69

Dactylis elegintissima aurea, 239

Daffodils, double, turning green, 108 ; in the

grass, 99
Dahlia Adrienne, 21 .s ; a (,'ood white, 181;

Bcnnot GuLinoy, -'34 ; tiodorclla, 2 S

Phryne, 218 ; Polly EccleJ, 218 ; Salisbury
White, 153; Starfish, 218; Trilby, 218;

Zlmni'i'iv 3 11
)aliliii- 3 - ; I -til-. ■■31 ; Cactus, and their

I'x^fme Blo'jaijana

Datura coiuuoujiu a, 14S ; cc

open, 384
Daturas in the ope, 433
Day Lilies, 17

Ddphinium JBeauli/ oj lang/i
Delphinium, white, 147 ;Z,]
Delphiniums, 352 ; in a muIa

pLanting, 432
Dendrobium aureum, SOS ;

, 204; chry:
164 ; cucull;
; Dearei, le-
; infundibulu
; longicon

Lowi, 98, ]

41; mutabile, : 0-i ; i-hodt
superbiens, 510 ; thyrsifloram,
,28;Wardii

226 ; ' Ash-

ci'thi n ti ;-3 ; puipurasceus,

4si . \. 11,1,1. - V. iiu,ta, 483
Disas. tlio Uiiii, ,-0
Dorouicums dy n^^, 270
Doraet.shire, notes from, 2
Dracaeni Bromfie'di, 443, 4S1 ; Gojseffiaua,

276 ; (IndsifHma, 276 ; Sanderiaua, 193, 411 ;

Waireni, 217
Drop, th: (Jold, 11, 251

Snaive Impr \ed K und Bata
Lettuce leaved winter 4 8 Mi
i . wmtering 456 495

1897.]

THE GARDEN INDEX

EoKland, shrubs for north of, 482
Enkiinthus campanulatus, 307 ; cernuus,

3Cy ; jdpouicus. SOS
Buys, Curnwall, 2S; ; pn,id at, 2S7
EpicrishyjciiithiMoia .-andidUsima, 522
Epidendrum cod lealuin, i36 ; falcatum, 59 ;
fragrans, 344 ; ( ) ErieLianum, 340 ; prisma-
tocarpum, 3i4 ; rhizophorum, 226; vitel-

Eremurus in Sussex, 10 ; robustus, 491
Kiia obesa. 2i3(i

Erigeron glaucus, 65, 124 ; mucronat-j°, 1
175, 341 ; phllade phicus, 71 ; specie

Eritrichium nanuni, 368

Ercdium yuttatvim, 220 ; 6xiDra3aDum, 11

EryDgium slpinum, 62; Olivetiinum,

286
Erythrina CoDstantioa 408 ; Cristagalli,
Espaliers, ncgUcted, 264
Eucba'is f dluri, JO ; grandifliiaMoorei, 5i

Steven i, 481
Eucryphia pinuaiifolia. 111, 127, 175
Eulalia japonica variegata, 02; kiiwnifa g

dllhwi, US; zebiin-, 184
Eulaliip, the, K8
Eulophia guineen.ic, 259
Eupatorium odoratis&imum. 4 8
Eupliorbia jacquiLia-flura, 43 , '.86
Exacum zeylanicum var. mccrau'huiii 4

F.

Fagus asplenifulia, 141

Farm, garden, and dairy produce, convey-
ance of, 491

Fatsia horrida, 126 ; japonioa, 126

Feniing, barbed wire, dangers cf, ISS

Fern g.rden, tha hardy, 487 ; notes, 493

J'''erns and fiotrer border, 498 ; L^dy, jore-
ground effect rf, 493 ; natire, vmisck by
shatli/ tcoli; 488

F/gs in a plant house, 221 ; in autumn, 100 ;
in plant house?, 3.'i7

Finger and toe, 601

Finsbury Park, cracked mud edginga in, 92

Fir, tl,L Sitnr, in the Austrian Alps, 429

Flame Hower, the, in Sussex, 52

Flax, Now Zealand, 412

Flowtr borders, roadside, 170 ; garden notes,
2, 35, 80, 109, 149, 170, 18.', 216, 237, 270,
2S4, 328, 350, 412, 467, 506 ; plauting out-
side, 434

Flowers, black, and their cause, 262 ; hardy,
368; wet weathtr, 271; wild, in decora-
tion, 176

Forget-me-nots, 350

France, a note from, 79

Frost, early, in Notts, £82 ; the gi e.t, of 1895,
99

Fruit, a glut of, 282 ; and vegetable crojs,
104, 119, 142, 189, 205, 229, 259, 274, 290 ;
farm at Woburn, 62 ; flavour In, 406 ; for
• exhibition, 204 ; from Fig trees, removing,
448 ; growing under difficulties, 363 ; hou^e,
a profitabl,-, 297 ; houses, jortible roofs
for, 355, 405 ; houses, work in, 9, 44 63, 83,
103, US, 231, 273, 396, 493; show' at the
Crystal Palace, 341 ; shrivelling, 385 ; tree
covered, irav, 46 ; trees, canker in, 445 ;
trees, mulching, 448 ; trees, pruning and
cleaning, 446 ; tr^es, red spider on, 303 ;
trees, wall, eeasonable woik among, 63 ;
under glass, work among, 354, 415, 475,
515

Fruits, compote of fresh, 154 ; hsrJv, work
among, 23, 124, 145, 209, 252, 293, 3"33, 371,
435, 455 ; under glass, work among, 166

Fuchsia corymbiilora alba, 285, 411 ; General
Roberts, SOd; Lord Ikamnsfidd as a roof
plant, 316 ; Moulsworth, 481 ; triphylla, 62

Fuchsias, 167 ; as pillar plants, 316 : out-
doors, i36 ; seedling, 337 ; standard and
■ "139

Geraniums in the flower garden, 107 ; Ivy-
leaved, 439
Gerardias, 232
Gesnera cardinali?, 31S
Geum lleldreichi, 10, 286
Geums, hybrid, 186

(;■';■'■', Alicia, "213'; Apollo, 21s;

-\ i M.r, 131 ; Butterfly, 2I>1 ;

' :,.,.;,' Ailiei The Bride, 11 ; (V.;-
i /' .111; Crimson Maitre, li7;

cn'ture, 11:'; Umil de Carnot, 131; Dr.

H. P. Wacot, 147; Emile Aujier, 131;

Fustell de Cuubv gcr, 173 ; Jem Dybow-

fki, 131 ; Lcmoinei, .J2 ; Fainted Lady,

218; Peiin, 131; Senateur Vollaud, 131 ;

Victor, 219 ; White Lady, 327; White Lady,

327
G.'asshouses and the new Agricultural Act,

Goodyera discolor, 3^

Gooseberiies, good flavoured, 163; propagat-
ing, 323 ; spineless, 3SS ; trellis. 447

Gcoseberry Farmer's ProSt, 447 ; Langley
Biauty, 90 ; Langley Gage, 90

Grssypium herbaceum, SSS

Gourds. o:namental. 185

Gramiuatojh;jlum E.lisi, f40

G'ap', a new, SSB ; Lady Downes shrivel-
ling, 387 ; t-porte, 363 ; the Krankeuthal,
or Victoria Hamburgh, 497

Grapes, a r.markable house of, 364; and
Tomatoes a; Ponders End, S95 ; outdoor,
5l0; robins eating, 4.7; s'lanking, 13;

Funkia grandiflora, 239

Gaillardia maxima, 72 ; Mrs .Sa^e, 50

GaiUardias, 34

Galanthus nivalis octobrensis, 361, 427

Galeandra Dev. niana, 39

Galega officinalis, 2 '.1 ; alba, 72 •

Ga'ega olfleinalis alba, 2t9

Galtouia candicans p:auted !ate, 2^0

Gaura Lindheimeri, 90

Garden, a, in the lake district, 454 ; a winter,

469 ; design, 482 ; room, a, 37 ; the winter,

505 ; wild, plan iug, i69
Gardening beside Lase Leman, 507
Gardens, photographs of, 151 ; tpriug, 470
Gean, the, 312
Genista astnensis, 87 ; dalmatica, 66 ; tinc-

toria elata, 77 ; tinctoria fl.-pi., 31
Gentiana Andrewsi, 249 ; .asclepiadea alba,

153 ; aeptemSda, 52
Geranium Endresi, 270 ; Mme. Alclde Bru-
neau, 134 ; pratense fl.-pl., 79

, 240

208 ; Blumenavia, 209 ;
vacinthina, 209 ; hya-
J.i; oruata, 20!)

Guntou, coloured climbers at, 430
Gynerium argenteum, 285, 327 ; elegma, 32
Gypsophila p niculata, 52

Habrothaninus coccineus, 193

Hajmanthus albiflos, 409

Halimodendron argenteum, 10

Halles Centrale?, Paris, new regulations at,

454
Hamamelis virginica, 283
Hampton Court, Carnations at, 79
Hand-weeding, 92
Haplocarphi tcaposa, 306
Hawick, Tufted Pansies from, 31
Heath, the Cornish, 306
Hedera Helix atro-parpurea, 141
Hedge, cutting down a dividing, 282
Hedvchium ccroniium, 361
Hedysarom multijugum, 127
Helenium autumnale granoiflorum, 281 ; su-

perbuni, 124, 2S4 :" grandicephalum stria-
He iauthemum tuberarij, 77
Helianthusa-.aiuu.s Wantage Star, 217 ; Maxi-

railiani, 351 ; Jliss Hellish, 1S2, 262 ; multi-

floius giganteus, crgyalis, 240
Belicphila Ecandens, 383
Heliopsis sc.abra B. Li dhams, 239, 261
Heliotrope Miss Nightingale, 131
Heliotropes, 2 9, 270
Hel.eborus niger maximu', 504
flclwingia jaliouica, 126
JI,„„rorallis anranliara worn; 17; Thun-

bergi, 10, 14:i
Herrii ria glabra aurea, 17
Hibbertiadentati, 408
Hibiscus calycinus, 421 ; spsciosus, 134 ; ths

swamp, 232
H eracium gymnocephalum. 31
Hippeastrum aulicum, iOi, 485 ; reticulatum,

240 ; stylosum, 239
Hoe, ihe, 437 ; the Dutch, 310
Hoi ies, planting, 348
HoUyhoek Ovid, 89 ; the, 249
Hollyhocks in Regent's Park, 72 ; single, 91
"Home of Horticulture," the prjposed, 444,

501
Honeysuckle, the scarlet trumpet, 62; the

Hot- stater apparatus, c"ea--ing, 286

Hou'letia Brocklehuistiana, ^66

Housi and gardi n, a Sjiaiiis/i, 245

Houstonia'crerulea alba, 77 t

Herntleya violacea, 259

Hyacinths and eczema, 468 ; and other

spring -flowering plauts in pots, 129;

Eomao, 448
Hyacinthus candicans. 111

Hydrangea altissir

arboreocens, 123; Lavatera, the Mallow-U's'', 211;

llo^^--, iL';;; peniculani, 123; pairculata
grandiflora, 141 ; p2tio'ariB, 124 ; pubes-
cens, 124 ; quo tifolia, 123, 127 ; radiata,
123; Thui.bergi, 124

Hydrangeas, 122 ; blue, 309 ; blue, in Corn-
wall, 153 ; in "'ornwall, 266

Hydrocleis Humb:,ldtr, 361

Hypericum patulum, 153

Ibeiis gibraltarica, 481

Ickworth, Apples at, 223

Idea, a good, 12

Inchbald. the lats Mr. Peter,

Inula Roj lei, 31

lonopsis utricularioiies, 164

Ipomaii family, the, 150

Iris, a cu ious, b2 : alati, -.r4

uprca

August, 153 : longipstalj, 1
■rar. flaTa, IST ; MUeii, 107
]s6;Monn-'eri, 1S7 : ccbrol

tarding, t.'l -: - , , _^^ ; ftylc:

alba, 523; r,- ■ ' , n .-., InT, 22,

Tolmeana. 1-- ; til iiMti, , - ; : tripctil

Irises,' Beardless. Is'ii ; CiiiforniiD, 453, 49(
Cushion, 332 ; dividing. 491 ; inthegardei
64; Japmese, 31, 362; Octob r, 351
planting Span sh, 453

Islay, the, 314

Isotoma axillaris, ISO

Italian Riviera, flower trade cf the, 23

Itea virginica, 04, 69

Jaeobinia magnifica v.ar. Pv-hliaua, 219

Jacquemoutia violacea, 427

Jadoo fibre and Liiies, 463

Jalap plant, the, 82

Japan, pot plants in, 19

Jardin l-leuriste, the new, at Paris, 434

Ji'Cj'<' ' ■I'^irinis, 478 ; ywadrai;

Ir'Ttkereana, 47S ; ctn-

''■'■■ 78; ortoriona, 47S

Kelso, Carnatiins from, 91

Kew, hardy border flowers a*-, 116 ; Lilies,

at, 16
Kingston HouEe, a bordir at, 97 ; jloicer

border at, 97
Kitchen garden, work in, 9, 24, 43, 63, S3,

103, 124, 145, 167, 188, 210, 231, 252, 273,

293, 334, 351, 370, 396, 415, 435, 455, 475,

49), 515
Kniphofla Heinriih Henchel, 342; lii/brida

Triumph, 398 ; Leichtlini distachyon, i85 ;

NekoLi, 285, 361 ; Xdsoni, 40O ; Pfitzeri,

2S5 ; Solfaterre, 285
KniphoSas, 398
Kcsteletzkia, 232

Lettu

495

I good

I 459;

Lettuces, Cabbage, IS4 ; cirly forau", 143 ;

planting in aurumn, 280
Leucodeodron argenteum, 44S
Lewisham, Chrysanthemums at, 379
Liatris spi.-^ata, 175
Libonia floi ibunda, 513
Ligu-tiumiaponicummacrophyllumaureum

127
Lilac Ml'.e. Fernando Vigier, 309 ; forcej,

343
Lilies, 232, 413, 491 ; and Jadoo fibre, 453 ; at

Kew. 16 ; baked. 248, 285 ; in 18»6, 400 ;

'liger, 108; two Water, 233 ; Water, in smaU

gardens, 112; new at Syon, 112; white,

SO ; white, ia village gardens, 31
Lilies, B lladonna, 33
Lilies, the Mariposa, 33
Lilium Alice Wilson, 10 ; auratum, 71, 148,

athum faUiug, 62 ;

::j ■•, : ; V : ■ ; e. and the leaf disease, 107 ;
' : 1. i.ii, 71; concolor. 49, 72 ;
I, ; Harris!, 1J3, .'.13; Heuryi,
VI Hi, 1I-, Ijij. 197; longifloruni giean-
u ,10, uj ; lougiflorum, Japanese, 147;
Lowi, .jl,3iJ2; Martagon daliiiaticum, 91;
odorum japonicum, 31, 67 ; pardali-
num. 52; phiUppinense, 111. 196, 492;
Roezli, 10; tinicum, 49 ; speciosum, 176,
171 ; album novum. 245, 262 ; s. macran-
thum, 196 ; B. Melpomene, 71, 261 ; s. Opal,
a, 10, 18, 31; tigiinurn. 111;

Fo.t

,250

Lily, a distinct, 18; birlbs drying, 171, !36
the silver trumpst, of Luzon, 492

Lily of the ^■ alley f reed, 337

Lirioiendron tulipiferum, 11, 52

Lissochi us s;:eciosus. 9S

Lobelia cardinalis C<rmine Ger,, 173, 175,
217, 220; Gerardi, 220,271, 321, 328, 342;
syphilitica, 271

Lomaria gibba, 490

Lonirera hirsuta, 227 ; sompervirens, 02 ; s.

Luculia gralissima, 408, 504

Lycaste Barrlngtooias, 204 ; lanipes, 226 ;

Skinneri alVa, 511 ; tetragona, 98
Lychnis chalcedonica, 32 ; vespertina plena,

10
Lycoris auiea, 3S1, 40<, 491
Lycium europium. 127
Lyonia patieulata, 308
Lyons, Co. Kildare, gardens at, 500

Msckania punctata, 62
Madonna Lily, the, 67
Magnolui fuscat.>, 19, 367 ; (.lauca, 31,
4tS ; rnacrophjUa, 11, 26, 51

Maine, a garden in, 7
Manet'lia bicolor, 411, 438, 486
Mania, Tulip, a new, 250
Manure, liquid, using, 501
Manures, applying artificial, 154
Marigold Legion of Honour, 215, 261 ;

African, as a bedding plant, 180
Market gardeners, cheap rates for, 515
Masdevallia Ajax, 89 ; amabilrs, 377 ; call

393 ; Chelsoni, 398 ; Chestertoni, 2

Harryana regaUs, 136; Lowi, 136;

crura, 511 ; marginella, 4 ;

peristeria, 136; Koezli, 261

311 ; Trochilus, 136
Masdevallias, treatment of, SI
Maxillaria grandiflora, 39, 426 ; Han-isoniaj

426 ; luteo-alba, 226, 420 ; nigrescens, 426

picta, 426 ; Sanderlana, 426 ; striata grandi

40;
tovaiensis.

flora, 217 ; tenuifo'.ia, 426 ; venvsta, 416

Maxillarias, 425

Meconopsis Walliohi, 31

amanda, 419; arceps Barkeriana, 510;

Megasea cordifolia purpurea, 2u0

Melon Barkham Scarlet, 51 ; Duche>s of

York, 93; Eureka, 53; Effingham, 51;

311; Pormaniana, 2SS ; ilegans alca. t2 ;

Harris's Favourite, 131 ; Herouf Lockiuge,

e. prasiala, 'M : ciandis tenebrosi, 2.SS ;

304; Roval Favourite, 202 ; S;,o,: laamrilt.

Liclw-i'.K; ;,; .A|. ■; nia, 443; Drran, 217;

Melon>, ^ :;'i;^ • ^ n • "■ •■ '. : :^:__good

.-Menzie^i. i-liii ..... '

Mi.hatlmn. Hi-i. -, -' -; ■•'!■'■ 1'. mt.s 1.0 ;

corbuU'eosis, 311 ; Clive, 217 ; Decia alba,

staking, 32S

443 ; elegans var. Canverberghiana, 130 ;
e. Owen'aj, 217 ; e. Schilleriana (As-hworths
var.), 443; Nysa superba, 403; Ro.-alind,
602; S;i-aph, 130 ""

Lantana Drap d'Or in pots

Lapageria rosea, 197

Laportea moroides. 428

ritin

Mignonette Machet in pots, 316

Mikania scalidens, 232

Miltonia cjnlida, 136; c. grandiflora, 173;
Clowesi, 340; cuneati, 269; Moreliana,
224 ; M. atro-purpurea. 311 ; Phalajnopsis,
98- Regnelli, 311; Sehrrederi.ani, 173;
spe'ctabijis, 178 ; vexdlaria. 4 ; v. superVa,
'.i9 ; Warscewiczi, 27

Jlina lobata, 133

Mistletoe growing on Cotoncastcr, 87

Monarda didyma, 10

Moore, Chas. , of Sydney, 91

THE GARDEN INDEX

[Jan. 2, 1897

16! ; ftullng to fruit,

Muscats «rly rijened, S2S
MuslmK.ms, early, 211
Mustard ac.l Cr.SJ. 41)
Mutis';i dccuiTv?u8, 71
Mji>si>iaiumuobi c. ISO
J/»o,«i(i.(iiiii< Ko'ji/t al Pan

MyroUbm, the, 312

Drbulnria
I'toschatus
ybrids of,

Ki\xr

ssptnscT, 25j
NfvtiU-iucs aud woodlicc, 74
Neluuibium si-eclosum in Austria, 460 ; sixci-

lun ill .V. B.M'ifll/'t garJin at ichtoss

Ojtta^ 4eO : ijKt-ioium in the Villa So'siff

Xeiiuutiums, 360
Serine flexuosa b
major, 193, 219 ; ManselU, 428 ; Novelt
321 ; pudica, S83 ; undulata, S61, 40S, 409

Xennes, seedling, 362

New Jersey, notes fr. m, 56, 109, 176, 271

Nico!iana hflinis. 149, 212 ; .rtowcrj of, in ii
iv.'l, Hi

Nierembcrgia rivul ) is, 52

.Vo.V CLa'.'.t^, 47S; Frawiutlle, 47S ; ilaiirtti,
47S ; Pon~;..iii', 47,s; bt Jtan, 478

Xoics, American, 23!

Xovembtr, a cold, 404 : in South Devon, 402

Xvmphaa ALdreaua, 325 ; Lotus rubra, 361 ;
MaiUacea camea, 130; Ctromatella, IDS,
235; Robintoniana, 130, 325; seed and

Xymiiha-.i!', 403 ; and water rats, 247 ; in

OBnCABY—

Bruckbank,
Car.iire, Jl.

Fclloncs, ih=Rev. Charles, 524
Heiil. Mr« . 3S4
Kniiiht, llunr'.,540
Mi:v;i;i.r. Haron Ferdinaid, 322
Triiuuii, Htnry, 342
Van <;e:rr, M."C. I'rosiier', 501
Watcrer. Anthony, 421
Wbiltcu, P., 322
letf.mcriadiaphiara, 39S

tuglossum aspidoiheuum, S9; bieton-
ense, 164 ; blandum, 40 ; Cetvantcsi | nne-
tatissiotiuD, 610; constrictum, 136; Cora-
dimi, 42j; crispum Golden Queen, 403;
gtande sufcrbum. 266; Hal i, 2:6; cris-
pum, 443 ; majniieciim, 484 ; Harryanum
■iisleaji, 136; macula um,

Odi

te'-li.

"10 ;

480; Sch.i

,483

} . ; macrocaTja, 111 ;

-1, 7/, 10?, 119
1 J S; baibjtuiD, 135;

■-. .!,..«,. .. - ,, cLt irophorum, 460;

c.ii..lvr, .:. ; 1151)010, 343; cxcavatum,
r.>. S4:i: flexuoium, 41, 343; Torbeai,
344 ; for cutting, 174}; flarrisonianum, S66 ;
incun-uni, 39, 341; Jonei-ia'.um tlavenp,
510; laiiielligcram, 2t>;
longipcs, 3 ; luridum, 4 ;
5€8 ; omithOTThynchum, 460 \
82; pulTina um, &9 ; refiexuin, lO; tigri-

■ — j.^,;. zcbriniim, 136

■; Hid, rolling, 158 ; Re-

and £0wing,
.1, 392

■'0 ; ccbioidcs,
.jplitiMimum,

Oranges, Australian, 2S6 ; in London, 201

Oixdaard houses, 74

Orchid flowers dying otf, 2S8 ; l.nitsc, connr
oiiin, 225 ; notes, 484 ; pan, a now, 344

Orchids, arrangement of, 225 ; t-t Cambridge
Lodge, 27 : at The Uarous, Twiekeuham,
259 ; at Weston-super-Mare, 3 ; British,
2S7 ; cool, 265 : in vineries, 97 ; light for,
419 ; rotds on, 38, 135, 2)7, 397, 507

Orchis pyramidalis, 60

Origanum Dictamnus and O. h^ bridum, 172

Osmanthus aquifolium. So, 127 : a'-geoteo-
margiuatu", S7 ; anreomarginatu", J6 ;
fragrans, S6 ; ilicifolius, SH ; latifolius
margiuatu5. 87 ; miirl I'olius, 86 ; myrt'-
folius, ?7 ; purpui-ascins, S7 ; rotundi-

Osiuaiithuscs, 86

Oslrowskia magt ifloa, 20

Oxalis CO nua, 317, 337 ; fl< ribunda, 511

Oxfordf ftii-e, Btech trees in, 4^0

Oxydendrou arfccrcuni, £03

Falumbina Candida, 82

Pampas Grass, 388, 412 ; protecting, 433, 4;9

Pan, a new Lrchid, 344

Pansies tor spring flowering, 1G9 ; in the

south of Engliud, 33 ; Tufted, 72 ; at the

Botanic, 583 ; from Hawiclc, SI : new, 3P(i ;

new varitties 7^ : ..r \iu":is :;:; : i.r.nin-'i! .

ing, 110; two ^
Pansy, raising t ] ,

Rowbeny, 70 ;

Grant. IT'i ; -\

Bl.i

do Vionne, 256, SSI, 36?, 365 ; Williams'

Bon Chretien. 363, 441 ; Uvedale's St. Cei-

maio, 498; Windsor, 263; Zephirin ('■,>■

goire, 406
Pears, cordon, 498; cul ivaUon of. m\.\< •

glass, 201; espn'ier, 63; good lato, iii.

late, 621 ; notes on, 477 ; variable qHalii>

in, 304
Peai, "■

l.plc orchards, 54, 93

it I, 31

i.iii 374 43! ; anicena, 3i4 ,
;7|: Au ic U var. Balbisi,
: mnvc^nVa 374; Balbisi,

,;,. StP: V;llvd.m, 374. 43-2;

133:

iii.iua, 362; Coquclicot, 163; Drum-

,.;..., 1.. a as an exhibition flower. 169; M'.

. ttK'c H .'<lurgie, 10; Opera, 111 ; Purest of All,
133';i!. I 153; Sylphide, 153 ; Van Hoiittei, 240
amic^, I Phloxes, 51
vender ' Phoniiium tenax. 869, 412 ; ii> a Torquay (jar-

tt, 7ii; Mrs. Wcod, 76; Nellie, 76;
ibetos, 76 ; Pembroke, 133 : Pencaitland,
Polly ChestuvfiL-ld, 70 ; President, 176;

! I ■ . -t a:i, 130 : t,Tandi8, 345
. . )'i..t' Ltiug, 456; seed, vitality of,

i! 1-1 ; lilting, 15

. . bills, 414,448; fruit of, 415
,M,ii.i.ii.rialis,519
'■n'"'. iuiViDialiscuttloicn, 518
:, coikfor, 176

good main crop, 46 ; Autocrat, 233,

H' st 11 Un'ivailed. 51 ; crop, mideen-

Rollisaoni, 224;

StUUip;!.., V. ...il.l,.j,,., , lUo, ol.:,; Ue .N..-

t&riuc, 17',i ; tice borJirs, 2r2 ; irccs forced
ind moisture, 323 ; trees, outdoor, 203 ;
trees, pi nling, 3.57 ; tree? , yellows in, 202,
255 ; Waterloo, 53 ; wood, ma.uring, 179

Peaches and Nectarines failing, 162 ; for
amateuip, 94; opjn air, S6 ; lest market,
305; e.rly, 73; late, 115; notes on, 178,
221; outcocr, 163, 295 ; isle coloured, 3S4

Pear, a good flavoured, 476 ; Althon) Cras-
sane, i97 ; Aspasie Ancourt, 131 ; Beurre
Bosc, 256 ; Beurr^ d'Anjoii, 407 ; Boone
d'Ezc, 223 ; Be rrc de lAssomption, 201,
256; Beurre du Buisson, 5z0; Beurre
Hardy, 254 ; Beurre Supeifin, 324 : Drock.
worth Paik, 223; Catillac, 2114; 1 ill I, "
Carmes, 54, 102; Claip's Favoui*
232 ; Co-mar dEte, 201 ; Comte .1.1
477 ; Dana's Uovey, 407 ; Doyenn- i
lot, 297, 405; Doyenne du Conn
f25, 30t, 519: Duehetss d'Orlci.
General Todtleben, 303 ; growing
ton Park, 387 ; Haccn's Incompar.. '
4'tO, 479. 521 : Hcssle. 4B8 ; Jersey (

I-. . Ol rranthut

i' ,. "k,'

cranthum for

Cob's Golden
I, 265, 356;
" ; McL.iUjjh.

111. 5 (j.igt, u.o ; o

I.I '

■11 r!:'.'.., 7i ;

the Chicka-aw, :l

the Pershore, for

the Violet, 223; t

toria, 202

213, 31G, 3

i; .ilba, 4..S;

rosea .uperba, 427

Plums, late, 364 ; the Mjrobala

n and Mira-

hello, ::«

|V/. ,! ■! .1 ..,.i.' !m

il, 66 ; the

112

r. ■ 1

1, 3n;Va'dschuanicum,

■'■'' ■■'■' ',"';:

hi n-Kt;lt

1,1 In V."

im, 217

■1

,3C6

ii^s at, 384
11 id tor, 384
Paik, 422
on?, County

in, 'ii'i; eaily, 16; growing out cf late,
211 ; late, 158, 339 ; some good, 280 ;
sproutlDg early, 497

liiicoln's Inn Gardens, 72

London, new recreiticm ground tor, 198

Metropolitan Public Gardens Association,

1 !, h:1i oi.eu space for, 482
r, I,'. .1 . iili, au open space for, 401
Flaot-. ilistributii.u or, in rojal parks, 262
l'osta,ens Park, the, 362, 524
te reation ground, anew, 342
Richmond, a recreation ground for, 154 ;
Park, 282

Jan. 2, 1897.]

THE GARDEN INDEX.

Solfoid, new park for, 312
St Paneras, open spacea in, 154
Sydenham, proposed new park at, 32
Townley Hill and park for Burnley, 12
Tree<, plant'ng, near the B ilish Museum,

W.iter^ow Park, Chrysanthemum'? at, 423
Wolverhampton new park at, 2ii2
Pyracantha, Weeping I2S
pyrithiumTartlienium Tbo Queen, 31
/■;;)■ sJapoiuca,/iuil f/, 106 ; Maulci, fruit or,

Radisli, a new winter, 41S

Had shes, winter, 458

Railway compjnies, planting by, 134

Ranunculus bilobus, 490 ; Macaulayi, 77

Raspberry Belle de Fonttnay, 203; Super-
lative in dry weather, 14

Raspberries feeding, 3SS ; pnmed and un-
p.unel, 13 ; watering, 14

Eeinwardtia tetragyna, 481

Renanthera Lowl, 217

Reitrepii antennif i-a, 177 ; elegaus, 177

Restiepia-, 177

Rhamuus imeritiu- s, 128

RhexivTirginic),172

Ehexias, the, 232

Rhodanthe Manglesi in pots, ^(}

»*hodochiton volubile, 306

Rhododenlron Cloth of Gold, 427, 443 ;
Countess of Derby, 427 ; Falconeri, 20 ;
Little Beauty, 503, 52 i; Maddeni, 20;
maximum in Connectieut, 233 ; Mrs. Heal,
408; nobiliu", 503; Princes i Alexand a,
408, 522 ; Princess Frederica, 153 ; Star of
ladia, 512

Rhododendrons, h.rdy, in New York anl
Boston, £27; in Amjiici, 107; in flower,
410

Rlus Cotinus, 72 ; typhina, 384

Richmond, vegetables at, 46

Road, a country, in the N, Carolina Moun-
tains, 228

Bobinia angustifolia eleg.\ns, 128 ; pseud-
acacia stmperflorcn", 87

Robins catmg Grapes, 407

Rochea falcala, 522

Rocheas, 139

Rocket, the white, 65

Rodgera'a pDdophvlla, 32

Roiiii^uesiasecunda, 177

R. mneya Coulter!, Ill, 463 ; at Torquay, 71

Rosa i-lyoophylla duplex. 113; indica san-
guinea, 362 ; Wichurian3, 172

R se Aciiilie, 246 ; Ainiee Vib rt, 89, 425 ;
A. K. miUams, 205; A. K. Williams, 205 ;
Barou G^nclU, 246; Beaute Inconstaute,
114; Bjle Lyonnaise, 155; B'.anch9 Mo-
rt au, 6 : Bridesmaid, 1 i'S ; Camoens, 366 ;
Cathe.ioe Mermet, 4S1 ; Celina, 6 ; Char-
lotte Gi lemot, 155 ; Clara Watson, 6 ;
Common Pink, 6 ; Comtesse de Barbantane,
246 ; Comtesie de Murinas, 6 ; ''omtesse de
Eocquiny, 246 ; Cramoisi Superieur, 155 ;
ctes.td, 6; Crimson Globe, 6; Crimson
Rambler, 6 31, -.98, 425; Dr. Grill, 366;
DucLe sed'Auera adt, 156; Empress Alex-
andra (f Russia, tOi Enchantress, 504;
Fi-met'a Nabonnatd, 155; Francis Du-
breuil, 25, 50 ; General Baron Berge, lis ;
Germaine Trochou, 113 ; Gloirede Uijon as
a shrub, 360; Gloire de 1' Exposition de
Bruxelles, 115 ; Gloire d^s Mousseuses, 6,
246; Glore Lyonnaise as a beldiog
Rose, 113; G. Natonuni I, 156; grow-
ing ia France, 25 ; Stanwell Perpetual,
113 ; Henriete de Beauv,.au 97 ; Homere,
155, 205 ; Jautt 3 Prid.-, 88 ; K.ai.serin
Friedrich. 113; Kronp inze.siu Victoria,

■ 246 ; La Frincr-, 70 ; and its piogeny, 245,
298 ; La France de '89, 26 ; Lamarque, 425 ;
Land, 6 ; Laurette Messimy, 155, 285 ; Le
8oleil, 155; V Ideal, 70: Little Gem, 0;
Longworth Rambler, 114; Lorna Doone,
246 ; Mme. L'ois, 156 ; Margaret Dickson,
70 ; Marie Va i Houtte, 388 ; Marquise de
Salisbury, 2S ; Mar.,ui.e Lita, 6 ; Mme.
Alfred Carriere, 113; Mme. Chauvry, 89 ;
Mme. DelviUe, 26 ; Mm". Edouard Ory, 6 ;
Mme. Eugene Resal, 6; Mme. Isaac

' Periere, 246; Mroe. \: Paronne Berge, 6 ;
Mme. Moreui, 113; Mme. Pierre Cochet,
113; Mme Pi-rre Ogtr, 113, 246; Mme.
Wm. Pail, 6 ; Mme. Pernet-Ducher,
15 i; Mrs. Bosinquet, 246; Mrs. Paul, 166,
2)6; M s Rimsey, 112. 173; Mrs. W. C.
Whitney, 26 ; Mrs W. J. Grant, 88 ;
Muriel Grahame, 18; notes, 310, 425;
Pauls Single Whit, 88; Queen, 246;
Queen of Bedderd, 24') ; Reine Olga de
Wartembur^, 2 j : Rcine Victoria, 246 ;
Reve a'Or, i:j ; Rotanda, 246 ; Salet, 6 ;
Sir J. Pa < ton, 246; Sombreuil, 243;
Souvenir de la Malmiisoa, 88, 243, 425 ; as
a standard, 88 ; Souvenir de Lady Ash-
burton, 26 ; Souvenir de Mnie. Antolne

afS

Verdier, C ; Souvenir de Sibreaj

25 ; Viscountess Folkestone, 70 ; White

Bath, 6; White Lady, 156; Wm. Allen

EioharJS'

297, 298 ;

Roses at the Crystal Palace, 69 ; at Ulverston,
88 ; autumn and winter treatment of, 3fi6 ;
autumnal, 428 ; Bourbon, 246, 310 ; Christ-
mas, 433, 505 ; climbing, 309 ; for forcing,
366 ; in ScotUand, 11 ; Monthly, 113 ; Mom,
5 ; old China undtr glass, 164 ; on a m I ;jc.
309 ; p'.lyantba, 155 ; Queen Mab and En-
chantress, 2c2 ; Eomi-climbing, 366 ; Tea
.and Hybrid Tea under glass, 309 ; Tea,
l^lautad out, 24 ; twelve good yellow Tea,
155 ; two vivid H. P., 155 ; uncommon, as
standards, V>'>

Uubus phoinicolasius, 140

Rudbeckia cUiforuica, 71 ; (double) Golden
Glow, 134, 271; laciniata fl.-pl., 220, 411 ;
laciniata It. pi, il overs of, 411; maxima,
219 ; Newmani, 111, 1116

Russia, the furests of 203

Saccolabium ampuUaceum, 128 ; bellinum,
123; Blumei, 128; giganteum, 128, 508;
Hendersonianum, 128
Saccolabiums, 128

SaintpauUa ionantha, 196, 285 ; i. rubra, 504
Salisbuna adlantifolia variegata. 111
Salpiglossis iu the flower garden, 236
Salvia azurea grandiHora, 306; Hormin' m,
172 ; invulucravi Bethelli, 306 ; leucanthi,
448 ; sple jdens gi-andiflora, 321, 342
.Silvias, two good, for the flower garden, 326

Savoys for late winter

e, 114 ; in winter.

SaMifraga cuscutajformis, 77, 468 ; Fortunei,
362, 468 ; muscoides Rhei, 250 ; pyrami-
dalip, propagating, 181

Scarborough, a note from, 384

Si^liloss Ojnka, i-i thejanlci at, 471
Schomburgkii tibicinis, (1
Scotland, Camltions from, 110 ; Roses in, 11
S^rophularia nodosa fol. var., 240
Scutellaria Mocciiiiain, 4CS
Scuticarii Hadweni, 2.4
Se;ikale, St; crowns forcing, ripening, 392;
tcedins, 158

Seuecio Galpiui, 175, 2i3, 219; grandifollus,
522 ; macroglossus, 523 ; pulcher, 175

September in South Devon, 333 ; plants in
bloom iu, 286

Shortiagala;ifolia, 78, 468

Shrubs, evergreen, in the flnwer garden,
516 ; flowering in Oxfordshire, 3S9 ; for
north of England, 482 ; three bcst flo
ing, 367

Sidalcea malvacea Listeri, 131

Sierra, wild gardens of the, 249

Silphiumlaciniatum, 153

Sice, the double, Slii

Smilax, 317

Societies and Exhieitioss—
Berlin Industrial, J 95
Bunyard's, Messrs., centenary show, J
Chester Horticultural show ami fete, 7
Crystal Palace fruit show, 239, 2S1, 29'
Crjstal Palace Rose show, 29
Gardeners' Royal Benevolent, 219, 322,

National Carnation and Picotee S<iciety

National Cbrysanthemum, 175, 194 261
iSl, 319, 341, 361, 3S0, 401, 424, 462,482, 503

National Cooperative, 174

National Dahha, 215, 464

National Viola, 175

P.aris Chrysanthemum, 411

Royal Botanic, 112, 133

Royal Horticultural, 30, 49, 71, 89, 11
130, 172, 216, 261, 320, 369, 382, 402, 4- i,
442, 482, 602

Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund, 523

United Horticultural, 322

Viola conference, 132

Yorkshire gala, 382
Soils and plants, 96
Solandra grandiflorj, 4.S
Solanum integrifolium, 448; jasminoides,

19, 369 ; jasminoidis, I'.i
Sollya heterophylla, 196
Sonerila Leopold II., 427, 443
Sophro-LMliaMarriotti, 443
Sophronitis grandiflo:a, 484 ; violaofa, 511
Soirel Tree, the, 308
South Devon, June in, 21 ; November in,

'2 ; October in, 420 ; September in, 335
Spain, a garden in, 245

Spiraia .ariajfolU, 278; a iuMii, 278; arun
cus, 31; a.tilboides, 65; Bumalda An-
thony Waterer, 285 ; Douglasi, 27 ; Thun-
bergi, 504 ; venusta, 71

Spruce, the b^ack, 227 ; the red, 227 ; the

Spruces, the, of Eastr rn America, 227
St.achys tuberifera, 3',i2, 466, 614
Stanli"!"'! 'iKirii,:' l,ri; oculata, 135

428

ifolij, 196 ; profasa.

Stauntonia la'ifolia fruiting, 481
Steuomesson inca-natum, 62
Stenotaphrum americanum vaiiejatum, 337
Stobasa membranifolia, 286 ; radula, 262
Stocks, biennial, IS; dw,irflng ». drought,
'^ " white East Lothian, 1

Stoi

Strawberry, alpine, des Quat:c Saisons, 521 ;
beds, m nuriDg. 94, 161 ; Empress of India,
74 ; fltld", the lleo, 31 ; pruwing for ama-
teurs, 385 ; gi-owing in East Anglia, 32i ;
Gunton Park, 3Sr. ; Gontm Park, colour in,
521 ; Keens' SeclUng, 441 ; Latest of All,
13, 14, 54; Leader, 13; Monarch, 161;
plantations, management of, 93 ; Jioyal
Sovereign, 254 ; Roj al Sovereign, 254 ;
runners, 7 ; Veitch's Perfection, 51 ; Vi-
comtesse H. dc Thury, 133

Strawberries, 305 ; alpine and Hautbois, 8 ;
autumn, 36 ; cvrly forcing, 116 ; forced,
223 ; long-cropping, 55 ; notes on, 253, 304,
325, 386; pUntin?, llf, 179 ; pit, 221 ; pot,
' ' '"). 470 ; 'luality iu preserved,

13 ; w.i'
Strepl'.-'

,196

Spathoglottis Fortunei, 426

Spinach, 47 ; failures with, 184 ; thinning in

autumn, 292 ; winter, 101
Spindle Tree, the, 257, 430

Stuartia pscudo-U ineiiii. 111
Sumach, ihe Venctiin, 183
Sunfl^wcr^', hybrid, i20
Swainsoniagalegifolia alba, 168
Sweet Pea Cupid, 11
witz3i-:and, Gimpan-alas in, 112

Tamarisk, (he Indian, 257

Tamarisks, 367 ; the culture and propigation

of, 256
Tamarix gallica, 256 ; germinica, 267 ; indica,

257 ; the German, 257 ; tfce Narbonne, 256
Tecoma Smithi, 362, 388, 410, 448
Telekia specijsa. 111
Terling Place, Essex, notes from, 269
Teucrium montar,um, 153
Thaiictrum aquileg.fol um, 117; anuilegi/o-

Thoobromi Cacao, 322

Teoin, a fine T.iney-Ieaved, 52

spin-, 306
Thripj, deat oying, 235
Thuiibcigias, 140, i7j
Thuini .alb I, 17V , Benboni.«, 82

the Cjck-
; MarshaU-

T grldi

Tillan.

T.mat

132;

-anthus luti ans, 504
1 Pavonia flavr, 22
1-, 171.

MiLinduui, 411
Chimin, 15S 280. Chis^s
cultuiL, 3'll , Dukecf Yo

ickll
k, 4

3.seit,

Neil

--L Ilin 1.^ (lid Red,],

; Re

243, 339 ; fa
339 ; open a

lifting
unfruitful, 294

Trellis wood for climber.', 72

Trichoceutrum albo-p.rpureum, 377

Triehosma suavis, 344

Tricyrtisgrandiflora, 389

Trillium nivale, 153 ; stylosum, 153

Trioh piliatortilis, 4

Tritoma Nelsoui, 196 ; U\ariaer ndiflorj, 196

TropKidum speclosum. 111, 220, 250; tubero-
sum, 270

Tubjroses. 213, 481

Tulip bulbs with thrtc flowers, 622; mania,
the new, 370 ; origin and names of the
late, 399; tree, the, 11, 52

Tulipi Greigi, 28J, 261, 271 ; Greiffi, 23D

Tulips, book on, 31

Turnip Cattell's Silver Ba'l, 61 ; Early Snow-
ball, 61 ; flat, forcing, 61 ; Golden Ball,
513 ; Jersey Lily. 51 ; Bel Globe, 51 ; Red-
top Gl .be, 16 ; White Milan, 497

Turnips, fl ivo ir iu yellow, 613 ; white. 45

winter, 279. 497 ; yellow garden, 456
Tiussilago fragrans, 48 1
Tydasis from seed, 4S6
Tjnninghame, Carnations from, 91

Valletta purpurea, 168, 213, 317

Vanda Ameaiana, 164, 419; crBrulescens

BoxalU, 29; coerulea, 418; mridea, 418,

485 ; Hookerima, 383 ; Kimballiana, 266 ;

Smderiana, 60, 344,480; S. at GUbdands,

480; S.,Jlrst,liowendplantof,4S')
Vandas, 59 ; a grouji of, £9
Vegetable com'pelition at Carsialton, 115 ;

Marrows, 167
Vegetables at early shows, 46 ; at Richmond,

46 ; planting, 16 ; small v. large, 436, 514 ;

spring, manuring ground for, 185 ; storiuj,

Verbena venosa, 153

Vernonia Arkansoni, 285

Veronica Ander oni ftliis variegatis, 4tS;
longifolia subsessilia, 91 ; monticoa, (5 ;
Purple Queen, 430 ; spicjtj alba, 196

Veronicas, 23

Viburnum cassinoides, 183

Villa Boisig, Berlin, the, 267

Vine, a variegated, 223, 265 ; borders, water-
ing inside, 160 ; leaves for decoration, 477 ;
on house in Surrev. 116 ; shoots, Ehorteu-
ii'tr. ^"f, MO : Wfdtti Frontignan on Mr.

Vi.i :< nil,,. 11 winter, 439 ; amateurs',
: '*, 1, ','7; scaldingin, 163

r, , , ..,.<. at HaUtcad, Essex, 3ie

\iiirs, hah-iniu i"g, 323 ; in an upright po i-
tiuii, 355 ; l.iycring, 116 ; lifting, 295 ; old,
lifdng, 32i; open-.air, 368; omamenta',
2 9; pot, 222, 4l7; pot and planted o..t,
ripening, 74 ; renovating, 447 ; sporting,
254 ; top-dreasing, 447

Viola conference, 92 ; odorata sulphuroa,
306 ; padata, 154

Violai or Tufted Pa sies, 118

Violet Princesa of Vales, 342 ; the Birc's-

VioLta. 238, 26', 413 ; at Nurthaw House, 433
Vitis Coignstiaj, 449; at CastleiK'lan, 419;
propagating, 481

Wall, a garden, 214 ; clothing a, 31 ; garden-
ing, 214, 239, 250

Wallflowers, 411

Walnut, the common, 479 ; the weeping,
128 ; tree, a fine, 12

Walnuta, cleaning, 305, 358

Wasps and i he fruit, 223

Waterer, Mr. Anthony, 623

Waterer, Anthonn, 420

Water Lilies in America, 1 ; new hardy, 325

Water rats and Nymphieas, 248 ; damage by,
332

Watering, 87

Watsonia iridifolia Ardeme', 176

Weather and the crops, 337

Wedding, silver, celebrati'in, 604

West Herts, weather in, 12, 30, 5?, 72, 92, 1 2,
134, 154, 1T6, 198, 219, 240, 262,28', 322,
342, 361, 382, 404, 444, 464, 481, 504, 623

Weston-super-M>re, Orchids at, 3

Wigganthorpe, Yorks, notes from, 407

Winchmore Hill, flowers from, 134, 197

Wineberry, the Japanese, 14D, 180, 220

Winter, Cabbage in, 457

Wireworm .and Melons, 323

Wista'ia sinensis. 111, 183 ; at The Bali, Ei'-
inn, 1S3

Woking, Paargoniums 'rom, 153

Wood into paper, conveiting. 72 ; trellis for
climbers, 72 ; wool for packing, 297

Woodlice and Nectarine-, 74

Worms, ridding lawns of, 1 96

Xanthoceras sorbifo'i

Za'il, Persian, 434

Zauschneria calif ornici, 14^, 281

Z nobia speciosa, 3C8 ; specijsa var piUv

lenta, 308
Z.-phyranthes Atimasci, 163
Zepidctrichium Uechtritzianuni, 238
Zinnias, 129
Zygopetabmi Gaulieii, 340; grandiflo;

49 ; maxillare, 59
Zvgopetalums, 609 ; a <i. oi'p or', 509

THE GARDEN INDEX

[Jan. 2, 1897.

W^:^^

COLOURED PLATES.

ANEMONES, POPFY

BEGONIA MARTIANA VAK. GHACILIS
CALYSTEGIA SYLVATICA AND C. SEPILM VA1{.

CYRTANTHCS HUTTONI

DELPHIXILM ZALIL

DELPHINIUMS: J, IKUE BLUE; 2, BEAUTY

LANGPOKT

DENDROMECON RIGIDUM

EXOGONIUM PURGA

GRIKFIXIA BLUMENAVIA

HYDRANGEA JAPONICA R03EA

IRI3 ATKOFUSCA

IRIS DOUGLASIANA

IRIS MI330URIENSIS

IRIS TECTORUM

122
3.32
272
186
272

LILIUM PHILIPPINENSE

NARCISSI, GROUP OF HYBRID

NARCISSUS POETICUS HYBRIDS

ONOSMA ALBO-ROSEUM

PASSIFLORA EDULTS AND FRUIT
PRIMULA ROSEA GRANDIFLORA
PRUNUS AMYGDALUS VAR. MACROCAK.

PHUNUS MUME

PRUNUS PENDULA

SAXIFRAGA MUSCOIDES RHEI

STEN0ME3S0N INCARNATUM

STREPTOCARPUS HYBRIDS

TIGRIDIA PAVONIA FLAVA

TULIPA GREIGI AND A^AR

VINCA MINOR FL.-PL

P.,GE

492

akden;

3^

Flower Garden.

WATER LILIES IN AMERICA.
Mr. J. N. Gerakd, Elizabeth, New Jersey, in
reference to some questions of ours as to the
distribution of American hardy Water Lilies,
sends the following very interesting note : —

The hardy Nymphajas are in their best con-
dition here at present, in their first fulness of
bloom after their season of rest. All Water
Lilies (hardy and tropical) grow so well in the
open in perhaps every section of the United States,
that all known species have been introduced into
cultivation and the growers have a wealth of
material available. In most large places, where an
interest is taken in water gardens, may usually
be found not only hardy Water Lilies, but also the
beet of the tropical kinds, both day and night
blooming. Almost certainly, also, will be found
the glorious Nelumbium speciosum, which has
been widely disseminated, and becomes naturalised
where the warm season is long enough to enable
it to form its annual tubers. It will be seen that
with this wealth of plants with such varying
habits, we have an advantage over less forward
countries, and hardy Nympha'as are not of such
importance as where the climate is not warm
enough to mature the more tender and rapidly
growing kinds. We have three native species of
Nymphajas — odorata, tuberosa and flava — the first
of which is very widely spread, and may be found
in numerous forms and in varying tones of pick,
as well as pure white. Marliac'e beautiful hy-
brids, however, have given a great impetus to the
cultivation of hardy Nympha'as, they being with-
out exception unique, or improvements on pre-
viously existing kinds. Of course they grow
luxuriantly here and are well known. N. albida
seems to be the largest white-flowered Lily, its
blooms— S inches or more in diameter on well-grown
plants — being only approached by those of N. tube-
rosa, a fine species, but one to be avoided, as it will
crowd out any other, owing to its strong growth
and multiplication by tubers or buds which it
throws ofil' very numerously. N. Marliicea res a
seems to the best pink Nymphiea, surpassing our
native N. odorata rosea in size and fine colouring.
Our greatest gain from Marliac, however, has
been the yellow hybrids N. Chromatella, N. o.
Bulphurea and the small N. helveola. N. o. sul-
phurea is rather the prettiest flower of this trio,
but N. Chromatella is handsome and a plant for
everyone, growing vigorously and always in
flower from early spring till after the first frosts.
It is easily propagated, everyone of the numerous
buds formed on the tubers striking readily. The
flesh-coloured N. carnea has always grown vigor-

1 ously here, and the flowers are inferior in size only
to those of N. albida. The dark pink N. exquisita
did not stay with me, and does not seem to be
Marliac's smaller- flowered kinds,

much grown.

^pt N. Laydekeri, are scarcely in cultivation

yet, but this hvbrid is much valued and is very
reliable. It does not increase, but the plants
grow strongly and flower profusely each season.

It does not seem to be generally known that
hardy Ny mphsas are perfectly hardy in the fullest
sense of that term. They simply require to be
left in their natural position, which is under
water, but it is not necessary to have them covered
with a great depth. My experience with a repre-
sentative collection grown in cemented tanks is
that they are perfectly safe with i inches to 6
inches of water over their crowns at a tempera-
ture of 10° Fahr. , which is ordinarily our mini-
mum here. Of course, the tubers would not be
subject to this temperature, being protected by a
covering of ice formed at a much higher tempera-
ture, and which practically forms a blanket. The
diff'erence between success and failure in the
cultivation of Nymph;vas is usually only a matter
of warmth. To plant Water Lilies in running
water from a spring is to court certain failure, as
such water is not only too cold, but also lacks
nutriment. They prosper in quiet pools of moderate
depth, say '2h feet, fully exposed to the sunlight.
The original planting should be in sound fibrous,
rather heavy loam, with a plentiful supply of per-
fectly decayed manure. The water should not be
changed often ; firstly, because this reduces the
temperature; secondly, because in still waters
the plants will receive much available plant food
from decomposing insects snd organic matter. It
will be seen that with this abundant food con-
stantly being added to the usual large assimilat-
ing organs or leaves, and abundant supplies of
moisture, the grower really has no care except to
see that the necessary heat is supplied to keep
the laboratory in operation. If the sunniest place
in the garden will not secure a summer tempera-
ture to even shallow water, the only plan is
to add a hot-water circulation from some con-
venient heater, a matter neither difficult nor ex-
pensive. A heater is often so used here for Vic-
toria regia tanks and for tropical Lilies, which
are required to be grown to the highest perfec-
tion, though the latter are grown successfully
enough for ordinary cultivators in unhealed tanks,
but they require more abundant food than the
hardy species, and of course annual replanting,
which is unnecessary for the latter.

■White East Lothian Stocks.— I saw these
fine Stocks in superb bloom in a front garden in
the village of Byfleet recently. They were from
seed sown early last summer, the plants being

grown on, and then planted out in the autumn.
The mild winter being too kindly to do them
harm, they became big clumps of massive, double
white flowers. As a rule, it would not do to
treat them so roughly, as ordinary winters kill
them. When, however, the plants are got during
the autumn into 6-inch pots and kept near the
light in a cool house or frame, then are planted
out in April, they soon get into full bloom and
produce the best effects. Even when grown in
this way from year to year— as had been the case
in this instance -the remarkable capacity to de-
velop some 80 per cent, of doubles remains, lor
ordinary pot culture the dwarfer intermediates
are no doubt the best.— A. D.

Carnation Grenadin.— It is astonishing what
a grand display can be made with this and at
little cost. For several years I have sown a
packet of seed. I destroy the old plants as soon
as the blooming is over, as I find much the best
results are obtained from young plants. My plan
is to sow the seed in a box at the end of March in
a frame, and as soon as the plants are large enough
they are pricked out into boxes. Early in July these
are planted in their permanent quarters in the
open ground. When the buds begin to show I
give them two or three waterings with manure
water. At the present time I have a splendid lot
of bloom, and nothing is more useful to cut from.
One of the great merits is that the blooms do
not burst. This Carnation does not get affected
with the spot, while border and tree kinds are
so badly affected, that to grow them satisfactorily
is quite out of the question.— Dorset.

Sno-wflake Pink.-Bunches of this very
beautiful white Pink were shown at the Drill ilall
on the -iSrd ult. I saw it a day or two previously
blooming most profusely amid-t other Pinks in
the nursery at Eden Hall, Great Bookham, where
Mr J. Douglas has his splendid collection ot l^ar-
nations. Snowflake Pink there was altogether the
best ; indeed, such loose burst-podded forms as
Mrs. Sinkins and Her Majesty, so far regarded as
the best white Pinks in cultivation, were far less
attractive. Pure white in colour, petals smooth
and rounded, not so densely set as to be crumpled
and borne in great profusion, I think no one will
care to grow the others once he gets hold ot
Snowflake. Mrs. Lakin is a handsome white Pink
alto, but does not seem to be so good a doer as is
Snowflska.- A. D.

Nympheea seed and rats.— At this season
one of our most interesting features is the Water
Lily pond. The common white Water Lily is
the greatest seed bearer. Both rats and mice
are very fond of it. When the seed is nearly ripe
the rats bring the seed pods to the banks and then
clear out every seed. Ny mpha- ^ Marliacea Chroma-

THE GARDEN.

[July A, 1S9G.

telU and other of Marliacs hybrid^ are not free
eeed beArers, as fir as my experieooa goes. N.
albida has the largest flower, and the plant ha^i a
strong constitution. N. Laydekeri rosea is a free-
flowering variety, and should be in every collec-
tion, but I have not found a fertile .°eed after the
numerous flowers. X. rosacea is a strong grower,
but not such a free flowerer as Laydekeri rosoi.
There are many other varieties which help to make
the pond beautiful with a minimum of trouble. In
planting I usually fasten a sod with a little fine
earth around the root-s and then just drop them
into the mud. Our shallow pond of about 2 feet
suits them well, and in similar situations Marliac's
hybrids, N. odorata and the common white Lily
should find a place.— W. 0., Fota.

FLOWER GARDEN X0TE3.
The srppLY of cut iloweks — With something
over Ul) vases, big and little, to fill and the
supply to come mainly from outside, it is hardly
necessary to say that the planting of different
things to secure a succession, ar.d the selection to
meet the several ordinary and speciil things for
which the tlowers are required, is not the least
important item in flower garden work. The selec-
tion of different things turns principally on ut-ing
flowers that have a comparatively thort life in a
cut ftate for purpo^'ej in which a display for the
time and not the de.-irability of avoiding early
replenishment is the main consideration. Such
things as single Peonies and the different varieties
of Popp-.es may, for instance, be u.^ed with advan-
tage in the decoration of the table: they stand
very well for the few hours required in any work
of thi-< kind. Just on the fame principle flowers
that do not last long out of dcors mny be the first
cut when required in ciuantity ; the holders are
necessarily kept rather bare and one is anxious to
preserve the flowers as long as possible. It
difficult to imagine how such a supply could ha
been maintained in those bygone times when the
formal garden was the firt-t consideration. A
series of herbaceous beds or borders from which
one can cut a plentiful supply is indeed a great
boon. Xext to the fact of having such borders
undoubtedly comes the desirability of so planting
them that a thoroughly good succession may be
secured, and we have oltentimee to give up the
wi.-h to plant any special favourites too largely
when the thought comes that an excess of any
one thing is only produced at the expense of, per-
haps, more useful subjects. One of the earliest
flowers of any size is probably the Tenby Daffodil,
and one of the latest is .\sier grandiflorus, the
one early in February, given a favourable time,
the other flowering at the beginning of De-
cember if the frost holds olF. In connection with
many new varieties of hardy plants it was lately
no-.«d that an immense improvement had been
effected in the sub-tance of i)etal, rendering them
to much more acceptable in a cut state, and the
same new varieties coming in, as they do, at
different times aie equally as serviceable in'ex-
tending the season as a whole as for the extra
time they last individually. Again, there are
often s[jecial demands on the flower garden at
eome particular season of the year, and in all ca=es
where the time is known measures have to be
taken to meet the extra demand. For the har-
vest festival, for instance, Constance, Snowflake
Glorioca, and Crawley Gem Dahlias and while
Comet Aster are in great request, and as such
festivals happen, as a rule, towards the end „i
September, a batch of the Aster should be put
out later than urual in order to get the flowers at
this particular time. Nothing much in the wa\
of white, to say nothing of scarlet, is available
OT the herbaceous border at that time, except the
Ute«ummer flowering Chrysanthemums. So far
a? the special requirements of places are con-
cernad in the way of va-es, it may be noted that
a tasfe for tiller va?ea seems to be growing, ar,<l
that flowers to fill such vace-i have to be provided
Good bold flowers, even if they are common, are
much bet'cr than oeine dwarf formal stuff
Pifconiee, Irisee and Delphlniumg are early big

flowers. Just now I am depending Lirgely on
Foxgloves, Lilies and Sisyrinchiums, and later will
come Galtonia and Montbretias, with perennial
Sunflowers and Starworts.

H.\RDV n..\NTs IN roTs— Among the hardy
plants potted up last autumn for use at different
times and for different purposes, some, as Daffo-
dils, Campanulas, Ernest Ladhams and Her
Majesty Pinks, as well as Carnations in variety,
have either already flowered or are still out, and
it is not too much to say that batches of plants of
this character are a wonderful boon to gardeners
where the demand both for flowers and plants is
large, and yet the supply of lilass is limited. True,
they cannot when used in this way be pronounced
perfectly hardy, but the stacking away in cold
pits or improvised frames is really more a ques-
tion of saving the pot than the plant, and they
may be packed as tightly as possible, using a bit
of Fern between, and 2 inches of cocoa fibre or
rough leaf soil to protect the surface soil. Perhaps
the best things so far have been the Pinks above
named. Carnation Uriah Pike, the white form of
Campanula persicifolia (single) and the variegated
forms of Funkia ovata. The contrast in the latter
case between the really bright variegation and
the very handsome spikes of lilac-coloured flowers
is very striking. Francoa ramosa— one of the most
graceful of pot plants all through the summer
months -can be kept very well through the winter
in a cold pit from which frost is just excluded,
not but that it will stard a little frost, but the
damp following after only a slight visitation is
apt to cause a rotting at the collar. A batch of
Montbretias is just throwing up the flower-
spikes, and as they will be a bit earlier than those
on outside borders, they are likely to be very use-
ful. A small collection of Phloxes in variety for
pot work will furnish a bright and an enduring
display, especially if the selection is made re-
spectively from the early and late-flowering sec
tions. Some of the Starworts are very well
adapted for pots. I have used A. acris, A. ptar-
micoides, A. dumosus, A. linosyris and A. eri-
coides, and there are doubtless others equally
good. Among plants of fairly tall habit and
single-stemmed that mix well with more bushy
things are Galtonia candicans and the new va-
rieties of Lobelia fulgens. In all cases where
hardy plants used in this way exhaust soil rapidly
as the Polyanthus, are of dense rooting habit, as
Starworts, or moisture-loving, as Phloxes, they
will require liberal feeding. So soon as they
begin to move in the spring, mild doses of
manure water may be occasionally given, and
it should be increased both in strength and
frequency as the flowers are formed and de-
veloped. Cow manure is about the best and safest
stimulant. I have included a few notes on such
plants under the flower garden, because as a rule
theirpreparation, whether byseed, cuttings, layers,
or division usually comes under the head of that
department, and a start in such preparations will
soon have to be made, so far, at any rate, as Pinks
and Carnations are concerned.

Flowkb gakde.s- work.— More rain fell this
morning (June 25) in two hours than we have had
since the beginning of spring, and it is needless
to say that everything is wonderfully benefited
thereby and looks bright and fresh. Where
means for artificial watering are not to hand
plants were lor king sickly, especially those that
tiad been in flower, but now, given a thorough
IHckmg of dead and dving blooms, they will have
a new lease of life. This apples to such things

s Sweet Peas, Tufted Pansies, Calendulas,
Poppies, A-c, and indeed to all those things whose
flowers, however briyht for the time being, are
somewhat quickly transformed into seed pods.
Among the things that will at this time want a
little help in the way of sticks if they .are growing
igainst any wall, stump, or fence, upon which
rliey are required to run or partially hide, are the
«hite and rose forms of the Everlasting Pea and
the Flame Tropajolum. The varieties of Lathj rus
belong emphatically to tho^e plants that are not
benefited by annual removal. I imagine many
gatrienere trying to eetablish them for the first

lime have seen LiiJ tii\it.d ti.e magnificint
clumps to be found occasionally in cottage gar-
dens. Such clumps, often nearly covering a rus-
tic porch or arbour, growing veiy freely ai d
throwing their fine spikes well above the foliage,
are a wonderfully handsome feature in any gar-
den. Where herbaceous flowers are bard cut
three and four times a week, there are not many
that die a natural death. Any dead blooms should,
however, be removed as soon as possible, especi-
ally from such things as, for instance, Pinks aid
Spiraea filipendula, and, indeed, in the cise of all
plants -where the foliage is good and foims of it-
self a bright and attractive carpet. Pyrethrums,
also, should be cut over directly the flower is gone
to encourage new growth, and if the time can te
spared to give a mulch and a soaking of water, so
much the better.

LiLiUM cANDiDi'M.— That there are two dis
tinct diseases to which this favourite old Lily is
subject is nob, I think, sufficiently recognised.
When a plant collapses entirely we look to the
root for the cause, but when the foliage only is
injured and stem and flowers remain intact, it is
obviously a case of atmospheric influence. I sfy
obviously because I cannot call to mind the ca^e
of any plant permanently injured at the roots,
tubers, or corms, as the case may be, the leaves
and stem of which do not ultimately suffer. We
always lo-e the foliage more or less, but a care-
ful examination of the stem shows no trace of
injury, whilst the flowers, averaging from twehe
to eighteen per stem, are all in their turn fairly
well developed. The flowers are not so large as
one could wish, but diminution in the size of
flower always follows injury to foliage.

Claremonl. E. BUREELL.

NOTES FROM DORSETSHIRE.
Few gardens offer a richer field of interest to the
lover of hardy plants than Loid Ilchester's msg-
nificent park at Melbury and the fine sub-tropictl
garden owned by the same nobleman at Abbott-
bury, on the south coast of Dorsetthiie. The for-
mer contains some truly magnificent specimens of
trees of every description. During a recent visit
I was much iroprested with the stately propor-
tions and perfect symmetry of a huge Taxodium
(Sequoia) semperviiens, such as is seldom seen in
this country ; the trunk measures about 6 feet in
diameter and the height of the tree cannot bo
short of ICO feet, and is the finest I have ever seen
in this country. In the same park are fine speci-
mens of Tulip trees, Abies Smithiana and
Cryptomeria japonica. Of the last there is quite
an avenue planted on one of the charming drives
through the park. Photinia serrulata is repre-
sented by a specimen quite 2ii feet high. Indi-
gofera dosua covers a space of more than 10 feet
through against one of the walls of the marsicn,
and is just now very bright with its rosy purple
flowers. Choice creepers of all kinds are displaj ed
everywhere, and another interesting feature is
the arboretum, where rare and choice trees and
shrubs flourish to perfection. The rarest kinds
of plants are grown not at Melbury, but 1 1
Abbotbbury, on the south coast. Here many
plmts grow freely that are but seldom seen out.
of-doors, or if found, present but rarely a robust
and healthy appeaiance. Very interesting »re
the variouskinds of Eucalyptus. The bluett foli-
age of all is shown by Eucalyptus cordatus (from
Van Dienien's Land). Eucalyptus eugenioides is a
very distinct kind with green leaves undulated at
the margin and borne on red stems. That charm-
ing shrub, Philesia buxifolia, generally a "mifl'y"
plant, ia bloi ming profusely and shows robust
growth, covering(iuiteas(iuareyardof spice. An-
other red floweiing plant in full bloom is Fuchsia
corymbifera. Its long tubular flowers remind
one of Fuchsia fulgens, but they are of a deep
c imTOn-carmine colour. Magnolias are well
represented, but the only one I noticed in bloom
(third week in June) is a fine specimen of Mug-
nolia glauca spreading about .10 feet. Most de-
ciduous Magnolias produce their flowers before
the leaves, but in this variety the large, sweet-

JuLT 4, 1896.]

THE CxARDEK

scented white flowers appear simultaneously with
the leaves. A fine specimen of Oxydendron ar-
boreum about 18 feet high is just unfolding its
white fliwers, which are not unlike those of a
Lily of the Valley in shape. Interesting also is the
Fiddle-wood tree (Cytharexylon quadrangulare),
which has small, Myrtle like leaves, and in autumn
is usually covered with bright purple berries
The specimen at Abbotsbury is about 20 feet high,
Acacia dealbata flourishes luxuriantly, as does
also the charming yellow-flowered Edwardsia
grandiflora, represented by a specimen about
18 feet high. Azara integrifolia, Berberis nepa-
lensis and Escallonia robusta are also of interest.
Himalayan Rhodcdendrons are largely grown
here, as are also Bamboo?. The latter include
splendid specimens of Phyllostachys yiridi-glau-
cescens, P. aurea, P. nigra, Arundinaria gracilis,
A. narihira, A. nitida, Phyllostachys Quillioi and
many others. F. W. Meter.

Exeter.

Orchids.

ORCHIDS AT WESTON-SUPER-MARE.
At Tyn-y-Coed, Weston-super-Mare, Mr. W. M.
Appleton has for the last four years been
working steadily with his Orchids until now the
collection has probably no equal in the neigh
bourhood, and certainly no healthier or cleaner
lot of plants could anywhere be found. Each
plant is a model of good culture, and there are
thousands of them in great variety. In the
first house I entered on a recent visit not
many Orchids were grown, it being largely de-
voted to Ferns of various kinds, but in the cool,
moist atmosphere so congenial to these, large
specimens of Ccelogyne cristata and Cymbidiums
in variety luxuriate. The cool house was the
next visited, and on entering, a fine bank of the
showy flowered section of Masdevallias at once
arrested attention. M. Harryana in variety was
the chief attraction, the flowers in nearly every
case being large and brilliant, one especially,
distinctly larger than any of the others,
being rich crimson-lake in colour — a very fine
and beautiful form. M. Veitchi was the most
largely represented species, the plants in flower
comprising several large healthy specimens and
quite a number of smaller ones. The smaller-
flowered section was represented by the quaint
M. Wagneriana and one or two others, the only
Restrepia in flower being R. elegans.

About COO plants of Odontoglossum crispum
are grown in this house, and many good forms
appear among those in bloom. The plants are
robust and healthy, and I noticed that INIr.
Appleton does not pot his newly-imported
plants so early as most growers, many having
the new pseudo-bulbs nearly made up, yet still
having no compost about them. The advantage
of this is obvious, as the compost is placed
about them just as they commence to root, and
consequently is still in a new sweet condition,
while had they been potted before, the compost
must have become soured to a certain extent.
Several plants of the distinct and pretty O. cor-
datum were carrying large spites of varying
tints, one dark form producing dense racemes
of flower being a distinct advance on the type.
O. maculatum and O. cirrhosum are also satis-
factory, a pretty rose tinted form of the latter
deserving mention. Lycaste aromatica is one
of the freest blooming of Orchids, and here it
is very fine, the flowers being literally crowded
on the plauts. A good form of L. Deppei, with
very broad sepals and petals and richly col-
oured lip, shows the beauty of this old and ne-
glected spfcies, and lasting as it does so long in
good condition, this neglect is difficult to account
for. Epidendrum vitellinum is finely flowered
and shows up in strong contrast to the quieter

tinted Odontoglots ; the form here grown well
deserves the appellation majus, this not being
always applicable. Many other kinds were in
bloom in thishouse, but space only admits of men-
tioning a fine lot of Oncidium macranthum and
the even more beautiful O. lamelligerum. These,
with their long, handsome panicles of flower,
were very attractive, and, owing to the number
of spikes coming on, will keep up a display
for a consideiable time. Another compact
range of houses contains the Cattleyas, inter-
mediate and East Icdia Orchids, each itructure
being filled to repletion, yet so well arranged
that no crowding is apparent. The number of
plants in flower in the Cattleya house is not
large, but they include, among others, some
truly grand forms of Laelia tenebrosa. One had
blossoms nearly or quite 9 inches across, but
rather lacking in the deep colour so desirable.
Other.s — and by no means a few — were nearly
black on the lip, and though many good forms
of this Orchid exist, it would, I think, be hard
to beat those at Tyn-y-Coed. Cattleya Mendeli
is in flower, also C. Mossiai, and the varieties
of each are good, but do not call for special
comment. A pretty sight in the intermediate
house was a fine specimen of Sobralia macran-
tha, the reed-like stems attaining a height of
r feet, and the plant was that day carrying
over thirty flowers, the lip of each blossom being
as large as the palm of the hand. A lovely
pure white form was also in flower, the sepals
and petals apparently of good substance, but,
unfortunately, as fleeting as they are beautiful.
The only shade of colour in this superb flower
is a rich yellow blotch on the lip. Galeandra
Devoniana, Paliimbina Candida and some fine
forms of Odontoglossum citrosmum roseum were
in flower, as were many others of considerable
merit. Dendrobiums were getting past their
best in the East India house, the best plants
being D. Dearei and D. snavissimum, each of
these being exceedingly well flowered. To men-
tion all the Cypripediums in flower would take
up far too much space, the best being found in
C. superbiens, C. Stonei, C. Hookerae with its
lovely foliage, the distinct C. Curtisi and the
remarkable C. Chamberlainianum. Two small
houses are filled with hybrid Orchids in variety,
the majority being Cypripediums and Cattleyas.
They are in all stages of development, from
the tiny green germ to the flowering plant, one
and all by their appearance testifying to the
care that is bestowed upon them. Mr. Apple-
ton's succe.'is shows what may be done in this
pect, and it is worthy of note that though he
s been engaged in hybridising only a little
3r three years, he has several thousand plants
separately potted, the first of which flowered
less than two years from the date of sowing.
At this rate many others are coming on, and in
a short time no doubt a great variety of interest-
ing hybrids will appear. R-

Cypripedium Schrcedeias.— This beautiful
and free-flowering hjbrid is now in bloom at
Tyn-yCoed, where it is well grown. In habit it
resembles C. Sedeni, and, like it, produces several
flowers upon a scape. The dorsal sepal is brownish
green, paling to nearly white at the apex and
lined with purple. The petals are long and droop-
ing, pale green and white, with crimson veinings.
The pouch is large, rosy pink on the outside,
" ite round the mouth and spotted with bright
crimson. This was one of Mr. Seden's hybrids,

fed by crossing C. Sedeni with C. caudatum,
and first flowered in 1883.

Cypripedium Chamberlainianum. — This
fine species seems always to be in flower, and
though introduced as lately as 1892 may be seen
in nearly every collection. The most remarkable
point about ib is the number of flowere Buccee.

fively produced on a spike, the old flower sets
being quite close together for a long distance and
having a peculiar appearance. Before one blos-
som decajs the next is ready to take its place,
thus keeping up a long display on one spike, and
in addiiion to this the f capes are freely produced.
The habit is quite distinct from that of any other
kind, the leaves being robust and healthy-looking,
about 15 inches in length. The dorsal sepal is
greenish jellow, with lines of purple and spots
of the same colour. The petals are hairy, curled
and twisted in a remarkable manner, the pouch
light, spotted with rose.

Phalsenopfis grpndiflora aurea. — A plant
of this splendid variety is row in flower, the habit
being exactly the same as in the typical form, but
the blossoms have much jellow about the lip.
The flower-spikes have a yellowish appearance on
seme plants, though this is absent on others. P.
grandiflora is one of the very best of its genus
and worthy of all care. The system I have before
recommended in the pages of The G.^rden,
that of growing them in pots nearly tilled
with crocks instead of the usual cylinder or basket
arrangement, is suitable to its requirements,
the simplicity of repotting being not the least re-
commendation for this style of growing the plants.
Careful balancing of the atmcspberic conditions
and due regard to the seasons of growth ard rest
are all else required, for it is one of the freest of all
to grow. — R.

Cypripedium Aineworthi.— This was the
first of the crosses eftVcted between C. lonyifolium
and C. Sedeni, and was raised by Mr. Mitchell,
gardener to the late Dr. Ainsworth,of Manchester.
The growth is very robust and healthy, and the
spikes are large and produce many flowers of the
distinct showy appearance characteristic of this
set of hybrids. Ihe dorsal sepal is very faintly
tinged with rose on a white ground, the petals
also white tipped with rose-pink. The pouch
varies somewhat, but is usually some tint of rose,
the open portion white, with many biight purple
spots. It does well in an intermediate house if
given plenty of water and a partly shaded posi-
tion.

Promensea citrina.— This is a pretty little
Orchid when well grown, and I recently noted
several fire plants of it in flower. The habit is
dwarf and close, the pseudo-bulbs teing very
small and producing from their base several
scapes about 3 inches long, each bearing a single
blossom. The sepals and petals arejellow, the
lip yellow in front, the base having a larj e deep
crimson spot and many smaller ones en the side
lobes. It does well in a shady position m the
cool house, and if suspended fiom the roof so
much the better. The roots like a compost of
peat fibre and Sphagnum, care being taken m
mixing it that no part of it can become close or
heavy, this being fatal to the well-being of the
plant.— R.

Odontoglossum Pescatorei.— Among a lot
of plants of this species in flower at Tyn-yCoed I
noticed one very distinct form. The flowers were
large, and the lip had a distinct dark purple
margin about an eighth of an inch in width, a
disposition of colouring at once uncommon and
pleasing. Others in bloom were of the usual
large flowering and branching forms, and, beauti-
ful as this species always is, it would be hard to
name a more suitable plant for beginners m
Orchid culture, for it thrives well in a cool hcuEe,
is not much subject to insect attacks, and "s very
constant and good. It is a native of New
Grenada, whence it has been often imported and
is eonsecjuently easy to obtain.— H.

Cattleya Bowringiena.— Judging by the
appearance of a fine batch of this Cattleya in Mr.
Appleton's collecticn at Weston, it delights m
considerably more heat than the labiata section
as a whole require. The plants are grown m a
light corner of the East India house, and are
making a remarkably fine growth. Grown here
in the ordinary Catileja temperature, it usually
flowers in November, a season when its beauu-
fully tinted blossoms are gieatly appreciated, and

THE GARDEN.

[JoL\ i, 1806.

jHould the warmer treatment cause it to Honor
tarlier I should hesitate to recommend it. If, on
the other hand, no ditVerence in its season of
ijjwaring is caused by the extra heat, I should
.*iy it is worthy of tri.al, and it would be interest-
ing to know later on the time at which these plants
dj«er.-H.

Ojcidium luridom. — This species belonps to
the bulbless section of the genus and is a fairly
common plant, I believe, in Jamaica and vai '
[virts of tropical America. The leaves are light
i;reen, orcasionally spottetl, and from the base of
tiiese the flower-spikes issue. These carry a largo
number of blossoms, the ground colour being a
yellowish green spotted with crimson or brown
some varieties being considerably brighter than
others. The plants do well in the Cattloya house
and like plenty of light, b.isket culture suiting
them well on this account. The compost should
consist largely of Sphagnum, this material being
more congenial to the roots than peat. Plenty of
water must be given while growing, and though
less is required in winter, the roots must not be
kept quite dry, as the leaves have not the power
of retaining moisture to the same extent as the
pseudo-bulbs.

Oncidiom longipes.— This pretty little On-
cid is now in flower, the blossoms being freely
produced from the last matured pseudo-bulbs.
£ach flower is about 1;} inches across, the sepals
and petals brownish, with a slight recurving yel-
low margin ; the lip yellow with a dark purple
blotch in the centre. It is not a difficult plant
to manage if a little care is taken with it, but,
like all small growers, it is easily checked by fluc-
tuations of temperature or chilling draughts, es-
pecially in early spring. It does well in the
coolest part of the Cattleya house or may be
grown with the warmer section of Odontoglos-
sums. A rather confined rooting space and a little
closer compost than the larger growing members
of the genus require suit it well. It is a native
of Brazil.

Maadevallia marginella.— For this rare and
beautiful little plant, Mr. R. J. Measures, of Cam-
berwell, was awarded a botanical certificate by the
Royal Horticultural Society. It only grows about
4 inches high, the leaves reminding one somewhat
of a miniature M. Harryana. Tho flowers are
apparently freely produced on the slender, wiry
stalks, and the sepals are of the purest white at
the base, afterwards elongated into thin, roundish
tails, these being green and orange in colour. Like
all in ibis section, it is very quaint and almost
grotesque in outline, the form so very attractive
to anyone who is interested in this class of plant.

Phaiua Humboldti.— Many Orchid growers
fail to do much with this plant, its culture
as yet not being thoroughly understood. Mr.
H. Chapman grows it well in a cool, airy corner
of an mt«rmediate house, so possibly it may turn
out that we have been giving this fine plant too
much heat. The plants at Camberwell are making
good growths and a great many flower spikes are
coming rapidly on, though at the time of my
visit no blooms were open. It is an Orchid that
vanes considerably in colour, the sepals and petals
being sometimes nearly white, others being flushed
with a deep rose tint, but all the forms are very
beautiful and worth all care to get them in good
order.— H. R. ^

Dendrobium infandibnlum. — Some fine
r°r^r^ -"^ "''^ pretty Dendrobe come from
" F. C, ' and their freshness and good substance
show they are the produce of well-grown plants
The nigro-hirsute forms of the genus to which
this species belongs are not very constant in their
time of flowering, the blossoms as a rule being
produced at the apex of growth, and consequently
dependent upon the time they start. The species
in question does not require, nor in fact will it
thnve in strong heat, but in a house such as suits
the Mexican L* lia anceps or at the cool end of
the Cattleya house it makes splendid shoots a
couple of ftet and upwards in length, such
growths being sure to flower well. The plants

which may be grown in small pans, are best kept
rather'pinched for root-room, and like a thin layer
of compost only. This may consist of the fibrous
part of peat and Sphagnum Moss in about equal
proportions, plenty of small crocks and charcoal
being added.

Cattleya Aclandlse.— A large healthy plant
of this pretty Cattleya is in flower in tho Cam-
bridge Lodge collection. It is grown in an inter-
mediate house, the roots being confined to a large
flat raft. The flowers are brighter in colour than
in some varieties, the sepals and petals chocolate,
with irregular greenish yellow markings. The lip
is large and spreading, rosy purple, not enfolding
the column as is usual in the genus. It is a dis-
tinct and pretty Orchid that requires care in cul-
tivating, the roots being easily injured by excess
of moisture, especially in winter, yet bare block
treatment is too poor to get the best results. It
is a native of Brazil, aud was introduced in 1839.

Trichopilia tortilis.— This is a free-flowering
and interesting plant, producing large blossoms
that remain in good condition for several weeks.
The sepals and petals are narrow and twisted,
the colour brown, paling to yellow at the mar-
gins, the lip white with many spots of bright
crimson. It does well in pots or baskets in the
Cattleya house and should be given thorough
drainage and a rough open compost, the roots
being vigorous and requiring a large quantity of
water while the plants are in active growth. T.
tortilis is a native of Mexico and an old plant in
cultivation, having been introduced as far back

MILTONIA VEXILLARIA.
This ranks among our finest Orchids, and when
grown into specimen size and well flowered it is
not easily surpassed. It possesses the good
qualities in an Orchid of being a free-growing
and free-rooting plant, and it ought to be seen in
well-developed specimens oftener than it is at
present. The season of flowering also ought to
commend it to those who have to supply cut
blooms of high (juality, as it comes in when the
demand for good flowers is greatest, and the
spikes of bloom are well adapted for giving a free
and elegant finish to a vase of choice flowers
Even when not in bloom it is distinct in appear
ance from other Orchids, with its pale green and
purple-tinted foliage.

In commencing the cultivation of this Orchid,
healthy young plants with one or two good leads
should be selected, as with good treatment they
soon grow into large plants. A plant of this
description in a .3-inch pot should be moved into
a 4i-inch pot when growth commences. Clean
pots and crocks and good drainage are necessary,
and the compost should be nearly free from all
earthy matter to ensure thorough porosity, as the
roots are very sensitive to a stagnant condition
surrounding them. A compost prepared in the
following manner will keep the roots in a healthy
condition : Select some light brown -coloured peat
full of fibre, and thoroughly dry it over a furnace
or in the sun. Break this up roughly, and re-
move all coarse roots and any black - looking
pieces out of it. The whole should then bo
passed through an inchmesh sieve, and after-
wards the dusty portion must be removed with a
fine sand sieve. After the latter operation not
inuch but fibre will remain, and to two parts of
this add one part chopped Sphagnum Moss.
Before potting, the Moss and peat must be moist-
ened and then well blended, and a sprinkling of
silver sand may be added with advantage. The
pots must be carefully drained to within a couple
of inches of the rim and a thin layer of Moss
placed over the drainage, filling up around the
roots with the compost and pressing it as firmly
as possible, so that the potting material cannot
hold an excess of moisture at any time. The
w^hole depth of compost over the drainage
should not exceed a couple of inches, as there is
much less risk of doing injury to the roots by
over-watering in a shallow than in a too deep
mass of material. As the plants increase in size

and larger pots are needed, the drainage should
be placed in a convex form under the centre of
each plant so as to avoid the accumulation of sour
matter in the centre of the ball, and the potting
material should be used a little rougher than for
small plants. As the normal season of growth
with this plant is during the winter months, great
care should be exercised in watering the plants at
that season, not only as regards the roots, but to
avoid any water falling into the centre of the
young growths and the sheaths of the leaves.
A nice degree of moisture at the roots should be
aimed at, never excessively wet for any length of
time and never allowed to become quite dry. The
plants should be elevated to within IS inches of
the glass during the dull season of growth, and a
moderate degree of moisture maintained in the
house, but drip must be carefully guarded against.
The temperature during winter should range from
50° to 58°, and the nearest approach to these con-
ditions will be found in the cool end of a Cattleya
house, or the plants may be placed through the
house on light stands above the other occupants.
Wherever placed the plants should always be
close under the eye of the grower, so that their
condition may be readily seen and attended to.

This plant is worthy of a small house being de-
voted specially to it during winter, and there are
a few other Orchids that would find just the
right conditions to suit them if associated with it.
Among these are Odontoglossum citrosmum, O.
grande, O. Phala-nopsis, O. n:evium majus, Cypri-
pedium caricinum and others that need a tempera-
ture intermediate between the Cattleya and cool
house. When the sun gains power in the spring,
a light movable shading will be needed, but it
need not be so heavy as over the cool house, as
this plant will stand a considerable degree of na-
tural beat without injury provided the house is
pretty freely ventilated at such times. The more
light and ventilation we can give, the firmer will
be the texture of the foliage, and consequently
less liable to the attacks of insect pests. Thrips
are often troublesome and not easily got rid of.
The method I recommend for dealing with this
pest is to have a large camel's- hair brush with
the hairs nearly 2 inches in length. This can be
run through the sheaths of the leaves very quickly
without the least injury to the plants and soon
dislodges the insects. A weak solution of insecti-
cide can also be passed through the leaves by the
aid of the brush with lets danger to the plants
than the usual method of dipping them.

I have seen a good deal of injury happen to
both the growth and flower spikes fiom careless
dipping. When the growths are nearly com-
pleted and the flowering stage is rapidly ap-
proaching, the pots should be full of healthy
roots. These are of a wiry nature and multiply
rapidly amongst the drainage of the pots. When
the plants have reached this stage the pots should
be dipped in shallow pans of water — deep enough
to cover the depth of the drainage— for a few
minutes occasionally to thoroughly moisten the
crocks and roots attached to them, as no amount
of surface watering will do it. This will increase
the root action and give an impetus to the final
growth of the plants and the development of fine
spikes of bloom. When the plants attain speci-
men size they should not be allowed to carry their
flowers too long, as it exhausts them and renders
them liable to die off suddenly. A short rest in a
cool temperature after flowering will do them
good, but dryness at the root must be carefully
guarded against. W'hen growth commences again,
any specimens that are getting bare in the centre
should be carefully separated and repotted, re-
taining one or two good leads with each piece,
shading them heavily, and watering carefully
until they are established, when they should be
placed under the same treatment as the esta-
blished plants. When well grown, few Orchids
increase in size more rapidly than this, as a well-
rooted plant seldom fails to throw double breaks
from the bulbs formed the previous season. It
may also be retarded to give a supply of flowers
over several months during late spring and
summer. J. R.

July 4, 1896. J

THE UARDEK

CAWDOR CASTLE, NAIRN.
The charms of the flower garden are clearly
shown in the illustration. The vegetation is not
of the small-growing kind, but trees, shrubs
and bushes, the absence of which with their
varied light and shade from most gardens gives
us the hard and dismal efliect so generally seen
where the whole garden ia set out flat as a
chessboard. Here, on Ihe contrary, we have
some play of light, and form, and shade
everywhere. The beds are simple, yet we see
rightly much less of them than of the flowers,
and the pattern is not greater than the garden,
as it unhappily so generally is.
Mr. Geo. Fowler Jones, Quarrybank, Malton,

Cawdor. In the early part of the sixteenth cen-
tury the subsequent additions appear to have been
built, from the date 1510 cut in the&tone chimney-
piece of one of the rooms, along with other
groteeque carvings. On this is a fox smoking a
pipe similar to what is still in use in the High-
lands and neighbourhood and commonly called
the cutty pipe.

There is a tradition, although of doubtful
authenticity, but still believed by the country folk,
that one of the upper rooms of the tower is
the room where King Duncan was murdered,
which incident Shakespeare has immortalised.
There is also a room in a roof adjoining called
" Lovat's hole," where the notorious Lovat is said
to have been concealed for a time after the battle
of Culloden, and escaped by being let down in a

and, to the best of my recollection, very much the
same as it was some sixty years back.

Rose Garden.

MOSS ROSES.
The very name of Moss Rose recalls to many of
us scenes in our childhood's days when these
Roses and the Maiden's Blush occupied a con-
spicuons place in nearly every garden in the
land. Naturally the wealth of beautiful varie-
ties of the Teas, Hybrid Teas and Hybrid Per-
petuals, <fec., has been the cause of the deposi-
tion of many old favourites. The question i)

Cawdor Castle, Nairn, N.B. Engraved for Ths Gabden from a photograph sent by Mr. G. Fowler Jones, Quarrybank, Malton, Torl;s.

Yorks, who sent us the pho.;o from which the
engraving was prepared, sends us the following
notes about this old castle : —

Few places are more interesting than Cawdor
Castle, with its traditions and surroundings, as
well as being a well-preserved specimen of a
feudal keep with domestic additions of a later
date. The Thane who founded the castle is said
to have consulted a seer as to where it should be
built. His counsel was that he should load an
ass with the iron chest full of the gold he
had amaesed to erect his castle with and build
wherever the ass should first halt. The ass stopped
at a Hawthorn tree on the bank of the Burn. The
castle was built round this tree, the mutilated
stem of which still exists in the donjon with the
old iron chest lying beside it. The keep which
Thane William built was a grim square tower
three storeys in height above the donjon, sur-
rounded with walls, moat, iron portcullis, and
furnished with turrets, battlements with other de-
fenfive armaments, for which the Thane received
letters from King James II. in the year 1454,
granting him licence to build the Castle of

basket over the outer roof into the Burn. The
old gateway entrance to courtyard with portcullis
and drawbridge still exists and is used as the only
entrance. The more recent buildings of domestic
offices, as seen in the engraving, form portions of
two sides of the square garden on the west, which
is otherwise enclosed by a massive stone wall.
Added to the charms of this quaint old feudal resi-
dence are the picturesque situation and surround-
ings, the splendid timber in the immediate
grounds and the beautifully laid out drives and
walks in the extensive woods through which the
Burn meanders and rushes past the castle walls
in its rapid descent to the river Nairn. The
garden is a large square divided into four
by grass walks, the chief one east and west
being wide, with flower borders each side, and
along the west side of castle filled with Roses
and flowering shrubs and plants that are showy
in the autumn ; the other portions are filled up
with fruit trees and vegetables, the general ap-
pearance being that of a well- stocked Scotch gar-
den, without any or much attention to display of
bedding plants or arrangement of colour in them,

often put to me, "Do you grow the Moss Roses
now I I very seldom see any ; " and I am forced
to admit that their cultivation has been sadly
neglected. This charming class of Rose appears
to have escaped the notice of hybridists, but if
they try to improve the flower at the expense
of its great attraction — the Moss-like growths
enveloping it— then I would say, "Leave well
alone." Doubtless, a rich crimson and a yellow
variety with the Moss-like growth of the common
pink would be hailed with delight by all lovers
of the queen of flowers.

The culture of Moss Roses is not at all difli-
cult. If dwarfs or bushes are desired, I would
recommend them to be either on own roots or
budded on seedling Brier, but I think they
appear to the best advantage when budded upon
short standards with stems about 2 feet high.
The Moss Rose delights in a rich fibrous loam
with plenty of well-decayed manure added, and
the plants should be transplanted every three
or four years— as, indeed, all Roses should be

THE GAKDEN.

[July 4, 1896-

— to maiutaia the vigour of growth so essential
to their success, aud to ward otl'tlie mildew, a
funs;us to which they are very much addicted.
If growu in a border auJ a portion of them
transpUnted each year, we should thus prolong
the floweriug period very considerably.

At pruuiug-time the knife must be used
rather severely, excepting in the case of the
very vigorous kinds, and the growths should be
well thinned in May to admit air freely to the
centre of the plant. Ample room should be
adbrded when planting, as they speedily develop
into huge bushes and trees. A good dressing
of well-decayed manure applied in autumn and
forked in in spring will bs of great assistance
in building up the buds. Many of us find in
the winter months that we have an accumula-
tion of liquid manure in the tanks placed near
the manure heap. If this liquid is poured on
to the Rose beds, giving the Moss Roses a good
share, we shall have no cause to regret doing so.
Some varietiL's, such as the Common Pink,
Crested, aT>d Crimson Globe, make grand stan-
dards to plant on lawns, aud these will iinickly
make large heads and be a c msiderable attiac-
ti >n during the month of June. Pyramids or
pillars could also be produced by planting along-
side walks some of the very vigorous kinds,
such as Comtjsse de Murinais, Blanche
Moreau, and the varieties named above. If
trained in pyramidal form very little pruning,
if any, will be required until the plants are five
or six years old, but if the growths get too
crowded these must of course be well thinned out.
Hedges formed of the common Moss have a
beautiful etfect when growing freely, and this
variety could also be used to advantage in the
wdd garden. The plants should be on ow
roots and allowed to ramble at will. Some
varieties are reputed to be perpetual, but this
appellation is rather misleading, for to be per-
petual we naturally should expect to see flowers
produced in autumn.

I appei:d a list of a dozen varieties which I
consider worth cultivating. There are many
other varieties, but the list given below is
representative of all the colours at present
obtained. I have placed them in their order of
merit, so that if only one can be grown it should
be the first named, and so on.

CoMMOx Pink —Buds beautifully mojsed. Too
well known to need description.

BuNXHE MoKEAC. — Fine paper-white, the
Mess like growth being of a peculiar dark green
colour, forming a beautiful contrast to the white
flowers.

Little Gem has flowers of a deep pink colour
and very small ; the tiny buds are freely produced
and are very mossy. It is a splendid variety for
pot culture.

Crested. — A clear rose colour, the flowers being
enveloped in a peculiar Parsley-like growth of a
very striking appearance.

White Bath. — An old favourite, and in some
respects the best white, but not quite so vigorous
as Blanche Moreau.

Cklin \. — Rich crimson, well moused, and pro-
duced in panicles of eight or nine blooms each.

Comte—e de MrRiNAK.— White, shaded pink,
very showy and free, each shoot crowned with
panicles of bloom? eight or nine in number, well
thrown out from the stem.

Salet. — Blush-pink, with a deep rose centre,
large and free.

Mme. Wm. Papl— Bright rose, free blooming,
and the mo-:t perpetual of any.

Crimson <;i.oiie. -i,) lite a new departure in
Mobs Kj=es, the Hower being of almost exhibition
fize, of a rich crimson colour, and buds well
mossed.

Lanei.— Uesp rO:e, almost crinason, and fairly
we'.l moised.

Gloire des MorsSEUSES. — Beautiful blush-pink,
large and full.

M.ME. Edodard Ory. — Rosy carmine, large and
well mossed. Philomel.

Rose Mme. la Baronne Barge (Tea).— This
is a recent variety of great merit. The colour is
a beautiful ivory-whito in centre of flower, the
outer petals being marbled and edgerl with a
lovely rosy tint. One great charm cf this Rose
is the almost perfect shape of the flower, the
centre having the appearance of having been
moulded in wax, so perfect is it.

Rose Mme. Eugene Basal (China).— All
lovers of Roses will welcome the above variety,
and it comes to us with a good testimonial, it
being a seedling from that lovely and popular va-
riety, Mme. Lauretue de Messiray. Mme. E.
Resal was sent out in 1894 by P. GuiUot. It is
of a deeper shade of pink than its parent, in fact,
it is almost red, and the base of the petals has a
beautiful coppery hue that renders it verj'
attractive. It cannot fail to be popular.

Rose Marquise Lita (H.T.). — This will
gladden the hearts of all exhibitors, and I expect
to .see it very finely shown at the Crystal Palace
on July 4. Ttie colour is a vivid vermilion in
centre, the outer petals being of a bright rosy
cerise and pointed after the manner of La France.
It is exceedingly free-blooming and the growth
and habit good ; indeed, much stronger than in
Lt Fraicheur, a variety it resembles in some re-
spects.—P.

Rose Souvenir de Mme. Antoine Levet
(Tea). — This Rose, approaching Wm. Allen
Richardson in colour, is of dwarf sturdy habit,
similar to Souvenir d'Elise Vardon, the expanded
fiover larger and of a better shape than in
W. A. Richardson with a good substantial petal.
At present I fear it is very scarce, as one seldom
meets with it at exhibitions, but it cannot fail to
become popular, and it deserves any extra care
we are willing to bestow upon it. WHiat a grand
variety it would be for massing, and a bed of it
would have a fine effect.— E.

Rose Souvenir de Mme. Eugene Verdier
(H.T.).-More than two-thirds of the Roses "
the last few years are what might be termed light
varieties, but many of them compel our admira-
tion by some special trait in their character.
Take, for instance, the variety under notice. The
colour is white, suffused with lemon, and the ex-
quisite shape of the flower is not the least attrac-
tion of this variety, the outer petals having the
characteristic pointing of Marechal Niel and La
France. It is what exhibitors would call a tight
Rose, and doubtless will soon be seen in all win-
ning stands. It is exceedingly free blooming and
altogether a very fine variety-.

Rose Clara Watson (Tea).— I could never
understand how it was the National Rose Society
refused their gold medal to this beautiful variety
raised by the Ute Mr. H. Bennett. The vigour
and foliage of this variety are almost sufficient to
recommend it, to say nothing of the flower. In
its growth it resembles somewhat the Hon. Edith
Gifford, but the flower is decidedly distinct. The
colour in the centre is of a beautiful deep rosy
peach hue, and this colour appears to faintly suf-
fuse the outer petals, which are of a light fawn
shade. The flower has about it that peculiar
transparency seen in one named G. Nabonnand,
but the petals are more evenly placed and it is
quite double. It is a worthy companion to the
grand varieties which Mr. Bennett raised. — P.

Rose Cr mson Rambler.— Plants of this
variety budded upon standards last year and
which made one or two growths the same season
are blooming profusely this year from last year's
wood, althoush this was cut down to within two
eyes of the base. This splendid novelty adapts
itself to almost any method of cultivation, and I
have seen plants grafted the previous season in 5-
inch pots blooming splendidly within a foot of
top of pot, simply by cutting down the hard wood
to within two or three eyes from base of shoot.

.•\nyone having a quantity of table decoration to
do would find such plants extremely useful. The
flowers when fully expanded have the unique
quality in a Rjseof lasting a long time before
dropping. I lately saw a plant in a large pot
with as many as thirty heads fully out at one
time, and as each head contains thirty to forty
blooms, the efTect can be readily imagined. This
plant had been thus in bloom for one week, and
there did not appear to bo any signs of failing
beauty, but to all appearance it would last an-
other week.— P.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1073.

POPPY AXEMONES.
(with a coloured plate.*)
This is the popular name by which we all know
and recognise the (iarland Windflower (Ane-
mone corouaria). It is an easUy grown plant,
a plant that will flourish in all sorts of soils,
and it is more than likely that this every-day
recommendation is just calculated to do a cer-
tain amount of harm. It too often happens
that those plants that can be well grown in
every garden and in all soils are just the plants
that many will grow, or rather purchase with
some such object in view, because of their
requiring little or no attention. The result
of all this is, unfortunately, and indeed too
frequently, that the tubers of these plants
are put into a hole little larger or more deeply
stirred than a 5-inch flower-pot. The reward
of such treatment is frequently seen in yellow
leaves, that should be fresh and vigorous, and
puny, undersized flowers. It is a great recom-
mendation to any flower that it will "grow in
any ordinary soil," but the plant that will
answer to such treatment can always be grown
to greater perfection with more liberal treat-
ment, and, further, will pay for all the extra
labour and care bestowed. It is just so with
these Anemones, for in spite of the fact that
they are among the easiest thmgs to grow, there
are few plants that respond to, aud produce
better results from, good culture. It is as spring
flowers that they are best known in gardens
generally, though the limit of spring by no
means exhausts the period over which they may
be had in bloom. Indeed, by planting the tubers
in successional batches, flowers maybe had from
March to the end of October, or even later than
this, provided no severe frosts are experienced.
The coloured plate with the present issue of
The Garden faithfully represents a charming
variety of these plants, particularly of those
having single flowers. The flowers in the
plate are not over-drawn, rather the reverse in
point of size, while the colours to be found are
as bright and varied as it is possible for them
to be. Some of the scarlet and vermilion
shades are extremely vivid in their colouring.
The blue and lavender as well as the mauve
shades are aUo numerous, and in their way
equally charming. There is also a host of
double kinds exceedingly rich and varied in
their colours, many of the named varieties,
both single and double, being in every way
excellent. The chief advantage of these
named kinds, apart from the superior flowers,
that it enables the planter to render the gar-
den more beautiful by massing any given colour
in a suitable position and in conjunction with
other things, employing them in a harmonious
manner. So far as

* Drawn for The Garden by Ella Williamson.
Lithographed and printed by Guillanme Severeyns.

^^^

July 4, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

Position
is concerned, these Anemones may be planted in
a great variety of situations, endeavouring if
possible to give them a slight shade. This is
more needful perhaps where the finest flowers are
required, and is perhaps more especially needed
when planting the suocessional batches to
bloom during the hot summer months. Those
intended for spring flowering will be benefited
if protection from the most searching and cut-
ting winds can be given them. For example,
in many private gardens such things may re-
ceive just the kind of protection they need if
planted at the foot of a wall or in some equally
sheltered place, and where such things are
planted in October, and particularly if the
tubers have been cultivated in the south of
France, the autumn growth will be rapid and
not unfrequently become disfigured by the
frosts that ensue. In a very charming way do
these Anemones mingle wi^h Narcissi in the
beds in spring, the abundance of the beautiful
foliage of the former making a most delightful
setting for the Narcissi, while succeeding them
in the time of their flowering. And very
charming, too, are these flowers in moist and
rich meadows, and bright and attractive alike
iu shrubbery and woodland. In all these
places thpy may be planted with a frfe hand ;
and if in the latter places their flowers are
smaller than those grown in more cultivated
([uarters, they will be none the less valued in
the end. A few remarks may be necessary
wilh regard to their general

Cl'LTURE.

Whether planted in beds alone or in borders,
the soil should be deeply dug and fairly well
enriched with rotten manure. In spite of the
fact that the tuberous roots of these plants are
not large, they quickly emit a large number of
fibres that in good and deep soil find their way
to a considerable depth — a somewhat sure sign
that their requirements will not be wholly satis-
fied in soils that are poor or shallow, or, what is
almost as bad, one that is not prepared for their
reception. Generally speaking, all the tuberous-
rooting Anemones prefer a light loamy soil, and
one that is well drained also. The most un-
suitable soils in which these can be planted are
those of a clayey nature, and where these are
retentive the tubers frequently perish in the
winter season. In all badly drained soils de-
terioration is likewise noticeable after the first
season, and indeed it is unwise to allow them to
remain. If the tubers are lifted as soon as the
foliage decays there may be the possibility of
their flowering a second season, which in the
lighter, well-drained soils is of frequent occur-
rence. By deep digging and using freely river
sand and leaf soil, together with burnt earth
and the like, the heavier soils may be trans-
formed into quite a congenial home for these
gay and beautiful flowers. The best flowers, it
should be noted, are the result of autumn plant-
ing, but very fine flowers also are forthcoming
when the tubers are planted quite early in the
year, say in February or March. But the date
of planting is one of those things which every
gardener must decide for himself according as
his peculiar requirements will dictate. With
the soil well prepared the tubers may be planted
over a very long period, far beyond the usual
recognised limits of the florists of old, who in
many instances gave preference to the autumn
for planting. Indeed, it is at this season that
they root so abundantly, and doubtless also, in
due course, yield proportionately of their
flowers. Notwithstanding all this, it is just
possible to obtain very good flowers indeed by
planting the dry tubers at midsummer. At this

time the soil is warm and the tubers quickly
plump up and grow, the majority of them
flowering during September and October, a
season when their flowers are as useful an I
welcome as in spring-time. The fact that these
Anemones may be thus turned to account is
not yet sufficiently known among gardeners
and the managers of large establishments,
who at all times have to provide large
supplies of flowers. The same remark applies
equally to the Anemone fulgens ; indeed, the
flowers of both kinds by suocessional planting
may be had over a very lengthened period— in
short, from February to the end of October.
These plants at all times enjoy a fairly good
and rich soil, and by planting rather thinly at
3 inches deep a good display is ensured. So far
I have said nothing about

Raising from Seed,
which is perhaps not only a simple, but also an
interesting way of growing these free-flowering
plants. In all instances the seed should be
sown in the open ground in well-enriched soil
of good depth. Select a somewhat sheltered
position, such as a shady border, and sow the
seed thinly either in drills or broadcast. Drills
are perhaps best, for the simple reason these are
more easily freed from weeds, and an opportunity
is also attbrded for frequent surface stirring,
which is of great help to the seedlings. The seeds
may be sown at any time from Slarch to the
end of June. Later than this is scarcely advis-
able, inasmuch as the young plants would
scarcely have time to fully develop before frosts
arrive. Should the soil be dry, a good soaking
may be given after the drills are drawn. Draw
the" drills at 8 inches apart, selecting a calm
day for the sowing, and should the seeds be at
all lumpy, take a handful of sharp sand or fine
earth and, mixing with the seed, rub them
through the hand till separated, afterwards sow-
ing soil and seed together in the drills. Prior
to'sowing, the bed should be moderately firm,
and when the seed is in, cover very lightly with
fine soil and make firm with the back ol a
spade. March sown seed I would sow in a
rather shady spot, but late June-planted seed
should be sown in a warm sunny spot, because
of the limit to growth before the arrival of frost.
Take care at all times to shade the seed bed
from all sun till the seed is well up, and likewise
to keep the surface moist. When the young
plants are matured in autumn, they may be
transplanted to other positions as required.

A garden in Maine. — Perhaps it would in-
terest you to hear what our place is like. It is a
rocky piece of 4 acres, thickly wooded with Spruce,
Fir, and Pine, with a sprinkling of Maple, Oak,
and Ash, and Birch to bring out the high lights.
The land slopes gently to a rocky seacoast, where
the waves make an incessant clatter on the
pebbly beach. The house stands in the middle,
a simple wooden affair of logs and shingles, but
with good big windows to let in light and air.
Some fine Spruce trees stand near the house, and
a little lawn gives the house a pedestal and blends
with the wild shrubs which we have transplanted
from the woods. Wild Roses are everywhere, and
climbing Roses tied to old-fashioned fan-shaped
trellises on the walls. In the ground they and
the Clematis and Virginia Creeper struggle with
many a tree. We have naturalised Lilies in many
places, and have great masses of Asters, Royal
Purple and Golden Rod in the autumn, while in
the spring the carpet of what they call in this
pirt of the world Bunchberries, the dwarf Cornel,
18 white with its flowers, and at midsummer
gorgeous in scarlet berries. The shrubs, except
those in the immediate neighbourhood, are from
the wood;— Viburnums, Dogwoods, Elder, the

Creeping Yew, a most beautful plant, with its
deep green foliage and crimson berries. To go on
with the list would be to lengthen it out a page or
so in telling over the names of our wood plants.
Solomon's Seal, Irises, Ferns, each have their corner
and each their beauty in season. Flower garden
we have none, but our flowers are scattered about;
wherever the soil is deep enough and the spot
sheltered from high winds, which destroy our
plants unless we take great care.— B. J., Bar
Harbour, Maine.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

STRAWBERRY RUNNERS.
Those who require a large number of Straw-
berry runners either for forcing or for furnish-
ing open-air beds will this season need to look
well to their young stock, as many beds, even
of yearling plants on light shallow soils, suffered
to a greater extent from the drought of early
spring than was at first thought. Even al-
though actual flagging did not take place, the
plants received a check, this being proved by
many of the fruit now turning brown .and re-
fusing to swell. Red spider will in consequence
be more troublesome than usual, particularly
on the less robust-growing varieties. Having
annually to fight more or less of a battle with
this pest, I sometimes syringe my layered
runners on the beds before they are severed
from the parents, as if left until ready for that
they would present a pitiful appearance. In
the best of seasons when growth is early and
vigorous and the spider attack reduced to a
minimum, I make it a rule to lay all the young
plants on their sides as soon as detached and
syringe them thoroughly well with strong sul-
phur water, so strong, indeed, that a rather
thick sediment is left on the foliage when dry.
After the plants have lain for a few hours they
are turned on the reverse side and again
syringed. I find this completely destroys the
spider, and no after attack need be feared. It
not unfrequently happens that the planting of
new beds cannot be done until certain crops
are cleared ofl' the ground ; consequently the
young plants suS'er from becoming root-bound.
To avoid this evil I use pots quite 3s inches in
diameter and of good depth, these holding suffi-
cient compost to nourish the roots until trans-
planting is done. Giving the plants weak doses of
liquid manure also aids them much. When there
is any fear of delay in planting, it is better to
detach the plants before the pots are quite full
of roots, and to stand them behind a north
wall not too thickly together, in which position
rooting will be slower. Few gardeners now-a-
days take runners except from yearling plants,
and I believe that where ground is plentiful
it would pay to plant a breadth of young plants
each autumn for producing runners the next
season, picking the bloom trusses off' directly
they appear, so that the whole of the strength
might be appropriated by the parent plant and
runners, takrug a crop the second year. Good
runners can, however, be secured from year-
ling-bearing beds, but the greatest drawback is
that many of them are ready for layering long
before the whole of the crop is gathered, and
difficulty is experienced in getting the pots
amongst the plants without damaging the fruit.
Watering also, it not very carefully performed,
is likely to rot the fruit. Where an unlimited
stock of runners is not required, I certainly
am an advocate for trimming off all runners
except those wanted for layering, this helping
the layers lefc and also improving the crop
of fruit next season. Although short of ground
and unable to devote a special site to stock

THE CxAT^DEX.

[July 4, 1896.

support the plaut for twelve months. Laye
ing runners into the fruiting pots may be done
from such a position, aud'l believe this old
system has ita advantages. J. Ckawford.

plants, I annually plant as many as possible in at this date many frames that have been shelter-
front of espaliu- "trees bv the margins of walks, iug bedding and other plants would grow good
where thev are easily layertd and attended to. Jlelons without manure if due attention were
]f a portion of the old soil is removed and a ' paid to culture, as if a couple of bushels of
cube of new loam put in and made firm, it will ' gocd loam are placed to a plant within 18 inches

of the glass, attention paid to closing early and
regulating growth, good results may be obtained.
Another system — that of growing iu cordon
fashion to get early crops — is deserving of atten-
tion, as the plants, having less top growth, can
be grown with less soil if well fed. It often
happens that too much root-run is allowed. If
the roo's can be restricted to a certain space,
the grower has more command of the plants
and cin get a better finish in the fruit. When
the fruits are finishing it often happens that the
plants are given too much water after the colour-
ing has begun, and though it is not well to hurry
the ripening by drying ofl' too quickly, many

MELONS.
So far as ripenins; of the fruit is concerned, we
have had a splendid season with plenty of sun,
and with good culture the flavour should be
excellent. ^At the same time it is necessary to
keep the leaves free of insect pests till the fruits
are matured, as if these are injured flavour is
impaired and valuable time lost. The varieties
of Melons are very numerous. Many growers
have their own seedlirgs, and if good they are
wise to keep and grow them, as Melons when
grown for years with other kinds deteriorate in
quality, as few fruits are crossed more quickly
than the Melon. Many who have been in
tropical climates dislike our small home grown
Melons. The small fruits when well grown are
delicious compared with the large Continental
ones. I am aware many fail to get first-class
flavour at times, but this also ail'ects other
fruits besides Melons, and seasons are not
always favourable. Another point deserving
attention is rapid culture. I have for some
years noticed the best flavour is usually ob-
tained from fruits grown quickly, the plants
bein" in a condition to give a second crop.
Though 1 am not an advocate for succession
crops on the same plants, it is an excellent
plan where only a small or limited space can be
oiven. More care is re(]uired to feed and buOd
up the sec >nd crop, and as I have no lack of
small pits during the summer, I find it best to
sow about every three weeks and rely upon
young plants, as often the pit just cleared of a
crop of fruit may be required for another
purpose.

I have raised a lot of seedlings from various
crosses, and some have been much inferior to
the parents. I have found it impossible to get
flavour when using two kinds noted for flavour,
as they have invariably been diflicult to fix, not
having enough strength. The one illustrated
(Syon Houst-) was raised a few years ago, and
It is still a favourite here. It may be termed a
m«'dium grower, and diflers from many in hav-
ing a certain amount of both green and scarlet
in its flesh. Some excellent Melons have of late
years been brought out by growers in diflereut
parts of the country, and as recently as June 9
two received first-class certificates and another
an award of merit. If this rate of progress
continues for the next few months, there will
be EG lack of new Melons. Many of the older
kinds still retain leaoing places, and show by
their excellence they were worthy of the praise
bestowed on them, as when grown true they are
difficult to beat. Many Melons of the present
day may be termed free growers. There are
fewer long-jointed kinds and less difiiculty in
setting, as when three crops ef fruit may be ob-
tained in the same pit with £re-heat, there is,
it will be seen, little difficulty in setting.

Melons in the olden days were much grown in
frames, manure being the heating agency, and
many good crojjs were grown. 1 have cut
Eastnor Castle, an excellent green variety, in
the middle cf May with only manure as the heat-
ing agtncy. Of course, .such methods ncjuired
a deal cf labour in makiig up a gocd body cf
manure, renewal of linings and covering of glass
at night. Frame culture need not be despised, as

manure. I do not advise the poor, b.rren soil
often used in former days for Melons. By
using fairly good soil there is less need of top-
dressing. A holding soil is advisable.

G. Wtthes.

ALPINE AND HAUTBOIS STRAWBERRIES.
Many persons grow the above for their peculiar
flavour. The alpines are grown more largely on
the continent than in this country and do not get
the same culture as our larger fruit ; indeed, in
many houses a bowl or small dieh of these fruits
is placed on the table from June to October, and
I do not know of a nicer dish. The value of these
small varieties is their long cropping in addition
to their fine flavour. They are not fastidious as
to soils and are readily raised from seed. The
plants fruit in a very young state and continue
bearing well into the autumn. There are some

,_-_- :zc

■^/m^.^^^

Melons have their flavour impaired by excess of
moisture. Much better Melons are obtained
when the plants are allowed to ripen the fruit
before it is detached from the plants, and even
then it is well to finish the fiuit in a
warm, dry temperature if flavour is desired.
Liquid manure given too late will soon att'ect
flavour, and in my opinion it should never be
given after the fruit has finished netting. I
admit netting can be hastened by excessive
heat, by drought, and also by neglect, but in
such cases one must not expect good flavour. To
get flavour, much may be done by a temporary
trellis, raising the fruit close to the glass and
removing superabundant foliage to admit
light and air. The old method of top-dressing

dozen varieties and I think that by careful
selection the fruits could be much improved in sizi
without loss of the exijuisite flavour. The Large
Red, which is known on the continent as Rouge
Amelior6, is a fine variety, and one of the best
for dessert. This was grown last year in quantity
at (iunnersbury House and certificated by the
Royal Horticultural Society. The fruits each
measure 2 inches long and are of a bright red
colour. The smaller variety, or what is called
Belle de Meaux, is a delicious fruit, and in shape
and colour resembles the Hautbois. Another fine
alpine is the White, now called Improved White,
a large fruit and fieely borne. I prefer the Red,
but many like the White. There are several
other varieties, such as the old red Comtesse
Fretiakofl', also red La Genereuse and some
Of the Hautbois

or soiling Melons at certain periods of their °thers with very small fruits,
growth is less practised, as if a fair quantity of section cr true Hautbois, Tnomphe d Orleans is a
soil is given at the start it is not necessary, as fine type. The old variety known as Royal
'much may be done with fertilisers and liquid I Hautbois is smaller, but valued for its peculiar

Jolt 4, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

flavour and well worth growing. Another type
rarely seen, the bush alpine, is distinct in char-
acter, but not of much value. This variety does
not make any runners and is increased by

The seed is sown early in January in boxes in
much the same way as Celery, and on a slight
bottom-heat. The soil used is very fine on the
surface, as the seed is small. When the plants
show, it is well to place near the light to prevent
drawing. As soon as three or four leaves are
made, the seedlings are pricked into boxes 3
inches apart each way, richer soil being used and
again placed in a warm frame near the glass for
about three weeks, when they are transferred to
cold frames, gradually hardened ofiF, and planted
out at the end of April or early in May. Time
may be gained by using pots instead of boxes at
the first shift, and they may be had in fruit in
August treated thus. Sowing in the open ground
in April or May requires care. In sowing I find
it best to sow broadcast and then thin out, leaving
the strongest plants to fruit where sown, trans-
planting the thinnings into rich soil in lines l.T
inches apart. These give a succession to the
plants not transplanted. Treated well they fruit
freely the next season from June to September.
G. W.

The Week's Work.

FRUIT HOUSES.
RiPE.NiNG Musc.\TS.— The bright sunshine which
we had during a greater portion of the last
month was very favourable to the ripening of
Muscat Grapes, and those having them at tliat
stage ought not to experience any difficulty in
maturing them properly. Muscats require a high
temperature with plenty of light to finish the
fruit perfectly ; at the same they must not be ex-
posed to the direct rays of the sun, or the berries
will scald. Where the foliage is robust and
shades the bunches too much, this should be tied
back to admit more light. A sheet of white
tissue paper being placed between the bunch and
glass will be found sufficient to protect the
berries. If the atmosphere of the house be kept
too dry, red spider sometimes attacks the foliage,
causing much annoyance. The only way I am
acquainted with to get rid of this is to sponge the
leaves with clean water, taking care not to touch
the berries ; sufficient moisture must also be
maintained to prevent it from spreading. Venti-
late early in the morning that the temperature
may not rise too quickly, thereby causing a dew
on the berries. Should the weather be cold and
showery, a little heat ought to circulate through
the hot-water pipes, or the fruit will be liable to
crack. Black Grapes that are ripe and which are
required to hang for some time longer will need
careful treatment, as they will soon lose their
colour if exposed to the bright sunshine. It is,
however, a bad plan to shade the foliage, and
where this is not sufficient to screen the bunches
a double thickness of blue tissue paper placed
between them and the glass will have the desired
effect. The house should be kept as cool as pos-
sible during hot weather by a free circulation of
air both day and night. Sprinkle the border and
path every morning when there is a prospect of a
bright day, as this will assist in keeping the foliage
healthy and the berries from shrivelling.

Late houses. — Due care must be exercised as
regards ventilation, cloting early so as to husband
the heat, as previously pointed out in former
calendars ; the Grapes will then have got forward
while the days are long and the sun bright. Wide
houses with long roofs that have only narrow ven-
tilators at the top are the most difficult of all to
manage, as red spider first makes its appearance
about half-way up the roof, when, if not checked,
it soon spreads over the whole house. All such
houses ought to run north and south, when a more
even temperature could be maintained. The top
lights, too, should be made to slide down, and if

in houses of such dimensions these were made
12 feet in length, there would be little fear of red
spider first attacking the foliage half-way up the
house. I have seen the foliage about half-way
up in some of the large vineries in the Channel
Islands eaten up with red spider before the Grapes
have commenced to stone, and all through the
hous3s being glas ed as I have pointed out. Many
of taem (40 feet wide or upwards) have only a
30 inch or 3-feet lifting ventilator at the apex,
the roof, too, being of tolerably steep pitch. It
must not be thought that the heat in these islands
(where the greater portion of the Grapes is grown)
is higher than that in England, for, being sur-
rounded with water, there is more moisture.
Those who have to contend with such ill-con-
structed places would do well to sprinkle a little
limewash along the centre of the glass on each
side of the house. Large vineries may be all very
well, but they should be properly ventilaoed,
otherwise it is impossible to grow Grapes in them
satisfactorily.

Peach houses. — See that the borders of early
houses do not in any case suffer from want of
water, as the bright sun at this period of the year
soon extracts the moisture from the soil. Where
the lights can be removed, this should be done
that the trees may be exposed to the weather.
The foliage ought to be kept healthy by frequent
syringing, as on this much of the future crop de-
pends. Unless the wood is properly ripened and
the buds well developed, they will in all proba-
bility drop instead of bursting into bloom when
forcing commences. Trees that are forced hard
are not long lived ; therefore it is well to always
have others in readiness to cake their place : but
as such cannot be started early into growth with
any chance of securing a crop, the succession
house may have to do duty for a year. Where
there are several such structures, there is no
difficulty in providing for any emergency, but
where there is only one or two and a tree fails,
this is a serious loss. In those houses where the
fruit has just commenced to ripen the syringe must
be used with care that no damage may be done to
the crop. Trees trained too close to the roof
glass are often attacked with red spider unless
the foliage is constantly moistened ; therefore do
not fail to keep them well attended to in this re-
spect. Some of the early varieties in cool houses
will also be approaching their ripening period ;
the syringe on these in like manner must be used
with care. The late kinds being still hard, there
will be no fear of injury in this respect ; therefore,
the syringe may be applied freely to keep all in-
sect 'pests in check and assist in promoting a
healthy growth.

Orchard house- — There being less fear of
mildew from cold draughts than there was earlier
in the season, or from damping by too much mois-
ture, water may be applied more freely both to
the roots and over the foliage. Apricots will be
approaching ripening ; these should therefore re-
ceive every attention. Trees in pots now filled
with roots are liable to suffer unless great care be
taken in watering. A free circulation of air
should be permitted whenever the weather is
favourable. With trees planted out, overfeeding
has a tendency to cause gross wood, which ought
to be guarded against, but where any show signs
of weakness such ought to be encouraged by
more liberal treatment, for unless the wood and
fruit-buds are well developed the future crop will
not be satisfactory.

Figs. — In the early houses the fruit will by
this have been gathered ; the trees, however,
must on no account be allowed to suffer from
lack of moisture, particularly those in pots, as
they soon will do during very hot weather.
Water must be given in sufficient quantities to
moisten every particle of soil. Plums, particu-
larly the early ones, such as the Gages, that have
light coloured skins and which are approaching
ripening, should be exposed as much as possible
to the light that their colour may be improved
thereby. Avoid wetting the fruit too much at
this stage, or cracking will be the result. Both
Peaches and Nectarines growing in pots will re-

quire plenty of support at this stage, particularly
those carrying heavy crops of fruit, as the soil
soon gets exhausted unless fertilisers are used to
keep it from doing so. Blood manure is a first-
class article for this purpose, there being little
danger of injurious effects from over-doses.
Whatever is used, it is far better to err on the
side of too little than too much ; therefore small
quantities at frequent intervals will be found
most beneficial. H. C. Pbinsei-.

KITCHEN GARDEN.

Turnips. — Turnip sowing may now be carried out
more extensively than has been advisable up to
date, for the weather will now in all probability
be more conducive to the production of roots good
in quality. I still, however, advise rather small
sowings for private use, for quickly-grown roots
that are not allowed to stand long after they have
become full-grown will invariably be found of
better quality than those which are older ; and I
find that I get excellent roots from sowings made
towards the end of July or any time up to the middle
of August, so that a portion of the land intended
for Turnips should still be kept in reserve.
Another advantage with late sowings is that those
Turnips which have not reached full size by winter
are not nearly so susceptible to injury by frost as
are those in a more advanced stage. Most grower j
have their favourite varieties, but I do not think
that a good selection of the strap leaved White
Stone and the Chirk Castle Black Stone can be
beaten for private use, and on these I depend
almost wholly for late work. For some years I
grew the Red Globe, and found it a very fine va-
riety which bulked well, but unless sown quite
late its size was objected to ; the colour of its skin
was also prejudicial, and caused it to be looked on
with disfavour. The yellow- fleshed Turnips are
also objected to in England, though farther north
they are valued, and rightly so, tor the varieties
in this class are by far the sweetest of all. The
best of the class is one that has been praised in
The Garden from time to time under various
names, but which I have known for at least thirty
years under the name of Orange Jelly — a suitable
name, suggestive of its texture when well grown.
It IS a very shapely little Turnip, and would form
an excellent companion for the two mentioned
above, where the unfortunate prejudice against
the colour can be overcome. All the above, being
small growers, may be sown in drills 1 foot apart,
or broadcast and hoed out to 10 inches if the latter
method be preferred. I prefer drills, and if the
soil is dry it is a good plan in drawing them to
draw a little deeper than usual, and to water them
well before sowing and covering the seed. Where
birds are apt to be troublesome with seedlings,
precautionary measures should be taken to ward
off attacks from the first, for once they attack the
young plants, they soon do much damage. A
dusting of wood ashes in the drills, and frequent
dustings with the same material while the seed-
lings are quite young, will soon hurry them into
the rough leaf, after which they will be compara-
tively safe from insect pests. Early hoeing and
thinning should be a fixed rule, few things suffer-
ing more than Turnips from any neglect of these
details of management.

Endive. — I advised a few weeks back that a
small sowing of Endive should be made for salad
purposes, but too much dependence should not be
placed on such an early lot, as the plants some-
times bolt in dry seasons. The time has now,
however, come when we can safely make a fairly
large sowing, and as big plants make the best
hearts, some little care should be bestowed on the
crop from the first. The best prsition I can
find for sowing now is on an east border, with
full exposure to that aspect, and here the plants
will make sturdy growth which will enable them
to bear transplanting without much check. The
soil should have been well manured and brought
into good tilth some time previously. Drills
should be drawn at a good distance apart to allow
room for the hoe, as some of the seedlings may be
allowed to come to their full growth where sown.

10

THE GATJDEN.

[July -i, 1896.

whtii ihev will come in tit for use slightly in ad-
vance of those which are transplanted. " Should
the soil be dry, water the drills before sowing as
recommended for Turnips. Sow thinly so that
there will be no crowding before planting. I rely
on the Round-leaved Batavian and the (ireen-
curled, as I find these are the hardiest and best
varieties in each section, the former being excel
lent for cooking.

HERits,— Most herbs are very forward in growth
this year, and where they are in demand all the
year round the present will be the best time for
gathering, drying, and storing a portion of the
crop ready for use during winter and early spring.
To get the full flavour and pungency the various
kinds should be cut on a dry day soon after they
come into flower, and the d'rying process shoulil
be carried out in an airy room or covered passage
wiiy where moisture w"ill be quickly carried off
without exposing the herbs to the direct action of
the sun, sun-dried herbs losing much of their
flavour. Many people tie their herbs directly
they are cut into small bunches and hang thtiii
up without taking further trouble, but the better
way is to spread them thinly on benches and turn
them over two or three times as drying proceeds,
so that all the moisture goes off before bunching ;
bunching when green leads to their turning
mouldy under the ties. When dried and
bunched they should be stored in some thoroughly
dry place free from dust, or, if the cook can be in-
duced to take charge of them, the leaves and
flower tips should be stripped from the stems and
packed into jars or bottles and labelled for easy
recognition. This is a good plan, as the herbs
keep splendidly so, and are always at hand ready
for use. Though it is only necessary to cut those
kinds which die down in winter, I like to secure
a supply of all kinds which retain their flav(
when cut, and cutting keeps the bushy kinds
bounds. Those kinds of which all or a portion
may be so treated now are bush and sweet Basil,
the latter if cut almost to the ground now will
break again and form plants for potting up later
on for green leaves in winter, Horehound, M_.
joram, pot and sweet, sp^ar Mint, winter and
sunimer Savory, the last dries best when pulled
lip by the roots. Tarragon, not for storing or dry-
ing, but for vinegar, and to produce a useful
secondary growth on a portion of the plants, and
Thyme. Flowers of Camomile, when fully out,
and the petals of the common Marigold (for soups)
should be gathered when dry and tit, and treated
in the same way as the cut herbs. July is the
best month for striking Sage, and it is necessary
to keep up a supply of young plants, as these

T^'*j ^^^''^ winters better than do older pU
I find no difficulty in striking this useful herb in
the open without using hand-lights or any other
covering, by using slips or quite long cuttings,
which are inserted two-thirds of their leno-th in
niches made with a spade, made firm, watered in,
and afterwards left to take care of themselves
Thyme is another herb of which the old plants
are killed by severe frost, and the present is a
good time to make a fresti bed of seedlings, which
may generally be found among older plants, as
these are sure to winter well if planted in good
time and in a dry, sunny spot. Chervil should
1 ^?T°, '?°'^,f°'" winter use; new seed will be
plentiful by this time en plants sown last year
and which have been allowed to flower. I sow
under a big old Plum tree, and here I obtain a
full supplv uithout any protection through the
wmter. Half the plantation of Sorrel should now
be cut down low ; this will cause the plants to
throw a fre.'-h crop of leaves, and the remaining
e all flower-stems

CrrrMEER.s —< Growing Cucumbers from cuttings
is a method not often adopted, but I find it a very
useful plan for giving a quick return in pits
which are occupied with other things till late in
the season, as cuttings come into fruit quicker
than do seedlings and bear well if well fed. The
method I practise is to line up the pits with fresh
manure and leaves inside and

heat begins to decline, and inserting the cuttings
when the soil has become thoroughly warmed
through, watering them in with tepid water, and
syringing them once or twice a day according to
the weather. Until rooted the lights are kept as
close as I consider safe and heavily shaded. Cut-
tings are made about 1 foot long, cut oil' about 1
inch below a leaf, no leaves are removed and
about 4 inches of the cutting are inserted almost
horizontally in the soil, burying the stem and the
lowest leaf along with it. I allow three cuttings
to an ordinary light in case one dies, but as a rule
they grow away almost at once and the surplus
one is removed when it is seen that the others are
safe. Cucumber frames and pits in which plants
ate now growing and fruiting should be syringed
freely when closing in the afternoon, as this will
keep down red spider. If mildew is seen remove
some of the older leaves and dust those which are
left with flowers of sulphur. If green fly puts in
an appearance, give slight weekly fumigations un-
til it has disappeared.

Ge-nkrai, \V(ibk.— Where the stud of horses is
only small and there is no convenience for allow-
ing the manure to lie in the straw till required, it
will be necessary to begin collecting the drop-
pings daily, with a view to making up a Mush-
room bed early in August. Spread the droppings
thinly under cover until sufficient has been ac
quired. Tripoli or other autumn sown Onions
which have not yet commenced ripening the top
growth should be broken down at once prepara-
tory to their being pulled and bunched. If al-
lowed to grow any longer, mildew is sure to attack
them, and from them it will spread to the spring-
sown plants. Continue to cut flowers from the
Seakale whenever they appear, and finally look
over the plot of young plants and remove sur-
plus shoots, after which give the pint a good
sprinkling of salt, which will have a better effect
than usual on all plants that enjoy it if the
drought continues. Make a further sowing of
Coleworts and plant out from earlier sowings
both of this and of Savoys as opportunity otters.
Sow also a further lot of French Beans if there is
any doubt about former sowings lasting out the
season. This will be necessary in gravelly or
poor soils. J. C. Tallaciv.

Notes of the Week.

Phlox Mr. H. Sturg'is is one of the early-
flowering (suffruticosa) section, producing small
panicles of pure white flowers with a faint sus
picion of pink. A pleasing and useful variety.

Monarda didyma.— This is one of the most
striking of easily grown perennials, the scarlet
heads of bloom being S'3en at a long distance off.
It is a good plant for beds or masses, ar.d a showy
plant in a cut state for exhibition.

Campanulft Van Houttei.— A good border
kind, closely allied to latifolia, but neater in habit
and producing large pendent bells of pale lilac or
blue. It is a free-flowering plant of easy culture
in ordinary soil and now finely in bloom.

Lihum Alice Wilson. —A remarkably dwarf,
golden-flowered form of the Thunbergianum
section, very distinct, and most telling either for
pans or groups, or grown in pots for the cool
greenhouse it would be very pleasing.

Andromeda speciosa caasicsefolis. A

mass of this valuable flowering shrub was a no-
ticeable feature in Messrs. Veitch's group at the
Drill Hall on Tuesday last. The plants were a
mass of pure white blossom, arranged in spikes
" ke those of Lily of the Valley, though
nearly double in sizs. It is impossible to over-
estimate the value of such a beautiful shrub as
this, which should be freely planted in large
gardens.

Amongst other trees and shrubs that are
in bloom now this is very beautiful. I think it
one of the finest hardy shrubs that we h

anil loaveo i.,t.i^^ r - r-y- •-.>... ..ecu uue ui uiB uiiesb naruy soruos mat we have.
' PuttiD^Tn hinncU« «? T^ .!" '.Hf "'"?' T''^'-^ «^« P''"''^ ^^'^ 2 feet to 3 feet high and as
, putting m hUlocks of soil when the rank I much across wreathed in blooms of the purest

white. These are very attractive and are admired
by all who see them. I send you by this post a
spray, also a few Heath blooms, which are a little
earlier this season than usual.— Ch as. Reeves,
riro Dal(.-<, MadocL

*,* Messrs. Veitch also send us from their
Coombe Wood Nurseries branches of this valuable
shrub wreathed in bloom.— Ed.

Aster Bigolowi.— For the month of June this
is a valuable species, while the fine mass of it
shown on Tuesday last by Mr. Perry at the Drill
Hall proves it a most abundant bloomer. The
deep lilac-blue of the florets makes it a most wel-'
come kind for beds at this season while the
myriads of its unexpanded buds show how freely
it flowers.

Lilium Roezli.— A very distinct Lily, best
described perhaps as a small L. Humboldti in
point of flower, while favouring the well-known
L. pardalinum in its foliage. Originally dis-
covered about 1S70 by Roezl, the plant appears
to have been lost till quite recently. Its distinct
colour and elegant form render it a useful kind
for pots or beds.

Eremurus in Sussex. — Mrs. Monk, St.
Anne's, Lewes, sends us a photograph of Ere-
murus robustus taken in her garden on June 11.
The length of the stem was ti feet 2 inches, and the
bloom 2 feet 2 inches. It was planted in October,
1894, in the centre of a bed of Madonna Lilies
and Gypsophila in ordinary soil, and protected
with ashes in spring.

Hemerocallis Thunbergi.— At the present
time this is one of the most valuable things in the
border, producing a large number of spikes from
the best clumps and a great profusion of yellow
trumpet-shaped flowers. It is welcome, moreover,
because of the way it succeeds H. flava in its
flowering, in this way providing a succession of
bloom for a long time.

Lychnis vespertina plena (double white
Campion). — This plant is now finely in flower in
many hardy plant establishments, and among
border things is quite distinct. The large double
and pure white flowers are slightly fragrant, and
though a most useful plant in the border, is not
good in a cut state, as it takes water badly owing
to its pipe-like stems.

Brodisea coccinea. — Among many fine things
on Tuesday last at the Drill Hall, Messrs. Wallace,
at Colchester, had a charming lot of this distinct
bulbous plant. The plant is of the simplest cul-
ture in light sandy soils or even in peat, and whtn
established will send up its wiry stems to 2 feet
high, these being crowned by an umbel of reddish-
crimson tubular shaped flowers.

Lilium testaceum.— Something like a dozen
spikes of this fine Lily were quite a feature in Mr.
Pilchard's group of hardy cut flowers at the
Drill Hall on Tuesday. The examples, moreover,
being furnished with some 2 feet of stem, displayed
the numerous large flowers to advantage, and,
judging by the clean growth present, this Lily
evidently finds a congenial home at Christchurch
among many hardy perennials.

Halimodendron argenteum.— Mr. Moore
sends us from Glasnevin some flowering branches
of this dwarf growing deciduous shrub, which
belongs to the Pea family. The foliage is silky
and whitish, hence the name, the flowers being
purplish pink. It is a native of Asiatic Russia, is
quite hardy, and grows to a height of from 5 feet
to 6 feet. It may often be seen grafted on the
tall stems of the Laburnum.

Geum Heldreichi.— This plant was freely
shown in a cut state at the Drill Hall on Tuesday
last by Mr. Amos Perry, Winchmore Hill. It is
said to be a species from Constantinople, and has
well-formed flowers intermediate in colour between
those of G. coccineum and G. miniatum. The
plant is full of promise, both as a border flower
d for cutting. A semi-double variety with
leafy bracts was exhibited in the same group.

Calochortus venustus citrinus.— This is
perhaps one of the most charming and valuable of

Jdlt 4, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

11

this sECtion, the flowers of a clear canary, almost
golden hue, with brown pencillings and blotches
on the petals. The Messrs. Wallace had this in
splendid form on Tuesday, and seen in goodly
quantity, as at the Drill Hall, is productive of
excellent effect. In a cut state these flowers are
among the most charming, being ligf-t and
elegant in form.

Brodisea grandiflora. — A charming little
bulbous plant either for the rock garden or in
masses in front of taller subjects. The clear deep
lilac-blue flowers are very effective in a mass and
come in rapid succession at this season. A note-
worthy feature of this pretty bulbous plant is that
it continues flowering for several weeks in succes-
sion. The bulbs may be had quite cheaply by the
hundred, and planted freely would make a delight-
ful feature in the woodland or wild garden.

Erodiam supracanum. — This is the correct
name of the species referred to in The Gar-
den nearly a year ago as E. supracinereum.
So far as the flowers are concerned, they
are similar to tho-e of E. trichomanifolium,
with possibly a little more colour in the veins ;
the blossoms are perhaps slightly larger. The
clear silvery leaves, however, render it a most dis-
tinct as well as desirable species, while its free-
dom of flowering makes it a welcome plant for
the rock garden in summer.

Lilium candidum. — Just now the pure
white flowers of this welcome species are very
attractive, especially where there are good-sized
clumps and free from disease. Quite recently
we saw quantities of this fine Lily in the gardens
at Claremont, where it is greatly valued. It «as
curious to note how in some clumps there was all
but perfect immunity from disease, while in others
the plants were more or less affected. In the worst
instances, however, the flowers were fairly good,
the disease only disfiguring the foliage about the
base.

Pentstemon barbatns. — The brilliant spikes
of scarlet of this are now making a goodly dis-
play. Tall and elegant in appearance, it is a plant
capable of producing excellent results either in
large groups or planted freely and in association
with other things. The pure white forms of the
Peach-leaved Bellflower would fit in nicely with
the above, and, flowering together, would give
good results. The best variety is P. b. Torreyi,
which has vivid scarlet flowers on stems 3 feet or
more high. A fine bed may be made by planting
this, to be followed by the pure white Tigridia a
little later.

Calochortus nitidus.— This belongs to a race
replete with novelties, many of them possessing
the greatest beauty in form and colour, and full
of interest to lovers of beautiful and charming
flowers. The above species, seen for the first tim
we believe, on Tuesday last at the Drill Hall,
likely to attract attention. The colour is a shade
of mauve through which a flush of white passes
and having a blotch of indigo-blue on each peta
and internally a slight bearded base, and a few
web-like filaments crossing to and fro. The
flowers are of large size and produced in a large
umbel. The exhibit came from Messrs. Wallace
Colchester.

Antirrhinums. — These are now among the
most showy of border flowers, providing a welcome
and useful variety of colour in many pleasing and
beautiful shades. Quite recently in the gardens
at Claremont we noted a fine strain of these things,
especially telling being some handsome bushes of
yellow and sulphur shades flowering most pro
fusely. Evidently Mr. Burrell values these things
at their full worth. In contrast to these shades
which were produced on plants 2 feet high or
nearly so was a fine dwarf variety about 9 inc'
exceedingly compact, and with flowers of the
richest crimson-velvet. Qiite near this fine form
was a broad sheet of the Tufted Pansy Violetta
covered with its pretty blooms, the two being
splendidly suited for association, as doubtless an
other season will find them at Claremont.

Eoheveria secunda glauca.— It cannot be
said of this plane that it is too seldom met with,

for it is grown in quantity, particularly in
public gardens and the like. In all these, how-
ever, the plants are shorn of all their floral worth
for the sake of their leaves, and in this meaningless
way they do duty by the thous.and in so-called beds
of carpet pattern. The other day, however, in
the small garden of an enthusiastic amateur we
saw a double row used as an edging, the rosettes
being arranged quite close together, and, better
still, the plants were full of blossom, the one-
sided spikes of orange-red flowers being attractive
in the extreme. And for the moment this was dis-
played to greater advantage by a band 6 inches
wide of Sedum acre in full bloom, the latter form-
ing the margin with the Echeveria immediately
behind.

The Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
in Westmoreland. — A few days ago I was shown
a very beautiful flower and part of a branch of
the Tulip Tree now in full bloom at Owlet Ash,
the Westmoreland seat of Mr. John Holme.
Never having seen this tree flowering anywhere
in the county, I was interested in its condition.
A few days ago I inspected it and found it in per-
fect leafage acd bloom. The tree, I should sav,
is considerably over fifty years of age, and is at
present about 30 feet high. The bole, up to 3 feet.,
is about 30 inches in diameter, and from that
point three strong and healthy limbs spring and
branch out. I have seen this tree growing very
freely in Somersetshire, and was greatly struck
with its beauty as a town tree in many of the
most populous cities of the United States. —
G. W. Murdoch, Westmoreland.

Gladiolus Colvillei The Bride.— It would
appear that the value of this plant in the open
ground is insufiiciently recognised, if we may
judge by its rare occurrence in such positions.
Given good sound bulbs, however, the plants
will when massed together produce a rare display cf
snowy white flowers on spikes about 2 feet high,
and for blooming early in June in this way they
have a value of their own. As a permanent plant
this should be more frequently grown in this way,
and being perfectly hardy, should prove a great
help to gardeners and others who always require
large supplies of the choicest flowers. If cut and
placed in water when the first flower expinds,
the rest of the spike will be as chaste and beau-
tiful as though grown under glass, and in a cut
state it is invaluable. To endure frost with im-
punity the bulbs should be planted 6 inches deep.

Tufced Pansy Florizel.— This is an ideal
flower and a distinct advance upon anything of
the same colour in the list of Tutted Pansies now
catalogued. The colour is best described as a
lovely blush lilac, in shape it is all that one could
desire, and it is also rayless. As an additional
attraction the blossoms aro sweet-scented. For
exhibition it is highly valued, as was evident in
the best stands at the recent show of the National
Viola Society. The habit of this variety is beau-
tifully tufted, whilst its free-flowering qualities
are most remarkable. Short-jointed growths, at
each joint new shoots, each carrying blossoms of
large size and good colour, at once pronounce it
to be one of the best for the flower garden. While
many of the older forts required to be pegged
down because of their leggy character, this new
form absolutely disposes of the need of any of these
undesirable artificial accompaniments. — D. B. C.

The new dwa. f Sweet Pea Cupid.— I have
lately seen this remarkable American variety in
various places, and in each instance the plants in
flower agreed with the description given of it on
its introduction. The plant seems to be a de-
formity, as indeed are all excessively dwarf forms
of naturally tall climbing plants. The stems are
quite procumbert, stout, and with numerous
short joints from which the flowers are produced ;
these are about the size of those of the ordinary
Sweet Pea and pure white. The importance of
this remaikablR break cannot be over-estimated,
as probably it is only a question of time when we
shall have all the varied gamut of tints of the tall
Sweet Peas represented in this dwarf, pigmy
strain, and which will be a great gain to

the open - air garden, especially to gardens
where it is necessary to have compact masses of
colour. Moreover, I think that we shall find that
this dwarf strain will be more cintinuous in
flowering than the tall sorts, particularly if atten-
tion is given to removing the seed-pods. Apart
from its value as a garden plant, it affords a re-
markable instance of the vagaries of plant life
when under cultivation. Here is an open field for
such as Mr. Eckford to work upon now that pro-
bably the limit of colour variation has been
reached in the tall strain.— W. G.

Boses in Scotland.— These are now (June
•27) beginning to open. As usual, the first to
bloom are the Hybrid Teas. This is a grand
class of Roses for amateurs, blooming continu-
ously early and late, and perfectly hardy in the
most severe winters. In my opinion they are
the Roses of the future for outdoor culture, and
only red and crimson colours of good quality are
wanted. Viscountess Folkestone, the finest of
them all, is in full bloom, the flowers 4 inches
across, deeply tinted flesh in the centre. Grecs
Darling follows, with flowers of a similar size.
Some of them are red with me, others red and
cream colour. Gloire Lyonnaise is a grand
flower, white, with a tinge of piimroseyel-
low ; unfortunately, scentless. Caroline Testout,
sweetly perfumed, is a highly attractive Rose.
Marquis of Salisbury is good in colour, but the
flower is thin and the growth of the plant poor.
The above are the finest flowers of the week.
The plants are throwing strong shoots from the
base and sides, making ready for another display
as soon as the present flowers are over. Notning
could be more satisfactory for the amateur, who
wants his plants in bloom as long as possible,
with good flowers for cutting. Of Hybrid Pe---
petuais, very few are out yet. Prince Camille de
Rohan being the best. This attracts attention
on account of its rich deep velvety crimson colour,
shading to black, and extremely sweet perfume.
My plants are all cut-backs.— W. M. M., Eihn-
hurgh.

Carpentaria californica.— I look upon this
plant as among the choicest and most beauti-
ful open-air shrubs we have in our gardens. I
am aware that by many it is regarded as doubtful
and one that is liable to give disappointment, but
I am convinced that when it is given suitable con
ditions (and these are not difficult to provide in
any place) it is a most satisfactory shrub. This
week I have seen it in perfection in Miss Breton s
beautiful garden at Forest End, Sandhurst, in
Berkshire, where she has it planted against a wall
facing due south, but not nailed cloee to it, but
allowed to take a free growth. The tallest shoots
are about 6 feet high from the base to the top ;
every shoot is terminated by a cluster of large,
pure white flowers, each 2 inches or more across.
The buds expand in succession, so that there is a
continuous display of flowers for weeks. There
are not many shrubs that behave so, and this
gives additional value to it. The specimen has
been in its present place four or five years, but
this is the first year that it has burst out in its
full glory of bloom. It is one of those shrubs we
have to wait for for a few seasons, but it repays
the patience. Miss Breton's garden lies high
on a knoll of Bagshot sand, and is crowded
with rare plants, that with many people are
more or less failures — Californian, New Zea-
land, and even Australian trees and shrubs.
In a future note I hope to give a few remarks
upon the behaviour of some of the out-of-the-
common trees and shrubs at Forest End.— W .
Goldrim:.

A noble flowering tree {Magnolii macro-
phylla).— We have had the pleasure of seeing,
the tree of this noble Magnolia at Claremont,
and we are even more surprised at its beauty than
before. It is about 40 feet high and not in what
we should call a very favourable posiiion, as the
trees, although they shelter it, seemed to us to
come too near it. The fact that it has lived for so
many years there is surely proof enoueh of its
hardiness, but as the ground is a little raised up
out of the valley, it has no doubt escaped the

12

THE CJARDEX

[July 4, If

most killirgr frosts. The soil, too, is of a fine
sacdv nature, which favours the tree and helps
it torijien its wood well. The flower— cut in the
bud and brought into the house — is beyond all
price as to its beauty, and no Lily or anything:
we know could eiiual it in form. The leaves are
nearly IS inches long and beautiful in form, the
unJersides of a delicate silver hue. The tree is
a native of N. Carolina, and has been many years
introduced into F.nglacd, but that it is so rare
shows how little attention people give to such
beautiful things, which both in France and
England were evidently much more freely planted
a few generations ago.

This valuable and rare tree is now flower-
ing grandly at Claremont, where the gigantic
cream coloured flowers are daily expanding. The
example is a large and consequently very old one,
being some -Id feet or so high, and is probably
unique in this country. The leaves are also of
large siz?, and, including the petiole, upwards of
•2 feet in length. From this tree throe monster
blooms were sent to the Drill Hall on Tuesday
last, where they aroused a good deal of interest.
Happily, too, Mr. Burrell had selected typical ex.
amples'with handsome leaves attached, thus dif-
playing it in its truD character. — J.

Hybrid AlBtioemerias — At the present time
large m.isses of the above charming flowers dower
the garden with their beauty. We have scarce
time to miss the varied colour notes of the hybrid
Aquilegi.as before the Alstru-raerias, with "their
haimoniously blended tints, are with us to take
their place. " Year by year the flower-stems are
more numerous and stronger. This season my
tallest flower-spike is 3 feet 11 inches in height,
and I know of others that have reached even a
greater stature. The hues vary from cream to
crimson-pink, the lighter coloured pencilled with
dark chocolate and the deeper tints with yellow.
I am sending a tox of the various shades for your
inspection. Alstntmeria aurantiaca also grows
well here, the tallest specimen being close upon
5 feet in height, but its colours appear dingy in
comparison with the varied tints of the hybrids.
I raised the whole of my plants from seed, and
when the tubers were formed the advice that they
should be planted at a depth of 8 inches escaped
my notice, end as they wtre but 3 inches below
the surface, I was prepared for the worst. The
thermometer on the low damp ground in which
they were planted showed 2Cr cf frost, but those
unprotected escaped as scathless as those which
had teen afforded a liberal mulch. From this it
would appear that in the south of England at all
events these Chilian plants aie absolutely hardy.
No flower lover who sees a breadth of these
Alsti.i merias in tttir full beauty can question
their value. They have likewise the property of
lasting well in water when cut for indoor decora
tion, for which purpose they are exceedingly orna
mental. — S. W. F., South Dtvon.

he June average. Very little rain has fallen dur.
ing the last three weeks, the total measurement
amounting to only about a quarter of an inch:
conscc|uently the soil is agaiji becoming very dry.
This is shown by the percolation gauges, through
neither of which has any measurable quantity of
rain-water come for ten days. Taking the month
as a whole, this has been the warmest June I have
recorded since observations were tirst taken here
ten years ago. Rain fell on eleven days, to the
total depth of about i] inches, nearly the whole
of which was deposited during the first ten days
of the month. So that June, which at the be-
ginning promised to be so very wet, was after
all, if anything, rather a dry summer month. The
aggregate record of bright sunshine proved in no
way remarkable, but was rather in excess of the
June average.— E. M., Berkhmnsled.

The weather in West Herts.- A moderately
warm week. On five dajs the temperature in
shade exceeded 70'. The nights were also, as a
rule, warm; indeed, until that preceding the
•J-Jad there had not been a single unseasonably
cold night for nearly three weeks. The tempera
tare of the soil has cot been so high as in the pre-
vious week, but is still .5^ above the June average
both at -2 feet and 1 foot deep. Very little rain
has fallen sines the last report was issued, and no
measurable quantity of rain-water has come
through either percolation gauge for several days.
There has been no lack cf bright sunshine, the
average duration amounting to over eight hours a
day, while on two dajg the record exceeded twelve
hours.— E. M., BtrhhamfUd, June 27.

A «eek of changeable weather as regards

temperature. For instance, on the Sath the
highest reading in shade was only (3.3'- ; whereas
two days afterwards the mercury rose to 7S* in
the hottest part of the day. The ground still
continues unseasonably warm, the temperature at
•2 feet deep being .j°, and at 1 foot deep -2 above

Public Gardens.

CUTTING UP THE LONDON PARKS.
Wk read in the papers of restaurants and other
structures being erected in tho parks, and see
some hoarding at Hyde Park Corner, all of which
are of doubtful import to those who care for the
beauty and dignity of the parks. If the Regent's
Park and Hyde Park were forests like Epping, or
even such big parks as the Bois de Boulogne, or the
park of Vincennes, or Phunix Park, Dublin, that
are many hundreds, and in some cases thousands,
of acres in extent, there might be reasonable
excuse for building restaurants in them. But
these London parks are only the size of a moder-
ate sized farm, and surrounded by buildings, and
to cut them up to make tea gardens is by no
means wise. If anyone wants to see the effect of
that we object to, he has only to go to the Re-
gent's Park, and from the outer parts look to-
wards the centre, where such erections rob the
surface of its once fine airy and open effect. As
each generation will probably demand structures
for its own fancied wants, it is easy to see what
this will lead to. Nothing is more unpleasant or
undignified than such restaurants erected in
parks, with their gravelled spaces and gingtr-
beery aspect. Some years ago there was a quiet
superintendent's house at the corner of Kensing-
ton Gardens, which for some reason was removed
by the then head of the Board of Works, and a
new house built in the park to cut up the surface
of one of its most airy parts. We believe the
money for this was found by Albert Grant, and
the work done in response to his wish. Thfse
facts show that those responsible do not consider
the landscape question at all, and therefore it is
quite clear that seme effort ought to be made to
protect the parks in order that their freshness
character, and breadth shall be maintained. If
we go on adding one trumpery structure after an-
other, little of the parks worth seeing will be left.
Those who build such structures do net think of
their bad effect in parks ; and, as usual, one bad
thing leads to another, as where the spouting
and acting are allowed to go on near the Marble
Arch, all the ground near has now to be protected
by too conspicuous iron railings, with spiked tops,
which destroy any possibility of good effect there-
abouts.— Fidel.

Tree -pi anting near British Museum.—
The St. Giles-in-the-Fields Board of Works hav-
ing obtained the sanction of the trustees of the
British Museum, have unanimously resolved to
have that part of Great Russell Street which is
in front of the Museum planted with trees, and
the Works Committee have been instructed to
carry the proposal into effect with as little delay
as possible.

Townlley Hall and paik for Burnley.—
The Burnley Town Council have decided by a
large majority to acquire Townlley Hall and
62 acres of the park, which had been offered to
them bv Lady O'Hagan for fn.-IOO. Forty acres
of the land are to he set aside for a public park,

and the corporation have the option of utilising
the remainder for building. The lar.d is beauti-
fully wooded, while the hall is one of the most
interesting in Lancashire. It has been the seat of
the Townlley family for many centuries.

Hardy flowers at Hampton Court. — We
egret that hardy flowers are much neglected
here— the public garden of all others around
London where the situations are the most inviting
for them. The best place in any public garden
we know for a mixed border of beautiful hardy
plants in natural groups is that against the wall
right and left of the palace front. The main
border here shows a few wretched lines of bsdding
plants, including some hundreds of yards of varie-
gated Cocksfoot Grass. The borders gerierally
are not half covered with plants now— in the
middle of June, and there is no good arrangement
of them. Much ground is devoted to hardy
flowers, which makes it all the more to be re-
gretted that no grouping of any kind (good or
bad) is practised. The enclosed gardens here are
some of the most beautiful possible for the growth
of hardy flowers, so that they might be seen to
the best advantage ; and the whole might easily
be made the most beautiful garden near London]
-Field.

A fine Walnut tree.— In the Baidar valley,
near Balaklava, in the Crimea, there stands a
Walnut tree which must be at least 1000 years
old. It yields annually from 80,000 to lUO.dCO
nuts, and is the property of five Tartar families,
who share its produce equally.

A good idea.— The son of one of our best-known
statesmen (says the OaUleiroman) has hit upon a
charming idea. In his garden he has had laid cut
a "bed of friendship." Of every friend he
possesses he has asked a plant. The bed is a
large one, and is already filled with a variety of
lovely plants which have reached him from every
part of England and the Continent.

Mr. Chamberlain and his Orchids.- Much
has been written about Mr. Chamberlain and his
Orchids. One fact mentioned in the Aprl
CasseU's Mayazine may, however, not be gener-
ally known, and that is that about twenty gar-
deners are usually employed at Highbury, the
care of the Orchids taking up the whole of the
time of three of the number. For the welfare of
these plants an experienced Orchid grower is held
responsible : but Mr. Chamberlain himself slid
contrives to take a keen personal interest in their
cultivation. On his Saturday to Monday visits,
and when residing at Highbury during the Par-
liamentary recess, the best part of his leisure
time is spent in the plant bouses. Every plant
is numbered according to a private catalogue Mr.
Chamberlain himself keeps, and the gardeners
say that every one of the five or six thousand
specimens at Highbury is individually known to
him. _^___^_^_^__^__^

Anther icum Liliago. — Some fine clumps of
this pretty sviecies are now producing numerous
spike.^ of bloom, and piesently there will be quite
a display of elegant snow-white flowers. Grow-
ing in a deep loamy soil where the roots can des-
cend, the plant has not suffered in the least from
the heat and drought of the year.

Coreopsis lanceolata is at the present time
one of the most serviceable of herbaceous border
flower.«. Neat and elegant in the border and flower-
ing profusely for a long period are points re-
garded by those who have to meet the demand for
large supplies of bloom. In a cut state, too, it is
very valuable.

ITameS of plants.- il/iss WUham.—l, Orchis

maciilata; 2, Veronica Teucrium var. W. A. G.

— i-^tanlopea Bucephalus. C. F. f.— Peruvian

Squill (Soilla peruviana). W. G. £.— Streptosnlen

Jamesoni. "We have no recollection of haviog had the
specimens from jou.

" English Flower Garden."— .\. new and

revised edition will be published next week, and
henceforward uav lo had through all booksellers.

THE CxARDEN.

13

No. 1286. SATUFDA Y, July II, 1896.

"This is an Art
Which does mend Nature: change it rather; but
The Art itself is Nature. "—SAaieipear*.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

EASPBERRIES PRUNED AND
UNPRUNED.
Last summer and autumn there was some cor-
respondence in The Gabdin, in which I took
part, about the advantage or disadvantage of
Bhortening back Raspberry canes to the extent
which has become customary. My own opinion
was expressed somewhat decidedly against the
current practice and in favour of leaving the
canes full length. Others took the contrary
view, and " D. T. F.," if I remember rightly,
wrote of the supposed weakening of the eyes all
down the stem which results from leaving it in-
tact. He will pardon me if I am mistaken in
attributing this opinion to him ; at all events it
is generally held. It seems to me that experi-
ment alone can prove or disprove this alleged
weakening of the eyes, for it is certainly not
universally true of plants that the maximum of
good flowers and fruit can only be obtained by
pruning. Tea Roses, especially the climbers,
are an obvious instance to the contrary ; it is
their very nature to produce their bloom at the
ends of the long growths, and although in the
non-climbers a few large exhibition blooms are
secured by cutting back, yet even in these an
infinitely larger harvest, and of fine flowers too,
results from pruning with the lightest possible
hand. With Blackberries, again, year after
year I have observed that the finest fruit and
the largest clusters come quite at the ends of
the long trailing shoots. Actual experiment is,
as I have said, the test, and I determined to
put the matter to the proof this season in my
own garden. My Raspbeny plantation consists
of two varieties, Superlative and Hornet, grown
espalier fashion on wires. In February, instead
of cutting back the canrs to the regulation 4
feet or eo, I simply trimmed off the few inches
of unripeced or withered wood at their tips,
shortening down only a few canes for com-
parison. The result has absolutely justified my
contention, the unpruned canes being simply
laden with fine fruit from top to bottom. I see
very little diminution of fruiting force in the
lower eyes, and the total gain of weight of fruit
is most striking. Perhaps a few larger berries
could be found if they were wanted on (he
shortened canes, bnt their superior size is not
at all obvious. Moreover, weight of fruit and
rot size of berry is what is demanded from an
eminently preserving fruit like the Raspberry.
I shall never again do any pruning to speak of,
and it is my belief that the common system of
cutting down the canes in private gardens is a
most unscientific one, and probably a mere un-
reasoning imitation of the market growers, who
shorten down the canes only in order that they
may stand erect without supports. In large
market gardens this may be almost a necessity,
but it is not so in the smaller Raspberry quar-
ters of private gardens, where stakes, wires, and
other devices for tying in the long canes are
managed without difficulty.

In another way we are unscientific, I am con-
vinced, in our cultivation of this most valuable
fruit. It is probable that all plants which
travel fast and far by stolons or runners are
impatient of restriction for any length of time
to the same spot. Their travelling signifies

that they quickly devour some constituent of
the soil which is necessary for their well-being,
and must seek "fresh fields and pastures new."
But it is our custom to draw our crops of
Raspberries from canes produced for several
years from the same stool. Let anyone actually
try— as I have tried — the experiment of leaving
the best of the canes which persist in springing
up out of line with the espaliers or irregularly
between the staked stools, and he will not fail
to be struck by the great superiority in size
and quantity of their produce. Of course, the
result is a very irregular plantation, and if such
irri gularity is an offence to the symmetrically-
minded gardener, he must keep to his rows and
mathematically-dispcsed stools. I confess that
for the sake of tidiness I have myself been
accustomed to grow my Raspberries espalier
fashicn, but for all that the best gardening is
that which elicits in the highest degree the
powers of a plant in yielding the most and the
best of flowers and fruit, and the whole charac-
ter of both Strawberries and Raspberries points
to their being dealt with as annuals, or rather
biennials, i.e., the best crops will be secured
from plants which came into existence last
year, fruit this year, and are then cleared away.
The worst enemy of the Raspberry is drought,
to which my countryside is very subject. This
year we have had, as I write (July 1), no rain
at all save about two light showers since early
in April. Under these most untoward circum-
stances it is instructive to observe (1) that the
additional leaf surface of full-length canes
enables them to hold out much better than
those which were pruned, and (2) that young
canes, i.e., canes on young'stools, hold out in
finitely better than these on older stools.
Aiidover. G. H. Engleheart.

Peach. Amsden June. — This is, I consider, the
best early Peach. I have not come to this con
elusion hastily, as about seven or eight years ago
I wrote some notes in The Garden as to hew
well it did at Bridehead House, near Dorchester.
I have grown it since that time and seen it in
many other gardens. In every instance it has
given the greatest satisfaction. I have a tree of
it growing in a cold Peach case. This year I ccm-
menced gathering from it on June 19. I find, tco,
that the flavour is very good.— J. Crook.

Stra-wteriy Latest cf All.— The name of
this variety seems to be somewhat a misnomer
this season, as very fine fruits were largely shown
at Richmond on the l-Mth ult., but the Icngcon-
tinued heat and drought have put many usually
late things somewhat out of character. The va-
riety has broad flattish or wedge-shaped fruits,
much like those of British Queen or Dr. Hogg,
from one of which no doubt it originated. It has
excellent flavour, but, like those named, the
fault of not fully ripening the points of the
fruits. That is a fault that should not be
found in any Strawberries this season. The best
sorts for flavour were Guntcn Park, rich in colour,
ard Latest of All. One exhibitor sought to de-
ceive the judges by putting up round and cocks-
ccmb Jas. Veitch as distinct. — A. D.

auality in preserved Strawberriep.- In
our anxiety for big things, the Strawberry in-
cluded, I trust we shall not lose sight of our good
preserving kinds, as though these are not large,
they are good, and possess merits the larger kinds
are deficient of. So far I have not yet found any
variety to beat King of the Earlies. This is a
small fruit of delicious flavour. It is of dwarf
growth, and, like most of this section, produces a
better crop the second year after planting. I
think this is superior to the well-known Black
Prince, a variety largely grown thirty years ago,
but not so good a cropper as King of the Earlies.
Some lovers of Strawberries object to these some-
what dark fruits when preserved, preferring a
brighter colour -with more acid flavour, and for

this purpose the Grove End Scarlet, an old
variety, cannot be beaten. This is a small bright
red berry, and when cooked it pieserves its
shape and is much liked on that account. The
same may be said of Viccmtesse H. de Thury,
one of the best Strawberries grown. It is a
splendid fruit when preserved- in fact if only one
Strawberry could be grown for eating and cook-
ing I would give this the preference for its all-
round excellence. An American variety, Cres-
cent Seedling or Little Gem, is a very fine tjpe
for early use and cooking. Many hke the Elton
Pine for this purpose, and I do not know of any
kind with better flavour or colour. The above I
have found the best for the purpose named. I
usually allow the plants two or three years
growth before discarding them, and in the case cf
varieties like Black Prince the plants are only
kept clear of each other between the rows, as I
tind they sufi'erless in seasons of drought.— G. W.
Strawbeny Leader. — I have just gathered
(July 4) the fruit in the open of the new Straw-
berry Leader, one of the Messrs. Laxton's latest
additions. There need be no doubt as to its value
for the open ground. It is a very valuable intro-
duction as a mid-season fruiter, richly flavoured,
and a grand grower. In hot seasons it does well,
as having a smooth foliage on stout foot-stalks,
it is less affected by insect pests than the soft-
leaved varieties. I think Leader will be an ex.
cellent kind to follow Royal Sovereign. It has
size and quality, and its free growth and free
setting should make it a valuable variety.— tr.
Wythes.

GRAPES SHANKING.
WoCLD you let me know why the enclosed ber-
ries of Foster's Seedling are shanking? I find also
that some Black Hamburgh in the same house are
similarly affected. I put in a new outside border
last February to a depth of about 20 inches, and
brought what roots I found, which were but few,
to the surface. The inside border is only 1 yard
wide. I have twice this season dressed the inside
border with sulphate of ammonia at the rate of IJ
ozs. to the square yard and watered it in, one
dressing when starting, the other when I fiiiished
thinning. The Vines are old and have previously
been cropped very heavily. Fosters Seedling
shanked a little last year, and the year before i„
cracked, but as that season was very wet and the
principal border outside, I laid the blame to too
much moisture. Both borders mcluded are
scarcely 9 feet wide and 4 feet or 5 feet deep. 1
cannot increase the width on account of the situa-
tion To add to the troubles already mentioned,
I bad to absent myself for a few days, ancl only
came back to find a large quantity of the leaves
scorched from want of ventilation. I shall be
very pleased if you will advise me as to what is
best to be done.-J. G., Oldham.

* * Grape Vines are long-suffering and patient
und*er abuse, but sooner or later they break down
under bad treatment of any kind Because they
are naturallv of a most productive habit of growth,
Black Hamburgh and Foster's Seedling are the

abused of all

most abusea oi ai. Grapes. I have seen the
former so regularly overcropped hat at least inore
berries shanked than were eatable while Foster s
Seedling has been so over-weigbted w;ith bunches
that the variety was unrecognisable The bunches
were long, thin and loose, the berries small,
round, and quite green when ripe, and the flavour
inferior to that of Royal Muscadine ripened
against open walls or house fronts Judging from
the facts^upplied by "J. G.," he '^ "°T^ P'^ ^^^
at a serious disadvantage, owing to the Vines
having in previous years been much overworked,
and hfs experience coming just at this opportune
time ought to act as a warning to many profes-
sional a.s well as amateur gardeners, who will per-
sist in recklessly overcropping their vines, in-
stead of one ard scmetimes two bunches being
left on every lateral, a far more valuable crop would
be had by reducing the number to a bunch on
every second lateral Do not wait till colouring
has connnenpcd or been going on long enough to

14

THE GAT^DEN.

[July 11, 1896.

show that it will be faulty, nor till shanking has
stATted, before reducing "the number of bunches
to reasonable limits, but sot about it at once. Not
only aie the colour and quality of the berries of
over-ripened or over-cropped Vines indifferent, but
the attempt to jierfect e.xtra heavy crops each year
must inevitably lead to a breakdown.

In the instance under notice the Vines would
appear to bo at a great disadvantage as far as the
borders are concerned. It is not so much the
width as the depth that is at fault : they are too
deep. When roots are tempted to strike, or are
driven down to a depth of 4 feet or ."> feet, they
cease to do such good service as formerly, and to
undue deep root-action shanking is frequently
ascribed. It is near the surface where the roots
will form the most root-fibres and bo the most
likely to profit by food and moisture placed at
their disposal, and be benefited by warmth and
air. A depth of '2 feet to S feet of border — that
is to say, soil alone — is ample, and in this the
roots ought to be kept active by means of top-
dressings, moisture and mulchings. If they leave
it and strike downwards, shanking, mildew or
other evils will most probably have soon to be
reckoned with. I question if there are any roots
in the inside border worth taking into considera-
tion, but if there are sufficient to do good service,
then not nearly enough water has been given
them. Watering either inside or outside borders
at fixed or stated times I have always held to be
a mistake. They ought to be treated exactly the
same as soil in pots, or watered whenever approach
ing dryness. Delay watering till the borders are
quite dry, and much harm will already have b
done to the roots, and much larger quantities of
water are needed to remoisten the soil than need
bo used at two waterings when these are given at
the right time. Worn out old borders well filled
with roots ought to have liquid manure or surface
dressings of manure much more frequently than
comparatively new borders, and sulphate of
. ammonia alone is but a poor food to give Vines.
It supplies nitrogen alone, whereas phosphoric
acid and potash are usually more needed. If
"J. G." prefers to mix his own manures instead
of buying other makers' special mixtures, he ought
to use one part of either sulphate of ammonia
or nitrate of soda to two parts each of super-
phosphate of lime and kainit, the last supplying
potash, and apply at the rate of 2 ozs. per square
yard. The two nitrogenous manures named dis-
solve and act much more quickly than the phos-
phate and kainit, and in about a month later
more of one of them should be applied at the rate
of half an oz. per square yard to keep up the
supply of nitrogen. Well-diluted drainings from
a mixed farmyard and sewage water greatly bene-
fit Vines when given before the borders are quite
dry, or after a very dry border has been re-
moistened either by rain or with the aid of the
watering-pot. Once more I repeat there should
b« no fixed rule as to when and how often to
water. I have had charge of borders which were
so cold and retentive that it would have been a
mistake to water them oftener than once in three
weeks or a month, and at the present time I have
borders that part with the moisture so quickly as
to need watering once a week. That is where in-
dividual judgment ought to be exercised. Water
a retentive border too often and it becomes satu-
rated and sour, the roots perish, the wood is soft,
the leaves turn yellow, and the crops are poor.
Apply too little moisture to the non retentive
borders and the roots strike downwards or out
and away in search of it, a precursor of shanking
and also red spider, faulty colouring of the
berries, and general debility.

Market gardeners, when their Vines are worn
out or otherwise become unprofitable, adopt the
simple plan of rooting them out and starting
afresh either with Vines or Tomatoes. Private
gardeners are difTerently situated. They must keep
up a steady supply of Grapes, or, at any rate, would
get into trouble if the usual number of bunches
were not forthcoming every season, and their only
way out of the difficulty is to renovate their borders
and in this way restore the exhausted Vines

better state of health. This is what "J. O."
h.is attempted with, as yet, poor results. The
Vines have scarcely had time to derive much
benefit from the " new border," and may do
better next season. At the same time I doubt
the efficacy of the method adopted. It is true
baring the surface roots and top-dressing with
fresh compost have done good service in many
cases, especially when a mild hotbed has been
formed on the top to draw up the roots, but in
the instance I am discussing the bulk of the roots
has gone down too deeply. This the shank-
ing denotes and "J. G.'s" note corroborates.
The correct practice would have been to start
renewing the border in the autumn, or while yet
the leaves were green, and to commence at the
front of the border. All the soil should have
been gradually forked away from the roots down
to the drainage, following this up to within .3 feet
or so of the house or stems if the Vines are
planted outside. All roots found running down
through the drainage should be severed, and with
the rest, after duly cutting out those damaged
and cleanly cutting over all broken ends to facili-
tate healing, be relaid in good fresh comjiost very
much nearer the surface than formerly. The
depth of border might be lessenedwith advantage
by adding to the drainage, and if long, naked,
old roots are notched at short intervals and sur-
rounded by extra good soil, with burn-bake
freely added, they will emit root-fibres in .abund-
ance, or with far greater certainty than if merely
relaid in poorer soil. Treated in this way, in
September or the early part of October fresh
roots form before the leaves fall and for a short
time after, this meaning a better start in the
spring than if the renovation is delayed to a later
period. I have known old Vines completely lifted
out of inside borders early in the spring or after
top growth had commenced greatly improved by
the process, carrying a good crop the same season ;
but as a rule Vines being renovated ought not to
be so heavily cropped as formerly, or otherwise
root action is to a certain extent paralysed and
the new soil is not taken full possession of. It is
also advisable to lay in fresh rods to take the
place of the gnarled and, probably enough, much
skinned old ones.

As far as present crop in "J. t^'s" vinery
concerned, it may not be too late to lighten it
considerably, and this is particularly desirable
now that the primary leaves have been scorched
so badly. Laying in sub-lateral growths may be
a means of improving root action in the autumn,
but these young leaves will not do the work the
older ones would have done. They do not elabor-
ate sap before they are fully developed, and will
not do much for the bunches. A good circulation
of warm dry air promoted on dull days by heat in
the hot-water pipes will prevent cracking of
berries, but not shanking. The borders may be
dry, but if the house is closed and the atmosphere
moist and stagnant, wholesale cracking of Foster's
Seedling and Madresfield Court berries is almost
certain to take place. Dispensing with fire-heat,
and neglecting to give little or much air all day
long, may easily prove a costly mistake, especially
when we have a sudden change from hot, dry
weather to dull, muggy days. — W. IcdUi.nKN.

Peach Alexander.— This day (July 1) I li.ive
gathered six fruits of Alexander Peach from a free
growing in the open against a south wall. Have any
earlier Peaches been gathered from the open this sea-
son ? — A. Young, Witley Court, Sfourport.

Apple Irish Peach.— This most excellent
early dessert Apple is again fruiting freely on an
espalier. It cannot be treated as an ordinary
espalier so far as pruning is concerned, as it fruits
on the extremities of the previous year's growths,
which I carefully thin out in summer, generally
in July, leaving only the very strongest and tying
them at equal distances over the wires in .any
direction. Their number can be still further re-
duced at the winter pruning, as it can then be
seen which shoots have fruit- buds on their points
and which have not. My opinion is that Irish
Peach would do well in bush form in sheltered

gardens having a deep, rich and rather light soil.
Its fi.avour last season, owing to the extra amount
of sunshine when ripening, was delicious.— J. C.

Watering Strawberries and Raspberries.
— Those who have light soils and resorted to early
mulching and watering will have reaped the
benefit this season, as though we have had rain
there has not been sufficient to reach the roots of
Strawbeiries, and Raspberries have fared worse.
I have never seen Strawberries produce such good
fruits and of such good (|uality .as they have
this season in spite of drought where attention
was paid to watering. These remarks apply to
young plants. Old plants suffer worse, as they
have not the advantage of rooting down in re-
cent deeply dug land, this showing the value of
young plants in dry seasons. Raspberries are
finishing a wonderful crop, the fruit large, clean,
and good where watered and given a heavy mulch
of decayed manure or even litter and watered
thoroughly once a week. The advant.age of re-
stricting sucker growth is now seen, as the plants
having a large crop of fruit are not in position to
support a forest of suckers. If these suckers are
reduced to three or four at the most to a stool the
plants have a better chance to finish a heavy crop,
and, given moisture freely, there will be no lackcf
Raspberries for some weeks. — G. W.

Raspberry Superlative in dry weather. —
I have in previous notes written of the superior
qualities of Superlative, and this season I am so
pleased with the crop, that I am inclined to sup-
plement my remarks and add that it is the best
dry-weather variety I have grown. The crop is
immense, and in spite of the drought the berries
are large, juicy, and richly flavoured. Last season
I was taken to task in these pages for my remarks
concerning this Raspberry, but after my experi-
ence of it this season I am as much in favour of it as
ever. Give plenty of manure, restrict sucker growth
early to three or four to a stool, and strong canes
able to support themselves and p'-oduce large
fruit in quantity will be had. — G. Wythes.

American Blackberries. — After making
three or four vain attempts to get these to grow
satisfactorily in two diSerent gardens, I have at
last succeeded in doing so. My first attempt (now
several years ago) was made in a garden where the
soil was naturally heavy and not too well drained
with plenty of manure available. In this case I
tried them with manure and without, but I did
not get a stem more than 3 feet high, while some
varieties refused to grow at all. Twelve months
ago last autumn I planted in another garden the
sort known as Wilson Junior without in any way
preparing the soil further than digging it up
deeply. In this case the soil is fairly heavy on
top, with a bed of gravel 2 feet below. Last
autumn, seeing that there were indications that
the plants would be likely to thrive, I took off
several inches of the top soil and filled up the
space with well rotted manure. One plant has
made a growth up to the present time (July 3)
of 10 feet, and other shoots are branching out
about 3 feet from the ground, so there is great
promise of growth to furnish a crop next year.
Wilson Junior is certainly a prolific variety, as
on the last season's shoot there are clusters of fruit
every few inches up the stems which are promising
to grow to a good size. My experience appears to
show that because Blackberries fail in one garden,
that is no reason why they should not be tried in
others. It appears that when these Blackberries
once start to grow they are both vigorous and
fruitful.— J. C. 0.

Strawberry Latest of All : its culture.—
This is a grand dry-weather kind, and in my
opinion one of the very best hot- weather varieties
which can be grown on poor, thin land. The
flavour, too, is excellent. I admit it is not the
latest Strawberry, and may be objected to on
this score, but this matters little where the
(luality is so good. For July fruiting I rely upon
plants that have been fifteen months in their grow-
ing quarters. For this reason, that though I am a
strong advocate for annual planting, the above
variety, being a late fruiter, produces so few

July 11, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

15

runners, that it is too late before they can be
secured, and I find it best to make a fresh plan-
tation earlj in the spring, the plants being
wintered in rows rather thickly. The fruits are
so fine, many weighing 2 ozs. , that they well
repay for the trouble. This Strawberry does
grandly on a north border for late supplies. It
approaches British Queen in quality, but is a
much larger fruit and produced in greater quan
tities. It will grow where the Queen fails. — G

WVTHES.

Kitchen Garden.

EARLY PEAS.
Pea.s being a very important crop with me —
upwards of an acre of ground being devoted to
their culture — I will relate my experience with
the earliest section this season in reply to
" H. C. P." at page 459. As regards the earliest
crops, these are about as good as any I ever re-
member seeing. I have two classes of soil,
one being a deep sandy loam — the garden being
exposed, the elevation also being high— the
other of quite a heavy description, the garden
being low-lying. If anything, the Peas from
the latter soil have been the better, and, con-
sidering the season, this is what might have
been expected. The soil in both cases was well
worked and freely manured with cow and horse
manure, the lighter soil being bastard-trenched.
Considering the attention given to mulching,
and in the low-lying garden attention to water-
ing, I think I may safely say they have had a
fair trial. Of the varieties grown, I have had
Kinver Gem and William I. among rounds,
and in Marrows, William Hurst, Chelsea Gem
and Veitch's Early Marrow , these followed by
Dr. Hogg, Gradus, with successional sowings of
Veitch's Early Marrow, William Hurst, Chelsea
Gem, Duke of Albany and Criterion. Except-
ing the sowing of William Hurst in pots, p11
were sown direct in the open during the months
of January and February. Of the pot-raised
William Hurst I had 000 5-inch pots, which
were sown during the first week of the new year,
and were placed in a cold frame. After ger-
mination had taken place and the young Peas
were showing above the soil, ample ventilation
was allowed, the weather experienced at that
time allowing for this. The growth under this
treatment was very sturdy, and the plants were
ready for putting out by the middle of February.
I believethemistake many peoplemakewith their
pot-raised early Peas ia allowing them to remain
too long before planting out, with the result
that the young Peas become stunted. When
this takes place it is impossible for them to
make a free growth — in fact, they rarely reach
above the height of a few inches, that is the
dwarfer early Marrows, of which William Hurst
and Chelsea Gem are types. At the time
William Hurst was planted out the roots were
not in the least matted — in fact, care had to be
taken to prevent the ball falling to pieces. At
the time these Peas were being planted
I noted two or three writers advising early pot-
raised Peas being held over for planting until
the early part of March. 1 firmly believe it is
not wise to be too stereotyped in giving advice
on such operations, as seasons should be taken
into account. Peas sown at the new year in
pots and the planting of these deferred until
the early part of March during such an ab-
normally mild winter as the past could not
have been but stunted, and from these it
is hopeless to expect satisfactory results. It
matters little however liberal the after treat-
ment, they do not seem to get over the check

they have received. When the time
and their age gauges this — they commence to
flower and form pods, and when this tak
place the haulm stops lengthening and the Peas
altogether lose their vigour. After being
planted the young Peas were protected with
Laurel boughs placed rather closely along each
side of the rows and allowed to remain some
time. Under such treatment the plants grew
away strongly, branched freely, and eventually
reached over 2 feet in height, and podded very
freely indeed from the base to the top ; in fact
I never saw early Peas pod more freely. Before
the dry weather could do them any harm they
were well mulched with half-decayed manure,
covering the whole space between the rows.
On account of the extreme dryness of the
weather three or four heavy waterings were
given. The amount of produce gathered from
these alone was considerable. On one morning
alone I gathered five pecks. I commenced
gathering from these on May 28.

The- plants of this variety, i.e., William Hurst,
which were raised in the open in the first
week of the new year, did equally as well, but
grew higher and branched more freely, the crop
also being heavier. These likewise were mulched
and watered. Grown side by side with Veitch
Early Marrow, it was the better of the two in
every respect. This latter variety grew taller, but
the quality was not equal to that of William
Hurst, and although WiUiam Hurat
gathered from the first, it also kept longer
in gathering condition than Early Marrow-
This latter bears a very strong resemblance to
Dr. Hogg. This is my first year's experience
with Gradus, and so far it is a Pea which I like,
and likely to prove a good dry weather Pea. I
am saving as much as I can for seed so as to be
able to sow more largely next year.

In the other garden, where the soil is al-
together lighter and drier, but deep, well
worked, also freely manured, but where it is
not possible to water, there is a contrast, the
haulm not being so strong, the crop also being
more quickly over. On this soil I had William
Hurst, Chelsea Gem, Early Marrow, Gradus,
William I., and Kinver Gem, these being fol-
lowed by Duke of Albany and Criterion.
Kinver Gem was the first fit for gathering,
this being ready on May 23. This is a heavy
and free cropper, and, like William I. , not to
be compared with William Hurst or Chelsea
Gem for quality. Kinver Gem is useful for an
early dish or two, but I should not care to de-
pend upon it for the earliest solely. Like
" H. C. P.," 1 fail to see the advantage of sow-
ing the early hard, round-seeded Peas, and, like
him, have a decided preference for the dwarf
Marrows. That these are not adapted for early
sowing is a mistaken notion, and those people
who write against their being sown early can-
not have given them a fair trial. As a second
early. Criterion has done grandly. As an experi-
ment this season, I sowed a few rows of Ne
Plus Ultra on March 3. The plants are
shorter in the haulm than others sown later, and
are now (July 1) commencing to crop. In fact
two pecks were gathered on June 26. I will note
their behaviour later on. The quality of this
Pea is so good, and if it will succeed well when
sown at the date noted, it will be just as well
for this purpose as keeping it altogether for
late work. So far, it seems as if it will keep on
cropping, although the weather is so dry.
JVithii Court. A. YoDNi.;.

the evening, and though the moisture given may
not be sufficient to reach the roots, it preserves the
tops, and as long as these are healthy the crop
does not fail. Copious supplies of liquid at the
roots at this season produce enormous crops, and if
the pods are gathered daily they do not rob the
plants so much, and the complaint often made as
to dwarf Beans soon getting tough will be
avoided. Few vegetables give a better return
than the dwarf Bean if the plants are kept clean.

Dwarf Beans and red spider.— In many gar-
dens before half the crop is cleared the dwarf Beans
are ruined by the ravages of red spider. I find it
excellent plan to give a watering overhead in

Planting vegetables. — Planting will now be
proceeding vigorously, and the soil being so warm
and dry, more than ordinary attention will be
neceseary. I have found damping overhead in
the evenings after bright sunny days do much to
restore vigour. Drills when planting are of great
benefit to the plants, as what moisture is given is
readily conveyed to the roots. The drill also
gives a certain amount of support to drawn plants,
warding off winds which soon dry the soil round
the roots. If the drills are thoroughly watered
before and after planting, it is surprising how long
the roots remain moist. Once the plants make
V fibrous roots there is less fear of collapse.
Autumn Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, and autumn
Cabbage should receive first attention, the Savoys,
Kales and Coleworts Eoon make headway, and
make splendid growth as the nights get cooler.—
G. W. S.

Pea Duke of York.— For three seasons I have
grown this above Pea and have it this year in
quantity. I am much pleased with it on account
of its good qualities in light soil and during
drought. For large pods 1 have usually grown
Duke of Albany, but it is not a profitable variety, as
after one or two heavy gatherings there are no pods
left. On the other. hand, Duke of York continues
to crop, and the quality is all one may desire. I
am aware market growers may prefer a variety
which turns in all at once, but my remarks con.
cern those who grow in smaller quantities, and if
' hey require a medium grower with pods of good
size and in abundance, I would advise them to
give the above a trial. For forcing it is very
good and may be termed a hardy variety
Though it is difficult to advise, with so many
varieties to select from, I do not hesitate to place
Duke of York in the front rank for quality and
cropping. "S. H. M.

Turnip Bed Top Globe.— I notice the above
variety was one out of a limited number which re-
ceived three marks at Chiswick lately, thus show-
ing it can hold ita own with newer kinds, and I
feel sure it will be years before it is beaten. Bed
Top Globe ia very handsome and a fine exhibi-
tion Turnip for late shows, remaining good so
long after it is matured making it doubly
valuable. For July and October sowing 1 find it
the best, and though for midwinter and tjhe latest
crop I rely upon Golden Ball or Chirk Caatle,
Red Globe is superior for autumn and early
winter. This variety doss nob run so quickly as
some, and though the top has a^ band of red, the
flesh is of a delicate white. Where good Turnips
are required from September to early in the year,
I would strongly advise growing Red Top Globe.

G. WVTHES.

Transplanting Parsley.— Gardeners who
have a hot dry soil to deal with and need a good
supply of Parsley in autumn and early winter
might save themselves much disappomtment re-

Itine from failures from occasional sowings,
especillly where, as in many gardens, the seedlings
liable to turn yellow and fail or to be attacked
bv wireworm, by adopting the transplanting
system. Parsley is always very slow in germinat-
ing, seedlings from beds sown in March and
ApHlnot being large enough to thin out till the
commencement of June. If at this date the
young plants, instead of beingcastaway.arepricked
out 1 foot apart on borders behind espalier
trees or other semi-shady positions, the soil being
fairly rich, good, well-furnished plants will result
it the dat^abov^ mentioned. In gardens where
Parsley grows freely the necessity o£ transplant-
ing is reduced to a minimum. A sowmg for very

IG

THE GARDEX.

[July 11, 1896.

early spring use should always be made during
August to be protected in winter by a frame. —

PeaTorkehireHero.— I hsd usually looked
ufKin this Pea as a midsea°on kind, but last year
W.1S advised to give it a trial with the early varie-
ties. I did so, and have every reason to be satis-
lied with the result. Sown the same day as
William I. it was tit for use nearly a week earlier,
and, what is of far greater consequence to me, the
iiu.ility is much superior. It grows about •-' feet
high, reciuiring only very short stakes, if aiiv,
and it is a splendid cropper. Is this the kind
that is usually sold for this variety :f I am under
the impression that there are two kinds in culti-
vation under the same name. — R.

Storing vegetables. — Will any of your
readers kmdly tell me the best way to store vege-
tables for daily use in or near a kitchen or scullery
so that they may be preserved and kept from the
influence of light and be fresh and easy of access V
The kind of bins or other contrivances to keep
them?-V. H.

*,* Our vegetables are stored in f<iuare recesses.
There are two lots, cne above another, on the
north side of a scullery where there is no fire, and
arranged thus the lower boxes are for roots, I'ota-
toes. Carrots, and Onions, or heavy roots, but
.■> inches from floor on wooden racks made to take
away moisture. All boxes or partitions are closed
in with sliding doors to keep dark and prevent
drying, as vegetables so soon wither and Potatoes
get green and lose flavour. My advice would be
to have the opening level with floor to sweep out
dust or loose soil, and it is not necessary to have
tiers one above another. I find Brassicas keep
best on the second shelf or tier, and I have
twenty four boxes or receptacles, twelve on floor
with bottom ;i inches from stone floor, twelve
above for Beans or choicer vegetables, and two
boxes are fitted with movable z nc trays to hold
water. In these are placed French Beans, stalk
end downwards, also Cucumbers, Asparagus, and
such vegetables as require to be kept cool and
moist. These boxes are of great use, as the
vegetables stood in them can be kept fresh for
days.- (ijxi. Wvthes.

The white Artichoke.— At p. -160 Mr. Tal
lack gives us an interesting note on the value of
the above, and I am pleased to see him recom-
mendmg its culture, as I consider it a great ad-
vance on the older forms. I had not noticed the
pomt,« named m Mr. Tallack's note as to its quick
°'"'"'' pared to that of the purple form, al-
ready to

plexes the novice as to how to proceed,
urban districts the cost of Pea sticks

In sub-
such a
heavy item in their culture, that the question
arises whether it is best to give up staking or Pea
culture altogether. With a race of Peas that
produce fine pods on haulm not more than 2 feet
high, the difficulty can bo got over by giving a
little more space than is given to the Tom Thumb
type and letting them do without stakes altogether.
— J.v.MEs Gkoom, Gosport.

SHOUT NOTES.— KITCHEN.

Early Potatoes.—" W. S." in writing on these
speaks of not beiu^ impressed vtry favourably with
Sliarpc's Victor. He thinks he aay not have a very
good stock of it. There are two types of it in the
market. One has a white and the other ayellow flesh.
The yellow-floshed kind is much the better, and wivh
me is a grand Potato for early work. — Dokskt.

EfiFect of drought on Peas, &c.— I do not
retreiiiber to have seen Peas sufl'er so much from the
dry weather as they have done this year. The
hot days we had about the ] 4th ult. seemed to paralyse
the giowth, although the plants had been watered
and mulched. It seems that, do what you may, in such
great heat the growth 13 not able to endure it. I con-
sider the midseason kinds wUI be worse than they
were iu the hot season three years ago. Some kinds
appear to be able to endure the heat much better than
others.— J. C. F.

Flower Garden.

growth

though I had noticed the t__ ^.„

lift in advance of those of the older kind. „., re-
gards quality, I consider it much superior, and as
regards keepmg, I find it eciual to the old variety
I had a fair breadth not lifted when the severe
frost of February, 189.-., set in, and the tubers
were of splendid quality in April, so that Mr.
Tallack need not fear storing it in quantity.
7his season I have only a very small breadth of
the old variety, and next year shall discard it en-
tirely m favour of the newer white. There are
two varieties of white tubers. I have a small
stock of one which is much longer than the other
and more pointed.— G. W.

y^T^'K^f'T-'^^^ prolonged drought has
had the effect of making dwarf Peas even dwarfer
than they really are, and if we are to have fre-
quent recurrences of this weather, I think that
W'^ iIj" w 'i'*' ^'° >Dtermediat« between such
good old kinds as American Wonder and Strata-
gem will come into great favour, for the very
dwarf forte are really too short in the haulm thii

that such eorta as Veitch's I'erfection are this
certainly when allowed to lie on the ground they
frn'' ^w^ ""u '""'' ■■^y" '""^ parching winds
IZr^^'x^ 'm^ T'*" °f its much needed
Tw Lf I f't''^' "'"« ■' "° '*<='' °f go°d sorts
new of any height one may desire, but when one
has such sea-ons as this to contend with, and
r.n'r r?"^''" ODly^ reaching about half the
height they are set down in catalogues, it per-

LILIES AT KEW.

At the present time there is a capital display of
Liliums, more especially of the earlier kinds —
that is to say, L. umbellatum, L. croceuni, L.
candidum and others— a sort of foretaste, as
it were, of the wealth of bloom as well as fra-
grance that may be seen for some day.s to come.
It is worthy of notice, and doubtless imitation
also, that these things appear here and there,
springing up among evergreen shrubs and the
like that a week or two ago since were also all
aglow with flowers. And very evident too, at
a glance, is the fact that the association of Lily
and shrub is one of these things that should be
more frequently indulged in in gardens gene
rally, as the one detracts nothing from thf
other, but rather assists to the fuller develop-
ment of at least one of them, and this without
doubt the Lily. Only a week or two since
attention was directed to the rich display of
Rliododendrona at Kew, and now in the self-
same beds as these we find masses of Lilies,
many of them sending their spikes of unde-
veloped flowers some 5 feet or 7 feet high,
that presently shall be aglow with blossom.
Not in solitary spikes it should be noted,
but in fine established masses. Some of
the clumps that from the foliage alone
appeared to be L. pardalinum must have fully
a score of towering spikes of bloom, that
will be well above the heads of the Rhododen-
drons that have so well shielded them from
biting frosts and cutting winds in the past, and
even now guard them equally from wind and
storm. In a few days, possibly before these
notes are before the readers of The Oarden,
many of the flowers will be expanded, and the
show will be a brave one, for there are hun-
dreds of spikes of this Lily alone. Nothing
possibly be more gratifying than to see
broad telling masses of these finer Lilies well
established, and flourishing as they are here,
growing and spreading from year to year in
the most encouraging fashion. Indeed this
" Panther Lily," as L. pardalinum is called, is
among the most satisfactory to grow for many
reasons, and none more i-o than for its fine ro-

bust constitution and perennial vigour. It is
sometimes thought, and in truth stated, that
Lilies object to manure. This depends, how-
ever, entirely upon the Lily itself, and equally
so how the manure is applied. For such as im-
ported auratum, also Kiameri, and some others
1 would avoid manure, at the same time I
would not hesitate to employ it rather freely to
this Panther kind, to almo.st all the speciosuni
section, to Marlagon, and abundantly to gigan-
teum. L. candidum and all such must be
made content without.

Such fine clumps as are here could not exist
but for an equally proportionate mass of
healthy roots below, and under the circum-
stances, seeing they are not the sole occupants
of the place, exhaustion must sooner or later
ensue. As 1 have said, there are many clumps
of this Lily alone disposed on either side the
broad pathway and on all sides of the beds.
Already some of the earliest L. auratum are in
flower, and a large store of buds promises a fine
display of this alone, its fragrance demanding
attention for it even when not seen. Some
very large beds are devoted to the Orange Lily
(L. croceum), the plants springing from dwarf
Ijushes of Berberis buxifolia. This variety is
present in great numbers, and is making a
really fine display of the brightest orange, and
not ((uite 3 feet high. Two other immense
beds near the large Palm house have been
aglow with purple Foxgloves and Lilium can-
didum, all springing from a ground of Box
trees. At a little distance the effect is very
good, while a close inspection reveals large
clumps of Galtonia that will c3ntinue the dis-
play here. Perhaps one of the most valuable
Lilies just at this point is LDium odorum
japonicum, each stem producing two and three
flowers each. The plants are about 2i feet
high, and would appear to be producing
two and sometimes three stems from a bulb,
unless in the original planting the bulbs
were arranged closely. Be this as it may,
the groups now at their best have a rare display
of the flowers of this noble Lily, the flowers of
large size, and some two or three dozen blos-
soms in each bed. Nearly white internally, and
more or less flushed with purple externally, the
long slightly drooping flowers are handsomo
in the extreme. In another group a fine effect
is produced with the snowy blooms of the
Madonna Lily springing from a close-growing,
small-leaved Holly, the blossoms of iha former
appearing even purer and whiter above the
dark sombre hue of the evergreen. In many
other positions is this fine old garden Lily seen
to advantage, though none more so than where,
quite near to the No. 4 range of greenhouse.'',
they appear freely among purple nut bushes,
with Acer palmatum, Prunus cerasifera atro-
purpurea, and the bronze-tinted plumes of the
Sumach (Rhus Cotinus). In all these the Lilies
form a pleasing and striking picture. Very
fine too, is a large bed filled with Lilium testa-
ceum with lofty stems crowned with blossom,
but in this case I fail to admire the ground-
work, consisting of mixed and sometimes gaudy
Poppies. In another position making splendid
headway, and the largest already about 0 feet
high is Lilium Henryi, with an almost endless
succession of flower buds, many being quite pro-
minent. I counted at least a score of its stems,
the majority being very robust and strong ;
these when fully developed will iu themselves
make a good display.

Such are a few of the earlier kinds that are
here employed in great numbers, and existing
as they do in the majority of instances in large
permanent groups, are among the most ett'ective
things in these gardens. E, .1.

July 11, 1896.1

THE GARDEN.

17

DAY LILIES.
The accompanying illustration of Hemerocallis
aurantiaca major — a recent introduction, and
the largest flowered of all the Day Lilies— gives
a good idea of the value of this fine plant for
ornamental purposes. The culture of Day
Lilies is extremely simple, for, provided a good
and moderately rich root-run is aftorded them
and the situation is tolerably moist, the plants
will flourish to perfection and increase in size
year by year. When the clumps become very
large, it is advisable to divide ana replant.
Grown by water the Day Lilies are pariicularly
effective, and even when not in flower the
drooping leaves have fine form and soft green
colouring to recommend them. Although the
individual flowers are very evanescent, the
spikes of sweetly- scented blossoms are valuable
for indoor decoration, for as soon as one bloom

brown flower-heads rising among the dazzling
spires of the Madonna Lily — a sight which
towards the end of June may be seen in many
a cottage garden — is one that is not soon for-
gotten. In the wUd garden this Day Lily is
also at home, and is well calculated to hold its
own against encroachment. H. Kwanso foliis
variegatis is a most ornamental plant, growing
almost as strongly as the last-mentioned va-
riety, with flowers of very similar tint. Its
chief beauty lies in its variegated foliage, which
is plentifully striped with white, some leaves,
indeed, being aimost entirely white with narrow
stripes of green. lu different plants the varie-
gation varies considerably, some showing but
few white markings. This variation is also
noticeable when a large clump is divided and
replanted in different situations, the newly
made plants after a year or so affording very

Eemerocallis aurantiaca ma/oi Fiom a phologruph scut by Messrs. Wallace & Co., Colchester.

withers another opens to take its place. The
most general favourite is the yellow Day Lily
(H. flava), the clear coloured flowers being at
their best at the end of May and commence-
ment of June. The habit of this variety is not
so robust as that of some others, and on this
account care .should be taken that it is not un-
duly crowded by neighbouring plants of stronger
growth . H. Dumortieri (sometimes known as
H. rutilans and H. Sieboldi) produces flowers of
an orange-yellow shade, to which those of H.
Middendorfiana are very similar. The copper
Day Lily (H. f ulva) is a vigorous grower, and in
favourable positions throws up flower-stems to a
height of 3 feet, which often carry as many as
twenty blooms. The blossoms are of a dark
fawn colour, and, associated with white flowers,
are exceedingly attractive. In the Isle of Wight
this Day Lily is grown in quantity, and the

diverse markings. H. aurantiaca major (figured
and fully described in The Gakden of Novem-
ber 23, 1895, p. 400) is the largest and tallest
of the Day Lilies, and when generally known
will doubtless find a place in the gardens of
most lovers of hardy flowers. S. W. F.

A pretty combination. — When looking
through a villa garden in one of the suburbs of
Bristol recently I was struck by a very happy
combination of creepers. A plant of Cupressus
about ID feet high on the lawn had died, and the
owner had planted Trop.tolum canariense and
Eccremocarpus Ec^ber at the foot of it. These had
mounted cjuite to the top, and the long, bright
red, tendril-like blossoms of the Eccremocarpus,
standing well out from the green and yellow
ground made by the Trop;eolum, were extremely
pretty. How often an unsightly object may
be made beautiful by a little foresight even with

Herniaiia glabra aurea.— What a charming
little plant this is when growing in a natural way,
so that the growth extends irregularly over rough
stones or rootwork. Broad patches look well
in conjunction with Mesembryanthemums and
Thrifts, these dwarf-growing plants having a sub-
dued and quiet appearance that helps to set off
the more showy Delphiniums or other tall-grow-
ing subjects. This variety is exactly similar in
habit to the typical H. glabra, but the foliage is
distinctly marked with yellow. Besides the
natural appearance created by planting near large
stones, the latter help greatly to conserve the
moisture about the roots— a great advantage
with small plants of this kind.

Begonias.— The Begonia is one of the few
plants that absolutely refuse to grow with me in a
season like the present unless it gets a good thick
surface mulching, and on comparing notes with
fellow gardeners that have a similar soil to con-
tend with, I find their experience is exactly simi-
lar. In the years 1893 and 1896 if two beds of
Begonias were planted with nice stocky stuff, say
a little over a foot apart, at the end of May and
one of the beds received a mulching and the other
not, it is not too much to saj' that at the present
date (July 2) the mulched bed v/ould be nearly
furnished, whilst in the other the plants will be
barely existing, certainly no larger th.an when
they were put out. The materials of which the
mulch is composed matters little whether spent
Mushroom or peat Moss manure, leaf soil, or
cocoa fibre, the great thing is to put something
on directly, and if the ground is dry, to give a
thorough soaking. The mulch keeps the soil
moist about the plants, the surface roots are
retained and get a fair start mf tead of practically
drying up, and the help thus afforded the plants
in "the young stage is of immense value towards
furnishing the beds quickly. Of course where
the Begonias are planted thinly on a dwarf under-
growth, the latter, if set thickly, answers to
a great extent the purpose of a mulch. — E.
Bl'rrell.

CARNATIONS.
I TiioucHT lately when looking at the flowers
on a bed of mixed Carnations that the bed in
question was likely to be one of the very best we
?hall have all through the summer. This mixture
of plants is naturally hardly to be recommended
if they have to be layered, as it necessitates a lot
of labelling, and even then one cannot always
keep them true, but if to secure the stock suffi-
cient numbers of each variety are planted else-
where, there is nothing for bomtjide flower garden
work better than a judicious mixture, and the^
colouring in the majority of border Carnations is
of such a nature that one can hardly make a mis-
take. Exception is taken sometimes to the term
"border" Carnations. Why? It seems to me-
rather an apt term to apply to true hardy sorts,
as opposed to many that are raised annually and
sent out without first trying them from a consti-
tutional standpoint, and that will not survive the
first winter. My plants always go out about the
second week in October, and consequently have
to take their chance of the weather. Last winter
not a plant was lost, and in 1895 not more than
three per cent. This was sufficient proof of
the hardiness of the sorts employed, the glass in
the early part of that year dropping down close
to zero on several occasions. The varieties now
in flower or fast coming out are Countess of Paris,
Murillo, Raby, White Clove, Mrs. R. Hole, Ketton
Rose, Sir Beauchamp Seymour, Goldfinder, Can-
tab, Redbracs, and Uriah Pike. All with the
exception of the last named, that was not
outside at the time, came safely through
the winter of 1895. I shall be glad to know
the names of any thoroughly hardy sorts that are
an improvement on those above named. A va-
riety, for instance, is recommended by one or two
correspondents as decidedly superior to Mrs.
R. Hole. Is this as hardy and vigorous as the

IS

THE GARDEN.

[July 11, 1896.

better-known variety, and if so, where can it be
obtaineil : I am unable to find it in any catalogue
to hand. The splitting propensities of the well-
known apricot flower are not very much noticed.
1 wan*, nearly all the flowers in a cut state, and
thev are taken before the bloom begins to drop.
The new scarlets, too, are very lovely flowers, but
will thev stand the winter without protection";

The vigour of flower - stems and grass is
somewhat surprising when one remembers that
right away through the season the plants have had
to little moisture, even on a dry sloping bank, and
in rather poor soil they are looking remarkably
well : the thick mulch put on when they were
planted is in a great measure answerable for their
present form. The exception is Ketton Rose,
which looks anything but well, and the few flowers
already out are poor both in size and quality.
The continued dry weather is answerable for a
visitation of thrips. I noticed some white spots
on the crimsons and scarlets, and a closer in-
spection showed the presence of the insects in large
numbers. One can do little with them after the
expansion of the flowers ; a thorough good soak-
ing once or twice alike of bed and foliage prior
to this is, however, calculated to keep them in

check. E. BlTKRELL.

Claremout.

A distinct Lily (Lilium testaceunj) —From
the uncommon tint of its blossoms this Lily
attracts (|uite as much attention as any other
member ot the genus now in bloom, for the flowers
are of a peculiar shade of nankeen or buff, which is
but little represented not only among Liliums, but
in the case of flowers in general. It is a hybrid
between the Madonna Lily (Lilium candidum)
and the scarlet Turk'scap (L. chaloedonicum),
and while in some features showing a leaning
towards the former and in others to the second,
it is in some respects about midway between the
two. The segments of this Lily are a great deal j
reflexed, nearly as much as in the Turk's-cap sec- ]
tion, while they are borne in a somewhat open
head, each blossom being disposed horizontally or
nearly so. Against the peculiar butf tint of the
flower the bright orange-red anthers stand out
very conspicuously. The blooms pos?ess a pleas-
ing" fragrance. The blossoms of this Lily expand
about ten days later than those of L. candidum.
The height varies to a certain extent according to
the situation and other particulars, but where
well established and under favourable conditions
it will run up from ."> feet to 7 feet in height.
These tall stately stems enable the beauty of the
blossoms to be well seen, for being borne in a
horizontal manner, the prominent features are
more discernible when thus elevated than they
would be on short stems. This Lily starts into
growth early, and when just above ground it might
readily be mistaken for L. candidum, but it does
not push I'p radical leaves in the autumn, as in the
case of the Madonna Lily. Still it is second only
to L. candidum in putting in an appearance in
early spring, the Japanese L. Haiisoni treading
closely on its heels. It is cultivated very success-
fully by some of the Dutch growers, from whom
most of the bulbs planted in this country are re-
ceivei. Besides the specific name of testaceura it
is also known as excelsum, peregrinum, and Isa-
bellinum. Though the young foliage is very deli-
cate, it is reldom injured by spring frosts or cut-
ting winds. — H. P.

Sweet Peas.— Complaints are general with
respect to the somewhat premature blooming of
these beautiful flowers, due, of course, to the
unusual heat and drought which have prevailed.
June, beyond being such a very dry month, has
been one of the warmest months we have had for
some years, and such dryness of the air as has
naturally resulted has not been conducive to
Sweet Pea growth. Even where there is liberal
watering, with occasional overhead sprinklings,
still it seems impossible to fully counteract the
efl'ecte of such a dry atmosphere. But now that
the air is cooler and likely to be damper, it may
be worth while to at once cut over the plants, so
far sacrificing all the present bloom, give a liberal

scaking of manure water, and see whether it be
not possible to induce a new break of growth and
later of bloom. Relieved of their flowers, no
doubt the plants would then make strong growth,
fill up their supports, and bloom profusely in the
autumn. Where, in view of the probable short
duration of bloom on spring-sown plants, a (]uan-
tity of 5 inch pots had early in June Veen filled
with soil and sown thinly with Sweet Pea seeds,
they might have been now ready to turn out, and
being liberally watered and in good soil, might
be expected to bloom finely in September and
October. Such autumn blooming would largely
compensate for the short flowering season found
now. It seems still as if the tendency to sow
SweetPeas,as with cooking Peas, far too thickly was
as strong as ever. Few plants have to grow
crowded and under more adverse conditions ; few
are less able to show their real characteristics
under such treatment. If we made it the rule to
sow Sweet Peas from li inches to 3 inches apart in
rows or clumps, and cooking Peas of all descrip-
tions, especially strong growers, from 4 inches to
6 inches apart, we should invariably get from them
far better results. Of both kinds of Peas many
sowings have been failures this dry season, be-
cause the plants are so crowded.— A. D.

BIENNIAL STOCKS.
ALTiioroii we have now in commerce such very
tine and beautiful summer Stocks as well as in-
termediate kinds, there can be no doubt that the
old biennial forms are still very popular, and are
also when good very beautiful. The cultiva-
tion of these fine Stocks seems of late to have
been much neglected, or else the plants have
occasionally suffered so much from hard weather,
that many have given up their culture in despair.
Vet there are some to be seen just now here and
there in gardens, especially in cottage gardens,
of both the Giant Brompton and The Queen or
dwarf branching Stocks, and they present when
well grown not only great floral beauty, but
also perfume in rich profusion. But of these old
varieties there have come strains of sucli single-
ness, that hardly a double can be found amongst
hundreds of plants. I saw but the other day
quitea big lotof the Scarlet Brompton in a Middle-
sex seed trial ground, every one having single
flowers. I naturally wondered why so useless a
Stock should be preserved, as it is in a garden
sense quite worthless. Even where the Giant
Brompton is seen in its very best double form,
still the proportion of singles is fully as two to
one, but that is for the variety a very fair aver-
age. Generally not nearly so many doubles now
aie seen, and the scailet seems rapidly following
in the track of the grand Giant White Brompton
I used to grow several years since, but which in
time became entirely single, and in spite of the
f ff'orts made in saving seed specially from plants
that had five and six-petalled flowers, yet not a
double came. 1 fear now that the strain has be-
come worthless, if not entirely lost. The Giant
Cape or Emperor Stocks found in gardens, though
very good, are not the Bromptons of old, neither
do they seem to have very high-class double
(jualities, as singles seem even in their case to very
largely predominate. Putting these out of the
<|ue;tion, and reverting to the old Brompton and
Queen forms, I have wondered whether the injury
done through several successive winters to the
plants, in destroying so many and weakening the
constitutions of those which remained, has had
anything to dowith this reversion to single forms.
it is difficult to understand what process in plant
life must take place to produce double flowers.
Ordinarily they are termed abortions, though in
many cases still capable of plant reproduction. In
the case of the Stock that is not so, because the
double flowers are after all but floral branches,
petals having superseded leaves, and there are
no floral organs whatever. It was ignorance of
this fact which induced an old cottager, in whose
garden I was recently looking at some fine Stocks,
to say that he pulled out all his singles except
those close by a double one, believing that through

this intimate connection the single flowers became
pollenised from the doubles. I did not attempt to
disenchant him out of his comfortable belief. It
would probably have been argument wasted. The
decadence in double production found in the
Queen Stocks is the more remarkable because
these used to produce so large a proportion of
doubles, especially the purple, locally known as
Twickenham Purp'e, which has given as many
as 80 per cent, of doubles. The scarlet and
the white were always less common and produced
more singles. Good stocks of these teem to be
very rare certainly, and in spite of the defects
mentioned, we have seen spring-bloo-ning Stocks
in much greater abundance this year than has
been the case for several seasons, and of course
due to the mildness of the winter. That fact
should encourage efforts to get back to gardens
these charming old favourites.

It is just a little late, perhaps, to sow seed out-
doors, but not too late if done at once. Very gross
or strong plants may suffer through frost, but
then only strong plants will give those noble
spikes of bloom, reaching up to some 30 inches in
height, which Brompton Stocks can givo under
favourable conditions, or big bush plants of the
Queen that are so attractive and so delicious when
in bloom. It is one of the great properties of the
Stock to be always sweetly perfumed, even though
the flowers may, as in the doubles, have no repro-
ductive organs. Wherein the perfume lies secreted
in such ca=e, except it be in the petals, does not
seem to be known. The best positions for winter-
ing these biennial Stocks outdoors undoubtedly
are where the soil is fairly porous and shelter,
whether of wall, hedge, or trees, is furnished.
The market growers have found planting beneath
their overhanging fruit trees to be useful, though
even there, if the summer has been damp and the
winter is severe, plants have been killed whole-
sale. Very probably the introduction of such very
fine intermediate, pyramidal and Ten-week Stocks
for summer and autumn blooming, forms now
found in every garden and usually giving a very
high percentage of doubles, has had something
to do with the comparative neglect of the biennial
forms. Such a giant branching Ten-week, for
instance, as the variety known as Princess Alice,
balsamiflora, and many other appellations, with
its pure white bloom and great proportion of
doubles, is a most attractive variety and merits
universal culture. Still, I plead for the preserva-
tion of our old garden Stocks. A. D.

Raising the Tufted Pansy.— The first time
we began specially to hybridise the wild mountain
Violets with the view of raising more useful varie-
ties for the flower garden was in 1SG3, ard some
of the first were rayless, and it was only after-
wards when greater size was considered an advan-
tage that those small rajless varieties were lost
sight of for a time. Not only for raising Tufted
Pansies, but also for show and fancies we never
trusted to seed saved from plants which had been
left to insects to cross, but we invariably crossed
them carefully, choosing the pollen from ihe
flowers possessing qualities in which the seed-
bearing parent was deficient. Thirty years ago
we collected plants of V. amu'na on the hills near
Moilat, in Dumfriesshire, and cultivated it in
order to try to prolong its season of flower, and
we also crossed it with show Pansies so as to get
more size and substance into the flower. These
first attempts were so successful, that we con-
tinued to cross the improved results, and found
that while the plants retained their branching
tufted habit the flowers were produced in greater
abundance through the whole spring and summer,
and the thicker and stouter texture of the flowers
enabled them to feel pretty independent of
weather. The other species we crossed were V.
montana, got also from Dumfriesshire hills ; V.
lutea, which we got growing wild in Fife, and
from this we got fine seedlings, such as Dicksons'
Golden Gem, Grievei, pallida, and many others.
We also got beautiful crosses from V. stricta, an
Indian species. The crosses from this were quite
distinct from all the others in having stiff stalks,

JrLY 11, 189C.]

THE GAEDE¥.

19

keeping the blooms clear of the plant, and also in
having thick waxy flowers. Stricta alba, s. aurea,
Cygnet, Ariel, Eva, &c., show the character of
thfT seed-bearing parent stricta very clearly.
Glow, Peach Blossom, Rufus, and others with
shades of carmine and crimson we got by using
the i)ollen from fine varieties of fancy Pansies. —
DicKSONS & Co., Edinburgh.

a small house, its sprays of white flowers having a
graceful, drooping habit, and it is a most profuse
bloomer. It is, however, very subject to the
attacks of green fly— at least, when grown under
glass, for although usually so grown, it is hardy
in mild localities, as I have seen it at Bray, Co.
Wicklow, flourishing out-of-doors against a south
wall and flowering freely.

Stove and Greenhouse.

SOLANUM .JASMINOIDES.
Thouoh hardy in a few of the more favoured dis-
tric!s of this country, this Solanum does best in
the greenhouse. One thing in its favour is

Magnolia fuscata. — This old-fashioned green-
house shrub is very little grown, but one comes
across a plant of it occasionally, often in some old
conservatory or Orange house. When in flower
there is not much chance of its being overlooked,
the fragrance being so peculiar and distinct that
one looks for it at once. This fragrance alone
makes the plant worth growing, the flowers being
rather insignificant yet freely produced if grown

Solanu

lides. From a photograph sent ly Col. EeUall, Bublr

that when grown as a roof or rafter plant, the
fuliage not being dense, the light is in no way
obstructed, a desirable feature in a climbing
plant. Planted out in a bed of good rich loam
and given plenty of head room, it may be had in
flower for six months at a time, and by pinch-
ing it can be had in flower at Christmas, when
its pure white flowers will be found valuable for
cutting, being light and elegant in appearance.
Under glass, especially when shaded, the flowers
are pure white, but outdoors they are often
tinged with bluish mauve.

Col. Kelsall, who sent the photo from which
the illustration was prepared, writes as fol-
lows:—

This pretty creeper is very suitable for a cool
greenhouse, provided it is kept within bounds. It
ie a rampant grower, and soon covers the roof of

in a clear light. It is easily grown in a green-
house temperature, requiring a free root run and
substantial compost. If cultivated in pots a little
of the surface soil must be removed yearly, sub-
stituting fresh loam and a little of some approved
fertiliser.

Pot plants in Japan. — Kindly replying to a
question of ours as to the use of pot plants for
rooms in Japan, Mr. Alfred Parson writes : —
"They grow these pot trees very largely, as in-
deed do all the native nurserymen, and I saw
great numbers when I was painting the Chrysan-
themum show in their grounds. The trees are not
grown usually for outdoor decoration like the
Pomegranates and Oleanders in France and Italy,
but are kept very small for indoor use. The pots
in which they are grown are of ornamental porce-
lain, sometimes a plain colour like "celadon,"
more often white and blue. The commonest of

all is the Screw Pine, with a thick sort of woody
Pine- apple of a stem and a tuft of Palm-like leaves
at the top. Maples, Plums, and various conifers,
especially the common Japan Pine (densiflora, I
believe), are much used. The trees, though not
more than a foot or IS inches high, have the look
of great age with gnarled and twisted stems. Some
kinds of Azalea you see too, but they are not so
popular. Occasionally you see a square shallow
pot with sand and peebles and little baby Pines
m clusters, just as the seedlings look near the
shore, or the same shaped pot with a grove of
Bamboos about 9 inches high. The idea of the
culture seems to be to imitate in miniature some
large effect of Nature. There are, generally
speaking, no greenhouses or orangeries or cellars,
any necessary protection seems to be given by
screens and shadings of Bamboo and straw (dried
bundles of Eulalia japonica) ; they are not forced,
but flower at their natural seasons. These are just
the memories of what I casually noted, and it is
now four years ago, so that I have naturally for-
gotten some details. When I went to the Chry-
santhemum shows at Dangozaka I collected the
bills of the nurserymen (sort of illustrated sheets
as a programme of what was to be seen inside),
and on many of them there are suggestive draw-
ings of trees in pots."

PRIMULAS.
Where many of these are grown the earliest sown
batch will have been potted otf, the main batch
of plants resulting from a secondary sowing being
still in the boxes or pans in which they were
pricked out early in May. These will now re-
quire attention, as from such plants, which will
flower during November and December, far better
trusses of bloom may be expected than from either
the earlier or later flowering lots. Some gardeners
in order to secure flowers in February and March
continue to pinch out tha bloom-stems from the
time they show in autumn until the new year,
but although good stocky plants may be obtained
in this way the individual trusses are much in-
ferior to those from plants which have never been
pinched at all. Primulas are much like Stocks
m this respect ; pinch out the first formed or
central trusses and you may get side ' ones in
quantity, but individually they will be poor. I
would much prefer sowing later, say in the early
part of June, growing the plants on and flowering
them in 4J-inch pots. Primulas do best in a
fairly light fibrous loam, which has lain for some
time and been turned over several times during
frost. It must be free from wireworm, as these
pests quickly bore through the base of the crown
and ruin the plants. A sixth part leaf-mould and
sufficient sand or grit to keep the compost open
should also be added. Although requiring a cer-
tain amount of shade, I do not hold with the old
practice of growing the plants behind a north
wall, preferrmg a south aspect and whitening the
lights over to afford protection from excessive sun-
heat. Primulas will stand and even enjoy more sun-
heat than many are aware of, most of the plants for
seed in nurseries being grown in low span-roofed
houses with the roof glass whitened over. The
finest lot of November- blooming Primulas I ever
saw was grown in frames facing south, duly
shaded, the lights being shut down tolerably early
in the afternoon through July, August and Sep-
tember and the plants freely syringed. A good
•Primula grower of my acquaintance attributed
much of hia success to the use of pigeon's manure
in the soil, this being employed at the rate of
about an S inch potful to a barrowload of soil.
Good leaf-soil made from Oak and Beech he also
valued. The manure was added when in a dry,
powdered state, and had, he thought, the same
effect as guano, which is very seldom obtained in
a pure state now-a-days.

The old plan of potting Primulas with the
crowns elevated, thereby necessitating the use of
small wooden pegs to prevent the plant from
swaying about has happily now become extinct.
Its advantages were more imaginary than real,
lowerine the ball as in the case of ordinary soft-

20

THE GAKDRK

[July 11, 1896.

wo<Hled plants and making the soil tolerably firm
around the crowns being attended with little
danger from damping provided ordinary care is
taken in watering. The young plant* may be
kept in a frame from June onwards, and if the
earlv closing and syringing sys-tem above referred
to is adopted, a little air may be given in the
evening and left on all night. Primulas, if in a
healthy state, are seldom attacked by infect!',
although if in dry. arid ()uarter^ green lly will
sometimes ap{.>ear. As a rule, by the second week
in OctoWr, those intended for blooming in Novem-
ber and December, will need removing to a green-
house, as damp during the night is apt to injure
the earliest trusses. A light, cool structure free
from aridity suits them best.

J. Ckawkord.

Khododendron Falconeri.— The recent note
in The Cakoen on this Rhododendron recalls the
fact that, as far as foliage is concerned, seedlings
vary a good deal. My plants, the produce of a
single pod, are not large enough to flower, but
there is a good deal of ditference in the quantity
and colour of the tomentum with which the under-
sides of the leaves are clothed, and the leaves
themselves in some cases difl'er a little in sh.ipe.
— T.

Bhodanthe Manglesi in pots.— At ope
time the Rhodanthes were c-onjidered to be ditii-
cult plants to cultivate, but nowadays they are
brought into Covent (iarden Market in consider-
able numbers, and are very commonly seen on
the costermongers' barrows in the streets of
London. The plants are crowded together in
5 inch pots, and are of course a dense mas-s of
bloom. The flowers are extremely pretty in a
cut state, and from their everlasting character
they miy be dried and kept for a long time.
Where they are required for cutting alone, how-
ever, it is not at all necessary to sow them in
pots, or indeed under glass at all, but they may
be sown in drills in the open ground, and where
the conditions are at all favourable satisfactory
results mt»y be depended upon. Too much mois-
ture is inimical to their welfare, and on the other
hand, if too hot and dry, they will not thrive.
The middle of April, or in some districts a little
later, is a very suitable time to sow the seed,
which, when the plants are required only for cut-
ting, may for convenience sake be sown in drills
about l."> inches apart. There are several forms
in cultivation, but for general purposes I prefer
the ordinary R. Manglesi and its white-flowered
variety to any others.— H. P.

Raododendron Maddeni. — Treated as a
greenhouse shrub, this Rhododendron has now
(June -2' I a few buds still to open, so that it may
safely be regarded as the last to flower of all the
Himalayan Rhododendrons. Like most of the
others, this Rhododendron varies somewhat when
raised from seed, hence it possesses quite a long
list of synonyms, for 1 have met with it under the
specific names of Jenkinei, virginale, tubulatum
and calophyllum, as well as Maddtni. The form
generally regarded as calophyllum has broader
leaves and ra'her shorter tubes than the others,
but it is really only a seminal variation, as seed-
lings raised therefrom do not all remain true to
this character. R. Maddeni forms a freely
branched, but somewhat loose-growing bush
clothed with oblong, lanceolate leaves, deep green
above and thickly studded with ferrugineous
scales underneath. The flowers are not borne
in close compact trusses, as in many of these Hima-
layan Rhododendrons, but are produced in loose
beads with, as a rule, not more than half a dozen
flowers in a cluster, while there are frequently
le»8 than that. The blooms are about .3 inches or
i inches long and as much across the mouth
when expanded, their colour being pure white,
but in the bud state they are often tinged with
purple, which, however, completely disappears on
expansion. This Rhododendron when raised from
seed will flower in less time and in a smaller state
than the majority of the Himalayan Rhododen-
drons, for I have some three-year old plants, in

most casesabout IS inches high, which are flower-
ing this year. The plants vary somewhat in habit,
but in many instances they run up straight with
a single stem to 1 footer l§ feet in height, the
outer bark in many instances peeling off from the
lower part of the stem after the manner of Arbutus
Andrachne. Several of the plants have pushed
out buds from the otherwise bare stem, and
promise now to make neat little bushes. R. Mad-
deni is one of the tenderest of all the Himalayan
Rhododendrons. — H. P.

EUCHARIS FAILURE.
I .\M sending you some bulbs of Eucharis ama-
zonica, and shall be grateful if you can tell the
cause of their bad health. They used to grow
and flower luxuriantly here, but began to fail
about three years ago. and since have bten going
from bad to worse. I have had thtm shaken out
and the bulbs carefully wa.-hed and repotted in
gold gritty loam and a little peat, and kept
shaded in a moderately warm house. I have had
no experience with the Eucharis mite, but if this
is a case of it I will throw the whole lot away,
unless you can recommend any other course. —
W. S.

*,* There are traces of the dreaded Eucharis
mite in the bulbs sent, but net enough to con-
vince me that the failure is to be attributed to
their agency. In all probability the mite had
little or nothing to do with the change from extia
good health to ihe miserable plight the plants are
now in : at any rate I have had Eucharis bulbs
showing more traces of the mite about both the
bulbs and the roots and yet showing no signs of
bad health in either the foliage or flower.
V\ hether or not the mite is to blame for the
numerous failures will always be a vexed question,
for we are likely to be constantly attempting the
growth of this class of plants, and the insects to
which they afford a home will be equally as likely
to be always with us.

'■ \V. S." forgot to say if there was a change of
treatment at or about the time his Eucharises be-
gan to tail. I have known instances where the
trouble with these beautiful plants dated from
the time a fresh foreman or n new gardener came
on the tceiieorachange of treatment of some kind
was inaugurated. Some men are not content to
" let well alone," but must be constantly repotting,
drying off, unduly exciting, or otherwise tamper-
ing with the pots of bulbs under their charge. If
they find them in a bad plight, the leaves being
of a sickly yellow colour, the bulbs tumbling out
of the soil and no healthy roots to be found, then
it is quite t'me something was done towards re-
storing the plants to a better condition. They
ought to be shaken clear of the soil, have their
leaves cut off, and if the mite is believed to be the
cause of all the trouble, roughly skin the bnlbs
and then immerse them in clear water for two or
three days. There is no necessity to use any
strong insecticides, the clear water smothering
the insects without injuring the bulbs. Many
cultivators err in not cutting off the leaves before
repotting shaken out Eucharis bulbs, and that
whether there are mites in the bulbs or not.
When the leaves are left intact the stored up
food in the bulbs goes to their support, and root
action is paralysed ; whereas it is fresh roots that
ought first to be made and the leaves will develop
in due course, a well balanced start resulting.
When the leaves are left entire, and perhaps
larger pots than desirable are ufed, the fresh soil is
liable to become soured and distasteful to the roots,
and they fail to long survive in it accordingly, so
that when next they are again repotted the bulbs
make a more feeble start than before— they have
gone from bad to worse. Small bulbs start best
in tmall pots, about three in a -l-inch, the same
number of medium-sized ones in a .^-inch pot, and
three of the largest size in a 6-inch pot. Greater
liberties are doubtless taken with a healthy stock
of bulbs, but it is this previous immunity from
failure that makes us reckless, and sooner or later
the consequence of giving too much soil at one
time leads to a partial or complete failure. I

must not omit mentioning what may be con-
sidered suitable soil for Eucharises. The ortho-
dox mixture is "two parts rich loam to one of
leaf-mould and manure, with the addition of char-
coal to keep it open." If I could get it, my mix-
ture would be brown fibrous loam, two parts,
good leaf soil, one part, with charcoal, sharp
sand, and a sprinkling of soot added, but I am
obliged to be content with yellow loam without
fibre (a soil that has previously grown good Pota-
toes) and peat in the place of leaf soil, as the
latter cannot be had good. As a matter of fact,
the Eucharis is not very fastidious as to soil,
always provided it is sweet, and manure is best
hfo out. It can be supplied when the pots are
filled with roots. The drainage ought to be per-
fect, covering the crocks with Moss, especially if
fibreless loam is used, and the bulbs should only
have their necks above the soil, bedding them in
firmly with sand to rest on.

Position for the Pl.vxts.

Where to grow Eucharises satisfactorily is the
point. Jlore hinges en that than any other cul-
tural detail. It would really appear that it is
more a question of suitable houses than of men to
attend them. In one large garden that is j ar-
ticularly well managed, this class of plants has
been tried in seven different houses and can only
be grown properly in one. A nurseryman of my
acquaintance who must have Eucharises nearly
all the J ear round has tried them in nearer twenty
houses, and alter repeated failures, this meaning
a serious loss to him, has only recently found the
right place for them. Practical gardeners who
have prided themselves in their ability to grow
Eucharises and Pancratiume to their own and
everybody else's satit fact ion have yet, after a
change of situation, been obliged to confess to re-
peated failures. It is the modern house, with its
maximum amount of glass and minimum quantity
of wood, that appears to most often disagree witti
Eucharises. Extremes cf temperature, excessive
sunshine, and too little humidity in the at-
mosphere are conditions more or less injurious
to them. They must be constantly shaded
from strong sunshine, and the healthiest and
most profitable batch I have ever seen was
never moved from the northern half of
a span-roofed structure running from east
to west. Mine have always done well under a
lean to roof facing nearly south, but this is covered
with Stephanotis and blinds are run down on
bright sunshiny days. In some houses it would
appear next to impossible to make a mistake with
Eucharises, and the old-fashioned, tumbledown
sort of places is just what they like. Ordinary
stove temperature, or figures ranging from 60'
to 6.3°, and 70° during the cooler parts of the year,
increasing from 5° to 10° all round in the summer,
80° with shade and 90" for an hour or two after
closing the house in the afternoon benefiting
rather than injuring them. There ought to be
abundance of moisture maintained in the atmo-
sphere to counteract the parching influences of
either strong fire-heat or sunshine. Overhead
syringing— at least twice on hot days— is desir-
able, the walls and floors also being damped down.

Plunging the pots containing newly-potted
bulbs in a brisk and moist bottom-heat favours
early and.strong rooting, but, as a rule, it is best
not to plunge Eucharises. When plunged, more
than ordinary judgment has to be exercised in
watering them, and if the plunging material is
preserved after it has become rotten, a mistake is
made. If a staging is formed over hot- water pijjes,
cover this with slates and ashes, or rough timber
trimmings may be used, on these placing clinkers
and ashes. Set the pots on the ashes, every plant
clear of its neighbour, and this will admit of the
pots being tested in the ordinary way by those
who attend to the watering, and favour the forma-
tion of sturdy leaves. The ashes should be kept
moist by frequently syringing among the pots.

When the smaller pots are well filled with roots,
a shift into larger sizes should be given, and large
specimens, if desired, can gradually be built up
in that way, but when they are well established

JoLY 11. 189G.1

THE GARDEN.

21

in sizes varying from 9 inches to 1:2 inches in
diameter, it is well to cease repotting annually.
They will succeed admirablj- in the same pot for
three or four years in succession, with this proviso :
that liquid manure, notably soot water, is applied
frequently during the greater part of the year. A
portion of them may be shaken out, divided and
repotted occasionally. Where there is a good
batch of root bound plants, it is not often that
no flowers are to be seen on them, but if wanted
in quantity at any particular time, then they may
be slightly rested after their youngest leaves are
well matured ; a sudden excitement or rise in the
temperature quickly brings up the flower-scapes
freely.

Resting and drying off are details too rigidly
carried out and in some cases have, probably
enough, been the beginning of the end. Submit-
ting Eucharises to a greenhouse temperature,
drying them off similarly, but keeping them much
cooler than formerly without lessening the supply
would be a greater blunder. As I have previously
tried to prove, shifting Eucharises from one house
to another or from houses to pits is a wrong pro-
ceeding, that is, if doing well where they are.
Let the resting take the form of lowering the tem-
perature 5° to 10° all round, and at the same time
give enough water to keep the plants from flagging.
Three weeks or a month of this treatment is usually
quite enough.

Insect pests, other than the mite, to be reckoned
with are thrips and mealy bug. There must be no
employment of insecticides strong enough to de-
stroy either of these by dipping or sponging as
the succulent, porous, Eucharis leaves are very
susceptible of injury, and numerous stocks of
plants have been rumed for a time, at any rate,
owing to reckless though well-meant efforts to get
rid of mealy bug in particular. Fumigations with
tobacco paper, sheets or preparations, will get rid
of thrips, and sponging with soapy water ought
to be equal to clearing off mealy bug. If a fresh
start is made with bug-infested plants, cutting off
the leaves when the bulbs are repotted is a safe
and effective remedy.

" W. S." after reading the foregoing may feel
disposed once more to try his Eucharises before
throwing the whole lot away. None of the bulbs
sent are approaching what may be termed full
size. W. I.

Potting cff cuttings.— In "E. J.'8"noteon
Carnation Miss Jolifle (page -JS-l), the evil efl'ects
of allowing the cuttings to remain too long after
they are struck before potting them oft' is there
dwelt upon, and this is a caution certainly well
needed, not only in the case of Carnations, but
with all classes of plants, for instances frequently
come under my observation where cuttings are
allowed to stand so long after they are struck
that the roots are interlaced with each other, and
many of the fibres are injured in disentangling
them, so that the young plants suffer a severe
check. "E. J." points out that the best time to
pot off' Carnation cuttings is when the new roots
are about an inch long, and in a general way this
may be regarded as applicable to nearly all classes
of plants, as roots of this length are not matted
together, and they can conse(|uently be separated
without injury, besides which they are then so
active as to at once take hold of the new soil and
grow away without check. In the case of most
cuttings, more particularly where the plants are
somewhat delicate in constitution, the soil em-
ployed for the first potting should be of a lighter
and more open nature than that required for ma-
ture specimens of the same thing. A rather closer
atmosphere and an occasional dewing overhead
will, in the case of most cuttings just potted off,
greatly assist activity at the roots.— H. P.

Cyclamen.— These, whether old plants partly
dried off and repotted after starting into growth
again, or young stock raised from seed sown in
heat in August, will now be occupying frames.
My plants were placed in a frame last week,
having up to that date had a shady position in a
mid-season Peach house from the time they were
potted into 6 inch pots. The frame faces the

south and the light is thinly coated over with
whitening. I find this suits the plants better
than a due north aspect, as the plants are less
liable to damping off and disease, and do not flag
so much when placed in an ordinary house in
October ; moveover, the foliage is harder and the
leaf-stalks shorter. I do not believe in stimulants
for Cyclamens at this time of the year, as the
roots are very delicate and susceptible of injury,
which is evident from the sudden collapse of
plants sometimes. Great care is necessary in
watering each plant, examining individually
every morning, care being taken not to let the
water come into contact with the crowns, this
being liable to cause decay. Plenty of air is
requisite, and I find, as a rule, it is safer not to
syringe the foliage. If a slight fumigation is
given twice during the summer months, green fly
and thrips are kept at bay. As growth increases
give the plants more room to ensure a free circu-
lation of air amongst ihem. In potting I like to
sink the bulb tolerably deep, as it generally works
up again in growing. Always fumigate imme-
diately before removing the plants from the frame
to the greenhouse in autumn. — J. C.

ALLAMANDAS.

Allamandas are amongst the most beautiful of
stove-climbing plants, well repaying any extra
pains which may be bestowed on their culture.
Their noble foliage, combined with the size and
richness of the dowers, renders them indis-
pensable wherever stove plants are grown.
Moreover, although naturally of a climbing
habit of growth, they may, if the growths are
pinched, be grown in bush form, and prove
most useful for conservatory or ordinary decora-
tion. They are most at home when planted out
at the end of a warm, moist stove, and the
shoots trained along wires tolerably close to the
roof glass, and unshaded. Allamandas will
stand as much sun as Crotons, the leaves seldom
scorching if the glass is of good quality. When
shaded — as they sometimes have to be on account
of other subjects which occupy the same house
— the new shoots are long-jointed and soft, and
bloom correspondingly scarce. Allamandas be-
ing gross feeders, a good holding loam, with
a fair addition of decayed manure, is the best
rooting medium ; liquid manure of medium
strength being necessary every other day in
the case of large specimens in pots. When
grown on balloon trellises for exhibition, the
best plan is to stand the plants in a light, roomy
place, and to allow the growth full liberty until
the bloom buds form, when it .should be trained
evenly over the surface. Although Allamandas
may be propagated at any time when young
shoots are obtainable, the best time is in spring,
the plants then having an opportunity of grow-
ing into good-sized specimens the first summer.
The cuttings strike most readily inserted singly
in small pots in finely-sifted loam, leaf-mould and
silver sand, and placed under a handlight or
bell-glass in a gentle bottom-heat. When rooted,
gradually inure them to more light and air and
give a shift into 6-inch pots. A night tempera-
ture of 70°, with a rise of W-" or 15^' by sun-
heat, will suit them well, closing early and
syringing overhead each afternoon. The points
of the shoots must be pinched out to induce the
lower eyes to break. By the end of June these
pots will be filled with roots, and a shift into
otberd 2 inches or 3 inches larger will be neces-
sary, this time breaking the soil into pieces the
size of Walnuts and potting firmly. A few neat
sticks will now be needed to support the shoots,
which may again be pinched for the last time.
The same treatment as regards heat, air, and
moisture should be continued till the end of
September, when less water must be given, and
in October none given until the fohage shows

signs of flagging. By the end of the month the
foliage will commence to turn yellow, and dur-
ing the period of rest a night temperature of
OC^ will suffice, no more root moisture being
given than will keep the wood from shrivelling.
In January cut the plants back to the well-
ripened wood and repot, first soaking the balls
in tepid water and allowing them to drain for a
day or two. They may be put into their flower-
ing pots at once ; these may range from 15
inches to 18 inches in diameter, as the plants
will, under liberal treatment, grow into large
specimens this season. AUamanda carthartica,
A. Chelsoni, A. Hendersoni, A. Schotti, and
A. grandiflora are all excellent varieties. The
last, though smaller in the individual bloom, is
the best for growing in bush form.

J. Crawfoki).

JUNE IN SOUTH DEVON.
DuRiNC! the month of Juno rain to the extent of
1'97 inches has fallen on twelve days, against I'lO
inches on eight days in the corresponding month
of 1895, and an average fall of '2-2S inches. For
the first six months of the present year 6 6'2 inches
have been recorded against a rainfall of 11-41
inches for the first half of last year, and an aver-
age for the six months of 15 18 inches, so that up
to the present we are about fl inches under the
average fall. Rainy days for the six months have
been practically the same in each year, there hav-
ing been fifty-nine days on which rain to the
amount of 01 of an inch fell during the present
year, against sixty during the same period of
1895. The average mean temperature for June
is 58 8°. This was exceeded by the June, 1895,
record of dd-Q", and still further by that of the
past month, 61 3°. The lowest reading in the
screen was 46 8°, and the lowest on the grass 41 9°,
while the highest screen-reading was S0'4°, which
is the highest recorded for three years. In the
sun the mercury rose to 125'4°. The sunshine,
though above the average for the month, which is
232 hours 35 minutes, does not equal the record of
June, 1895, of 273 hours 5 minutes, 265 hours 45
minutes having been registered during the past
month. The average sunshine for the first six
months of the year is 945 hours 5 minutes, that
for the present year being below it with 912
hours 20 minutes, and that for 1895 exceeding it
with 1063 hours 20 minutes. The total horizontal
movement of the wind has been 5356 miles,
against 4319 miles in June, 1895, the greatest
movement in a day being 450 miles, and the
highest velocity attained per hour 20 miles. For
the first six months of the present year, the hori-
zontal movement of the wind has reached 38.090
miles, while for 1895 the record is 39,202 miles.
For the month 60'3 per cent, of ozone has been
recorded in the air, ranging from 85 per cent,
during south-west wind to 35 percent, with north-
east wind, from which direction the wind blew for
ten days out of the thirty. The humidity _of the
atmosphere has been 74 per cent, against 72 per
cent in June, 1895, but the air has not been so
dry as was the case during May. In the garden
the rain on the first day of the month freshened
flower and foliage, but the showery weather was of
short duration and soon gave place again to the arid
conditions that prevailed in May, which lessened
the size and lasting properties of the majority of
flowers.

The snow-white Achillea ptarmica fl.-pl. The
Pearl has borne the drought bravely, but the
hybrid Aquilegias were past their best at the
commencement of the month and towards its
close, but few of their daintily tinted blossoms
remained unexpanded. The Alstrtemerias, espe-
cially the hybrid section, have been unusually
fine this June, breadths of delightful colour gra-
dations, ranging from cream to almost crimson,
being quite the feature of the garden. A. auran-
tiaca has produced its orange flower-heads in pro-
fusion, but lacks the delicacy of colouring and
widely-spread flower-scape of the hybrids. St.
Bruno's Lily (Anthericum liliastium) and its va

22

THE GAEDEN.

[July 11, 1896.

rietv maju8, as well as St. Bernard's Lily (A.
Liliaf;o), with their graceful habit and white blos-
8oms, ."ire June-bloomers, and are all well worthy
of a place in every collection of hardy plants.
The Campanulas have been very beautiful. C.
prandis and its white form 0. g. alba were from a
distance the most effective, the tall flower-spikes,
some of them exceeding 4 feet in height, studded
with large widespread starry cups of white or
purple, when thrown up from the clumps in
dozens being exceedingly handsome. 0. latifolia
and its white variety are ornamental plants in the
wild garden, but their display is of shorter dura-
tion than that of C. grandis, and their fragile
drooping blossoms are hardly used by the burly
humble bees, who throughout the day tumble
recklessly in and out of the tubes. The most
lasting of the Campanulas is C. persicifolia and
its varieties, of which the white form is far com-
moner than the purple, the double white variety,
C. p. alba plena, being very enduring. The new
C. p. alba grandiflora promises to be a great
acv^uisition, its flowers being far larger than
those of the type and very effective for indoor
decoration. The Canterbury Bell (C. Medium),
an old garden favourite, has been shortened in
stature by the drought, .and its blooms have been
here to-day and gone tomorrow. Where, how-
ever, the blossoms are picked off as soon as they
commence to fade, another crop is produced.
Coreopsis granditlora towards the end of the
month began to show a bright patch of gold in
the border, and will continue its profuse blossoming
until late autumn. The long footstalks, brilliant
colour and simple shape of the flowers render
them well adapted for arrangement when cut.
The plant should be raised annually from seed, as
it often, after its prodigal flowering, fails to with-
stand a hard winter. Of climbers, the sweetest
has been the white Jasmine, which wreathes the
end of a pergola with its odorous bloom-clusters.
J. revolutum, which is classed in a certain gar-
dener's dictionary as a stove climber, is quite
haidy in the open air in the south-west, and is
now expanding its yellow blossoms. The large
white Clematis Miss Bateman has spangled a
Laurel archway with its great stars, and C. Jack-
mani began to spread it purple over the wall
before the end of the month. Tropa?olum specie-
sum has at length, after many trials, taken kindly
to its surroundings, and has produced wreaths of
its vivid scarlet blossoms, which in the sunlight
plow like fire, and warrants the name of Flame
Nasturtium applied to the plant. The roots of
the one in question are planted in rich, porous
Eoi! in a sheltered and shady position, the upper
portion of the growth being expofed to the sun.
SoUnum jatminoidcs has been in flower dur-
ing the whole month, but every week the
clusters of white blossoms become larger and
more numerous. In the south-west there is no
more satisfactory climber than this Solanum
it commences to flower in May and continue
bloom until nearly Christmas if the weather be
open. The crimson Dianthus Napoleon III. has
been a mass of rich colouring, coming into bloom
as the white Pinks, which have filled the air with
their exquisite fragrance, are ending their flower-
ing. Tall Delphiniums have thrown up azure
and purple spires in the wild garden, where
May the white Foxgloves swayed. In such
situation the great Centaurea macrocephala, with
its Urge golden heads of bloom, is a handsome
object. Among old-fashioned flowers the double
white Rockets, Sweet Williams, Jacob's Ladder
(Polemonium cfrruleum), and its white form, Ber-
gamot (Monarda didjma), and Tradescantia vir-
ginica, with its deep purple blooms, have been in
flower. Erigeron spcciosus has produced in quan-
tity its tender lavender blossoms, a tint very ac-
ceptable in the garden at midsummer and one
that associates pleasingly with white for indoor
decoration. I saw the other day a charming ar-
rangement of Madonna Lilies, white Everlasting
Pea, and the above F.rigeron, that in colour and
form would have been hard to beat. Talking of
flower arrangements, how beautiful are some of
the new Sweet Peae : Countess of Radnor, to my

mind, still remains without a peer, and with its
delicate mauve-pi'rple the faint flesh and sulphur
tints of Venus and Mrs. Eckford create a delight-
ful harmony. A plant that always, at this time
of the year, attracts attention by reason of its
striking colour is the Caucasian Sea Holly (Eryn-
giura Oliverianum), its steel-blue flower-heads
being most effective both in the garden and when
arranged with grasses or other light accompani-
ments. E. amethystinum is also possessed of the
same metallic lustre. The early Gladioli, while
they lasted, weie very attractive, but G. Colvillei
The Bride was over beioie the handsome scarlet
insignis and other telling varieties, such as ardens
and Piince Albert, had opened their first blossoms.
Galega officinalis and its white form were in good
bloom before June had departed, and the ( iaillar-
dias displayed their scarlet and gold circles to the
best .advantage in the hot sunshine, while the Day
Lilies, Hemerocallis flava and H. fulva, the former
the first to bloom by three weeks, bore on their
flower-scapes a long succession of clear yellow and
orange-brown flowers. Hypericum Moserianum
has been attractive, and Inula glandulosa has
bloomed very freely, though its stature and the
size of the individual flowers have suffered from
the drought. Of Irises, two handsome, but seldom-
seen varieties, aurea and Monnieri, both having
yellow flowers, are June bloomers and are identical
in habit with that splendid Iris, orientalis, also
known under the names of ochroleuca and gigan-
tea. This has been especially fine, reaching a
height of 5 feet G inches. I. K.tmpferi by the
waterside has bloomed freely, the flowers varying
considerably in both colour and shape, some being
flat and as much as 6 inches in diameter, while
others, more elegant, with drooping falls, are not
more than half that size. The variegated Water
Flag which bloomed at the commencement of the
month has lost its markings and is now variegated
only in name. English Irises have been smaller
than usual, but the clumps of self-coloured varie-
ties, claret-tinted, dark purple, blue, lavender,
and white, are charming additions to the hardy
flower border, and a little loss in size passes un-
noticed.

Lilies have, considering the season, grown well.
L. canadense opened its first flowers before the
end of the month, and L. candidum has bloomed
freely, although scarcely reaching its last year's
stature. L. croceum, on the other hand, has
grown very strongly and has borne enormous
flower-heads. L. excelsum is in good health and
is flowering well, but L. Harris! is, I regret to say,
a total failure. There is no doubt but th.'it in
many gardens a yearly planting must be made if
a good display of this beautiful Lily in the open
ground is desired. L. pardalinum has increased
greatly, and one of the stems bids fair to be
considerably over 0 feet high. Its first flowers
opened on June 18, ten days before the earliest
bloom of L. canadense. Other Lilies in flower
during the month have been Hansoni, Martagon,
M. album and Ma.ximowiczi. The blue Linum
(L. narbonense) and the yellow L. flavum have
made pretty pictures, the latter (a sheet of bright
gold) being especially brilliant. The scarlet heads
of Lychnis cbalcedonica and its double variety
began their display before the end of the month,
and L. vespertina alba plena has been covered
with flowers, which at a little distance have much
the appearance of the Pink Mrs. Sinkins. The
white Musk Mallow (Malva moschata alba) is an
attractive perennial, and has been flowering well ;
while by the water the Mimulus has borne tall
heads of showy blood-red and gold blossoms, and
the WaterForget-me not carpeted the damp ledge
with pale azure. Old roots of Nicotiana afiinis
have thrown up strongly, and the perfume of their
blossoms has scented the night air, while the mild
winter has left uninjured old plants of white
Antirrhinum, Agathiua ca-lestisand Paris Daisies,
both yellow and white, which are at the present
time m full bloom. Of the <];notheras, (K. Youngi,
fruticosa and the tall Lamarckiana have brightened
bolder and wild garden with their bright yellow,
and the Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums Mme. Croutse
and Souvenir de Charles Turner spread over stone

edgings their tints of pink and cerise. Onosma
tauricum has continued to bloom throughout the
month, and the herbaceous IVonies in diminished
numbers lasted until almost the close. Oriental
Poppies with their flaming scarlet, Papaver pilo-
sum with its faint buff, the Iceland Popples with
their white, orange and yellow tints, the Welsh
with their clear gold, and the annual Shirley or
field Poppies, with diverse shades of pink and
red, have lent invaluable aid to the colour scheme
of June. Pentstemons are in full bloom, and the
rst flowers of Scabiosa caucasica expanded their
ight blue petals as the inflorescence of the tall
Meadow Rue (Thalictrum aquilegifolium) above
them faded.

Rotes have suffered much from the drought and
have been, for the most pait, small and often mis-
shapen. Green fly has been rampant, and even
hard syringing? with insecticides and subsequently
with water have failed to abate the pest for more
than a few days. In many cases, buds inserted
last year have remained absolutely dormant, and
the tame stocks are now being rebudded. Al-
though perfect specimens of Tea and Hybrid Per-
petuals have been very scarce, the climbing Roses
of the Evergreen, Ayrshire, and Boursault sections
have been objects of great beauty. Of Spir.tas,
S. aruncus, S. filipeudula, S. japonica, S. pal-
mata, and S. venusta, light flesh pmk, have been
in bloom, while of the shrubby section, S. flagelli-
formis, with its arching shoots smothered in
rosettes of white Hawthorn-like blossoms, has been
a conspicuous object. Sempervivum arvernense
and Sedum album have been bee-haunted from
morn till eve, the drowsy cadence of the hive-
workers' honey-song being murmurous through
every minute of the sunny hours. Saxifraga
Wallacei has held its flowers well through the
month, and from a shaded corner on June 23 a sur-
prise came in the shape of a bunch of white Violets.
Among bushes, Ozothamnus thyrsoideus has been
covered with its minute white blossoms, the double
Deutzia's sprays have been flower-laden, and the
Cistuses, florentina and ladaniferus, have pro-
duced a long succession of large, fragile-petalled
blooms. That beautiful Syringa, Philadelphus
mexicanus, as charming from the exquisite scent
as from the form of its cupped ivory blossoms, is
one of the choicest of June-flowering shrubs, P.
coronarius and P. grandiflorus, handsome as they
are, losing by comparison with it. The first large
white chalices were cut from the standard Mag-
nolia grandiflora (the Exmouth variety) on June
15, more than three months earlier than last year,
and a full fortnight earlier than in 1S04. The
tree is crowded with buds which will open day by
day until the advent of the first frost.

S. W. F.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1074
TIGRIDIA PAVONIA FLA.VA.

(with a coloured plate.*)
Another new and distinct variety of the Mexi-
can Tiger Flower adds a most beautiful plant to
our open-air gardens, and its portrait in The
GaRiien appropriately serves to emphasise the
centenary of the original introduction of this
gorgeous flower to English gardens from the
wilds of Mexico, as it was in 1790 that it reached
us through Spain. This Tigridia is a conspi-
cuous instance of a plant retaining its original
colour under cultivation in a provokingly per-
sistent way and then suddenly breaking into a
variety of sports, so that now we have, instead
of the original scarlet form, a pure white (alba),
a rose (rosea), a lilac (lilacea), deep yellow (con-
chifiora) and this new pale yellow tiava. Now
that the tendency to variation has begun, there

• Drawn for The Garden Ly U. G. Mocn in
I he Royal Gaioens, Kew. Lithcgrapled end piinted
hy Guillaume Seveieyns.

TIGRIDIA PAVONIA FLAVAv

July 11, 1896. J

THE GARDEK

23

is no telling what still more lovely varieties
are in store for us. It was many years after
the introduction of the original T. Pavonia
that the yellow wild variety conchiflora was in-
troduced, and when it came it was considered
to be a distinct species, but it is now determined
to be a variety only of T. Pavonia, and is found
svild in Mexico. Then about 183(5 a cross was
raised between T. Pavonia and T. conchiflora,
and named Watkinsoni, and this appears to have
been intermediate between the two parents and
probably approaching the colour of this new va-
riety flava. Whether Watkinsoni is in cultiva-
tion now I cannot say, but I think it is doubt-
ful, as 1 have never met with it.

There seems to have been nothing new in the
way of Tigridias from the time of the raising of
Watkinsoni till Wheeler, of Warminster, raised
a fine form and called it Wheeleri, and this ap-
pears to be identical with what is now called
grandiflora, having a larger flower than the
original Pavonia and richer in colour. There
was a lull in new Tigridias, until about 1874,
M. Hennequin, of Augers, raised an accidental
seedling, which turned out to be a lovely
variety alba, which surprised us all by its
beauty when it first flowered in England in
1883. It was figured the following year in The
G.^RDEN. The flower is as large as that o
grandiflora, with pure white petals and sepal
adorned with carmine blotches and spots at
their bases. Ten years later, that is in 1894,
there was figured in The Gakdex the splen-
did variety lilacea and another called rosea
described. With the exception of conchiflora
and the defunct Watkinsoni, all the varie-
ties of Tigridia have been described in The
Gakden, the plate of T. Pavonia grandiflora
having been publisncd in 1879.

Throughout the volumes of The Garden
there is a great deal of information given upon
Tigridias and their culture, and so recently as
March 31, 1894, 1 gave a full account of the
varieties and culture, so that it is scarcely
necessary here to give cultural remarks. Let
us hope that raisers of seedlings will be fortu-
nate in adding to the range of tints in the se-
lected varieties, and that hybridists will turn
their attention to crossing the T. Pavonia with
allied species, particularly T. Pringlei and T.
l-utaa, T. violacea and T. Van Houttei, which
are probably in cultivation, though somewhat
difficult to obtain .

Keu: W. Goldking.

view to exportation. The Olive crop is precarious,
a really good yield seldom occurring more fre-
quently than once in three years, and often more
rarely still. Lemons, which a dozen years ago
commanded a remunerative price, have now
nearly ceased to do so. Palms are still exported
in greater numbers than from any other place on
the coast, but the trade is in a few hands. But
the growth of Roees and other flowers for expor-
tation has expanded into a considerable trade
within the last few years, with the result that
clearings have been made in the dense belt of
Olives which fringe the coast line between Venti-
miglia and Bordighera. Even this new industry,
however, has, he observes, shown signs of ex-
haustion, prices occasionally touching an unre-
munerative point owing to increased production,
and being, moreover, affected by the weather, the
caprice of the markets, and other causes. Still,
the new flower trade, when the conditions aS'ect
ing it are properly understood, will, he believes,
expand, and to some extent become a source of
local wealth. The exportation of flowers is not
largely in the hands of the actual growers ; :
small class of middlemen has been created, the
members of which contract in the autumn for the
winter and spring produce of the gardens.

The Week's Work.

HARDY FRUITS.
Stkawberkies. — Runners that
some time ago into small pots

The flower trade of the Italian Riviera.

— The British Vice-Consuls at San Remo and
Bordighera in their latest reports refer to the
growth of the trade in flowers from the Italian
Riviera. Mr. Congreve, writing from San Remo,
sajs that the only trade largely increasing in his
■district is that in flowers. Along the coast line
from that place to Ospedaletti and Bordighera
Olive trees have been ruthlessly cut down, the
ground has been rearranged in high terraces and
all planted with Roses and Carnations, the pic-
turefqueness of the scenery being greatly spoiled
by this wholesale destruction of the characteristic
Olives. Mr. Daly reports that Bordighera, as a
resort for visitors, is, perhaps, more essentially
British than any other place on the Riviera.
Practically all the ground used for residential
purposes by foreigners is owned by British su"
Jects, also a considerable portion not yet built
upon. Although the prices asked for building
sites are high (ranging from 5 lire to 20 lire the
square metre), such sites are constantly passing
into the hands of British owners who have either
an immediate or future intention of buildin
Bordigheia has no special industries. Olives,
Palms, and Lemons are cultivated for profit, but
■of lite years there has been a tendency to substi
rtute the culture of Roses and other flowers with £

layered
)> this
have made sutiicient roots to admit of their being
transferred to other quarters. Those intended
for early forcing ought to be put into their fruiting
pots without delay in order that growth may be
completed before the days get too short. The
size of pots used for these must in a measure
depend on the variety grown, for as some make
much more foliage than others, the strongest
need the greatest support, and these ought to
have pots one size larger than those for such as
John Buskin and La Grosse Sucree. In some
gardens much of the early forced fruit has to be
packed and sent to the family in town ; where th:
IS the case, size and firmness should be taken into
consideration, as both small and soft varieties are
ill adapted for this purpose, as they present a
poor appearance when they reach their destina-
tion. Royal Sovereign is a good Strawberry, of
first-class quality, and when the plants are properly
prepared will force well, but as this is of rather
robust habit, it needs more support than some
others ; therefore, to have it in the best possible
condition, sufficient root-room should be allowed
or much extra labour will be needed in watering.
For all such varieties, pots of at least 6 inches in
diameter should be used. Many people make a
mistake in putting too much drainage into Straw-
berry pots, thereby reducing the space allowed
for the soil. The pots used should be clean and
no more crocks put in the bottom than will carry
the water away freely. This in a measure must
depend on the kind of soil used. Where it is of
a heavy nature, bordering on clay, the water does
not pass through it so freely as that of a lighter
nature ; such will therefore need greater care in
watering till the pots are well filled with roots.
If light compost ia in a proper condition as re-
gards moisture at the time of potting, it cannot
well be made too firm, for the roots of Straw-
berries are very fibrous. On the other hand, that
of a close nature will need but little ramming, or
more harm than good will be the result. It is no
uncommon thing to see the water stand in the
pots of newly-potted plants for several days before
passing through the soil. Such cannot be the
proper state for healthy root action ; therefore due
care should be exercised in potting. Such work
is often left to inexperienced hands, but no
greater mistake could be made, and little wonder
if failures follow. When potting, make that por
tion which is put into the pot previous to insert
ing the plant fairly firm and of sufficient depth
to raise the crown to within three- (luarters of an

inch of the rim. The space round the ball should
also be made moderately firm, allowing sufficient
room for water to moisten every particle of soil in
the pot. After potting, the plants should be stood
bed of ashes in a sunny position and receive
careful attention as regards watering, for be it
remembered it is in the first management that
much of the after success depends. Those who
are able to produce well-developed crowns that
can be thoroughly ripened need have but little
fear of their failing to supply strong flower-
spikes if care be taken to look after them when
introduced into the forcing house. There should
always be sufficient space left between the pots
while the plants are growing that the air may cir-
culate freely amongst the leaves, for the more ro-
bust the leaf-stalks the finer the crowns. For late
use boxes are preferable to pots, as the soil in them
does not dry so rapidly ; those of 2 feet in length,
6 inches wide, and 7 inches deep will be found
a convenient size. A goodly number of these
may be used, being introduced into cold frames
in spring. Plants in the open ground from
which the fruit has been gathered and that are
intended to stand for a future crop should be
freed of all runners and weeds and the spaces
between the rows pointed over, giving if pos-
sible a top dressing to encourage fresh growth.
Where it is intended to make new plantations the
ground ought to be at once prepared, unless this
has already received attention, that there may be
no delay in getting the plants out the first favour-
able opportunity. In planting, the strength of
the foliage should have due consideration, for if
kinds having large leaves be planted too close to-
gether, the fruit is so shaded that in showery
weather much of it is spoilt. Last season 1
planted a batch of Competitor, allowing a dis-
tance of 2 feet each way, but so strong have the
plants grown, that the foliage covered the space
allotted them, and most of it has had to be re-
moved to allow the fruit to ripen. The crop is
enormous, the fruit large, but deficient in colour
and flavour.

Wall trees.— These should be again looked
over, and where there are any shoots that require
securing in position this ought to be done without
further delay, so that no harm happen to them
hould we experience a gale. Trees that have made
lateral growths should have them removed that
the fruit may have the full benefit of all the sun
and air. It is seldom after this date that back
buds push ; therefore in the case of Apples, Pears,
and Plums the breast-wood may be cut back to
two eyes, which will save much labour in winter
pruning. In doing this be careful to make a
clean cut and not to injure the leaf of the top bud,
or the spur will die off. Plums growing on heavy
soil usually make strong growth unless pinching
is resorted to early in the season, and where this
has not received due attention, it would ba far
better to shorten the young shoots now than to
leave them till winter, when if severe weather
follow after pruning, gumming often sets in and
so ruins the trees. Pears are now swelling fast.
In order that the fruit may have the full benefit of
the sun and be assisted by the radiation from the
walls, all superfluous shoots should be removed.
In doing this pay strict attention to the future
welfare of the trees, for if any leaves be re-
moved that support prominent buds such will
fail to swell next spring, and may, there-
fore, spoil their shape by causing dead spurs.
Cordons against walls that have filled their
allotted space will need special care in this
respect, that those buds which are to supply
flowers next season may be fully developed. It is
an easy matter to remove a trhoot from a tree,
but the operator should thoroughly understana
the consequence of so doing, as in many instances
much harm results therefrom; whereas by a
judicious thinning out of the spurs, that the
foliage may not be too crowded, the buds become
far better developed and finer fruit is obtained.
If anyone will take the trouble to notice the buds
on a young growth that is well matured, he can-
not fail to observe that they are much more plump
than those on spurs where the leaves are so

24

THE GARDEN.

[July 11, 1896.

crowded together as to prevent them from becom-
inp priit>erly developed. We too often overlook
these small trifles, then wonder how it is that
failures so often follow. It is not many places
where room Cin be found on walls for Apples, and
though they may grow and fruit well against
north walls, the fiavour of fruit from such trees is
very delicier>t owing to the absence of sun. Laig
fruit may be all very well on the show table, but
as a rule, garden walls i-an be turned to a mor
profitable account than growing largo, soft
Apples.and for this reason it is seldom attempted ;
but where there is ample space for everything,
there is no reason why cordons may not bo grown,
and where this is attempted, special attention
will now be needed if perfect samples are to be
obtained. The fruit must be fully exposed to the
sun, and close watching will be needed to guard
against insects and other pests. Water must also
be liberally supplied if fine specimens are desired,
and no pains spared to bring the crop to perfec-
tion. Morello Cherries ought now to be afforded
a thorough soaking of liquid manure to assist
the crops to swell, for as they are unusually
heavy, there will be a great strain on the trees to
bring the fruit to maturity. As soon as there are
the least signs of colouring, protection should be
afforded, or the crop will suffer considerably from
the ravages of the birds. H. C. rRiNSEP.

KITCHEN GARDEN.

C.\Br..t(:E.—Xo set time can be advised or chosen
for sowing the main crop of Cabbage with an ab-
solute certainty of its being the best under all
circumstances, so much depending on the weather
that may be experienced after planting time and
also on the varieties sown. This being so, it is
wise not to confine oneself to one sowing only,
for by the middle or end of September there
should be plenty of suitable ground cleared of
early crops to admit of planting a much larger
bed than will ultimately be wanted, and it will
be easy to judge before any of the ground needs
digging and preparing for other crops which lot
is likely to succeed best. The labour of planting
not being great, I make myself, and advise others
to make, three sowings, the first now, the next
about the 25th inst., and again during the second
week in August. With me it is generally the
f econd sowing that turns out best, and in this case
the earlier plants, which will s'low symptoms of
taming in before Christ mas if we get a growing
autumn, are cut and used about that time and
give many acceptable dishes before the ground on
which they are growing is needed for digging. I
prefer to sew the first lot in an open situation on
the flat rather than on a sloping border, as water
is then more easily applied if necessary. The
ground has got so thoroughly dry here, that I
shall take extra pains in preparing the seed-bed
to have the soil well moistened to a good depth
before the sted is sown, unless rain falls heavily
in the meanwhile, for a good start to the young
plants is imperative, and, it is almost needless to
say, they do not get this on a hot and dry soil.
With the eround in good order it is immaterial
whether the seeds be sown broadcast or in drills,
bnt I prefer the latter, as by drawing fairly deep
drills and well watering these immediately before
sowing, we do thebest that can be done to ensure
a good start irresp ective of weather. Sow thinly,
or the plants will probably starve before they can
be planted out. Protect from birds by rolling
moistened seeds in powdered red lead or by net-
ting the bed after sowing. With birds so nu-
merous as they are here, I do not find that stretch-
ing thread along the rows is sufficient protection.
Dust the young plants with wood ashes as soon as
they appear, and do this persistently until they
get well out of the seed leaf stage. With regard
to varieties for sowing now, I pin my faith to
EUam's Early, which, taken all round, is the best
early Cabbage I know. Emperor is also a grand
variety or selection, which seldom or never bolts.
I commenced cutting Ellam's with quite nice
hearts before March was out this year from seed
sown on July 12, and as it runs small in foliage.

it can be thickly planted, an advantage which
means much on limited areas.

Celekv.— The latest sown batch will now be
ready for planting, and where room can be found
it will be well to put out a goodly number of
plants, as these will be hardier than those of the
main crop, and will be very useful during the
spring months. If the trenches are not already
prepared, a portion of the old Cabbage bed may
well be cleared and used for them, as they can be
better formed on firm ground, the sides of which
will not fall in. The growth on these late plants
will not reach the length attained by that of
earlier plantings, so the trenches need not be dug
so deep; 4 inches below the original level will be
ample to supply soil enough for earthing. In
other ways prepare as before advised, being care
ful that all manure used is in a perfect state of
decomposition, and that the plants are not al-
lowed to suffer from want of water. Where suifi-
cient room cannot be found for all the requisite
plants under the trench system, a portion may be
planted out on the level as recommended for
Celeriac, putting the plants about 15 inches
apart. Those planted in this way will, if well
looked after and fed, supply very good sticks for
cooking and flavouring, and may be blanched by
tying the leaves together when fully grown and
packing between the plants with leaves free
from slugs or worms, Bracken, or long litter. Of
course, more plants may be grown in this way on
a given area than can be grown in trenches, and
the system should not be overlooked by those
whose operations are at all cramped from want of
rcom, and though the produce may not be so
uniformly good as may be desired, it will all
come in handy for one or other of the many uses
to which Celery is applied. The Celery fly is in-
clined to be troublesome this year, but may be
kept at bay by dusting the plants with soot while
the morning dew is on them, and all maggots
already developed in the leaves must be looked
for and crushed before they travel far, as they
will then do but little damage. It is only where
this is neglected that plants become spoiled.
Attend closely to the watering of all Celery even
if it shows no signs of suffering, as pipy stems
will be the inevitable result of any deficiency in
the supply of water now or at any time during
the period of rapid growth. I do not advocate
frequent doses of liquid manure ; well grown
Celery can be grown without its aid if the
trenches have been well prepared and plenty of
clear water is given.

CoLEwciuTs AND S AYOYS. — ThesB should not be
left in the seed bed long enough to get starved or
leggy, and it is good practice with such things to
begin drawing from tbe bed and planting as soon
as the forwardest plants become fit, continuing
to do this at intervals until all are planted, as by
this method we can command successional cut-
tings from once sowing, instead of having all
turn in fit for use within a few days of each other.
It ia all very well to plant big "breadths at one
time when planting for sale, as then there is no
necessity to let any of the crop spoil, but in grow-
ing for private use small lots are the most likely
to give satisfaction to grower and consumer, as
the produce can then be cut at its best instead of
being allowed to burst or turn white at the heart
before it can be used. With a view to making
the most of the ground at disposal I advise fairly
close planting, say about 1.') inches apart, at pre-
sent for the Coleworts and smaller Savoys, such
as the Dwarf Green Curled and the Tom Thumb,
reducing this distance still further as the season
advances, for late plantings do not give large
hearts, however much room may be given the
plants. Puddle the roots as advised for the other
Brassicas before planting, as this prevents attacks
from grubs, besides being beneficial to the plants
in other ways, for it helps to keep them fresh and
excites new root action. Where slugs are trouble-
some they should be trapped by putting down
here and there handfuls of bran and examining
these at night. Dusting the plants with freshly
slaked lime also is useful, but too much depend-
ence should not be placed on this, as the lime soon

loses its anti-slug virtues and will require frequent
renewal to be eflective.

General work.— The Asparagus beds should
now have a second sprinkling of manure, as
growth is rapid when once allowed to develop,
and the season when manure will have the best
effect is only short. Scarlet Runners grown on
the dwarf system will require frequent topping to
prevent much development in the running shoots
and to throw the strength of the plants into the
pods. French Beans must be kept closely picked,
and no pods should be allowed to perfect the seeds,
which would soon put an end to further produce.
Keep both the above well supplied with water,
dryness at the root being a fertile source of the
flowers dropping without setting. Where Bracken
is used for protection and for other purposes in
the kitchen garden, the present will be the most
suitable time to cut, dry, and stack as much as
will be wanted during the next twelve months, as
it is unwise to leave the cutting much later, it
being not nearly so nice for its various uses if left
till the stems get stiff. I find Bracken by far the
best natural production for protection and advise
all who have it within reach to lay in a good
supply. Peas should be kept well watered to ad-
vance growth and to prevent mildew, and late
sowings must be mulched without further delay if
the mulching is to have its full effect. Continue
to plant out a few Lettuces as opportunity offers.
Few and often should be the order with these to
keep up a continuous supply of hearts in the most
usable condition, and where the Brown Cos or
anj' other spreading variety is used, do not
neglect tying up for blanching at frequent inter-
vals. Keep the hoe going among all crops which
do not yet cover the ground and strive to prevent
the development of big seed weeds throughout
the garden, or they will give trouble later on.

J. C. Tallack.

Rose Garden.

TEA ROSES PLANTED OUT.
Since the increased demand for Tea Roses in
private establishments pot culture has to a
great extent been superseded 1 y the planting-
out system, it bticg no uncommon tiling to
find a good-sized house entirely devoted to
them, gardeners finding from experience that
far better and more lasting results can be
obtained from plants so grown than when the
roots are confined to the narrow limits of a
pot, and that the trouble attending their cul-
ture is also reduced to a minimum. Large
growers who cater for the metropolitan and
other large markets continue of necessity pot
culture, as during the summer months their
huge houses are required for the accommoda-
tion of Tomatoes, and the pot Roses can then
be stood out of doors. Tea Roses succeed well
either in a span-roofed or lean-to structure,
provided ample provision is made for abundant
ventilation. If in a lean-to house, the back
wall can be utilised for fruit trees, or climbing
Hoses may be planted thereon. When a new
house is built for the purpose, it is always best
to fix the roof- lights so that they can be re-
moved after the blooming season is over in
order to allow of copious rains watering the
border, cleansing the foliage, and full exposure
to the air until the beginning of November.
There is no comparison between a bouse of
Roses so treated and one which has the lights
permanently fixed and in which all root and
atmospheric moisture has to be applied arti-
ficially. The first consideration is the border,
which need not be more than 2 feet deep, well
drained, and composed, if possible, of a good
sound maiden loam, rather strong than otherwise,
although experience proves that many of the best
Teas will not do in what is usually termed a

July 11, 1896.]

THE GAPvDEK

25

clay loam. To this may be added a sixth part
of rotten manure and road grit or coarse sand.
If the border is prepared in summer it has then
■a chance to sink and become firm before the
fall of the leaf, which is perhaps the best time
for transplanting, although really Tea Rosea
can hardly be said to be dormant at any season
of the year. Young plants, say from 6-inch
pots, are by far the best, these invariably doing
much better than old plants that have been
forced perhaps for years and have had much of
•their vitality taken out of them. Make the soil
firm about the roots, and give a slight mulch
of leafy refuse to prevent undue evaporation,
throwing the house open day and night even
when moderate frosts prevail.

In private gardens January is about the best
time for closing the house with a view of induc-
ing growth, and to this end pruning may be
performed in December. At one time the
word pruning would have been considered out
of place, as gardeners of the old school believed
in removing entirely the weak shoots and allow-
ing the main growths to remain almost at their
full length. Market growers, however, pru

their Tea Roses almost as rigorously as their
Hybrid Perpetuals, and it goes without saying
that the success attained by them could not
•easily be surpassed. Three feet apart all ways
is a good space to allow the plants, crowding,
under the pretence of making the best use of
the house, being a great mistake and a loss in
the end. The border must be well moistened,
but owing to the early date at which the
house is started a sloppy condition must
by all means be avoided, or mildew, the
greatest enemy of Tea Roses, will be sure
to assert itself. Overhead syringing, also,
must on no account be practised by rule-
of - thumb, a gentle spraying several times
weekly during January in fine weather being
ample, increasing it when during February the
sun's rays are more powerful. Abundance of
air must be given in fine weather, even when
sun is absent, a little being left on all night
when mild. The front ventilators, however,
must remain closed, as draught to the tender
leafage is simply ruLnoua. As a rule, green fly
makes its appearance at an early stage of growth,
but this can immediately be stopped by syringing
with quassia extract — half a pint to 5 gallons of
water — or by ordinary fumigation.

One great advantage of the planting-out
system is that the plants generally throw up
extra strong, sucker-like shoots from the base,
and when this is the case, any stimulants during
the first season should not be given. As soon
as the bulk of the blooms is past, the plants
should be relieved of any weak growths, and the
remainder encouraged by plenty of root mois-
ture, liberal syringings and an abundance of
fresh air, front air now being imperative. In
July the roof lights may be entirely removed,
when, with the exception of an occasional
watering if the weather should be dry, the
plants will take care of themselves, the lights
being again replaced in November.

J. Cr.wvford.

Rose Beve d'Or.— I was glad to read " D.'s"
eulogistic note on the above Rose on page 47"-.
My experience of Reve d'Or entirely coincides
with his, and were I limited to one Rose, I should
unhesitatingly grow it in preference to all others.
Its growth is amazing, it flowers profusely and is
very decorative by reason of its handsome foliage
when not in bloom. In 1893 I put out a small
plant against a south-east wall. It is now 16 feet
high, and has covered the whole breadth allotted
to It— viz., 8 feet. For the last three years it has
blossomed prodigally and very early, producing
certain amount of blooms later in the seasoi

When cut before they are fully open, the flowers,
with their charming tints of fawn and gold, are
very beautiful for indoor decoration, and bowl-
fuls may be cut each morning without their ab-
sence from the plant being apparent. Gloire de
Dijnn is certainly not so satisfactory with me as
the subject of this note, but Gloire Lyonnaise in a
sheltered position proves a very vigorous climber
and produces a long succession of its large white
blooms. -S. \V. F.

Rose Souvenir de Mme. SablayroUes is a
Tea at present very little known, but it certainly
will soon be in all collections. A cross between
Devoniensis and Souvenir d'Elise Vardon should
be a sufficient commendation of this variety to
exhibitors. The habit is more vigorous than in
Souvenir d'Elise, making good stiff solid wood.
The buds before opening give one the impression
that they are those of Gloire de Dijon or other
similar kind. The colour is of a rosy salmon hue,
but yet a beautiful apricot tint appears to pervade
the flower of this variety. The shape resembles
that of Souvenir d'Elise, and I believe we shall
see this variety ere long in most exhibition
stands. — P.

Rose Marquise de Salisbury (H.T.).— This
is about the most brilliant variety now in bloom,
not even excepting the Crimson Rambler. If
grown on the seedling Brier there never appears
any great cessation of flowering all summer and
autumn. The individual blooms have a peculiar
twist, resembling very much the single Cactus
Dahlias. A grand eflect would be produced by
planting masses of 100 or more plants of this
kind, or a combination of this variety and
Kaiserin Augusta, Victoria or Mme. I'erntt-
Ducher would be a novel and attractive addition
to the garden for those who love bold masses of
colour.

Rose Reine Olga de Wurtemburg (H.T.).
— This might almost be called an evergreen Rose,
as it retains its foliage quite as long a.s the so-
called evergreen varieties. It is exceedingly
vigorous, rambling quite as much as the Crimson
Rambler, and the foliige is large and of a beauti-
ful glossy dark green. The flowers are almost
single, of a rosy crimson colour, but, as in most
of these single varieties, the buds are long and
handsome. At the present time it is very eflec-
tive. It would be a fine subject for the wild
garden.

Rose Francis Dubreuil (Tea).— Undoubtedly
this is the best red Tea we at present have. It
will be found much superior in growth and form
to the variety Souvenir dc Thi^rese Levet. The
colour is somewhat similar, namely, a rich ma-
roon, but the edges of the petals are often shaded
with an almost black colour. The symmetry of
the buds and expanded flowers is perfect, and the
beautiful finish of this variety is its principal
attraction. It will no doubt be the best variety
of its colour for winter blooming, much superior
to such kinds as W. F. Bennett and The Meteor,
the latter reiiuiring a very high temperature to
bring it to perfection.

Rcsa William Allen Richardson. — To
grow this most useful Rose successfully, certain
special cultural details must be attended to. My
e.xperience is that it does best either on its own
roots or budded, so as to form a low bush, the
point of union being let into the soil at planting
time. Why so many fail with it is that they use
the knife too freely, which it will not endure at
any cost. It needs ample room and likes to be let
alone year after year, all the pruning that is re-
quired being removal of any weak shoots and
duly balancing any that may have taken the lead
during the summer. It is one of the hardiest of
Ro?es, standing an east aspect well and being
very little subject to green fly or other pests.
Although my plants were killed down during
the winter of 1894, they last summer made
strong shoots from beneath the soil and are now
as vigorous and free flowering as ever. Those
under my charge are growing in a medium loam ;
perhaps they might not do so well in a heavy.

vided there are ample height and scope for de-
velopment, and the young growths are laid in
annually at almost their full length, suflicient
being retained to furnish the bottom of the wall.
When I first planted this Rose I adopted rather
hard pruning, but so many of the shoots died
back and the growth was so weak, that I was led
to give it head, with the above-named satisfactory
results. — J. Ck.wvford.

ROSE-GROWING IN FRANCE,
the department of Seine-et-Marne, which

tentive soil.

adjacent to Paris on the east, Roses are largely
grown, the oldest and leading establishment in
this branch of horticulture being that of Mens.
Scipion Cochet — whose death we referred to in a
recent issue— situated at Grisy Suisnes, a small
village lying about half a mile from the high road
leading from Paris to Troyes and B;ile. The
proper name of the village is Suisnes, and the pre-
fixed name of Grisy indicates the commune to
which it belongs.

About the end of the last century a chilteau
near Suisnes was tenanted by a nobleman named
Amiral le Comte de Bougainville, whose gar-
dener, Christophe Cochet, having a peculiar fancy
or hobby for grafting or budding Roses, formed a
small rosery consisting of some varieties of Moss
Roses and several old-fashioned kinds which have
since disappeared from cultivation. Recognising
the skill and intelligence of his gardener, the
admiral encouraged him, and finally persu.ided
him to estabhsh himself as a nurseryman at
Suisnes in the year 1799. Here he formed a nur-
sery of trees and shrubs, and commenced grow-
ing Roses on a large scale by a system of field
culture. His son, Pierre Cochet, continued to
carry on these branchesof horticulture, and, having
acquired the chateau and park of Plouy, extended
his nurseries very considerably, so that they em-
braced every branch of horticulture that was
known in those days— that is, at the commence-
ment of the present century. At a very early
period he raised two new varieties of Roses from
seed, viz., the Noisette Bougainville and the
Bengale Philemon, two charming small-flowered
varieties of Roses which are not easy to obtain at
the present day. About the year 1840 Pierre
Cochet took into partnership his son, Philemon
Cochet, who subsequently, on the death of his
father in 1853, took into partnership his younger
brother Scipion, the present head of the establish-
ment.

In the year 185U the Cochet nurseries contained
about 20U varieties of Roses, but at the present
date fully 2000 varieties are grown there, occupy-
ing an area of about 12^ acres. Multiplication is
carried on so extensively, that the annual output
of the establishment amounts to some hundreds of
thousands of plants. There are several other
Rose growing establishments in the vicinity of
Suisnes, and the combined statistics of the whole
show that in this quiet little corner of the world
more than a million of Rose plants are produced
every year.

In addition to the area of 12i acres which Mens.
Cochet has under Roses, he has also 62| acres occu-
pied by a great variety of trees, shrubs, and flowers,
while eight warm and temperate houses affortl the
necessary protection for the tenderer kinds.
Forty skilled workmen are constantly employed
on the grounds.

For the following new varieties of Roses the
hoi ticultural world is indebted to Mons. Scipion
Cochet, viz. ; Arthur de Santal, Souvenir de la
Reine d'Angleterre, Comtesse de Jancourt, Sou-
venir de Mme. Hennicart, Mme. Scipion Cochet,
Mme. Bonin, Mme. Rocher, Societe d'Horticul-
ture de Melun, Charles Boissieres, Parvula, Vi-
comtesse de Vesins, Baronne de Beauverger, Mile.
EliEc Chabrier, Charles Lee, Souvenir de Coulom-
miers, Mme. Paul Marney, Mme. Philemon
Cochet, Baron de Girardot, Gloire du Bouchet,
Princesse Marie de Lusignan, La Nantoise, Mme.
Pierre Cochet, Prince A. de Wagram, Baronne G.

„.^ ,.„ _,,._ do Noirmont, Maman Cochet, &c. Besides the

It does very well on a wall pro- I foregoing, Mons. Scipion Cochet has also raised

THE GARDEK

[July 11, 1896.

the following varieties of shrub?, viz. : Hibiscus
syriacus totus albus, Ulmus virgata, Acer platan
o'ides globus. Plum Souvenir de Cochet pi^re, I'eai
William Tanache, Ceanothus Marguerite Audus
son. Lilacs Philemon Cochet and Clara Cochet,
Billbergia variegata Morren, Azalea Clara Cochet
Ac. In the year 1S77 Mods. Scipion Cochet com
menced to publish his Journal des 7>"o<f ,■-■, a monthly
issue of sixteen pages dealing exclusively with
Rose culture, and now edited by his son, Mons
Pierre Cochet. This well-conducted journal on i
special subject has appeared regularly since the
date of its foundation, and is much appreciated
both in France and in other countries.— (iEORi
vr. M.ARois, in L'Eitcyclopedie Conlimporaine.

Rose Mrs. W. C. Whitney (H.T.;. —This
has a sweet and powerful perfume of the La
France type, but this i.s not its only attraction,
for it is exceedingly free-blooming and the colour
is a lovely rosy pink. It is a large Rose, flower-
ing in clusters, but not a very double variety
more suited as a garden Rose than for exhibition.

Rose La France de '89.— What a pity this
splendid Rose should have been burdened with
such a name. It is what rosarians would term a
massive Rose, and yet there is a distinct refine-
ment about its large shell-like petals. The colour
is a lovely clear rosy red, exceedingly brilliant,
and the foliage is extra large and distinct in
colour. Altogether this is a superb variety for
the garden.

Rose Mme. Dalville (H.P.). — Evidently a
seedling from Alfred C'olomb, this Rose partakes
a great deal of the character of that well-known
variety. What is most marked about this variety
is the combination of colours, the prevailing tint
being a deep rose, but the petals are reflexed and
silvery, giving the flower a most unique appear-
ance. The shape is globular and the size quite up
to the exhibition standard.

Bose Souvenir de Lady Ashburton (Tea).
—One might almost call this the rainbow Rose.
The lovely tints of colour in this variety are
almost indescribable. The nearest approach to it
that I lynow of is Marie Van Houtte when the
flower is nearly dropping, only the bronzy tint is
deeper. The form of the flower is of a type beloved
by artists, informal and graceful, and the habit of
growth is vigorous.^P.

Trees and Shrubs.

DAPHNE BLAGAYAIsA.
This— of which a coloured plate was published
in Tbk G.KWT.y of Augu.st 31, 1878 (p. 200)— i.s
a delightful little shrub for the rock garden if
planted in a partially shaded position where it
will not get dried up in hot weather. It is said
to do well on chalk. Ihe plant is quite hardy,
having stood in Yorkshire 23' of frost. It was
discovered by Count Blagaj in 1837 in Carniola,
where it is said to grow along with Erica carnea,
and is said to be valuable for forcing. The
flowers, which are in compact umbels each about
2 inches across, rival those of the Orange in
sweetness aiid purity.

Hagnolia macrophylla.— The amount of
interest taken in the blooms of the rare large-
leaved Magnolia I was able to stage at the Drill
Hall on the i':5rd is sufficient proof that anything
really good in the way of hardy trees and shrub.-
is quite as attractive as more tender plants. It is
wed that this interest is gaining ground, for
whereas only comparatively few can enjoy hot-
house plants, the beauties of tree and ehiub life
are ojjen to all who have a garden either on a
large or small scale. When one gets a specimen
of this Magnoha over 40 feet high and well fur-
nished with branches, it is unique as an outdoor
plant ; the size of the foliage not unlike small

Banana leaves, the silvery under surface and the
very tine flowers giving it the appearance more of
an inmate of a stove than a hardy tree. The
flower is seen at its best when partially open.
Our tree is in a very sheltered spot — in fact
completely hemmed in on all sides, and although
this was doubtless highly beneficial i:; its early
stages, the march of time has caused a Spanish
Chestnut and a Beech to encroach unduly upon
it. This question of shelter should decidedly
be one of the first considerations in planting
this particular tree, for although in its pre-
sent form it is perfectly hardy, it is reason-
able to suppose that plants in a young stage
would get the under growth nipped by biting
winds and early spring frosts. As the soil all
about our tree is naturally decidedly poor, very
light, and changing to sand just below the sur-
face, there was, I imagine, a bib of excavating
when it was plantea and a load or two of pre-
pared soil brought to give it a start. The sandy
soil and the dry, sloping site are doubtless re-
sponsible for little annual growth, good ripening
of the buds, and the freedom with which it flowers.
I always think an ideal position for such a tree
would be the end of a nicely sheltered glade

perience and have been able to trace the origin of
it, but the conditions under which my trees are
growing are so favourable, bolh for exposure to
sunshine and abundant root space, that I can only,
attribute their failure to flower to the stock. I
shall be very much obliged if someone can en-
lighten me in thematter.-S., Hood A.ihton, Wilts.

Ostrcwskia msg'n.fica.- 1 have a plant here
with three shoots, the longest nearly 4 feet. The
three shoots are carrying eleven buds and open
flowers. It is growing in about 2 feet of poor
loam on a hard chalk bottom. It flowered last
year, but is certainly finer this. — W. Herkinctox,
Betteshanijer Rectory.

The Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum). —
Despite the number of difierent shrubs that have
been introduced, this still occupies a very promi-
nent place among hardy subjects whose period (f
blooming does not commence till the bulk < f
spring and early summer- flowering shrubs are
past. Not only is it very beautiful when tho
bright green twigs are studded with the com-
paratively large golden coloured blossoms, but it-
remains in this condition a considerable time, aa
a succession is maintained for weeks. The>

Baphne Blagayana . Fron

where it could be backed by trees of larger
growth with rather dark foliage. — E. Buhrell,
Clare?noiit.

Hagnolias not flowering. — Whether nur-
serymen obtain their stock of Magnolias from
seeds, layers or cuttings is a matter that does not
often concern the buyer, nor would it have
occurred to me to ask such a question but for
the fact that two strong healthy trees — now
planted some sixteen years or more on the house
here — have not yet shown any disposition to
flower. The fact of their being planted so long
and their healthy state suggest that there is
something difl'erent about their early history,
because I have seen smaller trees of the same va-
riety in other gardens bearing flowers very freely.
They are about 18 feet in height and have had an
unrestricted course, except that the lateral
growths have been thinned annually to prevent
them from becoming crowded. There is a good
depth of dark soil overlying clay, and the broad
gravelled space open to the roots has a tendency
to produce abundant leaf-growth. Perhaps some
of your readers can give me some information as
to the reason for their non flowering, and if it is
possible for them to be seedling trees. Some of
your readers no doubt have had a similar ex-

?nt by Mr. F. W. Moot

Spanish Broom is apt to run up rather tall and
thin ; hence it is not as an isolated specimen that
it is seen at its best, but rather when associated
with other shrubs which serve to take ofl' its
naked appearance. In this way grand flowering
examples are frequently to be met with. The
Spanish Broom is easily raised from seed and can
be obtained at a cheap rate from nurseries, bub
large plants do not transplant well, for the roots
are few and descend deeply into the ground ;
hence for planting, young plants are to be pre-
ferred. In dry, hot, stony soils it succeeds better
than most flowering shrubs, but grows best in a
good deep, but open loam. — T.

Veronicas.— What a wealth and variety we
now have of Veronicas that are tolerably hardy.
Where space can be allotted them and a good
collection grown, some kind or other will be in
bloom from early spring until late autumn, and
even the diversity in habit of leafage and growth
and the delicate tint in some varieties are suffi-
ciently interesting to ensure them a place among
choice rock plants. 1 subjoin herewith a brief list
comprising the dwarfest up to the tallest : V. for-
mosa, V. chathamica minor, and V. Lyalli, gradu-
ally increasing in stature with V. buxifolia, V.
anomala, V. glauca ca-rulea (the pale golden tii>t,

Jdly 11, 1896.]

THE garde:n^.

27

overspreading the two former and the glaucous
hue of the latter being an additional merit to
them), v. cupressoides, V. carnulosa, V. Bidwelli,
V. Lewiei, V. vernicosa, V. rakaunais, V. ligusti-
folia, V. parviQora, V. elliptioa (syn., decussata),
V. Traversi, V. Marie Antoinette, V. salicifolia,
V. Blue (Jem, and what I may term a major va-
riety of V. salicifolia, being larger in all its parts
than the one I have under the name of V. salici-
folia and a much better thing. The larger grow-
ing varieties — say the last half dozen named —
must, as rock plants, be omitted where space is
limited, as they grow into good-sized bushes in
favourable districts and positions, but where the
rock gardens are extensive and bold they should
certainly be employed. Besides being good rock
plants, these taller forms are well adapted for the
margins of shrubbery borders, specimens and
masses on lawns and such like positions, for they
are very graceful and beautiful as well as useful
for the cut-flower basket. For continuous bloom-
ing, together with effectiveness, I must give the
palm to what I have referred to as a major variety
of V. salicifolia and V. Blue Gem. The former is
all over the place, as single specimens, groups,
and miniature hedges ; the latter grown chiefly
in irregular masses — one such of several square
yards at the foot of a rock and running among
bold boulders being exceptionally attractive.
Both are now in full bloom and will probably con-
tinue so, more or less, until late in the autumn.
I believe I sent you some blooms of both last
Christmas or later, and do so again now, together
with some of what I have under the name of V.
salicifolia. — Jno. Roberts, The Gardens, Tan-y-
btdch.

Spiraea Douglasi. — I recently saw some grand
specimens in a congenial spot, where they formed
close masses of their Reed-like stems, each of
which was terminated by a dense, upright panicle
of very bright rose-coloured flowers. After the
principal spikes of flowers are past, secondary
ones are pushed out, and in this way a succession
is kept up for a long time; indeed, though now
in some places in full bloom, its flowering season
will often extend over July and August, and
sometimes later than that. So long do the blooms
continue to expand, that in many instances it may
well be regarded as an autumn-flowering subject.
This Spiriua is particularly free in growth, as it
pushes up suckers in great profusion and in time
forms a dense mass. It may be increased by
division as readily as many herbaceous subjects,
and in this way it can be propagated with but
little trouble. This Spiia'a is a native of North-
west America and is perfectly hardy in this
country. The flowers vary in tint, the richest
coloured forms being particularly showy. — T.

CLIMBERS CARRIED BY TREES.
The difficulty of displaying the features of the
climber is found in the poverty of the soil
sufficiently near the tree, together with the
shade given by the tree itself. Fresh soil, it is
true, can be given for planting the climber in,
and this further stimulated by soakings of liquid
manure, but even then climbers sometimes refuse
to grow at all. Deciduous trees only are suited
for this mode of planting, and these not having a
heavy or dense head of foliage. On the lawn here
is an old and somewhat stunted Acacia, in whose
branches the common Virginian Creeper makes a
very pretty autumn display, especially as at the
same time the foliage of the Acacia assumes a
yellow tone, contrasting vividly with the bright
crimson of the creeper's leaves. Such examples
as this tempt one to extend this phase of garden
planting, but the difficulty of selecting a suitable
tree often asserts itself so vigorously, that am-
bition fails without one ever making an attempt
to carry it out. The Acacias, Laburnums, and
such like may in many cases be utilised in pro-
ducing very pretty effects in the near or distant
landscape. Our tree is an isolated specimen on
the lawn near the house, so that its autumn glory
is fully appreciated by its owner and many
visitors. The common form of the Virginian

Creeper is better for this purpose than the neat
and small-leaved Ampelopsis Veitchi, because its
loose sprays hanging from overhead branches
bring its colour and graceful aspect into greater
prominence. Much care is needed on the part of
those having to do the mowing of the grass near
trees so planted, otherwise the labour extending
over several years may be undone in a moment.
Clematises are very pretty subjects for trailing
over large bufhes or low standard trees, so are
the Honeysuckle and Wistaria. Even where
dithculties do present themselves in the matter
of planting, the wonder is that more frequent at-
tempts are not made to establish climbers on
suitable trees. W. S.

Wilts.

Orchids.

ORCHIDS AT CAMBRIDGE LODGE.
When calling at Cambridge Lodge, Camberwell,
recently I was .struck by the number of rare
and unique Orchids there in flower, for though
naturally expecting something out of the
ordinary, I was hardly prepared for such a fine
display. Although the rarest and choicest kinds
form the leading speciality here, the best of the
popular species are grown in quantity, about
300 plants of Miltonia vexillaria in full bloom
forming a grand show. Many good forms of the
rosea type were among them, also the chaste
looking M. vexillaria Measuresiana, possibly the
purist white form in existence of this lovely
Orchid, only the faintest tinge of rose being
noticed on the sepals. Another fine form in
the way of radiata deserves mention out of a
collection in which not a poor form was present.
Vpwards of a dozen plants of Laslia tenebrosa
wtre also in flower in this house, the form show-
ing considerable variety, fairly large and ex-
tremely rich in colouring. A fine plant of the
distinct Saocolabium curvifolium, bearing five
spikes of the pretty cinnabar-red blossoms, de-
serves mention, also a beautiful Cattleya gigas,
each flower 7 inches across. There are many
rare species of Masdevallia, the smaU-flowering
section here meeting with the attention they
deserve. M. Gaskelliana has several flowers, the
inside of the sepals yellow, the tails purple, the
lip slipper-shaped and pale yellow. M. cucul-
lata is a rare species with blackish-crimson
sepals and tails about 2 inches in length. M.
cornieulata, a very deep coloured species, M.
calura, deep crimson, the lovely little M. triar-
istella with its numbers of tiny jewel-like
blossoms, M. Carderi with its bell-shaped
flowers singly produced on the scapes, M. macu-
lata and many others were in bloom, and among
the better-known kinds were very fine speci-
mens of M. bella, M. Roezli in variety, and M.
Backhousiana. A very rare — in fact, almost un-
known— Orchid is PleurothaUis saurocephalus,
a dusky flowered plant producing scapes 8 inches
high containing a number of flowers, these be-
ing small individually, the sepals densely
covered with fine black hairs. The showy
flowered section of Masdevallias is arranged
in another house, and all the best forms of the
Harryana, Veitchi, and other sections are re-
presented by fine healthy plants full of flower,
as are also the hybrids M. Hincksiana, M. Stella,
and several more. The Cypripediums at Cam-
bridge Lodge are remarkable ; indeed they are
models of high culture combined with very care-
ful selection. Immense plants many of them
are, of such as C. Morgani;e, C. leuchorr-
hodum and other hybrids. A large plant
of the singular C. Pearcei was in flower,
while all the cream of the genus may
be said to be represented. Thoughts of a
train to catch hindered taking notes of many

of these, but good forms of C. Curtisi, C.
Hookerianum, C. Lawrenceanum,C. selligerum,
C. Roezli, C. Chamberlaiuiauum, C. callosum,
and other popular kinds are too well done to
pass without mention. Hybrid raising is going
on briskly, scores of the seedlings showing
flower from crosses innumerable. The very
best varieties only are used, and remarkable as
Mr. Chapman's success has been, there can be
no doubt that he will be still more heard of in
the near future as the hundreds cf carefully
raised and magnificently grown seedlings flower.
They receive their first shift when very young,
just as the tiny germs commence their second
growth, and when it is said that these in many
instances form strong plants with leaves 6
inches in length, not much doubt can exist as to
the wisdom of the proceeding. Blany unique
specimens are here of such rare varieties as C.
insigne Sanderianum and Eyermanianum, 0.
venustum Measuresianum, C. Ernesti, and the
only plant in Europe of C. Mrs. F. L. Ames,
Oncidium ornithorrhynchum album, that has
borne seventeen spikes, part of the original
plant of Cymbidium Lowiano eburneum, C.
Winnianum, the natural hybrid, C. Traoey-
anum, and a fine lot of C. Lowianum and other
popular species are grown in quite a cool house,
their condition testifying to the merits of this
system of growth. Another large house is
filled with Vandas, Aerides, Saccolabiums, and
other distichous-leaved kinds, Vanda tricolor
calling for especial mention, as also does a tine
batch of Odontoglossum citrosmum suspended
from the roof in the same house. Another
compartment is filled with Lycastes, all the
best in this genus being represented, and it
almost goes without saying that they are in
splendid health. In one more house that I
had to leave, greatly regretting that time had
passed so quickly, the same capital order, the
same fine specimens and grand health were
observed, a batch of the beautiful Miltonia
Roezli and its variety alba being the best
plants in floiver.

Dendrobium cucuUatum. — This greatly re-
sembles D. Pierardi both in habit and the colour
of its flowers. It does well with less heat than
many of the deciduous Dendrobes, though this is
perhaps not advisable if a warm house i.s at com-
mand. The pseudo-bulbs are thinner at the point
than at the base, and often attain a length of
upwards of 4 feet, the long raceme of flowers thus
formed being very attractive. The sepals and
petals are a pale rose, the lip broad and spread-
ing, yellowish white. Some plants I saw recently
were making good progress on blocks lightly
dressed with Moss, and from its habit it is also
suitable for growing in baskets suspended from
the roof.

Lselia Wyattiana. — I recently saw a fine
plant of this pretty species which is far from well
known. The spike appears in the apex of the
young growth and carries from three to five
flowers, each about 5 inches across. These are
not so broad in the segments as some kinds, but
distinctly and prettily marked. The sepals and
petals are almost pure white, only a very faint
tinge of colour being obseived ; the lip is marked
with purple and yellow. It thrives in an ordinary
Cattleya house temperature, and should be grown
in pots in a compost consisting of rough turfy
peat and Sphagnum. The treatment as to growth
and rest resembles that of L. purpurata, with
which fine species it is found growing naturally
in Brazil. — H.

Miltonia Warscewiczi.— This singular spe-
cies is quite distinct from all other Miltonias, and
has been called Oncidium by some authorities. On
account of this distinctness and its obvious utility
as a garden Orchid, it should be much grown. The
pseudo-bulbs grow erect, each being about 4 inches
high. The panicles of flower issue from the base,

28

THE CxAEDEN.

[Jui.T 11, 1896.

each carr\ing from twenty to thirty flowers,
according 'to the strength of the plant. The
flowers are singularly coloured and constructed,
the sepals and petals chestnut-brown, with a yel-
low, waw margin, the lip rosy purple, convex on
the upper side, margined with white. The blos-
soms last well in good condition, but must not
be allowed to remain on the plant* too long, espe-
cially if the latter are weak. This Miltonia likes
a position not too much shaded, yet not enough
exposed to damage the foliage, and the coolest
end of the Cattleya house is quite warm enough
for it. A large pot is unnecessary, the plant
being of a close-growing nature and not gross
feeding. Equ.sl parts of peat fibre and Sphag-
num, with abundance of crocks and charcoal
finely broken, will grow it well, this material
being firmly bedded around the base of the plants,
the latter "elevated a little distance above the
rim of the pot. During the time growth is most
active the roots must bo kept very moist, and
even in winter they ought never to become quite
drv, this treatment being unsuitable to most of
the Teruvian and Colombian Orchids. M. War-
ecewiczi was introduced from Peru in 1S69.

Disa Veitchi.— A plant of this pretty hybrid
is now in Uower with me. the spike "2 feet high
and containing eight blossoms, each about 3 inches
across. The hooded upper sepal is pale rose, the
lower ones bright carmine. The lip is also very
bright outside, while the inner concave portion is
nearly white, with many deep crimson spots. The
growth of the plant is more vigorous than that of
D. grandiflora, but very similar to it in appear-
ance. Olfshoots are freely produced, rendering
its propagation easy if care is taken with them.
The best position for it is quite a cool house close
to a ventilator or door, and abundance of water
is needed while growing, no resting season, or
rather no dryine off, being required. D. Veitchi
was raised by crossing D. racemosa with D.
grandiflora in Messrs. Veitch's nursery, and first
flowered in 1S91.— R.

Oncidiom lamelligerum. — This makes a
fine companion to 0. macranthum, which it much
resembles in habit and manner of flowering. The
blossoms are larger than those of O. macranthum
and even more graceful in outline. The upper
sepal is short and broad, the lower ones longer
and narrower, and with the crisped wavy petals
a deep brown, with yellow margins and spots. It
is a native of Ecuador and thrives under cool
conditions, the cultural routine being the same
as that for O. macranthum. Good drainage to
the pot and a rough open compost are very
essential.

Stanhopea tigrina.— Several fine plants of
this Orchid are now flowering at Chadacre
Hall, several spikes having from two to four blos-
soms on each. Although not so refined in appear-
ance as S. grandiflora, this mutt certainly be re-
garded as one of the best in the genus. The
flowers, as is usual in the genus, are pushed down-
ward from the ripened pseudo-bulb, and each one
measures from 0 inches to S inches across. They
are most peculiar in shape and almost impossible
to describe ; the sepals and petals are dull rouge,
marked with reddish purple. The lip is similar
in colour, and consists of a deep cavity overhung
by the column, the side lobes of the labellum
being elongated to hornlike processes about an
inch in length. These flowers are sweetly
scented, a strong aromatic odour pervading the
whole house wherein they are, but, unfortunately,
they last a short time onlj' in good condition.
The culture of this Orchid is by no means diffi-
cult, more defending vi\nn cleanliness and free-
dom from insect pests than anything else. They
must be grown in baskets on account of the pen-
dulous spikes, and these need not be very deep,
but should have the bottoms open and free,
several pieces of charcoal being placed on the
lower rods or wires as the case may be. The
compost for strong plants may consist of two-
Ih'. rds of Sphagnum Moss, the remaining third
being made up of peat and loam fibre in equal
proportioDg, an ample quantity of crocks and

charcoal being mixed with it to ensure perfect of a warm, moist liouse they would not seem

drainage and aeration. They do best in the East of any value, not a green leaf to be seen on

India house, though good results may be obtained them, and the pseudo - bulbs , shrunk and

by growing them in an intermediate temperature, shrivelled out of all shape. It is not to the

an important point being to keep up plenty of at- bulbs or leaves, however, that experienced

mospheric moisture, this keeping red spider in growers look ; they note the plump, round eyes,

check. Frequent syringings may be given with ^^ ^^^ base, knowing well that with heat and

the same end and plenty of water while the „,„,„»,,..» fki f..,„.., ^,n „„,„ii .,„ j.„ „ *!,;„„

growth is active. Very little water is needed in
winter, provided the atmosphere is fairly moist.
S. tigrina is one of Messrs. Low and Co.'s intro-
ductions from Mexico, and it was first imported
about 1840.

DENDROBIUM THYRSIFLORUM.
Though showing a small plant only, the
characteristic growth and graceful racemes of
flower are well shown in the annexed illustra-
tion of this specits. It is one of the most
yet one of the best and most useful

Dendrohium thyrsiflorum. From a photograph 61/
the Hon. Hester Tyrwhitt, Ashwellthorpe Hall,
Norfolk.

of the evergreen kinds, easily grown and very
free blooming. The ground colour of the sepals
and petals varies considerably, embracing pure
white and various tints of flesh and rose colour.
The lip is the same in all cases — a deep golden
yellow that enhances the beauty of both the
pure white and rosy tinted segments. It is a
free-rooting and vigorous-growing species, and
may with advantage be given fairly wide pots,
the drainage being ample, never less than half
their depth. The compost should also be used
in a rough state, the peat being of the best
quality and mixed with half its bulk of clean,
fresh Sphagnum. Newly-imported plants of
this Orchid often arrive in such a condition,
that to anyone unacquainted with the influence

moisture the former will swell up to something
nearly approaching their normal size, and the
latter will break freely and soon form new
pseudo-bulbs, to take the place of any that are
dead or far gone in the plant. The process
of establishing this Orchid does not differ
materially from that of any other Dendrobe,
and as this has been often described in detail,
it is only necessary here to say that, for the
first season at least, considerable care is neces-
sary in watering, shading and selecting the
compost. The plants should at first be potted
up in clean crocks alone, removing a few of
these from the top and substituting a
little peat and Moss as this is seen to be
necessary, that is when roots begin to-
push. In potting established specimens-
disturb them as little as possible, bufc
allow no sour peat or other material tO'
remain, and when filling up with the new
peat and Moss, place plenty of rough
crocks and charcoal with the layers. The
plants should be kept well above the
rims, as the new shoots start very low
and are apt to damp off in the earlier
stages if water lodges about them. They
do not require so long a growing season
as the deciduous members of the genus,
but D. thyrsiflorum does not finish up
quite so quickly as the smaller-growing
evergreen kinds. The plants may be
grown either in the Cattleya house or
with other Dendrobes in the East India,
division, but if in the latter they must be
taken out for a month or two during
the resting season, or they will not flower
satisfactorily. Though less water is re-
quired at this time than when growing
freely, they must not be dried to any
great extent. This is often the cause of
their failing to start properly in spring,
the fluid forcing up flowers in lieu of
growth, to the great detriment of the
plant. If frequently dewed over with
tepid water while growing and the atmo-
sphere kept nicely moist, insects are rarely
troublesome. As soon as the flower-bud&
show their colour in spring, the plants-
should be placed in a cooler and rather
drier house, as the blossoms will then
come on slowly and attain their full size
and colour, they also lasting better thar»
if grown in heat. The usual time they
last is from a fortnight to three weeks,
and very beautiful do well - flowered
plants look when associated with Catt-
leyas, Odontogloti, and other Orchids ui
the flowering house. D. thyrsiflorum is-
a native of Moulmein, whence so many
fine Dendrobes have been introduced, and has
been in cultivation since 1804.

Mr. T. B. Field, Ashwellthorpe Hall, Nor-
folk, who sent us the photograph from whicb
the illustration was prepared, sends us the
following note regardins; the plant : —

The illustration shows a recently imported
plant. It is one of the showiest of the Dendrobe
family, and also one of the easiest to cultivate,
(iiven proper attention, this Orchid will soon re-
cover after a long voyage and well repay the en-
thusiast for all the attention he may give it. It
does well in an intermediate house, and I know
of no Orchid more useful for decorating the
drawing-room than the one in question. I have
had plants in bloom standing in the room for

July 11, 1896.

THE GARDEN.

29

three or four weeks, and when taken out they
were apparently none the worse.

THUXIA MARSHALLIANA.
Takes altogether, this may be described as the
most useful of the Thunias and a capital garden
Orchid. The earliest flowers are now open, and
where a good stock is grown the display may be
kept up for a couple of months at least, due care
having been taken to grow them in various tem
peratures with this end in view. The flowers are
produced on drooping scapes from the apices of
the stems before they come to maturity, and are
pure white on the sepals and petals, with a golden
yellow-fringed lip veined with orange-red. The
culture of this Orchid is very easy, provided
enough heat is at command. The stems may
either be potted separately or three or four in a
pot, the former plan being on the whole the best,
as it ensures simultaneous flowering ; whereas if
grown several in a pot, one may be in flower be-
fore the rest. It is easy to group several pots to-
gether, by this means making a fine show. The
stems at potting time will be quite leafless and
the roots quite dead. These should be mostly
cut away, only a few of them being left to steady
the stems, which should be placed with their base
just resting on the compost when finished. The
compost may consist of equal parts of peat, loam
fibre, and Sphagnum Moss, the last being as
fresh as possible and chopped up rather finely.
To this add a sufficient quantity of finely broken
crocks to keep the whole mass rough and open,
but add no sand, as in this rough kind of compost
it soon gets swilled down among the drainage,
choking it up and preventing its free action.
Single pots may be of the 5-inch size, and a couple
of inches should be allowed for drainage. As soon
as the plants are potted up they should be placed
in the warmest house at command and a light,
sunny position. Frequent syringing is of advan-
tage, as it will cauee the buds at the base to break
more freely, but only very little water must be
given at the roots until they are getting well out
into the compost. When they reach the sides of
the pots a full supply will be needed, for the
growth is rapid and the plants gross feeders. A
little manure water made from well-diluted cow
manure and soot is helpful after the pots are full
of roots and until the flower-spikes peep out of
the top of the stem, when it should be discon-
tinued. The atmosphere must be kept very moist
and plenty of sunlight allowed until the flowers
appear ; while they are in bloom a shady position
and drier atmosphere help to conserve the flowers.
When these are over the foliage soon commences
to decay and fall off, when the water supply must
gradually be reduced, until in winter none is re-
quired. From November until they again begin
to grow they may, in fact, be turned out of the
pots and hung up in bundles in any out of the way
corner of the house. It is very important, how-
ever, that they are kept warm and dry, the tem-
perature never dropping at this time below about
55°. T. Marshalliana is a native of Moulmein and
was introduced about 184-2.

Miltonia vexillaiia superba.— This beauti-
ful variety well merits its name, the flowers being
a beautiful deep rose, suS'used with a warm tint
of crimson on the sepals. The lip is lighter in
ground colour, stained and lined with magenta.
Although said to be an autumn-flowering plant, I
saw it recently in bloom, the blossoms equalling
the best forms in size and very freely produced.
This Orchid likes rather warmer treatment than
the majoritj' of Odontoglo3sums, from which
genus it has been separated by modern botanists,
and if kept free from the attacks of thrips and
liberally treated is as easy as most Orchids to
grow.-H. R.

Vanda ccerulescens Boxalli.— This is one of
the most charming of the smaller growing Vandas,
and a distinct and pretty variation from the
typical form. The flowers, produced on erect
scapes about a dozen on each, have nearly white

sepals and petals with deep violet lip. The
type has long been known, but this variety was
introduced as lately as 1877 from India. It re-
quires more heat than the larger growing kinds,
such as V. suavis and V. tricolor, and thrives well
if planted in wood baskets suspended in a light
position not far from the roof glass in the East
India house. The plants require plenty of water
when well established and growing freely, and
even in winter must never be dried oS' entirely.

Cattleya Mossiee msjestica.— The varieties
of this superb Cattleya seem almort endless, and
though some are not distinct enough to warrant
the varietal names so freely lavished upon them,
others are really worthy of this distinction. This
form came under my notice a few days since, and
I thought it one of the finest I had ever seen.
The blossoms were upwards of 8 inches across,
the sepals and petals of a deep rosy purple, the
lip of fine form and delicately fringed. The
whole of the throat was covered with a large
orange blotch, the sides pure white, aftsr the
style of C. Mendeli, the frontal part streaked with
bright crimson. The whole of the varieties of
this fine Cattleya are natives of La Guayra, whence
the typical form was introduced in 1836.-R.

Societies and Exhibitions,

CRYSTAL PALACE ROSE SHOW.
July 4.

Thousands of visitors were attracted to the
Palace on July 4 by the great exhibition of the
National Rose Society, and although the quality
of the exhibits was certainly not up to the average,
the flowers being flimsy, no doubt owing to the
excessively hot weather which has prevailed for
such a long time, yet the competition was su
ciently keen to make the show one of great interest
and beauty. The display was certainly the poorest
that has been seen for many jears, although
growers from all parts of the country were well
represented. We were greatly pleased with the
old-fashioned garden Roses, single and Polyantha
varieties, and the very beautiful Briers. The spe-
cial prizes were won by the following exhibitors :
For the best bloom of any Rose, except Teas or
Noisettes, shown by amateurs, the silver medal
went to Mr. H. Machin. for a fairly large and
beautifully formed specimen of Her Majesty.
The silver medal for the best Tea went to Mr.
0. G. Orpen, for a good fresh flower of The Bride,
and the same exhibitor gained the Harkness
challenge cup. The principal amateur exhibitor
was the Rev. J. H. Pemberton, who obtained
the Memorial gold medal for thirty-six singles
and the champion challenge trophy. In the nur-
serymen's classes the chief honours were won by
Messrs. Harkness and Son, Bedale,who carried off
the champion challenge trophy, the gold Me-
morial medal, and the silver medal for the best
Tea Rose. Mr. B. R. Cant gained the silver
medal for the best bloom of any other Rose ; the
Dickson challenge cup, offered by Mr. C. J.
Grahame, went to Mr. Frank Cant, and a piece of
plate for the best six Roses grown within eight
miles of Charing Cross to Mr. R. H. Langton,
who also gained the piece of plate for four bunches
of Teas, three trusses of each.

NrRSERYMEN.

In the great class for seventy- two Roses dis-
tinct, single trusses, Messrs. Harkness and Sons,
Bedale, secured the first prize with an exceedingly
good, though somewhat uneven collection. While
several blooms were imperfect, many were very
tine. The best were John Stuart Mill, Gustavo
Piganeau, Innocente Pirola, Edouard Andrt-',
Duchesse de Morny, Fisher Holmes, Comte de
Raimbaud, Dr. Andry, Mrs. John Laing, A. K.
Williams, Mme. Cusin, and Ulrich Brunner. The
second prize went to Messrs. F. Cant snd Co.,
Colche.ster, for a very nice collection, including
good blooms of Reynolds- Hole, Mme. Gabriel
Luizet, Captain Haywaid, Catherine Mermet,

Abel Carrifere, Chas. Lefebvre, John Stuart Mill,
and Earl of Duft'erin. For forty Roses distinct,
three trusses of each, Messrs. Harkness were
again first with a good collection. The best
varieties were Mrs. John Laing, Alfred Colomb,
Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, Ernest Metz, Innocente
Pirola, Dr. Andry, Marie Baumann, Mme. G.
Luizet, Captain Hayward, and Helen Keller.
The second prize went to Mr. B. R. Cant for an
exhibit but very slightly inferior to the first prize
lot. His best blooms were Chas. Lefebvre, A. K.
Williams, Ulrich Brunner, Merveille de Lyon,
Fisher Holmes, Victor Hugo, Ernest Metz, and
Etienne Levet. For forty-eight distinct singles,
Messrs. D. Prior and Sons, Colchester, were
placed first with good blooms of Her Majesty,
Earl of Dufferin, Captain Hayward, Victor
Hugo, Eugene Verdier, Fraccjis Michelon,
Duke of Edinburgh, A. K. Williams, Baron
Alphonse de Rothschild, &c. Messrs. Burrell and
Co. , Cambridge, who were a good second, had nice
flowers of Gloire Lyonnaise, Duchesse de Morny,
Jean Soupert, Comte de Raimbaud, A. K.
Williams and Maurice Bernardin. Mr. Chas.
Turner, of Slough, gained the first prize ftr
twenty- four distinct singles, with a very even ex-
hibit of well formed blooms. The best were Duke
of Fife, The Bride, Beauty of Waltham, Mrs. John
Laing, Her Majesty and Marie Baumann. The
second went to Messrs. J. Townsend and Sons,
Worcester, who had good blooms of Fisher
Holmes, A. K. Williams, Gustavo Piganeau,
Nipbetos and Prince Arthur. Messrs. D. Prior
& Son were first for twenty-four trebles, showing
Mrs. John Laing, Abel Carriere, A. K. Williams
and Her Majesty in fine condition. The flowers
were mostly small, though fairly well formed.
Messrs. G. and W. H. Burch were a good second,
with Innocente Pirola, Catheiine Mermet, Alfred
Colomb, Mme. Gabriel Luizet, Gustavo Piganeau,
Mrs. John Laing and Star of Waltham. Fcr
twelve distinct singles, Mr. Frank Cant was first,
with a good box containing Lady Arthur Hill,
Lady Helen Stewart, Marchioness of Dufferin and
Helen Keller. Mr. B. R. Cant was second. Messrs.
Alex. Dickson, Co. Down, were an excellent first
for eighteen singles, showing good blooms of Capt.
Hayward, Mrs. Jowitt, Countefs of Rosebery,
Star of Waltham, Prince Arthur, Mrs. Geo. Dick-
son, &c.

Am.^teurs.
In the trophy class for thirty-six singles. Rev.
J. H. Pemberton was deservedly first for a very
meritorious collection, uniformly eood, in perfect
condition and of good form — certainly a very
beautiful exhibit, one of the very best in the
show. The finest blooms were Her Majesty,
Marie Baumann, I'lrich Brunner, Caroline Tts-
tout, Frarcais Michelon, General Jacqueminot,
Spenser, Oomte de Raimbaud, Gustave Piganeau,
A. K. Williams and Horace Vernet. Mr. E. B.
Lindeell, of Hitchin, was a very good second, his
flowers being in good condition, well grown and
of fair size. Merveille de Lyon, Mme. Housman,
Earl of Dufferin, Dr. Sewell, Ulrich Brunner,
Fisher Holmes, Maurice Bernardin and Marie
Baumann were the best. In the second class for
thirty-six singles, Mr. Wm. Boyes, of Derby, was
first, about half of his collection being of great
excellence and the rest slightly inferior. The
best were Thomas Mills, Mme. Housman, Duke
of Wellington, Mrs. John Laing, Horace Vernet
and Her Majesty. Rev. J. H. Pemberton was a
very close second, with good blooms of Caroline
Testout, Jeannie Dickson, A. K. Williams, Mrs.
John Laing and Her Majesty. For twelve singles
of any Rose except Tea or Noisette, Mr. H. W.
Machin, Worksop, was first with an excellent set
of Her Majesty, all neat, well-formed blooms.
The second went to Mr. E. B. Lindsell for nice
flowers of Merveille de Lyon. Mr. E. Mawley, of
Berkhamsted, was first for twenty-four singles,
the blooms of A. K. Williams, Baroness
Rothschild, and Etienne Levet very fine. Mr.
W. C. Romaine, Old Windsor, was a close second
with good blooms of The Bride and Ulrich
Brunner. For nine singles of any Rose except
Tea or Noisette, the first went to Mr. Alf.

30

THE GATJDEN.

[Jolt 11, 1896.

Slaughter, of Steyning, who had a box of rather
old blooms of Alf. Colomb. Mr. R. E. Wott,
Reigate, was second with Ulrich Brunner. For
eight distinct trebles, Rev. J. H. Vembertoii
gained the first prize with some fine blooms, in-
cluding Gustave Piganeau, A. K. Williams, Her
Majesty, and Mrs. John Laing. Mr. H. W.
Machiii was second with another good exhibit,
containing Ulrich Brunner, M. Rodocanachi, and
Her M.ajesty. Mr. Mahlon Whittle, of Leicester,
was first for nine singles, with very beautiful
flowers, among them Kaiserin Victoria, La France,
Alf. Colomb. and Mme. C. Kuster. Mr. Conway
Jones, of (iloucesterthire, was a close second.
Mr. Mahlon Whittle was again successful for fix
distinct trebles, showing good specimens of Mrs.
John Idling. La France, M. Rodocanachi, and Alf.
Colomb. Dr. Tucker, of Swanley, was a good
second. For nine distinct singles, Mr. Henry
Foster was tirst with a very good even collection,
and the second went to Mr. George Males, of
Hitchin. Mr. Harcourt Landon, Brentwood, won
the first for four trebles, aiid the second went to
Mr. Jas. Parker, of Headington. For six singles
of any Rose except Tea or Noisette, the first went
to Mr. Rivers Langdon, of Hendon, for a well
coloured lot of Mrs. John Laing. Dr. Tucker
was second with the same variety. Mr. O. 0.
Orpen was first for a very fine exhibit of twelve
singles, having good blooms of The Bride. Maman
Cochet, and Cath. Mermet. Mr. Henry Adamson,
of Bedale, was a close second. For eighteen dis-
tinct singles, Mr. Percy Burnand was first with
an excellent exhibit containing good blooms
of Annie Wood, Alf. Colomb, Jlerveille de
Lyon, and Ulrich Brunner. Mr. R. E. West
was a good second with Ulrich Brunner,
Dr. Andry, Abel Carriere, and Capt. Christy.
Mr. E. B. Lindsell was first for six singles of
varieties sent out by Messrs. Dickson and Sons,
Rev. J. H. Pemberton being second. For six
singles grown within eight miles of Charing Cross,
Mr. Rivers Langdon was an excellent first, show-
ing fine flowers of Mrs. John Laing and M. Rodo-
canachi. Mr. Keppel Gifford, of Streatham, was
second. For six new Roses, the Rev. J. H. Pem-
berton was first, and Mr. J. Bateman second.
For twenty-four Teas or Noisettes, Messrs. D.
Prior and Son were first with a clean and fresh
exhibit, though the flowers were rather small and
thin. The best blooms were Catherine Mermet,
Mme. Cusin, Caroline Kuster, The Bride, Maman
Cochet, and Ernest Metz. Mr. Frank Cant was a
close second with a very similar set, containing
Emei't Metz, Waban, Maman Cochet, Corinna,
White Perle, and Golden Gate For eighteen
Teas or Noisettes, Mr. J. Mattock, of Oxford, was
a fairly good first, showing Souvenir de S. A.
Prince, Ernest Metz, Mme. de Watteville, Mme.
Hoste, Catherine Mermet, Anna Ollivier, and
Ethel Brownlow. The second went to Messrs.
Bnrrell and Co., Cambridge. Messrs. Frank Cant
and Co were first for eighteen Teas or Noisettes
(trebles), with a fine even exhibit of well-
formed flowers. Mme. Cusin, Maman Cochet,
Ethel Brownlow, Catherine Mermet, Mme. Lam-
bard, Innocente Pirola, Ernest Metz, and The
Bride were all good. Mr. John Mattock, of Ox-
ford, was a good second, showing Ethel Brown-
low, Catherine Mermet, and Jean Ducher in good
condition. For twelve Teas or Noisettes (singles),
Mr. O. G. Orpen was an excellent first with a fine
bloom of Maman Cochet. Mr. Alfred Tate was
second. The same exhibitor was first for eighteen
Teas or Noisettes (singles), a good lot ; the second
went to Mr. C. Grahame. Mr. Rivers Langdon
wsis first for nine Teas or Noisettes, showing
beautiful blooms of Cleopatra, Niphetos, Maman
Cochet, and Ethel Brownlow. Mr. Croft Murray
was a good second. For twelve Teas or Noisettes
(singles), Mr. J. Parker, of Oxford, was first,
with a collection only good by comparison with
the others, which were extremely feeble. Mr. C.
Grahame was first for nine singles of any Tea
or Noisette, showin;; a neat box of Maman
Crochet. Mr. O. G. Orpen was second with
a well - coloured lot of Madame Cusin. For
eight trebles, Mr. C. Grahame was again first

and Mr. Wm. Boyes a good second. For twelve
bunches distinct, Messrs. Paul and Son, Ches-
hunt, were first with a very pretty and nicely
staged exhibit, containing A. K. Williams, Vis-
countess Folkestone, Camille de Rohan, Abel
Carriere and Marie Baumann, all in good condi-
tion. Mr. Geo. Mount, of Canterbury, was an
excellent second. For nine bunches of Teas or
Noisettes, the first went to Mr. J. Parker, who
had a very charming collection, clean and fresh,
though the flowers were small. Mr. H. W. Machin
was second. Mr. Conway Jones was first with a
nice box of Niphetos in the class for six singles of
any Tea or Noisette, and Mr. J. Parker was second
with Comtesse de Nadaillac. For four distinct
trebles, Mr. Rivers Langdon was first with well-
formed blooms of Maman Cochet, Mme. Cusin and
Ethel Brownlow. Mr. J. I'arker was again second.
For twelve single blooms of any white, the first
prize was gained by Messrs. Alex. Dickson and
Sons for a very fine box of Marchioness of London-
derry, and the second by Messrs. Harkness and
Sons. Mr. John Mattock was successful for
twelve singles of any yellow, showing a lovely box
of Comtesse de Nadaillac. Equal seconds were
awarded to Mr. G. Mount for Marie Van Houtte
d to Messrs. Frank Cant and Co. for Mme.
Hoste. For twelve single trusses of Hybrid Teas
the first was won by Messrs Alex. Dickson and
Sons for a fine lot containing large blooms of Mrs.
H. J. Grant, La France, Caroline Testout and
Lady Mary FitzwiUiam. Messrs. D. and W.
Croall, of Dundee, were second. A very beau-
tiful box of Horace Vernet, shown by Messrs.
Frank Cant and Co., took the first prize for
twelve singles of any dark crimson, Mr. G. Mount
being second with Fisher Holmes. For twelve
singles of any crimson, Messrs. Alex. Dickson and
Sons were tirst with a magnificent display of
Captain Hayward, Messrs. R. Mack and Sons
being second. For twelve singles of .any Tea,
Mr. J. Mattock was successful, showing exquisite
blooms of Catherine Mermet. Messrs. Harkness
were a close second with a finely-coloured box of
Mme. Cusin. Mr. G. Mount was successful with
Mrs. John Laing in the class for twelve singles of
any light variety, Messrs. W. and D. Croall coming
second with the same kind. A very delightful ex-
hibit was that of Messrs. Paul and Son, C'heshunt,
the first prize lot in the class for thirty-six bunches
of garden Roses. It was a splendid lot of charm-
ing varieties, among them Gustave Regis, W. A.
Richardson, White Pet, Reve d'Or, Crimson
Rambler, Safrano, Ma Capucine, and Mme. Falcot.
Messrs. Geo. Cooling and Sons, Bath, were a good
second, with Marquis of Salisbury, Hom^re, Prin-
cefse de Monaco, Papillon, Mme. Falcot, and
rideal. For twelve new Roses, Messrs. Alex.
Dickson and Sons were first, showing among
others Mrs. E. Mawley, Mrs. Grant, Hon.
Edith Murray, and Marchioness of Downshire.
Messrs. Frank Cant and Co. were second.
Messrs. Dickson were again first for twelve
singles of any new Rose, showing a splendid
box of Mrs. Sharman Crawford. Messrs. Geo.
Cooling and Sons were second. For nine bunches
of single Rcses, the first went to Messrs. D. and W.
Croall, Dundee, for a charming exhibit, including
Meg Merrilies, Anne of Gierstein, Amy Rob-
sart, and Bradwardine. The Rev. J. H. Pember-
ton was easily first for nine bunches of garden
Roses, a delightful collection including Mar<iuis
of Salisbury, Rosa Mundi, Paul's Single White,
Red Provence, and Leopoldine d'Orleans. Mr.
H. W. Machin took the first for eighteen bunches
of garden Roses, showing Red Pet, Mignonette,
Macrantha, Maiden's Blush, and Cecile Brunner.
Mr. Alf. "Tate was an excellent second. In a
similar class for nurserymen, Mr. Mattock was a
capital first, and Messrs. D. and W. Croall second.
For a display of Roses, Mr. Mattock was again
successful, showing a quantity of lovely Rose-buds
in great variety, tastefully arranged in boutjuets,
baskets, and small bunches. The same exhibitor
was tirst for twelve bunches of button-hole Roses,
showing a very lovely collection, among which we
noticed Anna Ollivier, Ma Capucine, Rubens,
Gustave Regis, The Bride, and Niphetos. Messrs.

Townsend and Sons were a good second, with
particularly good examples of I'ldeal and Mme.

Falcot.

MlSOEI.L.\XEOCS.

The miscellaneous exhibits were not so numer-
ous as usual, but by no means deficient in
quality. A large and most brilliantly efi'ective
group of fine-foliaged plants and tuberous
Begonias was put up by Messrs. John Laing and
Sons, Forest Hill. Some interesting Nepenthes,
finely-coloured Caladiums, Crotons, and Dra-
c.tnas were all noticeable. The Begonias were of
remarkable size, very clear and pure in colour
and of perfect form. From the same firm came
an extensive collection of hardy flowers, contain-
ing many exquisite and uncommon varieties, and
making a very brilliant show. The neat little
Sibthorpia europaa variegata and some very fine
Tufted Tansies were there, also I'entstemons
in variety. Particularly charming were the
lovely varieties of Gladiolus, in the softest and
tenderest shades of pink and rose. A smaller lot
of hardy flowers, chiefly Liliums and Calochorti,
came from Messrs. Wallace and Co., Colchester,
and contained many uncommon kinds, all in most
excellent condition. A nice collection of hardy
herbaceous stuff was staged by Mr. M. Prichard,
of Christchurch, and included good examples of
Lilium Browni, L. testaceum, Scabiosa caucasica,
Gaillardia maxima, and Campanula pelviformis.
From Messrs. Carter came a large and very
charming collection of Sweet Peas, containing in-
numerable varieties of every imaginable shade of
colour. Messrs. Cheal and Sons had a gracefully
staged group of hardy flowers and a very beauti-
ful collection of Tufted Pansies. Another good col-
lection of Sweet Peas was put up by Mr. Foster, of
Havant, and a large group of cut Roses by Messrs.
Laing and Sons.

A few particulars respecting the recent ex-
hibition of the National Rose Society at the
Crystal Palace may be of interest to some of your
readers. Owing to the trying nature of the
weather and the extremely forward season the
number of blooms of exhibition Roses staged in
competition was 5064, or nearly 800 less than the
average for the eight previous metropolitan shows
of the society, and less than at any of the last
twelve exhibitions except 1893. England, Scot-
land, and Ireland were all represented, and for
the first time a Scotch firm competed for the
nurserymen's champion challenge trophy. Rose3
came from no fewer than twenty-one different
English counties, while the total number of exhi-
bitors amounted to seventy-three, sixty-one of
whom were prize-winners. — Edward M.^wley,
Hon. Sec, X.B.S.

Royal Horticultural Society.— The next
fruit and floral meeting of the Royal Horticul-
tural Society will be held on Tuesday, July 14, in
the Drill Hall, James Street, Westminster, 1 to
5 p.m. Special prizes will be offered for Roses.
At 3 o'clock a lecture will be given by the Rev.
J. H. Pemberton on "New Roses."

The weather in West Herts.— A very hot
week, the temperature in shade rising above 72°
on each of the last six days, and on two of these
days exceeding 80°. At 2 feet deep the tempera-
ture of the ground is now 8° above, and at 1 foot
5° above the average for the time of year. Since
the beginning of the month about a quarter of an
inch of rain has fallen, but the soil still continues
very dry, no measurable quantity of rain-water
having come through either percolation gauge
for over a fortnight. The last four days have
proved very calm, the average rate of movement
of the air at :)0 feet above the ground being less
than H miles an hour. On two days during the
week the sun shone for over 12 hours, and on
one of them for over l.'i.l hours. During the
afternoon of the 6th the atmosphere was remark-
ably dry. Indeed, at 3 o'clock the difference

JnLY 11, 1896.]

THE GARDEI^.

31

between the readings of a dry bulb thermometer
and one with its bulb kept constantly moist was
as much as 18°.— E. M., Berkhamsted.

Notes of the Week.

Begonia kewensis. — Some plants in baskets
of this useful form in one of the greenhouses at
Kew give an excellent idea of its worth in the
greenhouee or conservatory. The flowers are of a
glistening white and very freely produced.

Spiraea Aruncus. — This fine old perennial in
deep loamy ground or rear the water's edge at-
tains to a large size, and equally so the large
feathery plumes of its creamy flowers. It is an
excellent plant for isolation in the positions in-
dicated.

Pelargonium Galilee.— This is one of the
Ivy-leaved section, noteworthy for its compact,
densely flowered trusses and its great freedom.
The clear rose colour of the flowers is exceedingly
showy, and being a good double, is very useful
for cutting.

Rose Crimson Rambler.— As a pillar Rose
this is now very fine in the Royal Gardens at
Kew, where it attains to some 10 feet or 12 feet
high, and is literally covered with flowers. The
plant poEseeses a fine vigorous habit of growth,
while its great wealth of flowers is remarkable

Prunella grard]floia.-In a broad mass of
this now flowering at Kew the rose-lilac spikes of
bloom make a very distinct show. It forms a
quiet and pleasing group that with advantage
may be more frequently seen in half shady spots
in the border. The plant is only a foot high and
quite free flowering.

Hieracium gymnocephalum. — This
distinct species from Montenegro, forming very
woolly tufts of leaves, after the manner of H. vil-
losum, but perhaps purer in the downy white of
its shaggy leave?. The plant has a slightly
branched inflorescence and yellow blossoms, and
was recently in flower at Kew.

liiliiim odorum japonicnm. — At Kew, near
the large Palm house, two beds are devoted to
this grand trumpet Lily. Several clumps have
two and three stems each, the latter supporting
two and sometimes three of the finely formed
flowers. Internally these are white, the reverse
side being flushed with purple or chocolate.

Magnolia glanca.— A week ago we directed
attention to the noble M. macrophylla, perhaps
the largest of its race, while in the above we have
certainly one of the smallest. Its flowers are
cup-shaped and of a creamy shade, in size only
some 2 inches across, and, judging by a fair-sized
plant at Kew, it is not a free-flowering species.

The old orange Lily (L. crooeum) is very
beautiful just now at Kew. It is planted in large
groups, usually amongst dark green evergreen
shrubs, and the effect is splendid. It comes in at
a happy time. The umbellatum Lilies are over
and the general kinds scarcely commenced to
bloom. The buff Lily (L. testaceum) was very
beautiful too.

Chrysanthemum pallens.— This is of the C.
leucanthemum type, but apparently a dwarf form
that is very free flowering, and altogether more
compact and neater in appearance than C. lati-
folium and others of this group. The foliage is
less fleshy and the edges heavily serrated, while
the pure white flowers appear singly on stems
each about 2 feet high.

White Jasmine.— No flower, perhaps, pos-
sesses a more grateful perfume than the common
white Jasmine (J. officinale) now blooming to
freely on many a cottage front or porch. The
dainty twigs of bloom are specially suited for
cutting, supplying, as they do, their own gar-
nishmg, and none more beautiful or pleasing than
its own elegant leaves.

CEnothera biennis.— This is very charming
each evening as it expands its light yellow flowers,
and though of course quite a commonplace plant] I

may do good service in the woodland or wild gar-
den. And where there is Bracken in plenty in
the latter, this Evening Primrose and the towering
spires of the Foxgloves enhance the beauty of the
landscape in no small degree.

Pratla angulata.— This plant in moist peaty
soil is now quite a mass of its pretty pure white
blossoms, forming as it were a perfect carpet of
bloom. The whole plant is not more than an
inch or so high, and might well carpet the ground
where moisture-loving Lilies and the like are
grown, or, again, as a groundwork for some of the
hardy Orchids that flower at this time.

Pyreihrum Parthenium The ftueen.— Not
having seen this in any other place leads me to
think that it is not so much grown as it deserves.
It grows from 12 inches to 16 inches high, and is
one mass of bloom. It continues to grow and
flower throughout the summer and autumn
months, and I find the flowers very useful for
cutting.— J. E., Xostell Priory Gardens.

Meconopsis Wallichi.— This fine Himalayan
Poppy is now flowering at Kew, though the plants
are not so strong nor so abundantly flowered as
in previous years. They are sufficiently so, how-
ever, to show the distinctive character of this
handsome species, as well as its adaptability for
cool, moist spots. Fresh seeds should be sown
at once to secure flowering plants for a year hence.
White Lilies in village gardens.- In the
present heat it is delightful to see the effect of the
white Lilies in the cottage gardens in some of the
midland counties, in, for example, those little
stone villages in Gloucestershire with these Lilies
in the half shade. The fact is very curious, but
the older writers on gardening knew of two kinds
of white Lilies, but this was forgotten for many
years.

Book on Tulips.- Mr. Hartland sends us a
little book about Tulips which, we hope, will be
interesting and useful, and help to make the
flower more popular. We do not notice the
sesquipedalian nomenclature of which he gave us
an example in The Garden, and trust he will
find that the more he simplifies the names of
garden plants rai.-ed in gardens, the better
be for all of us.

The Dee Strawberry fields— Employment
IS found at present for just 600 Strawberry
pickers on the fields at Farndon and Holt, on the
Dee. The recent rains have developed the fruit,
and will prolong the season, much to the advan-
tage of growers, who are doing exceptionally well,
the market quotations being very satisfactory.
Many tons of Strawberries are daily consigned to
the large towns from these extensive fields.

The large white Bellflower (Campanula
persicifolia alba grandiflora).— Masses of this fine
Bellflower are very beautiful at Kew. It is one of
the noblest kinds in the family, the flowers being
large, of the purest white, and borne on rather
tall slender stems. We like such groups as this
the flower garden in July. One can see this
big-flowered Campanula at a distance and
it better than if associated with anything else.

Primula imperialis.— In No. 7 greenhouse at
Kew are some plants of this bearing the last few
flowers. Sufficient remain, however, to show the
fine rich orange tone, while the five or six whorls
are ample proof of its profuse flowering. The plants
appear exhaustedalmost by their flowering, and it is
doubtful if these will again be satisfactory. Seeds,
however, appear to be coming in plenty, so that it
will be an easy matter to maintain a succession of
flowering plants in the future.
AcantholiiLon glumacenm. — A very pretty
mmer flowering rock plant of dwarf growth,
and forming cushions of spiny leaves. From the
base of the growths appear, many frail, somewhat
arching spikes of rosy pink flowers. The plant
of free growth and fairly abundant in
gardens, much more so than the far rarer and
more beautiful A. venustum, the latter not quite
hardy in all winters ; indeed, I lost the finest tuft
I have ever seen in the severe winter of 1894-9.), I

enjoy

15 inches across. For several years this was a
charming plant when in flower.

Coreopsis grandiflora. — It is doubtful
whether any plant could flower more freely than
this. At the present time at Kew a large circular
bed about 12 feet across is devoted to this plant,
and the myriads of its flowers and buds amply
testify to its freedom. In those gardens where a
large daily supply of cut flowers is needed this
should be largely grown for cutting. Its clear
canary-yellow flowers are very pleasing in a cut
state, and the plant may be raised quite freely from
seeds.

Genista tinctoria fl.-pl.— For producing a
fine trailing mass of flowers of a golden orange
hue at this season this plant has perhaps no equal.
Of special value is the fact that it is also well
suited for dry, hot positions, as the plants now
flowering in the rock garden at Kew amply testify.
The heat and dryness of the present year so far
have been great, and one's store of information
may be increased by noting those plants that en-
dure the same with impunity. The above is
assuredly one of the number.

Dimorphotheci Ecklonf. —This distinct-
looking plant, with its Marguerite-like flowers,
was exhibited at the last meeting of the R.H.S.
In its fleshy foliage alone there is a reminder of a
giant form of Candytuft, though altogether more
erect, and then the coming of the large blue and
white Marguerite-like flowers provides a rare com-
bination of colour and form. Externally the
petals are of a deep amethystine-blue, a tint of the
same also pervading the expanded blossoms, which
are each about 3 inches across.

Japan Irises.— These are beautiful now in
many gardens. They have made a good move at
Kew in growing them in a sort of bog formed in
the pond between the Palm house and the museum,
the effect of which is very pretty, especially of
the simpler coloured kinds, such as the Large
White. They come in to fill the time well after
the German and other Irises have gone out. Here,
as in many other things, the striped, variegated
and semi-double kinds are not nearly so beautiful
as the simpler coloured forms.

Dianthus barbatus magnificus. — In certain
positions this free-flowering plant is now very
showy. A large mass of it margined with the
creamy white flowers of that dainty little Tufted
Pansy Violetta is very effective, as may be
readily surmised. Even alone the plant is very
effective by reason of the fine masses of its crim-
son flowers, and in soil neither too dry nor ex-
posed the plants have flowered splendidly this
year. Being easily grown and readily increased,
a large stock may soon be secured where this is
desired.

Inula Roylei. — When better known this
handsome species will make a welcome and valu-
able addition to this group. The blossoms are of
the largest size and of the deepest orange, the ray
florets narrow and very numerous, in this re-
spect somewhat resembling the typical I. glandu-
losa. The latter, however, has passed out of flower
some time, while a few days since I. Rojlei was
in fine condition at Kew. The foliage of I. Roylei
is large and broad, quite distinct from that of the
species usually seen in cultivation. The plant is
about 2 feet high and comes from the Himalayas.
Androsace lanuginosa.— This is among the
best of midsummer alpines, very pretty and
pleasing when it is represented by large examples,
whose trailing stems flower freely on the rocky
surface. It is surprising, too, how this plant re-
joices in a temporary shade during the great heat.
On very exposed surfaces and in shallow soil the
growth is poor and the flowers inevitably so, but
n a deep rooting medium, where the roots are
comparatively cool, and where the plant receives
slight shade, its silvery silken leaves and stems are
very pleasing and its flowers charming. Some
pretty patches are now in flower at Kew in the
rock garden.

and which had taken i

Tufced Pansies from Hawick.— Mr. Forbes
eight years to attain to ' Eends us from his well-stored nursery at Hawick a

32

THE GARDEX,

[July 11, 1896.

great many beautiful Tufted Tansies, some of
them handsome, but many show too much wire in
the eye, with the exception of those mentioned
below". The delightful effect which arises from
the kinds mentioned should, we think, turn
Mr. Forbes" attention to raisir,;; others of the
same character. Some of the sorts like Hamlet
and Sensation are not gocd, the colours being
weak. The following are gcod, without any of
the defects mentioned : Lyric, George Lord, H.
Lander, Ophir. Seedling No. 1, Rose (Jueen, Mary
Scott, Wravmcnt and .Seedling Xo. -.

Lychnis chalcedonies.— The headsof blossom
now ufKin this plant are almost as vivid as in the
Geranium, but are moderated by an abundance of
leafage that renders it f.ir more agreeable in a
mass'. Perhaps the more showy plant is the
typical species, the heads being larger and the
flowers more clearly defined than in the double-
flowered variety. The former may be had
abundantly from seeds, several dozen plants being
secured from a sixpenny packet of fresh seed.
The plant is among the showiest in the border
at the present time, and m.iy be seen in large
groups in the mixed borders at Kew, where the
capitate heads are very conspicuous among many
things now in flower.

Lilium croceom. — Though perhaps when
compared with some of the best Lilies this is want-
ing in refinement, it is, notwithstanding, of con-
siderable worth by reason of its robust nature and
freedom of flowering. It comes among the early
kinds, too, and is useful for associating with many
things in the borders and shrubberies, and being
of easy culture, perfectly hardy and cheap, may be
grown in abundance in groups, if only for the
purpose of brightening up shrubs of naturally
sombre hue. The stout stems bear large clusters
of erect orange blossoms, and these are now very
effective in many gardens. At Kew large beds
are devoted to it, particularly attractive being
those adjacent to the large Palm house, w here are
hundreds of blossoms expanded.

A curious Iris. — In a note in the issue of
June 27 there is a notice of a flower of Iris ger-
manica Gracchus having six falls and six stan-
dards. I enclose you a photograph showing a still
more remarkable variation, or sport of the indi-
genous Iris pseudacorus. As you will see, the
flower is perfectly regular, but has four standards
and fall's and a four-branched stigma instead of
three. The flower was in fact so regular in all
other respects, that I must have looked at it often
before I realised the difference, which I only did
at last late in the evening, and as il was the last
flower of the spike and would have been over by
the morning, I photographed it by artificial light,
which will account for the weakness of the photo-
graph.—A. J. Bliss, Byjittl, Surrey.

Bodgersia podophylla. — This handsome
plant is worthy of note at the present time by
reason of a grand group of it in the rock garden
at Kew and for the fine effect produced by its
handsome and distinct foliage. In these respects
the plant is of exceptional value, especially so
for its adaptability for association with "fine-
foliaged plants in the rock garden or other posi-
tions. This fine plant is best suited, perhaps, for
a moist peaty soil, but more essential than soil
for its free and full development are shade .ind
moisture. Given all these the plant attains tine
proportions. .Just now a fine group may be seen
at Kew. Being perfectly hardy should render it
the more valuable in the garden, for we are cer-
tainly not overdone with such bold and telling
subjects as thL?. Native of Japan.

Carnation Uriah Pike. — I notice Mr. Burrell
refers to this fomewhat doubtfully for the open
air, and fears it may be too tall. Perhaps as this
plant has been so much praised only as a per-
petual flowering variety, there may be others
similarly in doubt concerning its value in the
open air. My experience of the plant, however,
is, that while it may be classed as among the best
of the perpetual kinds, and, given special treat-
ment, produce excellent results, it is, notwith-

standing, of far greater value to the majority of
amateurs and private gardeners if treated as a
border kind pure and simple. It withstood the
severe test of January, lS9."i, without protection
in Middlesex. When treated as a border variety
it displays a good deal of the old Crimson Clove
blood that it undoubtedly contains, being dwarf,
sturdy, and very free. Any who may so desire
by leaving a few plants unlajered may bring out
something of its perpetual character even in the
border, and be treated to a sprinkling of autumn
flowers quite equal to the first. Plants that have
flowered early in spring in pots will if put out in
the borders produce many flowers again in Sep-
tember when they are of much value. In short,
this variety is likely to prove one of the most
valuable outdoor kinds that have ever been dis-
tributed, and being possessed of tinely formed
flowers and a rich perfume should be freely
planted. Pot plants, on the other hand, that have
flowered in June of ^his year from layers of 1895
will, if retained in their pots without layering,
stood in the open till October and given a cold
house till January next, flower considerably in
advance of this season's layers, and produce whole
sheaves of bloom in early spring ensuing. Indeed,
by carefully studying this variety and its require-
ments, flowers may be had for a long time.

Public Gardens.

Open spaces.— At the monthly meeting of the
Metropolitan Public Gardens Association, S3,
Lancaster tiate, the Earl of Meath (chairman)
presided. A donation was announced of £1(15
from the Drapers' Company. Satisfactory pro-
gress was reported with regard to the laying out
of the churchyards of St. James's, Pentonville,
and St. Matthew's, Bethnal Green, faculties for
which schemes were being applied for, and it was
stated that St. Dunstan's-in-the-East Churchyard
had been completed. An application was received
from the Camberwell Vestry asking the associa-
tion to lay out Camberwell Churchyard, and it
was decided to obtain an estimate of the cost of
the work. Amongst many grounds for which the
aid of the association was sought were disused
burial grounds in Nelson Street, Woolwich, and
Esher Street, S.E., Wilton Square Garden, N., a
field at Chiswick, and vacant sites in Essex Road,
N., at the Islington Cattle Market, and a sug-
gested riverside walk at Wandsworth. A letter
was read from the St. Giles's Board of Works
consenting to plant trees in Great Russell Street.
Seats were granted for Camberwell, Chiswick, and
other sites.

Proposed new park at Sydenham.— The
Board of Works for the Lewisham District have
submitted a memorial to the London County
Council, asking the Council to acquire some land
near Well's Road, Sydenham, as an open
space and playground for the people there. The
Parks and C)pen Spaces Committee have con-
sidered the matter, and in a report which they
have drawn up they state that the area of the dis-
trict under the charge of the District Board is
G.544 acres, and the population in 1801 was 92, 047,
which number has since greatly increased, and is
still increasing as the land in the district becomes
covered with houses. It is urged that there is
great need for an open space and playground for
the artisan population resident in and around
Well's Road, who are not able to go so far as the
existing recreation ground at Forest Hill, which
is maintained at the expense of the District
Board, and is more than a mile away from the
proposed open space. The land proposed to be
acquired contains an area of 16i acres, and it
can be purchased at £700U, of which sum the Dis-
trict Board offer to contribute one half. Having
in view the desire of the Council to secure, when-
ever possible, some of the rapidly disappearing
open land in the county for the purpose of playing
or recreation grounds, the committee think the
Council should embrace the opportunity which

now presents itself, and assist in the acquirement
of the land. They have not yet decided definitely
the manner in which the land shall be treated,
but roughly estimate that it will cost £50tiO to
fit it for the purpose of a public playground, and
that the annual cost of maintenance will be about
£700.

The value of public parks. — It is a stock
criticism of modern civilisation that new cities and
the new world reproduce in an astonishing short
space of time the evil conditions of the old. Onn
of these evils is the overcrowding of cities, and
the absence of fresh air reserves and open spaces.
It is interesting to find that in Australia steps are
being taken in good time to meet this evil. In
New South Wales (according to the Health Ktus)
it has always been the policy of the State to pro-
vide the residents of incorporated towns wi-h
parks and reserves for public recreation, and the
city of Sydney contains within its boundaries rn
extent of parks, squares, and public gardens
larger than exist in most of the great cities of tho
world with regard even to area. They cover all e -
gether 748 acres, or 26 per cent, of the whole of
the city proper. In addition to these reserves,
the inhabitants of Sjdncy have the use of 7m)
acres, formerly reserved for the water supply f f
the city, but now known as the Centennial Park.
This magnificent recreation ground has been
cleared and planted, and is laid out with walks
and drives, so that it is likely to become a
favourite resort with the citiiens. In addition to
these reserves the Colonial Government dedicated
to the people in December, 1870, a large area cf
land, situate within easy distance of the metro-
polis. This estate, now known as the National
Park, with the additions subsequently made in
1880 and 188."^, contains a total area of .3t),320
acres, surrounding the picturesque bay of Port
Hacking, and extending along the southern coast
towards the mountainous district of lUawarra.
It is covered with magnificent virgin forests ; tho
scenery is charming, and its beauties attract
thousands of visitors. In the country districts,
reserves, extending often over one million acres,
have been proclaimed as temporary comraciis,
whilst considerable areas have been from time to
time dedicated as permanent commons attached
to inland townships, which are otherwise well
provided with parks and reserves within their
boundaries. A recreation ground designated Ku-
ring-gai Chase, and situate on the shores of the
Hawkesbury River, was dedicated in December,
1891, for public use. The area of the Chase is
35,300 acres, and comprises some of the most
romantic scenery in the colony.

Damsons from seed. — A subscriber in the
south of Russia writes to ask readers of The
Garden if seeds of English Damsons will produce
Damsons or wild Plums. Will some reader kindly
answer from experience ?

The late Mr. Peter Inchbald.— I have
pleasant memories of conversations with the late
Mr. Peter Inchbald some years since at York,
which he visited occasional'y when living at
Hovingham, and I was then always much im-
pressed by his frank, open-hearted, kindly manner
and the readiness with which he imparted valu-
able information from his extensive store of know-
ledge of plants, birds and insects. I can imagine
how his fortunate students must have venerated
him. At that time he usually spent his summer
holiday botanising in the Riviera. A good man,
of whom it would be superfluous to say, "Peace
to his ashes I " — W. M.

of plants.— ff. 0. TT.- Collomia grandi-

flora. White Cluster Rose.—'We believe >our Rcee

to be Bennett's seedling, sjn. Thoresbjana (Ayrshire).

Constant i?rader.— Lilium testaceum. A. T. B.

— 1, Crataegus Azarolus ; the others, we think, are
correct. C.B.B.— \, Sedum dasyphyllum ; 2, Poly-
gonum Brunonis; 3, Polygonum spbserostacbjum ;

4, Hypericum perfoliatum. Ada A'istef.— Kindly

send fresh specimen. Wm. H. Cox. — 1, Campanula

Hosti; 2, Osaliscorniculata rubra. J. NrLellan —

Lychnis hybrida.

THE GARDEN.

33

No. 1287. SA TURD A Y, July 18, 1896.

"ThiBUan Art
Which does mend Nature : change It rather;
The Abt itself ib NiTUKE."— Sftatespeart

Flower Garden.

TUFTED PANSIES OR VIOLAS.
Mr, Richakd Dean is on the war-path against
the poor little Viola Society, and, considering
his distinction as a " Society man," beginning
with the splendid Chrysanthemums, we are sur-
prised that it is worth his while to dance a war
dance over so small a thing. But when we
come to his reasons they are poor indeed. He
says that

" In order to show how inapplicable is the term
' Tufted Pansy ' to many of the Violas, an inspec-
tion should be made of the extensive trial of a
considerable number of the leading varieties now
being carried out by the Viola conference in the
gardens of the Royal Botanic Society in the
Regent's Park. It will be perceived that a large
majority of the varieties, instead of having a
tufted habit, i.e., close, dwarf, and compact, have
an erect, tall, spare habit, and almost need the
support of stakes to keep them in an upright
position."

The importance he attaches to this very
poor trial shows what a blind guide he is
in this matter. These Pansies, which are
never well grown unless planted in autumn,
were set out in the Regent's Park in the late
spring of this very hot year, ao that they have
not the smallest claim to be examples of
what the Tufted Pansy does when rightly
grown. The experience of such of us who
have grown thousands of them for years
is to be set aside by Mr. R. Dean for this.
It will be perceived that he also wrongly sup-
poses that the term "tufted" is given for
"dwarfness;" whereas such is not necessarily
the case. It means " spreading " at the root.

He is also mistaken in supposing the old
name "never led to any confusion,' because
it is a common thing in gardens to find ladies
asking the gardener to explain to them the
difference between a Viola and a Pansy, about
as easy a thing to do as to dLstinguish a Russian
from a man.

All the garden forms of Pansy are absolutely
equally entitled to the term Viola, all the Tufted
Pansies (or eo called Violas) being garden hy-
brids between certain wild species of Viola
(V. coniuta, calcarata, lu'eci, sirict^i, and probably
others), and the older, more short-lived garden
Pansies (F. tricolor and V. altaica). A Viola is
not distinct from a Pansy, as Pansies come to
us from species of Viola. All Pansies belong
to Viola, as all Roses to Rosa. As to the
meaning of the term "tufted " among the plants
to which botanists have applied the term, the
most familiar and one of the prettiest is the
dainty little Camjxinula aespitosa, often used
as an edging, and of which there is a good
white as well as the ordinary bluish form.
Now, the close or tufted habit is well shown in
this plant, with its dense habit so very dilFe-
rent to many plants of the same genus, some
of them even reaching 6 feet in height and
showing every degree of vigour and loose-
ness of habit. Well, if this plant possessed
a dozen lives, it could not increase more vigor-
ously at the root and spread than it does with-
out losing its tufted habit, so that if one
plants it as an edging in narrow walks it will
often meet in the middle and leave no room
for the feet between ; while, if we take it up.

a thousand plants may be made from one,
owing to its spreading habit.

Take, again, a native plant less known in
gardens, but not uncommon, the Tufted RockfoU
{."^a.rifraga caspitosa), which represents in the
same way as the little Harebell did among its
kind the tufted habit of its great alpine family.
Now, while always preserving their close tufted
habit, these plants spread over the earth like
magic. If we take up a plant, we find innu-
merable rootlets already at work in the moist,
close turf, always pushing its gentle, but not
slow, way over the ground.

Just in the same way as these two types of
well-known plants show the tufted and spread-
ing habit, so do the mountain Violets, T'. cal-
carata, V. curnuta, and others, which, while
tufted in habit, spread at the same time at the
root ; this excellent character they have given
to their garden progeny, crosses between the
alpine Violets and the newer garden forms of
V. tricolor, or whatever the garden Pansies
may have come from, a point on which good
Viotanists are not agreed. What is beyond dis-
pute is, that these plants are all equally hy-
brids, and therefore, by the agreed rule, allowed
only to possess an English name, when there is
a good English name, as in this case. The term
"tufted" is a true and good name in every way
from a botanist's or gardening point of view,
and gets rid of the never-ending confusion
among gardeners in attempting to draw a dis-
tinction between Viola and Pansy, which is
impossible and ridiculous.

The Latin terra for "tufted" (c.-espitosa) is
frequently applied to alpine and rock plants (as
in the above cases), and the term sugge.sted the
name tufted as fitted for the kinds with some of
the spreading habit of V. cornuia and T'. caU
carata, as helping to distinguish these from
the older Pansy (varieties of Viola tricolor and
altaica), which are more biennial in duration.
Though they are increased from cuttings, it is
by no means so easy as in the case of the tufted
forms.

The fact that some of the larger garden va-
rieties of Tufted Pansies like Abercorn Gem in
size and form of the flowers resemble the com-
mon Pansies somewhat makes it all the more
needless to separate them by the use of the
Latin term. They were often called bedding
Pansies in past years, as gardeners saw they
were Pansies with a difl"erence, which enabled
them to be propagated easily in the open air
and gave them more distinct and lasting efl'ects
than the ordinary Pansy, whether raised from
cuttings or seed. W. R.

PanBies in the south of England.— It is

pleasing to know that after so many years of
failure, attempts are again being made to culti-
vate these in the south of England. Although
the present season has been so against the growth
of these desirable garden plants, a collection of
about forty-five varieties was exhibited at South-
Eton June 20 from the Brockhampton Nurseries,
d all of them were as fresh and well coloured
as any I have seen in the midlands and north of
England, and under better conditions. Instead
of being exhibited in the formal spray fashion,
th3 whole of them were in pots and made a
charming display. — F. N., Waricickshire.

Belladonna Lilies. — According to the space
occupied, I am looking forward to having a fine
display of this grand Lily a little later on. I base
my calculations on the fact that in previous years
I have found that the less the foliage was injured
by the severity of the winter, the larger the
number of flower-spikes the bulbs produce.
Last winter was so mild here in Somerset that the
leaves did not get damaged in any way, and they
have developed to such a length and breadth, that
I have not had them eo robust during the thirty

years in which I have grown them. They are
now (at the beginning of July) fast dying away.
In about another six weeks I shall be looking
for the flowers. I find that it is of little use
to plant these Lilies in any other position than
close to a south wall, and if the wall is connected
with a stove or forcing house, the better they will
thrive. The bulbs being large, they quickly get
crowded if planted thickly. They should be
planted 1 foot apart and not more than 6 inches
from the wall. The further one gets westward,
the better the Belladonna Lilies. At Bicton, in
Devonshire, they do grandly without any shelter.
In my case I find it always pays to protect the
leaves from injury by frost. An old mat or long
litter will aflford all the shelter they want if they
are planted in the position I have indicated. —
J. C. Clarke.

Poppy Anemones. —How is it that, whether
from seed or from dry tubers, we so rarely see
these Anemones in gardens ? Is it the case that
because seedling raising necessitates some trouble,
the small effort needed is too much to encounter,
or is it that the tubers are too costly ? It is true
that in situations where fogs or a damp atmosphere
abound. Anemone foliage formed in the late
autumn suffers materially, but ordinarily it suffers
no more than does other hardy foliage such as
that of Pansies, Daisies, Pinks, &c. It is not
creditable to our hardy flower gardening that
these lovely flowers should be so much ignored.
If we had devoted one half the enthusiasm lavished
upon Daffodils and Tulips to the cultivation of
Anemones, our gardens might have been all the
more beautiful in consequence. Some years since
I grew the Poppy forms at Bedfont from seed,
and they were beautiful beyond description, yet
I had there a cold, stiff clay that was as unfit for
the purpose as well could be. I raised my own
seed, marking always not only the finest and
richest coloured, but also any that exhibited a ten-
dency to doubling. By so doing, some good
doubles were always found in a batch of seedlings.
It was not needful to sow seed largely, a dozen of
the best blooms furnishing all that was needful
to raise hundreds of plants. My rule was to sow
seed in shallow boxes early in the spring under
glass evenly and thinly ; in that way strong ones,
large enough to dibble out into the open ground
in June, were always obtained. They made
growth enough to become established, then died
down for a few weeks, and in the autumn sent up
new leafage, which would under ordinary con-
ditions stand well, and very fine blooms resulted
in the following spring. After flowering once
more the beds were destroyed. — A. D.

THE MARIPOSA LILIES.

(CALOCHORTI. )

It would be diflScult to name a more interesting
and beautiful group of summer-flowering bulbous
plants. Quaint and picturesque in some instances
and indescribably beautiful in others, it is no
small wonder that the flowers should attract
attention. During the past few weeks there have
been given ample opportunities of seeing and ad-
miring these flowei s to the full by reason of the
truly remarkable series that have been staged by
the Messrs. Wallace, of Colchester, at the fort-
nightly meetings of the R.H.S. At the meeting
on the i33rd ult., however, the Messrs. Wallace
appear to have eclipsed all their previous efforts
in exhibiting these Calochorti by the very exten-
sive and varied assortment then staged ; indeed,
as an exhibit mainly comprised of these flowers,
it may be regarded as unique, and deservedly so,
for the many charming things that may have been
selected in the group. Apart, also, from the ex-
hibit as a whole, one item of especial interest
could not be passed unnoticed by those having a
fondness for hardy plants, and this was the re-
markable variety to be found in what is now recog-
nised as the Eldorado strain of these flowers. The
infinite variety to be found in this group is the
surest evidence of their free seeding properties,
an item of considerable interest to all lovers of

34

THE GARDEN.

[July 18, 1896.

hardy flowers, particularly to such as dwell in
favoured localities and where seedlings may be
prown with the greatest ease. To give a long list
of names to these beautiful flowers would, 1 thinK,
be a mistake, and even to select and name what
may be regarded as the best is open to doubt,
because the best of to-day may be made inferior
by the things to come : and if— as we may judge
by the group at the Prill Hall last week— scarcely
any two flowers are exactly alike, the naming
would be an endless task. Even at the present
time we have many beautiful and rare combina-
tions in the colours of this section that include
purple of a rich velvet like lustre, others with
reddish purple flowers, gold-blotched flowers, and,
again, gold blotches on white and deep purple
grounds. Regarded as a whole, this is a wonderful
strain, unique in the large size of the flowers as
well as the peculiar blendings of colour noticeable
in so many varieties, though perhaps more fo in
the red-pink shades, and also those of salmony hue.
Equally valuable, though not quite so remarkable
for the infinite variety, are the varieties included
in the venustus group, while as cut flowers they
are among the most charming things that could
possibly be grown. Conspicuous among these is
citrinus, a handsome flower of a clear and rather
deep canary-yellow, and blotches and pencillings
of brown on the jietals. In a cut state this is a
most charming thing, particularly so for large
vases, where the thin, wiry stems are especially
useful and give ample support to the most elegant
of beautiful flowers. Roseus is another charming
flower with partially descriptive name. It is one
of the earliest of the varieties of venustus, and
therefore valuable on that score alone. Vesta is
another chaste flower and of the largest size ; in-
deed, the vigour of this kind is quite remarkable.
The petals of this vary from cream-white to rose-
white, while the base i? marked in the most fan-
tastic way with yellow and mahogany- brown.
Vesta albusis a lovely white flower, slightly stained
at the base. Venustus oculatus is a remarkable
flower, conspicuous by the dark blotch, which is
inserted, so to speak, on the white petals, the
blotch being again margined irregularly with
yellow, and the base tinted or stained in away
defying description. This variety is very large
and one of the most freely flowered, while other
noteworthy kinds are sanguineus and purpura-
Ecens, the latter very late in flowering.

Gunisoni, a fine species from Colorado, is very
distinct in its petals of pure white, with green
base, the beard being studded with gold, giving
it a handsome appearance internally. Of rather
novel shade, though, perhaps, less desirable, is
splendens . .ro violaceus, in which the mauve-
violet blossoms appear very distinct among the
other members of this lovely race, and the same
may be said of C. nitidus, with mauve, white
shaded flowers and a huge indigo-blue blotch on
each petal. Internally this is rendered distinct
from all by the hairy apjendages and cobweb-
hke filaments seen on the petals, and, again, this
13 very distinct from the rest bv the flowers being
supported in a distinct umbel, often six to a dozen
blooms in each. These are, of course, but a unit
of the many fine things to be found amonj; these
plants. "

CrLTIVATIOX.

The primary points necessary to ensure success
are a position which is sunny, well drained, and
warm, and if heavy soil exist this must be lightened
by the addition of leaf-soil, sharp sand, or cocoa-
nut fibre, and even peat, the aim being, so far
as soil IS concerned, to secure one light and warm
and above all having perfect drainage. This latter
perhaps, is the most absolutely essential condition
to grow ing these delightful flowers with perfect and
complete success, and after flowering to give a
season of complete rest. One of the molt fatal ene-
mies 18 being water-logged in winter-time, but for
this there u a simple lemtdy at the disposal of all
Those who have sunny borders or sloping banks
on sandy or gravelly soils will have but little to
fear in the matter of excessive wet, but those on
heavy, retentive soils must of necessity employ
different methods. In the matter of planting, the

Messrs. Wallace, who grow these things so well,
restrict the season of planting from September to
November, not later, but m.iny amateurs will be
glad to know that by keeping the bulbs in dry
soil and sand I have planted as late as the middle
of February with perfect success. The soil I had
to deal with was of an exceedingly close, retentive
nature, and having previously lost rather heavily
by autumn planting in prepared soil, I determined
risking the bulbs out of ground till the worst
weather had gone. This experiment was a most
useful and valuable lesson, since which I have al
ways treated them in this way. And when it is
considered that these things do not bloom till
midsummer, it will at a glance be seen that by
February jilanting there is still a fair season for
growth prior to flowering time. The chief differ-
ence between autumn planting and that just
named is that a slightly earlier flowering is ob-
tained from autumn planting, but this in many
localities and a wet winter would be followed by
many losses that ma- be avoided by planting
February. During the winter, however, the bulbs
must be kept on a dry shelf secure from frost in
sand and soil. In this way the bulbs will ren
quite fresh and plump, and give but little anxiety
to the cultivator. E. Jenkin

Hampton Hill.

CARNATIONS AND PINKS AT WORTON
HALL, ISLEWORTH.

The system of potting up some of the best self
coloured border Carnations in the autumn, as
adopted by Mr. Pentney, the gardener here, is
worth recommending, as by this simple means
anyone with a very limited amount of glass may
enjoy the beauty and perfume of these favourite
plants for at least two months before they come into
bloom outdoors. In the gardens at this placea large
house is devoted to Carnations, and a succession
of bloom is maintained the whole year through.
Three varieties of Malmaison are grown, and are
seen in quantity in dwarf sturdy plants in the
best of health. These are now getting over, and
will soon be layered for next year's supply of
young flowering plants. Among the newer va-
rieties in the Perpetual section, Mary Godfrey and
Reginald Godfrey are great favourites. Both are
splendid growers, with a robust blanching habit,
and are carrying marvellous heads of bloom. The
former is a large, full, well-formed flower, pure
white in colour ; and the latter is equally large in
size of bloom, and pink in colour. These two are
invaluable to all who have to supply cut Carna
tions, as they are remarkably free blooming at all
seasons of the year. At the present time the
principal display of bloom is from the best border
kinds. Rose Celestial, Ketton Rose, Mary Morris
and Rose of Rutland are among the best of
the pink kinds. Mrs. Muir, Ivor, Mrs. F. Watts
and Waterwitch are all good white kinds, full
and of good form. The last named is a very
large flower, blush-white, and the plant is a good
grower. The best scarlets are King of Scarlets
and Mrs. Apsley Smith, both first-rate, the former
throwing a fine head of bloom. The darkest forms
are represented by Rose Wynne, Uriah Pike,
Duke of York, and Mephisto, the last named with
very perfect blooms ; Germania, Leander, and
Yellow Queen are the best yellows, and all are
carrying good crops of fine flowers. All the above
are also grown in quantity outdoors and are de-
veloping an abundant bloom, which will form a
succession to the indoor flowers. Uriah Pike and
Germania have both stood the winter well out-
side, and are showing bloom freely.

Pinks are grown in quantity, and three kinds
are special favourites here. Her Majesty is un-
surpassed as a fine white kind, producing heads
of bloom a foot in diameter from one-year-old
plants. Charles Ladhams is a fine free grower,
and throws up immense heads of bloom. The in-
dividual flowers are also of extra fine size, very
full in the centre, reminding one of a good double
Zinnia. The colour of the outer petals is rosy
white, and the centre petals are marked with a

circular band of lilac. Ernest Ladhams isdwarfer,
and not quite so robust in growth as the preced-
ing, but e(|ually free in producing a fine head of
bloom. The colour is clearer and more refined,
the outer petals are a delicate blush-white, and
the centre petals are marked with deep maroon.
All these Pinks root freely from pipings taken off
after the plants have flowered, and inserted in
very sandy soil in a frame or under a hand-light,
and kept shaded until rooted. J. R. T.

Clothing a wall.— Desfontainea spinosa is
flowering freely against a south wall here, its
scarlet, gold-tipped blossoms very conspicuous on
the dark green leaves. Close to it some weeks ago
Fabiana imbricata was a mass of bloom. Along
the same wall a good sized plant of Indigofera
Gerardiana is almost covered in pink array, and
Ceanothus Gloire de Versailles gives a good con-
trast in feathery bunches of grey blue. The bril-
liant red tassels of Berberidopsis coraUina will
soon be out, and the odd shaped flowers— so full
of character and beauty— of Clematis coccinea
are just commencing to show lovely bits of colour.
The terrible grip of the frost in February, 1895,
withered my large plant of Passi flora Constance
Eliott to the ground, but late that autumn it
very cheerily sent up some shoots to let me know
it meant to come back. Some of these will, I hope,
again wreathe the wall with star-like blooms.
Grevillea sulphurea grows apace and has plenty
of blossom, quaint enough, but not very showy ; it
never minded the thermometer at zero last year.
Two Escallonias are still very bright, but Olearia
Gunniana is iiuite over, and its dusty green leaves
are half hidden among downy seed tufts. —
W. D. R. D., Ca<>th Doinjlas, N.8.

Gaillardias.— At the recent Richmond flower
show a certificate of merit was given for a new
form named Mrs. Sage. Possibly certificates
given under these conditions are of no great
value, but the flowers of the variety have two
distinct merits. One is that the flowers are more
perfectly rounded in form than is ordinarily found,
and they are not large. Too commonly these
Gaillardia blooms are regarded as meritorious the
larger they are and the more the edges of the
petals show divided segments. Probably no
flower will ever be without that character, and no
one, it is hoped, will desire it. The variety named
has the customary deep red centre with clear yel-
low margin. Gaillardias were long grown in gar-
dens as summer annuals, their perennial nature
not having been understood or utilised. They no
doubt give very fine blooms when grown the
second or third year, but because seeding so freely
and so easily raised, the plants are very commonly
treated as annuals, and so used prove to be very
decorative. Mixed with other plants they look
well, whilst they furnish flowers for cutting that
are highly appreciated. If cut fresh in the morn-
ing they last for some time. — A. D.

Canterbury Bells.— These hardy biennials
have been blooming profusely this summer, due
largely, no doubt, to the absence of snow and very
heavy rains during the winter, visitations that
are generally more harmful to these plants than
are sharp dry frosts. We have in these plants a
remarkable improvement over what was usually
seen twenty years ago, and yet it is seldom we
see good strains in gardens, gardeners generally
either ignoring them altogether or else being con-
tent to grow the old forms that are relatively so
inferior. Seeds of all good biennials should be
sown every year, but at various times. Thus,
Canterbury Bells, if from late sowings, give
plants that will carry one stem only the following
year, and but a poor head of bloom or they may
miss blooming altogether. If sown too early the
plants may be unduly large, and not withstand
the winter so well. I always prefer to sow in
May, whether in the open ground or in boxes,
but the seeds are very small and hard shelled and
germination is uncertain outdoors if the weather
be dry and watering is not regular. However,
once good growth is obtained, then plenty of
plants may be had to dibble out where to flower

Jolt 18, 1896.]

THE CxARDEISl,

35

in July, taking advautafje of a showery time, or
else occasionally watering until the plants are esta-
blished. From plants so raised and planted I
have had the following year huge clusters ol
flowers fully 3 feet through and as high, reallj
wonderful clumps of very large blooms in numer
ous colours, also single and more or less double.
Seed should yearly be saved from a few of the
finest, especially from the semi-doubles, as they
always reproduce singles and doubles. The forms
of calycanthema having changed their green calyx
into a floral petal, have when seed is ripe bald
pods, and thus are easily distinguished from the
others. — A. D.

Carnations. — The variety inquired about by
Mr. Burreil in your issue of July II as an im-
provement on Mrs. Reynolds-Hole is Carolue
Duran. It is a strong grower, slightly lighter in
colour than Mrs. Reynolds-Hole, but it rarely
ever splits the calyx (which the former plant
nearly always does ; at any rate, all the primary
flowers do), and as hardy as can be desired. The
Hunter (Douglas) is an excellent Carnation in
this colour, the blooms are not quite so large, but
they are very bright and do not split. Siguard
is a new orange of Mr. Martin Smith's, but this
being its first year of flowering with me, I can
not speak from experience of it as a border
variety. Carolus Duran I know well, having had
it in my collection of showy border varieties for
out-of door culture for half a dozen years, and I
can confidently recommend it. All the following
scarlets were planted out in quantity at the latter
end of last September, have stood out all the
winter without the loss of a plant, and are now in
full bloom, a dazzling display of colour, viz.,
Hayes' Scarlet (Smith) ; Hunter's Scarlet ; Mith-
ridates, a splendid showy border variety ;
Shj.ldon Scarlet, very bright ; Czarina, a strong,
upright grower ; and General Boulanger. The
laet three are of my own raising. 'There are
many others, but the above six are first rate and
can be expected to withstand any winter we have
in the British Isles. Ketton Rose has been very
fine here this year, but the blossoms are now past
their prime. — H. W. Wegtelin, Skaldon, Teign-
mouth.

FLOWER GARDEN NOTES.
Begonias.— Why is it that the pink shades in
tuberous Begonias are as a rule by far the
strongest growers ? A vigorous constitution and an
upright habit are essential features in all tuberous
Begonias that are grown specially for outdoor
work, ranking before any special features in the
flower itself, for varieties that grow kindly and
well and hold the flowers well up are, although
the flowers may be small, much more acceptable
than those with larger blooms of drooping habit
and with perhaps a somewhat miffy constitution.
Given a thoroughly good strain, sound judgment
must be displayed in the planting arrangements to
allow, on the one hand, for the perfect develop-
ment of individual plants, and at the same time,
if they are thinly set, to provide a good carpet, as
a large amount of bare soil all through the season
is not in accordance with good flower gardening.

Pentstemons. — No one whohas seen and admired
the exceptionally lovely flowers to be found among
the newer varieties of Pentstemons can fail to be
well pleased at the prominent position they are
taking in the summer flower garden. Whether
grouped together in a large bed or in bold clumps
on a dwarfer carpet, they are equally fine, and a
prompt removal of the centre spike as soon as the
flowers are inclined to drop leads to the quick deve-
lopment of the many side spikes which, although
not individually so fine, give as a whole a splendid
display. Occasional beds, either on turf or in a
strictly formal garden, will be very acceptable,
and in the latter case will break up the flat sur-
face that often prevails. A suggestion in con-
nection with their culture that may be worth
consideration is that when used alone the various
shades can be mixed together, but when planted
in groups on the dwarf carpet decided colours
should be eniployed in white, crimson, purple or

scarlet as circumstances may require. I know of
no better carpet plants for them than the dwarfest
of the Tufted Pansies. Let me recommend, for
instance, Newberry Gem, or the newer varieties
Lord Mayor or President Carnot, on an under-
growth of Violetta Pansy.

Petosias. — It is rather a pity that Petunias
are not more frequently seen in the flower garden.
There was a very fine purple of splendid habit
that was grown some years ago that made an ex-
ceptionally fine display for large beds, relieved by
occasional dot plants of the white-flowered Mar-
guerite or some well-grown Eucalyptus globulus.
The newer strains are certainly very fine in the
individual flowers, but the majority are shot
blooms, and where a glowing mass of colour is
required, are not to be compared to a thoroughly
good self. For large outlying beds batches of
seedlings of a strong growing strain can b
and Petunias possess the merit of being among
the most enduring of annuals. For vases o:
window boxes they are also exceptionally good
and if it is determined to use them alone without
the aid of other plants, the centres and backs can
be raised to the necessary height by the insertion
of sundry twiggy boughs on which the plants will
run. If seedlings are required, it is advisable to
sow fairly early, not later than say the middle of
March, and the seedlings should be pricked off
into frames or boxes as soon as they can be handled
to ensure good plants.

Uncommon bedding plants— CuNTAnRFAs.
Until flower gardeners realised the truth of the
advice that the desired end might be oltained by
sowing the white Centaureas early and growing
them on in this way, the acquisition of a big stock
was not an easy matter. The best results from
cuttings are obtained if they are inserted singly
in ■2i-inch pots in a compost of one half leaf soil
and one half ordinary road sand. They do best
on a dry shelf in a cool house, and all through the
winter only just enough water should be given to
prevent shrivelling. For several years now the
cutting system hag been abandoned and I sow
about the last week in January, growing on
quickly and shifting as advised for Petunias as
early as possible. It may not be generally known
that Centaurea ragusina is very nearly hardy.
Most of the plants came safely through the winter
of 1895-96, and where the beds wholly or partially
filled with it are not required for other things, an
effort may be made to save it. Give a good thick
mulch of half rotten leaves before the approach
of severe frost.

CrpiiEA PLATTOENTRA.— This is a very pretty
thing, and, flowering as it does freely and con-
tinuously, it is a pity it is not oftener seen in the
flower garden. I remember many years ago a
mixture of this and Heliotrope which had a very
pretty efi'ect, and it makes a capital carpet for
such strong growing Fuchsias and Begonias in
colours that will contrast nicely with it. It strikes
readily from cuttings and will keep well through
the winter.

Gazania splendens. — A capital dry weather
and dry border plant that will grow and flower
well under adverse conditions, although I am in-
clined to think its day in the flower garden is
nearly over, for the reason that the predominating
shade (yellow) to be found in its flowers is also to
the fore in some of the newer Tropabolums, and
that the latter are equally good dry weather
plants. The Tropreolum flowers are always ex-
panded (the absence of this characteristic is a
drawback to the Gazania) and the Trop.tolums
are more easily grown.

Macrandya Barclayana possesses a shade to
be found in hardly any other outdoor flowers and
valuable on that account. I remember in the
old days of pile beds it used to be a great favour-
ite for the outer row to hang down over the piles
either used alone or with alternate plants of the
white trailing Campanula. Like all plants of this
character that are treated as annuals and obtained
from seed, it should have a sufficiently long grow-
ing season to secure good plants. Writing of
Maurandya and its value for the purpose above
named reminds me to ndte that the question

is often asked, what is the (juickest
climber or trailer? There cannot be much
doubt that the answer should be Cob.-ea scan-
dens. I used to sow this in the end of January,
but a month later is plenty soon enough, or the
plants get almost bej'ond control before they can
be put out, and it is not advisable to consign
them to outdoor quarters before the end of May.
Although things are not suffering to the eame
extent as they were in 1893, the present season
recalls that exceptionally trying time. In the
matter of all plants in pots, vases, window-boxes,
&c., that are exposed to the sun and the drying
winds close and constant attention has been
essential to keep them in good health. Sweet
Peas in pans and boxes, despite all one can do,
will be short-lived, and all pots that are full of
roots want water twice a day and liberal feeding
to keep the foliage healthy. In all gardens where
the soil is on the light side with a porous subsoil,
the advantage of a sowing of the best annuals on
a shady border is very apparent. They are nearly
dried up in all positions where they get the sun
all day if nothing can be done for them in the
matter of water, but on a north west border
Mignonette, Gypsophila, Cornflowers, and the
new annual Wallflower are at their best, growing
strongly and furnishing a capital supply of cut
flowers. In their particular shades the varieties
of Coreopsis and Gaillardia are coming out fast,
and, relieved from the powerful rays of the sun
where the plants can make good growth, the
flowers are considerably larger and the colours
thoroughly well preserved. In this question of
cut flowers Carnations are so much in request,
that I am inclined to try a few another season on
a north-west border ; if they do well, the season
would be considerably prolonged. Of course,
when Carnations as a whole are included, the de-
sired end may be obtained by spring sowings
of the Margarita type, but the latter, useful as
they are, are hardly up to the form of good named
border varieties. For this north aspect work I
shall try Uriah Pike, Murillo, Countess of Paris,
a couple of very hardy seedlings. Sir Beauchamp
Seymour, and probably Mrs. Reynolds Hole, with
Raby as a still later sort. I have never had Mrs.
Hole so free from the calyx bursting.

Claremont. E. Bdrrell.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

OPEN AIR PEACHES AND
NECTARINES.
These promise grandly this season, and fruit
growers who have a light gravelly soil will now
need to be on the alert and check red spider at
the start. Few of the earliest trees will escape
it just as the stoning is finished it the heat and
drought continue. It is strange that very often
as soon as the lateral growths are tacked in
spider appears. I am never in too great a hurry
with young trees on account of this as the wood
is so much exposed to the hot, glaring sun, that
a little extra growth prevents the pest by giving
a slight shade. Of course this free growth does
not add to appearance, and in due time the
growths must be regulated. I am an advocate
for extension and do nut pinch so freely as

y would advise. I admit I may be wrong,
but I find I can secure fruitirg trees from
maidens in a short time, and the Peach given
liberal treatment makes so free a growth that I

no good in cutting hard back and wasting
two or more years in what may be secured in
one, I therefore train in freely the breaks from
the strong leaders, or what should be termed
second growths. These, if well ripened, will
fruit the following season. This year, owing
doubtless to liberal mulching and moisture
my trees are very luxuriant, and it is well to
maintain a healthy gtowth to secure fine fruit.

36

THE GAT^DEX.

[July 18, 1896.

The autumu of 1805 having been remai-kable for
its tine warm, bright days, which ripened the
wood well, we are this season reaping the bene-
fit, as 1 never saw trees more vigorous and
healthy, and with free growth one need not fear
canker and gummingr The cultivator, with
moisture required in all directions for varied
fruits and vegetables, would do well to
damp wall trees overhead iu the evening.
I tiud this a great saving of lulidur.
I mulch early and cover a good width from
the wall— quite a yard. With a good nnikh.
moisture is better retained, as if only w atereil
at the roots once a week, the trees are kept
going, and red spider cannot exist when
the trees are damped over as soon as the sun
declines. I have Anisden June now ijuite soft
on the sunny side of the fruit, and doubtless
the fruits will be quite ripe on a west wall at
the middle of July. >'ow is a critical stage, as
if the trees sutler from want of moisture, the
fruits will not be able to swell freely. ]\Iany
of the trees are bearing very heavy crops and
will require food in a liquid state. Last week,
with a drop in the temperature, mildew soon
put in an appearance, and I have for years in-
tended to omit Royal George from my list when
getting young trees, but by some means it
gets a place, as if growers of stock trees are
short of any kind it is the usual remark, " re-
place with the old favourite, which is difficult
to beat as regards flavour and is a hardy
variety.'' A favourite Peach with me, owing to
its good quality, is Early Alfred, a delicious
variety. Hale's Early comes in at the same
time, but by growing one on a west a.spect, the
other on a south one gets a succession. Dymond
is a later variety, but of great merit. It never
fails here, and the fruits are of grand colour,
with size also. Bellegarde is one of my
favourite late Peaches, and very tine this
season both indoors and on walls. We have an
excellent early Peach in Early Canada, some-
what like Amsden June, but later. This
variety does not appear to be largely grown in
this district. As it never fails, I think well of it.
I could greatly extend my note as regards the
Peaches. I have named those which are most
trustworthy, but really, several more could be
added to the list. I am not at all conservative
in the management of these trees, as when one
can grow young healthy trees in so short a time,
I see no gain in leaving old cankered, unsightly
trees which do not add to the appearance" of a
weU-kept garden. To replace these, I usually
get a few maidens yearly.

This year will certainly be one of the best for
Nectarines if a favourable ripening season fol-
lows. The new Early Rivers promises to eclipse
my old favourite Lord Napier. I have both va-
rieties side by side, and the new one is in ad-
vance of the older, though cropping very heavily.
Such varieties as Advance, which I do not
place in the front rank for its cropping qualities,
is also good. Pine-apple will give a grand crop'
also Dryden, Humboldt and Spenser. Of older
kinds, such as Pitmaston and Elruge are good.
These with me in cold wet seasons do not tinisli
well, as they crack badly. G. Wythks

A good late Cherry.— For late dessert few
vinetiee etjual St. Margaret, or, as it ie more
c jmmonly called, Tradescant's Black Heart, a re-
mirkably fine Cherry, very large, dark purple
and with sweet rich flavour. It does not lose its
freahneee by banging like many of the sweet
Cherries. Anyone who desires late Cherries will
find the above the beet of the black section. I have
kept It good on the trees till the end of August
and on an east wall later still. No matter how
wet the season, it is one of the best as regards
cra:;kmg. It possesses a tough skin, which pre-

vents it shrivelling, and it does not split readily.
As regards indoor culture for late supplies I con-
sider it the best variety grown. It is not good as
a bush or standard. I find it valuable for late
dishes, and being so fine a fruit it is greatly ad-
mired for dessert.— S. H.

Cherries and drought.- The great heat,
combined with the drought has not favoured
Cherries, as it will have shortened the season.
Those who have their trees on an east aspect in
such seasons as this have less trouble with their
trees. I have always, in what may be termed
favourable localities, advised growing a few
dessert kinds on a north aspect, and in less
favourable ones on an east, in this way securing a
succession of fruits. Few trees sutler sooner from
heat and drought than deseert Cherries, and
though Cherries are equally bad if overwatered,
as the fruits crack, the trees will suffer next
year if the buds are not kept plump till the leaves
turn colour. Many of the Duke section do well
on the aspect named, and in northern localities
such kinds as Tartarian, (Jovernor Wood, Frog-
more Bigarreau, Emperor Francis, Bigarreau
Napoleon and St. Margaret do well on a S.E.
aspect, and grown thus, are less subject to insect
pests and suffer less from drought. White
Cherries keep longest, but in wet seasons soon
crack, so that the trees should not be crowded. I
also notice dessert kinds worked on certain
stocks suffer much more in dry seasons than those
trees with their branches springing from the soil.
In poor soils and on a gravel bottom I advise fan-
trained trees in preference to what are termed
riders, fan-trained for high walls, not only on ac-
count of their suffering more from drought, but
when laden with fruit they collapse at the point
where budded or grafted", and this, after several
years' culture, is annoying. It may be asked why
standards succeed in the open. Doubtless the
reason is that they are allowed more freedom, the
hard cutting and training many of our fruits get
are not conducive to long lives. — G. W.

AUTUMN STRAWBERRIES.
Ix not a few large establishments where an
autumnal supply of fruit is required, the culture
of late Strawberries is a special feature, and by a
variety of means nice fruit are obtained hot only
during August, but September also. Old gar-
deners had not much choice so far as late sorts
were concerned, the only two true reliable varieties
then available for autumn fruiting being the
Elton Pine and Frogmore Late Pine. Now, how-
ever, their name is legion, although I very much
question if the two above named sorts have yet
been surpassed, all points considered. Frogmore
Pine, an excellent flavoured Strawberry, and a
connoisseur's fruit in fact, requires good cultiva-
tion, but this it well repays, as the runners, al-
though sometimes produced too late to make
large plants the first season after planting, yield
excellent crops the second year, and on extra rich
well prepared ground sometimes the third. The
same may be said of Elton Pine, as the north bor-
ders on which these late Strawberries are always
grown retain moisture much better than ordinary
exposed plots. In order to secure good autumn
crops a row of stock plants is necessary, from
which all bloom trusses are removed as soon as
they appear, as the late date at which these sorts
fruit, together with the necessity for netting the
beds over to protect from birds, renders it difficult
to obtain runners from bearing beds capable of
making much headway before winter sets in.
The most successful grower of late Strawberries I
ever knew, used to peg the runners from his rows
of stock plants which grew on espalier borders
into the soil, his contention being that root dry-
ness was not to be feared as when pots were used,
and that the plants did not suffer from a little
delay in planting, as rooting could still go on
unmolested, and with careful lifting with a
trowel, no material check was given. Deep
trenching, except occasionally, and with a
view to placing the serai-exhausted soil in the

bottom, is not necessary, nor indeed, good practice
any more than it is with ordinary summer Straw-
berries, as, when the manure is buried so deeply,
the roots do not reach it the first season, which is
what is wanted, as mulching the surface with rich
manure the second year will afford all needful
nourishment, the Strawberry being, to a very great
extent, a surface rooter. I choose a plot in pretty
good heart, and dig one spit deep only, keeping a
good trench and well treading in thesame as the
work proceeds These late Strawberries are much
improved both in size and quality if just at the
colouring stage, and previous to putting on the
nets, the runners are all removed. For a Septem-
ber supply, recourse must be had to planting out
stools of early varieties which have been forced
and gradually hardened off in frames. This
hardening off' is very important, as plants that
are turned out suddenly from a warm house into
open yards and thereby severely checked, cannot
be expected to do double duty the same season.
A flat border is much better than a slanting one,
retaining moisture better, and even then attention
must be paid to artificial watering, mulching also
being being very important. The soil must be
thoroughly well rammed round the balls, and a
slight basin left for the reception of water,
which, when the fruit is swelling, must be of a
manurial character. A word in conclusion as to
sorts. Last year I saw a grand September crop
of Vicomtesse on a sunny west border in a Nor-
folk garden, and I do not think there is any
variety better for the purpose. Noble and Keens'
Seedling would succeed well enough so far, but
then being both soft-fleshed Strawberries, rot
would set in in wet autumns. Probably Royal
Sovereign would be excellent, having firmness as
well as earliness in its favour. Mulching with
clean litter and propping up the fruit to the sun
are necessary. J. Crawford.

An Egyrptian Slandarin Orange. — Reply-
ing to a request for some information as to a dis-
tinct and most delicious Orange we met with in
Egypt, Admiral Blomfield writes from Alexandria,
June '2G : "The name in Egypt of the Mandarin
Orange you speak of is ' Yussuf Effendi' (Amjlio:,
Mr. Joseph). Its history is that about sixty years
ago, in the days of Mehemet Ali, one of the young
Egyptians who in those days used to be sent to
Europe to be trained in modern science, in order
to propitiate the great Pasha, brought him a
present from Malta of two Mandarin Orange plants,
and the name of the youth was Yussuf, or Joseph.
This was the first introduction of the Mandarin
Orange into Egypt. Mehemet Ali was so pleased
with them, that he ordered the cultivation of this
kind of Orange, and the Egyptian variety is what
you found so delicious. I quite agree with you as to
the iiuality. I never tasted any with better flavour
in China than those wo get from the neighbour-
hood of Benha, in the delta, in December."

Mr. Draper, who is in charge of the Govern-
ment gardens at The Barrage, Lower Egypt, has
just sent me the following since I wrote you ; —

Yussuf Effendi can be grown either from seed or by
grafting ; the latter is the quicker method. Seeds sown
here in February last have come up very irregularly,
the seedliDgs are now about an inch high with two
leaves. Grafts made in the same month on the Citron
(Citrus media) have already grown about 2 feet.
Seedlings fruit in about the fourth to the sixth year,
and go on bearing for a greater number of years than
grafted trees ; the crop is said to be larger, the fruit
being email, thin skinned, and firm (thfl best quality).
Grafted trees give a crop in about hnif the time. The
fruit is larger than that of seedling trees, and conse-
quently selh better, butit is hable to become spongy and
wanting in flavour if left long on the trees. As stocks the
Touroung (Citrus media) and the Naring(C. Bigaradia)
are chiefly used. The former are grown from cuttings,
the old fruit of which is very large, spongy, white, and
ta.^teless. The latter stocks are grown from seed and
have a more acid flavour. Seedlings in the open air
in Egypt are shaded from April until September.
Giafted and seedling trees of all the Citrus familymay
be purchased in January and February at many ol!
the villages in the neighbourhood of Benha at 5d. to
"jd. each.

JULY 18, 189G.]

THE GAEDEI^.

37

AIR AND SHADE.
The glorious sun of heaven, giver of life and joy
to the earth, gives, too, the green fountains of
life we call trees to shade her, and this beauti-
ful provision might often be borne in mind in
thinking of our often hard and bare gardens I
I say " air and shade," as we cannot near houses
in hot weather enjoy the air without some
shade, yet the shade may be often misused to
cultivate mouldiness and keep the breeze away
from a house, though it is very easy to control
it that we may have air and shade in a healthy
way. To overshade the house itself with trees
is always a mistake, and sometimes a danger,
but even right against a house, by the use of
climbers, like Vines, pretty creeper-clad per-
gola, and by the wise use of rooms open to
the air, creeper-shaded, level spots on roofs,
as one sees so often in Italy and France, it is
easy to have welcome shade even forming part,
as it were, of the house itself. We have the
gain, too, of the grace and bloom of the
climbers, from climbing Tea Roses to Wis-
taria, and we get rid of the horrible bald-
ness of such houses as Syon and some of the

frankly accept as they are and gravel the spaces
beneath them for use as playground seats. In
dealing with such trees we must be unsi)aring
in cutting off the lower boughs, which are
rarely of much use to the tree and often im-
pede the air and movement underneath ; they
should be cut carefully up to a good breezy,
but not hard or level line.

As regards the place for shade in gardens,
where the flower garden is small we may
rightly object to much shade in it, and
must get as much as we can outside it. In
many cases in open lawn gardens, where one
passes easily from the flower beds into level,
open ground near, one can have delightful
groups of .''hade trees not far from the flowers,
and this sort of garden, of which there are so
many in the level country, is that which is per-
haps the most easy of all to keep cool, airy and
sunny too. But in large open flower gardens,
which are often bare and hard, it is better to
have some shade. Great areas of gravel and
flat Ijeds everywhere are most tiresome to the
eye, and in many large gardens, which we need
not mention, it would be an improvement

Air and shade: A aarden room^ by Harold Peto, Bridge Houses Weyiridge.
Engraved for The Garden from a photograph by Harold Roller.

French chateaux, often on the warm side
without gardens or shade of any kind, and often
hard as a new bandbox on top of a hearse.

A little away from the house, shade of a bolder
kind is always worth planning for. In planting
for shade it is well to select with some care and
avoid things that have a bad odour when in
flower, like the Ailantus and the Manna Ash
and evil-smelling undergrowth like Privet.
In many places there is opportunity for cutting,
so to say, groups of jdeasant shade trees
out of the crammed shrubbery, neglected
as that so often is, with close and dark
barriers of Laurel, Privet, and Portugal Laurel
everywhere. Nothing is easier than sweep-
ing away and burning much of this ever-
green rubbish, and getting instead shade over
pleasant walks and seats, or over paths through
hardy Ferns and Foxgloves ; such things permit
of light and shade and do not weaken the tree.=.
Vain attempts are often made in our gardens,
public and private, to get grass to grow under
certain trees which it would be much better to

to have covered ways of Rose and Jasmine
or wreaths of Clematis and alleys of graceful
trees such as the Mimosa-leaved Acacia, or
other light and graceful trees. In that way we
should get some of the light and shade which
are so much wanted in these large chessboard
gardens, and in getting them we might also get
trees beautiful in themselves, or carrying
wreaths of Wistaria or other climbers.

Among the most beautiful shade-giving trees
are the weeping ones, which in our own day
are easy to obtain and often beautiful, as the
Weeping Beech, which gives such roomy shade
at Knaphill, and so does the Weeping Mountain
Elm, as we see it in the Botanic Gardens in
Regent's Park. These give rather a heavy
shade, but there are trees of a lighter character,
such as the Weeping Ash, of which we see
elegant trees even in the London squares, as
at Kensington, and various Weeping Willows,
which give a light and pleasant shade.

Those who have small gardens and cannot
have them robbed by the roots of trees may

get shade from climbers and often great beauty
of flower from the climbers that give the shade.
It is curious how little use is made of the Vine,
with its beauty of leaf and form, for covered
ways, loggias, and garden houses, not only in the
country, but in town also. It is one of the best
of plants for covering the fronts of houses, and
good Vines spring out of London areas far below
the level of the street. It would be difficult to
imagine worse conditions for the auration of the
soil or its fertility. These remarks apply not
only to the common Vine, valuable though it is
with all its innumerable varieties, but to the wild
Vines of America and Japan, some of which are
very beautiful in foliage and colour. The last
few years we have seen so many hot seasons
that one turns to the Continental idea of
shade in the garden with much more interest ;
and why should we not have a sort of outdoor
loggia and Vine-covered garden rooms i This
year, in the courtyard of an inn in Normandy, I
saw a roomy open-air dining saloon, the roof
covered with Vines— an excellent place for en-
tertaining in hot weather— and our wants for
several recent hot years have been as pressing as
those of the French for shade. We have many
plants that would serve the purpose, but cer-
tainly none so free or so handsome taken alto-
gether as the difl"erent kinds of Vines.

We do not only neglect the outdoor shaded
structures, but the even more essential loggia
forming part of the house. A garden room
entered from the house and part of it is a great
comfort and may be made in a variety of pretty
ways, though never without provision for a few
light graceful climbers. A fine kind of shade is
that given by a group of Yews on a lawn near
the house on a hot day— a lovely tent without
its cost and decay, and this is almost true of
any noble tree, from the Beech to the Oak, this
often in great spreading trees giving noble
shade, as in the case of a wide-spreading Oak
tree in the pleasure ground at Shrubland. The
Tulip tree, where it has room to spread, gives
cool and pleasant shade, as in the case of the
fine old tree at Esher Place, and there are
many noble Horse Chestnuts which give great
shade, and the Plane tree in Southern England
give noble shade.

Trees with light shade might be welcome
in certain districts, and often groups of them
planted with this view. Among the likely
trees might be mentioned the various Acacias,
of which the common old American is very
good, while several beautiful varieties have
been raised in France and are light, elegant
trees, especially the Mimosa-leaved one. In
warm soils this would grow well and give very-
light and elegant shade. There are so many
rapid-growing trees that in places devoid of •
shade trees it would not be difficult to establish
some soon. The Weeping Willows afford a
very welcome shade, and so do many weeping
trees. The White Willow and any of its forms
give a very pleasant light shade, and the Ash
casts a partial shade. It would be possible to
use trees to get all gradations from light to
dark.

After all is said about shade, the most essen-
tial thing in British gardens generally is not to
have too much of it. Most of us plant too
thickly to begin with ; the trees get too close
and we neglect to thin them, the result being
mouldy, close avenues, dripping, sunless groves,
and dismal shrubberies, which are more de-
pressing than usual in a wet season. It is only
when we get the change from sun to shade and
plenty of movement ifor air that we really
enjoy the benefits of shade. We cannot feel
the air move in an over- planted place, and
there are in such no broad breadths of sunlight to

38

THE GARDEN.

[July 18, 1896.

so welc

Over

give the airy look that
plaiitiug is the rule : the regular shrubbery is a
mixture fatal to the play of 'light and shade and
air. Not only is tlie sun shut out, but mauy
beautiful views also, and often a good mauy in
the same place.

Very harmful in its effect on the home land-
scape is the common objection to cutting down
dying or ill-placed trees cumbering the ground,
to the detriment of the landscape and often to
the air and light about a house. The majority
of the trees that are planted in the country
are planted in ignorance of their mature eflects,
and of this we see instances every day, the
landscape beauty of half the country seats in
England being marred by unmeaning trees and
trees out of place. I have known people
who wantetl to rebuild a solid Georgian house
rather than take down a tree of moderate
dimensions which made the house dark and
mouldy and obscured the view of far finer trees
beyond it. It is not long since a man wrote to
the TlnKS after a storm to say that one of his
Elm trees had fallen through the dining-room
ceiling when he was at luncheon, and that Elms
were not good trees to put so near the house 1
Air, shade, and sun are a trinity essential
about a covintry house, and we cannot enjoy
any one of them unless some thought is given
to all.

Without the limits of the garden where there
are drives through old mixed or evergreen
woods like the long cover at Shrubland, it is
important not to let the undergrowth or trees
grow close on each side, as they are very apt
and prompt to do. It is diflicult to give an
idea of th? difference in the effect of such a
drive when "light and shade " are let into it,
and when, as is commonly the case, the Yew,
Box, and other things are clipped back to hard
walls, good views, handsome trees, and groups
being all shut out by this. It is better never
to clip in such cases, but always to work back
to a good tree or group, cutting encroachers
clean out of the way, and so getting room for the
air to move, the .shade of the trees above being
exactly the same in each case. Of course, the
pleasure of driving or walking is much greater
when the air is moving, and when one can see
here and there into the wood on each side,
with perhaps groups of wild flowers and beauti-
ful views into the countrj' beyond.

W. R.

Orchids.

NOTES ON ORCHIDS.
Now that midsummer has passed, cultivators
will be on the look-out for finishing growths,
and will be turning their attention to the proper
maturation of the pseudo-bulbs. It seems early
to be treating of this, but, like everything else
connected with gardening, we have to antici
pate the wants of our Orchids. Looking
through the houses, I find that many of the
evergreen Dendrobiuma, and some of the de-
ciduous ones, are rapidly swelling up, while
some of the smaller-growing species in the
former section have finished growing for tlie
season. Amongst these are T). Jenkinsi and
D. aggregatum, the little bulbs stout and ap-
parently well ripened, each with its fjuota of
little white roots clinging close to the blocks or
the older pseudo-bulbs. Tliough these do not
require the baking that some growers appa-
rently think necessary, every endeavour should
be made to ensure their keeping dormant, for
though probably a new set of bulbs would have
time enough to grow and mature in a warm

house, this double growth is neither advisable
nor necessary, more flowers, and these of better
quality, being produced by keeping them to
their annual cycle of growth, rest, and flower-
ing. Cool treatment, as is well known,
diminishes the danger of insect attacks and also
serves to keep the plants quiet, so if a nice
airy position in a sunny frame, a greenhouse,
or any similar structure can now be afl'orded
these plants they will thereby be benefited, and
there will not in such a plan be any need of
overdrying the roots. The larger-growing, more
vigorous evergreen kinds require more time,
and though an extra early plant may be fit to
leave the growing quarters, the majority are
as yet better where they are. Nor can the
deciduous kinds be treated collectively, I).
aureum, for instance, having already made up
its bulbs, D. Wardiauum not being far behind
it, whOe D. Devonianum, D. Pierardi, and
many others need several more weeks of
growth. There is hardly a plant in this set
that is not all the better for a couple of weeks
in the open air, provided the pseudo-bulbs are
sufficiently advanced to allow of it before
danger from frost is apprehended. No time
must therefore be lost in pushing on the growth
of these plants, and as the foliage is by this
time getting harder, no more shading than is
absolutely necessary for other plants grown
with them must be allowed. In every case
they must be brought as near to the light as
possible, and if any old or spent stems seem to
be crowding the new ones, cut them out with-
out any further delay, no harm, but, on the
contrary, a great deal of good accruing to
the plants by their removal. The small
pans that I have so often recommended for
the growth of these Dendrobes hold so little
compost, that at this season they run dry
very quickly, the abundance of roots now
active imbibing also a large quantity of
moisture. Look over these daily, and when
approaching dryness, thoroughly saturate every
portion of the compost in them. D. Phate-
nopsis, as mentioned in my last notes, does not
root so early as some other kinds, but even this
has now made considerable headway, and must
on no account be allowed to get very dry. It
is not too late to make up pans of D. nobile
from young shoots obtained by laying old stems
in spring, for these have yet a lot of growth in
them and may be kept going, not much bloom
being expected from such the first season. The
vigour of these fresh little plants is really re-
markable, and they may with advantage be
allowed to take the place of old, often insect-
infested plants that have been under cultiva-
tion for a number of years.

Phalrenopsids are making fine progress, and
must not be checked from want of heat or
moisture. The Moss about the roots should
always be kept green, and this will not be if
the house becomes dry or the plants are placed
in draughty positions. Air they must have
constantly, but it must be tempered, so to
speak, a constant and regular flow, not alterna-
tions of stufliness and draughty currents. The
more vigorous Aerides, Vandas, and Saccola-
biums, and the larger-growing Angrfcsums are
in the height of growth, and although the tem-
perature required varies with the different
kinds, none of them must be checked in any
way. A check given now to any of this class
of Orchids will assuredly be followed by the
loss of many of the lower leaves in winter.
Endeavour then to keep them growing vigor-
ously, yet at the same time keejj an eye on the
consolidation of the foliage as it is formed, for
sudden changes and quick ripening up cannot
be practised with these beautiful inhabitants of

the Old World tropics. Calanthes of the de-
ciduous types are in full growth and require
liberal treatment, this being especially neces-
sary when the bulbs are forming. If it is found
necessary to use manure water — and it will be
if the pots are filled with roots long in advance
of the finishing growth — that made from cow
manure and soot is the most efiicacious and the
least likely to do any harm. Be careful to
allow plenty of room between the plants, or
the foliage is sure to be damaged and decay
prematurely, and a clear light is also essential.
The less shade these Orchids get all through
the year the better. Thunias are now for the
most part in full beauty, though the earlier
plants are over. As they go out of flower the
foliage should begin to turn colour, indicating
the approach of the resting season. This must
be met by a gradual diminishing of the water
supply at the root, the atmosphere also being
kept drier if convenient. Plants of Seuticaria
Steeli growing on blocks or in baskets and
flowering at this time of year are often kept
much too dry, the reason of this being that the
short stalks to the flowers render it difficult to
pour water on the compost without damaging
them. It is hardly necessary to add that this
is a great check to the plants, and should be
avoided in all cases by carefully immersing the
plants in a pail or tub so as to just escape the
flowers, placing them on their sides to allow
the water to run out if need be. Hang the
plants in such a position that the points of the
young leaves are not likely to be touched, this
being frequently the caxise of their failing to
extend and turning brown on the points.

In the Cattleya house C. Mossire, C. gigas,
and C. Gaskelliana are in flower, and many fine
varieties of all these may now be seen. The
autumn-flowering C. labiata is pushing up its
sheaths with all its wonted vigour, and, thar ks
to the bright sunshine and the fact of their hav-
ing been kept dormant during the winter, those
of C. Dowiana aurea are also jolentiful. Thtse
two Cattleyas require plenty of water now, but
are both easily damaged at the base of the bulbs
if it is used in a cold state. Keep a watch on
the sheaths of the latter fine plant, and if the
glutinous exudation appears to be hampering
their progress, sponge it ofl' with clean tepid
water. I have known this to be so bad, that in
order to release the sheath it has been necessary
to run the haft of a budding knife between it
and the forming leaf, but this is seldom the
case if the proper degree of atmospheric mois-
ture is kept up. The earlier plants of Lajlia
purpurata are now going out of flower, these
being followed by others that were kept dor-
mant through the winter. A well-known and
very successful grower told me recently that in
every case where possible he treated the plants
in this way, they flowering much more freely
than if allowed to grow in autumn and form
their sheaths in early spring. To use his own
words, they rest all the winter, come away with
a rush in spring and every growth produces a
flower-spike. And, judging by the appearance
of his plants, his mode of treatment is the
correct one. A great advantage, too, is the
fact of their flowering after the bulk of the
.spring and early summer blooming Cattlevas
is over, the gorgeous blossoms making at any
time a special feature in the flowering house. Of
quite a different type of beauty is the prett.v
Oncidium incurvum, the slender stems clothed
with the little rosy pink and white flowers be-
ing very attractive. The plants while in flower
may be placed in quite a cool house where there
is not much atmospheric moisture, this steady-
ing the newly-formed bulbs and conserving the
blossoms at the same time. In the cool house

July IS, 1896.J

THE GAUDEJT.

39

or in the frames, as recently advised for the
summer treatment of alpine Orchids, growth la
active and nothing need be added to previous
instructions. Keep up a cool, moist tempera-
ture, allow plenty of air day and night and keep
the plants free of insects. These are all that
are necessary, and if carried out, no doubt need
be entertained as to a bounteous

due season.

R.

Odontoglossum OarBtedi.— A plant of this
pretty little Odontoglot is now in flower, and

occur at various seasons, are sweetly scented and
last a month in good condition.

Galeandra Devon iana.— Perhaps this is the
most popular in this neglected genus, and I have
seen it in flower recently in several collections.
The stems under cultivation seldom attain a
height of more than about 30 inches, though they
are said to grow twice that length naturally. It
is not, it must be confessed, an easy plant to
grow, but if more care were taken to keep insects,
and especially thrips, from it, there would be less
difficulty in its culture. The best plants I have
' ever seen were growing in nearly full sun in a Pine

Air and shade ; Type of loeefing native tree, (See p. il7.)

small though the blossoms are, they are perfect
in outline and in the purity of their segments.
It is found at Costa Rica, but at a considerable
elevation, so that a cool house suits its re<iuire-
ments exactly. I like to keep these small plants
well up to the light, though close shading is
necessary at this time of year. The roots must
not be overburdened with compost, small shallow
pans suiting them well. The plants must be kept
moist all the year round, and the blossoms, which

stove, heated partly by hot water, but with a
large fermenting bed in which the Pines were
plunged. The moist heat generated by the latter
18 very distasteful to insects, and also helpful to
the growth. This cannot, of course, be provided
in Orchid houses, but a good deal may be done by
keeping plenty of moisture in the atmosphere
and by occasionally fumigating with one of the
improved methods now so much used. If this is
inconvenient, the plants should be frequently

dipped in a solution of tobacco juice and after-
wards syringed with clear water. Cool winter
q,uarters are also beneficial, and as long as the
temperature does not fall below 50' by night, the
plants are quite safe. The pretty blossoms of this
Orchid are each 4 inches across, the lip white,
with stripes of purple, the latter colour appearing
on the stpals. It grows on the banks of the Rio
Negro and other parts of South America, and was
introductd in 1S4I1._R.

MaxiUaria grandiflora.— This pretty old
Peruvian species is in flower, and apparently is
not very constant in its season of blooming. The
plant itself is handsome, with its large, healthy-
looking green leaves, and the blossoms are pro-
duced on single scapes from the base of the
pseudo-bulbs. They are white on the sepals and
petals, the lip purple on the side lobes, the middle
one yellow. It is an easily-grown plant, thriving
in pots with good drainage, the compose consist-
ing of peat and Moss, with a little loam fibre for
the strongest plants. It should be grown in
a light position in the cool house, but shaded from
bright sunshine. While growing freely large
quantities of water are reiiuired at the roots and
the atmosphere must be kept very moist, but dur-
ing winter much lees moisture will suffice.

Oncidium pulvinatum. — I consider this one
of the most useful Oncidiums in cultivation, and-
much prefer it to many that are rarer and higher
in price, on account of its beauty and freedom of
flowering. The pseudo-bulbs are each about a-
foot high, and from these proceed the long
branching panicles of flowers, the ground colour
of these being bright yellow with many crimson
spots. No difficulty will be found in its culture,
the plants being most satisfactory in the Cattleya,
house in pots, with peat and Sphagnum over good
drainage. The flowers are valuable for cutting,
the small side sprajs working up nicely for almost
every purpose that cut flowers are required for.
— R.

Oncidium incurvum. — A fine old plant of
this pretty Oncidium is now in bloom, carrying
twenty spikes, each from 4 feet to 5 feet in
length. The individual blooms are small, pure
white, with violet-purple markings. It thrives
at the cool end of the Cattleya house, and while
in flower should be kept in a cooler and drier at-
mosphere to preserve the blossoms and ripen up
the new pseudo-bulbs. It is best grown in pots,
and the compost may consist largely of rough
turfy peat, plenty of crocks and cnsrcoal being
added thereto. The flowers last a long time
either cut or on the plant, but the plants must be
kept well supplied with water while carrying
them, otherwise the strain is likely to cause the
bulbs to shrivel.

Braasavola Digbyana.— Though sometimes
classed as a L^elia, this distinct and handsome
Orchid is better known by the old name as given
by Lindley in 1S46, when it was introduced from
Honduras. It first flowered at Minterne House,
in Dorsetshire, with Mr. E. Vincent Digby, after
whom it was named. The bulbs are short, club-
shaped, and each bears a single leaf of a light
glaucous green, the flowers appearing singly from
the apex of these. They are 4 inches to 5 inches
across, the sepals and petals yellowish, the pretty
fringed lip creamy white. A good light and
plenty of heat and moisture are necessary to grow
this plant, but when the growth is complete it
should be rested by keeping it cooler ana drier.
The flowers last well in good condition and are
sweetly scented.

Cypripedium Isevigatum. — This fine old
species blooms at varioua times in the year, and
the flowers last a long while in good conditon.
The foliage is long, deep green, and thick and
fleshy in texture. The flower-spike attains a
height of about IS inches and produces several
blooms. The dorsal sepal is white, striped with
purple, the petals drooping, yellow below, some-
times tipped with rose and having several blotches
in the centre ; the pouch dull yellow. It requires
more heat than most kinds, and may otherwise be
treated similarly to the longifolium types. It is

40

THE GARDEN.

[July 18, 1896.

a native of the Philippine Islands, and was intro-
duced by Messrs. Veitch in ISli;?.

Dendrobium formosum giganteum. — This
may be considered the best of the nigrohirsute
group, and a really good Orchid when well
grown. It is plentiful enough to be always
che.'»p, and should be grown in the warmest house.
The young growth usually starts in early spring,
and the blossoms are produced from the ajiex of
this, as well as from the older pseudo-bulbs. It
is not unusual for this plant to flower twice in a
year, but if it can be kept to an annual routine of
growth, rest, and flowering, it is healthier and
longer-lived under cultivation. It will be noticed
that many of the plants that flower out of season
start very weakly afterwards, and this may be
accounted for by "the fact of the energies of the
plant being devoted to building up the blossoms
instead of going to the new shoots.

oxcidium lanceanum.

I HAVE now several plants of this pretty Oncid
in flower, and they show considerable variation
both in colour and size, those with broad, deep
violet lips being very attractive. It is a species
that some growers make little cf, while others
do it well, and I am sure that locality has also
something to do with its being healthy or the
reverse. As is well known, it is a free-growing
plant, constant and free blooming, and if once
healthy and strong there is little difliculty in
keeping it so. Most growers are aware, on the
other hand, how difficult it is to bring back to
health plants that have got into a bad condition
before coming into their hands, and I would
strongly recommend anyone commencing its
culture to obtain either well-grown, established
specimens or newly-imported plants. It may
be thought that, possessing no pseudo-bulbs,
the plant would be difficult to establish ; on the
contrary, it may be inured to our artificial
climate with the greatest ease, the large, thick-
textured leaves holding a considerable amount
of nutriment, and to a certain extent acting the
part of pseudo- bulbs. It is not a fastidious
plant, the roots being vigorously produced and
strong enough naturally to push into a fairly
good body of compost. They are also longer-
Gved than the roots of some Orchids, and the
plants should* on this account be disturbed as
little as possible. For this reason I always use
a good proportion of Sphagnum Moss in the
compost, this by its decay forming a ready store
of nutriment, the green tops forming fresh
material for the upper tiers of roots. At least
three parts of this material then may be added
to one of good peat fibre, a liberal admixture of
crocks and charcoal being necessary to ensure
aeration and a good mechanical condition of the
whole. If the plants are to be grown on blocks
— and this is a capital plan provided they are
well looked after — Sphagnum only is needed,
the blocks being of good size to allow of free root
action. I like to see the roots of this Orchid,
or some of them at any rate, for no better index
as to what the condition of the plant is exists.
It is also advantageous to them to be dry
for some time every day, for this condition is
bound to occur natiu-ally. Let the atmosphere at
mid-day dry up a little during the summer and
the plants will, I am confident, be all the
healthier for it, and not so likely to contract that
disfiguring spot that has ruined hundreds of
plants of this species. No distinct growing and
resting seasons are required for O. Lanceanum, as
it is growing nearly the whole year. The roots
ought to be watched nevertheless, and when
these are most active, then the temperature
should be most stimulating and rice veraii. This
will be found preferable to resting them during
stated times of the year, for if good growth is

made flowers will be produced in plenty, the
plant ditfering from many others in this respect.
A high temperature and plenty of sunlight and
atmospheric moisture are the conditions O.
Lanceanum enjoys while growing, and in the
m house the flowers are generally produced
at midsummer or a little later. The scapes rise
from the base of the leaf and bear few or many
blossoms, according to the strength of the
plant. If placed in a rather cooler and drier
house while in bloom, the flowers last about five
eeks in good condition. The sepals and petals
are greenish yellow, with blotches of brownish
chocolate, the lip, as mentioned above, varying
considerably in colour. The flowers are plea-
santly, but not strongly scented. It is a native
of British Guiana and Surinam, and was dis-
covered in 1834 by Mr. Lance, whose name it
bears. H. R.

ORCHIDS FROM EDINBURGH.
I AM forwarding you a bloom of a very dark variety
of Oncidiumcnspumgrandiflorum for your opinion,
also blooms of Odontoglossum Schleiperianum
flavidum, Masdevallia Peristeria and Dendrobium
infundibulum, all of which have been grown cool in
company with 0. crispum, &c. , and a general collec-
tion of Masdevallias, which are not nearly so much
grown as they deserve to be. The Masdevallias,
certainly as easily grown and flowered as Pelar-
goniums, are of much more interest. I think that
)od deal of nonsense is written concerning
them, as I find from several years' experimenting
that they will grow in almost anything, either
alone or in combination — to wit, loam fibre, peat
fibre. Sphagnum either in mixture or separately,
with a good sprinkling of broken crocks. I never
hesitate to use a handful or more of bones broken
small both in compost and asdrainage, and as show-
ing results, some dozens of little pieces of say
three or four leaves in 1892 are now from 1 foot
to 2 feet over, some with 300 leaves, and they
flower freely. It is not uncommon to have from
twenty to thirty spikes in a 5-inch pot. M.
Shuttleworthi in a 2i-inch pot had twenty-one
blooms in the spring. I find that the whole secret,
if one, is a thoroughly damp atmosphere summer
and winter, and a range of 50° minimum to as little
above ti5° maximum as possible all the year round,
under which conditions the whole of the genus
thrive. I did try M. tovarensis along with the
Cattleyas, but not so successfully as with the
Odontuglossums. Keep the atmosphere and tem
perature as stated, with not over-much soil about
the roots, keep the plants clean, and when in
active growth give weak guano water at every
third or fourth watering, and you will see a r
lation of plant growth, such as M. macrura, having
leaves 14 inches long and nearly 'A inches wide
M. Harryana, with leaves like a Cattleya gigas
16 inches to 18 inches in length and 2J inches
wide.— H. .J. Hunter, Edinhunjh.

*,* The flowers accompanying this note were
of good form and colour, and apparently the pro-
duce of well - grown plants. Odontoglossum
Schleiperianum flavidum is rather an uncommon
form, similar to the typical plant in all except
the colour of the blotches. These are of a deeper
yellow than the ground colour of the sepals and
petals and show only faintly. The bloom sent
represents a fairly good variety. The bloom of
O. crispum grandiflorum is large and well col-
oured, but the segments lack the yellow margin
that is such a set-off to the best forms of this Or-
chid. Dendrobium infundibulum is very good
and distinct, the sepals well thrown back and
showing the flower to great advantage. Masde-
vallia Peristeria, so-called from the likeness of the
internal part of the flower to the Dove Orchid, is
a quaint and very interesting species, but the
flower sent is of rather a poor variety. — Ed.

Odontoglossum blandum.— A plant of this
Odontoglot is now in flower, though its usual sea-
I son is long past. The blossoms are white in
' ground colour, with many spots and blotches of

reddish brown. Though lacking the size and
substance of the crispum and similar types, these
little starry species make a pleasing variety. O.
blandum should be grown in small pots, kept
well up to the light and near to a ventilator if
possible. A constantly cool and moist atmo-
sphere should be kept up about it, and the roots
must never be allowed to become dry.

Cattleya gigas imperialis.— The best plant
of this fine Cattleya I have had this season is
now in flower. One of the spikes has five blos-
soms, each about 8 inches across, the pretty rose
petals being broad and well set back. The eye-
like markings peculiar to C. gigas are very distinct
on the finely-formed lip. Few Cattleyas can beat
this for beauty, and it is free flowering enout;h if
treated as has often been recommended in The
Garden — viz., grown well in early summer, well
ripened, and kept dormant during the winter
months. — R.

Masdevallia muscoss. — This very rare
Orchid is finely in flower at Cambridge Lodge,
the plant carrying about two dozen flowers. It
is very dwarf in habit, and the flower-spikes are
closely coveted with yellowish white downy hairs.
The sepals, petals and part of the lip are exceed-
ingly delicate in texture and almost transparent,
clouded white. The latter organ has a triangular
chestnut marking in front, and this on being
touched immediately commences to rise until it
meets the column, this being the only known in-
stance of a Masdevallia with a sensitive labellum.
The flower-spikes attain a height of about 7 inches
or 8 inches.

Epidendrum O'Brienianum. — This was the
first artificially raised hybrid in the genus, and I
have seen it in several collections this week. It
was raised by Messrs. Veitch, and first flowered
about 1888, its parents being E. evectum and E.
radicans. The sepals and petals are a bright
orange-scarlet, the column tipped with yellow — a
bright and efl'ective combination. The rather
loose racemes occur at the apex of growth, and it
is apparently free flowering. It does well in an
intermediate temperature, and the compost may
consist of peat and Moss used in a rough, open
condition. — H. R.

EPIDENDRUM VITELLINUM.
The quiet neutral tints of colour, their often
quaint distribution, and the delicate substance c i
the flowers are undoubtedly the points that havn
made the family so popular, for individually
hardly any flower is so structurally interesting
and beautiful as an Orchid. When seen tol-
lectively in groups, or viewed as a whole from a
distance, there is notwithstanding often a sombre
look about them, especially when not arranged
with bright-foliaged plants. This cannot always
be avoided, but if plenty of the rich scarlet
species named above were grown, it would to a
great extent be obviated at this season. It is an
excellent Orchid in every way, easily grown, free
blooming, and long-lasting, and has especially
this merit of brightening up other Orchids by its
display of colour. To discard it because it ij
common in the too freciuent acceptance of the
term is very unwise, showing a love for Orchids
because of their rarity and money value rather
than their beauty and utility. There is not an-
other Orchid in existence that adapts itself to
various modes of culture, or different tempera-
tures so readily, and it is on this account more
than perhaps any other that amateurs with little
experience in Orchids should give it a place in
their collections. Like many other Mexican
kinds, it likes more sunlight than the majority of
Orchids, and the best of all places to grow it in
is a house kept rather higher than that for Odon-
toglots and cool house kinds generally. Here the
growth will be more free and the spikes larger
and more highly coloured than if much shaded
and very cool. It thrives in pots well drained
and large enough to take the plants easily and al-
low a fair margin for compost. This may consist
of equal paits of turfy peat .and Sphagnum Moss,

July 18, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

41

to which add plenty of rough material, as crocks
or charcoal. The baee of the plant may be ele-
vated a little and the compost bedded firmly
about the roots, trimming ofif all ragged ends
afterwards. Newly imported plants are easily
established by potting them up in clean, rough,
potsherds, placing these right up to the bulbs to
conserve the moisture a little. They will usually
start growing (|uickly, but until signs of rooting
appear the compost ought not to be placed near
them. As soon as this is the case, lose no time, but
remove a few of the upper crocks and replace them
with the peat and Moss. The roots will then
enter this while still fresh and flourish accordingly ;
whereas, had it been put on before, the watering
would have fined it down to a certain extent. The
plants after this must never be dried, but always
watered according to the state of growth. It
usually blooms on the first formed bulbs, and will,
if treated with reasonable care, go on and bloom
annually, the growth each year getting larger
and the plants more satisfactory in every way.

DENDROBIUM MACARTHI.E.
This pretty Dendrobe is unfortunately rather
cljfficult to grow. When really well done it is a
magnificent plant, but the puny, weak bits that
are sent out from some nurseries are of no use ;
they will never make plants fit to be seen in a good
collection, and may as well be thrown away. It
used to be imported in larger quantities than
now, plants being seldom offered within the last
iew years. Newly-imported plants, if they have
not suffered too much in transit, are superior to
any that have been in cultivation for any length
of time, and when procurable should be obtained.
They will usually start away vigorously at once,
and should, in consequence, be placed in pots or
baskets, using a compost that will not require re-
newing for some time — this first shift often being
the beginning of a backward tendencj' in the
plants difficult to arrest, and ending in their
passing into a weak, debilitated state, so that
nothing can be done with them. The trouble
with Dendrobium Macarthia;, as with so many
other difficult subjects, is to maintain a constant
supply of fresh air without at the same time
destroying the balance of the temperature as to
heat and moisture. What it seems to require is
a house dripping with moisture from February till
November, strong heat and an ever-changing
atmosphere. Easy enough to get, some inex-
perienced grower may say, but let him try and
kpep it up, and he will soon find out where the
difficulty comes in. On calm, bright days it may
be done easily, and even when the weather is cold
and dull the requisite heat can be kept up if there
is plenty of piping in the house. It is when a
cold east wind is blowing under a bright sun that
the elements inside are at war and the tempera-
ture is difficult to keep steady. If air is put on
at the top of the house, draughts are caused that
chill even the hardiest of tropical Orchids, let
alone a plant so fastidious as the one under notice ;
while if the top ventilators are kept close, the cold
air coming in below forces the warmer air up to
the roof, making the house feel stuffy and close.
Still, each grower must do the best he can under
existing circumstances, and other cultural details
being satisfactorily attended to, success for a few
years at least will reward his efforts. The plants
should be suspended at a little distance from the
glass, and while in active growth — as they are
nearly the whole year round — give a good supply
of water to the roots, a short, dry rest afterwards
completing the season's treatment. The blossoms,
-which are produced in racemes of from three to six,
are of a bright rosy pink on the sepals and petals,
the lip nearly white in ground colour, with
blotches of purple and maroon. The flowers do
not open so fully as those of most Dendrobes, but
this rather adds to than detracts from their
beauty. It is a native of dease forests in Ceylon,
and was introduced in 1S55.

Oncidium flexuosutn. — There can hardly be
a more useful Orchid than this graceful Oncidium

where choice cut flowers are required, while for
grouping with other Orchids in the flowering
house its good points are not sufficiently recog-
nised. It is very free blooming, and after the
tops have been out off for small sprays the
spikes frequently break lower down and pro-
duce a second crop of bloom. It is not par-
ticular as to temperature, doing well in the cool
house, but in a Cattleya house it will grow much
stronger and flower quite as freely. It may be
grown in baskets or pots in a compost consisting
of two-thirds of Sphagnum to one of peat.

Chrysanthemums.

CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES.
Hot bursts of sunshine such as prevail at the
present time cause a rapid, but satisfactory
growth. There is one thing, however, that
must not be neglected at these times, and that
is watering. Once forget that the plaut.s need
attention, and a great amount of mischief is
done. When inspecting the collections of ama-
teurs which are perhaps unduly flagging, I am
sometimes asked if harm is likely to result. The
proper flow of the sap is of course hindered
and the loss of leaves pretty certain. Now this
latter circumstance is one I know the most
dreaded by amateurs generally. I find in cul-
tivating Chrysanthemums for large blooms,
when each plant is allowed to grow to its
natural height one cannot prevent the loss of
the lower leaves in the case of some sorts.
Mme. Carnot — the fine white Japanese flower
which is already so popular — has this undesir-
able habit. Many persons will no doubt treat
this variety too kindly with manures. Like
most of the white sorts, its roots are delicate
and easily overdone. I would give it a fair
amount of root room, but the soil must be com-
paratively poor. It Las a tendency to become
overgrown, and although large leaves are looked
upon with pleasure and pride by the grower of
such plants, I am not so sure that in the case
of the sort mentioned and other similar ones,
as the season advances they will be altogether
satisfactory. Niveum, Souvenir de Petite
Amie, Mile. Thercse Rey and Avalanche are a
few other white Chrysanthemums which occur
to me we ought to take care not to overdo. I
am always anxious about them, even with water,
and examine each plant properly before any is
given. Some sorts of other colours — say, Sun-
flower, E. Molyneux and the like (strong
growers) — it seems impossible to over-water or
kill with stimulants when the plants have got
over the small stage.

Flowee-buds. — The time is not far distant
when we shall be puzzled as to bud selection.
Even thus early a number of sorts are giving
crown buds, which in some seasons I have re-
tained to produce the desired exhibition blos-
soms, but these will not be selected now. Early
July is an excellent time for crown buds to
come, because one may nip them out and allow
another growth upwards with the certainty of
obtaining a well-timed crown bud about mid-
August. Do not retain flower-buds which ap-
pear in July is, I think, good advice. These
do, indeed, swell up and look most promising
up to a certain time, then other little buds are
noticed pushing out of them, and finally the
hen-and-chicken monstrosities are developed.
Occasionally one may get a wcll-shapen blos-
som by early bud formation, but without ex-
ception they are wanting in colour and the
florets are comparatively thin and devoid of
substance.

The novelties. — Dwarfness of growth is ob-
served in the case of many of the recently raised

sorts. This, of course, is a great gain. Nothing
tends so much as a tall habit of growth to
render even an otherwise good kind unpopular.
Mrs. W. H. Lees, for example, so huge in size
at exhibitions, is a loose, ungainly grower.
Edith Tabar is as yet none too handsome in
habit of growth. Reine d'Angleterre, M.
Chenon de Leche, President Carnot, Directeur
Tisserand, Boule d'Or (Calvat), Le Mouche-
rotte, Mme. L. Lacroix, and R. Ballantine are,
on the other hand, excellent in this respect. The
English seedlings, Mrs. H. Weeks, Mrs. John
Shrimpton, Dorothy Seward, and Mrs. Herraon
Kloss, are also capital growers. I notice that
the last three — in fact all, are late in forming
flower-buds. I should imagine the variety
Mrs. Falconer Jameson as one of the parents
of all excepting Mrs. Weeks (from Mrs.
Alpheus Hardy, also a late one), and should
think topping the plants in May will be found
advisable. This plan was adopted with some
of the plants, but where growers have but one
of each, experiments are hardly possible, and it
is not, therefore, until the second year of culti-
vating the novelties that the many are able to
obtain satisfactory results, at least with some
of them.

Insects. — In a former note, the unusual
abundance of green and black aphis was men-
tioned, and the difficulty of coping with them.
I found soot-water cleansed the leaves as well
as anything. It was the practice to water
small plants through a rose-can with the above,
and noting that the aphides diminished, I tried
sprinkling larger plants also with the same
excellent results. As a fertilising agent, soot has
hitherto been regarded a good one —perhaps the
best of all— to use for Chrysanthemums, but it
was not until this season that its cleansing
powers proved so useful too. This cheap and
easily obtained manure is not used nearly
enough. It is, I suppose, too common. Yet in
this neighbourhood, where plant nurseries of
every description are located, it is the staple
article for dressing the land. I have been asked
of late repeatedly how a capital crop of Tomatoes
is fed. When soot only is mentioned I am
scarcely believed. The leaf-mining maggot is
not unduly troublesome this year. Now and
then a leaf is seen which marks its run. Such
leaves are promptly removed. Nor are earwigs
with us in very large numbers yet. Tiny
thrips, however, revel in a summer like the
present, and a timely dusting of tobacco powder
on the points of the stems may save many from
what are known as " blind " points.

STOPMNI4 the shoots for bush plants should
not be done after July, not even in the case of
those intended to produce a supply of late
blooms. A considerable length of time is
necessary for the growth to get matured well
enough to develop a large quantity of flower-
buds. Needful tying should never be neglected,
nor superfluous side shoots allowed to grow so
as to rob those that are to eventually bear the
blossoms. H. S.

Chrysanthemums losing their leaves.—
Herewith I send you a box of Chrysanthemum
leaves, and shall be glad if you can tell me what
is the matter with them and how to cure or pre-
vent them getting worse. Last year they were
attacked in the same way and many of the lower
leaves died— in fact, on some plants almost all
came off. They have been kept clean from fly.—
S h'thcott.

*^* The leaves do not appear diseased. Their
decay, we would suggest, is likely to have been
caused by over-dryness. If the plants are allowed
to flag through want of water, the sun affects the
leaves in the manner of those sent. A few of the
leaves have turned yellow through some unknown
cause peculiar to a few varieties. For instance, it

42

THE GARDEN.

[July 18, 1896.

is a rare occurrence to find plants of the white
Christmas Eve and the newer Mme. Carnot that
retain anythinR like all their foliage. The com-
pounds named, too, are unnecessary for fly on
Chrysanthemums. It has been noticed in practice
that such leave a deposit on the foliage, and if
allowed to dry on, strong sun is bound to do some
mischief. Precautions advisable in their aT^plica-
tion are : they should be used in the evening and
the sediment washed off with clean water before
the sun has power to dry it the next morning.
The better plan in the future would be to use
tobacco preparations for all kinds of aphis. The
powder may be puffed on to the leaves, and it will
not do injury, or the foliage may be syringed with
the liquid from tobacco. Quassia chips, again, is
a simple remedy, and soot is valuable if sprinkled
over the foliage in a liquid state. Sulphur is the
be^t preventive of mildew. — Ed.

AUSTRAIJAX CHRYSANTHKMi:.\IS.
Thl raising of new seedlings still occupies an im-
portant place in the cultural work of colonial
growers. The Xew South Wales Horticultural
Society held its annual show in Sydney on April :22
list, and although the exhibits were fewer in num-
ber—owing to the death of M. Von der Heyde,
whose gardener, Mr. G. Kerslake, raised thit tine
novelty, Oceana, certificated by the N.C.S. here
last season — the quality of the flowers staged was
considered to be superior to that of previous
years. A large influx of country exhibits was a
gratifying feature of the .Sydney show, but a
report of it would scarcely be of sufficient interest
to English readers.

It is, however, useful to record the names of the
colonial seedlings that were certificated by the
Australian floral committee, as these varieties
may possibly find their way into our collection?.
They are as follows : R. Forsyth (T. W. Gates),
a large Japanese incirved, colour dark lilac ;
Wallaroo (S. B. Levick), a large rosy lilac Japan-
ese : J. R. Upton (Mrs. J. Upton), Japanese,
bright golden yellow ; Mrs. J. Upton ( Mrs. J.
Upton), a lilac incurved Japanese, of great size
and depth.

Readers of The G.\rdex will no doubt remember
that some of the Australian novelties, such as
Oceana, Australie, Pride of Madford, &c , proved
to be excellent additions to our lists last season,
and there are others in the hands of the trade
which will no doubt be seen in good form during
the coming autumn. C. H. P.

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM.
In the first number of the new French magazine
entitled Bevuf. b\'ni:rah Internationale is an article
by M. Henri de Vilmorin upon the Chrysanthe-
mum. The author deals with the subject in a
very ample manner, and the illustrations accom-
panying the article, numbering ten or a dozen,
are excellent black and white representations of
the varieties they are intended to depict. The
most striking are Lilian B. Bird, Yellow Dragon,
William Falconer (hairy), Etoile de Lyon, Boule
d'Or, Souvenir de Haarlem, and one or two more.
An illustration is also supplied of the original
type. History, physiology, and cultivation are
the subjects specially treited, and indeed for a
magazine article M. de Vilmorin's contribution is
not only interesting, but comprehensive, for he
covers a wide field, beginning with oriental his-
tory, including some observations on the blue
Chrysanthemum, and passes onward through the
early European history down to a survey of the
recent achievements by English, French, and
American growers. A short extract from Pierre
Loti'e description of the Imperial Chrysanthemum
Fete at Tokio is given and much other useful in-
formation, but we notice in two places a little
slip in the name of the introducer of the flower
into Europe, which is given as Blancart; whereas
Blancard is the proper spelling.

On the subject of classification, M. de Vilmorin
divides the famous oriental composite into five

principal groups, viz., Anemones, pompons, in-
curved, hybrids, and Japanese, which last sec-
tion he agrees may also be again sub-divided into
at least four distinct groups, or Japanese Ane-
mones, Japanese incurved, Japanese reflexed, and
Japanese hairy varieties. i

Cultivation, of cour-^e, must be considered as ■
written from the French grower's standpoint, and
it seems indeed of late that the most enthusiastic
of the French growers need have no ground of
complaint at the able way in which this subject
is being treated by able French horticultural
writers. We shall look forward at no distant
date to find the French exhibitors quite as capable
exponents of the art of big-bloom culture as our 1
own, for the desire to excel is everywhere becom-
ing more manifest in that country.

C. H. P.

Disbudding Chr/santhemutns.— In taking
off the June or stem-bud, should the shoot accom-

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1075.

GARDEN HYBRIDS OF NARCISSUS
TRIANDRUS.

(with a coloured plate.*)
It is strange that the exquisite little Narcissus
triandrus should have been well known to
English gardeners only a dozen years. To
botanists it has, of course, been known for cen-
turies, but it was, I think, in 188.5 that it was
first offered in Messrs. Barr's Daffodil list at a
guinea the dozsn. Yet no further away than
the neighbourhood of Oporto it grows, as Mr.
Oswald Crawfurd writes, " by every wood and
the margin of every brook.'' To those who
were interested in Narcissi the advent of

f hade-giving weep:

panying it be left as one of the three that are to
remain on the plant, or be pinched off with the
bud? I find, as a rule, that this shoot in the case
of terminal flowers does not give as good a bloom as
the surrounding shoots.— E. ArxKN.

*„* When there are more shoots than the num-
ber required surrounding the stem-bud, it is ad-
visable to remove the nearest growth as well. The
bud in its formation appears to take some of the
strength of the closest growth, thereby causing
the same to be slightly behind those immediately
below, ^'ou are right, therefore, in the matter
of terminal blooms being comparatively inferior,
as a rule, from such shoots. — Ed.

this very charming little species was wel-
come, not only for its own sake, but for
the new forms that it was likely to yield
when crossed with our larger and hardier
garden Daffodils. This likelihood became a
certainty when Mr. Alfred Tait, of Oporto,
found and described in 1880 a very beautiful
natural hybrid between N. triandrus and a wild
Portuguese trumpet Daffodil, and when other

• Drawn for The Garden by H. G. Moon from
flowers sent by the Rev. G. H. Engleheart. Litho-
eraphed and printed by J. L. Goffart, successor to
Guillaume Severeyns.

C-P.OUP OF HYBRID NARCISSI

July 18, 1896.J

THE GARDEK

43

hybrids similar in general character to this N.
Johnstoni, as it had been named, came to light
by the research of Mr. Peter Barr and other
collectors. The best known of these U N.
Qaeen of Spain, a yellow variety, which has
been brought to England in such large quanti-
ties that we must apprehend its extermination
in its Spanish habitat. The first artificially pro-
duced hybrid of triandrus was raised simultane-
ously by Professor Michael Foster and myself
between it and the white Corbularia (N. mono-
phyllus). This pretty white-flowered plant maybe

flowers (often two on a scape) is drooping and
Fuchsia-like. These features they invariably
inherit from the triandrus, whUe the other
parents s^ive increased size, vigour and hardi-
ness. Curiously enough, one of the most robust
of all my plants thus raised is one between N.
triandrus and N. albicans, the latter proving of
weak constitution and difficult to establish in
mine, as in moat English gardens. The hybrid,
on the contrary, blooms and increases with the
utmost freedom. A two-flowered stem of this
variety, which I have sometimes exhibited under

which rarely or never bear seed by their own
pollen, or that of other garden varieties, are
readily fertilised by N. triandrus, which has
thus added and will still add a new element of
much beauty and diversity to our Narcissi.

George H. Engleheart.

and shade : Shaded walk, Belvoir. {See p. 37.)

seen at Kew. It is not quite hardy, but succeeds
well in a cold alpine house or frame. In suc-
cessive years I have flowered many more hy-
brids, the results of crossing triandrus, which
is extremely fertile in both seed and pollen
with our best garden Narcissi. I do not know
one which is not beautiful, and some of them
are, to my thinking, altogether lovely in their
grace of form and their delicacy of waxen tex-
ture and refined colouring. Such words as
ivory, cream, sulphur are those which best
describe their tints, while the poise of the

the name Snowdrop, is shown on the accom-
panying plate. Below it is one very similar,
but a little shorter in the crown, the ofi"spring
of N. triandrus and N. cernuus. The parents
of the topmost flower are N. triandrus and
N. poeticus ; of the two larger yellow flowers
on the left of the plate, N. triandrus and N.
Emperor. Large two-coloured forms have been
yielded by my crosses with such fine bicolor
DaflbdUs as Horsfieldi, Empress and grandis,
and very lovely white flowers by those with
Mme. de Graaff', Minnie Hume, &c. Kinds

The Week's Work.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
Tomatoes for winter. — Where Tomatoes are
wanted for salads or for using uncooked through-
out the year, the preparation of young plants tor
fruiting during early winter must now be taken
in hand, as it will not do to depend on laggard
fruits which are picked from the outdoor plants
while still unripe ■ and coloured up under glass
after being picked, as such fruits, though valu-
able for cooking, are generally insipid and flavour-
less, or badly flavoured. Even where the cultiva-
tion of Tomatoes goes on under glass throughout
the year, it is no uncommon thmg to find that
those grown for winter are under-sized and not so
good as they might be, not because they are of a
naturally small variety, but because they are the
fag-end of a crop borne by plants which have
already carried and ripened many fruits, and
become somewhat starved in the process. My
own experience is that plants raised from seed
sown now will be much more satisfactory than
any such, as there is still time to get a nice set of
fruit before the days get short and the sun loses
much of its power, and such plants are well suited
for growing in narrow pita where there is not
much room for great length of stem. The pro-
duction of winter Tomatoes sometimes gives con-
siderable trouble, especially in places where fogs
are prevalent or where the houses are badly ven-
tilated, low-pitched structures deficient of light.
In such places the only chance of success is to get
the plants established in their fruiting pots or
boxes, and the fruit set early, governing the
season of ripening by judicious management of
the heating arrangements, always remembering
that Tomatoes will resent any undue forcing in
winter. Those who are fortunate enough to have
very light and well ventilated housea— especially
if these are well above the fog line, will escape
many of the difficulties which beset less fortunate
growers. There will be no difficulty in keeping
plants raised now, sturdy from the first, and this
is the most important point which the grower has
to bear in mind. Seed, if sown in the usual way
— i.e., thinly in pots or pans, and stood in a little
gentle heat— will soon germinate. The seedlings
should be potted off into Sinch pots, from which
they will require one shift before being finally
potted into the fruiting size— 9 inches, or planted
in narrow boxes. Grow on from the first in full
sun, with the pots stood thinly on a cool bottom
of cDal ashes. I like to give the final shift just
when the first bunch of flowers shows, as if left
later than this the plants do not get re-estabhshed
before the blossoms open, and these will then
drop off instead of setting. For soil nothing rich
should be used, but I like to give a hberal quan-
tity of mortar rubble at the final shift, this keep-
ing the soil sweet and the plants healthy. Plants
may also be raised from cuttings struck early m
next month and treated afterwards as recom-
mended for seedlings, but I prefer seedlings, as I
find them quite as free fruiting, swelling their
fruits more kindly and being less troublesome
throughout. Conference is my favourite wmter
fruiting variety and can hardly be beaten. Hors-
ford's Prelude I also grow, as it is very free in-
deed, but the fruit is inclined to be small.
Abundance is also most free, and I thought atone
time that it would take a front position, as it set
so well, but further acquaintance proves it to be
inferior in flavour and texture to the others
named. Ladybird is a very free variety and most
handsome on the dish, and I like it much, but do
not find it quite so sweet and luscious as Confer-
ence.

44

THE GAEDEX.

[July 18, 1896.

Tomatoes (orTPooR). — These are doing remark-
ably well this year, and most of the bunches
have set more fruits than they can carry fairly to
perfection, and will be benefited by a slight tliin-
ning out of the worst placed fruits, six being about
the maximum that bunches should be allowed to
carry if individual fruits are wanted of full size.
Personally I do not thin for size, but simply re-
move imperfect fruits or any that are cramped for
room and rely on good feeding to swell the crop.
I am more than pleased with those plants for
which a heavy dressing of gas lime was used in
the soil, these being remarkably sturdy and short
jointed, and with bunches at very short distances
apart- All i\re now getting liberal doses of water,
and feeding with manure water will be begun
forthwith, care being taken to slightly stir the
surface- soil whenever it gets a baked appearance.
Tomato growth being heavy, it will bo necessary
to go round the walls frequently and nail back the
tops, allowing plenty of room for the stems to
swell under the shreds and removing all lateral
growth before it gets strong enough to rob the
fruits.

Potatoes. — The end of the drought has not yet
come in this district, and all but the latest
varieties of Potatoes are showing signs of growth
being checked. Fortunately there were no
checks from spring frosts, and all the second
early varieties which were planted in good time
will be tit for digging by the time these notes ap-
pear. I advise that in all similar cases lifting
shall take place before rain falls in any quantity,
as th'S will prevent the tubers from making a
second growth which would spoil their quality. I
am not merely advising this in the case of .second
early Ash-tops, and other varieties that make only
a limited amount of top growth, but also for such
strong growers as Windsor Castle, Early Puritan,
and the like. I lifted today some roots of
Windsor Castle and found the tubers of full size
and with the skins fairly well set ; further delay
in lifting these would be productive of no good,
and harm might come from disease or from
making a second growth in the event of rain.
Early lifting is especially advisable when the Po-
tatoes are growing in close proximity to Toma-
toes, for though the latter are slow to take the
disease unless it is transmitted to them from
Potatoes, there is no mistake about their suscepti-
bility to it when it comes to close quarters with
them. All Potatoes lifted now should be care-
fully handled and should be stored in dark and
cool quarters after being allowed to lie on the
ground for an hour or two (not longer) to set their
skins. Avoid making large heaps of the tubers
for the present, as they will be safer if well spread
out in the cellar or store house.

Vegetable Marrows. — The early lot of these
will have, in most cases, reached their limit as to
spread, and may have the points of the leaders
pinched out with a view to encouraging lateral
development. The bright and dry weather has
made the plants very productive in their early
stages this year, and where they were planted, as
I advised, on a good bed of manure and leaves the
crop is enormous. To keep the supply at its
fullest, cut all the fruits while they are yet
young and feed the plants by watering liberally.
Should big fruits be desired for any purpose,
select a few on one or more plants to allow these
to develop, instead of allowing all the plants to
bear some big fruit, for once seed production is
allowed there is practically an end to free growth
and the production of a good supply of Marrows
for the table. If a slight attack of mildew shows
ittolf dust the foliage on both sides with flowers
of sulphur, but by far the beet means of keeping
mildew at bay is to treat the plants generously,
keeping down the production of big fruit as ad-
vised above. Overtaxing the plants is a certain
producer of mildewed foliage.

General work.— This will consist largely until
the drought has passed in keeping those crops
which most need it well supplied with water ;
any failure to do this after watering is once
started will result In a collapse. I need not again

particularise those things which derive most
benefit from artificial waterings, as I dealt with
the subject in my notes a few weeks back. See
that the haulm of Potatoes among which green
stuffs are planted is prevented from smothering
the latter by being turned towards the unoccupied
alleys : a little timely attention of this sort makes
a lot of difl'erence in the ultimate welfare of the
green crops grown in this way. Seeds of all kinds
for present sowing in bulk will be best kept in
their packets until the ground is in better condi-
tion to receive them, waiting a few days for a
change in the weather often leads to quicker
growth and consequent higher quality. Any fear
of a break in the supply of such things may be
avoided by making small sowings, sufficient to
provide for two or three weeks' supply, and giving
these some extra attention throughout.

J. C. Tallack.

FRUIT HOUSES.
Fn:s.— The earliest batch of these that were
forced in pots will soon be ripening their second
crop of fruit, and will, therefore, need careful
watching. It is not well to over- water at this
stage: at the same time sufiicient must be afforded
to keep the plants in a healthy condition. All
who are acquainted with the cultivation of Figs
in pots know too well the risk of allowing the soil
to get dry ; they will, therefore, readily under-
stand the amount of water needed to keep the
trees in a healthy condition, but at this stage
more than extra care is needed if the fruit is to be
of the best possible quality. If too much mois-
ture be given and a dull day or two follow, the
fruit is apt to split, which would render it useless,
especially if it had to be packed for travelling to
a distance. It is seldom that Figs growing in
pots are overfed during their growing stage, and
there need be little fear of over-robust growths
from heavily cropped trees, particularly if they
are taken out of the bed in which they are plunged
in the autumn and a portion of the roots that
have grown through the pots removed. Such
trees will rather need be well supplied with nutri-
ment to keep them in a healthy condition, and
this may be supplied in the shape of liquid or
artificial manure. The syringe must be freely
applied to keep all insect pests in cheek, except
when the fruit is ripening. At this time of the
year, when the sun has such power on the glass
and it is not possible to syringe the trees, the
surface soil beneath them should be frequently
damped down that the moisture may help to
keep these pests in check. If the house be
closed early after a heavy damping down, the
moisture will settle on the leaves, and so
assist in promoting a healthy growth, parti-
cularly if a little guano be added to the
water used. There is not the same labour attached
to Figs planted out as with those grown in pots,
but great care is needed to bring heavy crops to
perfection, as a little neglect or oversight fre-
quently results in the loss of the finest fruit.
Trees on the open walls in the south will soon be
ripening their fruit, and where the soil has become
dry, water should be afforded to induce the fruit
to swell more evenly. Young Figs will shortly
be forming on the lower portion of the current
season's growth. When these have attained the
size of small marbles they should be rubbed off,
as they will not ripen this season, and being too
forward to withstand the winter, would be killed
by the frost. A second batch of Figs will form
in the places from which the others were removed,
and these, being much smaller, will survive the
winter and start to swell again in spring. By
this practice a full crop may be ensured unless
the winter be of extraordinary severity.

Pin IS. — It was formerly the practice with
growers to repot these at certain dates, the houses
being re-arranged at the same time. Experience,
however, teaches us that all plants do not make
the same progress, and should therefore receive
attention according to their requirements. It
often happens that more suckers are rooted than

can be found room for, and if these are potted
with a view to being grown on, crowding is the
result. Better by far when examining the
young stock select the number required to fill
the fruiting house, and throw the others away,
than to pot up all and afterwards find that
some of them will have to be discarded.
With Pines, as with other plants, room must be
afforded for the foliage to develop properly ; there-
fore, there ought not to be any overcrowding from
the first. At this season of the year, when the
outside temperature is high, the roots soon get
dry, especially in the case of those plants that are
at all pot-bound, and if they are allowed to suffer
from want of moisture, they will start to fruit pre-
maturely. It is impossible to give any definite
instructions as to watering, as soils vary to such a
considerable extent, but if those in charge of the
plants note carefully how it dries in the different
pots, they should have no difficulty in ascertaining
how the roots are progressing. Where there is a
number of plants, some pots will be filled with
roots while others will not be more than half full.
This being the case, it is very evident that all do
not require watering alike ; therefore great care
should be exercised in doing so. Loosely potted
plants and those grown in spongy soil are more
likely to suffer than others, so that due regard
should be paid to this at the time of potting. It
sometimes happens that when suckers have re-
mained too long in their first pots they will start
to fruit when they receive a shift ; this is doubt-
less owing to a check they received previous to
being repotted. Pines may easily be induced to
bloom prematurely by allowing the roots to become
pot-bound or the soil too dry at this season of the
year. It should, however, be the aim of the cul-
tivator to first produce sturdy, well-developed
plants by careful attention to their requirements,
which cannot be if they are allowed to either
suffer from want of moisture or be made sickly by
overcrowding.

General hints. — As so much depends on
minor details for the production of fine fruit, it
maj' be well to draw attention to a few simple
facts. One of these is the destruction of wasps
and other pests. The season has been a com-
paratively dry one, for although there was a fair
amount of rain in June, the fall is sadly below
the average, and, from the number of wasps
observed in the early part of the season, we may
soon expect to see them swarming round the
fruit trees in such numbers as to devour every-
thing, the weather being so much in their favour.
Where the soil is at all of a loamy nature they
are able to burrow and make their nests with
greater ease j therefore in such districts pay every
attention to their destruction. It is a mistake,
as a rule, to attract these insects to the walls by
hanging sweets and other things against the trees ;
bettei by far seek out the nests and have them
destroyed. This may cost a little more in the
first instance, but it well repays in the end. The
mode adopted by me in this district is to give
prizes at the local cottagers' show, which takes
place early in August, the only limit being the
nests must be taken within one mile of the gar-
den. Prizes of 10s., Ss., and 23. Gd. are offered,
and some seasons when nests are plentiful a great
number are brought to the tent. One season the
first prize went to a lot of eighty-six nests. Traps
should be set for tiies, as these do a considerable
amount of damage to all choice fruit. Earwigs,
woodlice, and other insects that feed during the
night may be trapped by placing pieces of Potato
in small flower-pots, and, after covering them
with dry Moss, insert them amongst the branches
of the trees against the walls. Rats and mice are
also great enemies to the fruit grower, and these
must be destroyed at all costs. Squirrels in some
districts are terribly troublesome in the Nut
plantations, and as it is difficult to trap these
active little creatures, the best mode is to shoot
them before the fruit approaches maturity. Pay
strict attention to watering fruit trees, particu-
larly on dry, sandy soil, as neglect of this often
causes a failure of the next year's crop.

H. C. Prinsep.

July 18, 1896.]

THE GAEDEK

45

Kitchen Garden.

ASPARAGUS CULTURE IN SUMMER.
When the season for cutting ceases many beds
are neglected, but, in my opinion, that is the
time the roots require extra food, moisture and
support. At this time of the year, even in
ordinary weather, the beds require food, and
though moisture may be provided by rainfall,
the plants are benefited by liberal supplies of a
good fertiliser. As is well known, in many gar-
dens large quantities of manure are placed on
the beds in the late autumn at a season the
roots are almost inactive. The roots are
not always able to take the food supplied
them, and without top growth it is useless to
feed. I am aware it enriches the soil and
renders it in better condition to support growth.
On the other hand, it would do a great deal
more good given as soon as cutting ceased,
and in the case of old beds, large masses of
manure destroy the roots instead of assisting
them. If more food were given from April to
the end of September, much better results
would be obtained. In the case of worn-out or
impoverished beds, no matter how much food
is given, it cannot give new life if there is no
root action, but in the case of healthy plants,
food given during the growing season, when
the crowns are being formed, gives the help re-
quired and builds up better crowns. A heavy
dressing of salt— say in the late autumn (Novem-
ber)— does more harm than good. The plants
certainly require a certain amount of salt, but
not when at rest, as, given then, it acts the re-
verse of what is intended, souring the soil and
keeping the roots at a lower temperature than
the surrounding ground. I prefer giving salt
from April to August, not later, and even
then it should be well washed down to
the roots. Another point often lost sight of
is the state of the soil. In heavy clay soils
the use of salt requires more care and
should not be applied earlier than jNIay or later
than August, and only iu moderate quantities
in showery weather. Many beds will have had
little moisture since cutting ceased, and these
are the beds which will feel the strain next
season, especially in light soils resting on gravel.
In many gardens the old system of raised beds
is still in vogue, and in such seasons as we are
passing through, with prolonged heat and
drought, these beds are the first to sutler and
the most difficult to keep moist. Beds, or what
should more properly be termed rows of plants
on the flat, are much better off in such seaaous,
and where room is no object, a yard between
the plants will give splendid results. With
plants grown thus, irrigation can be carried
out. This is, I consider, the best means of pro-
moting a free, strong growth, and no better
use can be made of liquid manures than for
these plants. Where liquid manure cannot
be given, such fertilisers as fish manure,
guano, and salt may be given liberally and well
washed in. Fish manure is one of the best
fertilisers. The proportion in which this food
may be used depends upon the state of the soil
I would advice using it twice a month, ir
preference to strong doses with long in
tervals between. It is a safe manure when
ample moisture is given. Guano is likewise
valuable, but though applied in the same way as
fish manure, if of the best kind it need be used
in smaller quantities. There are other foods,
such as soot and other rich fertilisers, that can
be used in case animal manures are not procur-
able. It may be urged that Asparagus is a
deep-rooting plant and not readily aft'ected by
drought. It certainly roots freely if well sup-

ported, but if neglected its roots soon decay.
In the case of light soils, a mulch between the
rows in such seasons as this is of great import-
ance, especially with young plants. I have
used strawy litter for this purpose, and it
retains moisture. Young plants in a richly
made bed are not in need of liquid like older
ones, but they require more frequent supplies
of water. Much may be done to support new
growths at this season, as if twisted about by
winds they cease to form the shoots or crowns
for next season, so that it is well to preserve
growths till they change colour. Any protec-
tion most handy may be employed, such as
stakes and twine, or bushes thrust into the soil.
G. Wythe,s.

CAULIFLOWERS.
Although the weather during April and May
was not favourable for this crop, still, where
precautions wore taken to have the ground well
tilled and in good heart previous to planting,
there should not be any difficulty in having fine
heads at the present time. I do not remember
Broccoli being so good till such a late date. With
me Standwell was in the finest possible condition
till June 1, on which date there was plenty of
Cauliflowers in the open quarters. From seed of
Sutton's First Crop that was sown in a box on
January 14, and afterwards placed in a cold vinery
pljints large enough to be transferred to the
open ground on April 4 were raised. This variety,
which is so well adapted for growing in frames,
turns in quickly, and being so dwarf and compact
may be grown on a warm border between the
rows of early Peas, when both crops will come oft"
about the same time. I planted this between the
Asparagus beds on April 4. When established, the
plants liad a dressing of superphosphate of lime,
which was washed down to the roots by liberal
waterings. Sulphate of potash was also applied
with most satisfactory results, for on June 1 many
of them were ready for use, while Walcheren an^
some others that were atforded the protection of
a cold frame during winter had not then com-
menced to turn in. It is well known that on hot,
dry soils this is one of the most difficult crops to
have in perfection during August and the early
part of September, for at that period of the year
caterpillars are very troublesome, especially to
those that had not made much headway, the
leaves being often riddled to pieces by them. If
Autumn ^Mammoth be sown very early on a warm
border, the plants will usually be large enough
for planting towards the latter end of April, so
that they have a chance of getting a hold of
the soil before the weather is too hot, and
if kept supplied with nourishment during the
following months will produce some fine heads
ia August and September, but if allowed to suffer
from want of moisture it is seldom they give
satisfaction. In garden? that have to be heavily
cropped it is often difficult to find room for every-
thing, and where the soil is not of the best quality
the produce does not come up to the standard,
therefore more room is required to grow a given
bulk Cauliflower is not one of those accommo-
dating crops 'that will grow anywhere or anyhow,
and where it must be had in succession the whole
year, the skill of the gardener is put to a sore
test, for in hot weather the heads bolt quickly
and in cold they are a long time turning in. The
former of these two may be somewhat overcome
by keeping the ground well flooded when the
weather is hot, and by growing those kinds that
do not turn in quickly. It would be useless to
sow such varieties as First Crop in the open ground
in April with the hope of cutting in August, as
there would be so much diificulty in getting the
plants established in a season like the present that
the stems would be hard and woody, so that in-
stead of producing a nice crisp heart the plants
would button and be useless. Early varieties are
very useful in their place, but they should not be
grown with a hope of replacing those that have
been found to answer bitter for late use. All

summer vegetables require to be grown quickly
if they are to be tender, while those that are re-
quired to stand our winters must be grown as
hardy as possible, and as the Cauhflower is one of
the former, the ground on which it is intended to
be grown ought to be specially prepared early in
the season by being heavily manured and deeply
dug to attain the most satisfactory results. If
this be attended to and a proper selection of the
varieties be made there ought not with ordinary
care to be any difficulty in keeping up a good
supply from the time Broccoli is finished till it is
ready again the following winter. — H. C. P.

Last year there appeared in The Garden

various notes on the relative merits of Cauli-
flowers and their time of turning in. I then de-
termined to make a good trial of those varieties
which were then thought to be of highest merit,
with a view to solving the question of season, as
this appears to be the point of most value to the
grower at large, and I now give the result of my
trial, which only dealt with autumn-sown plants.
Seeds of Dwarf Erfurt Mammoth, Early London,
The Pearl and Walcheren were sown on a south
border on September 4, the seedlings being pricked
off into a frame on October IS. Here they all win-
tered well, and were replanted on a south border
on March 1 1 last. There were no buttoned
plants, though one or two of the very earliest
were comparatively small, but of these I take no
account in the following dates, which only cover
the period during which each variety could be cut;
in plenty, stragglers at either end being omitted.
I commenced cutting Dwarf Erfurt Mammoth on
May 8 and finished on June 14, but I give its
season as from May 12 to June 7. It was followed
closely by Early London, June 5 to 17 ; this by
The Pearl, June 12 to iO ; and this again by Wal-
cheren, June 1.5 to 30. Small plants from the
same sowing were planted in the open garden,
and these will remain in cutting for another week,
so that, practically speaking, the produce from
autumn-sown plants covers a period of two
months. Of course this time could have been ex-
tended by using Autumn Giant in the same way,
but I see no gain by so doing, for the varieties
mentioned above, if sown in a cold frame in spring,
would turn in in time to bridge the season, and I
find them more acceptable at this time of the
year. The Chiswick verdict of 1 894, in coupling
Early London with Walcheren, is one with which
I cannot agree, and the difference appears to me
to be strongly marked, for besides being earlier
than Walcheren, Early London has a dwarfer and
more spreading habit, while the contour of the
plant shows a decided twist peculiar to the va-
riety. The Pearl has more the appearance of
Walcheren, of which it appears to be a well
selected and shapely form. Dwarf Erfurt Mam-
moth is— as was pointed out last year by Mr.
Wythes— a grand first early variety, very shapely
and white ; the flavour, too, is most delicate.
The only good point, indeed, which it lacks is a
capability for giving sucoessional crops ; this is
a fault it has in common with most early kinds,
excepting always that good old standard variety,
Walcheren.— J. C. Tallack.

White Turnips. — A later examination of the
Turnip trials at Chiswick by the fruit committee
revealed the fact that the long, white, tapering
variety known there as Half-long White, whilst
one of the very earliest to produce useful roots,
yet keeps good, crisp and sweet for a long time
after the Milans have become woolly. This taper-
ing form promises to be an exceptionally useful
hot weather Turnip. Outof a collection that com-
prised practically all varieties in cultivation, it was
certain that some would be quite out of character
under hot weather culture. As, however, all the
main crop or winter varieties are to be sown again
for trial in August, there is every prospect that
the natural character of each will be fully de-
veloped. Still some strong growers— that is,
strong as compared with the Milan or Strap-leaf
strains— proved to be of excellent quality under
summer cultivation, and three marks have been

46

THE GAT5DEN.

[JuL\ IS, 189G.

awarded to Jersey Lily, Veitch's Red Clobo,
Sutton's Snowball, Cattell's Silver Ball, Flat
Forcing and Oreen-top Stone. Several of the
Orange Jelly and Chirk Castle types gave rather
hard flesh, but they may be found of excellent
quality in November. There were also several
red and purple-skinned varieties, all exceedingly
pretty, but otherwise not apparently of much use.
These may be found better in quality also in
cooler weather. One defect of several varieties,
so far as relates to garden culture, is that whilst
the root* were of excellent quality now— and that
is the primary consideration— yet they have such
rank, strong leafage. When grown in fields where
ample room is permitted to enable the roots to
become large, then it is of little conseiiuence. In
gardens where large bulbs are not required very
coarse leafage is not helpful to early bulbing.
Probably no variety after the tirtt earlies are past
better suits garden culture than does the excel-
lent early Snowball. — A. D.

The Celery fly. — An acquaintance of mine
recently stated that quassia extract was a remedy
for the Celery fly. I presume he meant that if
the foliage was wetted with the liquid before any
attack was made it would prevent the fly from
piercing the leaf and laying the egg. This is
feasible, although I think pretty frequent sprink-
lings would be necessary. When, however, the
eggs are laid and the maggot hatches, no insecti-
cide is effectual, as the insect is located between
the two tissues and cannot be reached. After
many years' experience, I am convinced that,
when once afiected, nothing can save the plants
but careful hand picking. If taken in time, a
careful lad will look through several long rows in
a day. This pest seems more troublesome in dry
summers than in wet ones. — J. C.

A good main crop Pea.— One of the best of
the newer Peas I have grown this season i.-*
Eureka, a main-crop variety of great merit and
with a robust, sturdy habit. It is a grand dry
weather variety. This Pea was introduced in 1>>94.
It is a distinct Marrow, and was, I believe, one of
Mr. Culverwell's crosses. From its dwarf habit
and good cropping qualities it may be classed as
a distinct gain among the midseason or main-crop
varieties. The pods are borne in pairs, with nine
to eleven peas in a pod, and of a deep green col-
our. The height is 3 feet, but this season with
me this variety is not more than "J feet 6 inches
high, doubtless owing to the drought. With so
many good Peas to select from, there is now no
need to grow the tall varieties, as I consider these
medium growers more profitable, less affected by
drought and mildew, and a great gain near towns
where sticks are none too [jlentiful.— G. W.

Mustard and Cress. — Extr<4 care is necessary
in the sowing and treatment of this salad during
July, August and September. The sunny borders
should be abandoned, as not only is the salad
grown in such a position inferior in quality, but
it no sooner arrives at the cutting stage than it
commences to run to seed. A north border is the
beet jKJsition, and it always pays to fork in a little
good loamy soil on the plot allotted to it. Hand-
lights also, even at this advanced date, should
where available be used, aa heavy rains are apt to
dai-h the grit amongst the salad and completely
spoil it. When the seed ia sown, the tops of the
handlights should be left on crossways ; this, while
shielding it from rains, also admits sufficient air
to promote a sturdy, juicy growth. It ia astonish-
ing how long Mustard and Cress last in good
condition on a north border. — J. C.

Tomato Kegina.— Last season I had occasion
to speak of the exceptional merits of this Tomato,
and thia season my convictions as to its general
usefulnese are very much strengthened. I now
find it does as well out of doors aa under glass,
plants put out between the Peach trees on a
south wall a month ago having already a nice lot
of fruit, which is swelling rapidly. Succes-
eional stout bloom trusses indicate that with fair
weather the crop will be both good and long-last-
ing. Regina ia a medium-sized Tomato, very
smooth and symmetrical, being produced in

clusters of five or si.x. To show the hiijh opnion I possible, as it is generally in these that k
a market grower near here had of it after trvine coiupetitiun is seen far moio than in collectii

a limited number of plants under glass in 1894, -n.- ....-;*- „c4.i,„ j.-o- j. :„i;„„ i.„;. „ ,

I may state that last summer he grew no less than
GOO plants of Regina alone.— J. C.

VEGETABLES AT EARLY SHOWS.
It is surprising how little provision is made for
vegetables in the schedules at the early shows
held, say, in May and June. Take York, for
instance. One would have thought that a society
like this would have offered prizes not only for
collections of vegetables, but for single dishes
also, but such is not the case. True, there are
several trade firms who annually ofl'er prizes for
vegetables grown from their own seeds, which,
of course, means that non-customers are shut

out from the competition, wliich is in conse- growing of first-class prod
qULUct f,entrAlly ver\ Iimitt '
Now if the society itstlf were
tables in their schedule and r

the merits of the different varieties beiig also-
seen to advantage. One or two societies I
know offer prizes for early forced vegetables at
their spring shows, and very often the display
of French Beans, Peas, Beans and Tomatoes is
most creditable. The method of dishing up-
vegetables as practised by some exhibitors now-
a-days is an art of itself, and contrasts strongly
with the slovenly practice of laying them roughly
on the tables as formerly. For moderately-sized
collections, some use wooden trays painted
green. These answer very well, but 1 think
vegetables are best displayed on dishes with
a groundwork of either green baize or clean
white paper. Garnishing large collections of ve-
getables takes much time and patience, and the
"for the purpose

iidless f retlu u^ht and trouble, which,
seldom meet with due i ncouragement in
It 13 'siti fictoif to note that
J u Igcb are attribut-
n„ ni re importance
tj ((Uility in cot-
tagers exhibits than
f< rmerly. This is-
but right, as mere
si/e alone has no just
cl iim to merit.

J. Crawford.

Vegetables at

Kuhniond. — If, as is
I doubt the case,
there is taken for the
I loluction of vege-
libles for early sum-
mer exhibitions more
th m ordinary trouble.
It Mcrves to show what
lu I ossible in general
[r duction when extra
trouble is taken. The
ichniDnd show, held
n the '24th ult., is
10 of the earliest of
immcr exhibitions,
mi vegetable .s are
ai ^oly displayed. The
lit is not only
I t rate produce, but
.\cUlcnt evidence of
A hat is possible in
he way of production
IV hen the work is
Icterminedly under-

I t Ucn Generally there

w an entire absence
of that exceeding size
prizes, the result would be not only an increased 1 so common in vegetables later in the season,
competition, but an increased interest by the and yet no one could assert that prcducts were
public generally, as I have invariably noticed »* all below average table size. Potatoes,
that at early shows where prizes are ofl'ered for I P«3S, dwarf Beans, Marrows
vegetables much interest is manifested in the lowers, Cabbages,
exhibits, not only by gardeners, but by the

sitors generally. I have often seen the ap
preaches to the vegetable exhibits at such shows
as Shrewsbury later in the season completely
blocked with visitors. The Royal Horticul-
tural Society has always set a good example by

Tomatoes, Cauli-
Onions, Carrots, Turnips
seemed to be in most cases selected for medium
size, and specially noteworthy was the absence in.
the many collections, of which there were about
twenty, ranging from six to twelve dishes, of any
unduly large, the exhibitors having learned that
whilst average medium size in dishes is a merit,
so also is evenness of size in the entire collection.

recognising the importance of the vegetable When one or two dishes are large and some others
department, and by offering substantial prizes are even for the kind relatively small, any collec-
both for collections and single dishes, much tion is materially weakened. It will be well if
enthusiasm having also been shown by the throughout the season vegetable exhibitois will
same body in the trials of new sorts at Chis- j b'"^"'. '" mind that very large examples are now
^jgjj I getting out of favour. — A. D.

■r ., . , ., ] , ,1 V . , I Summer Cauliflowers. — Many complaints of

I think It a good plan at large shows to have I ^l^bbing in Cauliflowers have been heard this.
two classes for collections and to debar exhi- , ge^.^n/- Uo^bti^.^ ^eat and drought have had
bitors competing in the larger one from showing , ^uch to do with this, but it seems eijually prob-
in the smaller one, this arrangement giving , able that too little care is exercised in lifting the
men of smaller means a chance. Single dish I young plants from the seed bed and in planting
classes ought always to be as numerous as I out. What may be done in a moist season may

JOLY 18, 1896.]

THE GARDEN,

47

not always be done with impunity in a hot, dry
one. Plants are then when fresh put out and not
shaded subject to pjreat respiration through the
dryness of the air, and in such case it is long be-
fore new roots are formed. If it were the rule to
prick out young plants into 3inch pots, stand
them in a frame or house, and thus get them
rooted ere exposed to sunshine and the outer air,
transplanting might take place freely enough then
and no harm would result. I have seen cases this
season where both methods of planting have been
adopted— in the first ease entire failure even after
some growth had been made, but with potted
plants the result was admirable. This is not, of
course, practice that it would be possible to carry
out in relation to autumn Cauliflowers where
largely planted, but in this case there is less need
for the trouble. The plants may be permitted
to become more strongly rooted before lifting ;
then if taken up carefully, all roots being pre-
served, be dipped into a thick solution of soot and
clay in water with just a little paraiEn stirred in,
so that the roots become well coated with the
compound, then at once carefully dibbled into
the soil and well watered, they are pretty sure to
get hold soon and grow into strong plants.
Trouble from club may not be common where soils
are deeply worked and well manured, because in
that case the ground is usually cooler and growth
is rapid. It is found most troublesome where
soil is relatively poor and not deeply worked.
Still there are few gardeners who are not familiar
with this feature in Cauliflower culture. — A. D.

Midseason Pea crop. — The Peas sown during
March and early in April have been excellent.
Unless the ground was deeply dug, also weV
manured, I fear there will be in thin poor soils a
poor return of what may be termed midseason or
July Peas, and I am certain the June or late Ma}
sowings will be poor indeed. No matter what va
riety is grown, with such a great heat the roots
have not been able to get enough moisture to sup-
port them. I place the greatest importance upon
efi'ective mulchings for the June supplies. I re-
gret T am unable to write as favourably of what
may be termed the third division varieties for
late July and autumn supplies. No matter how
good the culture, the plants present a sorry
appearance, having failed to strike down into the
soil like the earlier ones, which had cooler
weather, but equally dry. Such a season as this
teaches us a lesson. In a thin soil it is useless to
sow tall kinds. The only successful midseason
varieties are those with a strong haulm and not
exceeding 3 feet in height. In some places I hav
this season seen total collapse where the plants
were sown thickly and left to chance, and
others, no matter how much watered, it is usel
if the roots are not able to get space to push out
freely. I notice where the ground has had a
mulch of only strawy litter the results are better,
I feel sure in a few years many will only give
dwarf or medium growers the preference, as in
dry weather they are less affected by drought, and
in wet weather are more manageable than taller
kinds, which frequently grow out of all bound:
and do not turn in at the time expected. With
such a number of really good dwarf or medium
growers to select from, I think the private grower
will obtain better crops from the dwarf Marrow
section.— S. H. B.

Spinach. — Amongst the vegetables that
should be classed as out of date are the common
prickly and round-seeded forms of the Dutch or
Flanders Spinach, so long grown in gardens as
Summer Round and Winter Prickly. These defi-
nitions are fond ones of the seedsman, as they
have led to the wasteful practice of ordering both
forms under the belief that they were distinct and
essential to each season, whereas they are but one
and the same, producing both smooth and spiny
seed. Very superior in productiveness of leafage
to this Dutch form is the Viroflay, or, as known
perhaps better here, Victoria. The leafage of
this form very much resembles that of the Dutch,
but it it much larger, whilst the plant shows less
haste to run to seed. Best of all no doubt is the
form so well named Longstander, because it is

far less premature in bolting off to flower in the
summer than is any other ; it is strong and has
very fine leafage, which is of a deep green hue,
and is of a stouter nature than is that of others.
The great advantage derived from the stouter
leafage of Longstander is the fact that, apart
from its great size and abundance, and also
being more easily cleansed from grit, its
density furnishes far more satisfactory results
when cooked. It is time the cultivation of the
Longstander became as universal as that of the
old Dutch has been. We are fast approaching
the time when sowings should be made for winter
crops, but there is yet opportunity to secure seed
ere the season is past. Seed may be sown in
drills from 12 inches to 14 inches apart and
thinly. When plants, to enable them to grow
freely, have to be thinned down to from 6 inches
to S inches apart in the rows, thick sowing is not
only wasteful, but it is giving needless work.
The thicker leafage of this fine variety also makes
it capable of enduring hard weather during the
winter better than does that of the older varie-
ties.—A. D. ^

AUTUMN CAULIFLOWERS.
All gardeners are aware that it is far more
difficult to produce good Cauliflowers during
the autumn months than, say, during Jlay,
June, and July, many a batch of what were
once promising plants becoming a prey to in-
sects, clubbing, or prematurely buttoning. On
cool, moist soils and in average seasons Autumn
Giant, if well attended to, seldom fails to give
satisfaction, but if on hot, shallow ground the
foliage even of this robust variety once as-
sumes the bluish tint so well known to Cauli-
flower growers, the chances are that the heads
will develop prematurely and be inferior in
quality. Previous to the introduction of this
standard variety, old gardeners used to rely on
Walcheren for supplying heads in September
and October, seed being sown in June and the
plants put out on plots cleared of second early
Potatoes. With the assistance of liquid ma-
nure good heads were cut in September, others
continuing to develop through October if pro-
tection was given by bending the leaves down
over the heads, as although Walcheren is often
erroneously catalogued as a Broccoli, it will
not stand the least frost, being more tender in
that respect than Autumn Giant. Success or
otherwise in growing autumn Cauliflowers de-
pends in a great measure on how and where the
seed is sown and the treatment the seedlings
receive in their earlitst stages of growth.
Hot sunny borders facing south should be
avoided, by far the best place being an east, or
even a north, border. The soil should be
thoroughly well soaked a day or two before
sowing, and the seed-beds covered with mats or
bags to prevent undue evaporation and hasten
germination. Thin sowing and early and
liberal thinning are imperative ; indeed, it pays
to prick out the seedlings on a well-enriched
plot in order that they may be lifted with a good
ball of soil when finally transplanted. This
should, if possible, be done in dull, showery
weather and the plants shaded for a time with
evergreen boughs. The plan adopted by many
exhibitors of growing their autumn Cauliflowers
in shallow trenches is worthy of imitation, even
if heads of only dining-room size are required —
at any rate where the soil is poor or shallow ;
plenty of good manure can then be worked in,
which if watered occasionally will retain the
moisture and prevent the blue colour, attacks
by caterpillars and premature buttoning. The
enormous heads annually exhibited during
September are generally grown in trenches,
the leaves being brought together and tied at
the extremities before the heads are fully
grown in order to preserve their whiteness.

Where variety is needed, Walcheren, Eclipse
and Autumn Giant may be grown, these follow-
ing one another in the order named. Eclipse
is a splendid variety for use at this season, but
although it has been in commerce for some
years now, it does not seem to be very well
known. In size it is similar to Walcheren, its
habit of growth being very upright and the
heads, which on good land are very white and
compact, are well protected from the sun by the
inner folding leaves. It is very vigorous and
stands hot weather well. Autumn Giant, like
the majority of Cauliflowers, is apt to come in
with a rush, and when this is feared, the best
way is to lift the plants with as much baU as
possible and lay them in thinly in a shady
position. Here the heads will slowly increase
in size and last over a long period. For cutting
during November and December, when frost
may be expected, nothing surpasses the well-
known Self-protecting Autumn Broccoli.

J. Crawford.

Sugar Peas. — The British people are so much
attached to shelled Peas, and we grow them here
in great excellence, that it seems very improbable
I they will ever largely care for the Sugar Peas,
I which are so highly favoured on the Continent.
In very much the same way we prefer the ordinary
j green pods of runner and dwarf Beans gathered
' young and sliced up small out of all knowledge, so
that when cooked they are little better than
I watery flavourless pulp. And yet everyone who
has tasted the whole cooked pods of Butter
Beans admits that they are not only delicious,
but exhibit higher flavour than do sliced green
Beans. We cannot cook ordinary shelling Peas
in the pods if we would have them, because of the
tough parchment-like nature of the inner mem-
brane or skin of the shells. VVith the Sugar Peas,
and they are invariably sweet, no such objection
■ exists, as the pods are devoid of this membrane
! and are quite soft and tender when properly
cooked, the seeds included. One of these Sugar
Peas grown at Chiswick for trial, having been
sent there by the Messrs. Vilmorin, of Paris,
was found by the fruit committee to be of such
unusual excellence after being cooked, that it was
awarded three marks. The variety is known as
the Tall Butter Sugar, an appellation which con-
veys high grades of goodness. The variety reaches
to a height of from 4 feet to 5 feet, produces pods
in great abundance, and these, unlike the better-
known Sugar Peas, are of ordinary dimensions, or
about 3 inches in length, and well filled with Peas.
It is but needful when cooking to clip oft' the
stems and points, then serve whole. In this
way they constitute an exceedingly pleasant dish.
There are many varieties of Sugar Peas, but this
seems to be the best. Perhaps some gardeners
may be disposed to give it a trial next year as an
interesting variety in Peas. — A. D.

Autumn-sown Onions. — I should very much
like to learn from anyone who may have sown
Ailsa Craig Onion in the autumn to stand the
winter outdoors, whether it has proved as hardy
as are the ordinary Tripoli and other common
winter varieties. I was asked this question re-
cently, but had no experience on the subject. All
the same, I cannot see why that particular variety
should be less hardy than are ItaUan, Lisbon, or
Tripoli varieties, or even the Spanish type, of
which we have so many under diverse names and
all as hardy as any that have been named.
It is indeed rather a matter for surprise that those
who grow autumn-sown Onions should adhere to
the soft-bulbed varieties so commonly grown, and
which so soon become useless after ripening, when
they may grow good Brown Globe or Spanish
forms, and find as a result that they get fine bulbs
that will keep so much longer. Of the value of
raising plants under glass in the early spring and
of planting outdoors in April there is no doubt.
It is a practice that is commonly adopted. It
is not everyone, however, who can find the

THE GATJDEK

[July 18, 1896.

room essential for such purposes in the early
eprinp : hence, doubtless, the inquiry as to the
suitability of Ailsa Craig for autumn sowing. I
am hoping to be able to test various of the finest
of summer Onions in that way this year, and
should sow about the last week in August. If
sown too early, plants may in the spring bolt olT
to flower : and if too late, may indifferently stand
the winter. I expect on light, warm soil that the
time named will be about the best. A sowing of
numerous varieties made in the spring has, in
spite of the drought, done very well, and plants
from each raised, though late, under glass and
dibbled out have done" very well too. It is re-
markable that, in spite of the drought, the mag-
got should have been so little in evidence : in-
deed, generally, spring-sown Onions look remaik-
ably well. If "the mildew keeps off there should
be capital crops of sound Onions in the autumn.
—A. D.

Late dwarf Beans.— Those who require
Beans in quantity will tind a late sowing of dwarf
French Beans useful, as of ten the Scarlet Kunners
are cut down by frost earlier than one expects,
and a few rows of dwarfs on a sheltered border are
not touched. To get the best return, deeply-dug
land well enriched with manure is necessary.
I prefer a dwarf-growing kind such as Syon House
or Mohawk, as if the weather is severe, it is an
easy matter to protect with mats or canvas when
frosty nights occur in succession, and it often
happens that late in September or early Octoter
we eet frosts for a few nights and are free for
weeks afterwards. These plants are often tr o
much crowded. If sown too thickly, thinning
should be resorted to. With late crops this
is important, as the plants, having less day-
light with declining days, do not set freely.
When crowded the leaves turn yellow and the
plants are less sturdy. Given good treatment,
ample space and food", I have gathered pods well
into November from sowings in July. — W.

MEDIUM HEIGHT PEAS.
ALTHorc^H from a dwarf Pea like American
Wonder, usually outdoors not more than 12 inches
in height, up to such a variety as Reading Giant,
which will grow several feet in height, there is
unbroken continuity of heights found in myriads
of varieties, it is common practice to class all
Peas below 2 feet high as dwarfs, those above up
to i feet as of medium height, and all above that
range as tall. One the whole I think there are no
more serviceable kinds than those of medium
height, of which there are so many in commerce,
and which give early, mid season and late kinds,
and are nearly all sturdy growers and free croppers.
I have been dealing with a trial of twenty-four
varieties of this section in two parts of Surrey
this season, and yet two dozen do not constitute
perhaps more than one- third of the varieties now
catalogued, whilst if we add but a score of the
really dwarf varieties and three scores of tall va-
rieties, it will be found that, apart from the new
ones constantly coming into commerce, there are
at least over ].">0 offered for sale all of which have
fairly good reputations. It need hardly be said
that, seeing how little of actual diversity there is
in habit or character of the Pea plant, a great deal
of sameness is inevitable ; indeed of the twenty-
four varieties I have grown just a few seem to
have individual character. The work of sifting the
wheat from the chaff is thus made very difficult ;
indeed, it seems impossible when we find that a
variety that fails in one plr.ce seems to do well in
another. Still there are some Peas that seem to
be good everywhere, and such varieties may be
expected to remain long in cultivation.

In my trial, all sorts having been thinly sown to
enable character to be fully displayed and gi
the plants a chance very much needed this dry
season, especially that watering or mulching v,i
out of the question, I found that the gener;
produce was excellent, especially in the case of the
earlier varieties. A. D.

Stove and Greenhouse.

TREE CARNATIONS.

I SHOULD be very glad if some reader of The
Garden would give me a little information as to
growing Tree Carnations, from the time the
cuttings are struck to the blooming period. I
have tried time after time, but always failed. I
am always at a loss how to treat them after the
first year of blooming.— Youn<i Gardener.

f* Those who fail in their attempts to grow
greenhouse or Tree Carnations often render final
success next to impossible by continuing to take
cuttings from their debilitated stock of plants.
The best plan is to obtain some fresh healthy
cuttings from another source, as, even if those
above described strike at all, the process is very
slow, and in nine casjs out of ten aphis or thrips
attack them before they are ready for removal
from the propagating frame or handlight and
before they will stand fumigation. Some growers
prefer to propagate in the autumn, others in the
spring, and although 1 prefer the spring, I think
it best, in order to make success more certain, to

it about a fourth part good leaf-mould and silver
sand. I say good leaf-mould, as much of the
rubbish sold for that article in the neighbourhood
of towns does more harm than good, often con-
taining injurious grubs and insects and encourag-
ing disease. Unless it can be guaranteed made
from Beech or Oak leaves, it had better be dis-
pensed with and extra sand added. After filling
the pots firmly, water with a fine rose and allow
them to drain for a few hours. In preparing the
cuttings, remove a few of the lowermost leaves
and cut each through with a sharp knife imme-
diately below a jomt, inserting them at once,
half a dozen in each pot. Again sprinkle to
settle the soil and plunge at once to the rim.
Those who have not a special propagating house,
but have an early vinery or Peach house, may
make up a bed of leaves on the border and intro-
duce a small frame. In bright sunny weather
the cuttings may require a spray from the syringe
daily, but when dull and sunless they will some-
times not need it for several days together, as the
fermenting material supplies a certain amount of
atmospheric moisture. A chink of air admitted
at night allows the escape of any superfluous
moisture, keeping the light shut down by day.

put in one batch of cuttings rather late in autumn
—say October or November, and a second batch
n February. Beginners often make a mistake in
choosing the soft, strong terminal shoots, whereas
experience teaches that the somewhat stubby side
growths strike much more readily, and, as a rule,
make better plants. This is especially so with
Miss Joliffe, which does not always strike so
easily as Alegatiere, Sir Charles Wilson and a few
others. Then many batches are ruined by the
employment of both too much top and bottom
heat, that of a Cucumber or Melon house being
too great, at least in spring. In autumn nothing
perhaps surpasses a gentle, warm bed of Oak or
Beech leaves, and sufficiently large toaccommodate
a moderately-sized single light frame. If leaves
are scarce and stable litter has to be used, one part
of it to three of leaves is quite sufficient, and
even then cocoa-nut fibre or sawdust should be
placed on the surface of the bed to prevent injury
from any escape of steam. These materials
make a capital clean plunging medium at any
time. I find the smaller the pots used for the
cuttings, the better, the soil therein not being
so liable to become sour through saturation as
in large pots. Drainage must be ample. The
cuttings root best in a light, loamy soil,
I passed through a fine sieve, and having added to

all .jurden. {See p. 37.)

If all goes well, the majority will be rooted in
three weeks, when more air must be given, .and a
week later the pots lifted and stood on a shelf
tolerably near the glass, but shaded during sun-
shine. When growing freely, remove them to an
intermediate house, give them a light position,
and fumigate.

Remove into single pots before the roots
become matted, using now the same kind
of loam, but rubbed down by the hand in-
stead of sifted, rough sand, or road grit,
and leaf - mould being the only addition.
Young gardeners often erroneously add farm-
yard manure, and lose their plants in conse-
quence. In potting keep the collar of the plant
rather high than low. By May another shift will
be required, a 4|-inch pot being used, and the
plants afterwards placed in frames on a hard ash
bottom. Air carefully for a fortnight, and use
water that has been exposed to the sun for a few
hours previously. Err on the dry rather than
on the wet side in this respect, or the yellows
will bo sure to appear. When fairly established
in the new pots the lights may be removed en-
tirely through the day, but kept on and well
tilted up in wet weather. In .Tune the lights may
bo entirely removed from the frames by night as
T^rell, fumigating the plants once more first, and

July 18, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

49

when at the end of the month or first week in
July the plants are shifted into 6-inch pots, in
which they will flower, they muEt be arranged on
aeh beds in the open, choosing a sheltered situa-
tion. Careful watering, removing weeds, and
frequent examination of the points of the shoots
for green fly will be the chief points of culture
until the third week in October, when the plants
should be housed, elevating them near to the roof
glass in a light, airy structure from which frost
only is excluded. Coddling is ruinous. If the
plants have done well, a little weak liquid manure
may be given once or twice a week, but further
stimulants are best avoided. Always remember
that a clean, healthy growth in the winter is the
only guarantee for a batch of good cuttings
the next spring. " Young Gardener " complains
that he has never been able to do much with the
plants the second year, but the fact is that few
growers care to bother with two-yearold plants,
except in the case of those varieties which make
little grass the first, yearling plants being in the
end the most profitable and far less liable to
sudden collapse than old ones.— J. Crawford.

Societies and Exhibitions.

ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.
July 14.
Another most extensive display was to be seen
at this meeting, so much so, in fact, as to create
an amount of surprise, taking into consideration
the intense heat and drought of the past weeks
and the consequent fugitive character of many
flowers both under glass and otherwise. It was,
in fact, almost a field-day for out-of door flowers.

Orchids were but few in number, but of these
there were some noteworthy kinds to be seen
Fruits from under glass were not plentiful, the
best exhibit being the handsome Peaches shown
by Mr. Keif, South Villa (iardene. Regent's Park.
These were highly coloured and of fine quality.
Hardy fruits were best represented by Messrs. J.
Veitch and Sons' Gooseberries and Cherries, both
excellent, but the latter particularly so from bush
trees. A few Melons also were shown, some of
which had travelled badly. A grand lot of vege-
tables was staged by Mr. Beckett, Aldenham
Gardens, Elstree ; these were excellent examples
of their kind, all the more so considering th
season.

Turning to the floral section, however, there
was an abundance of exhibits, as the following
report will show. Notable amongst these were
the Roses in the competing classes ; these were
shown well for the lateness of the fixture, several
of the best known growers competing. Sweet
Peas, too, were a feature. It is most gratifying
to note the great improvement of late year
this popular annual, good alike for the pri'
garden or the market grower. A few new varieties
were shown ; the best of these received due recogni-
tion at the hands of the floral committee. Carna-
tions were also plentiful, notably the newer kinds,
several of which were given awards of merit.
Here again it is pleasing to see the improvement
in setting up the flowers in jars with their own
foliage as contrasted with the old-fashioned
florist's idea of paper collars and sundry dressings.
As examples of both systems were to be seen,
the visitors could for themselves form an idea
which is the better method. The less one
sees of this flower dressing the better, in our
opinion. Mixed groups of hardy flowers were
staged by a few growers, notably by Mr. T
Ware and Mr. Prichard. Cut shrubs were
shown by Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons and Messrs.
Cheal and Sons. Examples of Lilies and Calo-
chorti came from Messrs. Wallace, and in their
usual excellent style. Some immense examples
of double tuberous Begonias came all the way
from Cork. These might have been taken for
Hollyhocks in several instances. ' ' Too large," many
would say, but Messrs. Hartlandife Son are to be con-
gratulated on their high class culture. The method

of setting up with their own foliage on Moss con-
trasted most favourably with the Carnations in
paper frills and collars. Another and a most
noteworthy exhibit was that of the smaller-leaved
and choicer kinds of Ivies, of which a beautiful
group was contributed by Messrs. Cutbush and
Sons. Such groups as this last are both instruc-
tive and interesting. Some examples of standard
Ro?e8 in pots were shown to exemplify the method
of budding adopted, viz., by inserting the buds in
the old wood instead of in the lateral shoots, as in
the old plan. Where the stocks are free (as they
should be, and not stunted), this seems to be an
advantage. Mr. S. G. Mortlock was the exhibitor.

Orchid Committee.

The following were given awards of merit : —

C.MTLEYA Mossi.?; Brilliaxcy.— A distinct and
lovely variety, with broad sepals and petals, deep
rose in colour, the petals having a thin streak of
purple'at the tips ; lip beautifully fringed, crimsoc-
purple in front, shading to purplish brown at the
base, and lined with yellow in the throat. From
Messrs. H. Low and Co.

ZY(i()rETALrM (!RANDiFL0RU5r. — .Sepals and
petals about 4 inches across, green, longitudinally
lined and shaded with dark brown ; lip white in
front, shaded and lined \<ith purple; the basal
half yellow, with several raised brown lines. The
plant bore a raceme about 7 inches long and
carried two flowers. From Sir T. Lawrence.

Botanical certificates were awarded to the fol-
lowing : Catasetum Russellianum, a distinct and
pretty species ; the spike was from 12 inches to
15 inches long and carried twenty-four flowers ;
sepals and petals white, veined and lined with
green, the lip creamy white, lined and slightly
suft'used with green (from Sir T. Lawrence) ;
Masdevallia corniculata (inflata) yellow on the
inside, outside greenish yellow, spotted with
purplish brown (from Sir T. Lawrence) ; On-
cidium virgulatum, sepals and petals bright yel-
low, spotted with dark brown in the basal half ;
lip bright yellow, heavily spotted and barred with
brown (from Sir T. Lawrence) ; Masdevallia
Carderi, the flowers small, bell -shaped, white,
spotted with purple (from the Hon. W. Roth-
schild, Tring Park).

Messrs. F. Sander and Co., St. Albans, sent a
fine specimen beautifully flowered of Cu-logyne
Sanderiana. The plant bore six spikes with an
average of eight flowers each. The sepals are up-
wards of 2 inches long, petals rather narrower and
shorter, creamy white ; lip white in front, yellow
in the centre, and lined at the base with bright
brown on a white ground. A cultural commen-
dation was awarded. The same exhibitor had
two plants of Spathoglottis plicata var. Micho-
litzi, a distinct and beautiful variety with rosy
purple sepals and petals ; lip rosy purple in
front, shading to orange-yellow on a raised
ground, spotted with brown at the base. Messrs.
H. Low and Co. sent a form of Cattleya Mossi*
Arnoldiana with two flowers. Sir T. Lawrence
sent Cattleya Eldorado marginata and C. E.
Wallisi, the latter with pure white sepals and
petals, lip white, with bright orange-yellow disc.
Batemannia Burti var., sepals brown on a raised
surface, shading to greenieh white at the base,
sepals similar in colour, but with bright maroon-
crimson di=cs at the base ; Dendrobium Mac-
arthia' with six flowers, Polystachyaodorata with
two spikes, and Epidendrum volutum, a distinct
small-flowered variety with creamy white sepals
and petals, lip white, shading to green at the
base, were aho sent from Burford Lodge. The
Hon. Walter Rothschild sent Cattleya gigas
Shuttleworthi with six flowers on the spike.
This is a fine dark form, for which a cultural
commendation was awarded. He also sent Cattleya
Gaskelliana alba with three flowers. The Right
Hon. J. Chamberlain, Highbury, Birmingham,
sent four cat spikes of Cattleya gigas, showing
good culture, but not suthciently distinct com-
pared with others at the meeting to warrant the
descriptive names given (vote of thanks). Mr.
T. Statter, Stand Hall, Manchester, tent a group
of cut Orchids, amongst which were some good

forms of Lielio-Cattleya elegans, the distinct
Cattleya Schrii?deriana, with its rose, almost self-
coloured flowers; several forms of Cattleya gigas,
C. Rex, a fine variety, with four flowers on the
spike ; several forms of hybrid Cypripediums and
a pretty variety of Cypripedium leucochilum,
which appears to be a natural hybrid between C.
bellatulum and C. niveum, the lip pure white, and
similar in shape to that of C. niveum. Mr. C. J.
Ingram, Elstead, Gcdalming, sent three plants of
Cypripedium T. W. Bond and C. Ceres. Mr. W.
Thomson, Stone, Stafford, sent nine cut spikes of
Cochlioda Noetzliana, showing remarkable cul-
ture, the spikes being well developed and the
flowers fine in substance, Odontoglossum nebulo-
sum album, and a fine spike with fourteen flowers
of O. luteo-purpureum var. sceptrum. Mr. E.
Cohen, Hall Road, St. John's Wood, sent Cat-
tleya Gaskelliana Mrs. E. Cohen, a pale rose-
tinted form, with a few spots of purple on the lip.
Mr. Norman Cookson sent cut spikes of Phajus
Humboldti and a large Cypripedium Youngi-
anum. Mr. C. J. Lucas sent six forms of Cat-
tleya gigas remarkable for colour, and from Mr.
R. Y'oung, Liverpool, came Cypripedium Stonei
album, a pale form, and C. Harrisianum.

Floral Committee.

First-class certificates were given to the follow-
ing:—

LiLiUM COKCOLOR (known also under the name
of L. sinicum). — Not a new plant, but none the less
welcome and interesting by reason of its minia-
tare growth, slender stems, and small flowers,
which are bright orange-scarlet in colour. A
small plant in a pot as well as cut examples were
shown, but when planted out it grows taller than
the pot specimen. It was introduced from China
as long back as 1SI>6. From Messrs. R. Wallace
and Co., Colchester.

DiDYMOCARi-rs MALAYANUS. — An extremely
pretty and very dwarf gesneriaceous plant, its
specitic name denoting its habitat. The flowers are
of a soft primrose-yellow with lighter centre, dis-
posed in peduncles of three to five .and semi-
drooping ; the foliage is light green, being darker
towards the centre. It is a distinctly pretty
plant in a genus wherein yellow flowers are un-
common. From Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons.

Clethba canescens.— A distinctly valuable
shrub, with pure white flowers produced in
branching spikes ; the individual blooms are
small, but their purity and profusion make it a
most eft'sctive plant. Should it be quite hardy,
which, we believe, it has so proved to be at
Coombe Wood, it will be an acquisition. From
Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons.

Adiantom BESSOSiAN-rM. —Beyond doubt the
best and most distinct Adiantum introduced for
some years. It comes from Trinidad, the home
of A. Farleyense, having been sent from the
same district. In its pinna- it shows altinity with
A. scutum, but the fronds are more dense and
compact and of a darker green colour. It is to
A. scutum what A. Pacotti is to A. cuneatum,
and it should prove a valuable decorative Fern in
any collection. From Mr. James O'Brien, Har-
row-on-the-Hill.

Awards of merit were given to—

CARNATitix Jim Smyth.— A border variety of
good habit and free-flowering, the colour an
intensely deep scarlet and the flowers full. From
Mr. H. G. Smyth, Urury Lane, W.C.

Carnation- Voltaire.— One of the yellow
ground varieties, the ground colour in this case of
a pale straw tint edged and flaked with bright
pink, very large and full, not disposed to burst.
From Mr. Jas. Douglas and Mr. Martin Smith.

Carnation Dick Donovan.— A splendid white
variety of unusual size and vigour; the flowers are
well formed and full, the petals being slightly im-
bricated, a non-splitter also. From Mr. Martin

Carnation Mrs. McRae.— A bright scarlet
with well-formed flowers, very full, a non-burster,
and quite distinct in its colour. From Mr .
Martin Smith.

50

THE CtARDEK

[Jolt 18, 1896.

Carnatios BORE.A.S.— a deep crimson self not
unlike I riah Pike in colour, the flowers of medium
size and good form. From Mr. Martin Smith.

Caknation Cioi.i>EN Eacle.— A yellow ground
of a bright primrose tint, edged with rosy pink, a
grand variety, but slightly disposed to burst its
pods. From Mr. Martin Smith.

Carnation Bi.rsHix.i Bkipe.-A soft blush-
pink, probably a fugitive colour unless shaded,
very distinct and beautiful. From Mr. Martin
Smith.

Carnation ^i.ke Mills.- A yellow crround
variety of a deep rich shade, edged and Baked with
rosy crimson, an extra line variety and one not
disposed to burst. From Mr. E. C^ Harpin.

C.uoiATioN Pkimrosk LEAc;rE.— Of the same
section as the last, the primrose-yellow ground
being flaked with purple and rosy lake, distinct
and line. From Mr. Chas. Turner.

C.iRNATioN May (.Xeen.— Of a similar ground
colour to the foregoing, but edged in this instance
with rosy pink and slate colour. From Mr. Chas.
Turner.

PiioTEE Cliii — The ground colour of which is
pure white, the petals being broadly margined
with rosy pink and of fine rounded form. From
Mr. Chas. Turner.

K..sk(Tka)Emit.essAlexani.ka ..k Rrssi.^.-
A very distinct variety of somewhat similar
colour to that seen at times in the centre of Jean
Ducher, but in this instance extended to the outer
petals. From Messrs. W. Taul and Son.

Ruse (Tea) Francols Dlbkefil.— A very deep
velvety-crimson with the centre rather paler. By
Its appearance this variety should prove an
accjuisition for massing, being very distinct and of
medium size. From Messrs. \V. Paul and Son.

Sweet Pea Prince Edward ok York.— A
distinct and showy variety, a l right magenta with
salmon-pink standards, a good combination of
colours. From Mr. Eckford, Wem, Salop.

Sweet Pea Lady Grisel Hamilton.— In the
way of that well-known variety Countess of
-Radnor, but paler in every way, a "very soft tint
of colour, a pale lavender shade. "From Mr.
Eckford.

Sweet Pea Qceen Victoria. — Darker in
colour than Mrs. Eckford, a delicate tint of
yellow or primrose, very beautiful. From Mr.
Eckford.

Gloxinia Mrs. F. J. Edridge.— An intensely
deep purple, almost self-coloured, very striking,
and of good habit. From Messrs. J. Laing and
Sons.

Gaillardia Mrs. Sage— A very notable
variety by reason of its fine form, the petals over-
lapping, thus giving a round flower, the colour
bright golden yellow with dark orange base.
From Mr. Sage, Ham House, Petersham.

Strei'Tocarpcs prLrHEM.rs. — The result of
intercrossing .s. Wendlandi and S. hybridus,
thus giving more vigour and larger trusses, the
colours various. From Messrs. Veitch and Sons.
Caxna AiRORE. — A rich dark orange tint,
shaded with scarlet and having broad petals, a
bold and showy variety. From Messrs. Cannell
and Sons.

Canna Ami Jules Chretien.— A salmon-pink
felf, with very large flowers and stout growth.
From Messrs. Cannell and Sons.

Hardy flowers and Roses formed the bulk of the
exhibits before this committee, and a very bril-
liant and attractive show was the result. A large
and very beautiful collection of hardy herbaceous
flowers was put up by Mr. Prichard, of Christ-
church, the splendid condition and fine size of all
the blooms being remarkable. The following
were most conspicuous : Gaillardia maxima,
brilliantly coloured and of huge size : Platycodon
Manesi, with its rich, dark blue bells ; the charm-
ing little Erigeron philadelphicus ; a splendid
bunch of Coreopsis lanceolata ; Potentilla Hop-
woodiana, a lovely pink and white variety ;
Centaurea ruthenica and some beautiful (Jalegas
and Phloxes (silver Flora medal). A very
beautiful and interesting group of Lilies and
Calochorti came from Messrs. Wallace, Col-
chester, and included a fine lot of L. longi-

florum giganteum, the vivid scarlet L. chalce-
donicum, the pretty butf coloured L. excelsum, a
good form of L. superbum, and L. Martagon dal-
maticum. Of the Calochorti, the following were
good : C. Plummera", a well-formed dull lilac
flower : C. splendens, a very delicate mauve ;
C. citrinus, a clear lemon-yellow ; C. roseus,
white, with deep rose markings ; and C. oculatus,
a creamy white, marked with primrose and choco
late (silver Banksian medal). From Mr. T. S.
Ware, Tottenham, came a very delightful col
lection of Carnations effectively staged in bunches,
with a groundwork of Gypsophila. A pretty
variety is Raby, a bright pink with finely serrated
edges. Mrs. C. Daniells, a pale blush white, is of
good form. Other notable examples were, the
old Crimson Clove with its welcome fragrance
Miss Minnie Clark, yellow, striped with pink
Gloire de Nancy, a good white ; Queen of Bedders,
a shapely rofy scarlet ; Homer, a nice purple ;
the well-known Germania, and Duchess of Fife, a
delicate pale pink (silver Flora medal). A pretty
group of cut shrubs. Tufted Pansies, Carnations,
&c., was staged by Messrs. Cheal and Sons,
Crawley. Among the shrubs were some very
graceful and well coloured specimens, including
AcerSchwedleri, with richly-tinted bronze foliage;
Sambucus plumosa serratifolia, the beautiful
Acer Negundo variegatum and A. Viezi lacinia-
tum, a pretty bunch of the scarlet-fruited
Elder, and Ulmus Dampieri aurea. The Carnations
were prettily arranged in threes, and included
Raby Castle, Huntine Pink, Cassandra, Terra-
cotta, and the old Crimson Clove. A box of very
early Cactus Dahlias was noteworthy, and con-
tained some good flowers, among them Mrs. Tur-
ner, Fusilier, Mrs. Wilson Noble, Leonora, and
Matchless (silver Banksian medal). A very
pretty exhibit was a collection of Sweet Peas from
Mr. F. G. Foster, Havant, Hants. The varieties
were nicely staged in bunches and interspersed
with small Ferns. Some of the best were Celestial,
a soft lieht blue ; Her Majesty, light pink, with
deeper coloured vexillum : Oddity, a mottled
pink ; Princess May, a very good light blue ;
Ignea, a vivid crimson : Queen of England, pure
white ; and Boreatton, a rich velvety crim=ori
(bronze Banksian). Sweet Peas were aUo shown
by Messrs. Veitch and Sons, and were in this case
mixed with Gypsophila in the arrangement.
Good varieties were Carmen Sylva, a pretty mix-
ture of blue and pink ; Duchess of York, bluish
white ; Imperial, blue ; Juanita, white striped
with blue ; Royal Rose, Lemon Queen, and
Blanche Burpee. All the bunches were in excel-
lent condition, and, considering the season, the
flowers were of good size (bronze Banksian
medal). Messrs. Veitch and Sons also sent a
group of cut hard}' shrubs and some Water Lilies.
Among the former were Sambucus racemosa, very
thickly berried ; Cornus macrophylla, Clethra
canescens, with long, graceful racemes of flowers,
very sweetly scented ; Thuja gigantea aurea
variegata. Clematis Cdrulea odorata, a dark and
somewhat ineffective flower; and Pterocarya
caucasica, with its curious flower sprays. The
Water Lilies, which included several of the new
varieties sent out by M. Latour-Marliac, were in
poor condition and very small. From Messrs.
Veitch came also a basket of Begonia carminata,
a pinkish carmine variety of great beauty, which
was certificated last year, and a quantity of a
new race of Streptocarpus (S. pulchellus) obtained
by crossing Veitch's hybrids with S. Wendlandi.
The new form has delicate flowers, growing on
much longer stalks than the old ones and bearing
fifteen or eighteen blooms on a spike. From
Messrs. Hartland and Son, Cork, came half a
dozen boxes of cut blooms of double tuberous
Begonias, all fine large flowers, well coloured, and
in good condition (silver Flora medal). Messrs. S.
Rogers and Sons, Peterborough, sent some good
examples of a pretty new Picotee, Border Queen,
pure white, edged with crimson, a neat, well-
formed, and fairly full flower. A few bunches of
remarkably fine Sweet Peas came from Mr. Henry
Eckford, Shropfhire. The best were Countess of
Powis, a beautiful brilliant pink bloom, very

large ; Lady Grisel Hamilton, a lovely pale blue ;
Salopian, deep crimson ; and Prince Edward of
Y'ork, a shaded pink. A fine lot of Carnations of
great size and perfect form came from Mr. Martin
Smith, Hayes. Every variety was worthy of
special mention, but we will be content to note,
besides those referred to above. Golden Eagle ;
Princess Maud, a fine blush-white ; Begonian,
rich dark crimson ; Mrs. Buchanan, a fine terra-
cotta ; and Blushing Bride, a nice pink. Mr.
Jas. Douglas also showed a collection of cut Car-
nations, including many tine varieties. Another
fine collection of these popular flowers came from
Mr. Chas. Turner, of Slough, and included good
examples of Clio, white, with broad edge of
scarlet ; Primrose, a large pale yellow, streaked
with crimson ; May Queer, lemon-yellow and
pink ; Knight Errant, a finely-formed rosy scar-
let ; and The Gift, yellow, edged with scarlet.

A small, but very pretty group of Cannas was
staged by Messrs. Cannell and Sons. The trusses
were bearing a great profusion of very large
flowers in good condition and well coloured.
Good varieties were Salmon Queen, a very fine
self ; Aurore, Queen Charlotte, Mme. Crozy, and
Colibri, pale yellow with crimson throat. From
Messrs. Cutbush and Son came a very extensive
and excellent collection of Ivies, comprising some
thirty-five varieties of these delightful climbers,
and including splendid plants of Hedera macu-
lata, H. himalaica, H. folds variegatis, H. ma-
deirensis variegata, H. canariensis aurea, H. ele-
gantissima, H. chrysocarpa, H. digitata aurea,
and palmata aurea (silver-gilt Flora medal). Mr.
C. Dymott, Southampton, sent a batch of a new
Pelargonium, Harry Dymott, a dwarf-growing
plant, with pretty white flowers marked with
crimson.

Rose Show
In the Rose show the exhibits were tolerably
numerous and very good. For twenty-four single
trusses, distinct, the first prize went to Mr. T. B.
Haywood, of Reigate, for a nice exhibit with
good blooms of Caroline Testout, Marie Rady,
Eclair, Etienne Levet, Due de Rohan, Her Ma-
jesty, and Pride of Waltham. Mr. C. J. Gra-
hame, Leatherhead, was a good second. For
twenty-four singles, Mr. Geo. Mount, of Canter-
bury was first with finely- formed blooms of
Duchess of Bedford, Eugene Verdier, Ulrich
Brunner, Duke of Edinburgh, Gustavo Piganeau,
Reynolds-Hole, Eclair, and Mrs. John Laing.
Messrs. Paul and Son, Cheshunt, were justly
awarded an equal first. Their box contained fine
examples of Marie Verdier, Reynolds-Hole, Eclair,
Ulrich Brunner, Due de Rohan, Black Prince,
Her Majesty, Paul Neron and Duke of Albany.
For twelve distinct singles. Rev. W. H. Jackson,
of Bedford, obtained the first prize with a very
even exhibit, comprising Capt. Christy, Earl of
Dufl!^erin, F. de Lesseps, Duke of Connaught and
Star of Waltham. Mr. Geo. Mount was again
chief winner for twelve single trusses, showing a
fine collection. Among the best were Duchess of
Bedford, Ulrich Brunner, Xavier Olibo, Mme.
Eugene Verdier, A. K. Williams and Mrs. John
Laing. Mr. John Bateman, Archway Road, was
first for six singles, showing Duke of Wellington,
A. K. Williams and Mme. E. Verdier in gocd
form. The second went to Rev. A. Foster-
Melliar, Ipswich. For six singles of any Rose,
Mr. Rivers Langton, Hendon, was first with La
France, and the Rev. W. H. Jackson second
th Duke of Connaught. For twelve distinct
trebles, Mr. Geo. Mount was first, showing fine
blooms of Marie Baumann, A. K. Williams, Caro-
> Testout, Mme. E. Verdier, Ulrich Brunner,
France and Xavier Olibo. Messrs. Paul and
Son, Cheshunt, were second. Her Majesty, Duke
of Albany, Mme. Prosper Laugier, Marie Rady
and Duke of Connaught being the best. For
twelve singles of one variety, Mr. Geo. Mount
was first with Mrs. John Laing, and the second
went to Messrs. Paul, Cheshunt, for the same
ariety. Mr. O. G. Orpen was deservedly
first for twenty - four single Teas, showing
good blooms of Corinna, Ernest Melz, Maman
Cochet, Mme. Hoste and Catherine Mermet. Rev.

July 18, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

51

A. Foster-Melliar was second. For twelve single
Teas, the first went to Mr. Allen Chandler,
Haslemere. Mr. R. E. West, Reigate, was first
for six singles, staging a neat exhibit of shapely
blooms. For six singles of any Rose, the first
went to Mr. 0. G. Orpen for Maman Cochet, the
second to Rev. W. H. Jackson for Innocente
Pirola. Messrs. D. Prior and Son were first for
twenty-four distinct singles, showing Jean Ducher,
Niphetos, Comtesse de Nadaillac, Maman Cochet,
Marie Van Houtte and Souvenir d'un Ami.
Messrs. Paul and Son, Cheshunt, were second.
Messrs. J). Prior and Son obtained the first for
twelve distinct trebles with Ernest Metz, Caro-
line Kuster, Innocente Pirola, Marie Van Houtte,
The Bride, Maman Cochet and Niphetos. The
second went to Messrs. Paul and Son, Cheshunt.
Messrs. Paul and Son, Cheshunt, were first also
for twelve singles, showing Innocente Pirola,
Messrs. D. Prior and Son being second with
Maman Cochet.

Messrs. W. Rumsey, of Waltham Cross, staged
a large collection of cut Roses, showing singles,
trebles, and a very pretty box of buds for button-
hole work ; also a box of a new Rose, Mrs. Rum-
sey, a pretty, but rather loose pink bloom of good
shape (silver Banksian medal). Of great interest
was a group of new Roses from Messrs. Paul and
Son, Waltham Cross. Many very charming
novelties were shown, including Enchantress, a
delicately tinted Tea ; Empress Alexandra of
Russia, a rich mixture of rose colour and apricot ;
Fran9ois Dubreuil, a fine shapely crimson with
small flowers, and Sylph, a soft creamy pink.

Fruit Committee.

The exhibits before this committee Included very
fine hardy fruit and excellent vegetables. Melons,
though shown in quantity, were not remarkable
for high flavour. A few early Pears were staged.

A first-class certificate was awarded to

Strawberry Veitch's Perfection.— Fruits of
this variety were sent to Chiswick, and it was
considered to be a very fine addition to the mid-
season fruits. It is a seedling from British
Queen and Waterloo, possessing the good quali-
ties of the former, and being less dark than Water-
loo. It is a firm fruit of great excellence. From
Messrs. Veitch and Sons, Royal Exotic Nurseries,
Chelsea.

Awards of merit were given to

Melon Effi.n'ch.^m.— This is a cross between
Hero of Lockinge and Wm. Tillery. It is a white-
fleshed large fruit, very juicy and sweet. From
Mr. Alderman, The Gardens, Effingham House,
Dorking.

Melon Barkham Scarlet.— A scarlet-fleshed
fruit and of good flavour. From Mr. Barkham,
Longford House Gardens, Ryde, Isle of Wight.

From Messrs. Veitch, Chelsea, came a very fine
collection of hardy fruits, consisting of twenty-
four varieties of Cherries grown on pyramid trees
in the open ground, some fourteen varieties of
Black, Red, and White Currants, and twenty-six
of Gooseberries, with Raspberries and early Pears,
the whole forming an interesting exhibit. The
Bigarreau Napoleon, Geant de Hedelfingen,
Emperor Francis, May Duke, Reine Hortense,
and Empress Eugenie Cherries were very fine.
Doyenn^ d'Ete and Citron des Carmes Pears
were staged in good condition, and among the
Gooseberries the best reds were Lancashire Lad,
Highlander, and Forester, the best yellows being
Early Sulphur, Golden Drop, and Gipsy Queen.
Very fine also were Green Gascoigne, Fearless,
and Keepsake. The best white kinds were Mitre,
Bright Venus, and the true old Porcupine, noted
for its superb flavour. La Versaillaise and War-
ner's Grape Red Currants, Lee's Prolific Black and
White Dutch were also excellent (silver Knightian
medal). Mr. E. Beckett, Aldenham House Gar-
dens, Elstree, staged a very fine collection of
vegetables, and, considering the season, the
specimens were very good. Cauliflowers were
past their best and a little large, the varieties
being Walcheren and Veitch's Autumn Giant.
The Potatoes Sharpe's Victor and Veitch's Ash-

leaf were beautiful dishes. Onions of the White
and Red Leviathan type were shown in quantity.
Tomatoes were excellent, the Polegate and Per-
fection being staged. Carrots Sutton's Gem and
New Red were very fine. Peas were represented
by Autocrat and Duke of Albany. The Marrows
were not coarse, as is frequently seen. Magnum
Bonum dwarf Bean, Globe Beetroot, and Victory
Cucumber were also included (silver-gilt Banksian
medal). The Messrs. Johnson, Boston, Lincoln-
shire, staged some fifty dishes of Peas, and
though many were past, doubtless owing to
drought, it was an interesting exhibit, the varie-
ties being a great advance as regards size on older
kinds. Plants of Boston Unrivalled, given an
award at Chiswick, were staged ; this was crop-
ping very freely. There were fine very pods of
The Queen, Sutton's Matchless, Dwarf Defiance,
Critic, Daisy, Veitch's Perfection, Boston Hero,
Duke of York, Consummate, and Windsor Castle
(silver Banksian medal). Mr. Abbot, South
Villa, Regent's Park, staged two boxes of
Peaches, very fine fruits and well coloured, Dy-
mond. Dr. Hogg, and Royal George being the
varieties (filver Banksian medal). Melons were
shown by Mr. O. Thomas, The Royal Gardens,
Frogmore ; Mr. Wjthes, Syon House ; Mr.
Wilson, Eridge Castle ; Mr. Bishop, Bury St.
Edmunds, and others. Tomatoes were staged by
the last named exhibitor, by Mr. Palmer, An-
dover, and Mr. Craven, AUerton Priory, Liver-
pool. A seedling Cucumber named Palmer's
Graceful came from Mr. Palmer, Andover. A
new Tomato named Brockhampton King was
sent by Mr. Foster, Havant. Mr. Carmichael,
Pitt Street, Edinburgh, sent four new seeiling
Strawberries, Prince and Princess of Wales,
Queen of Denmark, and Wm. Carmichael. These
are the result of crosses between Frogmore Late
Pine, British Queen, and Waterloo. The committee
requested that they be sent to Chiswick for trial.

The report of the committee which met at Chis-
wick on June 29 was passed, and awards of merit
given to the following ; —

Pea Prizewinner.— a very fine dwarf Marrow
Pea, height 2 feet to 3 feet, large curved pods
beautifully covered with bloom, the Peas of
delicious flavour. From Messrs. Sutton and Sons,
Reading.

Pea Eureka. — A 3-feet variety with large,
well-filled pods. It is a splendid dry weather
variety with true Marrow flavour, very robust,
free of mildew and very prolific. From Messrs.
Sutton and Sons.

Pea Michaelmas. — Recommended as one of the
best late Peas. It is 2 feet to 3 feet high, of a
bushy growth, and the Peas of good flavour.
From Messrs. Carter, High Holborn, W.C.

Pea Hero of Trowbridge.— A very fine va.
riety, noted for cropping and flavour ; height
■4 feet, and valuable in a dry season. Mr. Stokes.

Pea Boston Unrivalled.— A very fine Marrow
variety, 3 feet to 4 feet high, and an immense
cropper ; a fine midseason variety. From Messrs.
Johnson, Boston.

Pea Lord Graney.— A Marrow 3 feet to 4 feet
high, very free podder and of very good quality.
Mr. Harrison.

Pea Ne Plus Ultra.— A very fine type of a
well-known late variety, tall, with deep green
pods, still one of the best as regards crop and
quality, and, as growing at Chiswick, a very fine
stock.

Pea Lord Mayor. — A 5-feet variety with very
fine pods, well packed with Peas of superior
flavour ; a good late variety. Nutting and Sons.

Pe.a The Gladstone. — A dwarf variety, curved
pods well filled with Peas of excellent quality.
Mr. Holmes.

Pea Vilmorin's Tall Butter Sugar —A very
prolific variety, large fleshy pods, with an absence
of tough skin. This is a fine addition to this class
of Pea. From Messrs. Vilmorin, Paris.

TuRNii' Jersey Lily.- A very fine type of
summer Turnip, globe-shaped, pure white with
solid flesh ; an excellent dry weather variety noted
for its sweetness. From Messrs. Carter.

Turnip Early Snowbaj.l. — A very fine type,
perfect in shape, with small top, flesh very solid
and pure white. From Messrs. Sutton.

Turnip Bed Globe. — A very handsome sort,
excellent for dry seasons and late sowing. From
Messrs. Veitch, Chelsea.

Turnip Cattell's Silver Ball. — An excellent
variety both as regards flavour and shape. Messrs.
Dobbie and Co.

Turnip Flat Forcing.— A variety after Early
Milan, of good quality and colour. From Mr.
Heinemann.

The lecture on "New Roses' by the Rev. J. H.
Pemberton was well attended. It was read by
the assistant secretary. The lecturer went into
the merits of new Roses raised within the last
seven years only. He stated there had been a
great advance in Rose culture, and of course with
so many raising new varieties many must be in-
ferior. He gave the standard required by the
National Rose Society for new Roses, and noted
the great improvement since 1882 in the Hybrid
Tea Roses, Mr. Bennett at that period doing much
to improve this class of rose. Ho considered
Roses of the Grace Darling type excellent. We
had room for Roses that combined form with
sweetness. In naming a few of what he con-
sidered the best Roses raised during the past
seven years he would be obliged to omit many
which rosarians would think worth including.
He stated there was an opening for new va-
rieties if raisers would pay more attention to
fragrance. He did not think mere size of bloom
should be the main point. The chairman invited
discussion and touched upon several points in Mr.
Pemberton's notes. Sir A. Arbuthnot thought
theN.RS. should recognise the merits of small
Roses. He considered fragrance and shape de-
serving of more notice, and named several Rosea
of great merit the N.R.S. did not admit as show
flowers. Some of them were very beautiful.
A hearty vote of thanks was given for the paper,
several gentlemen having taken part in the dis-
cussion.

Notes of the Week.

Phloxes.— The present time is not favourable
to these. In the moist recesses of the bog or near
a running stream, Phloxes, like the Astilbes, are
much more at home than in the ordinary border
where water cannot be given them.

The Orange Silkweed (Asclepias tuberosa).
—The dry season seems to have suited Asclepias
tuberosa, as it is finer than usual at Oakwood. I
send you a specimen, and a seedling Lychnis chal-
cedonica, the pale colour of which looks well with
the scarlet form.— George F. Wilson, Heafher-
hajik, Weybridge.

Campanula carpatica. — For some days this
has been flowering abundantly with other mem-
bers of this genus, and its pale blue flowers in a
strong tuft are very pretty. Its white variety is
also a good plant, both growing about 15 inches
high, and forming dense tufts of growth that
perish each year.

Magnolia macrophylla grows splendidly at
Aix-les-Bains, in Savoy. They call it there arbori-
folia. The blossoms, with the magnificent leaves,
are sold in the market at 3d. each. They are
beautiful in a large vase. But it has no scent,
and perhaps M. grandiflora when a branch of it
is cut, as is commonly done at Aix, is the more
charming of the two.— B. Marlay.

A double Sweet Pea.— We send herewith
some blossoms of a Sweet Pea which we are sure
you will admit are a good step towards a double
flower. You will observe that the standards are
produced in duplicate and sometimes triplicate,
and this feature makes the blossom far more at-
tractive than has hitherto been the case when
only one has appeared.— James Carter & Co.

Potentillas are now gay with a multitude of
their variously coloured flowers, and among these

52

THE GAKDEX.

[July 18, 1896.

the clear yellow and golden varieties come out
conspicuously. Particularly good is Vase d'Or.
The tnahogany coloured anci gold and scarlet are
more numerous, but all very .=hony and alike ser-
v:ceable in the rock garden or the border, and,
given a good depth of rich soil, very free flowering.

Lilium Lowi.— There are several plants of this
now in flower in No. 7 greenhouse at Kew. The
plants in question are each about 2 feet high and
carry one or more of the flowers, which are dis-
tinct from those of all other members of this
genus. E.vternally the flowers are white and
flushed with green and chocolate, and internally
densely spotted with crimson. In form the flowers
are distinctly bell-shaped.

Gentiana semptemfida.— This is one of the
most attractive of the Gentian family in flower at
the present time. The plant is well suited to
cool and rather moist spots in the rock garden,
thriving well in gritty loam, or equally so in a
mi.xture of (>eat, leaf-soil, and loam. The clear
azure-blue flowers appear in a terminal cluster on
a stem a foot or more high, with a disposition to
a somewhat decumbent habit when left to itself.

Eryngium alpinum.— Just now there is a
very handsome group of this in the rock garden
at Kew, the great heat of the year evidently suit-
ing the plant to a nicety, and day by day the in-
volucres, as also the stems, are deepening in
colour. The latter are of a beautiful blue tint
peculiar to the genus and are very striking.
Very interesting also is the way the bees throng
the plants in quest of food.

Begonia Crimson Gem. — A noteworthy kind
because of its dwarf stature and freedom of flower-
ing. It is little more than ft inches high even
when planted out, and therefore a serviceable
plant in many bedding arrangements in the gar-
den. The bronzy crimson hue of its foliage is
almost as welcome and attractive as its pretty
masses of flowers. A pair of beds filled with this

Lonicera sempervireES minor.— This ex-
cellent climber is too seldom seen in the cool
greenhouse, a place eminently suited to its well-
being as also its free-flowering. Though (|uite
hardy in positions not too much exposed, it should
be more frequently seen in the greenhouse.
Under cultivation of this kind the plant seldom
fails to satisfy, but the plants in the open are in
many instances this year a failure, through the
blight which has been so prevalent.

Lilium pardalinum.— This handsome species
is now finely in flower, the stems ranging from 7
feet to 9 feet high, and even more than this where
the bulbs are in a moist peat bed and well esta-
blished. With shade and continuous root moisture
this is indeed a fine Lily, and the tall orange
flowers, which are freely spotted with dark spots,
make a telling display. This is a Lily that any
may grow. There is much variety of form and
colour, though perhaos the type is still among the
beet of them all.

Nierembergia rivularis.— A low-growing
plant of creeping habit, that forms quite a carpel
of its small leaves, that are again freely covered
with large white blossoms. The plant is always
best in very moist positions, though it sometimes
happens in winter that it perishes if frost is
very severe. Some plants that I planted in the
drier parts of the bog were very satisfactory,
spreading out into large patches nearly 2 feet
across and flowering freely. Many of the creep-
ing roots got beneath the stones, and in this way
were saved from the severe winter. The plant
makes free growth in any moist soil. — E.

Gladiolus Lemoinei.— This is now flowering
gaily in the mixed border, where it quickly suc-
ceeds suf.h kinds as G. insignis, ColviUei albus,
and others of the hardier r3ce of these beautiful
and useful flowers. Indeed, in the large border
of mixed things these should always be included,
as there are many varieties that are quaint!
Flowenng early, too, is a strong point, favouring
a freer use of them. If planted as permanent sub-
jects it will be best to plant quite 6 inches deep at

first, and with a good depth of soil below they
soon form an attractive group.

Abutilon Golden Fleece.- A very showy
member of this free-flowering race of greenhouse
shrubs, that are amenable to a variety of uses
both in the garden and greenhouse. Plants that
are trained in the greenhouse and become esta-
blished, flower quite freely, and the large blos-
soms are then most attractive. Smaller plants in
pots, if plunged or in other ways restricted at
the roots, flower quite freely in the open in
vases or beds, while in sub-tropical arrangements
such things may always be used with good results.

A fine Tansy-leaved Thorn. — Some years
ago a ([uestion was asked in The G.^rden as to
the sizeof the largest trees of Tansy-leaved Thorn
in Britain. The tree here was considered the
largest in Britain. The height is .3(i feet ;
diameter, 37 feet ; height of stem, 5 feet 9 inches,
and girth at 2 feet from the ground, 6 feet. The
tree in question stands at the entrance of the
favourite walk of the late Lord Byron and
fruits freely, the fruit, about the size of a small
Crab Apple and showy, being of a yellowish
orange colour. — R. Drai'ER, Seaimm Hall d'aidenx.

Carnation Baby Castle.— Among good and
free-flowering border kinds this is perhaps one of
the most useful and pleasing. It is of such a free
growth, so very hardy and enduring that no
wonder it is among the most popular kinds that
are grown. It is not a show flower because of its
cut edge, though it is really of greater value than
dozens of the more formal kinds by reason of the
pleasing rose - pink shade of colour and its
freedom of blooming. Some large unlayered
clumps are producing wondrous masses of flowers,
the latter fully ecjual to those of last year's layers.

Gypsophila paniculata. —The elegant sprays
of blossom produced by this plant are largely
grown at Claremont for cutting where it is
deemed of much worth. Some sprays of it
arranged with Raby Castle Carnation, Gaillardia,
Coreopsis lanceolata, Old Crimson Clove, together
with a spray of Asparagus plumosus, in some vases
before us make a very pleasing arrangement at
once elegant and graceful-looking. It should be
noted that the older stems of this plant do not
take the water and quickly perish, while the
younger twigs take it more readily. The plant is
easily raised from seed, and soon forms quite
large bushes if planted in good ground.

Lathyrus latifolius albus.- Few border
subjects can surpass the best forms of this old-
fashioned perennial Pea, whether from a decora-
tive point of view or for cutting. The true plant
has blossoms that are both pure and very sub-
stantial, the flowers being produced in large
sprays that are most useful for vase decoration.
Both this and the rose coloured form are specially
adapted for trailing or training to trellises and
similar places. We are reminded of a large rail-
way embankment that each year is aglow with
the' flowers of the rose-coloured variety. In this
place it rambles at will and flowers with the
greatest profusion for a considerable time.

The Flame Flower in Sussex. —Enclosed
please find one flower " trail " of Tropai'olum spe-
ciosum over :i feet long. The plant is growing
on the north side of Mr. Balchin's house, and I
could cut a dozen shoots at the present time. It
is over 8 feet high and very full of flower ; it
grows very strong. I thought it might interest
some of your readers to know that it will grow in
the south. I find it likes plenty of moisture. I
also send you a spike of Crinum, which is very
sweet scented. Crinums are not so much grown
as they ought to be. I have also had Trop:eolum
polyphyllum on the south front of the house full
of flower and quite 4 feet high.— W. Richardson',
Hassocks Xururies, Susttx.

Tulip Tree(Liriodendrontulipifera). — Wehave
growing here what I should consider a fine speci-
men of this tree. For the last three weeks it has
been in full bloom, and up till now (July 6) there
is a fine show of blossoms. The tree is 1 1 feet 6
inches in diameter at 3 feet from the ground.

There is a clear stem of 15 feet on one side, and
on the side of the tree facing the south are five
large limbs, the bottom one about 6 feet from the
ground, and the other four at distances from 3
feet to 4 feet ; the height is just over GO feet. I
have not been able to find the age of this tree.
It is in the most robust health, and makes strong
healthy growth annually. — Wm. Christison,
Kiilhroohe Pari; Foresf Roii; Sussix.

Fuchsia triphylla.- When well grown this
distinct species is still one of the most charming
of the genus. The peculiar colour is also by no
means common among the numerous kinds that
have been raised from time to lime. If memory
serves me rightly, Mr. George Fry, of Lewisham,
whe has raised a large number of varieties of
Fuchsias, once told me that he had employed this
species upon more than one occasion with good
results. To get it in good condilion it appears to
require more warmth than many kinds. Recently
in Mo. 7 greenhouse at Kew a large group of
plants was flowering splendidly, and the glow-
ing cinnabar tone of its clusters of drooping
flowers made it one of the most attractive of the
pot plants then in bloom. Dwarf growing and
distinct, both in habit and blossom, are points that
should render this fine plant much more popular
than at present it appears to be.

Public Gardens.

Fortune Green, "West Hampstead. — The

residents of West Hampstead are making efforts
to preserve the open space known as '■ Fortune
Green" as a playground and place of recreation.
The green, which was formerly waste of the
manor of Hampstead, has been used as a village
green for many years, and is still largely used for
outdoor games, but it was recently decided that
the public had no playing rights over it. As the
result of a memorial from the inhabitants, the
Hampstead Vestry have recently promised to
contribute £3000, leaving a sum "of £5000 to be
raised, which includes the price of three cottages
and gardens adjoining the green. The secretary
to the committee of residents is Mr. F. Reeves
Jones, Woodlea, Ajax Road, West Hampstead,
who will be glad to receive communications from
any willing to assist the committee in their object.

The weather in West Herts.- On each o^
the last thirteen days the shade temperature has
risen above 72°, and on five of those days exceeded
80^ On the 14th inst. it reached 85°, which is
the highest reading in shade as yet recorded here
this summer. Although the days were so warm,
several of the nights during that period proved
quite cold for the time of year, consequently the
range in temperature was then very great, on
three occasions amounting to 33' and on one other
to 35°. The ground temperatures are still very
high, even for midsummer, that at 1 foot deep
being 1S° above, and at 2 feet deep 0° above their
respective averages for the middle of July. Since
June 10 only about half an inch of rain has fallen,
and for more than three weeks no measurable
quantity of rain-water has come through either
percolation gauge. My lawns are again quite
brown, so that the drought may be said to have
again set in. The air has been lately very dry
and calm, and on most days there has been an un-
usually good record of sunshine. On the 13lh the
difference between the readings of an ordinary
thermometer and one with its bulb kept constantly
moist amounted to as much as 19° at 3 p.m. —
E. M., Berkhamsted.

Woburn Fruit Farm.— We are asked to
state that Mr. Spencer Pickering will be very
pleased to meet any horticulturi-ts at the Woburn
Experimental Fruit Farm, Ridgmont, L.N.W.
Railway, on either the 20th or 24th of this month.
Visitors are requested to send a notice of their
intentions to Mr. Pickering, Harpenden, Herts,
not. later than three days before their proposed
visit.

THE GAEDEN.

53

No. 1288. SA TUFDA Y, July 25, 1896.

"TblsUan Art
Which does mend Nature : change It rather ; but
Thk Art itself is Natpek."— SAoiejpeare.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

ESPALIER PEARS.

The fact that while the majority of Pear trees
ou walls are this season without fruit, the
espalier-trained trees almost without exception
are exceedingly well cropped, increases my
liking for this mode of training, and strengthens
my conviction that in hot, dry autumns like
that of last year the development and matura-
tion of the buds are more natural and ceitain
on espaliers than on wall trees. I can think of
nothing else that can account for the wide
diflFerence in fniitfulnesa between the two sec-
tions this season, as the espalier trees bore
quite as heavily last year as the wall trees,
which proves that the barrenness of the latter
was not caused by the strain of over- cropping.
The good old Jargonelle is fruiting grandly, and
I am quite convinced of the superiority of fruit
(if this standard variety from espaliers over
that grown on at least hot sunny walls,
maturity being often so very hurried in such
positions during a spell of tropical weather.
Fruit from espaliers also, if gathered in the
nick of time, keeps much better than that from
walla. That most useful December Pear
Beurre d'Aremberg, a capital substitute for
Winter Nelis where the latter does not do well,
has needed much thinning this season on
espaliers, and the tree is making capital
growth. Even when the wall trees of this
variety bear a full crop, which they generally
do, the first from espaliers ripening at a later
date lengthens the season of supply by a fort-
night. Beurre d Aremberg is one of the most
useful Pears for dessert. Doyenn6 du Comice
is an excellent espalier Pear, care, however,
being necessary in well thinning out the old
spurs and shoots so as to admit plenty of sun
and air to secure perfect ripeness and the forma-
tion of fruit buds. If this is neglected it is apt
to fruit only on the terminal growths. The
fruit on espaliers always hangs quite a fortnight
after that from wall trees is gathered, this being
a great boon, especially in early seasons, when
Pears of this type come in with a glut and are
gone in no time. The fruit from my trees is
almost as well flavoured as from the walls,
though certainly not so large. President de la
Cour, although somewhat ahy except after
very sunny autumns, is this year bearing
a fair ciop of fruit, but in this district, at
any rate, this Pear needs a sunny wall. I
have seen fruit of this variety from a wall tree
growing in strong retentive soil at Cauuton
Manor of great size and excellent flavour.
Beurre de Capiaumont, a Pear not half so much
grown in private gardens as it ought to be,
might easily be taken for another variety when
ripened on the south side of an espalier tree,
as there in warm summers it puts on a crimson
cheek much like Beurre Giffard, and deserves a
place at least with second-rate flavoured Pears.
The tree under my charge never misses a crop,
and the fruit keeps for a fair time after it is
fully ripe. The constant fertility of this Pear
is proved by the fact that so many trees are
planted by market growers in Kent and else-
where. Winter Nelis, a Pear of the first water
although somewhat small, should always be
planted, as it seldom misses a crop so grown, at

least on light, well-drained soil. Beurre
Clairgeau, though requiring a wall to bring out
its best virtues, is as prolific on an espalier as
Beurre de Capiaumont, and in spite of the sweep-
ing condemnations it has so frequently received
by Pear growers, I would advise a tree of it
being included, as it will prevent an emp'y
fruit room, even in the worst of seasons, and
half a loaf is better than none. A tree or two
of Louise Bonne of Jersey must be found room
for, as healthy trees are often quite a picture
with large bronzy cheeked fruits, which follow
wall fruit in ripening, and are, I think, of
equally as good flavour. The largest fruits of
Louise Bonne I have ever seen were on an old
espalier tree in Essex. I have both Beurr6
Diel and Beurre Ranee as espalier trees, and
although the trees were shy at first, time has
made them fertile. I cannot, however, recom-
mend them for growing away from walls, at
least in midland districts, more or less gritti-
nf ss being present in the fruit even in the best
of seasons. Flemish Beauty is quite at home
under this method of training, and does not
fall prematurely as it does from wall trees.
Finally that showy and useful Pear Souvenir
du Congres is an annual bearer and possesses
a most vigorous constitution, far more so in
fact than its parent, Williams' Bon Chrfetien.
Pitmaston Duchess fruits far more freely with
me on an espalier than on a south wall. As re-
cently pointed out by "A. W.," to be successful
with espaliers the accumulation of too much
wood must be prevented by judicious pruning,
thinning out the old spurs at intervals.
Xotts. J. Crawfokii.

Melon Eureka.— Grown alongside Hero of
Lockinee this fine Melon is several days in advance
of it and the quality is excellent. Although the
fruit is large, averaging quite 6 lbs., the plants
carry from four to six : the skin is light yellow,
thin and beautifully netted, the flesh quite red in
the centre, paling considerably towards the rind.
The plants are vigorous and free in growth, and I
should have had no ditEculty in setting a dozen
fruits on a plant had this been advisable. In cut-
ting the fruits, it is not wise to wait for the crack-

g around the stem as seen in some varieties, for

hen this occurs they will probably be over ripe,
and consequently the rich luscious flavour will be
lost.— R.

Peacli Waterloo.— This is now ripe in an un-
healed house and is an excellent first early variety.
The tree is a vigorous, healthy grower and the
fruits set freely. When quite ripe the skin is
yellowish green, brightly striped with red on the
side nearest the sun. The flesh is firm, yet juicy,
pale in colour, and of a brisk pleasant flavour.
Newly-planted trees obtained from a distance set
many more fruit than could be allowed to remain,
and although the growths were not cut back in
the way some cuUivators think necessary, the first
season after planting, the young shoots are very

tisfactory.- Grower.

Thinning Apples and Paars.— The advice
given to thin freely early in June will this season
have done good where watering has been at-
tended to. In some cases in light soils I have
never seen such a failure on small trees owing to
excessive drought and heat, the crop having
dropped wholesale, so that thinning was scarcely
needed. I note most of the Codlin type are crop-
ping better than usual, and in the case of bush or
pyramid trees I consider thinning, in spite of ad-
verse seasons, of great assistance in getting the
remainder of the fruit to swell freely. No matter
whether the fruit is required for home use or for
sale I strongly advise early thinning of Apples
and Pears. I notice those trees not thinned of
their fruit are much worse in every respect, as
they have cast a great deal more fruit and are in-
fested with insect pests and disease. On the
other hand, trees thinned early are clean, and

though a few fruits have dropped, those left are
making such progress that it will well repay the
cultivator, where practicable, to mulch and water
the trees. Many of the large kinds of Apples,
such as Lord Derby, Alfriston, Peasgood's Non-
such, Hawthornden, and other specially late
keepers, will well repay early thinning. In my
own case I wish it had been practicable to thin
the larger trees, but want of labour was the
drawback. In cases where thinning has been ne-
glected much good would follow removal of small,
useless fruit in the case of late keeping Pears and
Apples. I notice many of the largest kinds of
Pears, such as Pitmaston Duchess, are doing
grandly where early thinning was practised, and
though thinning early in June requires care, it
will readily be seen which fruits are taking the
lead. Where the fruits are in huge clusters they
cannot finish well. — W. S.

SEASONABLE WORK AMONG WALL
FKUIT TREES.
Wall fruit trees are once more claiming atten-
tion, as they have made a considerable amount of
growth since the first stopping. The young
shoots then fastened back to the wires or wall also
require an additional tie or shred and nail as the
case may be to keep them flush with the wall.
Where many wall trees are grown it takes up the
principal part of one man's time to attend to
them at this season of the year— thai is if they
are to be maintained in good order— but this is
iterbalanced by the fact that such well-
cared-for trees really require less pruning in win-
ter time, and from a labour point of view this is
a gain. Stopping carried out in a sensible man-
ner renders the trees more fruitful and leads to
the formation of fruiting spurs, while the tacking
or tying back of theyouig shoots retained ensures
more thorough ripening of the wood than would
) the case if they were allowed to project some
distance from the wall. Both combined also pre-
vent the fruit becoming unduly shaded, and the
tips of the shoots and undersides of the leaves
can also be the more easily cleansed when the
young wood is kept well f.astened back to the
wall. In some cases Morello Cherries will not
have had attention in this way yet, but I fail to
see the advantage to be gained by the delay, as
the trees should be ready for netting as soon as
the fruits commence to colour. The longer tack-
ing or tying in is delayed the more difiicult it is
to accomplish, as the wood becomes stiff and
brittle, and if not carefully manipulated the
young shoots will break clean out at the base.
These shoots must be well thinned out, but at the
same time a sufiSciency should be left to well fur-
h the tree with bearing wood for the ensuing
season. All not required are best cut clean out ;
! not necessary to have spurs in Morello
Cherry trees on walls. The trees of the sweet or
dessert kinds should be well cleansed so soon as
they are cleared of their crops. Stop back to four
or five buds all superfluous growths, and fasten
back in a neat manner all retained for extension.
The breastwood on Apricot trees needs pinching
back to within one or two buds from where
previously stopped, and all lateral growths on
young wood laid in should be stopped in the same
manner. Continue to lay in a young shoot
wherever room can be found without crowding,
for there is no telling how soon it may be wanted
to take the place of some adjacent branch that
may die off suddenly. Give a final look over to
the crop on the trees on west walls, and do not
hesitate to thin should thev appear too close to-
gether. On south walls the fruits of the Large
Early variety will be ripening fast, and the Moor
Park and other kinds are also swelling freely.
Until the fruits commence to soften wash the
trees as often as labour and supply of water will
allow, and this in a measure will keep earwigs at
bay. Now is the time to apply stimulants and
water with no unstinted hand if fine, juicy and
richly flavoured fruits are expected. Peach trees,
including Nectarines, should be looked over for
the last time, 'and any growths not actually

54

T'HE GARDEN.

[July 25, 1896.

needed removed. Thinning of the fruit should
have been completed ere this, and the principal
conditions to observe now are to keep the foliajre
clfan by w.^shing as often as circumstances will
allow, attending to root waterings when required,
which H best ascertained by testing the soil in
the bDrders every other week, and applying
stimulanw either in a solid or liquid form, ac-
cording to the condition of the trees. Also give
attention to mulching, and renew the same
should that previously applied have become worn
out.

The thing to be most dreaded at this time of
the year, especially during a dry time like the
present, is red spider attacks. On light soils spider
is almost sure to be troublesome, and it will also
put in an appearance where the water supply is
inaiequate. Daily washings with cle.nn cold
water will keep down att.icks, but where water
cannot be had or spared, the trees should be
syringed with seme inseoticide. This should only
be re-orted to as a last neeessitv, as I do not care
to make use of insecticides aft«r the fruits com-
mence their 6nal swelling. The Alexander Peach,
a* usual, will maintain its claim to be a first-rate
early kind, and the fruits are colouring and swell-
ing fast towards maturity.

Turning to Plums, mnny fruits have fallen dur-
ing stoning, but there is still enough left on the
tress. It will certainly be a record year for those
two fane yellow Plums. Jefferson's and Golden Drop
All trees of these two kinds are well laden. Growth
was somewhat crippled by aphides in all cases
early in the season, but after the latter were sub-
dued, the trees grew away freely and have made
a great deal of secondary growth. This should
be pin-hed back and any necessary fastening back
of young shoots attended to. In the case of old
Plum trees it is a good plan to retain young shoots
at intervals all over the trees to take the place of
the old and worn out branches. If there is not
room to fasten the.=e back to the wall they may
be trained on the face of the old branches keep
ing them in place with a few ties of rartia. There
are not; many places where methodical washing of
Plum trees c .n be followed out ; nevertheless it
IS an excellent practice tending to keep the trees
\^? ?> ° ^^^'^^'"S the fruits to swell to a

gooa size. By the same rule watering is eenerallv
neglected, to say no-hing about the application
of stimulants, and Plum trees are generally re-
garded as not being sufficiently valuable to war-
rant so much time and labour being bestowed on
thetn in this direction. Trees that do receive
careful attention in these matters are always more
productive and as a natural sequence keep much
attacks*" ^"'* trouble in the way of insect

Pear trees will need another look over, stopping
back all secondary growths. Pay great attention
to the training of young shoots whether they be
leaders to cordons or extensions at the ends of
horizontal and fan trained trees. Heavily cropped
trees should be lightened by a judicious thinning

tre;s!t wm h«Tt '" 'K'^'" °f ^"^don-trained
trees it will be labour well spent if they are given
occasional root waterings of diluted liquid ma-
nure. I. this cannot be done they should most
^^^^ ,r "■^'*'' ^'P^'^'^^^y during such a dry
Mason ae the present. To prevent too rapid
evaporation taking place, renew the surface mulch
as often as is necessary, and an occasional washing
o the foliage will do an immense amount of good
during a epeU of hot, dry weather. A. \V.

Strawberry Latest of All.-This variety
appears likely to be rather largely grown for it
possesses qualities that cannot be ignored by
growers of this fruit. It is of vigorous growth
sets freely, and the berries come larglr than
A,r,f v'' '^"'^'y r'^ ^^'""^ ^ ^'^ acquainted,
f„ ?^; t ffr- r'^''^' ^^^^Pt^d. In a garden
m the neighbourhood I saw some frait Sf this
variety some of which could have been little
short of 2 r.z,. ,n weight. The plants that yielded
LhI H ^^^"" u""^ e^'^eptionally small ; so small,
indeed, that the gardener hesitated as to whether
he should set them out in the autumn. They ap.

peared to be the last runners that the plants
made, and the weight of fruit and size of berries
as compared with the crowns and foliage struck
me as being phenomenal. The only fault is that
the fruit is pale in colour, but this is compensated
for by the flavour, which resembles that of British
Queen, so useless in the majority of gardens on
account of its shy-bearing character. I cannot,
however, understand why the raiser gave it the
name it bears, as it is but little later than Presi-
dent and Sir J. Paxton, to which excellent varie-
ties it forms a good succession. It is evident
that Mr. Laxton recognised very sterling and
ceptional qualities in this Strawberry, for crossed
with Noble it has given Leader, which appears
be an exceptionally fine kind. Latest of All
self is a seedling from British Queen, crossed
with Helena Gloede, so that after many yea
seems probable we are on the point of seeing our
markets well supplied with Strawberries that
possess the true British Queen flavour.— J. C.

Pear Citron des Carmes.— What a poor
thing this is in a dry season like this year and la;
I should say oie good sized tree is enough for
whole parish, as the fruit begins to get discoloured
in the centre before it leaves the tree. It is also
both deficient in juice and flavour, and when
wet time occurs the fruit cracks so much as to be
unpresentable at table. On the Quince stock I
hnd this sort fruits in a young state and also
freely. It makes a good standard tree, but wha
IS the use of having a lot of Pears that will only
keep about twelve hours V Doyenne dKle, which
ripens at the same time as the above, is a much
better Pear although smaller in size, the flavour
being better.— J. C. C.

CURRANTS AND GOOSEBERRIES AS
TRAINED TREES.
On seeing last autumn in Norfolk a most prolific
lot of Gooseberry trees, which were trained to a
wire fence surrounding an orchard, I could
not help thinking that the adaptability for
training, both of the Gooseberry and Currant
was not recognised as it ought to be, and that
the system was admirably suited, not only for
producing size of berry, but also the highest
quality in many of the finest dessert Goose-
berries, which are not always satisfactory when
ripened under dense shade on ordinary bushes.
Tfie trees in question were trained in the
ordinary fan fashion, wire netting of good
height having been fixed to the fence to keep
out rabbits. A space of 2 feet had been
specially prepaied for the roots, a good quantity
of rich manure had been incorporated, and a
thick mulch of leafy material applied as soon as
the fruit was set. How many similar fences
might be utilised in the same way, especially
where pounds, shillingsand penceare aconaidera-
tion, as the best dessert sorts so grown would
by reason of their extra good appearance and
quality always command a good price in first-
rate shops. Both Gooseberries and red and
white Currents also do very well grown on the
walls of fruit houses, sheds, and similar jJaces,
the best form being the ordinary fan or
candelabrum, both of which are sold by nursery-
men for the purpose. In one garden in Kent
these two fruits were trained up the back walls
of a range of forcing houses of medium height,
the aspect being north, and they were not only
ornamental, but useful, the fruit in this case
ripening at a somewhat late date, and so pro-
longing the supply. Although a border had been
prepared it was not visible as the gravel was
laid over it to make it correspond wiih the
rest of the path. To give the trees the best
chance, however, the border should remain un-
covered, to allow of full ingress of sun and air.
The draiUHge and compost should be lim lar to
those of a Vine border, and in dry summers good '

rich mulchings and copious manurial waterings
must be given, as a dry root run will cause
wholesale dropping of the fruit and disfigure-
ment oi the leaves by red spider. This tire-
some Gooseberry pest, together with the too
well-known caterpillar, can be kept at bay
with comparative ease under this form of cul-
ture, as every leaf and shoot can be reached by
the spray from the g.-irden ergine or band
syringe, a good dressing with quassia extract
where the trees are dormant, and a second as
soon as the fruit is set generally sufficing. The
chief advantage gained by this system is a suc-
cession of fruit for dessert, but the mere cover-
ing of unsightly walls, altogether apart from
the yield of fruit, repays the labour. Some
varieties are more suitable for training than
others. Whitesmith and White Champagne
amongst whites ; Golden Drop, Golden Sion,
and Yellow Champagne amongst yellows ;
Green Gage or Early Green Hairy, Glenton
Green and Keepsake amongst greens, and
Warrington, Red Champagne, Whinham's In-
dustry, Keens' Seedling and Crown Bob
amongst reds being the best, all having good
constitutions and bearing fruit of good flavour.
Of Currants, La Versaillaise and the White
Grape are as good as any. J. CKA^VFOED.

POULTRY IN APPLE ORCHARDS.
For many years I have advocated the introduc-
tion of poultry into Apple orchards, maintaining
that they do good service in two very distinct
modes — firstly, by manuring the ground ; and,
secondly, by the destruction of the insects and
grubs that by bernate in the soil. It was, there-
fore, with very much pleasure that I read in the
" Bulletin on Apple Culture," from the Rhode
Island Agricultural Station, a confirmation of my
opinion. This bulletin is certainly one of the
most valuable that I have received from this so-
ciety. I may, therefore, be excused for calling
attention to some of the most important facts
that appear in it. It is stated in the introduc-
tion that the adoption of the spray pump against
insects has given a new impetus to the growth of
Apples in the State. Orchards that have been
ne.;lected for years are now being pruned and
fertilised and made productive and profitable.
We are told that the market period of the Apple
has been prolonged by the use of cold storage, fo
that the ripening process has been retarded, and
fresh Apples are now sold throughout the entire
year, the superior Apples being used in this man-
ner. As in England so in America, Apple trees
are only profitable under favourable conditions,
where the soil is good, the trees neither old nor
overcrowded, and properly pruned and manured.
In England the trees in old orchards are often
left entirely uncared for year after year. In the
profitable orchards in Rhode Island they aie
dressed with farmyard manure during winter, or
with wood ashes, and in some cases with artificial
manures. Near the coast they are manured with
seaweed, and the experiment has been tried of
growing nitrogen-gathering crops combined with
chemical manures. In some places crimson
Clover is cultivated, which grows later in the
on than red Clover, and is cut and used for a
mulch about the trees or ploughed into the soil in
the summer. This mulching often prevents
Apples dropping prematurely from drought. In
place of growing the trees as tall standards, Mr.
Kinney, the reporter, advocates leaving the lower
branches of the Apple trees to shield the soil and
prevent its being dried by the sun. Engravings
are given, showing the number of fruit-buds on
branches properly exposed to the sunlight and
those in partial shade. It appears that the
Bordeaux mixture, well known in this country,
is used as a spray for Apple trees to destroy
fungi and insects, the first spraying being given
before the flowers have opened, the second
after the trees have passed out of blossom, and

JoLY 25, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

55

tubfcquently others if necefeaiy. The foimula
ueed at the Experiment Station to prepare the
Bordeaux mixture is 6 lb. of sulphate of copper,
4 lb. cf lime, and from 20 to 40 gallons of water,
with 1 oz. of Paris green in each 10 gallons.

The Apple maggot appears to be extending in
America, attacking the favourite Baldwin, which
is so well known as being imported largely into this
country, and rendering it entirely unfit for use.
But the spraying the trees with Bordeaux mixture
and Paris green has appeared to prevent all serious
attacks cf this insect. In the mature stage this
insect is a fly, which deposits its egga in the pulp
of the Apple beneath the skin. The joung mag-
gots grow within the fruit, which they render
worthless, and «hcn mature emerge from the
Apple and go into the ground, lying in the pupa
state beneath the turf&co soil among the grass
rcots. Samples cf the earth, 6 inches square,
were taken, and the number of maggots under the
trees varied, according to the size, from 1600
to more than 12,(iO(i under each tree, the pup;c
somewhat resembling kernels of wheat.

Now comes the point w hich was particularly in-
teresting to me. The experiment was tried as to
whether poultry, if confined to a small range and
encouraged to scratch, would destroy these pupa.
A large movable wire fence was placed about a
tree whose fruit had been destroyed by insects.
One side of the fence was raised, and about fifty
hens were called into the enclosure. The fence
was let down, and they were confined to the space
around the tree. As soon as they had eaten the
corn they naturally began to scratch for the
pupae, and in the course of three or four days it
was found that the latter had disappeared. As
these insects remain in the pupa state from the
fall of the Apple to the following spring when
they appear, it may be expected that next year
the number of flies breeding the Apple maggot will
be greatly diminished in the localities where the
plan is followed.

From personal experience, extending over many
years, I can speak positively of the advantages of
allowing fowls and chickens a free range in Apple
orchards ; they not only manure the soil and
destroy all insects harbouring in it, but they find,
for some weeks at least, a considerable proportion
of their own food — the windfalls, which they
devour greedil}' with any grubs they may contain.
The raising of poultry for sale may be much more
advantageously carried on where the land is made
to produce two crops, namely. Apples and eggs,
than where one only is gathered.— W. B. Ti;i;et-
MEIEK, in Fithl.

LONG-CROPPING STRAWBERRIES.
Strawberries difTer very much in regard to the
time they continue to yield fruit, some varieties,
like many of the Peas, maturing their crop all at
once, the smaller fruit seldom swelling. Other
sorts there are, and these are invaluable for small
gardens where a great variety cannot be accom-
modated, that continue to swell and ripen their
fruit over a considerably longer period, the last
to ripen being almost as large as the first.
Amongst these must be mentioned Gunton Park.
This grand Strawberry, which ripens its first set
of fruit soon after Royal Sovereign, continues its
supply fully a fortnight after this is done with.
Moreover, the fruit is borne upon stout, erect
stems, and thus is kept from contact with the
damp ground or mulching and from the attacks
of slugs. This year, just as the fruit of Noble
and Royal Sovereign was ripening, a good many
heavy showers of rain fell, which had the effect
of bringing to the surface a colony of slugs, many
of the best fruit being consequently spoilt ; on
the other hand, although similar weather pre-
vailed when Gunton Park was ripening, not more
than half a dozen fruit were touched by these
pests. I saw recently in one trade catalogue that
this Strawberry had only one drawback, " this
being a white ncse," but I think this statement
is incorrect, and therefore misleading, as every
fruit on my three long rows of plants coloured
beautifully to the tips. Another variety s'eld'om

heard cf and belonging to this ccntinuous cropping
section is Premier, a Hertfordshire raised Straw-
berry of great merit. I was recommended to try
it as a substitute for Sir Joseph Paxton, as that
standard variety would not crop with me.
Premier is very similar to Sir Joseph in appear-
ance and not'unlike it in flavour, but its liuit,
like that of Gunton Park, is home on stout, up-
right stems, and fruit of gocd size may be gathered
for fully three weeks. It is cne of the very
best preserving Strawberries I know, as the deep
rich colour gees right into the centre of the fruit.
Although these two Strawberries prefer a some-
what strong foil, they will succeed well in a
medium cne if liberally mulched early in the
season before the spring winds, coupled with sun
heat, deprive the ground of all the moisture.
Although Gunton Park and Premier do not
Ectually belorg to the late kinds, jet I believe
they would prove most valuable on a north
border, to come in between the ordinary crop and
such really late varieties, as Elton Pine and
Oxonian. C. C. H.

Dwaifisg stocks v. drought.— The drought
that has now lasted over three months is now-
aggravated by excessive heat and drying winds
with dewless nights. Fruit trees are suffering
very much ; in fact the continuous dropping of
the young fruit has already left many of the trees
that had a fair crop set with hardly a fruit on
them. Doubtless this is partially due to having
had several years in succession a very short rain-
fall, whilst last year's heavy crop of fruit left
many trees in an exhausted condition. The most
noticeable fact in connection with this trying
season is that while trees on free stocks are hold-
ing their own as regards making young growth,
those on dwarfing stocks appear to be dwarfed
too much by the combined effects of stock and
drought. I have a row of Williams' Bon Chretien
Pear planted on good fresh soil, free stock and
Crab being planted alternately. Those on the
Crab are scarcely making any wood at all,
although (juite young trees. The same thing is to
be observed with many Apples. Although I have
been a great admirer of dwarfing stocks, I feel
sure that if our seasons are going to continue like
the past few years we shall need no dwarfing
stocks— at least on these soils. I am well aware
of what can be done with mulching and copious
watering, but if hardy fruits are grown for profit,
it will militate considerably against dwarfed trees
if mulching and watering are absolutely necessary
to get even average sized trees and fruits. The
past winter was remarkable for being both mild
and dry. Spring was almost entirely free from
showers, while the summer thus far has been con-
tinuously dry and with bright sunshine far above
the average, so that surface rooting stocks, unless
artificially supplied with water, are suffering
severely. — J. Groom, Gosporl.

Kitchen Garden.

CONTINUOUS BEARING PEAS.
Early Peas beiirg such an important crop in
all gardens, Mr. Young's notes on thein in last
week's issue must have been read with interest.
I think, however, that after all the attention
that has of late years been given to the im-
provement of early and second early varieties, a
little should now be given to those varieties
valuable for their continuous bearing pro-
perties. This is perhaps not so important to
gardeners who happen to have a large area
which they can devote to Pea growing, as sow-
ings can be made so frequently as to prevent
the possibility of a break in the supply, but in
small gardens, growing many of those sorts
which mature the whole of their crop almost
simultaneously is decidedly a disadvantage,
is often difficult, even with the most careful
I s-elWtiDn, to keep up the supply. Of

there is not much choice in this matter so far
as the very earliest round-seeded Peas are con-
cerned, and all are obliged to grow more or less
of these for the sake of earliness alone. For-
tunately, however, there is more of a choice in
the second early and successional sections, some
varieties if well treated continuing to jield
over a much longer period than others, and
thosewhohaveproved thevalue of these asl have
done will not hurriedly ignore them for newer
kinds. One of the most valuable second early
blue wrinkled Peas I have ever grown is
Wordsley Wonder. It is of convenient height,
from 2| feet to 3 feet, is a prodigious cropper,
filling its pods very gradually and remaining in
an eatable state much longer than most sorts.
This will be found invaluable in gardens of a
warm sandy nature, as it is a capital drought-
resister. The flavour is excellent. Laxton's
Fillbasket belongs to the same category, its
flavour in my opinion being quite equal to that
of Ne Pius Ultra. If this Pea is well mulched
and watered several times, and in sandy soils
grown in shallow trenches, it will please even
the most fastidious, perfecting its latest forrned
pods and furnishing pickings over a long period.
A Pea of the highest merit, not only for its
continuous bearing habit and long-keeping
qualities, but also for its dark green col-
our and delicious flavour, is Criterion. One
gardener has just described it as the sum-
mer Ne Plus Ultra. Tall sticks are, however,
needed to support it, as in moist seasons
and on good deep soil it will grow to between
5 feet and 6 feet in height. Another Pea— of
the Stratagem type and height, but excelling
that grand old variety in the matter of con-
tinuous cropping— is Sharpe's Queen. A most
prodigious bearer, with great length of pod and
line dark green colour, it is, in addition to being
an exquisite table Pea, unequalled for exhibi-
tion. Sharpe's Queen, although apparently
not generally known, is much grown in Lincolri-
shire and South Notts. Autocrat, which is
classed as a late Pea, is one of the most valu-
able introductions of recent years, and certainly
as a continuous cropper cannot be beaten. This
fact, coupled with its convenient height and
splendid quality when cooked, renders it indis-
pensable for all gardens, whether small or great.
I have sown Autocrat on a light, warm soil
in a dry season with the second earlies, and
by the aid of a mulching and watering with
liquid manure have secured grand yields, the
bold vigorous haulm retaining its freshness to
the very last. Another splendid late variety is
found in Sturdy, a 3-feet Pea, vigorous m
growth and continuous in cropping, the very
Pea for shallow and warm soils. Ne Plus
Ultra, too well known to need describing, is in-
dispensable where sufficiently tall sticks are
procurable, and Walker's Perpetual Bearer, of
3 feet stature, complete a list of second early
main crop and late varieties sufficient for
limited-sized gardens where continuous bearing
is necessarily a consideration.

J. Ckawford.

Outdoor Tomatoes.— This season suits the
Tomato, and those who have spare walls to devote
to them will probably gather fine crops, at least,
if the later part of the summer is anything Irke
the beginning. I have a long wall about; 5 feet
high with west aspect, and about half of rt is de-
voted to Tomatoes, the varieties being Ham
Green and Perfection. The seed was sown in
February, the seedlings potted off singly into 3-
inch pots, and in March transferred to 6-inch
pots. By the middle of April they were fine
plants, showing fruit, and were stood outdoors to
harden them off. As the weather was quite warm
they were planted out the last week in April and

56

THE GARDEN.

[July 25, 1896.

nailed close to the wall at once. Although we
had several frost* in May the warmth of the wall
kept them quite safe. They grew away rapidly,
have nearly reached the top" of the wall, and are
regularly furnished with bunches of fruit from
base to summit. They are planted IJ feet apart
and kept closely pinched in to single stems, for
after trying all sorts of ways, I am convinced that
this is the only plan suitable to open-air culture.
The roots have been mulched with short manure,
and I am now giving water over this to swell up
the fruit. Some of the earliest are nearly fit for
cutting, and if you can get some good fruits ripe
in July and continue cutting through August and
September, outdoor Tomatoes are by no means a
poor crop. To get them thus early they must be
first-ra'e plants to start with, for small plants
put out of 3 inch pots in May will hardly have a
ripe fruit before September, and then all depends
on the weather. Last year we had exceptionally
hot dry weather right up to the end of September,
and the plants ripened fruit right up to the top of
the wall.— J. O., Gosporl.

PEAS FOR AMATECl

The majority of amateurs prefer to grow Peas of
medium stature, thus avoiding the use of tall
sticka, and being able to make the most of their
ground. «hich is often limited, by growing other
crops between the rows. If a little extra distance
is allowed between the rows, such things as dwarf-
topped Potatoes, or even Cauliflowers, in addition
to Spinach, may safely be ventured on, as sutii-
cient light and air will reach them to bring them
to perfection, and with care the Peas may be
gathered without injury to the other crops. A
few stout stirk^ driven in at intervals, and strong
twine taken from one to the other, are quite suffi-
cient to keep the haulm in its place, as these
shorter varieties are not influenced by hich winds
as are the taller sorts. Amateurs, as" well as
others, are generally anxious to pick Peas as soon
as possible, and many of them go to much pains
to gather at the end of May or early part of June.
This may pretty easily be accomplished by all
who have a cold frame, and few amateurs, indeed,
lack this convenience. Seed of either American
\\onder, English Wonder, Little Cem, Chelsea
Gem, or Wilham Hurst, if sown in 4,'i.inch pots
m December and plunged to the rim in the frame,
plenty of air being given through that month!
January and February, will produce plants
sturdy and strong, fit for transplanting to a warm
sheltered border in March, and qualified to afJ'ord
well-filled pods the last week in May. Amateurs
who have neither the room nor need for growing
a multiplicity of early varieties may well confine
themselves to Chelsea Gem and William Hurst,
for no two better early Peas can possiblv be
found, the former perhaps having the prefer-
ence. Then if a sowing in the open ground
ot either of these sorts is made when the frame-
raised bitch is planted out, it will follow on
just when wanted, the best plan for this class of
cultivators to adopt in order to secure a fairly
constant and good succession being to sow a fresh
row as soon as the previous one is through the
ground. To follow on, Wordslev Wonder is a
capital medium height Pea, standing dry weather
well and yielding immense crops, the flavour being
excellent. This Pea is not nearly so widely
known even amongst private girdeners as it
should be. Stratagem is a very worthy variety
of the same category as regards stature, and just
the Pea for amateurs whose soil may be neither
deep nor nch, as its thick, sappy haulm does not
collapse in a dry season in such a medium so
soon as that of many of the slender growing sort-
especially if a mulch of lawn mowings is applietl'
Sharpe 3 Queen, a fine blue Marrow, in height
about 2i feet, is a mo«t worthy companion to
btratagem, having a grand constitution and hold-
ing itself erect with the least support. This Pea
IS the most popular amateur's one for midseason
gatherings for many miles round this neighbour-
hood. Iti flavour U aa good as that of Ne
Plua I/ltra. Teitch'a Dwarf Mammoth, a Pea

of dwarf vigorous habit, is the very Pea for ama-
teurs who go in for exhibiting, coming in well for
early autumn shows and continuing to crop for a
considerable time. One or two sowings of the
now popular Autocrat to finish out the season
complete a list hard to surpass for the amateur
with either a limited or large area. Autocrat if
mulched and watered continues to bear longer
than any other sort I know, and although a little
taller than the foregoing, is easily supported by
sticks and twine. J. Ck.vwford.

Neuark.

PEA GRADL'S.

1 FORM EH 80 good an opinion of the above after a
season's trial that I came to the conclusion it
was one of the best of the lato Mr. Laxtou's
seedlings. I regret to see that in many places
this Pea is quite different from the original
type. Though received in sealed packets,
which should certainly be a guarantee of pure-
ness, my Gradus is not worth growing com-
pared with the original type. Fortunately, I
saved a small quantity of the true kind, as it
does so much better when well ripened, and as
it is not always convenient to send one's seed
order in December, I always get my forcing
seed well ripened for December sowing in pots.
I am aware the Pea soon deteriorates, and un-
less the rogueing is done carefully, the stock
soon gets mixed. I fear many will have con-
demned Gradus as a worthless variety when
they have been growing a different Pea alto-
gether. As I recommended Gradus in a short
note last season, I am induced to send this
note in defence of the true variety. The
original Pea sent out by Mr. Laxton grew
3 feet high, a distinct early Marrow, with seven
to nine Peas closely packed in a pod, and of large
size, the flavour superior to that of many of the
first earlies. For forcing I found it so good
that 1 grew it largely and omitted Duke of
Albany, which is taller, later, and less prolific.
I trust we shall not lose sight of this good
Pea, as, though there may be others equally
good, we have none too many 3 feet varieties
which can be sown early in the year and pro-
duce heavy crops at the end of May and early in
J une . Those who do not need very early Peaa and
who are short of space, if they can get the
original Gradus will, 1 am sure, be pleased with
it. For years I have studied the qualities of the
first early varieties with distinct Marrow blood,
and tested all noted for hardiness, and I find
those with a deep green colour, straight pod,
and good sized leaf resist cold winds better.
Gradus possesses these characteristics. The
spurious variety is much taller, 5 feet in
height, the foliage a lighter green, and the Peas
quite a fortnight later than those of the true
type. 1 could name other vegetables which
have suffered in a similar way and which should
have had the greatest care possible during the
growth of the seed. I am aware growers often
have to send their stocks far from home, and
cannot see them so often as necessary. This
mixing may be done unintentionally, but it is
not encouraging to the grower who purchases
the seed. In gardens where only a limited
amount can be spent a failure of any kind is a
serious matter. S. H. B.

NOTES FROM NEW JERSEY.
Wild Roses.— The flowering of these has been a
welcome feature. R. rugosa in its two varieties
forms great bushes, literally smothered with
flowers. Rosa multiflora (R. polyantha) has been
freely planted here in the shrub groups, but it
puzzles me somewhat owing to the quantity of
strong sharp spines along its rambling shoots. In
leaf growth, amazing profusion of snowy blossom
and scent it is identically the same as I knew it in

England, but it was there almost a thornless Rose,
whereas here it is as rough as a Dog RoFe. R.
lucida is plentiful in a wild state. By the time
this reaches you, R. Wichuriana will have ex-
panded its first flowers. We have two great
masses of it on a slope. It is clearly one of the
hardiest of wild Roses, and all who care for these
should grow it largely.

Wild Vines.— These are very beautiful now,
scrambling over stony banks, smothering low
bushes, and where opportunity occurs, clambering
to the top of tall Oaks and Maples. The great
size of the leaves and their varied shapes, too, are
pleasing features, those of P. Labrusca, broad and
rounded, with their undersurfaces almost as
white as wool, and beside it in striking contrast,
V. aestivalis, deeply lobed. Two such hardy hand-
some-leaved Vines should surely more often be
seen in gardens.

The scented Sr:\ncH (Rhus aromatica) should
be a welcome addition to sweet-smelling shrubs,
but I do not remember to have seen it in English
gardens. Mr. Nicholson, in his "Dictionary,"
gives it a stature of 8 feet. We have several plants
of it, but none exceeding 4 feet in height. It
makes a nice margin to a shrub group creeping
over the ground and rooting as it goes. It has a
pleasant balsamic odour all the year round if the
naked shoots are rubbed, but the scent is powerful
now the shrub is in its summer dress. In habit
of growth it is slender, but erect, its leafage is
abundant, the leaves consisting cf three leaflets
on a red leafstalk. It is one of the earliest
shrubs in bloom, putting forth profusely all
along its slender branches clusters of clear
yellow tiny flowers. Now, too, among the ample
leafage and upon the old flowering wood are thick
clusters of showy berries, each about as large as a
pea, of a bright red colour and thickly covered
with short bristly hairs. It is certainly pretty in
all its aspects of flower, fruit and foliage.

The Weei'Inc Russian Mulberry.- This has
become rapidly popular as a small weeping tree,
but with one exception every tree I have teen is
as near a counterpart of another as peas in a pod
owing to the stupid trade custom of working them
all on a stock and as nearly as possible at a regu-
lation height from the ground. Now for the
exception, namely, a tree upon its own roots, and
which I saw at Dosoris in the early spring. Mr.
Falconer as soon as he got this Mulberry layered
a shoot of it. When rooted he planted it out and
kept the leading shoot always tied upwards to a
stout Bamboo cane. The tree I saw was about
l.j feet high, but all the branches drooped in their
own characteristic way. It is fruiting freely with
us, and the fruits now ripe are quite pleasant to
eat.

WisTARi.\ iiRACHYBOTRVs. — Although the
Chinese species ranks so high, it should not do so
to the utter exclusion of other kinds, especially
this under notice, assuming that it will flower as
abundantly in England as here. W. brachy-
botrys comes later than its Chinese relative. It
has much smaller leaves, consisting of about four-
teen pairs of leaflets and a terminal one, whilst
the flowers are literally packed into a dense coni-
cal cluster of from sixty flowers upwards. They
are of a deep shade of m"iuveblue, and there is a
white form, charmingly pure and eSective in
colour. The flower clusters appear at every eye
along the shoots made last year.

RuDiiKc KiA HiRTA, which was figured in The
Garden for February '20 of this year, is now an
abundant wild flower with us, and pretty too. I
have compared specimens with the plate, which
does perfect justice to and truthfully represents
the plant. I can gather it in almost any grass
field among the Ox-eye Daisies.

Iris versicolor I found in quantity recently in
marshy meadows with many flowers on much-
branched stems about a yard high, the flowers
individually pretty in exiiuisite shades of light
and dark blue, but the effect as a whole a little
disappointing, possibly because finer kinds are so

merous. A. Herrixoton.

ifadison, N.J.

JULY 25, 189C.J

THE GARDEN.

57

ST. ANNE'S, LEWES.
The illustration we give to-day shows well the
value of climbing plants and the vigour with
which they grow when well planted in the first
instance and allowed to grow unfettered with
tie, nail and shred. The number of plants that
may be used for draping the front of a house-
as in the illustration, is practically unlimited,
as in the south we can have many that require
in some districts the protection of a greenhouse.
Take, for example, Solanum jasminoides, which
in a favourable locality will reach the eaves of
a house in two seasons. When well established,
the plants are smothered with bloom in tlie

Opinions differ as to the best plants that can
be used for covering a house ; we think tliat too
many deciduous plants are employed. During
the summer and autumn, when these are in
flower, a beautiful effect may be obtained by
their use, but in the winter when the leaves
have fallen the walls are bare and uninterest-
ing. If evergreen plants were employed, a
different aspect would be given during the
winter. The Ivies in their varied forms are
indispensable and are unsurpassed for quickly
covering a large space. Garrya elliptica is not
at all particular as to aspect, and this when
laden with catkins is very beautiful. Coton-
easter and the various forms of Crata'L,'Us are

pillars and arches have Rosea of different kinds
trained on them. The turf slopes to a gravel
path, on the other side of which is a wide border
edged with Box and filled with Roses, Lilies, and
many other bulbous plants, which keep up a most
interesting succession of flowers from January to
October.

Orchids.

HARDY CYPRIPEDIUMS.
Among hardy terrestrial Orchids the Cypripe-
diums are pre-eminently the most beautiful.
They are easily grown provided a few very

photograph sent by Mrg. A. C. Monk.

autumn. Physianthus albens, too, in the south-
west counties of England also does well, bear-
ing white flowers in abundance. Bignonia radi-
cans in warm situations is also very beautiful,
its graceful leafage and orange-scarlet flowers
being very effective. Tropreolum speciosum in
some districts grows like a weed, threading other
climbers with its rapid growing shoots and cloth-
ing them with vivid scarlet. In any selection
of Roses that may be used for hiding a wall of
a house, Rcve d'Or should always be included.
Plants that bloom in the winter may be found
in the Winter Sweet (Chimonanthus fragrans),
Lonicera fragrautissima and Jasminum nudi-
florum, whose long sprays will bs found so valu-
able for cutting. !

attractive in winter owing to the highly-
coloured berries, all the more effective in their
setting of evergreen foliage. Escallonias, again,
should always have a place, as well as the many
beautiful Magnolias that we now have. By
employing a mixture of evergreen and deciduous
plants to clothe a wall we get rid of the bare-
ness that is always present when the latter lose
their leaves.

Mrs. A. C. Monk, who kindly sent us the
photo from which the illustration was prepared,
sends us the following note : —

This photograph shows the garden front of ihe
house, facing south. The verandah is wreathed
with Clematis, the wall of the house nearly
covered with Roses and Vitis inconstans, and the I

simple cultural details are attended to ; and,
simple though these may be, they are at the
same time absolutely essential for the continued
success of these plants. Primarily their chief
requirements, perhaps, and excepting minor de-
tails, are shade, moisture, and peaty soil. For
such kinds as macranthum, spectabile, californi-
cum, and others, a moist peaty soil and cooling
shade are absolutely necessary. I well remem-
ber a very charming bed at the Tooting nurseries
of the Messrs. Rollisson some twenty-five years
ago of C spectabile that then existed beside
the wall of one of the cool Orchid houses there.
This bed at that time was among the sights of
the nursery, being fully 50 feet long and about
2 feet wide. The bed was filled with the

58

THE GARDEN.

[July 25, 1896.

abiiud.\ut peat siftings from the hard-wooiled
department of the nursery, and being further
assisted with the second-rate Sphagnum Moss
from the Orchid houses, at once provided the I
plants with all they needed in the matter of ,
soil. Originally some very large tufts were
planted there, and their flowering was e<>gerly
anticipated each year. Shade was provided by
the wall of the greenhouse referred to, and the
plants were evidently well satisfied with their
lot. I mention the circumstance as showing
how readily such things may be accommodated
in gardens," though there are many positions in
which such things would appear much more
beautiful and decidedly more natural by their i
surrounding... In all large gardens, low-lying, I
shady spots are of a surety to be found, aud
even if uon-existent, may at little trouble and
expense be prepared for these and plants whose
re<iuireraents are similar. It should be remem-
bered that this class of plants is for the most
part summer flowers, and starting as tliey
do rather late into growth, provides ample
opportunity for other things, particularly
early flowers, and an equal chance of
late" things also, to flower without in the
least interfering with the subject of these
remarks. In this way what was really meant
for a bed of hardy C'ypripediums may readily
be converted into a peat bed tor many things,
and thereby provide an interesting array of
choice and beautiful plants for the greater part
of the year. As an instance of what I mean by
this mixed arrangement of peat-loving subjects,
the cultivator may embrace such things as
Trilliums for very early spring, especially
grandifloruro, erythrocarpum, and californicum,
to be succeeded by Anemone nemorosa ccerulea,
as a carpet here and there, and a few masses of
Primulas, such as Sieboldi varieties, rosea,
cashmeriana, and others ; then for May, the
yellow Chrysobactron Hookeri, to be followed
a little later by the earliest Lilies, such as pom-
ponium, pukhellum, and the orange carnioli-
cum, with which would flower the masses of
Cypripedium spectabile. Then for a later dis-
play other Lilies may be relied upon, which
would make the whole beautiful and interesting
tor a long time. But if it were intended to
embrace the majority of the hardy Lady's
Slippers, these alone would require a bed of
several feet across, and much would depend on
individual taste and other things. The follow-
ing are among the best of these plants, and as a
rule quite successful in the open garden in the
position indicated above : —

CvrRiPEDirM AC-\ri.E (the Stemlesa Lady's
Slipper). — The specific name here given is rather
difficult to understand, fince the beautiful purple-
rose bloesoms are borne on stems about (i inches
or 8 inches long. The plant is a native of North
America, and is usually flowered from collected
roots and rather difficult to establish in this
country.

C. C.MXKOi.us (English Lady's Slipper).— The
only British representation of the genus, and now
extinct a* such, though abounding in Germany,
Switzerland, and other places, and may be
obtained quite cheaply in the autumn of each
year. The fragrant flowers are produced on leafy
stems 1 foot or more high, the sepals and petals
of a purple-brown hue, with rich yellow labellum.
This species grows quite freely in loamy soils,
particularly such as contain a certain amount of
lime, and shade is not absolutely needful for it.
Protected from cutting winds, this is a charming
plant in early spring and one quite easy of cul-
ture, and being mexpersive may be freely planted.

C. AKIETISCM (Ram's-head Cypripedium). —
This is a curious little plant, pnssessing no real
merit from a garden point of view, though full
of interest botaoically. Its flowers are insig-
nificant compared with those of the beat mem-

bers of this beautiful race of plants. Native of
North America.

C. (WLiFOiiNicFM. — This is a rare and beautiful
species, very dilhculb to establish successfully in
English gardens. The flowers are white and
tinted rose, the sepals of a greenish yellow and
petals pale yellow. This species should be grown
in peat and Sphagnum Moss in moist, shady
places.

C. CANiiinuM (white Lady's Slipper). — This is
another with small flowers of no great value ex-
cept to the botanist. It is a rare species from
North America, growing 1 foot high, the sepals
and petals purple and white, the labellum pure
white. Should be grown in shade in moist, peaty
soil and decayed leaves.

C. (irTTATUM (Spotted Lady's Slipper).— A
beautiful and rare species from Siberia and parts
of Russia, the plant attaining to 1 foot or more in
height, and producng on leafy stems its pleasing
flowers. These latter are of fair size, the labellum
white and distinctly spotted with rosy purple.
It is rare under cultivation and very difficult to
keep after the first year. This species is very
distinct in its roots, the latter not uidike the
creeping underground stems of the Lily of the
Valley. In a very large consignment received
some years ago only one or two plants produced
flowers Could this species be freely established, it
would figure among the be.at of the group. Those
who attempt its culture .should grow it in very
,«hady spots in peat and well decayed leaves, keep-
ing it as cool as possible and in comparatively dry
places.

C.japon'icum( Japanese Lady's Slipper). — A neat
and beautiful species, perfect!} hordy, and having
handsome flowers, in which the sepals and petals
are greenish purple and the labellum white. The
plant is not so difi'icult to cultivate as some, and
may be grown in peat and loam in equal parts,
with shade and summer moisture. Though quite
hardy so far as winter frosts are concerned, it
needs protection or a sheltered spot from the
harsh winds of spring.

C. MACRANTHUM (large Lady's Slipper). — This
is a handsome species from Siberia, with large
flowers of a uniform purplish rose colour with
deeper coloured veins, and has been repeatedly
exhibited recently at the Drill Hall. Several
nicely flowered examples were also noticed at
Kew during the past few weeks. Under cultiva-
tion it succeeds best in loamy soils in much the
same way as the English Lady's Slipper.

C occiDENTALE (montanum) (Mountain Lady's
Slipper) — A pretty species growing IS inches
high, with slightly pubescent leaves and from one
to three flowers on a stem. The petals are
brownish purple, labellum white ; it should be
grown in damp peat and shade. Native of Cali-
fornia.

C. PAUViFLORCM. — This species, also pubescens,
has the outward aspect of C. Calceolus, but the
flowers are much smaller. Both kinds are of easy
culture, having brownish sepals and pale yellow
lip, and differ in the size of the flowers and other
minor details. Should be grown in loamy soils
with leaf-soil added, and planted in a good depth
of this quickly becomes established in shady, shel-
tered places.

C. M'ECTABILE (Mocasgin Flower).— Undoubt-
edly the most beautiful as well as the showiest,
and at the same time most easily grown of all the
tribe. It is impossible to over-praise the merits
of this chaste and lovely species, for it is at once
the most satisfactory of all either on a large or
small scale. It Inves a deep bed of peat and
decayed leaves, with ample shade overhead and
cinstant cooling moisture at the root, and in such
a position quickly establishes itself and flowers
freely each year. In a moist, bofjgy bed of peat
with a trickling stream keeping the bed ever
moist I have grown this plant to perfection, the
large massfs planted intact as received producing
in some instances adozpn of the leafy sjiikes, many
bearing two flowers. The plant is rather variable
in the flowers, some being very rich and deeply
coloured, and others nearly pure white, exceed-
ingly chaste and delicate. In all its forms it is

a most delightful plant, and as such should be
made much of in English gardens. The best time
to plant this unique species is late autumn, as
soon as the fresh importations are to hand, and,
having carefully tested the vitality of the roots,
which should be of a creamy yellow tint if fresh
and healthy, plant without further delay. Any
brown decayed roots should be cut away and the
fresh roots spread out horizontally, covering them
and the strong plump crowns with peaty soil. In
the finest masses the crowns are nearly buried
from sight in an accumulation of leafy matter
while usually the old flowering stems and growth
of the year are still adhering thereto. Well estab- '
lished, it attains 2 feet high and more, con-
siderably so in its native home, where it is found
in boggy woods, moist meadows and the like,
conditions we must imitate if we would succeed
in its culture. It is a prince among its kind, and
one wonders why some attempt has not been
made to hybridise this with such as macranthum,
Calceolus or pubescens, as a series of hybrids of
these could not fail to be full of interest.

E, J.

Odontoglossum mirandum.— This is a very
distinct Odontoglot and worthy of greater care
than many that are more popular. The blossoms,
as large as a medium-sized O. crispum and of a
reddish chocolate or plum colour, margined with
yellow, are produced on long arching scapes,
usually simple, and containing nine or ten blos-
soms. Quite cool treatment suits it best, and it
should be grown in as small pots as possible and
given a thin layer of compost. It .should be well
watered while making its growth, and in winter
or summer must never be really dry for any length
of time. Introduced from New Grenada about
1S8U, it has never become really popular and would
make a useful addition to many collections.

Odontoglossum maculatum.— Some flowers
of this old species that opened on May 6 are now
(July 13) still open and faiily fresh, though, as
may be imagined, a little wanting in colour after
being open nearly ten weeks. Few others in the
genus would carry their flowers so long without
injury, and few are more free or constant in
blooming. Some of the varieties are bright and
very effective in colour, while others are rather
dull, but all are worth growing. The plant is
cheap and of the simplest culture, thriving in a
cool house in peat and Moss. It comes from
Mexico and was introduced in 1838.

Promensea stapelioides. — This is a pretty
little plant doing well in quite a cool house sus-
pended from the roof in wood baskets or small
pans. The pseudo-bulbs grow closely together,
and from the base of each of these a single- flowered
spike issues horizontally. The sepals and petals
are yellowish, with broad stripes of purple, and
the lip is very similar in colour. An ordinary
mixture of compost, and not too much of it, suits
this plant well, anything of a close or heavy
nature being sure to bring about disaster. It is
a native of the Organ Mountains, of Brazil, and
was introduced in 1830.

Peristeria elata. — This, the well known
Dove Orchid, is now in flower, and owing to
the length of the spikes on strong plants will
continue in bloom over a long period. The
flowers are entirely white, the lip and column
forming a striking and beautiful resemblance to a
dove. It is an Orchid that must be very liberally
treated to get good results, and the compost may-
be similar to that used for the stronger growing
Phaiuses or Cymbidiums. During the season of
growth the plants must be freely watered and
the foliage kept clean by sponging or syringing,
but after the growth is complete they will need
but little moisture. It is an old Orchid in culti-
vation, having been introduced from Panama as
far back as 1820, and the heat of the Cattleya
house is most congenial to it? growth.

Cypripedium leucorrhodum— This pretty
and tree-blooming hybrid is closely related to C
Sedeni and is one of the best of its class. Like
the latter, it produces a many-flowered scape, in

July 25, 1896.]

THE GAEDEK

59

which the flowers have a very pale rose-tinted '. ceived from a correspondent who was fortunate
doreal sepal, the petals also similarly coloured, , enough to flower it from some imported plants,
long and narrow. The pouch is nearly pure ' This form was about 1h inches across, the sepals
white in ground colour with a rosy-pink suffusion ] and petals rich rosy magenta, the lip broad and
on the front. Grown in an intermediate house spreading, bright purplish-crimson lined with
kept free of insects and potted up as described golden jellow— a rich and beautiful combination.
for others in the genus, this plant will be satis- ' In habit this fine Cattleya most resembles C.
factory. It is a strong grower and keeps on gigas, and the treatment often recommended for
flowering a long time on account of the number that fine kind will also suit C. Hardyana. — B.
of blossoms successively produced on the scapes I Epidendrum falcatum.— Most Orchid
and the freedom with which the latter occur. growers know this peculiar species and recognise

lyiOTmodes luxatum eburnenrc — P/obably it by the drooping foliage, which is quite distinct
this is the best, as it is the most popular, of the from that of any other Epidendrum. The flowers
varieties of M. luxatum, and a fine plant, un- are not particularly showy, but they last a long
doubtedly, when well done. It differs from the time in good condition, and if the plants are sus-
typical kind in having flowers of a clear creamy pended in a good lightjind strongly grown, they
white, with no other colour about them ' . . , , ^-

nearly ii inches across, the sepals the usual brown
and green, the lip bright purple with a fine dark
crest. Z. maxillare does best in an intermediate
house, and in whatever way it is grown it should
not be overburdened with compost. It does best
of all, perhaps, on its natural holding, viz., a piece
of Tree Fern stem, and requires careful watering
during winter.

VANDAS.

The genus Yanda is somewhat neglected at
present, and I trust the three pots of Vanda
here represented will induce lovers of Or-
chids to promptly take them in hand. Two
baskets of Vanda cierulea which has very

,. . ^ „,, , em. The are freely produced. They occur at the apex of , .j ^ j^^ ^ ^. ^^^ ^^:

plants thrrve rn the Cattleya, house rn^a l.gh^t g--t*'„ -jl^ - -^r^; r.^J.^^ Jfr^f.^L".'' I of ieing'bad to kL'p in health. 'Vanda^trico

tricolor

position, but as long as the foliage is in good petals are of a greenish tint, shaded with brown. "' "'''"g "^" '." iieep lu n«^i t... » ^nua .xicoiux

order they must be shaded from bright sunshine. The lip is deep orange, of a rather peculiar shape, var formosa is the tall plant at back, whose

During the resting season they will require very The plants may be well grown in baskets of 1 golden, brown- spotted, and crimson-lipped

little water and may be placed quite up to the clean Sphagnum Moss

light in a cool house. The most critical time is coal. The Cattleya 1

ttle peat and char- j Howers contrast most admirably with the

the most suitable ' bright grey blue of the Vanda ccerulea. It is-

not generally realised, I

A group of Vandas. From a photograph .-ient by Mr. E. H. Woodall, St. Nicholas Eouge, Scarborough.

just as new growths push in spring, these being
easily injured by overdoses of water or bright
bursts of sunshine. It is a native of Mexico,
whence the typical plant was introduced in 1842.
Burlingtonia Candida.— Several plants of
this pretty species are now in flower with me, and
it is much liked both on account of its graceful
appearance and purity of colouring, also its frag-
rance. The flowers occur on erect spikes, that by j flower to great advantage
the weight of the blossoms are brought to a semi- | may occasionally be seen

place, and the growths must be well consolidated
in autumn by t.xposute to light and air.

Cattleya superba.— This fine species is again
in flower, the plants having made a fine vigorous
growth during this tropical summer. The largest
forms are nearly 6 inches across, of a pretty
magenta-purple that is very bright and effective,
the brightly tinted lip sho\^i^g ctt the rest of the
Although C. superba
gocd condition with

think, how freely and con-
tinuously Vanda tricolor
blooms when grown in an
airy house and well rested in
early spring.

The plant here shown gave
six spikes of bloom between
March and November, and
never was without flower
during that period. Vanda
c<erulea only blooms once,
but then what a magnificent
sight it can be ! It is, more-
over, most enduring and
free, so that I have baskets
covered with long and large
spikes of flower from the end
of J uly to the end of Novem-
ber. Vanda citrulea should
be grown near the bottom
ventilators in a warm vinery
from April till October, when
it should be placed in an airy
stove to finish its growth and
bloom, remaining there till
the sun has enough power iu
February to allow it to be
rested in an ordinary plant
house where Primulas and
Geraniums thrive. There it
should remain till the Vines
are growing freely and
syringed daily, then put the
Vandas back in the vinery,
where they enjoy the Vine
treatment thoroughly, and
will yearly increase in vigour
and beauty with this cool dry rest in early
spring. Vanda tricolor enjoys a little more
heat and moisture, but the reason that
these lovely and lasting flowers are so little
grown and shown is that they generally get

more heat and moisture than are good for them.
Each year enlarges my list of Orchids that
thrive best under vineiy trealment, and where
Vanda cterulea, Cymbidium Lowianum and
, .- , ,. ~ ., „ ; ,- - ■ - „ ^ .., . ., ■ , C. eburneum, Liulia maialis, and various Den-

droop.ng pose, and are pure white, with a ye low other species in the Cattleya house, there ■/ "« ^ d.obiui,,^ are found most happy under such
stain to the lip. It is one of the easiest of Orchids i doubt it likes more heat than the majority of the >^"ouiuui» aic iuu „,il^l;,„„.„f ;„ «,;. ,i

to grow, provided it is given a little attention to ' genus. It dislikes being overburdened with com- , conditions, no wonder the experiment is tiuU
keep the roots from getting too far away from the : post, so whatever is used as a receptacle for the with other species and their varieties,
compost. It does either in pots or baskets, but : roots must not be too large. If healthy, the plants Edward H, Woodall.

in the latter shows to greater advantage when in like plenty of water while growing. I g^ Xichohis House Scarhoro'.

bloom. It is a native of South America and was i ZygopetelBin maxillare. — Flowers of this ' ' '' ' '

introduced in 1S34.—H. quaint and yet beautiful Orchid come from a!

Cattleya Hardyana.— This really beautiful ' Somersetshire correspondent for a name. It is Cattleya Gaekelliana.— Several plants of
Orchid, supposed to be a natural hybrid between early for it to be in flower, but possibly the this well-known kind are now in flower and con-
C. gigas and C. Dcwiana aurea, is probably the flowers are from a newly-imported plant that has siderable variation exists among them. The best
most richly tinted of all, and I think I have never I not yet settled down to its proper season, if such of them will not, in my opinion, bear comparison
teen so beautiful a flower as one I have lately re- there is. The flowers, six on a fpike, are each with the better forms of C. Mossia: or C. Mendeh,

60

THE GARDEN.

[Juo 25, 1896.

but they are very useful after these kinds are
P'ist their best and before the autumn flowering
C. labiata begins to bloom. Most of the flowers
are some shade of rose on the segments and all
have a blotch of deep yellow in the throat. It is of
the easiest culture, the flowers being produced on
the newly. formed growth, and the plants should
if possible be kept dormant after this occurs. C
Gaskelliana is a native of Venezuela, and was in-
troduced by Messrs Sander in 1SS3.

Oncidium reflt^xom.— I recently saw a plant
in flower of this pretty little sjiecies which is not
much grown. The blossoms are very showy and
produced on erect branching scapes about 15
inches high. The sepals and petals are golden
yellow, with spots and bars of crimson and
brown, the lip much paler in colour, with a few-
bright red dots at the base. This species is of
easy culture, growing well in pans of peat and
Moss over good drainage. It should be grown at
the cool end of the Cattleya house and kept well
up to the light, watered freely while in active
growth, and rested during late autumn and
winter.

Orchis pyramidalis. — This pretty native
species is very plentiful here, the meadows and
hedgerows being now quite gay with the bright
rosy pink pyramidal spikes. In my early rambles
for wild Orchids in another part of England this
brightest of all native kinds I seldom met with,
and to see whole delds with the flowers as thick
almost as Daisies would have been rather startling
at that time. Although so common it is a charm-
ing plant for growing in large clumps on the her-
baceous border or in the rock garden, and it is,
moreover, of the easiest culture. The great
mistake made by most people who try their
hand at this is taking the plant up when
in bloom. The new tubers are at this time
only about half formed, and to disturb them
means their ruin. If a stick is put to some of the
finest plants now they may be moved with perfect
safety after the growth dies down ; the tubers
may then be taken without a lot of weeds and
planted in bold masses about 4 inches apart.
Any good loamy soil will grow them, but if pre-
paring a compost for them use the top spit of an
old meadow or the edgings of grass verges and
add a little lime or chalk. A mulch of half de-
cayed leaf mould will be of service the first season,
both ,'or protection during winter and as a means
of retaining the moisture when dry weather sets
in. — H. R. , Bury St. Uilmund.i.

OUOXTOGLOSSUM SCHLEIPERIANUM.
The autumn and late summer-flowering forms of
this genus are among the most showy and uselul of
Orchids, possessing the additional merit of being
very easily grown. In fact, in many places where
the crispum varieties are by no means satisfac-
tory these plants grow and flower remarkably
well. The above is often the first to bloom, and
though lacking the showiness of O. grande, the
flowers have a distinct and pleasing appearance
either alone or grouped with other Orchids. In
the typical form these are a pale greenish yellow
with broad bands and blotches of light brown,
and many variations from this type exist, some
being almost entirely yellow, others having the
markings nearly ag deep as those of O. grande.
I have tound that all the^e kinds, though liking a
moist atmosphere, are not so much incommoded
by the opposite conditions as are the kinds with
which I have compared them, nor are they so
fastidious in other respects. They will on this
account be acceptable to amateurs and others not
possessing an Orchid house proper, but wishing
to grow a few in company with the ordinary
greenhouse plants requiring a fairly humid atmo-
sphere. The plants as received from the nursery-
men should not require potting the first season at
any rate, and it is unwise to disturb them unless
they really need it. When necessary it should be
done well, tir^t removing all old and sour ma-
terial from about the roots, afterwards replanting
in selected peat used in as rough a condition as

possible, mixing with this a little fresh Sphag-
num Moss and plenty of rough nodules of char-
coal or crocks. The roots, being large and vigor-
ous, like this extra rough medium, and show this
by their free extension under the circumstances.
Plants that have been several years in this
country are usually fairly constant in their time
of flowering, and no drying oS' of the plants is
necessary. The young shoots come away in early
spring, and must be closely watched in order to
escape the attacks of woodlice, these insects being
very fond of the young succulent leaves and soon
spoiling the appearance of a plant. Roots are not
produced until these young growths have at-
tained considerable size and commence to swell
into bulbs, but the older roots below will be very
active, and, therefore, the plants must be kept
moist right up to and during the flowering period.
The summer temperature should be kept low by
shading and free ventilation, and during winter a
minimum of 53° is ample, watering at the latter
season being very carefully done. It is a verj'
good subject for room decoration, lasting a long
lime in the rather dry atmosphere if kept moist
at the root. O. Schleiperianum comes from con-
siderable elevations in Costa Rica, whence it was
introduced in 1S56.

VANDA SANDEKIANA.
When this superb Vanda was first imported it
naturally created considerable stir among Or-
chid growers, and many were at the time under
the impression that a new race of Vandas had
been introduced and that other large-flowering
species would be imported. Unfortunately, up
to the present this has not been the case, and
the beautiful V. Sanderiana so far reigns
supreme. As it has been often figured and
described in various publications, the flowers
may be said to be well known, but it is even
now a scarce plant in collections and not so
frequently seen as one could wish. Together
with one or two others, Rt'ichenbach places this
plant in the genus Esmeralda, but as a Yanda
it is best known. In habit the plant is erect
or nearly so, the leaves deep green, each up-
wards of a foot in length on the stronger plants,
recurved at the tips, and the racemes of flower
proceed from the axils of the leaves in the
usual way. The beautiful large flat blossoms, at
first sight appearing like those of a Miltonia
vexillaria, are found to vary considerably, but
the typical form has the petals and the upper
sepal rosy pink, with a few crimson dots more
or less pronounced at the base, and a tinge of
bufl. The lower sepals are fawn coloured, over-
laid thickly at the base with crimson vemings
that gradually fade as the margin is reached,
and the lip is small, purple or chocolate, and
not showy, as is usual with other Vandas.
Coming from the Philippines, the plants natu-
rally like heat, but this can easily be overdone,
and although the rate of progress may not be
quite so quick, the consolidation of the leaves
and general health of the plant will be better
in a house such as suits the warmer Cattleyas
and Lielias than in the East India house. By
all means establish the plants in the latter, but
let them when once they liave got a good hold
on their compost have more air and less heat,
and the flowers will be more plentifully pro-
duced and the general health of the plant
much better. It is of no use attempt-
ing to glow Vanda Sanderiana well in a
large pot or in close, heavy compost. The

roots must be able to breathe

spei

k, and

should show themselves out above the compost,
over the side of the pot or basket — everywhere
in fact. They must be crowded together in the
MoASi, each one contending, as it were, with its
neighbour for a place ; then there will be
growth and flowers in plenty. How to attain

this is the question that naturally arises, and
one of the chief points is cleanliness. Should
the plant require repotting or basketing, do
it well, let every bit of decayed root and com-
post be removed, and if any fungus is present,
have the whole of the roots, new and old, washed
in tepid water. When placing in the new re-
ceptacle be careful that the new material is
clean, the Sphagnum picked free of all foreign
matter, and the green young portions only
selected for use. Mix enough charcoal and
potsherds with the latter to ensure the whole
remaining sweet and in good condition. Plant
them so that it is impossible for any rocking
about to take place, and arrange the plants in a
light, though shady position. Keep the atmo-
sphere moist and mild by frequent dampings,
but the foliage must not be heavily s-yringed.
The roots will soon make headway, and then,
as mentioned above, the health of the plant is
secured.

Quite a distinct resting and growing season
is required by V. Saideriana, the growth com-
mencing, as a rule, in March or April, and
going on briskly through the summer months.
Towards the end of the growint; .season the
flower-spikes should show, and after the bloom
is past the plants will steady down for the
winter. This is perhaps the most important
season of all, for unless the growth is first well
ripened and has a good rest afterwards, no
flowers, or but few, will be produced the coming
season. It will thus be seen that no great difli-
culty exists in the culture of this fine plant ;
only get it well established and keep the growth
firm and hard. V. Sanderiana was first sent
home in 1881. E.

Cattleya Eldorado. —The flowers of this
Cattleya are very pretty and distinct, but not
quite so large as those of most of the labiata
section to which it belongs. In the typical form
the sepals and petals are a pretty light rose,
much cut, the lip broad and well opened, orange-
yellow at the base, with a light margin and stain
of deep purple in front. It is similar in habit to
C. Trianit and others of this set, but not usually
quite so vigorous and the foliage is shorter. The
plants should be placed in medium-sized wood
baskets, these being suspended from the roof in
the warmest part of the Cattleya house. The
best quality of peat only should be used in mix-
ture with Sphagnum Moss, and a good supply of
rough nodules of charcoal or crocks. In placing
the plants in the baskets, be careful that the
lower part of the pseudo bulbs is not covered
with compost and see that the plant is firmly
fixed. During the time the plants are in active
growth and until the flowers are past, keep the
roots moist at all times, but when the growth is
finished and root action seems to be slow, the
water supply must be diminished. C. Eldorado
is now in flower, and is a native of the district
about the Rio Negro. There are several named
varieties of the plant, including the beautiful
pure white C. E. Wallisi and C. E. splendens, a
very fine variety with large and lichly-coloured
flowers.

Dendrobium Jenkinsi. — Though a small-
growing species, the blossoms of this Dendrobe
are as large as those of many of the larger habited
kinds and rather distinct in colour. The pseudo-
bulbs somewhat resemble those of D. aggrega-
tum, and, like those of that kind, grow very
closely together. The plants have a very natural
appearance when grown on a rough piece of wood,
the baik being retained, a forked piece of Crab
being as suitable as any. Failing this, ordinary
blocks sunk into pots for the sake of conserving
moisture may be used, the roots not taking to
layers of compost as a rule. They must be firmly
fixed in the first place, or trouble will afterwards
occur by their working loose, for though the roots
cling tightly enough when they once get a hold.

July 25, 1896.J

THE GARDEK

61

they cannot do this if the plants are fo lightly
fixed as to be movable with the least disturbance.
Ic is a heat-loving plant, being a native of some
of the -warmer parts of India, so should be grown
in the hottest house and given plenty of atmo-
spheric moisture till the pseudo- bulbs are com-
plete. Sometimes it produces two sets of these
in a year, but on the whole the plants are
better when kept to their proper annual routine.
The winter temperature must be considerably
lower and the plants must be suspended in alight,
sunny position. But few flowers are produced on
a raceme, and these are bright yellow on the sepals
and petals, a darker blotch occurring on the centre
of the lip.

Scliomburgkia tibicinis. — The genus to
which this plant belongs is not thought much of
by present-day Orchid growers, but this is per-
haps as handsome a species as any. The flowers
are produced on long slender stems that occur at
the apex of the long hollow pseudo-bulbs from
which the species takes its name. Each measures
from .3 inches to 4 inches over, the sepals and
petals oblong, pale purple outside, deeper within,
the lip yellow, with veinings of purple. In order
to induce this species to bloom freely, the growth
should be well ripened in autumn and the plants
kept at rest during the winter months. While
growing, the heat of the East India house is not
too much for them, but in winter a minimum of
55° is ample. It comes from Honduras and was
introduced in IS.'U.

Dendrobium Bensonise. — A nice plant of
this favourite Dendrobe is still in flower, and it is
among the prettiest of the deciduous kinds at this
season. The blossoms are freely produced upon
the last soson's pseudo-bulbs, which are erect
and about 15 inches high. The sepals and petals
are white, the lip white in ground colour marked
with two blotches of dark maroon and a yellow
throat. Plenty of heat and moisture and a clear
bright light are necessary while this Orchid is
mailing its growth, and when the terminal leaves
have formed it may with advantage be placed
outside by day in the full sun. It requires a long
rest in a cool dry house— if suspended from the
roof so much the better — and after all the foliage
has fallen it must be kept quite dry till growth
reappears. If by any means the bulbs are not
well ripened this system of drying ofl' entirely
must not be practised, but if firm and hard, as
they should be — and as they must be if they are
to flower freely — no shrivelling will occur. Badly
ripened plants need careful winter treatment, or
in all probability the new growth will be but
weak. Some growers on account of this have set
up D. Bensonia- as a difticult plant to cultivate,
but give the plants all the sun possible in autumn
when the leaves are falling and keep the roots in as
small pots or pans as they may conveniently be got
into, and but little trouble will be found with it
for a good many years after being imported.

Books.

FRUIT GROWING.*
It we ultimately fail to grow sutfioient hardy
fruit to be ([uite independent of foreign supplies,
it will not be fro-n want of advice. Most of the
leading nurserymen have contributed books and
manuals on the subject, and prize essays are
equally numerous. Nearly all, however, were a
little late in appearing on the scene. The advice
given during the past five years would have been
of far greater service if forthcoming from ten to
twenty years ago, or before so many mistakes in
planting had been made. Even now there is so
much that is conflicting in the various works and
essays on hardy fruit culture, that beginners be-
come bewildered and undecided about what to
plant, and end by making nearly as many mis-
takes as they would have done without studying
the well-meant efforts of experts. Mr. B. Wells

By B. Wells, F.R.H.

The

is the latest to publish an essay on hardy fruit
growing, and for the modest sum of one shilling a
lair amount of sound advice is presented, and also
much that could have been dispensed with in a
little manual of that kind. Far too much is
attempted, this including researches into ancient
history, and, unless I am much mistaken, readers
would have preferred less of this and more that is
plainly instructive.

After reading all that Mr. Wells has to say on
the subject, the conclusion I have arrived at is
that he would have done well to boldly declare
wholly and solely in favour of Apples, to the utter
exclusion of the more uncertain kinds of fruit.
He opens with four chapters principally about
Apple culture, and if, instead of merely touching
briefly upon other hardy fruits, he had done full
justice to the kind that he rightly places before
all the rest, he would have had more space to de-
vote to requisite cultural details, and in particu-
lar to the discussion of varieties suitable for
various soils and positions. Mere generalisations
are not what are wanted, and calling in the aid of
a "trusty expert," or the other alternative, plant-
ing what are known to suit the district in which
an orchard is to be formed, is a way out of the
diflficultj open to objections. Where is the novice
to find the disinterested expert? or what if a trial
of some of the newer and better varieties has not
been made in his or her parts of the country? This
is what passes for the best advice, and occurs in
paragraph 3, pp. 12 and 13 : —

Tliore are a few plain laws that may be observf d and
be made helpful. The firstc f which isthat where gond
Oaks and Elms grow, such land may, as a rule, be
relieil upon to grow Apple trees. It is also good to
observe if Apples grow fairly well there and what va-
riet-es dn best. A thorough knowledge of the habits
of vaiieties in contemplation is good. Some descrip-
tive catalogues give a slight notiie of these habits and
properties of trees, with the kind nf subsoil suitable to
them. Such cannot be given here on account ot"
space. An examination of the subsoil by digging a
number of holes about 2 feet deep in tbe land to be
planted will disclose its nature. There are not manv
iields of 10 acres in extent, but what have a variety of
subsoils, a band of gravel in one place, a band of clay
in another, and sometimes a streak of fand, all may be
found in one field . It is well to know the position of
these bands and streaks, which when known may serve
as a guide to suitable selections. Some varieties do
best on clay and some on drier soils, as gravelly or
sandy subsoils. Cox's Orange and Lord SufEeld will
not grow on clay, especially if at all wet, while Graven-
stein, Brown's Seedling and many others luxur ate in
it. "When the soil and habits of trees are known there
is much more certainty of success bv a judicious selec-
tion.

I repeat, why not have given this "judicious
selection ? " Perhaps Mr. Wells found that
framing a selection for different soils an under
taking more easy to write about than to accosa
plish satisfactorily, but still the attempt ought to
have been made. Are we to be content to take
Mr. Wells' advice upon all other matters con-
nected with Apple culture, and to turn to the
works of other writers to learn what varieties
plant, or must the " trusty expert " come on the
scene ?

Credit must be given for the outspoken views
of the profitable culture, or otherwise, of other
kinds of hardy fruits and which are, I am afraid,
not altogether wide of the mark. This is what is
said of Pears : —

Pears are much esteemed and £t times very vaUiaWe
"■specially when scarce, but the reverse when plentiful
Some think supply regulates their market value mor(
than is the case with some other fruits, because their
use is more restricted. They are a delicate crop, be
cause their habit is to bloom so very early that they
are so frequently cut off by frost. A good crop of Pears
is not frequent, and then not of much value. The
English donate is not usually favourable to Pears

This is not encouraging to planters, and of
Cherries we find it stated that
the Morello wood is so very tender and weak that
frost frequently injures the trees, and as to the
blooms, 10" of frost will frequently kill the bloom if
it comes within a week before the blooms are full out,
the pistil will turn black long before the bloom opens

it is then of no use at all. A more tender, so-called
hardy fruit it is hard to find ; 10 acres planted here
is an object lesson ; they are a rotten reed.

Mr. Wells is less condemnatory of the Bigarreau
type, but considers birds unduly preserved render
it next to impossible to grow them profitably.
What he has to say about Plums will raise a smile
on the faces of successful growers who have
orchards not fifty miles north of London. Plums,
so writes Mr. Wells, are

all tho rage with some growers, and are profitable
sometimes, but chiefly -nheu they are scarce. .All
know that when the crops are good they are scarcely
worth gathering unless tbe grower cm bottle them,
which is an expensive operation for many tons ; they
are about the n.ost risky crop grown.

The faint praise given to fiuit bushes, as Rasp-
berries, Gooseberries, or Black Currants alone, is
equally murderous, while Red Currants, which
some growers of my acquaintance have every
reason to consider one of the most profitable of
bush fruits, is completely omitted, this reminding
me of the work of another writer on hardy fruit
culture, he, in common with Mr. Wells, having
omitted all mention of that important market
fruit, the Damson.

With the exception of the frontispiece, a two-
year-old tree of Prince Bismarck Apple in fruit,
the illustrations are uninteresting, and they are
also too few in number. Up-to date literature ia
fully illustrated, those responsible contriving to
make the illustrations both interesting and in-
structive. Mr. Wells has depended too much
upon his literary researches, and, in spite of his
twenty-seven chapters, does not convey sufficient
instruction to meet the requirements of either
professional or amateur fruit growers. The re-
marks on storing Apples are more to the point,
and that chnpter is, in my opinion, the best in
the book. In many paragraphs in the book it is
almost impossible to know what Mr. Wells means,
the English being so bad and the punctuation so
loose. W. I.

A TRAVELLER'S NOTES.*
This book is the record of a botanical tour made
by the author through India, Malaysia, Japan,
Corea, the Australian colonies and New Zealand
in the years 1891-93. All the great botanic and
public gardens maintained by government in the
countries enumerated were inspected by him, and
he also visited many private horticultural establish-
ments. The author, we venture to think, is per-
haps mistaken in supposing that the book can
have little interest except for horticulturists, as
there is a great amount of valuable information
contained in it. The illustrations, which are from
photographs made by the author, are numerous
and well chosen. It is a very interesting account
of travel through some of the most beautiful
parts of the world full of gardening interest, and
IS very spiritedly told and well illustrated.

THE DISTRICT COUNCILLOR'S
HANDBOOK, t
The offices of rural district councillor and
guardian of the poor, although combined in one
person, may be regarded as practically separate ;
and it is to the duties of district councillor act-
ing other than as guardian of the poor that the
author directs the inquirer. The book cannot
but be of great use to district councillors and
those whose business brings them into relation
with district councils. It is written in a clear
and concise manner, each chapter being sub-
divided so as to render reference to any par-
ticular matter easy. Chapter I. describes the
office, qualifications and election of district coun-
cils : II., constitution of district councils; III.,

* '■ A Traveller's Notes." By James Herbert Veitch,
F.L.S., F.K.H.S. James Veitch and Sons.

t " The District Councillor's Handbook." By
J. C. Surnburn Hanham, of the Middle Temple,
Barrister-at-Law. Shaw and Sons.

n2

THE CxARDEN.

[July 25, 1896.

mode of election : IV., meetings and proceedings
of district councillors: V.. appointment and re-
muneration of officers: VI., highways; VII.,
sar.itarv powers: Mil., licensing powers and
fairs: IX., allotments; X., mode of defraying
expenses in urban district* : XL, mode of defray-
ing expenses in rural districts : XII., accounts
and audit: XIII., contracts: XIV., acquisition
of land : XV.. borrowing powers ; XVI., bye-laws
and notices ; XVII., legal proceedings: XVIII.,
miscellaneous. For a volume of its s zo it is e.x-
ceedingly comprehensive, and the v;vrious authori-
ties are freely quoted. There is a table of statutes
and a table of cases. The book is printed in clear
type and strongly bound.

OS CHRYSANTHEMOS E A SUA CULTURA.*
Tilt above is the title of a work recently re-
ceived from Portugal, which shows that" the
popular flower is still making progress in unex-
pected quarters. It is a large-sized paper-covered
pamphlet of sixty pages, dealing with many sub-
jects relating to the Chrysanthemum. Briefly
stated, the author deals with history, classifica-
tion, composts, manures and the various methods
of propagation. Cultural treatment, comprising
disbudding, large blooms, specimen plants,
standards and other forms, with lists of suitable
varieties, occupy the largest portion of the work,
which concludes with a chapter on insect pests
and diseases.

Stove and Greenhouse.

LIUUM AURATUM MACRANTHUM
FAILING.
I HEREWITH send you a bulb of this Lily which
has been attacked with some disease. I shall be
gUd if you can throw any light on the cause.
The treatment given has been as follows : The
soil used was a mixture of loam, peat, leaf soil,
and well-decomposed manure with silver sand.
When received each bulb was put into a 9-inch
pot and placed in a i-ool house from which the
frost was just excluded ; water was used sparingly
at first and the (|uantity gradually increased as
the plants progressed in size. When the roots
showed round the top of soil from the stems they
were top-dressed. In about a fortnight or three
weeks the leaves turned yellow and dropped ofl'.
— M. \ orNi;.

*„* The plant of Lilium auratum macranthum
sent is sufl'ering from a disease which is very pre-
valent among all the forms of Lilium auratum.
\ arious theories have been propounded as to the
cause, and one accepted by many cultivators, my-
self among the number, is that it is a kind of
i-unstroke which affects the Lily in this way.
This theory is borne out by the fact that it is as
a rule first noticed on one side of the stem, while
the roots are still sound and active, but so (|uickly
does it spread, that frequently in a few hours a
thriving specimen is transformed into but a
wreck of its former self. The sun.stroke idea
n substantiated by the fact that when a
bed of this Lily is planted in a partially shaded
position, the plants are, as a rule, not nearly
so much affected as in a sunny spot, but even
where shaded it must be admitted some individuals
are apt to go off in the same manner. This fact
has led to a fungus being put forward as the
cause of the trouble, but although spoies may be
found in plenty, yet they may be but a secondary,
a!il net the p laiary ciuee of the trouble. The
treatment given to the particular plant as detailed
could not have bsen improved upon, and should
have resulted in a grand display of bloom, but it
must be borne in mind that with experienced cul-
tivators in this country many plants go off before
they flower The mortality is more prevalent in
excessively hot eummere tuch as the present than

la Cultura." i'or

it is during a fairly cool season, and out of d
when showers and hot sunshine alternate with
each other is the most fatal period of any. Be-
yond keeping the roots as cool as possible and the
tops from direct sunshine during the middle of
the day, little can be done to combat this insidious
disease, and it is very probable that, given the
same treatment as that detailed in the letter,
another season might yield highly satisfactory re-
sults.—H. P.

CallistemoD Salignus

at Kew under the above r

The plant flowering
le is far more gene-
rally met with as Metrosideros floribunda, but I
suppose the former is the correct name. There
is certainly an element of doubt about the matter,
for in the " Dictionary of Gardening " the flowers
of C. Salignus are described as straw-coloured,
and the season of blooming from June to August,
whereas the specimen to which the specific name
of Salignus is applied at Kew has the curious
Bottle-brush-like inflorescence of a bright scarlet
colour, and though now in full bloom, I have seen
the same specimen blooming freely during the
dull days of December. It is really a very beau-
tiful shrub, and one that may be induced to flower
in a comparatively small state, but as a good
sized bush it is the more effective. This Calli
stemon is a good representative of the class of
plants once so popular in our gardens and now
very rarely seen, while many of them are extremely
ditiicult to obtain from nurseries.— H. P.

Gladioli in pots. — What a wonder it is that
more of these are not grown in pots for autumn
decoration, as it is just at a time when flowers are
none too plentiful that the Gladiolus makes such
a brave show. Where vivid colour is desired, no
variety is more suitable than the good old brench-
leyensis, which, associated with greenery in the
conservatory, has a most telling effect. The
choice hybrids raised of recent years are also most
elegant, the markings in some instances being
marvellous. They are easily grown, a U inch pot
accommodating one bulb, potting from March to
May for succession and plunging in ashes in a
cold frame, exposing to air in fine frost-free
weather, and entirely so after the end of April.
If earliness is desired, they will stand the warmth
of a sunny greenhouse, the remaining portion
being allowed to come on quite naturally. A
compost of three parts good holding loam and one
part rotten manure suits them well. — J. C.

Eulaliajaponicavariegata.— Looking at the
ornamental character of this fine grass, one cannot
but help thinking that it might be utilised for
floral decorations much oftener than it is, as well-
grown examples in pots are highly ornamental,
especially when pots 1(1 inches and 12 inches are
used and the plants well established in them.
The variegation is so marked and the habit of
growth so distinct from that of other plants ueed
for the same purpose, that it always finds ad-
mirers, and when grown in a cool house it is avail-
able from early summer until autumn. I have
found plants from 3 feet to 4 feet high very use-
ful to associate with Fuchsias, zonal Pelar-
goniums, &c., for forming groups in vestibules,
front halls, and similar places. The plants give
very little trouble; all they want is repotting once
a year and moderate supplies of water when in
active grow th. It is a hardy plant, and therefore
only requires sufficient protection during the win-
ter to prevent the pots being injured by fro^t. I
may also mention that this grass is much valued
in a cut state for decorations, as there is a certain
amount of gracefulness in the bearing of the stems
when suitably arranged.— J. C. C.

The scarlet trumpet Honeysockle (Loni-
cera sempervirens;.- As a good climber for a
greenhouse it is questionable if any will give
more satisfaction than this Honeysuckle, though
it is as a rule not eenerally employed for this
purpose, probably owing to the fact that it is
quite hardy in many localities. Under glass,
however, and particularly in a medium sized
structure, it is in every way satisfactory, as it will
bloom, more or lees, throughout the spring and

summer months. The flowers are of a beautiful
scarlet on the outside and yellow within, while
the distinct glaucous foliage is also very pleasing.
Insect pests trouble it but very little, and planted
out in a prepared border it will grow away freely.
It is a native of a considerable tract of country in
North America, and is one of our oldest climbers
from that region, having been introduced in 1656.

Macleania punctata.— This is a very pretty
greenhouse plant nearly related to the Thibau-
dias, and, like T. acuminata, it is of a loose,
rambling habit, though it can scarcely be re-
garded as a climber. The long slender shoots are
clothed with dark green oval-shaped leaves of a
leathery texture, while the flowers, which are
borne on the upper part of the shoots, are each
about U inches long and tubular in shape, the
major portion of the flowers being red, while just
at the expanded mouth it is yellowish white. The
blooms are of the thick waxy texture common to
many of their allies, and they remain bright and
fresh a considerable time. The genus Macleania
consists of about a dozen species, all of which are
natives of the Andes of America. Thibaudia
acuminata, which is the best known of all of this
group, may frequently be met with in gardens.
This plant, so long known as Thibaudia, is now
regarded as Cavendishia acuminata, while a
nearly allied genus is Proclesia. Some of these
have the flower-clusters enclosed within large
coloured bracts, which remain on for a consider-
able time after the flowers expand, and I am told
by a traveller in the Andean region that some of
them are brilliantly coloured and are then very
striking. In this country these bracts are, as a
rule, not particularly showy. — H. P.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1076.

STENOMESSON (COBURGIA) INCARNA-
TUM AND CYRTANTHUS HUTTONI.

(with a COLOrRED PLATE.*)

The two plants figured to-day are among the
hundreds of beautiful plants that have never
come into general cultivation, and are never
seen except at Kew and a few other botanical
gardens. Fortunately for us— all whose love of
plants extends beyond those that are merely
showy or popular— Kew gives refuge to a mul-
titude of beautiful and interesting plants that
have been sent to us from all regions, often at
great risk of life. By giving portraits of these
so-called " botanical " plants The Garden does
good service, as it brings them under the notice
of a wider range of readers than is reached by
the Botanical Magaz'mc, and thereby tends to
make these rare plants more generally known,
and probably induces some to cultivate them.

The two plants herewith figured are typical
of a class of greenhouse bulbs that have come
to us from the southern countries. The Steuo-
mcsson and otliers of its genus are from the
Andes of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, and the
Cyrtanthus from the rich flower region of South
Africa ; consequently their seasons of growth do
not correspond with our long days and sunny
weather, and from this cause no doubt they are
not what one would term easily cultivated
plants. However, as they flower at a season
when greenhouse plants are most appreciated,
they are well worth any exceptional care and
attention that may be bestowed upon them.

The Steuomesson will, perhaps, be better
known under its older name of Coburgia, the
genus under which it and its allies were placed

Drawn for The Garden in the Royal Gardens,
Kew, by II. G. Moon. Lithogrraphed and printed
by J. L. Goffait, successor to Guillaume Severeyns.

V

»^

1. STENOME SSON EMOARNATUM.
2.GYP.TANTHUS HUTTONE

JOLY 25, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

63

before Mr. Baker's revision of the order. There
are only a few species in cultivation with several
varieties— S. incarnatum, luteo-viride, trichro-
mum, coccineum, and suspenaum. Of these,
S. tricliromum was beautifully illustrated in
colour in volume xxxvi. of The Garden, and
with it the Coburgias were described and cul-
tural directions by the best authority on these
plants, so that it is scarcely necessary to go
into the subject again.

Cyrtanthi-s Huttoxi is a member of a small,
but beautiful genus of Cape bulbs, all more or
less rare in cultivation. In this genus also there
has been some revision by Mr. Baker, though
in the garden it only affects the genus Gastro-
nema, best known by the beautiful species, G.
sanguineum, and which was figured in vol.
XXX vii. of The Garden, accompanied by a
full descriptive and cultural account by the
same writer who described the Coburgias.
It is a pity that these elegant species of
Cyrtanthus have not been taken in hand in a
more general way, for there are few more ex-
quisite little plants than such as C. McKeni,
obliquus, lutescena, Macowani, and angusti-
folius, as well as the Vallota-like C. coccineus
and its beautiful hybrid, C. hybridus. Years
ago such plants used to be grown with great
zest by amateurs, but now it seems they are
refugees in botanical collections, as it is only in
the gardens of such keen amateurs as Mr.
Gumbleton that one hears of them. It is true
that they are somewhat capricious under cul-
ture, but with care and attention they can be
made to thrive and flower, and give much
pleasure. W. Goldring.

The Week's Work.

FRUIT HOUSES.
Melons. — The last batch of these ought now to
be making headway, for though some gardeners
may defer planting till August, it is seldom that
fruit produced from such plants so late in the
season is of much value, being deficient in flavour,
The plants should be encouraged to grow as fast
as possible, but during such hot weather as we
have been e.xperiencing of late ventilation must
be carefully attended to, as the temperature runs
up considerably, and iu such a heat, unless sufB-
cient air be afforded, those newly planted do not
make that progress so desirable. The points of
the shoots are apt to be attacked with red rust,
and when that happens it is seldom the plants
make a sturdy growth afterwards. Where there
are front lights, it is well to admit a little air
through them in the middle of the day when the
weather is very hot, and a slight shade afforded
till the roots have taken a thorough hold of the
soil. Those just setting their fruit should be ven-
tilated early in the morning that the pollen may
be dry, otherwise a good set cannot be obtained.
It is seldom that over-luxuriant plants set their
fruit freely, therefore pay strict attention to this
point. Avoid syringing as much as possible, as
this is apt to make the foliage flimsy ; but where
it is actually necessary to keep down insects,
more air should be afforded in the daytime to
counteract its influence. Melons ripening ought
to be kept on the dry side ; the plants, however,
should be examined two or three times a day
when the weather is bright, in order that they
may on no account be allowed to flag. A little
water given at a time should be the rule, only
sufficient to keep the plants healthy, and this
before closing time, that the extra moisture may
pass off. This has been a good summer for Melons
in frames or on hotbeds, the bright sun being just
the thing to maintain a high temperature, and
give the fruit flavour. Where plants in these are
now in bloom, pay particular attention to them,
that a good set may be had. It is a good plan to

ace slates or tiles underneath the fruit, but do
not expose them to the action of the sun, as that
would be apt to scald them. During hot weather
more water will be needed, but that supplied
should at all times be of the same temperature as
that of the air in the frame. Melons in these
structures ripening their fruit ought to have a free
circulation of air by admitting a little at the
bottom, as well as the top of the lights.

Vines. — As before pointed out, span-roofed
houses with long roofs and only a lifting venti-
lator need great care during such weather as that
we have been experiencing of late, for in many
instances, even when attention has been paid to
opening the ventilators to their full extent, the
temperature runs up considerably higher than is
needed, and where the foliage is a little soft,
scalding will be sure to take place. In such
houses during the time the berries are swelling
the borders should be damped down two or three
times daily and all exposed surfaces thoroughly

Cyrtanthus McKeni,

moistened, in order that there may be suflBcient
moisture to supply evaporation to keep the foliage
in a healthy condition. It is by strict attention
to these trifles that the best fruit is produced and
the Vines kept in the most perfect health. In
this neighbourhood thrips is plentiful on trees
outside, therefore it may be understood how diffi-
cult it is to keep it down in fruit houses. Look
well after the watering of outside Vine borders,
especially those that are raised and exposed to
the full influence of the sun, as such soon get dry,
and as the Grape Vine takes a great amount of
nourishment to keep it in a healthy, flourishing
state, any neglect would soon show itself. Raised
borders that are well drained, especially those
constructed of a light compost, are aftected much
sooner than those of a more retentive nature. See
that all laterals are kept pinched back, that the
air may circulate more freely amongst the leaves,
for when these become overcrowded the moisture
settles on them during the night, and as this has

not evaporated before the sun shines fully on
them, scalding is often the result. Vines in cool
houses and those growing against walls have made
good progress of late ; attention, however, must
be given to their requirements if passable fruit is
to be produced. In the case of the former see
that the foliage is not overcrowded, and avoid cold
draughts by regulating the ventilation according
to the state of the weather. The house should be
closed sufficiently early in the afternoon that the
thermometer may run up a few degrees afterwards.
Houses f icing east ought to be shut up by 3 p m.,
while those facing south or south-west should be
allowed to remain open much longer, according
to the state of the weather. Vines on walls, par-
ticularly those made of hard bricks, must be fre-
quently examined, as such are warmer than porous
stone, not retaining so much moisture, therefore
red spider is more prevalent. This pest soon makes
headway if left to itself, so that every precaution
should be taken to keep it under, as the fruit can-
not ripen properly when the foli-
age is disfigured. Those in pots
intended for early forcing next
season should on no account be
allowed to get dry at the roots.

Pines. — It may be necessary
to shade the houses in which
these are growing during the
hottest portion of the day, for
though it is well to accustom the
plants to the sun as much as pos-
sible, those newly potted and
others not so well rooted might
suffer if left exposed to its in-
fluence ; therefore a strict watch
should be kept over them. As
blinds are not used for such
houses, a little light shade of any
kind will suffice to keep the scorch-
ing rays of the sun from damaging
the foliage. Pay strict attention
to watering and damping down,
and above all to ventilating early,
for much of the damage done to
plants is owing to the temperature
I of the tiouses being allowed to run
up too high, then putting on a lot
of air to reduce it. It a little be
idmitted eirly when there is a
prospect of a fine day, and gradu-
ally increased as that outside rises,
there will be but little danger of
any ill effects from scalding by the
sun's rays.

Fruit room. — It is well to exa-
mine this structure at this time
of the year, and if there are any
repairs needed see that they are
carried out while the room remains
unoccupied. It is well to give the
walls a coat of limewash, as this
will destroy any insects that may
be lurking in the crevices. The
shelves should also be dusted
down and everything made tidy
for the reception of the next crop
1 of fruit. See that the ventilators are made to
I shut properly, and if the windows are not fitted
with shutters this ought also to receive attention,
as fruit will keep much better in a dark, cool
structure than in one into which the light is freely
I admitted. H. C. Prinsep.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
Spinach. — Summer Spinach has had most un-
favourable weather to contend with this year. The
drought, combined with intense heat, has caused
the plants in many gardens to run early to flower,
and in some cases to turn yellow in their earliest
stages of growth. It is in such seasons as this
that the various substitutes for Spinach justify
their existence, and of these by far the best liked
here at this time of the year is Chicory, the
thinnings of which have been utilised without
waste. From now onwards the chances are that
better conditions of growth will obtain, and

G4

THE GAT^DEN^.

[July 25, 1896.

though any immediate sowing of Spinach should
be confined, as before recommended, to a north
or east aspect where the soil is coolest, it will be
safe to make a larger sowing now than has
been advisable at any one time during t!ie
past few months. All d.inger from bolting
is not, however, over, and to prevent this
and to promote a good crop of fleshy leaves,
it will be necessary to see that the ground is in
good heart and that the seed drills, if not the
whole area, have a thorough soaking of water
before sowing. Xewly-dug or disturbed ground
should, if at all light, be well trodden over pre-
vious to and again after sowing. Well pulverised
gas-lime worked into the soil previous to drawing
the drills will have a strong influence for good on
both the colour and the substance of the leaves,
and I strongly recommend its use to all those who
are troubled with flimsy or yellow-leaved Spinach.
It is still too early to sow for the wmter and early
spring supply, and a good breadth of ground c
be kept in hand for this, but the present sowing
should provide the autumn supply and give also
a few of the earliest winter pickings. Seed of the
better class Spinach, such as the Victoria, Viro
flay and Long-standing Prickly, is fairly cheap
so there is but little excuse for using the com
monerfcrms which are so precocious in running,
Sow either of the above-named in rows IS inches
apart and thin to half that distance, singling
plants while quite young and thinning to the full
distance allowed before the plants crowd each
other : at the second thinning the surplus will be
big enough for cooking, and should be used in
that way to husband the permanent plants.

Celery.— The earliest Celery will now be for-
ward enough for earthing, and no delay must be
allowed after this date if properly blanched hearts
are wanted for salad early in September. There
is always more c- less danger of early Celery be-
coming pipy or bolting, but the tendency to
both may be considerably reduced by seeing that
the trenches are thoroughly well soaked before
soil is placed to the plants ; too much water can-
not well be given, but it is easy to give too little.
Celery is a moisture-loving plant, and when we
consider that for six weeks at the very least the
plants are finishing their growth under circum-
stances that practically place them beyond the
reach of water, we can readily see how important
it is to supply them fully while yet we may do so.
Before applying soil, each plant should have a
strip of matting tied round near the top ; this
will keep the leaves in position and prevent the
Boil from running into the hearts, and is prefer-
able to having the plants held together by the
band. Remove all incipient sucker-like growths
that may be in evidence at the basR of each plant,
and break down finely from the ridges sufficient
eoil to enclose the plants high enough to bury
whatever heart they may have developed ; more
than this should not be done at any time while
growth is progressing, as the plants are easily
crippled bj a heavy weieht of soil being placed
round them too soon. In cases where blanched
growth is urgently needed and the plants have
not made the desired progress, or become suffi-
ciently advanced to bear much soil round them,
blanching may be assisted without crippling
the growth by enclosing each plant in a strip
of brown paper, tying this into positir.n, but
not too tightly. I only recommend th' , how-
ever, if) speoial cases, and should nrt think
of serving the main crop in the same way
unless worms and slugs are known to be very
troublesome, as, to my thinking, no Celery
IB so sweet as that blanched in direct contact
with the soil. Should there bs any doubt as to
the plants not having had enough water to carry
them through, small drain pipes may be inserted
here and there along the row in an almost upright
position and with the lower ends at a level with
the roots. Through these water may be given in
a fairly satisfactory manner, provided the pipes
are close enough together, but I depend almost
wholly on giving a thorough soaking immediately
before earthing. Finally, it is best only to earth
up enough at one time to keep the supply good

for a week or ten days, and to follow up the work
at such intervals rather than to do a large quan-
tity at once, as feeding may go on in the mean-
while with that left undone. A little soil, say
about 2 inches, may be run in round the base of
the earliest main-crop plants, as this will en-
courage root action and give the leaf growth an
upright tendency which is desirable. Keep the
soil out of the plants, but pack it well up to them,
as this will hold the leaves in position. Water as
frequently and as copiously as may be.

C.VBE.\OE.— I dealt with this crop a fortnight
back, and recommended then the sowing of early
varieties. The present is an excellent time for
sowing main-crop varieties, and generally proves
our best time for sowing here, though a fortnight
later still may be recommended for early districts.
This is one of the matters in which I am in-
fluenced by local custom and by the varieties
chosen, of which I recommend now Mein's No. 1,
Veitch's Main-crop, and Enfield Market. Should
Red Cabbage be in request over a long period, a
pinch of seed sown now will come in early, but I
depend on spring-sown seed, as the hearts from
this get (|uite large enough by the time they are
wanted, which is not until we have had a touch of
autumn frost. Webb's Vesuvius is a good selec-
tion of the Red Dutch, and forms solid hearts of
first-rate colour.

Pe.4s.— Taking the weather we have had and
its probable effect on late Peas into consideration,
it may be wise to sow on an early border in
trenches prepared as advised earlier in the year
new seed of such varieties as William Hurst and
Chelsea Gem on the chance of a good growing
time in autumn, allowing them to supplement
pickings from recognised late varieties. My own
practice, however, is to depend on the latter to
supply the table up to Michaelmas, after which
the Pea supply becomes uncertain, to say the
least of it, and I see no reason to fear a collapse
this year. Such varieties as Autocrat, Chelsonian,
and No Plus Ultra are looking well, and the only
things these need to make the crop successional
are plentj' of water and good mulching. Seed
sown now must be well fed from the first, as there
is no time to waste even with quick-podding
varieties grown from newly-harvested seed.

TuRMis. — Before the end of the month a good
breadth of Turnips must be sown, and this sow-
ing will probably prove the most valuable of all,
as the roots will have time to reach full size before
winter. I dealt with this matter so recently, that
I need not again enter into details. The varieties
I recommended in my last notes on Turnips are
also my favourites for sowing now and again
about the middle of August. Water the drills if
dry, thin the young plants early and hurry them
out of the seed-leaf stage by the aid of any quick-
acting manure that may be at hand.

General work.— Fill up all blanks that may
have occurred among the plots of green stuff, look-
ing carefully over Cauliflowers and Broccoli for
blind plants. Throw together the material col-
lected for making the first in-door Mushroom bed
and see that it neither becomes overheated before
being turned or too dry, the latter being a fertile
cause of failure owing in many cases to the fre-
quent cautions given about running to the other
extreme and getting it too wet. In adding water
to the manure do it either with the syringe or
through a very fine rosed water-pot, and avoid
slopping too much in one place. Keep the hoe
going around any growing crops where possible,
and especially among those things which are re-
ceiving frequent supplies of water without mulch-
ing. J. C. Tallack.

plants. Near the large Palm house at Kew is a
plant which appears not too well known in gar-
dens at the present time.

Itea virg'inica. — A pretty and useful flower-
ing shrub from the Eastern United States, with
dense spikes of white, slightly fragrant flowers
unlike those of a Veronica ; indeed, at the
distance and before the foliage was seen it looked
much like one of this race. Compact in habit,
dwarf, and very freely flowered are points of
merit that should commend it to lovers of these

Flower Garden.

FLAG IRISES IN THE GARDEN.
The year 180(5 will be remembered for the
great wealth of beauty produced by Iris ger-
maiiica, and this has been well marked even
with the great heat of the year, which, while
bringing on the flowers in quick and rapid suc-
cession, has by no means taken away aught of
their beauty. Indeed, the flowers seemingly
revelled in the great heat and partial drought
experienced this spring, and beyond this comes
the welcome fact that the disease so trouble-
some in wet, cold seasons seems conspicuous by
its absence. Even when the flowering is over
the great sword-like blades in bold tufts are
effective when seen in irregular groups in the
garden, and it is very significant, too, the
almost endless ways these plants may be grown,
say from the window box for the town house to
rustic vases and baskets in the garden ; and,
again, high up overhead, as suggested quite
recently by Mr. F. W. Burbidge in The Gar-
den. Only a few weeks ago in a small garden
near where I write I was struck by the distinct
effect of these plants in baskets of rustic wood-
work, with a hanging fringe of Canary Creeper
about the sides. Raised and grouped in this
way and out of flower, it struck me these
Irises were as efi'ective as Yuccas. Indeed,
there is no end to the many and varying
positions in which they may be placed and
produce an effect of their own. But of all
their uses there are few plants that tell to
better advantage than these when arranged on
a dry sloping bank, no matter how steep
or how poor and stony the soil. In these
places Irises are as happy as in any position
in which they could appear in the garden.
In the very early days of May some of the finest
clumps of Iris 1 have ever seen were growing
on a steep bank, the plants forming huge clusters
between 3 feet and 4 feet across, and producing
something like three dozen or forty spikes each ;
and to add that there were two or three dozen
of these clumps is to merely give an idea of the
effect such would produce. The little trouble
such things give is really not worth naming
if we compare the great wealth of flowers
that follows, and if the blos>iouis are short-lived
individually, they come in such profusion that
we do not miss their going in the least.

Cultivation.
Perhaps one of the most efi'ective ways of em-
ploying these plants in the garden would be on
a sort of irregular bank, the plants arranged in
bold tufts among the stones. The latter jutting
out here and there in a naturally picturesque
way would be very pleasing, and by its adoption,
some out-of-the-way corner— hitherto disre-
garded it may be — could be made very pretty.
With this arrangement a space of not less than
4 feet should be left for each clump ; indeed,
it may be made into a sort of Iris colony, when
in the earliest spring such as pumila, olbiensis,
nudicaulis and the like may form a flowery
fringe, to be presently continued and succeeded
by the hosts of beauliful kinds this genus
contains. Among them the graceful Siberian
forms should also be found, as well as the giant
orientalis. By a careful arrangement, such a.
spot would be attractive and interesting for a
long time. On grassy, sloping banks and in
the larger herbaceous borders such things can

July 2?

1S9C.]

THE GAEDEK

65

always be made much of. For the latter they
are especially well suited, and when left alone
for a year or two, malie, when in bloom, a line
display. In the matter of soils these Irises are
by no means particular, since they grow and
flourish in the majority that are to be found in
gardens. Notwithstanding, they well repay
deep digging, as also a moderate manuring prior
to planting, and, given this at the start, they
should be left alone for three or four years to
become well established. One of the mistakes
that are made in their culture is pulling them
to pieces too frequently, and far more beau-
tiful and effective are they in bold masses several
feet across. Indeed, during the present season
I have seen splendid examples of flavescens,
stretching out its broad leafy blades to more
than 4 feet wide and some forty or more fine
spikes of its delicate yellow blossoms on each
clump, closely pressing a dwelling-house wall
where the soil would of a certainty be the re-
verse of rich. In fact, it is in such positions
that a good deal of rubble and brickbats may
be found, and their complete success lay in the
fact that they were left quite alone— alone to
stretch their great rhizomes on the hard gravel
of an adjacent pathway. Though among the
easiest plants to establish in the garden, the

Bfst Time for Planting
them is not nearly so frequently employed as
it should be. In truth, you may transplant
them ten months out of the twelve, though
often without securing bloom for the spring e'n-
suing. Very often these Irises are planted dur-
ing JMarch and April, in common with many
things, just as the growth of the season begins.
Yet no one planting the usual sized plants of
the nurseryman could reasonably expect flower
in the May and June following the operation,
even though large rhizomes were planted.
Others, again, plant in autumn, and all such
have to wait till March before many new roots
are formed. But while I would not hesitate
for convenience sake to plant these things at
any time between March and September, both
inclusive, I have the best reasons for believing
that outside that period the plants are best
left alone, and especially so those forms that
apparently are widely removed from the ger-
manica type. Many of these, particularly such
as Victoria and others of its class, are more deli-
•cate in their rooting and constitution, and,
being among the most beautiful, are worth
greater consideration and care. For all such
there is no better time for planting in the whole
year than the moment thtir flowering is
completed, and if done at this time, and having
the advantage of a season's growth before them,
good plants will result and flowering will be en-
sured another year. This may be new to many,
but the fact remains, and it has long been known
to specialisfs among these flowers and is well
worthy of imitation among gardeners generally.
The time is therefore opportune for these re-
marks and also for carrying out the work,
and those gardens now lacking a collection of
these Flag or Bearded Irises need wait no
longer. In the work itself there is little need
for instruction, though it must be stated that
the rhizomes or creeping root-stock of these
plants should never be turned below the sur-
face more than half an inch just to hold them
in position. It is their nature to lift themselves
out of the earth and send their roots deeply into
it. Plant at once then and plant firmly, give a
thorough watering at the moment, if possible,
and a light mulch to retain the moisture will
be all that is required. E. J.

Carnation Grenadin.— I was pleased to see
the appreciative note respecting this Carnation in

a late number of The Gardex. Blooming so
early in the season, it is valuable for furnishing a
supply of cut flowers before other varieties come in.
I have this year during June cut a bushel or more
of its bright Clove-scented flowers, and found
them of the greatest service. My plan with this
Carnation is to sow ia July broadcast in frames
rather thinly, allowing the seedUngs to remain
there until the following spring, just protecting
them from very inclement weather, and planting
out in well-stirred ground in March or early in
April. These plants bloom to a certain extent in
the following summer, and all singles can then be
destroyed. In the autumn they can, if so de-
sired, be transplanted, but I think they do better
if allowed to remain undisturbed. The following
year they are grand, each plant carrying a
hundred or more blooms. They flower then in
such profusion, that no grass is made and they
mostly die out. By sow^ing a little seed every
year, young plants are coming on to take the
place of those that die out, and I do not know of
an easier way than this of obtaining a quantity of
fragrant flowers for cutting in early
J. C, Byfltd.

Spiraea astilboides. — In a recent issue of
The Garden, " W. S., Wilts," inquires as to
how cultivators get on with this Spira;a after being
grown the first year in pots. In the autumn of
1894 I obtained some clumps of this. These were
potted into 6-inch pots and plunged in a cold
frame, were brought forward gradually and
bloomed most satistactorily in the spring. When
the blooming was over I had them plunged in the
open, giving them manure water occasionally ; this
induced them to make a fine growth. In the
winter some of these were cut into three pieces
and potted into 5-inch pots, while others were
potted into 8 inch pots. All of them were
allowed to come on in a slight warmth and bloomed
most satisfactorily.— John Crook.

The white Rocket.— In this we have one of
the most useful and showy border plants for late
spring or early summer blooming. For several
weeks this has made a fine show in a mixed hardy
plant border. Here it grows from 3 feet to 4 feet
high and gives long jjyramidal spikes of bloom
which I find most useful for filling long trumpet
glasses. Rockets are often seen in a more
vigorous condition in cottage and farmhouse gar-
dens than in large gardens. This often arises
from their being allowed to take a more natural
growth after the blooming period. Nothing is
more injurious to these, and many other hardy
plants than cutting down the flower stems to the
ground as soon as the blooming is over. By so
doing the plant is weakened, as it is these stems
and leaves that form good side shoots for next
season's blooming. I have often noticed what few
leaves these have below the flower shoot, and to

cut them ofi' in a green state is very unwise.

Dorset.

NOTES ON HARDY PLANTS.
Primula Reidi.— It is true that this is still
a very scarce plant, but I venture to state em-
phatically that it is also a perfectly hardy and
free-growing one. I make this statement from
an experience of it of six years or nearly so, and
all the time I have not only grown it in hardy
conditions, but also flowered it freely. Until
three years ago, however, when I mentioned the
fact in these columns, I lost the seed, which is the
more ready way of propagation, by leaving it too
long on the plant, when it escaped. Since then I
have taken the seed as soon as the capsule burst,
sowing it a day or two later, and when it had a
somewhat green and unripened appearance. Until
the last year's sowing, I always found it to germi-
nate quickly, in fact the same summer, but I
did not move the early seedlings. Last year's
seeds did not grow until this April, and now I
have a nice panful. For this year's seed I had
kept but one plant, and that one plant is now
in a seeding state. It is only fair to state that
though it has stood the intense cold of 1894-5, I

always cover it with a sheet of glass to keep it
dry in winter. The herbage is very late in
showing for a Primula, the latest of all except
Rusbyi, but after the growth begins it pushes
rapidly into its flowering state in mid-May; in
fact, like other Indian species, the Bowers come
with the young leaves, and leaf growth is mainly
made after the flowers are over. I have divided
roots successfully many times, but division should
only be done when the plant is active.

Acantholimon androsaceum.— For many
years I have grown thi? beautiful plant, but it
does not flower. I do not think I could admire
the plant any more if it did, and yet the chief
object of this note is to learn from anyone that
may have bloomed it under what conditions the
plant is being grown. I have nothing in the rock
garden that is more beautiful in form and habit,
and it is equally efl'ective in winter as summer.
The tufts of spiny foliage are composed of hun-
dreds of email rosettes and so compact as to form
a rigid grey green cushion, which nothing in the
way of pests seems to disfigure or disarrange.

Primula Poissoni is now coming into flower
freely in the open, and in the past mild winter a
cold frame was sufficient protection for this re-
putedly tender variety. I have not yet learnt from
anyone that it has been tried fully exposed
throughout the year, but it is yet a new or scarce
plant. This, however, cannot long remain an
excuse for not being tested, as plants are got in
abundance from seed.

The Himalayan Edelweiss.- This in the
latter half of June is only just beginning to flower
in Yorkshire ; it is a less white or silvery plant
than the European form, but in other respects I
cannot see that it diflers.

Brachycome Sinclairi. — A good tuft of this
in flower is most attractive ; it creeps in a delight-
ful manner along the narrow seams of soil be-
tween big stones, and once you get it well estab-
lished in this way it will have to be a very hard
winter that will kill it.

Veronica monticola. — Two years ago, when
looking over a famed collection of hardy flowers,
I stopfjed at this, struck by its neat, dwarf and
shrubby character. I asked what it was ; and if,
like many other of the shrubby kinds, it was
merely an evergreen or rarely flowering. I was
told that it was worth all the others — a new kind,
flowers deep purple, and plenty of them. It has
not yet flowered with me, but it forms a lovely
little shrub and seems fairly hardy.

Veronica Stewarti is another of the new
dwarf shrubby kinds which I am growing, as the
time for proving it has not been long enough.
Considering the material I began with, it would
be interesting to hear from any person who may
have proved these Veronicas as to their blooming
and hardy qualities.

Erigeron glaucus.— This is in considerable
request. I do not know why, unless it is because
it IS so distinct. I have seen it form a rounded
bush 1 yard in diameter and 1 foot high in a
warm position. The disc of the heads is very
large and of a distinct greenish yellow. The
woody stems are apt to burst with severe frost
until the plant gets a good covering of foliage,
which is more or less persistent, so protecting
the limbs of the plant. It was on a dry and sunny
bank formed of stony loam, where I saw the finest
plant.

Dianthus Atkinsoni.— This is now gloriously
in bloom, once more grandly reasserting its hardy
character and perennial duration. 1 know no
plant that has been so much cried down and with
so little cause. No one, however, denies that it is
the richest coloured of all the single Pinks, but it
is charged w^ith being tender and biennial. Here
it is certainly neither, and the one large plant has
scores of flowers and hundreds of buds now. It is
the same plant, in the same position, and not even
layered, of the past five years. To compare its
flowers to those of the mule Pink Napoleon III.
for the rich shade of crimson is no mean honour,
but it is distinctly superior in colour, and, what is

C,6

THE GARDEK

[July 25, 1896.

not generally the case, its single flowers last
longer, both "individually and in succession, than
those of the double Napoleon III. Culturally I
do nothing special for it, unless that I do for my
choice things generally would be deemed special,
viz.. mulch annually with burnt clay.

Oenista dalmatica. — What a beautiful dwarf
shrub (of a few inches) this is, but how little idea
these words convey of its unique clTect. It may
be described as a pigmy Gorse or half Gorse and
half Broom, the slender twigs being after the
style of the Broom, the little glistening leaves,
prickly, but not clustered like the prickles of the
Gorse." It has the evergeen habit, dark and
glossy; has been grown here about three years
and s'eems happv in very sandy soil. It grows to
a height of 4 feet 6 inches, habit semi-erect.
The flowers, very numerous and almost orange-
yellow, are produced in June. J. Wood.

n'oodrille, Kirk^tati.

EARLY GL.\DIOLI.
Glaiuolcs Colvillei alius The Bride is
on all sides deservedly well known and appre-
ciated, its ease of culture, purity of flower and
the cheap rate at which the corms can now be
purchased having all contributed towards its dis-
tribution. Few flowers surpass this Gladiolus
as subjects for indoor decoration, the tall,
chaste bloom-scapes lending themselves readily
to artistic arrangement. In the south of
England, where the soil is not unduly heavy
and damp, the corms may be left in the ground
all the year round. The clump fig\ired in the
accompanying illustration has now been un-
touched for four years. Some growers prefer,
however, to lift the corms after the leafage has
died down and to plant again in November.
This plan has certainly the advantage of retard-
ing growth until the spring, while the corms
left in the ground will often by Christmas have
thrown up leaves 1 foot or more in height,
which are injured badly by severe frost. When
planted, a mulch of leaf-mould or some other
light material should be given, as newly-planted
corms require more protection from the frost
than do those that have been undisturbed for
a length of time. Early Gladioli are grown
well in the Channel Islands, and in the early
summer large sheaves may be seen in the
Guernsey market associated with Ixias, Spar-
axis and other Cape tlowers. Amongst the best
of the early Gladioli aie delicatissima. Blush-
ing Bride and Salmon Queen, respectively
white, flesh-coloured and salmon, with darker
markings ; ardens, insignis and Prince Albert,
different shades of red or dark pink, the two
former with darker and the latter with white
markings. There is, besides, a large number
of named varieties which are well worthy of
culture. Those belonging to the nanus .section
are generally from a fortnight to three weeks
earlier in blooming than those obtained by
hybridising from G. ramosus. S. W. F.

PRIMULA SIEBOLDI.
The plants of the varieties of this charming
Japanese Primrose need close attei.tion at this
season of the yeai, because many persons who
attempt to grow them are apt to neglect them
during the summer months. They can be man-
aged with comparative ease if only a little neces-
sary attention be atforded them. They are now
losmg their leaves — at any rate those plants
which have bloomed in pots— and as soon as they
are well out of bloom they should occupy a cold
frame or else be stood upon an ash bed in a cool
shady rpot, such as underneath a north wall. In
such a position they will do well if they can be
occagicnally watered, giving them enough to
keep the rhizomes plump. Allowing the soil

about them to become dry is to cause the roots to
shrivel, and dry rot is more to be feared than wet
rot. Indeed, the summer rains may fall upon the
plants, but in the case of heavy storms it is well
to shelter them from a very heavy r.iinfall : hence
the advantage of having them in a cold frame so
that a light can be slipped over them when need-
ful. When the plants are neglected and suffer
from drought, red spider infests them, but oc-
casional sprinklings overhead will assist to keep
this pest under.

As far as my own experience has gone, very
little seed has matured this season, as during the
time the plants were in bloom the atmosphere
was hot and dry, and then P. Sieboldi is a some-
what disappointing plant in this respect, for it
will often happen that the pods plump up and
appear full of seed grains, but when ihey are
pened they are er-.pty. The surest way of
getting seed is by cross- fertilisation. I have this

GOLD-LACED POLYANTHUS.
I AM now lifting, dividing, and replanting seed-
lings which gave fine heads of bloom and pro-
duced a good crop of seeds. Circumstances neces-
sitated that in the autumn of last year I should
plant some 400 seedlings, most of which had
bloomed last spring twelvemonths in light, dry,
stony ground, but it is surprising bow deeply they
rooted, as if descending to find the coolness and
moisture denied them on the surface. Despite
the drought the growth was strong and the heads
of bloom excellent. They are going from the
stony ground into a good loam, and should they
be favoured with a shower or two after planting,
the plants will grow into fine stuff by autumn.
It is remarkable how well generally this section oi
Polyanthuses has done this season, dry and hot as
the later spring-time proved. When I was visit-
ing Mr. J. James, of Woodside, Farnham Royal,
who has one of the finest strains of gold-laced

Gladiolus Colvillei The Bride. From a pho
Mr. S. W. Fitzherbert, Torqiia

on bloomed some seedlings in which I have
endeavoured to get a greater depth of colour ap-
proaching blue than has yet been secured. I have
been aiming also at securing flatter flowers with
stouter segments, and the corollas less drooping
than are seen in some of the varieties. There is
ample room for improvement, as we have by no
means made the advance with P. Sieboldi we
ought considering the time it has been in cultiva-
tion in this country.

Those who attempt to raise seedlings need to
exercise the quality of patience. Even seeds
sown as soon as saved take a year or more to
germinate, and then the teedlings appear at in-
tervals. This is what the Rev. F. D. Horner
would term a " primulaoeous habit," and it is one
which attends the seedling Auriculas of good
blood. In both cases it not infrequently happens
that the laggards possess the finer characteristics
when the seedlings have become strong enough to
flower. R. D.

Polyanthus in the kingdom, I was struck with
the vigour of his plants and their wealth of bloom.
They were occupying a north border, but the
position was a dry one. Among them were
several of a highly promising character, and two
good red grounds — really red, and not partly red,
as one too often sees them — were equal to any
named varieties I have seen. Mr. James will
submit these and other selected ones to another
season's trial to test the persistency of their good
points.

The gold-laced Polyanthus is a difiicjlt plant to
cultivate in pots, and many fail, scarcely one that
does not. I made an experiment this summer with
some selected seedlings, potting up a number as
] soon as they began to flower and planting the re-
I mainder in a well-prepared bed. Of the former,
j despite the closest attention, I scarcely saved one.
I The latter did well and gave me a little seed of
I extra quality. Should the gold- laced Polyanthus
i find its way back into the Echedule of prizes of the

J0LY 25, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

67

National Auricula and Primula Society, from
which it should never have been withdrawn, ex-
bibitors must perforce depend upon plants grown
in the open, but transferred to pots for the exhi-
bition table. It is growing a few in pots and de-
pending upon them to be ' ' '

justifying Miller's name orientalis. However, the
plant is now almost universally known .as I. och-
roleuca, I. gigantea being a synonym. I. orientalis
is a name more generally given to I. sibirica var.
orientalis, which is very distinct from the type of
bloom at a certain I sibirica, having larger and bluer flowers, less
time which has caused their absence from the ex- freely produced, and red-brown spathes to the
hibitions of the National Primula Society. buds, the last being a conspicuous feature. It is

It is generally admitted that the old named also lower in stature than the type. Lately in
varieties being few have lost much of their Mr. O. Wilson's Iris meadow at Wisley I saw
original constitutional vigour from being so se- hundreds of seedlings in flower, presenting every
verely propagated to supply stock. We must ' gradation of variety between the type sibirica and
therefore look to seedlings for the rehabilitation of I var. orisntalis. Some of these exactl}- corre-
constitutional vigour in the section, and it is well sponded with a variety I raised from seed sent me
to know that some are at work in this section. It by Mr. W. Thompson, of Ipswich, as I. coreana,
is by the cross-fertilisation of the finest types, I My chief object in this note is to prevent confu
whether named varieties or seedlings, that sub- sion between I. orientalis (Miller) and I. sibirica
stantial gain can be looked for. Finely marked j var. orientalis, in speaking of which the specific
seedlings, if not quite up to one's ideal, may pro- ' name is generally omitted. — C. Wolley-Dud,
duce improvements. It is this hope which gives i^dge Hall, Malpas.
force to the attempts of the enterprising florist.

With the obtaining of good seed, let it be sown
in autumn or as soon as gathered in pans placed
in a cold frame, or if this cannot be done, in some
warmth as early in the year as possible. Then

THE MADONNA LILY.

(lilium caxdiduji.)
with attention there will be a wealth of seedlings ' Despite the fact that we are passing through a
!?-P"fi^^^:l°'°,!l°_^.".!.'1.tP7i !l!^^l"y_P'?P5j^:' season that will long be remembered for its

great heat and long-continued drought, the

tory to being planted out in the open d
dripping weather in July. R. D.

Lilium odorum japonicum — The nomen
clature of this Lily is as puzzling as ever, for the

disease in the above Lilium appears very con
siderable. For some years past I have watched
with interest this particular Lily in many gar-
dens, in some of which an acre or more has been

two groups at Kew bearing the above name which „„ J ' „..ii; ,.■. „ „ j t i, j , .

were alluded to in The cfRDEy, page 31, consist ""'^^'^ cultivation and I have endeavoured to
entirely of the Lily grown largely by the Dutch , <ii.s'=°^e>- m what degree soils, manured or otber-
and sent to this country under the name of Lilium ' Y-'^'^' seasons, influence the spread of the

Browni. Now if this is the true Lilium odorum j ^'^'^^se; but the more one looks for a well-defined
or L. odorum japonicum, the question that cause, the more conflicting becomes the evidence,
suggests itself is. What is the correct name of the A long border with a dozen or two clusters of
Lily which we receive largely from Japan as L. | these Lilies, such as I recently saw in the gar-
odorum, or sometimes as L. japonicum Colchesteri ? dens at Claremont, and where aspect being the
This Lily is certainly quite distinct in many well- ' same the plants receive apparently identical
marked features from the Lilium Browni of j treatment and conditions, bears this out, as in
gardens. A coloured plate of the Lihum odorum scarcely any two instances were the clumps
asgrown ,n this country was given iuThe Garden, ^jite affected. In some instances, indeed, the
vol. 29, under the name of L. japonicum.-H. P. I ^j^^p ^^^ ^^^ ^-^^^^ disfigured, while another
Anemonee, late flowering.— Last season I scarcely a couple of yards off was badly
noted that roots of Anemone fulgens might be affected. Again, at Kew, where this Lily is
kept in a cool store room and planted as late as I employed by the thousand, the results are very
T::''So<i%%°'r^^!:ri:^LT?^^^^^^ Anditisincasessuchasthe.ethatth^

August. At the present time plants from roots
so planted are throwing up a capital lot of their
brilliant and attractive flowers, which are found
most useful for vase work, after the heavy rains
and parching winds have spoiled many of the

outside flowe

They

not particular as to

sou or Situation, any spare strip in the kitchen
garden partially shaded by fruit trees suiting
them well. Not that they will not stand a sunny
border, only in such a position the blooms do not
last so long. The lovely Aldboro' Anemones,
which are at present rather scarce and expensive,
much resemble Anemone fulgens, but are much
larger and of stouter substance, having a clearly
defined white ring in the centre. I had some
cut flowers in my own room last spring for
fully three weeks, their freshness being pre-
served by an occasional change of water. The
popular giant French Poppy Anemones will also
bloom most freely in July and August if treated
in the same manner as fulgens in regard to plant-
ing. This cannot be said of many bulbous
plants, as if not planted in autumn or winter they
shrivel beyond recovery. — J. Crawford.

Iris orientalis. — Referring to your note in
the last column of p. 47o on this name, it is a
pity that there should be any ambiguity about the
name of that grand garden plant Iris ochroieuca.
There is an excellent portrait of I. ochroleuca
in Curtis's Botanical Marjazine, tab. 61, and the
letter-press belonging to it is worth referring to.
It will be observed that Carniola is given by
Miller as the habitat, but it does not seem ever to
have grown wild in Europe, and was found by E.
Boissier (see "Flora Orientalis," vol. v., p. 129)
in marshes to the west of Smyrna, in this respect

whole matter becomes more and more puzzlin
I have cited these two instance because soil and
situation are so widely different in each, and yet
in each the disease appears and in much the
' same proportion. More than once has it been
stated that this disease is the outcome of wet
and cold springs, but this year the spring
weather has been noteworthy for heat and
drought. But while the disease is un-
doubtedly present this year, it is, so far as
I have seen, by no means attended with such
disastrous results as in some previous years. I
have noticed, too, more than ever before that
the disease in many instances does not reach to
the ground level, but about 6 inches from it,
attacking all the larger leaves in its upward
ascent. It is not so in all cases, but more fre-
quently so than formerly. In some instances
at Kew I noted the plants were all but free
from its attack, and 1 have since wondered
whether any portion of the bulbs was freshly
planted last autumn. The position of Kew
Gardens and their proximity to the river are so
different from the high and dry gardens at
Claremont, with its beautiful surroundings, that
one would hardly expect to find the disease in
about the same degree. The Kew Gardens are
low and flat, and those of Claremont consider-
ably elevated, beautifully undulated, and pre-
senting a free and open view for miles around.
In the worst cases I have seen, however, there
is DO absolute failure of the crop of bloom, but
rather a reduction of the size of blossom indi-
vidually, as also of the number of blooms

on each stem. In many instances around
Shankhn and Ventnor in the middle of June
this Lily associated with the Euonymus
was flowering beautifully. The association
of the two was very suggestive, and the purity
of the Lily blossoms was greatly enhanced
thereby, while the excaeding freshness alone
was remarkable. I carefully looked for disease
m the LOy leaves, but saw no trace of it what-
ever.

Some two years ago I stated in The
Garden that I had secured a few bulbs from a
badly diseased stock of this Lily to try the re-
.sult of a thorough drying in full sun. This was
given, and the bulbs when planted much
shrivelled. During 189o growth was very weak,
but this season the majority have flowered well
and are quite free from disease. The stock from
which these came in lS9-t was early ruined by
the disease, and, in consequence, only small,
weakly bulbs resulted. It is in this way that
the market grower often suffers for two seasons
through the disease of one year. In cold
and wet summers, or when thunder or hail-
storms are frequent, the disease not unfre-
quently gets the upper hand and spoils the crop
of bloom entirely, while in dry, hot seasons
like 1896 cases of absolute failure are rare,
though the blossoms are usually less in number
and much inferior in size. I am, however,
fully convinced that the baking process— i.e.,
laying the bulbs on a hard gravel path or similar
place for six weeks or so, with full exposure
to the sun— is a partial check to a disease that
greatly mars the beauty of what in its
healthiest and best form is still one of the
most beautiful plants of the garden. It may
possibly be of service generally to horticulture
were the Kew authorities to make atrial of this
drying process and report thereon at a future
time. E. J.

A pleasing combination.— Now that the
glorious wealth of blooms of Cherries and Labur-
nums, Crabs and Thorns, and the dazzling glory
of Rhododendrons, Azaleas, &c , is over, other
flowering shrubs, less showy and bright, become
more prominent, both individually and in associa-
tion with each other and their surroundings.
Among these, Colutea arborescens, Deutzia candi-
dissima fl.-pl., Rhus Cotinus and Spira;a ari;tfolia
in association form a pleasing combination, for all
are in bloom together, are dissimilar in form of
leafage and inflorescence, and the flowers of a dif-
ferent colour, but each light and elegant, and
nothing glaring about any of them. Nice groups
of each of this quartette, separate, at a consider-
able distance apart on a prominent position visible
from the one standpoint, form at present objects
of peculiar beauty, and produce a fine effect, each
ling by association with its neighbour. The
two last named are known to everyone and grown
in moat collections, but the two first are, I fear,
less known, although both are well worth including
in any collection of early summer-blooming shrubs.
Perhaps I may be allowed to strike a note of warn-
ing in respect to this subject to show that it is
equally possible to destroy this harmonious effect
by the employment of two or more different plants
in association, and will note an instance of such
occurring here, and to which I plead guilty as the
culprit, and which must inevitably stand as strong
evidence against me for years to come. To con-
nect two kitchen gardens, a tolerably long rustic
archway was constructed. This is now fairly
Well covered with Fuchsia Riccartoni, in the
planting of which I introduced at intervals some
roots of Tropfeolum epeciosum. Both have done
well, and as the Trop.-eolum is not killed down to
the ground every year, it comes into bloom much
before the Fuchsias, md its brilliant festoons form
a lovely picture. There is no cessation in its
blooming when the Fuchsias come into flower, and
both keep on together until cut down by frost.

68

THE GARDEN.

[J-JLY 25, 1896.

and it is here where the unsuitability of the aeso-
ciation comes in, for the brilliancy of the Tro-
pa-olum pales the colour of the pendent bells of
the Fuchsias — the primary object of the arch-
way— into washiness and insignificance, and it
must perforce remain so for some time, as it will
be almost impossible to eradicate the Trop:volum
from among the Fuchsias, besides being a sacri-
fice of a valuable and beautiful climber. This h.as
been an object lesson to me to use caution and
foresight in associating various plants together,
however good they may be individually, and I
find I have yet a lot to learn in this phase of plant-
ing, and probably some more may have as well,
hence this confession and word of caution.— J. R.

Trees and Shrubs.

CUPRESSUS NUTKAENSIS.

(thimopsi.'^ borealis.)
The Xootka Sound Cypress is one of the
hardiest and most yaluable of all the cultivated
species. It was discovered by Archibald
Menzies (famous as the introducer of Araucaria
imbricata) in 171i4, when he was acting as
naturalist during Vancouver's voyage. As its
name denotes, it is a native of Nootka Sound,
besides other localities on the north-west coast
of Xorth Americn. It was not introduced to
Britain till about ISoO, coming then by way of
the St. Petersburg Botanic Garden. The
species is nearly allied to, and resembles,
LawEOn's Cypress, but it has not shown the
same extreme tendency to vary under cultiva-
tion. There are, however, half a dozen or more
varieties, one of the best and most distinct of
which is here figured. In the region of Nootka
Sound this Cypress reaches a height of from 80
feet to 100 feet. According to the "Report of the
Conifer Conference," the largest tree in Britain
is growing at Murthly, in Perthshire, and was
five years ago 50 feet high. It is of robuster
habit and has coarser foliage than mcst of the
forms of Lawson's Cypress, and differs also in
having the male catkins pale yellow instead of
red. Of its cultivation little need be ."said. It
thrives well in almost all parts of the kingdom
provided it has a fairly good and moist soil. As
a timber tree in Britain it is very promising.
Professor Sargent says that its wood is probably
unsurpassed in beauty for cabinet work by any
other North American tree. It can be increased
by means of cuttings. The following are the
chief varieties in cultivation : —

C. s. PENDULA. — A very distinct and hand-
some weeping variety, the main branches o'
which stand out horizontally from the erect stem.
but have an upward curve near the ends, the
secondary shoots hanging from them almost per-
pendicularly in two rows. It is one of the most '
effective of weeping conifers.

C. y. COM (ACTA is a form of dwarf bushy habit
with slighter branches than the type.

C. N. NiDiFicA. — A variety sent out by Messrs.
Rovelli, of Pallanza, Italy, about six years ago,
with plume like branches.

C. N. i^LAUCA is a fine variety of rather more
vigorous habit than the type, but otherwise only
differing in the more distinctly glaucus colour of
its foliage.

C. N. ARf^EXTEo-VARiEf^AiA differs little, if at
all, from the plants sent out as albo-variegata or
variegata ; many of the tips of the shoots are
creamy-white.

C. N. AUREO-vip.iDis is marked like the preced-
ing, but the colour is a deeper, more golden-
yellow.

C. N. LCTEA.— Of all the coloured varieties of this
Cypress, this is the handsomest and most distinct.
It first appeared in catalogues some six or seven
years ago, and the largest specimen atKewis now
about 9 feet high. It is as hardy as the type and

quite as vigorous a grower, and the bright yellow
of its young shoots (not merely confined to the tips,
as in the preceding variety) give it a most effective
appearance. With age the shoots gradually be-
come green. This, glauoa and pendula are the
most desirable of the varieties of the Nootka
Cypress.— W. J. B.

Lord Annesley, who kindly sent the photo from
which the illustration was prepared, sends tis
the following description of the tree figured : —

This handsome conifer, only sent out \Mthm the
past few years, will be a decided acquisition to the

CLIMBERS ON TREES.

An increased amount of attention has been
directed within the last few years to the charm-
ing e6Fects produced by some climbers when
allowed to ramble into and festoon neighbouring
trees. Various notes on the subject have from
time to time appeared in The (.;ariien, the most
I recent being on p. '27, and in it the difficulty
I which frequently occurs of inducing the climber
to grow away freely is there dwelt upon. This is
indeed a difficulty at times, for in the case of
I.irgo old established trees the climber has a hard
tisk to establish itself, and by no means infre-

coloured Cypresses. Although not of such a
brilliant yellow as C. Lawsoniana lutea, the
habit is more graceful and the tree a more
vigorous grower. The specimen the photograph
was taken from is 8 feet in height with a circum-
ference of branches 1.") feet. Transplanted in the
middle of May this year, it has already made S
inches of a new leader. It is by far the quickest
grower of any of the yellow-foliaged conifers that
I know.

quently fails in the attempt. Thus, while some
of these combinations have been when in a
flourishing state described as happy, there are
others which are the reverse, the weaker plant
having too great a struggle for mere existence.
The practice generally adopted of treating these
strong-growing ligneous climbers, which are n-
tended to mount up as (juickly as possible, is to
plant them near the trunk of the tree to which
they are secured. This has one very decided

July 25, 1896.]

THE GAEDEN,

69

drawback, and that is the JitBculty in inducing
them to flourish, for the base of a large tree is
about as unfavourable a spot as one could find for
the growth of young plants. Ivy, of course, will
grow in this way, but the beautiful flowering
climbers to which light is essential get not only
too little of this, but the soil at the base of a tree
is unfavourable for them, being completely ex-
hausted, and if a portion of soil is removed and
replaced with a better compost the roots of the
tree at once take possession of it, and the newly-
planted climber is really little better oflf thaii if
this had not been done. One way of obviating
this is to plant the climber or climbers outside the
radius of the branches and allow them to mount
upward by means of a friendly branch. Of course,
such a method as this can only be carried out
where the branches sweep the ground, or are in
close proximity thereto, but where it can be
managed the rate of growth will be far more
rapid. When away from the trunk a little good
soil may be used to plant the climber in
without much danger of the roots of the tree
taking all the nourishment from it, as will hap-
pen when it is close to the trunk. Again, many
people regard trees and shrubs of all kinds as re-
quiring only to be planted, and not one atom of
trouble is taken about them afterwards. Many of
them, however, well repay any little extra care
and attsntion, and this p.artioularly applies to
climbing plants which are intended to mount up-
ward quickly, for the rate of growth is greatly
accelerated by watering when necessary, with oc-
casionally an additional dose of liquid manure.
The choice of subjects available for such a pur-
pose is very great, and plants of different vigour
may be chosen according to the size of tlie tree
that is intended for their support. Roses at once
sugg-est themselves as afl'ording almost endless
variety, and some of the strong growing single-
flowered kinds are particularly charming. Many
diS'erent forms of Clematis, too, are equally valu-
able for this purpose, one of the best being our
own native Traveller's Joy (Clematis Vitalba),
while among other British plants which may be
sometimes seen in a state of nature draping a tree
exactly as one woulJ wish to see them when
planted artificially, are the Honeysuckles, favour-
ites of everyone. Wistaria sinensis will soon
mount up into a large tree, and when in flower is
a grand object. Passiflora cuTulea, too, in shel-
tered situations is just the thing for such a pur-
pose, while the common Hop possesses a quiet
beauty of its own. The above are all remarkable
for their blossoms, but there are others which
claim notice rather on account of their foliage.
Of these there is the Virginian Creeper, so uni-
versally acknowledged as furnishing one of the
brightest autumn features to be found among
hardy climbers, while several of its immediate
allies are very fine when similarly treated.
Among the best are the large-leaved North
American Vines, which grow treely and soon
cover a considerable space. A charming illus-
tration of one species — Vitis californica— clothing
some huge trees is given in vol. .36 of The G.\b
DEx, page 14.S. Of other large leaved plants s
word must be spared the Dutchman's Pipe (Aris
tolochia Sipho), whose large leaves are very orna
mental. T.

Double-flowered Bramble. — Be the seasor
ever eo hot and dry, this Bramble will yield a
wealth of its charming blossoms during the month
of July and onwards. In the wild or semi-wild
garden a suitable spot may often be found for it,
and the finest example I ever saw was covering a
high fence on the top of a stony bank. The
flowers, which are borne in the greatest profusion,
are individually a good deal in the way of some of
the double Daisies, being composed of a great
number of closely packed quilled petals of a very
pleasing shade of pink. It is known at Kew as
Rubus ulmifolius flore-pleno, but may be often
met with as Rubus bellidiflorus. There is also a
double-flowered Bramble with white blossoms,
but it belongs to a diS'erent species, R. thyrsoi-
deus flore-pleno, and taken altogether it is not so

showy a plant as the other. The double pnik
form first alluded to will if required form a de-
cidedly ornamental isolated specimen, if about
three stout stakes are driven firmly into the
ground and the shoots secured thereto. After
this they may be allowed to grow at will, whan a
dense mass with the branches arranged in a very
nformal manner will be the result. — T.

Tbe Black Broom (Cytisus nigrican:-),— The
specific name of this Cytisus is said to have been
derived from the plant turning black in drying,
certainly in a growing state there is nothing black
about it. If stopped occasionally when young it
forms a freely branched bush, that reaches a
height of a yard or more, whose slender stems are
clothed with trifoliate leaves, and terminated by
a spike of bright yellow flowers of a hue distinct
from that of any of its allies. In hot dry soils a bed
of this species forms a very attractive feature from
June almost till the autumn. It is a native of
Central Europe, from whence it was introduced
in 1730, and is thoroughly hardy. If a bed is
planted with this species, one of the dwarfer
growing kinds may be employed for an edging. A
very suitable one is the double-flowered form of
the common Genista tinctoria, which blooms with
great freedom and for a considerable time. A
coloured plate of this Broom was given in The
G.vRDE.v, of August 27, 1887, p. 176.— T.

Itea virginica. — This little shrub— a near
ally of the Escallonias— is very seldom met with
and still more rarely in a flourishing condition
as where the soil is at all hot and dry it fails to
grow freely. After seeing it in this plight, I
was agreeably surprised to meet with a bed of
it at the back of the Palm house at Kew, in
which not only were the plants— little bushes of
18 inches or 2 feet in height— in the beft of
health, but also profusely laden with blossoms.
The flowers are small, whitish, and arranged in
simple racemes. True, they cannot be regarded
as showy, but seen in quantity, as at Kew, they
are decidedly pretty and attractive. The general
appearance of this Itea when in flower suggests
one of the Pepper Bushes (Clethra), but even the
earliest blossoms of these latter are not yet ex-
panded. While this Itea finds a congenial home
in one of the sunk beds at Kew where the sub
soil is cool and moist, in many gardens, it is true,
a suitable spot could not be found for it. Con-
ditions favourable to many of the smaller erica-
ceous plants will suit it psrfec ly. Flowering, a;
this Itea does, during the month of July, when sc
many of our hardy flowering shrubs are over, it is
thus additionally welcome.-H. P.

Rose Garden.

ROSES AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE,
The show at the Crystal Palace was probably one
of the worst exhibitions the National Rose Society
lias ever had. Undoubtedly the season is to
blame for this, and only Roses of good substance
and doubleness could withstand the ordeal of such
a trying time as we have encountered. The
number of flowers staged fjr competition— irre-
spective of those shown as bunches, garden Roses,
or in designs— was about 5250, and out of this
number about 2iiii0 were Teas and Noisettes
ample proof of the increasing popularity of this
charming class. Taking the Hybrid Perpetual
first, the favourite of the day and the Rose shown
in the best form was that grand variety, Mrs,
John Laing, nearly 300 blossoms of it bein^
staged. Following at a considerable distance
was Alfred Colomb, this being represented by 1/t
specimens. Her Majesty, Ulrich Brunner, Mer-
veille de Lyon, Alfred K. Williams and Susanne
Marie Rodocanachi were the next favourites,
these five superb kinds following Alfred Colomb
rather closely, as from 100 to l.'jO of each were
considered worthy of a place in the exhibition
boxes. La France, Baroness Rothschild, Marie
Baumann, Horace Vernet, Earl of Dufferin,
Fisher Holmes, Marchioness of Londonderry and
Mrs. Sharman-Crawfordwere about equally repre-

sented, with from seventy to ninety specimens
each. The two last being new varieties, and
exhibited so frequently on this occasion, was
sufficient proof that the good opinion formed
of them at the time of their introduction had
in no way diminished. From forty to sixty
flowers each were put up of Caroline Tes-
tout, Mme. G. Luizet, Marchioness of Duff'erin,
Captain Hayward, Dupuy Jamain, Louis Van
Houtte, E. Y. Teas, Etienne Levet, Augusta
Rigotird, Victor Hugo, Duke of Wellington,
Prfnce Arthur, Mile. Marie Verdier, and Charles
Lsfebvre. Three other meritorious new varieties
were well shown in about the same quantity as the
last mentioned kinds, namely, Duke of Fife, Helen
Keller, and Marchioness of Downshire, all rapidly
growing in favour as good exhibition varieties.
Only from twenty to thirty blooms of each of
the following varieties were exhibited, namely,
Margaret Dickson, Charles Darwin, Comte Raim-
baud. Beauty of Waltham, Duchesse de Morny,
Abel Carritre, Mme. Eugene Verdier, Duke of
Edinburgh, Baron de Bonstetten, Duke of Con-
naught, John S. Mill, Duchess of Bedford,
Xavier Olibo, Camille Bernardin, Mile. Marie
Rady, Reynolds - Hole, Exposition de Brie,
Baronne Haussmann, Jeannie Dickson, Comtesee
de Ludre, Captain Christy, Mile. Marie Finger,
Le Havre, General Jacqueminot, Princa C. de
Rohan, and Mrs. W. J. Grant, a Rose of superb
form and colour, but lacking in substance. Many
of the above old favourites are usually met with
in greater numbers, but this season has told on
them very considerably. Of new or recent Hy-
brid Perpetuals and Hybrid Teas, a few fine
blooms were noticed of Spenser, a superb Rose,
.Marjorie, Clio, Bladud, and Mrs. F. Cant. Pos-
sibly in a cooler season they will be better exhibited
than they wore on this occasion. It will be seen
in comparing the above figures that a great work
is in store for us in order to produce Roses of the
type of Mrs. John Laing in all shades of colour
and same habit of growth that will stand the
vicissitudes of such a season as the present one.
All other Hybrid Perpetuals not noted above
were shown in very small numbers or not at all.

Of the Tea Roses, the most popular varieties
were Catherine Mermet, Comtesse de Nadaillac,
The Bride, Innocente Pirola, Mme. Cusin, Nl-
phetos and Maman Cochet : from 100 to 130 of
each were exhibited. Certainly the Tea Rose of
the sfason is Maman Cochet. It is superb, and
the extent to which it has been exhibited
only serves to show that if a Rose is good it
quickly takes hold of the public. I could not
help thinking when I saw the grand bloom of
this variety in Mr. Orpen's box that it was a
pity our National Rose Society could not see
their way to award their gold medal to worthy
new varieties, such as this and Kaiserin Augusta
Victoria, even if they were not of British origin.
Other fine Teas and Noisettes exhibited were
Marie Van Houte, Mme. Hoste, Ernest Mctz,
Souvenir de S. A. Prince, Mme. Caroline Kuster,
Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, Princess of Wales,
and Souvenir d'un Ami, from fifty to eighty
blooms of each kind being staged, and from
twenty to forty each of Miss Ethel Brownlow,
Anna OUivier, Francisca Kruger, Souvenir d'Elise
Vardon, Marechal Niel, Rubens, Alba rosea, Jean
Ducher, Mme. Lambard, Lady Mary Fitzwilliam,
Mrs. James Wilson, Bridesmaid, and Comtesse de
Panisse. ,, , j, a ^ u

Of newer varieties of Teas, Medea and bylph
were very beautiful and will undoubtedly become
popular exhibition Roses ; and of the varieties
not in commerce, I liked the appearance of
Leinster, Miss E. Richardson, and Mrs. ii.
Mawley, and no doubt when the raisers possess a
larger stock these Roses will be seen much
finlr than they were on this occasion. Muriel
Grahame was very disappointing, the general
opinion being that it was not sufficiently distinct
from The Bride. Philomel.

Two beautiful white Roses.— Among the
numerous white Roses none is more lovely than
Mme. Francois Pittet. It is a variety of the

70

THE GAKDEN.

[July

rpe, Dut 1

whereas Boule de Neige is flat and Camellia-like.
The jieculiar beauty of Mme. F. Pittet is its buds.
When about the size of marbles the buds are of a
deep purplish red colour, and when an expanded
flower is seen in its snowy whiteness surrounded
by five or six of these coloured buds the contrast
is eflective and striking. I prefer this variety to
Boule de Xeige as being lets likely to come mal-
formed. It makes an ideal garden Kose, ex-
ceedingly free flowering, and of tine erect vigorous
habit, ilme. Fanny de Forest is the other
variety that should be in everyone's garden. For
a Noisette I'erpetual it is large— indeed, much
larger than Louise Darzens and such kinds. It is
of a beautiful shape and generally of a pure
white : now and then just a suspicion of pink can
be seen. It is not so rampant as most varieties
of ite class, but it is very free dowering. It is the
very best white variety to cultivate as a pot
plant.— P.

Rose Wm. Allen Richardson.- This use-
ful Rose is much in evidence around Woking.
It seems to do well either as a standard or trained
against a wall. One handsome specimen budded
on a tall Brier is particularly noticeable, its long
pendulous branches being literally covered with
blossoms. I note, too, that on the tree in ques-
tion the shade of apricot colour, not the least of
the qualities of this popular flower, is deeper than
seen on any planted against dwellings. It may
be the sun causes a want of colour in such hot
positions as the latter. Anyway, the blooms of
this Rose are generally unusually liglit this

Rose rideal. — This remarkable Rose is
unique in the number of tints of its flowers ; yellow
and metallic - red predominate, these being
variable in different localities and seasons. Like
Wm. Allen Richardson, it belongs to the Noisette
or cluster-flowdring class. In other respects, too,
it favours the charming Rose named, and should
be planted to be trained against a wall or grown
as a standard. Although I'ldeal was raised as
far back as 1SS7, it is far from common, and one
rarely meets with a large plant of it.— S.

Rose Marg:aret Dickson.- 1 do not think
the value of this as a garden Rose has been fully
appreciated. Here, in the west of England, it is
so hardy and such a vigorous grower, that it
makes a splendid pillar Rose, and I should not
hesitate to grow it as a climber if the height of
the wall did not exceed 10 feet. I do not say that it
will cover space so quickly as the ordinary climb-
ing Roses, because it does not show its vigorous
habit until it has been planted three or four
years, but after that it will in good soil make
shoots 111 feet long in one season. We have none
too many pillar or climbing Roses of the colour of
Margaret Dickson, and none perhaps in which the
centre of the flower is so pleasingly toned down
from white to pale flesh colour as in this instance.
The freedom with which cuttings inserted in the
open ground in October develop into plants is an-
other point in its favour, which cannot be too
widely known, and I should imagine it
would make a good pot Rose for forcing,
especially if plants on their own roots were
selected. Its laree and handsome leaves will en-
able it to endure greater changes in climatic con-
ditions than many weak growers can bear. — J. C.
Clakke.

SHORT NOTES.— ROSES.

Rose La France.— This fine Rose has had a

season suitable to it. It is essentially a hot seison
R^ee, as indeed are most of the light coloured ones.
This sort should have but little pruning. It then
blooms with great freedom, the flowers being of a
better shape than when the prowth is ton much re-
stticte.l.— .S.

Rose ViscountesB F. •. : What a

..hanr.ing Rose tlii? is I If us wcW

as mr St constant in flowcrii . It Le-

lones to the Hybrid Teas ai.^ _::ud. The

growlh is free, but brandling r^ither than rampant,
and it is therefore nn6tted for climbing. It makes a
lovely bush or standard. — H.

Societies and Exhibitions.

NATIONAL CARNATION AND I'ICOTEE
SOCIETS: (SOUTHERN SECTION).
Crystal Palace, July 22.
Had the season, instead of being hot and very
dry, been characterised by some of the cooling
showery weather we associate with July, there is
no doubt but that the Carnation bloom of the
season would have been superb, for the plants
promised finely, and groweis were looking for
ward to a head of bloom and a southern Carna-
tion show which would probably have established
a record. But it was not to te so. Days of tropi-
cal heat, with an almost entire absence of rain
and a very dry atmcspheie, brought on the
flowers rapidly, and the petals almost commenced
to fade ere they were fully developed. Against
such a combination no art or plan of the grower
could hope to prevail, and the annual exhibition
of the Southern Society on the 22nd inst. had to
be characterised by an abeence of that excellent
quality of blossom witnessed at this correspond-
ing period last year. And yet there was no lack
of flowers ; there were the usual boxes of bizarres,
flakes, Picotees, selfs, and fancies, and the beau-
tiful yellow grounds, now inceasing with such
remarkable rapidity. There were dining tables
decorated with Carnation blooms, epergnes and
vases with the blooms, also an admixture of ap-
propriate foliage ; there were sprays and button-
holes, plants in pots, &c., exemplifying many
methods by which the Carnation can be utilieed
for decoration. There were refined types for the
florist, and border Carnations in abundance for
those who grow them and love to see them in
their gardens, and there were admirers for all.
The floiist cannot control the weather ; he has to
make the best of it, and though many of the
blooms fell below the quality which he wishes to
see, he is by no means discouraged. Perhaps it
may be found necessary in the future to have an
earlier fixture. A week would make a great deal
of difference, and the middle of June would be
found suitable for the bulk of the southern culti-
vators.

There were seven collections of twenty-four
blooms in not less than twelve dissimilar varie-
ties, and here the first prize fell to the lot of Mr.
Robert .Sydenham, Birmingham, a midland
grower who is in the front rank of cultivators.
He had very good blooms for the season of Lord
Salisbury, Geo. Melville, Thalia, Wm. Skirving,
Gordon Lewii, Mrs. Rowan, J. D. Hextall, a very
old variety, Guardsman, Mrs. Burgees, Robert
Houlgrave, Agricola, Edith Annie, and duplicates
of the foregoing, which represent some of the
best varieties in cultivation. Messrs. Thomson
and Co., nurserymen, Sparkhill, Birmingham,
were placed second. They had, differing from the
foregoing, Arline, Sportsman, Cristi-galli, C. H.
Herbert, Flamingo, R. Bealey, Jas. Douglas, and
Jos. Crossland. Mr. Martin Rowan, Manor Road,
Clapham, took the third prize, and four others
were awarded. There were six exhibitors of
twelve blooms, Mr. Joe Edwards, Blackley, Man-
chester, taking the first prize with well-marked
examples of J. S. Hedderley, Evan Edwards, new,
very bright in colour ; Gordon Lewis, Othello,
Mrs. Rowan, Harmony, Sportsman, Stanley,
Master Fred, Robert Houlgrave, Squire Llewellyn,
and Admiral Curzon. Mr. A. R. Brown, Hands-
worth, was awarded the second prize, and Mr. J.
Brocklehurst, Moston. Manchester, the third,
others being also awarded. With six blooms, Mr.
A. Greenfield. Sutton, wa? first, and Mr. T. E.
Henwood, of Reading, second, only three exhibi-
tors competing in this class. The striking self
Carnations make showy and brisht patches of
colour, and, like the yellow grounds, they increase
with great rapidity. The best twenty four in not
less than twelve varieties came from Mr. C. Blick,
gardener to Mr. Martin R. Smith, Hayes, Kent,
who had mainly new varieties generally of fine
quality, yet not so fine in appearance as they

otherwise would have been had atmotpheiic con-
ditions been more favourable. Such varieties as
Salisbury, Beacon, Banner, W'arrior, Roma, and
Prince Charlie were of crimi=on and scarlet
shades ; Sappho, Mrs. Gascoigne, Winifred,
and Regalia, shades of rose ; Dalkeith and Cinna-
mon, buff; Gilda and Britannia, yellow ; and of
a blush tint, Hildegone, very beautiful. Her
Grace and Abncy ; white. Lady Ridley. Mr.
James Douglas, Bookham, Surrey, was second,
chief among his being Zadoc, Mrs. Eric Hambro',
Diana, Duke of Orleans, Eudoxia, Miss Ellen
Terry, and seedlings. Mr. Join Walker, Thame,
Oxen, was third. There were six stands of
twelve varieties. Mr. A. R. Brown, Handsworth,
Birmingham, was first, with Eudoxia, Mrs. E.
Hambio', Britannia, Mephisto, Germania, Braw
Lass, Lady Ridley, &c. Mr. Joe Edwards was
second, and Mr. R. Sydenham third. There
were twelve exhibitors of six selfs. showing the
advantage of offering e.'yht prizes. Here Mr. T. E.
Henwood was placed first with Her Grace, white :
Lord Wantage, ayellowself; Germania, Mephistr,
Lady Ridley, and a seedling. Mr. C. Phillips,
Bracknell, was second, and Mr. .J. Brocklehurst
third. Even more attractive still were the fancies,
which include some types not otherwise classi-
fied, and which are not selfs, because bi-coloured
and even tri-coloured, and also many on the bor-
der land of yellow grounds. Here Mr. Martin R.
Smith was first, with some really magnificent
varieties, such as Roland, Perseus, Vashti, El-
dorado, Naseby, Flamma, Lorna Doone, Roland,
Nestor, Leopold, Regent, Czarina, President
Carnot, Melba, Khedive, Oliver, Figaro, Dalgetty,
Hidalgo, very distinct, bright pale yellow ground,
flaked on the edge with crimson and maroon ;
Aureola, Bertie, The Baron, and Evening Star.
Mr. J. Douglas was second, mainly with seedlings
of a promising character, and Mr. J. Walker
third. Messrs. Thomson and Co. were first with
twelve blooms, chief among them Mrs. A. Tate,
Cato, George Cruikshank, Mrs. W. Spencer, Al-
mira, Janira, Monarch, Cardinal Wolsey, and
The Dey ; second Mr. A. J. Saunders, gar-
dener to Viscountess Chewton, Cobham, Surrey.
Next came specimen Carnations in single blooms,
the best scarlet bizarres being R. Houlgrave and
C. H. Herbert ; crimson bizarres, J. S. Hedderley
and Master Fred ; pink and purple bizarres, Wil-
liam Skirving took all the prizes ; purple flakes,
Gordon Lewis, Charles Henwood and James
Douglas; scarlet flakes, Sportsman and Guards-
man ; rose flakes, Mrs. Gunn, Mrs. Rowan and
Thalia ; self white, Mrs. Lee, very fine, and
Pearl ; rose or pink. Ruby and Macclesfield ; scar-
let or crimson, seedlings ; maroon or purple,
Mancunian, a very fine maroon self ; yellow, Ger-
mania ; and buff, Mrs. C. W. Sharpin and Per-
simmon. The best fancy flowers appeared to be
seedlings.

The premier bizarre Carnation was J. S. Hed-
derley, shown by Mr. J. Edwards ; the premier
flake, Sportsman, shown by Messrs. Thomson and
Co. ; the premier self, Germania, yellow, shown bj'
Mr. A. W. Jones ; and the premier fancy, Mr. R.
Smith's Hidalgo. Next came classes for bizarres,
flakes, selfs and fancies, shown without cards
or dressing. These were shown in boxes and each
bloom was backed with a spray of Carnation foli-
age. Mr. Dalton, Chislehurst, had the best
twelve flakes and bizarres, and Mr. G. Chaundy,
Oxford, the best six. Mr. Dalton also had the
best twelve selfs and fancies, and Mr. V. Charring-
ton the best six.

Picotees.

The delicate edged Picotees were also very
attractive, alternating with narrow and broad
edges of colour on the petal margins, and in
shades of purple, red, rose and scarlet. They are
lovely flowers. For twenty-fnur blooms not less
than twelve varieties. Mr. R. Sydenham was again
first, having Ladv Louisa, Lena, Ganymede, Mrs.
Kingston, Mrs. Wilson, Jessie, Littla Phil, Nellie,
Thomas William, Muriel, Mrs. Payne. Esther,
Mrs. Gorton, Favourite, Mrs. Openshaw, and
others in very good character for the season.
Mr. A. W. Jones was second, having several of

July 25, 1896.]

THE GARDEI^.

71

the foregoing varieties ; and Messrs. Thomson and
Co. third. With twelve blooms, Mr. J. Edwards
was first, Mr. A. R. Brown second, and Mr. B.
Simonite third. With six blooms, Mr. C. Hardin,
A-h, Dover, was first, Mr. T. E. Henwood second,
and Mr. T. Anstiss, Brill, third. Then came the
beautiful yellow grounds, and here Mr. K.
Sydenham added to his honours by taking the
first prize with twelve blooms, having Ladas,
Mrs. Gooden, Florrie Henwood, Agnes Cham-
bers, Countess of Jersey, Mrs. R. Sydenham,
Mrs. Douglas, &c.; second, Mr. M. R. Smith,
who had Voltaire, May (^>aeen, Golden Eagle,
Professor, His Excellency, Fortune, Mohican,
Dervish, Mrs. Tremayne, and Hygeia. Messrs.
Thomson and Co. were third, they having a highly
promising seedling yellow ground, unnamed. The
best six yellow grounds came from Mr. A, W.
Jones, who had Mrs. Gooden, Countess of Jersey,
Mrs. R. Sydenham, Mrs. DjujjIis, Lidas, and
President Carnot, all standard varieties. Mr.
A. R. Brown was second, with much the same va-
rieties, and Mr. H. W. Weguelin, Teignmouth,
third. In the classes for the single blooms of
Picotees, the best heavy rede;iged flowers were
Brunette, John Smith and Isabella Laken ; light
red, Thomas William and Mrs. Gorton ; heavy
purple, Polly Brazil and Memorial ; light purple,
Mrs. Kingston and Elizabeth ; heavy rose. Little
Phil and Campanini ; light rose, Rosie Syden-
ham and Mrs. Deal ; heavy scarlet, Scarlet Qjeen
and Mrs. Sharps ; light scarlet, Mrs. Geggie and
Favourite ; the best yellow grounds, Mrs. S. R.
Sydenham and Mr. E. C. Sharpin's Alice Mills.
Picotees, both white and yellow grounds, were
also shown without dressing and cards, each with
a spray of foliage, and it must be admitted they
added but little to the attractiveness or interest
of the show. A few good blooms were shown,
but the larger proportion were small and rough,
and not nearly so good in many instances as one
sometimes sees in the baskets of the flower girls
at the Royal Exchange. The society appears to
have a handsome bilance in hand, and they get
rid of some of their surplus cash in this way. The
yellow grounds were better than the white ground
Picotees and were more attractive. There was
also a class for six Carnations and Picotees for
those who have never won a prize, Mr. A. Camp-
bell, gardener tu Mr. F. W. Campion, Reigate.prov-
ing the leading p iz3-winner. There was a cla-s
also for two cut blooms of seedlings as cut from
the plant not previously exhibited. All the flowers
shown were unnamed, and the class revealed
nothing specially good. A good number of
f certificates were awarded to seedling Carnations ;
I of these some descriptive notes shall appear later.
: Plants in pots weie also shown, and classes for
I these aS'ord some information as to the habit of
! growth. With twelve specimens, Mr. Martin R.
I Smith took the first prize, Mr. C. Turner being
I second and Mr. J. Douglas third, both with good
• plants bearing flowers past their best. The best
I specimen Carnation in a pot was Paragon, a large
I yellow self. Mr. M. V. Chirrington was awarded
! the second prize. The best group of Carnation
I plants (filling a space of 50 feet) came from Mr.
!, Martin R. Smith, consisting of seventy plants or
1 so, all very finely grown and bloomed. Mr. C.
Turner was second with some excellent plants.
The best group {filling a space of 30 feet) came
. from Mr. Douglas; Mr. E. Charrington, Chisle-
hurst, was second.

Floral decorations consisted of a table arranged
as for twelve persons, the decoration to consist of
' Carnation and Picotee blooms only with any foli-
■ age. Mr. C. Blick was placed first out of eight
competitors, having in the centre an epergne,
with side vases, using fine bright Carnation blooms
and the bright green foliage of Asparagus plumosus
with Smilax, &c. The second prize went to
Miss Jackson, Upper Norwood, we are bound
to say to the surprise of many, as these were
simply three crowded low heaps of flowers and
foliage as formal in appearance as couH well be
imagined. Mr. F. VV. Seale, nurseryman. Seven-
oaks, was third. Mr. J. Douglas had the best
vase of Carnations ; Mr. C. Hardin was second.

Mr. Blick secured the first prize for three sprays
of Carnations, and Mr. F. W. Seale the second,
Mr. J. R. Chard being third. A lot of button-hole
Carnations was also shown. The Martin Smith
prizes for Carnations from the open border brought
as usual a good competition. The best bunch of a
self coloured Carnation was the brilliant scarlet Jim
Smyth, from Mr. H. G. Smyth, Drury Lane. Mr.
A. J. Sanders came second with an unnamed
white self, and Mr. P. L. Bourne. HoUingbury,
was third with a promising large pale scarlet self.
The best six bunches of self border Carnations
came from Mr. H. W. Weguelin. Mr. A. Spurling,
Blackheath, was second, and Mr. A. J. Sanders
third. Mr. Weguelin also had the best nine
bunches. Mr. J. Douglas was second, and Mr.
M. V. Charrington was third ; in both classes the
flowers were unnamed.

In the way of miscellaneous exhibits, Mr. J.
Douglas had a table of bunches of new varieties
of Carnations he is sending out. Mr. T. S. Ware,
Hale Farm Nurseries, had a large number of
bunches of Carnations set up with Gypsophila
paniculata, also bunches of Pentstemons, &c., a
large and imposing bank.

Royal Horticultural Society.— The next
meeting of the fruit, floral and Orchid committees
will take place on Tuesday, July 2S, in the Drill
Hall, James Street, Victoria Street, at 12 noon.
A 3 p.m. a lecture on "Cacti" will be given by
Mr. E. H. Chapman, F.R.H.S.

Chester horticultural show and fete.—
The Duke of Westminster, K.G., will preside on
the occasion of the conference to be held in the
Chester Town Hall on August 4 next. Sir Trevor
Lawrence, Bart., the Dean of Rochester, and
Mr. F. W. Burbidge, M.A., F.L S., surely con-
stitute an array sufficient to attract the least en-
thusiastic follower of horticulture. There should
not be a vacant seat in the hall, and we trust the
meeting will be as successful as it certainly de-
teives to be.

Notes of the Week.

Platycodon grandiflorum Mariesi. — At
the last meeting of the R.H.S. Mr. Prichard had
some very fine bunches of this excellent dark
flowered kind. The intense deep violet - blue
flowers attracted many admirers.

Carnation Ketton Kose.— This appears to
be a capital variety generally out-of-doors, where
it has endured the great heat and drought much
better than many other kinds that could be named.
Its freedom of flowering and colour also make it
most desirable.

Erigeron philadelphicus. — This pretty
species produces an astonishing number of its
rosy Daisy like flowers that render it a pleasing
plant in the rock garden or near the margin of
the border. The plant is only a foot high and is
effective for a long time.

Rudheckia calif ornica. — This species is
now in bloom. It is a capital plant in the
front of shrubbery borders, making a distinct
show in large groups. The clear yellow ray florets
are rather thinly disposed, while the cone-shaped
disc is of large size and quite distinct.

Iiilium chalcedonicum.— This is now among
the finest of the Lilies in the open air, and ap-
pears to be doing remarkably well this year, its
spikes of rich vermillionscarlet making a fine dis-
play. When used judiciously among dark-leaved
evergreen shrubs the effect is striking in the
extreme.

Carnation Bendigo. — This is not a blue
Carnation, though its violet-purple, self-coloured
flowers are a distinct approach to such. In a
mass it makes a most striking display. We re-
cently saw this excellent kind, which w.as raised
by Mr. Martin R. Smith in the collection of Mr.
Douglas at Bookham.

Chrysanthemum Flora.— That this is a
Bummer.flowering variety there is no doubt what-

ever, since it has been producing its masses of
light golden flowers for some time past. In this
respect it is useful, and being dwarf as well as a
most continuous bloomer, renders it a favourite
with quite a large number.

Chrysanthemum Maurice Prichard.— This
is doubtless the largest of the leucanthemum
section of these perennials in so far as the flowers
are concerned, these being each fully 4 inches
across. The plant is free-flowering, but inclines
to a somewhat coarse appearance, judging by
some large plants of it at Kew.

Native plants.— It is curious how Nature has
apparently reasserted herself in the half acre of
land which has so long lain waste in Whitehall.
It is now a waving mass of purple Willow Herb in
full bloom, interspersed with comparatively tall
Bracken Fern, with several shrubs and brambles
growing freely amongst them. — J. B. Drooi',
Bei.jafe.

Platycodon grandiflorum pallidiflorum-
This is also known by the varietal name of album ;
the flowers, however, are not white, but white
sufi'used with pale blue. The plant flowers very
freely, and is therefore a most desirablo border
perennial and one that is quite distinct from a
large majority of hardy perennials in habit, foli-
age and flower.

Lilium auratum. — Numerous grand clumps
of this Lily among the Rhododendrons in the
Royal Gardens at Kew are making a fine show.
Some of the earlie-t blooms have been expanded
some time, but, owing to the profusion of buds as
well as the various positions the groups occupy,
there still remains a goodly show of large hand-
some flowers.

Carnation Winifred.- This is a border kind
and a novelty of sterling worth We recently saw
a fine lot of it in Mr. Douglas's nursery at Book-
ham, in colour rich apricot, flowers very full,
compact and well formed, with a perfect calyx.
In height it is considerably less than 2 feet, and,
judging by the masses of bloom, it will make a
splendid kind for the flower garden.

Spirsea venusta.— This is one of the hand-
somest species of the genus flowering at the pre-
sent time, and the graceful masses of its rosy-
pink flowers are very showy. Like all the race, a
cool spot with root moisture is what is needed to
make it a success, and given this it attains to a
luxuriance and freedom of flowering which are
satisfying in the extreme.

Pterocarya caucasica.— Some very fine fruit-
ing branches of this rare deciduous tree were sent
from Claremont to the last meeting of the R.H.S.
We recently saw this tree in the gardens at Clare-
mont, which was then covered with its pendulous
spikes of fruit, that render it extremely interest-
ing. The tree is a very old one, having a spread
of branches that extend to lOO feet or more.

Mtttisia decurrens. — Few hardy climbers can
equal this when in good condition, though it is
rarely so seen. We were reminded of it by a
small plant with three or four of its orange
blooms in the group of flowering shrubs staged
by Messrs. Veitch at the Drill Hall recently.
Judging by its rarity, the plant is ditil-ult to
establish in the open, a fact to be much regretted.

Komneya Coulteri at Torquay. -A few
days ago I saw this lovely plant in full flower in
the gardens of Mrs. F. J. Rawson, Bramhope,
Torquay. It was bearing upwards of fourteen
fully developed flowers, with more to open. It
is the finest specimen I have seen. Planted
outdoors in a south border fully exposed to the
sun it seemed quite at home. This plant fully
deserves extended cultivation.— W.

Lilium speciosum Melpomene.— At the
last meeting of the R.H.S. a small group of this
handsome form was exhibited. It, however,
appears to come very close to L. s. cruentum.
Both kinds are very fine, and possess flowers that
are in each case heavily stained with a blood-
crimson hue. For the open border among shrubs
and other things these Lilies make a fine display,
but the flowers are yet a long way from being

72

THE CxARDEN.

[July 25, 1896.

brought forward in a

OEnothera speciosa. — Few plants are more
profuse flowering than the tV^notheras, while this
species is among the best of that number. The
flowers are very large, sometimes nearly white
and at others flushed with a rosy or lilac hue. The
plant is of perfectly easiy culture and in some soils
spreads too freely, but where the space of a yard
can be given it, a very tine mass of flowers is tho
result.

Lilium concolor.— A dainty species from
China of rather frail growth, the slender stems
risinff to little more than 12 inches high, and ter-
minated by rather small flowers of a tiery scarlet
hue. The species is bsst grown in pots in a freely
drained mi.xture consisting of peat, loam, sand,
and charcoal in equal parts. It needs compara-
tively little moisture at the root save for about
two months in summer.

Gjillardia maxima.— The flowers of this va-
riety are of great size, upwards of 4 inches across,
whi'e the gorgeous colour renders it most con-
spicuous. Such monster- flowered forms, however,
are more useful in the border than for cutting,
unless it be for very large vases. Many of the
smaller flowered kinds are of much value as cut
flowers, particularly the clear yellow self kinds,
and where these have a disc of the same colour.

Hollyhocks in Kegenl's Park.— There is a
charming etl'ect of these in the mi.xed border in
Regent's Park— a bold and pretty thought well
carried out. The Hollyhocks are scattered over
the border, and in certain lights it is one of the
prettiest eflfects we have seen, which we should
expect from this well-managed garden— certainly
the best in London, although not in all parts
well laid out as to plan, which should be improved
here and there to make it worthy of such good
and thoughtful gardening.

Galega cfiacinalis alba.— An excellent free-
flowering border perennial that is capable of en-
during a gcod deal of drought with impunity.
Some capital specimens of it and also the type
wi'h lilac-blue flowers have been flowering for
some time w ith the greatest freedom. The white
kind is specially suited for cutting, as it provides
foliage almost equal to Fern and tjuite as graceful
and elegant. Both kinds should be grown where
large supplies of cut flowers are required, as they
keep up a profusion of blossoms for a long period.
Tufted Fansies. — A correspondent writes :
"The article on the above interested me
much. Two or three years ago I strongly
supported the incorrect term of 'Viola' as
applied to the hybrids, but I have seen so much
of the confusion caused, and been asked hundreds
of times, what is the difference being a Pansy and
a Viola that, as I told Mr. Cuthbertson, of Rothe-
say, only a short time ago, my mind is continually
getting more open on the subject. Mr. Cuthbert-
son and I are of opinion that the nomenclature of
these hybrids will form a leading subject for
discussion in 1897.'

BhuB Cotinus (Venetian' Sumach). — There is
to be seen just now at Luddington House, Stroud,
Surrey, a fine bush of the above over 63 feet in
circumference and of considerable height. Had
it not been very much curtailed in consequence of
its being planted too near the carriage drive, it
would have been very much larger. I had this
beautiful shrub in fine feather at Enville, where
it used to be greatly admired, but I never saw one
so beautifully coloured and densely flowered as the
above. Why it is not more planted seems
myttery, for it is one of the most elegant shru
we possefs. There are also to be seen there two
fite Judas trees and an immense evergreen Oak,
— Elward Bennett, Qvttn's Road, Eijhavi.

Alpine Poppies.— In the spring of 1S95 I
faved a quantity of the seed of thei^e lovely little
flcwtrs, and was rewarded with a plentiful crop
of plants which flowered all through the summer
and autumn in great profusion. The flowers
varied from pure white, through all shades of yel-
low, oiarge, and orange-red, and occasionally

there were beautiful blooms of true rose colour.

1 saved plenty of seed, and this spring sowed it
in Celery boxes, afterwards pricking out on to
the rockwork, and the success has even exceeded
that of last year. The foliage is as pretty as the
flowers, and, considering how very easy these
Poppies are to cultivate, I wonder that more use
is not made of tl.em. — H.

Campanula isophylla alba.— The earliest
blossoms of this charming variety opened on the
•20th inst., and by its dense masses of flower buds
promises a fine display for weeks to come. For
the rock garden, for window-boxes, for vases or
suspended in pots, or indeed in any position in
which a trailing plant may be employed, this is
certainly one of the best things that could be
grown. The plant is especially well suited to
shady positions, and for window-boxes havir)g
such an aspect it is invaluable at this season of the
year.

• We find that a shady petition is not a ne-
cessity for this, as we now have it in a window-
box one mass of bloom. The great point is to
give the plants plenty of water with an occasional
dose of some artificial manure. The flowering
shoots of the plants referred to hang down quite

2 feet, and against a background of Vitis incon-
stane the pure white flowers are very effective.—
El..

A note from Cornwall. — Never has Cassm
corymbosa flowered so freely. The bush is 7^
feet high, and stands next on the wall to Boussin-
gaultia baselloides, which is not yet out. Ceano-
thus Gloire de Versailles is a mass of bloom.
Rose William Allen Richardson is looking very
well with many flowers open. Clianthus puni
ceus has many seed-pode. The Rhodochiton volu-
bile ripened seed outof doors last year; now it has
run up 1.3 feet, and its long sprays are most
effective, tumbling over a Solfaterre Rose in
bloom. Aloysia citriodora is 10 feet high and a
mass of bloom. The Passion Flower Constance
Eliott is well out, and Jasminum officinale
and J. floridum show a wealth of flower. In the
garden Primula imperialis is still out. Anoma-
theca cruenta is looking its best. Meconopsis
Wallichi grown in a shady walk has been out
since the first week in June Veronica subfes-
silis is just coming into bloom, while Malva
lateritia is looking well, and Prunella frandiflora
just going over. Romneya Coulteri has run up
to 7 feet this year and seems the better for the
great heat.— BuRNcoosK, PtrranvM, Cornwall.

Nymphaeas in Berks. — These very beautiful
hardy water plants are doing well this season.
Having failed to bloom the very pretty small-
flowered blue Nympha?a cyanea in other summers
outdoors, it is pleasing to see it this year throw-
ing out its pretty light blue flowers. I should be
glad to know if others have flowered this plant
outdoors. The following Nymphaeas are all doing
exceedingly well this summer, viz., N. odorata
rosea, N. o. gigantea, N. Marliacea carnea, N. M.
Chromatella, N. odorata sulphurea, N. pygm*a,
and the beautiful N. Laydekeri rosea with its red
flowers looks chai-ming growing beside the com-
mon white N. alba. Several other Nymphivas of
recent introduction are thriving well, and will
bloom before the season is out. I have several
other very beautiful water plants now in bloom.
Amongst them I may mention Limnocharis Hum
boldtij Villarsia nympbaioides, Sagittaria ja-
ponica plena, S. gracilis, S. sagitta;folia, Alisma
nutans, Aponogeton dietachyon, Butomus umbel-
latus, and Pontederia cordata. These water plants
add a great charm to the garden, and where there
is B small stream it is quite easily turned into a
beautiful and interesting water garden. — W.
TowNSEND, SandhnrsI Lodge, Berks.

viously recorded here, the black bulb thermometer
rising to 143°. The range in temperature has
again been considerable, and on the 2 1st amounted
to 33°. The foil remains very warm, the tempera-
ture at both 2 feet and 1 foot deep being 6' higher
than the July average. Since the month began
less than half an inch of rain has fallen, and no
rain water whatever has come through either per-
colation gauge for a week. On the 21st the air
was extremely dry, the difference between the
readings of a dry bulb thermometer and one with
its bulb kept constantly moist amounting to as
much as IS'' at three o'clock in the afternoon.—
E. M., Ikrkhmmlfd.

Converting: wood it^to paper.- At a wood-
pulp mill at Elsenthal, in Austria, a trial was
recently made to show how quickly living trees
could be converted into newspapers. At 7. 35
o'clock in the morning three trees were felled.
By 9 34 the wood had been stripped of its bark.

cut into suitable

pieces

for the mill, converted

into pulp and pressed into paper. Then it was
passed from the factory to a neighbouring print-
ing-press, and the first printed and folded copy
of the journal was ready for perusal at 10 o'clock,
just 14.") minutes after the axe had been laid to the
standing trees.

Public Gardens.

Lincoln's Inn Gardens.— The gardens of
Lincoln's Inn will, by permission of the Benchers,
be open to the public on Friday next and follow-
ing evenings from 6.30 until dusk, and on and
after August 13 until September 11, inclusive,
they will be open from 5 to 7. This privilege is
intended more especially for the benefit of the
poor children of the neighbourhood, a consider-
able number of whom visit the gardens nightly.

Hampstead Heath.— The London County
Council, as the result of represent,ation8 from Sir
J. E. Millais, president of the Royal Academy,
Sir Walter Besant, and other well-known gentle-
men in literary and art circles, have decided to
reduce by one-half the number of labourers era-
ployed on Hampstead Heath. It was stated that
the employment of too many labourers when at
any time there was insuflicient work for them
to do brought about the destruction of many
characteristic beauties and natural effects of the
Heath in order to keep them employed. Accord-
ing to the latest instructions issued by the Parks
and Open Spaces Committee, the men's duties
will in the future be confined to the " picking up
of broken branches of trees, paper, bottles, and
pieces of broken glass."

Fruit of Xanthoceras sorbifolia.— Will any
reader kindly say whether the fruit of Xantho-
csras sorbifolia is edible ?— Si r.scRiuER.

"Wood trellis for climbers.- Mons. Ed.
Andre, replying to our iniiuiry respecting the
wooden trellises so often seen in France, and
which we think in some cases better than the
ugly galvanised wiring now common, kindly
writes: "Trellises in France are made of Chest-
nut, Fir or Pitch Pine, not of Oak. To make
them durable they are passed through a bath of
sulphate of copper. Before being placed in posi-
tion they are painted pale green, or, better still,
vandyke-brown."

The weather in "West Herts.- On three

days during the past week the shade temperatures
rcse to, or above, f-0'-', and on the 21st inst. 85°
was registered. This is the highest reading as
yet recorded this year, being slightly higher than
the maximum of the 14th. On the 2(ith the heat
in the sun's rays was greater than any I have pre

Names of plants.- -1 R. Wallace.— ODcidiam
longipes, sometimrs described as two-leaved, but the

pseudo-bulbs as a rule produce one only. J. U.

Reeve. — Lysimachia clethroides. Young. — Flower

quite shrivelled up ; impossible to identify. C.

Eduards. — l, Ceanothus Gloire de A'ersailles; 2,
Plilebodium anreum; 3, Fteris cretica albo-lineati ;

4, Nephrodium niolle ; 5, send better Bpecimen ; 6,
Adiautum decorum; 7, Adiaiitum capillus-Veneiis;

5, Adiiintum coneinnum latum ; 9, Oncidium incur-
vum ; 1(1, Dendrobium chry.'arrthum ; 11, Nephrndium
mclle ; 12, Begonia Bex var.; 13, Begouia manicata ;
14, Francoa ramoea; 15, Begonia metallica.

THE GAEDEK

73

No. 1269. SA TURDA Y, A ugus f 7,

"This is an Art
Which docs mend Nature : change it rather; but
The Art itself is Nature."— Staiejpeare.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

SPRAYING APPLE TREES.
A FEW days since I visited an Apple plantation
in the neighbourhood of Ottery St. IMary, Eist
Devon, where nineout of the ten acres planted are
devoted to the culture of Cox's Orarge Pippin.
The wants of the trees are carefully studied
and, as far as possible, provided for. During
the last season the crop was extensively
damaged by scab or black spot, and it was
determined to follow the prac'ice of spraying in
vogue in many of the American orchards. A
garden engine, to contain 30 gallons of liquid,
was procured. This is easily drawn by a pony,
while the pump with which it is fitted works
two hoses, one on each side simultaneously,
and thus the trees on either hand of the rows
are sprayed at the same time. The labour re-
quisite to work the apparatus successfully con-
sists of a pony with boy leader, one man to
pump continuously, and a man or youth at
each of the hoses to carefully direct the
jets over the shoots and branches. The first
spraying was given while the trees were dor-
mant in the early spring, and consisted of a
solution of sulphate of copper. The second,
composed of Bordeaux mixture and Paris green,
the former as a fungicide and the latter as a
destroyer of the winter moth caterpillar by
poisoning its food, was administered as soon as
the rosettes of leaves unfolded and disclosed
the buds within ; while the third spraying was
applied directly the fruit had set, and the
fourth a fortnight later, these two latter giving
the larva of the Codlin moth, as it emerged
from the egg in the eye of the set fruit, a lethal
dose at its first mouthful. Early in June as
the aphis made its appearance, a spraying of
Killmright was given, and later in the month a
final application of Bordeaux mixture, this time
without the Paris green, but with the addition
of sulphate of iron. It is found that if a sufli-
cient quantity of lime is incorporated with the
mixture the foliage of the trees is not in the
least degree harmed by the spraying. At the
time of my visit, in spite of the drought and the
shallow moorland soil in which the trees were
growing, they were looking well and fruit-
ing very heavily. In fact, in almost every case
the branches had been already supported by
ties. There was little evidence of the presence of
the scab fungus (Cladosporiumdendriticum) and
the fruit showed no signs of dropping, a com-
plaint, from all account?, very prevalent in
many districts this season. By constant
stirring of the light, porous soil with a shallow
scuffle that penetrates but an inch or so and
that does not permit the appearance of a weed,
a description of mulch is formed of the upper
layer, below which the undisturbed, but sandy,
siliceous soil, even with its eleva'ionof 5(J0 feet
above sea-level and easterly exposure on an
open hillside, possesses a certain degree of cool-
ness, if not actual moisture, after the many
weeks of unprecedented aridity that will render
memorable the past spring and pref ent summer.
Many cart-loads of water-worn flints have been
collected and removed from the plantation in
former years, but those now turned up from
time to time are placed around the trees, where
they tend to conserve the moisture and also to

steady the roots which, as the subsoil consists
of ferruginous sand, into which they show no
disposition to enter, lie in close proximity to
the surface. The situation of the plantation,
though to all appearances ill-adapted to Apple
culture, seems to suit Cox's Orange Pippin to
perfection, at all events during the early years
of its life. The permanent rows 10 feet apart,
with the individual trees 12 feet distant from
each other, are composed of symmetrical bushes
on the English Paradise stock, with spreading
branches that have attained a height or length
of from 8 feet to 9 feet, and are short-jointed
and well ripened. The trees are open in forma-
tion, with from seven to ten main branches.
Ribston Pippin, of which there are five healthy
trees, also on the same stock, are bearing well
and show no signs of canker ; in fact, so satis-
factory has been their progress up to the pre-
sent time, that their proprietor intends to make
a further experimental plantation of a hundred
or so, which, if it succeeds, may lead to a still
larger area being devoted to this excellent but
capricious variety.

It is a fact that cannot be too widely recog-
nised among fruit-growers, that for really first-
class dessert fruit, such as fine examples of
Ribs'on Pippin and Cox's Orange Pippin, the
supply in London does not equal the demand,
and that during the past season some dealers were
unable to procure sufficient to meet their re-
quirements. It must, however, be fully un-
derstood that to command good prices it is
necessary that care be taken in the packing and
grading of the fruit, for should these not be at-
tended to — as unfortunately with English-
grown fruit seems usually to be the case — in
spite of the demand, prices will prove unre-
munerative. S. W. F.

Early Peaches. — I never remember a season
when one could gather Peaches from the open
wall in June. This gives me the opportunity to
note very briefly the merits of these early varieties
and their value. Early Beatrice is one of the
first. I do not like it on account of it3 small size
and poor flavour. In fruit catalogues it is de-
scribed as of medium size and finely flavoured,
but I cannot agree with this description, as I find
it small and flavourless, even in the most favour-
able seasons. Alexander is better, larger, and
very early. This was ripe in June this season,
quite a fortnight earlier than usual. Though this
variety behaves none too well when hard forced,
a summer like the present suits it admirably.
Waterloo also was ripe at the end of June this
year, and, of the two named, I think this the
better. It is of splendid colour, very early, and
the tree is more prolific than Alexander, ripen-
ing with this variety and making a better
growth. Amsden June closely followed the
above ; the fruits were large and good and grandly
coloured. It was a few days later than the last
named. Of course all these very early varieties
lack the quality of our well-known late kinds, eo
only a few trees are required. — B. M.

Apricots in light soil.— The roots of Apri-
cots are most active at this season of the year,
and if there is a deficiency of moisture now there
will be losses next spring, branches will die, and
at an awkward time, when the gap created can-
not be made good. The trees are now growing
freely and, with ripe fruit, manures in a hquid
state cannot be applied. There should, however,
be no lack of moisture, as the fruits when they
mature can be gathered and will keep a little
time in a cool room. I do not know of any fruit
trees in light soil which need more moisture than
Apricots, as if the trees are fruiting freely there
is a great strain on them. The leaves of Apricots
absorb a lot of moisture. I never like to see the
leaves drooping early in the day, as if such is the
case the trees invariably lose branches before
winter, and in the case of old trees this is annoy-
ing. I think gumming, canker, and other ills

these trees sufTer frcra are in a great measure due
to inadequate supplies of moisture during the
growing season. In Apricots the growth is pro-
longed in certain seasons, as often young shoots
start late and make a vigorous growth. These
may be of great service later on in taking the
place of decayed branches. Such varieties as
OuUin's Early Peach, Hemskirk, and Large Early
are making very fine growths this year, and the
Moorpark has borne immense crops in spke of
severe thinning. I note these varieties as, being
in light soil, they never fail to fruit freely. I am
certain the flooding they so frequently undergo
is the cause of such good crops and but small loss of
wood. lam sure if more moisture were given grow-
ing trees, not only at the roots, but overhead also,
they would make better growth. In my opinion,
from June to the end of August, provided there are
ample surface or fibrous roots, is the most serious
season, as if that is tided over there are few losses
afterwards. Of course this note does not refer to
injury by spring frosts. My note more concerns
trees fruiting and what may be termed suminer
growth. I am well aware it is useless to give
copious supplies of water with bad drainage, but
in light soils the water is soon taken up in spite
of heavy mulching. — G. Wvtiies.

Cherry Geant de Hede' finger. —This Cherry
belongs to the Bigarreau section, and is noted for
its good qualities, in addition to its lateness. It
is also known as Monstreuse de Mezel. Messrs.
Rivers grow this variety in their cool house at
Sawbridgeworth splendidly, and on many occa-
sions have shown it in fine condition at this season.
In appearance it is somewhat like a Bigarreau
Napoleon, but larger, darker, and very richly
flavoured. It is a very large fruit, black or brown-
purple, firm and juicy, and a splendid keeper.
Its season is about the third week in July, but this
year it was earlier. On a west wall it does
grandly, and is one of the finest flavoured fruits I
have seen. I admit there are later varieties, but
none superior as regards flavour and size. When
grown in the open it is only suitable for wall cul-
ture.-C4. W. S.

Peach Royal George and mildew.— No
matter how favourable the season, the above
variety is always more or less afi'ected by mildew.
Though the trees may be well cleansed in the
winter, mildew reappears in the most favourable
seasons. It would have been supposed with the
weather we have had, and which the Peach and
Nectarine revel in, that the trees would have
been free from mildew, but such is not the case.
Doubtless, should the nights get cold, with rain,
we may expect it to develop rapidly, so that it is
well to arrest it at an early stage. A good sul-
phur bath two or three evenings in succession will
be efi'ectual if the trees are thoroughly wetted. I
find this better than dry sulphur, as the wash
reaches all parts of the trees and prevents the
mildew spreading. I admit it does not add to the
appearance of ttie trees, but the foliage is soon
cleansed with clear water after two or three
dressings. I have used other dressings, such as
weak soluble petroleum. With care this is equally
effective, and two syringings will cure, but the
work must be done at sunset. — W. B.

Pine-apples not fruiting.— Pine - apples
even of the Queen variety if grown under a hap-
hazard system often refuse to show fruit at the
desired date, but when healthy and receiving
orthodox treatment through the summer, and
gradually allowing them to fall to rest in winter,
they almost invariably start when extra bottom
and top heat, together with increased root mois-
ture, are supplied in spring. To show the neces-
sity for total rest during November, December,
and January for Queens which are expected to
ripen their fruit in June and July, I may mention
that last autumn I, contrary to my general rule,
partly renewed the bed of Beech leaves in which
a batch of Queens was to be plunged for the
winter, my object being to raise the plants
nearer the glass rather than to increase the
bottom-heat, and although I was c:ireful not to
add more new leaves than was actually necessary
for the purpose, it had the effect of raising the

74

THE r.ATJDEN.

[AuGi>T 1, 1896.

bottom heat abjve the usual restini; figure, this
beins further encouraged by the mildness of the
winter. Of course, under the circumstances
water had to hs given to the roots, although in
sra»ll tiuantities. to keep the leaves from shrivel-
ling, this addingfuel tothefire. The result was that
out of the whole batch only three nf the plants
threw up fruit in spring. My experience is that
if Q'leen Pines fail through any cau.'e to show
fruit in sprine, they are most uncertain as to
when they will, and 'that, as a rule, fruit ripenei
in, say, November or even October is invariably
both smaller and of inferior quality, and the
plants are minus suckers of any size for potting up
for winter. .Although lam not likely to be caught
in the s.^me trap again, I mention the fact to
show that in these apparently simple matters all
of u" are liable at times to be caught napping,
J. Cr.\wf«.ri>.

Wcoal ce and Nectarines.— The outdoor
Nectarines are often attacked by woodlice, which
sadly dis6gure the fruits, and as they invariably
seUct the best or most prominent, means to pre-
vent their attacks are worth considering. It is
well known these pe.sts have a better opportunity
in dry weather. The numerous cracks and
crevices are their haunts, and it is difficult to
reach them without a bait of eome kind. I find
it a good plan to place a few emp'y flower pots
with pieces of Po'ato in slices, with a litt'.e dry
hay or Moss over the bait. They will go freely
into the pots, and if emptied out early every day
and destroyed they are soon got rid of. I have
placed a small ridge of fresh gas-lime close to the
wall and around the stems of the trees, but at
least a foot from the stems. They will not
go over the lime. I do not advise the fatter unless
other means fail. There is no difficulty in trap
ping them in pots, laying the pots on their sides
at nightfall. — W.

Siiawberry Empress of India. — This
Strawberry, one of the Ounton trio, should be
gro«n by everyone having a suitable soil. It
nefds a somewhat strong, retentive soil and
liberal treatment. The fruit is very firm, colour.--
to the point, and travels well. One thing is
necessary in order to secure the best results with
Emprers of Ir dia, and that is close planting, as
it is by no means a strong grower— favouring
Grove End Scarlet in this respect. It makes a
delicious preserve, and for those who prefer, as
many do, to see the fruit whole after the jim is
mude. Empress of India is above all others to be
recommended. A good way of growing it is to
peg five or six runners into the soil, leaving the=e
and the parent plant to fruit once and then
making another bed.— J. C.

ORCHARD HOUSES.
Ax orchard house is a valuable addition to the
glass structures in gardens where the locality may
be unsuitcd to the cultivation of hardy fruits such
n% the Pear, Peach, Nectarine, Plum and, in ex
teme cas-es, the /*pple also. Under such cir-
C imstances the owners derive a great deal of
profit and er joymtnt from the possession of such
houses, as by their aid and protection all of the
above-named subjects and Figs aUo may be grown
to fierfection. Sometimes a miscellaneous col-
lection of trees grown either in pots or tubs, or
pla-ted out in prepared borders, finds accommo-
dation in orchard bouses, and sometimes they are
de>-oted to groining but one or two kinds of fruit,
according to the 'a^tes of the owners and ali-o
ainoriing to locnlitv. This serves to show how
valuable orchard houses are when properly
managed, at d it ha^i been my good fortune to see
many i-uch in the course of my gardening ex-
peri-^nce. I recollect seeing a house of fairly
large dimensions a few years back containing h
fine col ection of trees in eood bearing, and which
■vre'-e in the best of condition as regards health.
Their requirements were evidently well under-
8to<-id, n" anyone could see at a glance. I will
cite another ci^e, and in this instance the trees
were looked after by the owner himeelf during

his leisure time. He made the growing of orchard
house trees a hobby, and for an amateur, the re-
sults that he achieved in the production of
Peaches, Nectarines and Figs were of no mean
order. The Figs vere fine large bushes planted
in tubs and placed at each corner of the house,
which was a span-roofed one, and they bore
regularly fine crops of lu-cious fruit, the vaiieties
being Negro Laigo and Brown Turkey. I merely
mention this, to show what may be done by
amateurs who are endowed with sufficient enthu-
siasm to enable them to master the details con-
nected with the orchard house culture of fruit
trees, where they are unable to grow them out-
doors.

Here it is unnecessary to grow Pears, Plums,
Apples, Peaches and Nectarines under glass. Of
course, the early crops of the two last mentioned
naturally have to be so grown, but the Inter crops
succeed so well outdoors that it would really be
superfluous to have glass houses occupied with
them. A few years ago I formed a collection of
choice Pears in pots and devoted a house to them,
but although they were a success, I obtained
equally as fine fruit from cordon trees outdoors
•^outh and west walls. That being so, I gave up
growing them and have since useii the house for
Figs, which has turned out to be far more profit
able under the circumstances.

CrLTTRr.

I will now turn to details of man.agement of
these trees applicable to the time of year.
Healthy, estaVilithed trees with their pots or tubs
full of hungry roots will require plenty of atten-
tion, as the heat of the sun and the admission
of an abundance of fresh air will cause them to
dry quickly. Watering is an important matter
that must not at any time be neglected from the
time the trees start into growth until the leave,-
fdU in the autumn. The trees should therefore be
watered as often as necessary, which may be two
and, perhaps, three times a day should they
be very much pot-bound. At one of these water-
ings stimulants in the shape of liquid manure
should be administered, regulating the quantity
according to the crops the trees are carrjing and
their capabilities of asf'imilating the same.
Heavily cropped trees will require more than
lightly cropped ones, and the time I prefer for
applying stimulants is in the afternoon. Amateuis
should be careful not to apply liquid manure if
the soil in the pots or tubs is very dry, as it
?imply runs through the dry particles of soil and
becomes wasted, in all such rases the soil should
fiist be watered with clear water. This will
moisten the soil, and then if " liquid " is applied
directly afterwards, the roots will derive full
benefit from it, as mo.'t of its raanurial and stimu-
liting properties will be arrested and retained bj
the soil. With regard to stimulants, farmyard
liquid proves a splendid feitiliser for orchard
hous3 trees when diluted according to its
strength. Sheep and deer droppings also make
a good stimulant when steeped for a few days in
a tub of water, and a little fresh soot also foims a
valuable addition This should be stirred an hour
or so before use, and then it can be lifted out in a
clear state. It is a great mistake to stir up the con-
tents of manure tubs or tanks at the time of using
it, as the pai tides naturally settle on the top of the
soil, and in course of time choke it up and so pre-
vent aeration of the soil. With regard to planted
out trees, they will not need water so often, but at
the same time a frequent examination of the bor-
der should take place, otherwise the cuhivatoi
may be caught napping. Manure water should
alro be applied the same as for pot trees. It ii-
an excellent plan with heavily cropped pot and
tub trees whose roots are seeking for a fresh out-
lot to top dress liberally, and to enable this ; o be
properly carried out it is good practice to have
strips 01 zinc cut about .3 inches or 4 inches wide
and fit them just inside the rims. This allows of
a great deal of soil or manure being placed on the
roots, and at the same time leaves ample space
for water. The top dressing may consist of some
good turfy loam enriched with bone-meal or
horeo droppings, or a mulching of cow-shed

manure. It is astonishing how quickl3' the roots
of Figs and other fi uit trees take possession of this
top-dressing or multh, and it very soon becomea
thoroughly permeated with healthy feeding roots,
which are eo essential to the finiching of a crop of
fruit of any description. The sjrirge or garden
engine, according to the number of iiees, should
be recjuisitioned daily, and if followed up, the
daily washing will keep the trees clear of aphides
and also keep red spider at bay. Unless water
quite free of sediment can be obtained Plums and
Nectarines should not be wetted after they ap-
proach maturity, as the deposit will be sure to ,
mark them, especially if spring water in limestone
districts is used. Soft water or that from a pond
is always the best to use, but it is not always ob-
tainable, and when such is the case it is an easy
matter to observe the foregoing rule when the
fruits commence to ripen, and so avoid disfigur-
ing them. A word of caution should also be
given in the case of Figs, as the syringe is best
withheld from them for a few days while they are
in flower. This condition is easily discernible to
the person in charge if he notices the fruits
closely, as the orifice at the ciown opens slightly
and a few of the greenish white flowers are seen
to be protruding. Naturally enough if syringing
18 done while they are in this stage, the drops of
water are driven into the interior of the fruit and
decay soon sets in.

Pears and Plums should have all side shoots
pinched or stopped back to four buds if this has
not already been done, and all secondary shoots
or growths resulting fiom the fiist stopping
should also be stopped in like manner. The lead-
ing shoots at the extremities of the branches may
also be stopped back if not required for extension,
and in the latter case merely cut off the tips.
Any trees carrying too many fruits liad best be
thinned before they get too large, as it is better
to err on the side of allowing them to cairy too
few than too many ; the remainder will then grow
to a larger size. Peach and Nectarine trees had
better be looked over, removing all superfluous
young growths, pinching back at the same time
all lateral growths on the shoots retiined for
furnishing the trees with fruiting wood for next
season. The tips of these may also be piiched
out if the fruits have finished stoning to accelerate
the final swelling. If the Fig trees are only ex-
pected to cirry one crop of fruit, and that is as
much as can be expected in an orchard house
when grown in company with other fruits, the
young growths should be thinned out. Do not
stop thnse retained, as that would only induce
them to throw a second crop of fruit, for which
there would not be time for them to ripen, and it
would al.-^o spoil the chances of getting a goad first
crop the following season. On hot, dry days the
pathways and borders in the house are the better
for being damped frequently to counteract the
dry atmosphere, and an abundance of air should
be iriven whenever practicable, as such subjects
as Plums, Pears and Apples cann^ t endure a hot
forcing temperature such as the Fig, Peach and
Nectarine delight in when swelling towards
maturity. Orchard houses should always be pro-
viHed with ample ventilation, both at the front of
the house as well as at the apex, sothatan abund-
ance of air may be admitted when we are favoured
with such biilliant weather as we are experiencing
this season. An ample water supply should
always be provided in the house, as it will save
an immense amount of time and labour when
many trees are grown, and from an amateur's point
of view this means a great deal. A. W.

Ripening pot and planted-out V nes. —

Thi.s has been a splendid season for the growth
of the canes, and I would, as a large grower of
pot and young planted out canes, give a word of
warning as to the ripening ol the canes. I have
been obliged to shade the young Vines to prevent
premature ripening of the wood. I know that by
recommending shading I lay myself open to
criticism. The houses are mostly iron structures,
fearfully hot, and 1 am obliged to have the Vines
very close to the glass. I was caught napping in

August 1, 1896.

THE GARDEN.

75

1893, a eeason very similar to this, as I was under
the impression that, provided the canes had gcod
treatment in the way of food and moisture, duf
attention being paid to cleanliness, they woulr
stand any amount of sunshine. This may bf
overdone if there is an absence of foliage or if the
Vines are too close to the glass and not shaded ir
any way. This too free exposure causes earl\
ripening, which in some cases causes a smaller can(
and poor fruit buds. We bad much sun heat ii
1893, and that winter, in forcine what I thought
were splendidly iipened canes, I had more troublt
than usual in getting the buds to burst. This I
attribute to too early finishing, this being caused
by the great heat With older Vines there is not
this difficulty. My note refers to very early pot
or forcing canes started early with a view to fore;
hard. It may be said that the Vines which re
fused to start had a check, but I think not, and ]
place the evil to being in a hurry to mature and
giving more sun heat than the canes required at
that particular time. Last jearwfs a splendid
ripening season and there was no dithculty what
ever in forcing. Vines le;s forward do not suffer
in the way described, as there ara mere top growth.
more activity, less inclination to rest, and though
it is now advisable to restrict lateral growth wit!
young Vines, those who have difiicult houses to
deal with and have allowtd greater freedom ol
growth up to this date will be well repaid by thp
size of fruit bi;ds and the way such buds will
burst and fruit if hard forced. From now there
will be less fear of premature tinish, but even now
with late started pot or planted-out canes it is
well to give ample time to perfect a good growth
With due attention to moisture and shade. Vine*-
this season have made a splendid growth and will
now require attention at the finish. In all cases
in removing lateral growth it is well to do this by
degrees. — G. Wythes.

Large Currante.— Those who grow these
fruits generally ignore that fii\e variety known as
La Versaillaise, or Red Cherry, for the distinc-
tion, if any, is trifling indeed. And yet this is not
only a very prolific variety, but it also produces
by far the longest bunches and most richly col-
oured fruits of them all The variety has somewhat
brittle wood if a'.lowed to grow loose, as Red
Currants commonly are. Some bushes I saw
lately are on clean stems well above the soil, and
although some eight years planted are still com-
paratively small, as they have their shoots short
ened back just as the fruit is ripening to enable
them to be easily netted over, and in the winter
are hard pruned, so that the heads are
clusters of fruit-buds. The variety is a capital
one for growing in trained or cordon fashion
against walls to give late crops. Currants always
set bloom-buds freely in such case, and when well
trained and hard spurred carry heavy crops that
are very easily netted up. Wherever this variety
is exhibited no other Red Currant can touch it
for size or appearance. There is no white replica
of this fine Currant, but where fine fruits are
needed for table, bu.-hes should be, as in this
case, harder pruned than is usually done, and the
ground about them forked and liberally mulched.
Heavy crops also may be early thinned. White
Currants as a dish are much more effective when
fine and well finished. For general eroppine, the
best Black Cuirants no doubt are Lee's Prolific
and Carter's Champion — A. D.

Ill-flavoured Melors.— A fritnd was speak-
ing to us of the peculiar mawkish ill flavour of
the common green-fleshed Melon of the English
garden, and wished that he had some of the
Melons which are cnmmon in the north of France
and about Paris. Whether it is deficiency of sun
in our country (which cannot fairly be said of the
past two or three years), or whether it is the con-
tinued hybridising, and so-called " improvement,"
of the seedsman that cause the British Melon
generally to be a deplorable failure, we do not
know, but this idea that the raisers have, that
they must be always changing and improving, is
one of the causes of failure. Where the Melon is
always good, in the north of France, Spain, North
Africa, Japan, or in the fields of North America,

it does not change. In such cases the Melon be
^omes a source of food, and is often of fine flavour.
It would, perhaps, be well if those who have any
will of their own in the garden would turn over a
new leaf, and cultivate the Canteloupe Melon the
■ame as they do in the north of France, for it is i
hardier Melon, and is decidedly of a better flavou
md a more nourishing fruit. It would also be
»vell if we went bark a little and changed in other
ways; for e.xample, the Melon in the north of
Africa has a delicious pine-apple flavour, far above
'he common hybridised green flesh of the English
Melon. The Melon grown about Paris, and which
is quite different in flavour from ours, is the Cante-
loupe, with the deep ribs. There are, no doubt,
-everal varieties of it, but they do not vary much.
We think also the old way of growing Melons in
frames and pits gave fruit of a much higher and
truer flavour than the present way of growing
them in stewy hothouses. — /'(t/iZ.

Apple King of Tomkins County. —The
other day in going over a plantation of Apples
[ came across three trees of the above variety,
which quite bore out Mr. J C. Clarke's note (p.
258, vol. 49), that it often " grows as well as anyone
■an wish," though that unfortunately has not up
to the present been my experience. The trees
in question were on the Crab stock, were very
vigorous, being about 9 feet high, and carried a
fine crop of fruit that promised to be of full size
and of the well-known brilliant tint. That it is
an attractive variety there is no cjuestion, and
where the trees bear well and keep in good health
it should prove more profitable than many of our
home-raised kinds. The soil in which the trees
above referred to were growing was a shallow
and gritty moorland interspersed with pebbles,
with a subsoil only 10 inches from the surface,
into which the roots refuse to penetrate. With
me in heavy soil and on the Paradise stock the
trees are dying of canker and the fruit is worth-
less.-S. W. F., i^oiilh Devon.

SHORT NOTES.— FRUIT.

Plum Oul'in's Gol(3en Gage.— Amongst early
Plums this holds a fnrerrost jlace. This season it is
remarkably early. At the preseut tin e (July 23) I
am able to eatlier ripe fruit of it from a west wall. I
used to find th's one of the hest croppiug kinds when
living in North Hants.— Dorset.

Apple Beauty of Bath as an espalier.— I
was impressed with the value of this Apple when re-
cently visiting the gardens at Jordans Houkp, near
Ilminster. Mr. Osbi rne 1 ad planted a tree of it some
6ve years ago as an espalier. In this form it had doLe
well and was carrying a fine cr^ip, and at the time ( f
mv visit (.Jnly 15) he was sending it to taWe. Some
say this Apple is no improvement on Bed Astrachan,
but it is a far better crupper, as with me Astrachan is
a very bad bearer.— John Ckook.

Flower Garden.

TUFTED PANSIES— NEW VARIETIES.
The present season has been rather prolific in
new varieties, ar.d if the reader of every trade
list were to accept the particulars given by those
placing the new sorts in commerce as absolute
facts of their peculiarities and gcod points, we
should indeed be in possession of some of the
most remarkable varieties yet raised. It is a
fact which lovers of these beautiful hardy flowers
have to admit, that reliance cannot always be
placed upon the descriptions given, many sorts
absolutely valueless being described in most
glowing terms, and their remarkable colouring
and markings ingeniously portrayed. As in most
the Tnfted Pansy is firown solely for

more generally understocd, although they are
tufted to a degree, yet not so absolutely as one
would wish for, and on this account they have
to be discarded in favotrr of those which possess
a prettier form of growth, although perhaps the
blossoms may not be quite up to the standard
of those on a less desirable habit. However
much the stronger-growing plants may lack the
true characteristics of the Tufted Pansy, very
few, if any, will compare >iut favourably with
the long and straggling habit of growth which
is typical of the show and the fancy type of
plant ; and whatever may be stated against
calling this exceedingly useful plant by a proper
English and descriptive name, can have but little
weight when the merits of the case are con-
sidered. But there are other reasons w hy those
plants of an unsatisfactory habit are likely to
be perpetuated, and that is owing to the de-
mand now being made for ideal blossoms irre-
spective of habit of growth and cultivated solely
for exhibition. Competitions are being ai-
ranged all over the country in which a given
number of sprays is to be exhibited, and in
such instances the best flowers consequently
secure the premier positions, habit of growth
not being inquired after. This points out the
necessity for additional methods of showing the
flowers, and in such a manner that growing
plants may be seen in good condition. What
could be more interesting than say a dozen
plants in a round basket I Some of the chaste
rayless sorts could be grown in such a re-
ceptacle, and if planted late in the autumn,
would by the end of May cover the soil in the
basket with a rich green carpet of foliage, to be
followed by an almost innumerable quantity of
blossoms. Such an exhibit would be the centre
of attraction at any exhibition, as it would so
ably illustrate the beautifully tufted habit of
the newer sorts. The National Viola Society
could not do better than introduce a few classes
of this kind next season at their exhibition,
when there is little doubt such displays would
assist materially to further popularise the
Tufted Pansy. Baskets might also be made up
during March, using nice sturdy plants which
were propagated late in the autumn, and these
should be in first-rate condition by midsummer.
One very noticeable feature in the new varie-
ties has been the remarkable similarity in the
colours and forms of many of them, although
they are sent out by different firms wide apart
from each other. Quite a host of creamy white
rayless flowers has been tried for the first time
this season, in which there is little difliculty in
tracing Dr. Stuart's Sylvia as the parent of
most of them. Several of them have larger
blossoms than the parent, while others, al-
though larger, lack the neat form which cha-
racterises the original parent. Advance is
being made there is not the slightest doubt, as
not only are the individual blossoms larger,
but, in addition to possessing greater sub-
stance, their footstalks are longer, rendering
them very useful for cutting. Then there are
other colours, of which Blue Gown is evidently
the parent. Of the peculiar shade of mauve-blue
of which this variety partakes there is quite a, large
progeny, very similar in colour, some slightly
better and also larger. Many of them are
dangerously near to each other in almost every
particular, showirg the absolute necessity for a
careful discriminati.n. Dr. Stuart's Bedding
Rose and Rosea paUida, both very much alike
-pale rosy lilac— are run very chsely indeed,

bedding, it is of the highest importance that many sorts in the tria being d'&J"'^. '^°?f'",^
only those new varieties should be retained , correctly when apart from each othei. Jn all
which possess a true tufted habit of growth. I these lighter shades of colouring the «'mJa"t^
Many of the most charming blossoms are not is more noticeable, a few shades of "> o"
produced on plants of tufted habit, as is now which did not exist a few years ago being now

76

THE GARDEN.

[August 1, 1896.

very often in evidence. Primrose, yellow, and
deep yellow flowers are becoming quite numer-
ous, the most fastidious taste being easily satis-
tied. A type of blossom which it is hoped all
true florists will taboo is that known to many
as the "Peter Barr" type. This variety was
sent out a few years ago and admired because
of its strange marking, combined with some
delicate colouring in a broad band all round the
flower, and enclosing a square piece of yellow
colouring in the centre with most objectionable
rajs running right through it-a distinctly
mongrel flower. This variety was persistently
pushed by trade growers, and naturally a good
few were disposed of. The result of the en-
couragement given to this variety has been the
introduction of many others, some slightly
better, and several others much worse. If the
beauty and refinement which characterise the
blossoms of the Tufted Pansy are to remain in-
tact, all interested in the flower should set their
face against the perpetuation of this objection
able type of the flower, which is not wanted,
as there are so many other really beautiful sorts
calculated to please, and within the reach of all.
Then there are the miniature flowers, of which
Violetta was the original, the progeny of which
a trade grower has described as"" Violettas, '
and which may lead to complications to the un
initiated unless the descriptive name of " miijia
tures " be the recognised term used. "We are
getting a pleasing variation in the colours now,
including white, cream, primrose-yellow, blue
in many shades, besides many margined flowers,
all extremely chaste in appearance and delight-
fully fragrant. Almost without exception the
habit of growth of these sorts is specially suited
for bedding, being typical tufts cf growth.

In the list of new varieties which follows, the
description of each sort is given, after a trial
in a good open position and in which the test-
ing has been rather severe. There are others
which need further trial before a definite ex-
pression of opinion ought to be given, and these
can appear at a later date, yet in sufiicient time
to allow all those interested to obtain cuttings
from the .specialists during the early autt
months.

Xellie (J. SmelUe).— This is probably the
largest of the raylesa creamy white flowers, and is
one of much substance. The blossoms are beau-
tifuUy circular and produced on long foot stalks
Although so large, there is no trace of coarseness
apparent, but it develops into a grand exhibition
flower. The habit is hardly suited for the flower
garden, as the growth is very strong and vigorous,
yet will compare favourably with that of many
others used for that purpose.

Flori/.el (Dr. Stuart).-In this variety we have
an ideal kind for all purposes, being suitable alike
for exhibition and bedding. The colour is best
described as a lovely bluf-hlilae, and the blossoms
are somewhat oval in shape, standing out quite
clear from the foliage on footstalks of medium
length. The habit is all that one could wish for
each shoot making short-jointed growths with
blossoms at each fresh joint. In this way plants
of good size are soon made, spreading over a
wide area very quickly. This should be largely
grown. '^ •

RosKA PALLIDA (Dr. Stuart).-Thi8 is a srood
companion to the last-named variety, partaking
of all Its good points, but of a light shade of col-
oar— a blush rosy lilac. For beds and borders
this variety should be in large demand.

Br-rTERFLY (S. Pye).-A large flower, resem-
bling in Its form and markings the well-known
variety Columbine, but superior to it in every
way. As an exhibition flower this is sure to be
in demand, as it makes up into a most efi'ective
spray. The growth is very vigorous.

Ml- A M YouNo (S. Pye).-This is a very
tree and useful variety, favourably comparing
wth lona as a dark-coloured flower. The blos-

soms, large and in colour most striking, are
blotched alternately blackish violet and deep
bluish lavender. A free-growing plant with me-
dium habit.

SxorniLL Gem (J. Smellie).— An extremely
beautiful variety, with large and clean-cut circu-
lar blossoms of much substance, appearing to
stand the excessive heat very well. The upper
petals are of a bluish white colour, lower petals
deep rich purple-violet with a light edging of
lavender. Useful for bedding or for exhibition.

Lady Reay (J. Forbes).— Charming medium-
sized flower, colour bright violet centre, shading
to creamy white at the edges, quite a new colour
in this form of the flower ; nice compact habit,
strong constitution.

Bridegroom {J. Forbes) —This variety is in
good form in the trial grounds at the Royal Botanic
Gardens, Regent's Park, where it is flowering
most freely. The colour is a charming lavender-
blue, and It may be considered a rayless flower,
although there may occasionally be seen the
faintest trace of a ray in some of the blooms.

Moi.i.Y Poi'E (Steel).— This is a good sort, rich
yellow in colour and free from rays. Rather
vigorous grower.

President (Steel).— Like the last-named va-
riety, this is rayless, creamy white in colour, and
of good shape. It is a strong and free grower,
unsuited as a bedding sort, but of the highest
value for exhibiting in sprays.

A. J. RownERRY (Geo. McLeod).— This is with-
out doubt the finest yellow yet raised, and has
been more often exhibited than any other novelty
this season. The large blossoms, of the deepest
and richest shade of colour, are somewhat oval
in shape, with plenty of substance. The habit
for bedding is not so good as one would wish,
plenty of the blood of other forms of Pansy being
noticeable in its growth. In the course of a few
years if this variety is properly hybridised, we
ought to secure an equally good flower on a more
tufted or spreading habit.

Sheelah (S. Pye).— a very large and pretty
flower of good form. Colour clear pale rose, with
a deep crimson centre : the lower petals, which
are somewhat sportive, are slightly shaded pink.
Strong grower, but compact.

Mrs. SrciiT (VV. Sydenham).— An extremely
free-liowering and chaste variety, being most con-
tinuous in its blossoming and one of the best bed-
ding sorts. The only objection to this variety is
the flimsiness of the blossoms, but this is more
than compensated for by the wealth of its display.
The spent blossoms need to be removed as often
as possible. Most robust constitution.

Lavender Kinc (A. Irvine). — An immense
flower of a pleasing shade of bluish-lavender and
extremely useful as an exhibition sort. The
blossoms are of much substance and the habit is
a very strong and rambling one, which unfits it
as a bedder. The only variety awarded a first-
class certificate at the National Viola Society's
show in June last.

PciLi.v Chesterfield. — Another large rayless
creamy white, but too much like President to be
highly esteemed. Strong grower. Good circular
flower.

A:iL\zoN Queen (A. J. Rowberry). — This is one
of the Peter Barr type of flower before alluded to,
and while possessing certain points of merit, these
are far outweighed by the many objectionable
characteristics peculiar to it. The colour is best
described as follows : Clear yellow, with broad
margin of bright bronze, with dark rajs running
through the square centre of yellow. The habit
of growth is not by any means a pretty one,
although there is no denying its robust constitu-
tion. A Tufted Pansy with the rich bronze
colouring of this variety would indeed be a break
in colour to what we now possess, and the only
useful purpose to which it could well be placed
would be in the hands of the hybridiser, who
might possibly bring about a pretty result.

Nii'HETOs (W. Sydenham). — A beautifully
chaste rayless white self, very free flowering and
of large size, good strong constitution, and a
nice free, compact habit.

Silver Bar (S. Pye).— Another very large
flower of chaste appearance. Colour white,
prettily flaked with rose, with clearly dt fined
rays. A useful exhibition variety.

Ethel Hancoci; (D. B. Crane).— This chaste
and refined flower still remains the purest of
the white kinds now grown. The blossoms are
rayless, with a rich orange eye, and of medium
size. There are few white flowers with so much
substance, and those on the look-out for a good
bedding sort would find this variety of the highest
value. Strong grower, nice tufted habit.

The Belle (Dr. Stuart).— A very pretty
flower of medium size, colour blush-lilac, very
near to Rosea pallida, nice spreading and tufted
habit,

ViRcaNiA (Dr. Stuart). — This variety is too
near the colour of Rosea pallida and The Belle to
be appreciated, and it is a pity to name sorts
which are so very similar in colour and in other
characteristics.

Pencaitland.— Another very beautiful creamy
white variety, the lower petals being suffuseU
with a yellow colour. Sweet scented, free-flo-Ber-
ing and useful for bedding.

Mrs. Wood (S. Pye).— A charming medium-
sized flower, top petals pure white, the lower cues
being a pleasing shade of bluish mauve, shading
off to lavender at the edges, free grower, compaco
habit, a distinct flower.

Bartholdi (D. B. Crane).— a very large circu-
lar exhibition flower of much substance. The
lower petals are rich deep purplish- plum incolotr,
the upper petals shading off to a clear rose. Cer-
tificated 1896.

The foregoing list of twenty-four varieties is
only a small proportion of the novelties sent out
during the present season by various raisers.
There are many others which promise well, but
before definitely expressing an opinion on
their merits, a few more weeks' experience
seems desirable. — D. B. Crane.

Your description and spirited defence of

these in The Garden of July IS will be gratefully
received by most gardeners. The ringing of the
changes on the names and characters of Pansies
and Violas, while legitimate enough on structural
and other grounds, has landed many good growers
into holes when they attempted to describe
matters more definitely.

No one in the future can mistake the teim
" tufted." Your illustrations of Campanula
Citspitosa and Saxifraga cai-spitosa will explain
the tufting of Pansies and other plants for a 1
future time. I well remember this tufted quality
developing itself in my first stock of Viola cor-
nuta, obtained from the late Mr. John Wills.
The one plant speedily became a thousand, and
so popular did the horned, mountain, and other
Violets become, and so vitally alive was their
process of tufting out far and wide over the sur-
face, that they would speedily have clothed broad
acres with their beauty only that the arid
drought of East Anglia checked their progress,
and thus I learned my first lesson, that however
illimitable the capacity of increase possessed
by Tufted Pansies, Violas, or other plants,
this is yet strictly limited and controlled by
heat and dry soil. The same lesson must be
learned by a journey or a change of residence
from Bury or London to Edinburgh. Some of the
most striking differences that no one can help
seeing are writ large along or across every bed or
line of Tufted Pansies. The more copious the
rainfall, the cooler the clime, and the deeper and
longer the shade, the deeper the colours, and the
longer the blossoming season of Violas and Pansies,
tufted or otherwise. — D. T. Fish.

*„* There is no doubt that the dry soils of
Eastern and Southern England do control the
ways of the Tufted Pansy, but with a little care
in giving the coolest and moistest positions and
top-dressings of cow manure and placing pieces
of flat stone about the plants, they have got
through even the recent hot seasons in the south.
Wire and other worms at the root are more
serious.- Ed.

August 1, 189G.]

THE GARDEN,

77

CARNATIONS AND PINKS FOR VASES
Nothing can be more baautif ul or more effective
for vases than these popular and very charming
flowers, and just at present they are in such
great abundance and such infinite variety, that
an endless succession of pleasing arrangements
can be secured with very little trouble, for
these useful blossoms are very eisy to arrange.
In cutting Carnations for decoration care should
be taken to select blooms on long stems, to see
that the said blooms are quite fresh, and to
exercise discriminatioa in the matter of the
colours chosen. No foliage looks so well with
them as their own, and the custom of using this
need not become extravagant, as with proper
attention to the ends of tlie stalks the slips may
be made to last three weeks or even more. The
numerous varieties of the fancy grasses are
peculiarly well suited to mix with Carnations,
especially Lagurus ovatus, Briza minima, Agros
tis pulchella, A. nebulosa and Eragrostis ele-
gans. The use of flower- buds is also to be re
commended, and these, as well as the shoots,
can be taken from single seedlings, thus saving
the choicer varieties. I have before me as I
write a dull green Fern pot of Devon pottery in
quaint design filled with blooms of a seedling
very similar in colour and habit to Mrs.
Reynolds-Hole, loosely arranged with its own
foliage and cloudy plumes of Agrostis nebulosa.
The effect is very charming, all the details, both
of pot and flowers, being quite in harmony.

In the successful arrangement of flowers for
house decoration a great deal depends on the
vase or pot. Broadly speaking, coloured gl:
vases are an abomination. Venetian and
Bohemian glasses are of course exceptions, also
certain examples in delicate shades of yellow
and green, which are now being offered at ex-
orbitant prices. But the cheap and nasty
articles in vivid reds, blues, and unhealthy-
looking mixtures are quite fatal to the beauty
of any flowers placed therein. In my opinion
nothing can beat good clear glass or artistic
pottery in subdued tints. In a glass vase I
have just arranged a number of scarlet Carna-
tions, judiciously mixed with white ones, this
little group being intended for a dark corner,
which it now brig'Ktens successfully. For cut-
ting, the singles are by no means to be despised,
and a pretty combination consists of a pink
and white single mixed with Germania. An-
(fther very favourite mixture is Uriah Pike, or
a similar maroon coloured flower, with Mrs.
Leopold de Rothschild or a similar Pink. As a
rule I prefer the fancy varieties to be arranged
by themselves ; the selfs are by far the best for
mixed arrangements, and then the most elegant
effects can be obtained by using two varieties
only ; three or more different kinds will almost
inevitably give a garish effect. H.

Papaver pilosum. — This perennial Poppy,
although not 80 showy as P. orientale or P. nudi-
caule, is interesting for its distinct character and
its orangeredsalmon blossoms. Mr. Sydenham
has a patch of it in his charming garden at Bir-
mingham, and it is a conspicuous object, arrest-
ing the attention of the visitor on account of its
unusual tint. — R. D.

Iceland Poppies. — Complaints are some-
times made as to the difficulty of raising seeds of
P. nudicaule and its varieties, and some also com-
plain of experiencing difficulty in getting the
plants to live after being transplanted. When
inspecting Mr. R. Sydenham's collection of Car-
nations at Birmingham my attention was arrested
by a bad of Iceland Poppies in full bloom, yellow,
scarlet, and orange. Mr. Sydenham pointed to
them as a successful instance of transplanting.
His method of raising seeds may be of service to
those who experience difficulty in

plantation. The seeds are sown in shallow boxes ; suits are better beyond comparison; in fact, a
they germinate readily enough, and as soon as contrast. Plenty of moisture is, 1 am certain, the
the plants are large enough they are pricked oti' right thing, but to prevent sourness I add lumps
into other boxes, and when fairly established of charcoal.

planted out in lines on a border. Every plant D^anthus F/eyneri.-This is a gem of the
must have grown, for the Imes were dense with g.^t water. Plants which flowered llriy have
weulLfr^ed R I) that could be begun to bloom freely again. Thrflowers, roly

weiiaesired.— K. v. carmine, the size of a sixpence, sit close on the

grass of the neat tuft, not more than 2 inches high
altogether. A note should be made of this by
those who seek the choicest alpines. It is apt to
rob off at the ground line if set too far down. It
does not spread by means of fuckers or ground
stems, like alpinus and neglectus, but forms

NOTES ON HARDY PLANTS.
Cerastium grandifl.orum is by far the best
species for garden decoration. As its name im-
plies, the flowers are large, quite the size of

shilling. It is less liable than tomentosum to rot slowly dense cushions from the collar. If you set
off in patches in winter, and when the flowers are it up and grip it by two pieces of limestone or
over it heaps itself up in elegant transparent chalk, the cultural conditions will be perfect,

judging from my experience of it
for a few years ; you have then only
to keep slugs from it. It is a really
good perennial, which is more than
can be said of some of the alpinus
group.

Helianthemum Taberaria is
distinct from all the other Rock
Roses. Its big brilliant yellow
flowers open with the early morn-
ing sunshine, and though perhaps
the most fugacious of all flowers,
constitute a charm to those who
visit their gardens early. Besides,
the succession of bloom is so long
continued as to partly make amends
for fugacity, and the plant has a
pretty tufted habit. If you give it
a light, sandy or even stony soil in
a south aspect, you may keep it
going for years. For hardiness it
is about on a par with the ordinary
Rock Roses, but in stifl', clay soil I
have not found it to do so well.
People who say their soil is a cold
clay or heavy loam must not attempt
to grow this species, and for that
matter scores of others. Such
things must have soils and other
conditions selected for them, and
in this way greater variety may
be grown on the same piece of
rockwork, always provided the
common error of mixing lime
throughout has not been committed.
Genista tinctoria elata. —
What a wonderful and charming
effect this imparts on the higher
;ind drier parts of the rock gar-
den. It has a slender, semi-erect
and arching habit, with leafy stems
each 2 feet to 3 feet high, and
profusely furnished with long spikes
of golden blossoms which last for
weeks. There is a peculiar feature
of which these words can convey no
idea. A tint or warm bronzy hue
pervades the mass of Willow-like
stems that is most attractive, and
which, perhaps, only occurs on
cushions. It is one of the best and most silvery I well-established specimens. I think so because,
plants we have. though I have grown the shrub for three years,

Ranuncnlus Macaulayi. — This new species I I have not noticed this feature before, but it is
— so far as the last two winters enable one to I patent to the most casual observer now.

Carnations as cut flowers. Engraved for The Garden from a
photograph sent hy Mr. P. Terrass, Markinch, Fife.

Houstonia coerulea alba.— I believe most
people find this more free and even hardier than
the type ; hence one meets with it oftener. With
a little manipulation, however, both can be kept
going. In both cases the plants are apt to flower
themselves to death or nearly so, and then the
fogs finish them. Then they are surface rooters,
and the new roots issue from the ascending

judge — I find is quite hardy. I may also add that
last winter I left a box of seedlings in the open,
and though I know more seed germinated than
plants survived, one may conclude that all were
hardy enough as to cold, or none would have been
left.

Philesia buxifolia.— Several strong plants of
this are now in flower, a mild winter doubtless
favouring this for both top and sucker growth as I growths. The two cultural points are— pull off
well as flowering. It would indeed be hard to | all the flowers and buds after there has been a
name a more exquisite dwarf shrub, and when i reasonable flovrering period, and press down the
seen with its big carmine-red Lapageria-like bells I plants into their soft, moist beds of spongy soil
(2 inches long) nestling among and suft'using with ; and top-dress with silver sand and fine peat. This
their rich'colour the sombre, evergreen foliage, the ! done in, say, August, the plants will rapidly form
effect is unique. For a long time I tried my [ fresh dense tufts better fitted to stand the winter,
plants in a mostly peat soil, but latterly I have • Saxifraga cuscutaeformis in a cold frame is
given but a little peat to turfy loam, and the re- ' a winsome object. The Dodder Saxifrage is a

78

THE GARDEN.

[Adglst 1,

most apt name for it. It surrounds itself with
delicate flesh-tinted, thread-like stems or stolons,
and these are distantly knotted with foliar knots.
Both stem and radical leaves are exijuisitely
veined and variegated, but the flowers are the
chief charm. They resemble pure white moths,
borne on erect, but almost invisible stems. The
plant loves sunshine, but should not go dry ;
turfy loam is best, but it should not have its fleshy
crown covered with soil. This may seem odd
when it makes its roots, corms or granules rather
deep, but that applies to the normal or established
m3?s rather than to a plant being started.

Shortia galacifolia.— What a grand show
the foliage of this makes just now, shining leaves
of leather-brown suffused a red or mahogany tint.
Xo plant gives le^s trouble: indeed, it gives no
trouble at all beyond preparing a suitable soil-
silky loam and spongy peat used lumpy, and even
on that point I would not lay too much stress,
because I have the plants otherwise, as I have said
before in these notes. I believe if you get healthy
stock for a start you will rarely fail. Hitherto
most of us have had to struggle with newly-im-
ported material, heated, rootless and leafless ; in
fact, all but de.id to start with. J. Wooii.

)roodrilU, Kirlcslail.

CARNATIONS AT BOOKHAM.
Amoni: the most popular of July flowers, and
especially of hardy subjects, is the" border Carna-
tion—a flower fully equal to the Rose in the
number of its admirers, and, in truth, superior
when its durability as a cut flower ia concerned :
for while the Rose must be seen at a given
moment if we would get a glimpse of all its
grandeur, the Carnation is the flower of days when
it is cared for even when its fullest beauty is
reached. At the present time the Carnations are
making a truly wondrous display at Great Book-
ham, where Mr. Jas. Douglas has established what
is practically a Carnation nursery. The nursery
is as yet merely in its infancy. At present the
Carnations (indoors and outdoors) may be seen in
thousands, from the choicest of novelties and tried
older kinds to the seedlings now flowering for the
first time. On the other hand, the nursery of
several acres— much of which is already under
cultivation — promises to be well suited to the
flower that is doubtless intended largely to figure
in the programme of the future.

Edenside is quite close to the station at
Bookham, and the clear open country is an ideal
one in which to grow beautiful flowers to per-
fection. Just now three large span-roofed houses
are devoted to the Carnation and Picotee, the
former being considerably in the majority. The
large show -house is a splendid structure for this
particular work, and is ventilated with more than
ordinary freedom. It is about 100 feet long and
18 feet or 20 feet wide, staged on either side and
through the centre, and the almost endless masses
of flowers contained therein constitute one of the
grandest displays it is possible to conceive. Apart
from the many fine things raised by Mr. Douglas
himself, which are here in such numbers, the
visitor will also find the cream of the kinds raised
by Mr. Martin R. Smith, which are a host in
themselves. As there is a fine batch of novelties
for the present and succeeding season as yet but
little known, save to leading specialists, it may be
well to first direct attention to the more worthy
of this fet. Very striking at the outset is
Miss Maud Sullivan, a variety possessing per-
fect form, an excellent calyx and fine salmon-
pink flowers, that are very large and freely
produced ; the habit also is vigorous. Her
Grace, which obtained an award of merit in
Jane of the present year, is a pleasing delicate
blush that finishes pure white. It is a most
charming variety, flowers large, perfect in form,
and very full and free. The masses of its flowers
were truly remarkable. Exile, a deep rose self,
is a really imposing flower that will make a grand
thing for evening decoration, a most telling shade
of colour and very large perfect flowers. Nabob
ia another self kind, of orange-buff tone, though

very clear and distinct in its peculiar shade of
colour. Sir John Falstaff has the rlistinction
of being one of the largest border Carnations
ever raised, and apart from this, the petal and
calyx are both excellent, the former very firm and
of good substance. Seagull is a lovely blush-
tinted variety, very perfect in form, .and possess-
ing a strong robust habit. Winifred is another
that, if I mistake not, has a great future in
store ; the great wealth of its masses of bloom, its
wonderful freedom and perfectly erect and dwarf
habit are points which strike the visitor in an
instant, and, moreover, go to show how utterly
impossible it would be to judge such an one from
a lew flowers on a stand. The very handsome
plants, notwithstanding they were growing under
glass, were not more than 20 inches high, so that
it promises, both by its dwarfness and freedom, to
make a most perfect border kind. The flowers
are full, symmetrical in form, an excellent non-
bursting calyx and sturdy vigorous habit of
growth, in fact, an ideal Carnation in every re-
spect. The only other in this set of novelties is
hweet Brier, a scarlet of very high order, possess-
ing a good petal, fully shaped flowers and very
free. Of considerable worth and full of promise
as a good garden kind is Black Prince (Douglas),
the flowers large and handsome, and of a deep
maroon-purple, the calyx excellent in every way
Pride of the (iarden, though a year or two older
is yet conspicuous by its handsomely formed
flowers and full rose-pink colour, that is very
attractive in a large group as here seen. Mephisto
is, as may be expected, a very dark kind, while
near by and in striking contrast, is the pure and
beautifully formed flower of Snowdon, while King
Arthur, in crimson scarlet robes, is bearing them
company. This last is the handsomest crimson
scarlet yet raised ; indeed, it is for all practical
purposes a Malmaison in its foliage and size of
bloom, but differing from these in that the calyx
never bursts. At this point occur some very
fine novelties in yellow ground Picotces, which
are being this year distributed for the first time,
all of them having been awarded first-class cer-
tificates. Their names are Eldorado, rich yellow,
very full, perfect in form and marked with rosy
red ; (iolden Eagle, rich golden yellow ground,
very large and edged bright red, flowers very
full and free ; Mr. Nigel (Douglas), a truly
marvellous flower and a decided acquisition. At
a distance it is very conspicuous, the flowers per-
fect in form, very large, the ground colour a
pleasing yellow with a heavy edge of crimson ;
Voltaire, bright yellow, with rose edge and mark-
ings ; Xerxes is a very fine clear yellow ground,
margined with deep rose, a bright and effective
variety. All these varieties are noted for vigorous
habit, their fine flowers and perfect form, and
bright, effective colours, while each possesses a
perfect calyx. Among the older varieties of yel-
low grounds that still hold sway are Ladas, with
its well-defined edge of scarlet : Mrs. Robert
Sydenham, still regarded as a chief of its kind ;
Mrs. Douglas, very clear in the ground, and
flowers of exquisite form and finish, with rose
edge ; Mrs. Dranfield, a variety possessing splen-
did form, the yellow ground clear and chastely
margined with light rose. President Carnot is also
very fine, the flowers full, and with a distinct and
heavy scarlet edge. There are many others, all
possessing great merit, but space at present for-
bids a full list of the yellow ground varieties to
be seen here, and which for many years have been
a special study with Mr. Douglas. Mention,
however, must be made of some at least of the
finer selfs and fancy kinds that liave appeared
during 1894-95, and others, again, for the first
time this year ; and foremost among these, inas-
much as it may possibly prove the forerunner of
a new race, is Bendigo, which, briefly described,
is the nearest approach to a Hue Carnation. Its
precise shade, perhaps, is best described as violet-
purple, a perfectly unique colour among these
flowers. It is, however, by no means easy to con-
vey an adequate idea of the exact tone of colour,
which is more frequently seen in violet-plush
than aught else. The variety, however, has per-

fectly formed flowers and a vigorous habit, the
flowers borne on strong, erect stems. Britannia
is a fine rich yellow self, with exquisitely-formed
and freely-produced flowers. Corunna is another
yellow self, the floweis clear and of good sub-
stance. Duke of Orleans is yellow, with a buff
tinge ; the flowers of this are equal to the Mal-
maisons in size. Miss Audrey Campbell is a
grand yellow of a very refined type, while Mrs.
Patrick Campbell, a novelty ot this year, is
another fine yellow self, the petals broad and
well-formed, very full, and forming a perfect
rosette in the centre. This is a variety of special,
merit. Sadek, a dark rose ; The Dey, a decided
buff, which received the piemium prize at Bir-
mingham in I89i ; The Hunter, a much-improved
Mrs. Reynolds- Hole, with perfect caljx; and
Waterwitch, a most charming blush - white
variety, very large, and flowering abundantly,
are among the most striking flowers at the
moment. Beyond ard apart from these were to
be seen bright masses of such fine things as
Hayes' Scarlet, Ketton Rose, very charming
under glass. Burn Pink, Germania, as well as
such I fine pure whites as Niphetos, Mrs. Eric
Hambro, which is the purest of pure white Car-
nations, as also the most perfectly formed of any.
The glistening snowy whiteness of this variety is
indeed remarkable.

It is impossible in the present note to dwell
upon the many fine seedlings that are here in
bloom, all under glass, and producing their won-
drous masses of flowers in the greatest possible
profusion, yet here they are filling three great
houses, each 100 feet long and providing a rare,
if not an unequalled display of these flowers.
Many kinds had passed by reason of the great
heat of the past tew days, which has been most
trying to the flowers.

Doubtless it may interest some of your readers
to know how these flowers are grown, and I doubt
not it will be a surprise to many — as, indeed, it
was to the writer— to find the whole of the unique
collection of plants flowering under glass in the
unparalleled heat of the present month, without
a particle of shade of any description. But Mr.
Douglas has full and ample reason for this ;
indeed, his reasons are two-fold, and while he
willingly admits that he thereby shortens the
durability of his flowers somewhat, yet, on the
other hand, he secures two very import.-int points
— viz , a maximum amount of seed, «hich in such
a collection is of the greatest value ; and secondly,
ensures a perfect and thorough maturing of the'
"grass." In fact, the sturdy, short- jointed
growth was as remarkable as it was free, and with
such material there is little to fear of the
results following good culture. Such a plentiful
supply of short, sturdy, healthy and vigorous
layers is by no means of daily occurrence, and
that they root both readily and well Mr. Douglas
possesses plenty of proof. The seed distributed
from Bookham by Mr. Douglas is also producing
a fame that will quickly spread, and equally true
is this of the seedlings also ; indeed, at this season
of the year flowers are being received daily of
sufficient excellence in many cases to warrant
their being retained. In one particular instance,
where only fifty seedlings were purchased, a score
of flowers were returned, asking Mr. Douglas to
give his opinion of their merits. These included
several flakes, together with scarlet, yellow and
apricot selfs of a very promising character. Two
other lots of blooms (the result of purchased seed)
were very fine, one scarlet self being fully equal
to the finest of existing kinds. Such a state of
things must be most gratifying to all concerned,
proving, as it undoubtedly does, that a great deal
of intelligence and care is combined with a very
ripe experience both in the hybridising and the
selection of these increasingly popular garden
E. J.

Sweet Peas.— It seems impossible for raisers
of these flowers to provide new colours. Most of
the new varieties seen of lare have been reproduc-
tions of older colours, but there have been some
small improvements in size. Every kind of flower

August 1, 1896.]

THE GARDEE.

79

seeniB to find its range of colours limited by ecme
severe, yet incomprehensible law. Still, how
many furnish a wonderfully wide range all the
samo. This is specially the case with the Sweet
Pea, and yet its hues are fo very closely allied,
that where they are not absolute reproductions of
those of earlier sorts, thej- are of the most trivial
nature. But there is room for incorporating into
the flowers greater substance and stiii'ness so as
to secure more of boldness and of apparent endur-
ance. The finest of the more recent introductions
Btill show a flaccidness of petal, especially in the
standards, that very undeservedly indicates that
the flowers are already flagging. This flaccidness
is entirely due to want of greater substance, and
if we would but compare the best standards of the
finest of Sweet Peas with those of Lathyrus
grandiflorus or of L. latifolius, we would see at
once what in the former is lacking. I am told
that this bent or drooping form of standard as
seen in the Sweet Pea is the more graceful. I
cannot accept that argument if for no ot her reason

short manure, and then replanting with the
rooted layers. The other course is to destroy the
entire lot at once, and either sow with grass
seed or turf over the now wcrse than wasted
space. I should like to see Carnations used to
fill one or two of the open beds in the public
gardens, as likely to be very grateful to the
flower-loving public, or else, taking up a criticism
of " E. J." recently, have the long border under
the Palace and wall converted into a real hardy
plant border, in which Carnations might figure
largely. To that end, however, the border badly
needs widening fully 3 feet, but there is ample
room for that extension. — A. D.

Yucca flaccida or illamentosa is certainly
the best of all the Yuccas for blooming freely. I
lately saw a group of about 100 plants of this
variety, and there were fully eighty spikes of
bloom upon them, making a noble mass of colour
unsurpassed by any other plant flowering at the
same time. This was not an exceptional instance,
as these same clumps flowered quite as freely

Narcissus triandriis. From a photograph by Mrs. H. Selfe-Leonard, Guildford.

than that it leads to the belief the flowers are
flagging. In any case I should like to see a race
whicb, retaining all the rich or delicate tints of
the present varieties, as also their perfume, should
yet give to us much stouter, bolder flowers having
flatter or erect standards. 1 wonder whether any
use has been made of Lathyrus grandiflorus to this
end, or whether the two species would ally if
intercrossed. — A. D.

CarnatioES at Hampton Court. — I do not
know who is responsible at this place of resort
for the small area of ground near the great
vinery. There is in front of this vinery a big
breadth of Carnations, but all in the most deplor-
able condition. So miserably are these big masses
of plants blooming, that it is not possible for the
casual observer to note varieties. The flower-
stems have not been in any way supported, and
relative to grass they lie thinly on the plants. It
is indeed a sad example of what should not be.
Two courses seem to be open ; the first to make
Carnation culture a reality by having thousands
of shoots layered at once, securing later plenty of
young plants, then grubbing out the old ones,
trenching the soil, adding some stiff material and

last year. A very tenacious clay soil appears
to suit them best, and they should not be dis-
turbed, merely chopping off' the offsets when
increase is desired.— P.

A note from France.— Mens. Letellier, of
Caen, in sending some shrubs, &c., to us, says :
"On my return I went round the nurseries, and
send you some spineless Gooseberries ; Ribes ni-
grum with cub leaves, a vigorous shrub with orna-
mental foliage ; and Spinua Lindleyana, which
must not be confounded with Spir*a sorbifolia,
a delicate flower. I also send two boughs in
flower of the purple - leaved Catalpa, a shrub
I bought four years ago in America. The
purple really only exists on the young leaves, but
the tree in itself is always of sombre aspect, and
agrees well with the ordinary green of other trees.
It is, moreover, remarkable for its flowering quality,
having at the summit of each bough a spike of
flowers, and it is on account of this peculiarity I
call your attention to it."

Christmas Roses growing in the sun.— It
is no uncommon thing to hear people say Christ-
mas Roses will not grow satisfactorily in a hot
situation, and accordingly they recommend them I

to have a somewhat shady site. In the gardens
at Jordans House, Ilminster, a patch of Helle-
borus niger about 5 yards square was growing on
a sloping border facing south in front of some
plant houses. I never saw plants look more
robust and healthy. On asking as to their
flowering, I was assured nothing could be more
satisfactory. I remember seeing some growing
in a very sunny position at Rood Ashton last

Geranium pratense fl.-pl.— In a season of
drought like the present any border plant that
will bloom freely should not be lost sight of. I
saw a large plant of this growing in a mixed bor-
der at Jordans, near Ilminster, early in July
making a brave show in company with many
other things that could not stand the tierce sun.
These hardy Geraniums are not much grown, but
they have much to recommend them. — J. Crook.

NARCISSUS TRIANDRUS.
This is one of the most variable of all the spe-
cies of Narcissus, and is very widely distributed
in Western Spain and Portugal, whence col-
lected bulbs have been largely imported during
recent years. But the plant has long been
known and grown spasmodically in British and
Continental gardens. N. triandrus is figured
and described by Parkinson in 1029, and in
French and Belgian works before that time. In
1787 there is a figure of N. triandrus (albus) at
plate 48 of the Botanical Maga::ine, taken from
a specimen that flowered in Mr. Lee's nursery
at Hammersmith, and at a later date various
forms were known and grown by Mr. Ella-
combe at Bitton, and by Herbert, Salisbury,
Haworth and others near London. The N.
nutans of Haworth and N. trilobus of the
Botanical Magazine are in all probability hy-
brids, and the editor of the magazine observes
that " it seems to be intermediate between N.
Jonquilla and N. triandrus."

One of the most distinct of all the forms of
N. triandrus is the dainty variety called pul-
chellus, which dift'ers from all other varieties in
having the cup paler than the perianth seg-
ments. In suitable soils it is a strong grower,
bearing seven to nine flowers on a scape. In
1873 1 ."aw a small bed ot this variety in
Parker's nursery at Tooting containing a hun-
dred bulbs or more, and was told they
came from Holland. This beautiful variety
also grows very freely with the Rev. Mr. Ew-
bank in his garden at Ryde, Isle of Wight,
where I saw it blooming in April ot the present
year. Although N. triandrus pulchellus has
been found wild in Portugal, it is doubtless ot
hybrid origin, and Mr. Engleheart has reared
seedlings closely resembling it between N. Jon-
quilla and N. triandrus albus. The finest ot
all the forms ot N. triandrus is wild on the Isle
of Dicnec and on the Isle St. Nicolas, oil' the
coast of Brittany, and it has long been cul-
tivated by M. Blanchard in the Naval Hospital
Gardens at Brest under the name of N. cala-
thinus. It is shorter in growth and much
larger in flower than the Portuguese or Spanish
plant, the leaves being broader, more green in
colour, and curiously revolute towards the
apices, ^'arieties raised by crossing N. trian-
drus with some forms ot Uatfudil bear some
sort ot a resemblance to this plant, as also do
some of the wild hybrids found in Portugal.

As a rule, N. triandrus does not exist long in
a healthy condition when grown as a hardy
plant in our gardens, but as a pot plant for
cold frame or cool greenhouse culture, all the
forms and their hybrids, such as Trimon, Snow-
drop and others, are very charming. The late
Rev. W. Rawaon, Fallbarrow, Windermere,

so

THE GAEDEK

[August 1, 1896.

srew N. triandriis and its varieties beautifully I
in pots year after year. His plan was to repot |
tlu'm carefully when at rest in June and July, |
and to give them abundance of w ater from the
time they began to grow until the leavts turned
yellowish after flowering, when they were
allowed to dry off entirely in a cool place.

F. W. B.

FLOWER GARDEN NOTES.
A.S the interest in all those plants u.<ed in the
flower garden that have either made a good show-
on the borders or proved very useful in a cut
state, or show promise of doing one or the other
or both is intensifitd in a season like the present,
■when atmo?pheric influences have been to much
against them, I thought it might be advisable to
draw attention to a few good annuals that have
weathered the season well and that are worth
noting for another year. The practice of par-
tially filling herbaceous borders with f uch annuals
is proving a decided success. Many moisture-
loving perennials have had a very short season,
and were it not that in the majority of cases
clumps of good dry weather annuals are showing
up in close proximity to thtm, considerable
stretches of the border would be bare and flower-
less. Pentstemon gloxinioides I am veiy pleased
with. It was sown the last week in February in
warmth and the plants pricked out into a frame
as soon as they were ready. They are now rare
strong stufl' and the flower-spikes are coming up
very sturdily, not long and thin as one gets them
sometimes on the ordinary type of Pentstemons in
very dry summers, but exceptionally strong and
\vith side shoots already well developed. We shall
doubtless get this in another season or two in
separate colours, and well-planned mixtures can
then be planted, in which they -will play a con-
spicuous part. Any amount of seedlings of Cosmos
bipinnatus came up early where old plants dropped
their seed last year. Many were cut up, but a
considerable number remained, especially if a
neighbouring perennal was likely to be over early,
and not bemg checked by transplanting, they are
now strong, healthy plants just coming into
flower, and the fine Fennel-like foliage is in itself
an attraction. The flowers have a flimsy look,
but really stand remarkably well both on the
plants and in water. The newer varieties of
Calendula officinalis are among the annuals that,
once sown in any given spot, will make their
appearance every succeeding year in great num-
bers, and as thty are very showy a few patches
can be reserved, especially il the season seem likely
to prove hot and dry. Touchmg their endurance
as border flowers, the remark is sometimes made
in catalogues that " they will flower profusely for
several months." This depends entirely on their
treatment. If decajing flowers are removed with
the persistence and completeness that are so
essential in the case of Sweet Peas and all mem-
bers of the Viola family, they will flower for a
long time, but if this work is neglected their
season will be very brief. An editorial note last
week referred to the very pretty effect produced
in vase work by an association of Carnations or
Sweet Peas with Gypeophila. Let mo also re
commend a combination of the latter with the
crimson and rose forms of Malope grandifiora,
Besides these colours, white and various shades
of lilac are available in this very usef
Mallow, but the lilacs have a rather washed-out
appearance not sufficiently pronounced for ord
nary vase work unless there is a special taste in
that direction. They are hardly strong enough
to withstand m an exposed situation high winds
or heavy rains, and I have found it advisable to
thin the seedlings hard, say to 1.5 inches, and
stake lightly just, before they are coming into
flower. A special characteristic is their great en-
durance. It cut and placed in a cool shed, the
flowers will remain quite fresh for two or three
daje without the aid of water, even when the
stems are partially withered. The verdict on
Sweet Pea Cupid — that is, for general purposes —

is hardly likely to be a favourable one. It is
pretty enough in its way and of a clear, pure
shade, but it is too quickly over to be of much
service on the border, and with the absence of
vigour it is diflicult to see how this can be avoided,
even with the most constant attention in the way
of the removal of seed-pods. Possibly it will be
seen to much greater advantage in a tairly damp
summer, but even under the most favourable con-
ditions one fails to realise the power " to bloom
continuously from May to November " {i-ide raiser's
description). In connection with the ordinary
foims of Sweet Peas, those who are unable to
water copiously are not having them at their
best either in quality or quantity. I sowed in
trenches and mulched well, but the plants are not
much more than half the usual height, and al-
though they flower fairly well, there is no vigour,
the flower-stems are short and individual blooms
are poor. Mars, Crown Jewel and Prima Donna
are three fine new varieties, and of the older sorts,
Blanche Burpee, Princess Beatrice, Her Majesty,
Splendour, Captain of the Blues and Stanley are
a good selection in various shades for cutting.
The forms of Gaillardia that can be successfully
flowered all through the first summer from early-
sown seed will be found to hold out remarkably
well, and are good " dry summer '' annuals. Their
use in a cut state is simply a matter of taste.
Where brilliant colours are re(iuired, they are
very serviceable ; in fact, the only plants any-
thing like them that will stand ec^ually well in a
cut state are the varieties of the annual Chry-
santhemum tricolor.

HEKE.vcEors BORDEKS.— The fact that we have
had since 1892 three very dry summers forces one
to the advisability (I am writing from a light, dry
soil) of curtailment in the number of species
grown, giving the preference to those things that
will stand a prolonged drought fairly well, and
transferring all moisture-loving plants to situa
tions in which they are seen to better advantage
It seems a pity, for instance, in the case of
Paonies. Spir;eas, and Phloxes, that the flowering
season should be of such short duration. In fact,
unless exposed borders are thoroughly well don
on such a soil as that above named, the flowers ai
never seen at their best. The removal to more
favourable positions is, of course, the best pi
but failing this it will be found advisable when
making preparations for autumnal planting to get
ready a bit of different compost, say two parts of
stiff road sidings to rne of cow manure, and to
work a liberal dose of this beneath and around
newly-planted clumps. This may be specially
commended in the case of Phloxes. The early and
late blooming sections make collectively such an
exceptionally fine and prolonged display (possibly
better than any other flower that can be named of
this height), that one is bound to do his best for
them. The same remarks apply to plants of
dwarfer habit that happen to be favourites, and in
a season like the present a long-sustained display
is only secured by special attention. In the case
of all moisture-loving plants that one is not part:
cularly anxious to retain on the mixed border, I
should say, after the experience of three hot
summers, by all means replace them with other
things that are not so susceptible, and with thos
that must be retained make provision for add
tional attention. Not that the most assiduous
attention can be expected to bring such plants up
to their true form in a season like the presen
where the soil is naturally dry and the subsoil
light and porous. E. Burrell,

Oiartmont.

"White Lilies. — It is apparent, from the various
notes that have lately been published having the
beautiful Madonna Lily for a subject, that the
disease by which it is so often affected is still
noticeable in certain situations. I have
thiee decided cases of this disease during the past
month in the south of England. This appears
proof positive that the disease is not caused by
damp, which theory has been often advanced to
account for its sudden collapse, for scarcely adro[
of rain has fallen during the growing and flower-

period of these Lilies. Doubtless in wet
seasons the disease is more destructive, but its
presence is apparent even in an arid summer like
the present, though the eff'ect is not so disastrous
as when moister conditions prevail. In only one
case this year have I noticed the stems aS'ected to
such an extent as to prevent the opening ef the
blooms, though in other years I have seen
hundreds of stems rotten and lying prone, and not
a single flower produced by a large plantation.
The note on Lilium candidum (p, 11) points to
the manner in which the disease will affect some
clumps and pass over others, leaving them entirely
unharmed. In my own garden an instance of this
occurred, a line of a hundred being destroyed,
vhile a clump -2 yards distant was unaffected and
las never shown a sign of the disease since. This
mmunity I attributed to the fact that the latter
bulbs were homegrown, while the hundred that
ccumbed were imported from the souh of
ance. The disease does not appear to be infec-
tious, or the neighbouring clump would, either
that season or later, have contracted it. The
failures are, I believe, mostly cases of imported
bulbs. It is rarely that the white Lilies in old
cottage gardens are in anything but the best of
health.-S. W. F.

NEW SWEET PEAS.
Some persons seem to think we have too many
Sweet Peas, but it is wise in the case of any
popular garden flower to have a wider range of
selection, as tastes differ very materially. Re-
markable instances of this were manifested on the
occasion of the last meeting of the Royal Horti-
cultural Society, when Mr. Henry Eckford, of
Wem, staged a number of new varieties. Of
these there were several which showed some dis-
tinctness of character. By standing by this col-
lection for a time one hears these varied opinions :
■what one admired another thought unworthy of
praise. So I think Mr. Eckford is to be com-
mended for producing so much variety. Another
feature about them is increased size and sub-
stance ; but it is an undertaking to bring flowers
all the way from Wem in such hot weather as that
of Tuesday last, for the atmosphere in the Drill
Hall was very trying, and it was not to be won-
dered at that by the middle of the afternoon some
of the blossoms began to droop. L'nfortunately,
it was thought by some the act of fading was
characteristic of tiimsiness, which was not the
case. Of Mr. Eckford's new varieties. Prince Ed-
ward of York, in my opinion, afforded a happy
combination, the rosy salmon standards contrast-
ing well with the delicate silvery rosy violet
wings. This was generally admired and received
an award of merit. Queen Victoria is one of the
primrose-coloured varieties, but when compared
with Mrs. Eckford it is at once seen that the for-
mer has more buff in it, while the standards,
which are deeper in tint than the wings, take on a
f.iint tint of rose as they age : both are larger and
stouter than those of Mrs. Eckford. Lady Grisel
Hamilton seemed to win favour from all, as it
is of a lady's colour— delicate mauve, a little
deeper in tint on the standards than on the
wings, and yet actually a self-coloured flower. I
think that when distributed it will be generally
grown ftr cutting. This, and also Princess
Victoria, received an award of merit. Salopian
is one of the deepest coloured self flowers,
very fine and stout in all its parts, and it is
certain to become a favourite garden variety.
In colour the standards are deep red, and as the
flowers age they become stained and veined on
the reverse with a kind of bronzj'-blue, which
leads to the supposition that some day a race of
fancy Sweet Peas may be developed ; the wings are
pale rosy-red with a slight flushing of violet.
Duke of Sutherland is a fine showy variety,
the standards bron?y - maroon, shaded with
blue ; the wings deep blue, stout and bold.
Mars is a very bright vaiiety, the standards
salmon-scarlet, brightest on the face, the wings
violet-rose; this also is very fine and showy; the
corollas stout and well formed. This is certain to

August 1, 1896.]

THE GARDEX.

81

be grown for it3 brilliancy. Captivation has pale
bronzj-rose standards, the wino-s rose, heavily
flushed with delicate violet, pretty and attractive.
Royal Rose has the standards pink flushed with
bright rose, especially on the reverse, the wings
soft pink with slight veins of rose, very pretty.
Countess of Pouis has orange-rose standards, the
wings paler, novel in colour and decidedly dis
tinct. Duchess of Sutherland, blusb, with slight
veins of delicate rose on the reverse of the wings,
is very soft and pleasing. Lady Nina Balfour
has very delicate mauve standards, the wings
delicate silvery mauve, also very attractive.
Lastly comes Oountets of Shrewsbury, delicate
pink standards with tlight veins of rose, the
wings silvery white, the petals taking on a sligh'
beading of purple on the edges as they age.

Now that the Sweet Pea is becoming such a
general favourite for cutting, I have often
wondered that more plants are not grown in pots
for blooming in early spring. Flowers can be had
by sowing half a dozen seeds in August in a
6inch pot, keeping them through the winter in a
cool greenhouse and then in early spring getting
them into flower. A few twigs placed round the
sides of each pot will keep the plants upright. I
make the suggestion because when the late Mr.
Thomas Speed was at Chatsworth he used to grow
Sneet Peas for early blooming in this way, and
found them very useful. I know that at the
spring season of the year gardeners, as a rule, have
their hands very full. Still, one more subject is
not adding much to the season's round of labour,
and it is likely the Sweet Peas will be found more
useful than some other things which are now
cultivated. R. D.

Two fine Carnations.— They are Mephisto,
shaded crimson-maroon, with flashes of brighter
crimson on the petals, a finely- formed, full,
smooth, round-petalled flower of rare finish,
which does not burst its pod, and Mrs. Eric
Hambro', white, with a finely-formed shell-shaped
petal, filling up the flower and giving it a rosette-
like appearance. Both are good growers, and
will take high rank as exhibition varieties. — R. D.

Variegated broad-leaved Cress.— I often
wonder that this striking and most useful form of
Barbarea vulgaris is not more grown for the de-
coration of the flower garden in winter and spring.
Young plants from sesd sown in April take on a
very handsome variegation in autumn, are gay
all the winter, for it is a very hardy plant, and in
spring it is at its best. The plants soon go to
sesd, but if the flowering-stem be pinched out they
will throw up young growths from the bottom
and make charming tufts. I did this in early
summer, for I had employed it with Hyacinths
and other spring bulbs in furnishing a grave.
The Cress was replanted with certain summer
bedding plants, and it is no-.v most effective be-
tween a line of blue Lobelia and some dwarf dark
Fuchsias, and it will remain so all the summer.
All that is required is to pinch back any side
shoots which may show a tendency to flower.
Once grown in a garden, a plant if allowed to seed
will reproduce itself, and provide plants at but
little cost of labour to the gardener.— R. D.

Carnations.- 1 should like to note, pending
another season's planting of Carnations, that
where practicable the plan of shading down the
colours from a given standpoint may sometimes
be followed in a similar way to that adopted with
Tufted Pansies and zjnal Pelargoniums. Taking,
for instance, any large fan shaped beds that can
be divided into several sections, each of sufEcient
size to allow the block of individual varieties to
be large enough to show a nice breadth of colour,
the shading may be carried down from Uriah
Pike in the centre to, say, Goldfinder on the outer
edge, intervening shades varying from deep,
glowing and salmon scarlets to the deep and pale
apricots. Aproiwi of the latter shade and the
query as to a good substitute for Mrs. Reynolds-
Hole, Messrs. Laing and Mather claim to have
found it in The Pasha, which I have not seen, but
imagine from the description is a rather more

deeply coloured flower. If, however, one does
not mind a rather paler flower, an eti'ective sub-
stitute seems to be Carolus Duran, which is
catalogued by Mr. Weguelin, and blooms of
which I have obtained through the courtesy of
Mr. Tallack, who praises it highly. It seems
smaller flower than Mrs. Hole, but the total
absence of splitting is a grand feature. Despite
the very dry weather, excellent growth has been
made by nearly all the varieties grown ; indeed,
it is wonderful how well grass and flowers have
alike developed in our Hght, dry soil and under
the scorching sun. The stock being large, there
will be the opportunity to select a few of the best
shoots on the best plants, and the layering will
commence with the earliest flowering varieties a!
soon as they are over. With the possibility of i
continuation of the dry weather it will be advis
able to put very little additional soil, but to layei
nearly on the flat. The sorts with thin, somewhat
wiry grass should be among the first to receive
attention, as they are considerably longer in form
ing the nice tuft of roots one likes to see at the
October planting than more succulent kinds. This
is especially the case if the layered stem is nearly
always on the dry side, and such a state of things
can hardly be avoided if in very dry weather the
old-fashioned plan of high mounds of earth round
each stem is rigidly adhered to. A selection and
increased propagation of the most serviceable
sorts are advisable ; one can, for instance, hardly
have too many of thoroughly good crimson, scar-
let, apricot, and white kinds. — E, ~

Orchids.

NOTES ON CATTLEYAS.

At this season considerable care is necessary
in the management of the Cattleya house, that
i.s if the collection grown is of a representative
character. The majority of the plants are ap-
proaching the end of their season's growth, and
consequently the temperature may with advan-
tage be steadied a little in order to avoid excit-
ing the plants prematurely. I do not mean to
say drop the temperature, but shut up the
houses a little later in the afternoon and keep
rather more air on top of the house on
warm nights, and if possible without injuring
any other Orchids than Cattleyas that may be
growing in the house, allow the sun to shine on
the plants a little later in the morning. While

teadjing the growth of such as C. gigas or C.
Gaskelliana, this will not check the progress of
the autumn-blooming C. labiata, the flowers
being ;n fact all the better for it : nor will it
be sufficient to harm the advancing bulbs of C.
Mossife or C. Mendeli or the coming flower-
spikes on the beautiful C. aurea. Splendidly
have all these tine species done this bright and
sunny season, and they never looked more
promising than at present. Nor is the long-
mmed section, represented by C. guttata, C.
;olor, and others, at all behindhand, the
sheaths of these two just now bursting and
giving promise of a fine display. C. Leopoldi,
a variety of the former, will be open in a few
days, being well in front of the typical form,
while C. granulosa and C. Schofieldiana will
follow it.

While on this subject it may not be out of
place to again warn inexptrienced growers

gainst lessening the water supply too quickly.
A moment's thought will suffice to show the
importance of this seemingly trivial detail.
The bulb just forming is the storehouse of
nutriment that is required to carry on the
economy of the plant during the winter. Fail
to give it proper sustenance now, and shrivel-
ling during winter followed by weak growths in

spring will be the inevitable result. Water
freely then until it is apparent that the pseudo-
bulb has attained its full devplopment ; there
will not in this case be any need of constant
waterings in winter and early spring, vvhen
root action is not so free, and the plants have
therefore not the same jiower of using the mois-
ture. Too little water in autumn, strange as it
may seem, is often the forerunner of many
growths damping off in spring, not only with
Cattleyas, but many other kinds of pseudo-
bulbous C)rchids. If time can be found to do
it; great advantage will accrue to the plants by
a thoroughly eflective cleaning now. When
taking some plants in flower of C. Gaskelliana
out of the growing quarters last week I
noticed that on some of them scale was making
headway, and this led to an examination of
other plants that apparently clean had many of
these troublesome insects about them. A wet
day coming opportunely, I had most of the plants
cleaned, and the rest will be done as soon as
possible. '1 his will carry them through until
a general turn out of the house about Novem-
ber. They cannot, Ln fact, be looked over too
often, the small downy scale being frequently
in evidence about the sheathing scales on the
pseudo-bulbs and rhizomes when no suspicions
of it can be seen on the leaves. I have just
potted the plants of C. Warneri, and not any
too soon, the little green points of the roots
from the last pseudo-bulbs just showing. When
they can be caught at this stage it is much
preferable to repotting or basketing earlier, and
there is plenty of time for the plants to become
re-established before winter. Plants of C. Mos-
3;ie as they go out of flower will have the same
attention, but those of C. labiata autumnalis
are best attended to in early spring. Plants of
C. Triana; and C. Percivaliana are looking well,
nearly every new pseudo-bulb being furnished
with its sheath. These, of course, will rest
awhile before the flowers form, but none the
less they are all the better for finishing up
early in time for the growth to bp well hardened
before the sun loses its power. The same holds
good of C intei media and C. amethystoglossa,
while C. Forbesi, C. Harrisoniana and one or
two others must be kept dormant, the new
growths coming away all the stronger in spring
and consequently producing flowers of a higher
quality and in greater abundance. R.

Tieatment of Masdevallias. — Possibly
there is a good deal of nonfCnse written respect-
ing the culture of Orchids, as stated by H. J.
Hunter, and to this he has added his own quota
on p. 40. Most of us who go to the trouble of
carefully shading, damping, and ventilating our
Masdevallias will be startled considerably to hear
that we are on the wrong tacK, that these Orchids
are as easy to grow as Pelargoniums, so, presum-
ably, will'thrive and blossom finely in the green-
house, the open air in summer, the cottage win-
dow, anywhere in short where frost cannot reach
them. Also that by growing in loam fibre, broken
hones, and other things, and giving manure water
freely, it is possible to grow plants of from three
to four leaves to specimens 1 foot to 2 feet across
in four years. This is remaikable indeed, but
how many plants went to each specimen ? If
simply made up of a number of small ones, then
we cease to wonder, as there is nothing extraordi-
nary about it, but if from single plants, as the
note would imply, then Mr. Hunter's treatment
is likely to revolutionise Orchid growing. But a
little later on his argument falls to the ground,
for I see he is careful to keep the tempe-
rature very regular and constant, the plants
clean, and the atmosphere of the Orchid house tho-
roughly moist summer and winter. That is the
idea, no doubt, and as long as Mr. Hunter does
that he will probably be successful, but it,_ia

82

THE CxAEDEN.

[August 1, 1896.

hardly worth while to under-rate the importance
of this, for when all is said the fact remains that
XIasdevallias want very careful treatment. — R. H.
Palumbina Candida.— The pretty little pure
white flowers of this plant, though not very
showy, are very interesting, and I have noticed
it in bloom in several collections within the last
few weeks. The pseudo-bulbs are small, light
green, and each bears a single leaf. The flower-
spike appears in the centre of the young growth,
and carries from three to about eight flowers,
each less than '2 inches across, and, owing to
their horizontal position and a certain resem-
blance, they have caused the plant to be known
as the "Flying Dove Orchid." It comes from
the neighbourhood of Guatemala and South
Mexico,"and may be almost described as a cool
house kind, though it will suffer if allowed to re-
main in a very low temperature during winter.
Anything between 50" and o.V is a safe minimum,
and the plants should be kept well up to the
light in baskets or small pans. Not much com-
post is needed, about an inch over good drainage
sufficing. The youne growth shows itself in early
spring, and from this time onwards the plants
must not be checked in any way until the pseudo-
bulbs are complete. Water in sufficient ([uantity
to maintain growth is needed, but it is not by
any means a thirsty subject. During the resting
season very little is needed at the roots, the at-
mospheric moisture being almost enough for its
needs. It is an old plant in cultivation, having
been introduced in 1843 but has never become
common in collections.— R.

liSelia elegars alba. — Though in the forms
that have come under my notice this does not
possess the snowy whiteness and purity of some
other white kinds, it is a chaste and delightful
variety. The sepals and petals are white, the lip
rich purple in front, lined with white, and becom-
ing pale mauve on the tips. Fortunately, this is
quite as free bloomine as the more highly-
coloured forms of L. elegans, the blossoms pro-
duced at the apex of the seasons growth, four or
five on a spike. This fhould finish the plant's
work for the season, and afterwards the tempe-
rature should be as restful as possible so as to
keep it quite dormant during the winter months.
— H.

Cypripedium Etonei. — This handsome Cypri-
pedium is certainly one of the best at this season,
its till spikes being more graceful than those of
manv in the genus. From three to five flowers
are produced on each, the dorsal sepal white,
lined with brownish purple, the petals drooping
and similar in colour, the pouch reddish purple,
veined with a deeper hue. C. Stonei, when once
established, grows with the greatest ease in a
moist, well-heated house and a shady position.
It likes plenty of room at the roots and can hardly
be over-watered when growing freely. It is a
native of Sarawak, and was first flowered in this
country in 1S60 by Mr. Stone, Orchid grower to
the late Mr. Day, of Tottenham.

Odontoglossum Harryanum auperbum. —
Under this name I have received a very large and
well-marked flower of this species, but not, in my
opinion, showing enough variation from the type
to warrant the varietal name. The typical form
and all the varieties are good, useful Orchids of
more than average merit, and this is shown by
the fact that though introduced by Messrs. Hors-
man less than ten years ago, it has found its way
into nearly every collection and is universally
admired. The lip in the variety referred to
rather wider than usual, and the deep purple
vcining shows to great advantage on the milk-
white ground colour. — R.

Thunia Beneonfee. — This is not so much
grown as T. Marshalliana. but is none the le?3 a
beautiful Orchid. In habit it resembles T. Mar-
shalliana, and the flowers are each about 15 inches
across, of varying shades of purple on the sepals
and petals. The front lobe of the lip is a bright
magenta-purple, and the blossoms are nov in
beauty. The treatment does not materially differ

from that recommended recently for T. Marshal-
liana, a long and d stinct resting season being
necessary after the foliage has fallen. It is im-
portant that the temperature does not fall too low
during winter, but otherwise the plants give no
trouble until the young shoots start from the
base, when they must again be potted and started.
It is a native of Rangoon, whence it was intro-
duced in 1867.

ONCIDIUM PR.KTEXTUM.
Vkry pretty and delicately scented are the blos-
soms ot this fine Oncidium, and. lasting as they
do so long in good condition, they help to keep
up a display at a time when good Orchids are
appreciated. In habit and general characteristics
it much resembles 0. crispum, and the flowers are
produced on gracefully arching stems a great
many together, usually branching, weak plants
only producing simple spikes. It is best grown
suspended from the roof in an intermediate house,
arjd may be placed on rafts or in baskets. In
either case it dislikes a large body of compost
about its roots, but what is used must be of a
good and lasting quality. The fibrous portions of
peat mixed with an £(|ual amount of Sphagnum
will suit it admirably. Broken crocks or charcoal
must be mixed with this for using in baskets ; it
will hardly be required on the rafts, a very thin
surfacing of material sufficing in this case. This
may be first laid on the rods about half an inch
thick and the plants firmly wired down to it,
pressing a little around the base of the bulbs with
the dibber if this is seen to be reijuired in order
to steady the plants. In all cases keep the lead-
ing bulbs as near the centre of the raft as pos-
sible, and also where it is seen they have room
to extend, a little forethought in this respect
saving trouble from crowding later on. If
baskets are used, allow a slight rise to the centre
of the compost, this giving more room and pre-
venting accumulation of moisture ; only take
care that some good rough lumps of charcoal or
similar material are placed below this, otherwise
the compost, being so much thicker, will be apt
to hold too much moisture and thus defeat the
end in view. Here the same care is necessary in
fixing the plants, and it is best done by passing a
wire or two between the upper rods of the basket
and over the rhizomes, using a few thin strips of
cork if seen to be necessary to prevent cutting
the latter. A good clear light is necessary for
this Oncidium, shading being required in hot
weather only. During the time growth is active
and until the flower-spikes are past a good supplj'
of water both at the roots and atmospherically is
needed, but during winter a drier atmosphere
and less water at the roots are necessary. Should
it be growing in winter — and occasionally it does
grow out of season— it must be watered rather
more freely, and in no case must the growth be
allowed to shrivel. With these few directions
attended to and the foliage kept free of in.sects,
O. pra?textum will not be found difficult to grow,
but weak plants must not be allowed to carry
their blossoms until they fade, this being too
much of a strain and causing the plants to break
weakly in spring.

Cypripedium vf xillarium.- This is one of
the older hybrids raised by the late Mr. Dominy
in Messrs. Veitch's nursery, where it flowered for
the first time in 1870. Its parents are C. barba-
tum and C. Fairrieanum, the former the seed
bearer. Traces of both parents are easily observed
in the flowers of this fine hybrid, the dorsal sepal
being nearly white in ground colour, lined with
purple and with a greenish tinge at the base. The
pouch is large, brownish, with veins of green, and
the petals are purple also tinged with green. The
habit resembles that of C. barbatum, the foliage
being light green with spots of a deeper tint.

Dendrobium Dtlhousianum. — It is getting
late for this fine Dendrobe to be in bloom, but I
saw a fine specimen last week bearing many of
the large showy flowers, quite distinct from all

others in the genus. It is a plant that requires a
long season of growth, and is often the last to
finish up its bulbs in autumn. During all this
time it should be treated liberally with regard to
heat and moisture, lessening the supply of water
at the roots as soon as the bulbs are finished. Be-
ing a strong grower it thrives in large pots, good
peat and Moss with a liberal admixture of crocks
and charcoal suiting it well if used in a rough and
open condition. A good rest in a cool, dry house
during winter is conducive to free- flowering. It
is a native of India. — H. R.

Cypripedium Charlesworthi.— It is hardly '
three years since this lovely little Cypripedium
was first exhibited before the" Royal Horticultural
Society by Messrs. Charlesworth, Shuttleworth
and Co., and now it is to be seen in nearly every
collection and in great variety. The dorsal sepal,
the most prominent feature of the flower, is in
some forms nearly pure white, in others it ap-
proaches deep rose, and many intermediate forms
exist between these. The petals are small in
comparison, also the pouch, and both are a
greenish brown, and the shield-like staminode
plate is in all cases of the purest white. No diffi-
culty will be found in growing C. Charlesworthi,
for though not a vigorous grower the foliage is of
that healthy green type as in the older Spiceri-
inum, and it may, in fact, be treated somewhat
similarly. The plants may be grown in small pots
in a compost consisting of about equal parts of
peat fibre, loam, and chopped Sphagnum, adding
to this sufficient crocks and charcoal to ensure a

sweet root run, and allowing good dr
Small and semi-established plants may with ad-
vantage be elevated a little above the rims of the
pots, but this is not necessary for stronger, well-
established specimens. A shady position must be
found for it without keeping it dark, and being a
native of Burmah, plenty of heat must beafl'orded.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1077.
THE JALAP PLANT.

(exogonium puega.)
(with a coloured plate.*)
There are few cultivated plants that are of
economic value that have showy flowers, but
the Mexican Jalap plant is an exception, as its
blooms are very handsome, being nearly as
large as those of the native large-flowered
Bindweed (Convolvulus Sepium) and of a pleas-
ing violet-purple tint. It is ot a twining
habit, and to be seen at its best must be
allowed to ramble at will over and among other
plants. In the more favoured parts of the
country it thrives well. Mr. EUacombe used
to grow it well in his garden at Bitton. It
used to do well also at Kew, and we believe it
has also flowered in the Edinburgh Botanic
Gardens.

It gets its name of jalap from its native
habitat, Xalapa, in Mexico. It is the true
jalap of commerce, by which is not meant that
it alone produces genuine jalap, but that it is
the plant that gives the name to the medicine.
Good jalap may also be got, according to Dr.
Lindley, from many other species of Convolvu-
lace^e, even from our British species. The
roundish tubers vary in size, those of mature
growth being as large as an orange and of a
dark colour. They owe their well-known pur-
gative properties to the resinous ingredients ;
hence worm-eaten tubers are more valued than
sound ones, as the insects eat the farinaceous
and woody parts, leaving the resin.

• Drawn for The Garden by Mrs. Miller. Litho-
graphed and printed by J. L. Goffart, i
Guillaume Severeyns.

N fl] Ivi r U ROi^

August 1, 1896.J

THE GARDEN".

83

The Week's Work.

KITCHEN GARDEN.

Frame Carrots. — Having to supply continuously
throughout the year small Carrots in quantity,
those ifor the winter and spring months have to
be grown in frames. I attach some importance to
the date of sowing this crop, for if sown too early
the Carrots reach full size before winter, and lose
much of their good quality before they can be
met by those on hotbeds after the new year comes
in ; and, on the other hand, if left too late they
fail to bulb properly. I find that the first
week in August is the best time for sowing, and
take every care to avoid failure and to encourage
good growth, as, for the reasons stated above, it
is impossible to rectify mistakes later on. I
choose for this crop frames that have carried the
latest crop of forced Potatoes, skimming off and
throwing out the soil and then adding to the bed
of manure and lea'^es BufBcient similar material to
raise the bed to within 15 inches of the glass and
treading it well over before adding the soil, which
is composed of two-thirds of that which has
already carried the Potato crop and one-third of
burnt earth and wood ashes; this is all sifted,
well mixed together and put into the frame to a
depth of 5 inches, and on this the seed is thinly
sown broadcast. Should the young plants spring
up too thickly, early thinning is quite necessary,
as they quickly draw up and run all to top growth
if left too thick, but thinning should not be over-
done, as they will do very well if left some '2 inches
apart. A good watering after sowing assists ger-
mination, and the frame may be shaded, with a
view to preventing rapid evaporation, until the
young plants appear, but after that they must
have full exposure to both light and air. The
lights of the frame must be entirely removed until
severe frosts set in. I prefer the Parisian Forcing
to all other Carrots for this work, as it is of such
quick growth and good quality, but no liberties
in the way of crowding must be taken with it,
or the roots will be pale in colour. Those who do
nob object to a long-shaped Carrot will find the
Holborn Forcing an excellent variety of exceed-
ingly good colour, which keeps well far into the
spring months. Another first-rate variety is
Early Gem, and these three, if sown at the same
time, will form a long succession, covering the
season from November until new roots can be ob-
tained in plenty from sowings made in January
on hotbeds. The Parisian Forcing may also be
sown now on a sunny open border, where it will
form roots in time for drawing during the first few
weeks of winter, and these will serve to prevent
the necessity of breaking in on the frame crop too
oarly.

Frame CrcuinsERs. — As the nights will now be
getting longer and cooler it will be necessary to
pay attention to the linings around Cucumber
frames. Bitterness of the fruit is a frequent
source of trouble during the late summer and
autumn months, and many causes, such as water-
ing with soot water, over-manuring, and defects
of soil, have been blamed for this, but my experi-
ence is that Cucumbers never become bitter on
plants that are kept well under the influence of
bottom-heat and in a growing condition. To effect
this, the linings must not be neglected even in
the warmest weather, for there is fre(iuently a
considerable fall in the outside temperature dur-
ing the early morning that needs counteracting,
and this can only be done by constant and piece-
meal renewal of the linings, so that bottom heat
shall be continuous and not fluctuating. Those
who have to depend on frames or pits heated with
fermenting manure for a late supply will do well
to sow more seed of an approved variety (I depend
on Telegraph) and to grow on the young plants
strongly, planting them out when ready in the
narrowest pit at command. Of course there will
not be time for these plants to yield a heavy crop,
but they will with care give some nice clean
fruit up to the middle of November, and are in-
finitely to be preferred for this purpose to old
plants which have bsen a long time in bearing.

The pit for these should be in a sunny position
and the glass must be kept bright and clean, while
the hillocks of planting soil must be brought
nearer to the glass than was advisable for earlier
plantings. Red spider has been more than usually
prevalent this year, and must be well kept under
by frequently syringing those plants which are
now bearing a crop. Superfluous growth and old
leaves must be cut away to provide room for
development of new growth, but should not be
removed in large quantities at one time. All
young growth should be stopped at one joint be-
yond the fruit, and no fruiting joint should be al-
lowed to carry more than two fruits.

Oxioxs. — All crops are in a very forward state
this year. Onions especially are fast approach-
ing the ripening stage. The bulbs will be greatly
improved if the plot is now gone over, giving the
top of each plant a twist close down to the bulb
and bending it to the ground at the same time ;
this will confine the energies of the plant to
plumping up the bulb, which will then ripen up
with a small neck and be in the best condition
for keeping. Transplanted Onions, though no
rain fell on them for weeks after transplanting,
have come through this trying season in far better
condition than those sown direct on the bed. The
bulbs are well developed, quite large enough for
any purpose and very regular in size, which is
more than can be said of those treated in the
ordinary way. Autumn-sown Onions of the Tri-
poli section should now be pulled, and will need
no further attention than bringing under cover,
unless wanted to be kept for special purposes,
when they will require careful ripening and dry-

lected and prepared as I have advised earlier,
this will now be in good condition for forming a
bed in a cool cellar or outdoors in a cool place.
Everything being so hot and dry this year, it will
have been found necessary to sprinkle the manure
pretty freely with water when it has been turned
over, and the bed should not be made up until the
material will stand the usual test and cling to-
gether without much expansion after being
squeezed by the hand, for unless this is the case,
the necessary solidity cannot be obtained when
building the bed. The frequent cautions not to
have the manure over-moist often leads beginners
into the other extreme, and beds are consequently
made up with manure in too dry a state. Should
the manure appear at all spent, the last sprinkling
it gets may well consist largely of stable drain-
ings, as these will revivify it. I advise that only
a small bed be made up to commence with, es-
specially if room is scarce, and that the collection
and preparation of material shall be continued,
for later made beds will be far more likely to give
lasting crops. Ridge-shaped beds give a greater
cropping surface in proportion to the space they
occupy than do those of any other form, and
should be made up to about 3 feet 6 inches in
height by 3 feet in width at the base. Spawn at
any falling temperature between 75° and 90" and
case the bed over with soil in a moist, but not
pasty condition to a thickness of 2 inches, making
both this and the manure as solid as practicable.

Endive — A further and large sowing of Endive
will be advisable without delay, and this is to me
the most important batch of all, as the plants
grow to a good size before winter, but do not get
forward enough to spoil quickly after being lifted
and transplanted or laid in in cool houses or
frames, and it keeps the supply good up to the
end of March. Some little care is necessary to
induce the sort of foliage that will put up with a
fair amount of frost, and to get this each plant
must be allowed a fair amount of room in all its
stages. Any crowding with a view to assisting
blanching that may be permissible with earlier
lots should be avoided with this. Continue plant-
ing from earlier sowings as room becomes avail-
able. The Broad-leaved Batavian will be found a
most excellent substitute for Spinach, and as the
latter vegetable has not done very well during the
past few weeks, substitutes have b3en and will be
needed.

Corn Salad.— This is another plant of which
seed should be sown for winter and spring supply.
It grows best at this time of the year in an un-
shaded position, and the leaves come much larger
and more succulent when the plants are allowed
room for development.

General work.— This still consists for the
greater part in keeping the various crops alive
and growing by giving them as much water as
can be got. The weather has been very rough on
small plants of all kinds, and those having their
roots near the surface have suffered greatly.
Special care must be taken of all young seedling
stuff and to see that sufficient water is given to
reach the roots of Peas, as a collapse of the latter
comes as a great calamity. Cardoons must be well
fed at the roots, or bolting is certain to ensue. A
little soil from the ridges run in after the plants
have had a thorough soaking does much good.
J. C. Tallack.

FRUIT HOUSES.
Wall trees.— Apricots. — In the southern coun-
ties man}- of the trees will now be cleared of their
fruit, and where this has been done they should
be well washed with the garden engine to rid the
foliage of any insect pests. All young shoots
should be fastened to the walls that they may de-
rive the full benefit therefrom to assist the wood
in ripening. Where the borders are very dry
they should be watered to prevent the foliage
from flagging. Trees from which the fruit has
not yet been gathered must not be allowed to be-
come dry at the roots, for if this happens its
quality will be sadly deficient. Though it is not
well to over- water trees when the fruit is ripen-
ing during such weather as we have been experi-
encing of late, it will be almost impossible to give
those against walls too much.

Pears. — As is too often the case at this time of
the year, water in many places runs short ; there-
fore many things that need assistance have to
take their chance, and Pear trees against walls
are often neglected owing to the pressure of other
work. Were these trees to receive due atten-
tion, there is but little doubt that many of the
early varieties at least would be greatly benefited
thereby. Some of the most forward varieties in
the southern counties have been gathered, and
the intermediate ones, such as the Jargonelle,
will soon be ready. If trees of these were to
receive a thorough soaking, it would not only
assist the fruit to swell, but also prevent it
from ripening prematurely. With the later va-
rieties the ground around the roots ought not
only to be kept moist, but the foliage this dry
weather should be occasionally washed with the
garden engine ; the trees should also be looked
over and any deformed fruit removed, as it would
be of but little use if allowed to remain.

Fiiis ON WALLS. — If not already done, the
young growths of these should be fastened to the
walls, taking care not to overcrowd. The growths
ought to ba so regulaoed that the whole of the
wall space may ba covered with foliage. If,
owing to pressure of other work, the number of
shoots has not been reduced to the amount re-
quired for laying in, this ought at once to re-
ceive attention. It often happens that, in addi-
tion to the leading growth from the crown bud,
several others push and form growths, and if
these are not removed in time, they rob the lead-
ing one of a large amount of nourishment and
prevent the wood receiving the full benefit of the
wall. When all the leading shoots have been
secured, protect the fruit by covering the trees
with small-meshed nets, as it is not only black-
birds and thrushes that are fond of Figs, but
many of the small feathered tribe also. In some
places rats and mice are troublesome ; these
should be trapped before much harm is done.

Peaches and Nectarines. — With such weather
as we have been experiencing of late it has been
difficult to keep the foliage of these healthy. Red
spider has been very troublesome ; therefore the
syringe or garden engine must be kept constantly
at work to check the spread of this mischievous

84

THE GARDEN.

[AnoosT 1, 1896.

little creature. It is astonishing the amount of
water Peach trees require to keep them in a
healthy condition, and unless this can be supplied
thoy soon fail to make the satisfactory progress
80 desirable. With the manifold duties that a
gardener has to perform it is impossible in most
places to keep everything in order, and during
such a season as the present, when the greater
part of the time of the whole statf has to be given
up to watering, it is a great strain on his re-
sources. Syringing trees when the sun is on them
does little or no good, and as most of them ai
growing against walls with a southern aspect, the
sun is not off till after the men have left work.
Could it be so arranged that syringing might be
done towards seven o'clock in the evening, the
trees would derive far greater benefit therefrom
than when done earlier in the day. True, those
on a western aspec'^ might be done early in the
morning, but with the thermometer over SU° in
the shade the foliage soon gets dry. There are
few, if any, gardens properly supplied with water.
Fruit that is ripening ought to be protected, not
only from birds, which are sometimes troublesome,
but in case any fall that they may not be badly
damaged thereby.

Plvms.— Pay special attention to those ripen-
ing, for though they do not fall so readily .is
Peaches, when the fruit is ripe it should be
gathered. Early Rivers and Blue Gage are
now at their be.-t with me, and as neither of
them will hang long when fully ripe, they should
be gathered before they fall. Where fruit of this
description has to be tent a considerable distance
it should be gathered a few days before it is ripe,
as it will travel so much better' than when it has
got very soft. Families in many instances will
now be going north, and where supplies have to
be regularly forwarded to them, every precaution
should be taken to ensure its safe arrival, for as
the time in some cases that the fruit is on the
journey is considerable, unless due attention be
paid to packing, much of it will be of little value
by the time it reaches its destination. Soft fruit,
such as Peaches and Cherries, that are on the road
for two days recjuire special care, for having to
be transferred from one train to another several
times on their journey, much damage might fol-
low if badly packed. Such fruit ought to be
handled as little as possible, and no more than
one layer of choice dessert kinds ought to be put
into a box.

Cherries. — As the trees become cleared of
their crop, pay special attention to washing them,
that the foliage may present a healthy appear-
ance. Morellos on north walls that are intended
to hang for a considerable time should have a
broad board fixed under the coping to prevent
any wet from coming into contact with the fruit.
This will not only protect them from the wet, but
will cause the net put over them to hang further
from the wall, thereby preventing the birds from
driving it against the fruit. The same remark
applies to Gooseberries growing against walls
with this aspect.

Bed and White Ccrkants that are required
for late supplies ought to be protected with mats
or shading to keep off the sun. This may not be
absolutely necessary in the north where the fruit
does not ripen so early, and therefore has not to
hang for so long during the hot weather, but in
the south the berries shrivel considerably unless
some protection of the kind be afforded. The
covering, however, should be such as to admit all
the air possible, otherwise the fruit will rot.

Mri.EERRiEs on walls will soon be ripening, and
in districts where wasps are troublesome, special
attention should be paid to protecting the fruit,
for they attack it with such avidity, that no sooner
are the berries palatable than they are cleared off.
Gener-xl hints. — Where the branches of trees
growing against walls are carrying heavy crops,
the fastenings should be examined to see that
they are secure, for if a strong wind should spring
Tp they are often swayed to and fro, causing the

is the least doubt as to their strength, the
supports ought to be renewed, making them

Much,
supports, if not thoroughly strong, to giveaway, I of course, may be done by deep cultivation and

Kitchen Garden.

EARLY PEAS.
Ox page 15 Mr. Young gives an interesting ac-
count of the Pea crops under his charge at
Witley Court this year, and his advice certainly
ought to be valuable to the inexperienced when
the extent of the work is taken into account.
There is one item, I observe, that Mr. Y'oung
does not enlarge upon in his excellent note, and
that is the highly favourable nature of the win-
ter months when the sowing and planting of
the early crops were done. Certainly the
weather experienced this year has not been
typical of the ordinary winters and springs we
get, so that the results of this year cannot be
taken as a guide. What, for instance, could
be done with early January sown Peas last
year, when in March the ground was held firmly
frost-bound ? and a similar question may be
asked with respect to .January sown Peas out-
doors. In my case both the round and Marrow
sorts perished in the ground ; the latter,
though not extensively sown, thus early proved
their inability to stand much frost. This was
my reason for advising when writing of early
Peas in the early months of the present year,
that at least a portion of the first batch should
be of the hardier round varieties, and to which
presumably Mr. Y'oung takes exception among
others, for he says " those people who write
against their being sown early cannot have
given them a fair trial." No one can foresee
even a few hours what the future weather may
be in the winter months, and the sowing of
Marrow Peas in quantity in the open ground is
certainly a speculation that may be successful
or the reverse. I certainly am not prepared to
uphold the merits of the round Peas, because
the Marrow kinds are superior in every
sense, but I note that Mr. Y'oung includes some
round Peas in his collection of sorts, which is
somewhat surprising after these inferior kinds
have had no little condemnation from him in
the past. Although the present season has been
a record one so far as it affects the earliest
Peas, I shall still continue to make use of a
good round variety for sowing in conjunction
with the early Marrows— of which now there
are some excellent ones available — and I should
not hesitate to advise others to do so where
advice was necessary. I should sow round
Peas only to the extent of providing some
gatherings in the event of the weather being
too severe for the Marrows, causing a partial or
total collapse. Gardens vary considerably in
counties and districts both in respect to shelter,
aspect and soil, and everyone who is responsible
must adapt himself to the circumstances of his
individual case, which may be favourable or
otherwise. Undoubtedly, as Mr. Young points
out, the sooner pot or box-sown Peas are
planted out when weather is favourable, the
better must the results be, for being free-root-
ing, they (juickly fill their pots and utilise all
the elements contained in the soil, and when
this happens the inevitable result is a stunted
growth and light crop. In small gardens the
early crops of Peas have not the same chances
of getting a totally new .soil and site, because
often warm border space is limittd, and there
are other crops which must share this.

Young says as a second early Criterion has done
grandly with him, and I am able to give an
equally good report of it here. It was sown on
the site of last year's Celery trenches, which
were deeply dug, and although no fresh manure
was given, but the soil only simply levelled
after the Celery was dug, the growth and crop
were excellent. W. S

months from the time of planting, barely cora-

„.-- »t u u "u-i i^' j° , •" I u ■ , , i,'- , *,. ,, mends itself to those who cannot look far ahead.

when the branches are broken off and the trees heavy manuring, but 1 think, of all crops, Peas But it is doubtful whether any description of crop
disfigured for the rest of then: hves. Where there I most appreciate an entire change of soil. Mr. I repays the small amount of trouble involved in its

Bunyard's Exhibition Iiong-pod Bean.—

As its name implies, this belongs to the long-
podded section of Broad Beans, and those who
have not grown it should do so another season. Its
cropping powers are extraordinary, and whether
required for table use or exhibition, I am sure
there are but very few that can claim to be e<iual
to it. It is true the long-podded varieties are
not favourites with everyone, the Windsor section
finding many patrons, but, as a rule, it is on the
score of quality that these are grown in prefer-
ence. Broad Beans almost invariably must be
sent to table in a very young and undeveloped
stage, when the natural flavour cannot be pro-
nounced, so that it matters but little which are
grown in the case of those who re(iuire them only
in a very young state. From an exhibition point
of view the long pods claim the highest favour,
whether they are presented in a young or de-
veloped state. Where these Beans' are required
in quantity for the supply of large households, the
variety under notice would certainly be an excel-
lent one to grow by reason of its heavy cropping
and the large number of seed contained in each
pod. There are others which produce longer and
broader pods, but for general utility I find that
Bunyard's variety is a good one. — W. S., Wilts.

Pea Yorkshire Here— At page 16 "R."
inquires concerning the above, and asks if there
are two varieties under the name. Personally I
know but one variety, and this attains to 5 feet
and sometimes more in w-et teasons. "R." re-
marks he has usually looked upon this variety as
a midseason kind, and among thete it is certainly
one of the best. It is also excellent as a very late
kind, and perhaps not so freely used for this pur-
pose as its merits justify. It is now nearly thirty
years ago since my father grew this Pea for very
late work, and as a matter of fact, invariably
secured the fir.«t prize on the last day of Septem-
ber with well-filled pods that could hardly be
beaten at midsummer. Peas of this prime quality
sold readily at 3s. per peck, the difficulty being
to get sufficient. Others not up to exhibition
standard were to be had some days later still, and
these were rarely despised.— H. H. M.

Seakale.— It says much for the rooting ca-
pacities of this vegetable, and in spite of its great
leaf area, that it has withstood the drought remark-
ably well. On the hot burning soil of the Rich-
mond allotments, where several holders grow a few
rows annually from root cuttings, Seakale has
done better than any other vegetable. Yet it is
not because of deep rooting, as the root cuttings
are seldom deeper than 6 inches in the soil, whilst
new roots usually strike out laterally rather than
downward. No doubt the primary cajses of this
good form under such adverse weather conditions
are, ground generally deeplj- worked and well
manured, thus long retaining moisture ; plants
thinly distributed, so diverse from the crowding
commonly found with other vegetables, and the
thick fleshy nature of the roots which not only re-
tain moisture long, but are doubtless capable of
absorbing much from even comparatively dry soil.
The thickness or substance of the leafage, so
leathery and impervious, may also have something
to do with this excellent growth. A goad deal of
courage teems needful to lead small gardeners of
any sort to grow Seakale. They seem so anxious
to secure early crops that one which requires
several months' growth to come to maturity, and
may perhaps not be utilised for from nine to ten

August 1, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

85

cultivation better than Seakale doef. It is not
too much to say that if growth be good, and strong
hard roots with fine crowns result, the product in
roots is worth lOs. per rod, and if these roots be
gently forced in the winter, and th" tops well
blanched the product may be worth 15^. at the
least. Potatoes at 2s. Ui. per bushel will not give
anything like such a good return. Ground well
prepared for Seakale, especially if the crop be
trenched out in the winter, is always in first-rate
form for some successional crop. — A. D.

Open-air Tomatoes. — These are yielding
good crops where due attention was paid to early
planting and feeding. There is less leaf growth
and the fruits are setting freely. It is a
good plan to relieve the plants of full-sized fruits
as soon as they begin to colour and prevent loss
of flavour by the great heat, which at times scalds
the ripe fruit if the plants are dry at the root.
Dryness must now be guarded against, as this
will affect the setting of later crops. At this
season it is well to get as large a number set as
possible, as these will have time to mature,
whereas later ones, should the weather be wet and
sunless, will not make much progress. The best
open-air fruiters this season with me are Abund-
ance and Magnum Bonum ; I have not seen these
grown so much in the open as their merits deserve.
They are very prolific, not at all gross in growth,
and the fruit of specially good quality. In such
a favourable season any really good kind should
give a good account of itself, but with me the two
varieties named are superior on account of their
colour, flavour, and nice size. — G. W.

Scalding' in Tomatoes. — This has been
prevalent this season, and to a great extent is fos-
tered by the severe cutting of foliage carried to
excess to get a heavy crop of fruit. It may be
asked, how can this super-abundant leafage which
robs the plants so much be prevented ? Restric-
tion of root space or food will check this. Rich
food is often given in excess, and without foliage
to absorb the food given the roots it is forced into
the fruits, causing bad flavour, spot, and scalding.
We do not denude other plants of leaves in the same
way as the Tomato, and I fail to see how scalding
of fruits can be prevented where this severe cutting
takes place. I think if more attention were paid
to the roots, giving a firmer root hold and less
food, scalding could, to a great extent, be pre-
vented. I find the smooth varieties scald much
sooner than the corrugated ones, the skin being
probably more sensitive.— S. H.

DEFOLIATING TOMATOES.
Is it right to take half the lower leaves of To-
matoes off' when they have set three bunches
of fruit ? My employer sa\ s it is the worst thing
that can be done. Mj' object in doing so was to
let the sun in, and also that all the strength should
go to the fruit. — Query.

*** Cutting the leaves from Tomato plants,
although necessary under certain conditions,
should not be practised by rule-of-thumb. The
foliage acts a channel for conducting the sap to
the fruit, although in cases of extra luxuriance
the leaves assimilate the whole of the nourish-
ment, and the fruit, even though it may set,
usually fails to swell. On rampant plants partial
defoliation is beneficial, cutting every alternate
leaf half away three parts of the way up the
plants, serving those that are left entire in the
same manner in ten days' time ; this will check
growth generally, rendering the formation of
fruitful trusses of flower more probable. When,
however, the plants make only a normal growth
and fruit freely, the less the knile is used amongst
the foliage the better, as it should be borne in
mind that, in addition to supplying the fruit with
food, it acts as a protection against hot sun, the
latter sometimes burning or blistering the fruit
when growing on extra hot south walls, some
sorts taking harm sooner than others. As autumn
approaches and the fruit has swelled to its fullest,
relieving the plants of leaves which hang imme-
diately over the fruit is often imperative in order

to give it a chance of ripening before frost sets in;
indeed, some good growers then use the knife
somewhat freely, their contention being that as
the laying on of pulp has ceased, maturation by
leaf defoliation is warrantable. This, of course,
refers to open-air plants. The best way of guard-
ing against excessive leafage and of reducing the
need of defoliation to a minimum is to grow the
plants in a manure-free soil from the first, and
to assist with stimulants after the fruit is set. —
J. C.

Sowing Onions in autumn.— It is thought
by many growers of Onions that it is only the
Tripoli and Rocca types that will stand through
the winter. In trade catalogues it is only the
Roccas and Tripolis that are generally recom-
mended for autumn sowing. All Onions are
about equally hardy. I know a garden in Nor-
folk where only one kind of Onion was sown
through the year. The variety was Nuneham
Park, and the seed was saved by the grower, as it
was raised from the stock when first sent out.
For many years no other kind was grown, and
even to this day this is the chief kind. In no
garden have I seen better Onions for general use.
When residing in this garden as a young man I
remarked how well this kind stood through the
winter. When the crop was stored and put side
by side with the spring-sown, you could see no
difference. Last year some sown in autumn kept
sound till the middle of this July. I intend to
sow several kinds for trial that are generally sown
in spring at the same time and beside the Roccas,
&c , this August I am under the impression that
many kinds would not swell up into usable size
as quickly as Tripolis and the White Italian. In
places where the Onion maggot is troublesome I
would strongly recommend sowing the Spanish
and Giant Zittau, as these are good, useful types.
— Dorset.

Scarcity of Carrots.— This crop, in common
with other vegetables, has suffered much from the
drought in thin soils, and I fear in many gardens
the winter store will be none too plentiful. The
earliest crop where at all thick was soon over,
and those sown for late supplies, if sown at all
late, have not made good progress ; indeed, I fail
to see how the roots with only a short root-hold
can exist under the circumstances, as they flag
daily, and in many gardens it is not possible to
give supplies of moisture. Much may bo done to
eke out the early winter supplies by sowing the
Early Short Horn or Early Gem in rich land as
soon as the earth gets sufficient moisture from
rain, and these roots will be of great service, as
if left in the soil and drawn as required, they are
sweet and just the size for table. Any plot just
cleared will answer well, and time will be saved
by watering freely after sowing, covering the sur-
face with mats to retain moisture, and removing
them as soon as the seed is germinating freely.
The roots like a moist surface, and if a crop
which impoverished the land has been grown,
manure freely on the surface.— S. H. B.

THE ONION FLY.
In a leaflet just to hand the Board of Agricul-
ture says with regard to this pest : —

The Onion fly causes serious injuries to the Onion
crop in some seasons, and it appears to be on the
increase in this country. It is also a source of
great trouble to the Onion growers in the United
States and in Continental countries. Frequently
in English market gardens, and market garden
farms where Onions are extensively cultivated,
large percentages of the plants are quite spoiled
by the attacks of this fly. In cottage gardens and
allotments the whole of the plants on the small
Onion beds of the cultivators are often ruined by
successive generations of this insect. The first
indications of the infestation are shown by the
longest or first leaves of the Onion plants becoming
yellow, and afterwards whitish ; if these are
pulled they come easily away from the stem, and
gradually the other leaves become yellow and

decay. The bulb will be found to be small and
badly shaped, and having yellowish maggots
within its folds, feeding upon it and eventually
causing it to become rotten and useless. In other
cases the outer or lower leaves of the plants are
seen to be lying on the ground, still green, while
the leaves remaining upright and green feel soft
and flabby. If infested plants are examined it will
be generally noticed that in the case of very young
plants they are nearly eaten through, just above
the swelling bulbs, by the maggots or larva; of
the fly. In older plants with large bulbs maggots
of all ages and sizes will be found within the
bulbs. Onion plants that become yellow and show
signs of drooping should be examined for maggots
just below the surface of the ground.
Hlstory.

The male and female flies of this species differ
slightly. The male is dark grey in colour, with
black bristles. The eyes are red and close to-
gether. Upon the thorax are four bright brown
stripes and four rows of black bristles. The
abdomen is ash-coloured, rather narrow, having
triangular black spots down it which almost join
each other. The legs are pitchy. In colour the
female fly closely resembles the male, but the
abdornen is dark grey, with the end more pointed
than in the male, and the eyes are wide apart.
From six to eight eggs are laid on an Onion
plant, upon the leaves and just above the ground.
The eggs, which are white, long and somewhat
oval, can be easily seen without a glass. Maggots
(larva?) come from the eggs in from five to seven
days, according to the temperature and other
conditions, and make burrows down into the root
or bulb between the sheathing leaves. They
feed upon the contents of the cylindrical root,
which can" hardly at this stage be styled a bulb,
and move on to other plants. Later on, when the
bulbs are larger, they are occupied by many
maggots, which feed on them and cause them to
become rotten. Sometimes the bulbs will be seen
to be swarming with maggots, and the earth
round them is also infested. The maggot con-
tinues in the larval state for a period varying from
thirteen to fifteen days, feeding throughout this
period upon the Onion roots or bulbs. It is nearly
four lines (one-third of an inch) in length, dull
yellowish white or dirty white in colour. The
head part of its body is sharply pointed, and the
head, furnished with a pair of black hooks, can
be extended at will ; the tail end is cut off
obliquely flat, and in the centre there are two
brown spiracles or breathing tubes, and on the
margin of the flat tail end there are eight teeth,
or projections. Before pupation takes place the
maggot usually goes into the earth. Sometimes
pupation occurs within the Onions. The pupa —
or rather the pupa caseor puparium — is chestnut-
brown, oval, not so long as the maggot, and has
the same tooth-like projections on the caudal end.
On opening this puparium the white pupa will be
seen with the embryonic wings of the future fly,
which appears in from thirteen to sixteen days
after pupation. There are several generations of
this insect. The first has been seen as early as
April 25 in very forward seasons, and flies have
been noticed through the autumn and as late aa
November. Curtis states, however, that he saw
them alive in December.

Prevention and Remedies.

Spraying Onion plants with offensive com-
positions is a good way of preventing infestation.
Paraffin emulsion is as good a compound as any for
this purpose. It may be made by thoroughly
mixing together 3 pints of paraffin and j lb. of
soft soap with one gallon of boiling water. Mix-
ing may be done by passing the composition
through a hand pump once or twice ; 0 gallons
of water should be added to dilute it sufficiently,
so as not to burn the Onion leaves. When the
Onion leaves are young and very tender, 7 or 8
gallons should be added. It may be applied on
small plots of Onions with a knapsack machine ;
on large breadths with a horse distributing
machine. The spray should be dense and in the
form of mist. This operation should be performed

86

THE GAEDEN.

[AuoDST 1, 189P.

early in the eeason, when the Onions have esta-
blished their leaves. Spraying must be repeated,
probably twice or thrice, esiiecially if heavy
showers fall after the process. When Onion
plants in a field or garden are noticed to droop
and wither, all such plants should be taken up
and burnt or deeply buried. They must be
taken up by means of a little three-pronged fork,
or some other handy tool, so that every particle
of bulb and leaf is removed. Wherever it is
possible, Onions should not be grown again, for
at lea*t one season, on land where this crop has
been infested, as the pupa> remain in the ground
during the winter. All pieces of bulbs should be
got off infested land, as pupa> occasionally remain
in the bulbs. If it is necessary to take two suc-
cessive crops of Onions on infested land the
ground should be dug very deeply, two spits deep,
and well limed or gas-limed. Sprinkling the
young Onions with soot has been adopted with
gome advantage, but the pungent odour soon
evaporates and it is necessary to give several
dressings. Kainit, sown broadcast on land
cropped with Onions at the rate of '> c«t
per acre, has been found to be of great u-e
The action of kainit as a preventive of ^onie
kinds of insect attack in larval form, ha-
been often noticed, though it is rather dith
cult to define the form or nature of its action
In the case of the Onion maggots it would
appear that kainit prevents their progress
from one Onion to another, either by the
shape of its crystals, or by some pungent
emanation from it. It is not the stimulus that
it gives to plants which makes them grow
away from their enemies, as kainit is not b\
any means a forcing manure. Kainit should
be hoed very lightly in after it has been
broadcasted on. Nitrate of soda, applied u
the rate of 1.] to '2 cwt. per acre, should bj
put on infested land in order to stiniulUt
the plants and make them grow away fro n
the enemy. Lime and soot, mixed together
in the proportion of 1 bushel of soot to _
bushels of lime, very finely powderfd an i
broadcasted over the infested plant" and
lightly hoed in, have been efficaciou-* in i
degree. ______„„__^__

Notes from Baden-Baden. — Among
hardy plants. Delphinium speciosuin ind
D. puniceum are interesting and shott\
The former is a native of the Caucasus, an 1
when planted in a half shady position grow
6 feet high, with numerous branching spike
of deep blue flowers. The lattar— a natn
of South Siberia— is a little bush -' feet hi^'h
and has large numbers of maroon-col jure i
flowers. A pretty effect is gained byplantin^
the American D. iNuttallianum beside it
this has pure white flowers, adorned by a
small deep blue blotch. Silene Hookeriana
is in flower close to Dianthus callizonus, and
both are charming alpines. The former has
huge white flowers faintly tinged with pink ;
the latter has deep, bright rose blooms. Both
spring from a cushion of deep green leaves.
Pelargonium Endlicherianum is an interesting
plant, being the only hardy species ; it comes
from Armenia. A splendid varietal strain of
Platycodon Marieei shows flowers fully 4 inches
across. Among plants for bedding out in summer,
Calceolaria alba should be mentioned ; it forms a
email shrub, richly beset with hundreds of its
pearly white flowers. A striking variety of
Sandersonia aurantiaca, stems 4 feet in height,
with numerous bells nearly double the size of
those of the typical plant, is much admired. Two
new Richardias are plants of great promise ; the
flowers are as large as those of K. aethiopica or
africana, of a cream colour with a shade of sul-
phur, and a violet blotch in the throat. A new
fla:manthus is very handsome ; it comes near
H. tigrinus, the bracts and flowers of a soft rose
colour.— Max Lei. iiti.in, Badin Jlndtn.

Early CIiryBantliemum Samuel Barlow.
— This variety appears to be a decided acquisition
to those sorts blossoming early in the season. I

am growing it in pots and in the open border also,
and from appearance at the time of writing it
promises to be a plant of a most desirable habit.
Already it is breaking away most freely, lateral
growths developing in such a way that will render
it specially suited for the hardy border. These
growths are again breaking, each new shoot
carrying a number of buds which will ensure an
early and continuous display. The colour is a
bright salmon-pink, the flower full, of exciuisite
.Japanese form. After the first crop of flowers is
over, tho new suckers develop into a nice plant,
eventually giving a second crop of blossoms. —
D. B. C.

Trees and Shrubs.

GSM A NTH USES.
AccoRMXo to the " Genera Plantarum " there are
seven species of dsniaiithus kimwii. and these

O. Ai,'i'ii'oi,irM.— In a strictly botanical sens©
! all the Osmanthuses cultivated in Britain,' except
O. fragrans, aie merely forms of this species.
[ They can scarcely be called varieties, for it is nob
unusual to see a plant with two so-called varie-
ties on one branch. For convenience and brevity's
sake, however, and especially as they keep true
to character in the majority of instances, the
common nursery names are here kept up. O.
Aquifolium is a native of China and Japan, and io
the latter country it is freely planted near houses
and by roadsides, attaining in some cases the
dimensions of a tree. Professor Saigent mentions
having seen specimens 30 feet high with trunks 1
foot in diameter. In some of its forms it is
curiously like the Holly, and is frequently mis-
taken for it. It is, however, of looser growth and
less thickly furnished with leaves, and is also of
dwarfer, more purely shrubby habit. What is
generally accepted as the typical form of this
species is the one with the largest and broadest
leaves. In this tho leaves are .S inches to 4 inches

Osmanthus myrtifoluis. From a photograph by Lord Annesley, Castlewellan, Co. Down.

are found in North America, Eastern Asia, and
the islands of the Pacific. Only two of them,
viz., 0. fragrans and O. Aquifolium, are of any
importance to horticulture in Great Britain,
the former being a half-hardy or cool green-
house shrub, the latter a hardy one. Both are
evergreen, with opposite leathery leaves and
small white flowers clustered on short stalks in
the axils of the leaves.

O. frai:raxs. — In greenhouses of any size this
shrub— a native of China and Japan— is always
worth growing for the strong and delightful fra-
grance of its flowers. Although the latter are
small and inconspicuous, one or two are suflicient
to fill a moderately-sized house with their per-
fume. It has for years been a very popular plant
with the Chinese, who are said to mix the flowers
with tea in order to heighten its aroma. The
leaves are stiff and leathery, each 2 inches to .3
inches long, with serrated margins, and of a deep
glossy green. Although strictly a cool green-
house plant, it may in favoured localities be
grown outside against a wall.

long, of oblong or oval shape, pointed and toothed,
but not so deeply as the smaller-leaved forms
known as ilicifolius. They are of a deep green
colour and of very firm texture. This plant is,
according to my experience, the least hardy of
this set. It flowers in autumn and the blossoms
are fragrant.

O. ILICIFOLIUS. — This is by far the most common
and useful of all the hardy Osmanthuses, and is,
moreover, a valuable shrub for town planting.
The leaves are usually much smaller than those
of the plant just described and may be easily
recognised by their deep lobing. The largest
specimen at Kew is !l feet high, with a
spreading base and foliage of the deepest and
glossiest green. The leaves average li inches to
2 inches in length and are cut half way to the
midrib into several sharply pointed lobes. Some
of the leaves, however, are quite entire, others
lobed on one side only, but most of them have
the upper half lobed, the lower half entire.

The following have been given varietal
names : —

AuREO MARGiXATrs. — Leaves similar to those

August 1, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

87

of the green plant, but margined with creamy
yellow.

Argentko-marginatus.— Leaves like those of
the preceding, but edged with white instead of
yellow.

Latifolius marginatcs. — Leaves larger than
those of either of the preceding, the margin
creamy white.

PuRPURAscENS.— The young leaves of this
variety are tinged with purple, especially on the
under side. This colour partially disappears with
age, but never so much as to prevent the variety
being easily distinguished from the green one.
It is undoubtedly the best of all the Osmanthuses
for outdoor work, being much hardier than the
variegated forms. The frosts of February, 1S95,
left this plant quite unaffected, whilst the varie-
gated forms and the plant described above as O.
Aquifolium were so much disfigured, that even
now, a year and a half after, they are only be-
ginning to regain their former health. At Kew
there is a group of this purple-leaved variety near
the Palm house, amongst which is planted Lilium
candidum, and nothing could more happily set
off the beauty of this Lily. It is a shrub to be
strongly recommended, and one which, we may
hope, will do something towards ousting the
ubiquitous and depressing Cherry Laurel. It is
comparatively dwarf and slow growing and will
never require the pruning to keep it within neces-
sary limits that the Laurel so frequently has to
undergo.

O. MYRTiKoi.ics —There is an Osmanthus at
Kew the lower part of which is ilicifolius, the
upper part myrtifolius. The origin of the latter
is therefore conclusively proved. It appears,
however, to be itself constant, and when grown
on its own roots I have never noticed any rever-
sion. It makes a neat bush, with leaves like those
of the Myrtle in shape, but larger and firmer in
texture.

O. ROTUNDiFOLius.— This is the dwarfest and
slowest growing of all the Osmanthuses, and is,
moreover, one of the most di.stinct. Its leaves are
very stiff and leathery, and distinguish the variety
by their more or less obovate outline. The mar-
gins are not distinctly serrated, but have a very
shallow irregular lobing. The leaves are each
from 1 inch to 1^ inches long and a little more
than half as wide.

The Osmanthuses may all be propagated by
cuttings, and although it takes longer to obtain
plants on their own roots, they are much to be
preferred to those grafted on the Privet. Cut-
tings should be taken in August when the wood
has become firm, and they may be struck in a
cool propagating frame. An open soil of fair
quality and depth is better than a very rich one
for all the forms, but more especially for those
that are variegated. — \V. J. B.

The following note re the plant figured has
kindly been sent us by Lord Annesley : —

Osmanthus myrtifolius is a very distinct and
handsome dwarf shrub, of compact habit, with
dark green spineless leaves. The flowers are in-
conspicuous, but sweet scented. When planted
in an open position in rich loam and peat it very
soon grows into a spreading bush. The specimen
the photograph was taken from was planted out
seven years ago, and is now 5 feet in height, with
a circumference of 24 feet.

The Californian Buckeye (.Esculus call-
fornica).— Referrmg to jour correspondent's ob-
servations in your issue of June 27 on the above.
a tree planted here in the autumn of 1804
in a loamy clay and gravel is now 12 feet high
and the head is 12 feet through ; 1 foot above the
ground the stem is 15 inches in circumference :
■5 feet above the ground it measures 12 inches in
circumference. It is in flower at the present time
and has been so for the laet six weeks. It is quite
hardy. The situation in which it grows is exposed
to north and north-east winds, 460 feet above the
level of the sea. It sheds its leaves in the autumn,

but this year they have already begun to change
colour, which I set down to the dryness of the
summer. — Jas. CoyniE, BrooJc's Bill Gardens,
Harrow Weald.

Mistletoe grrowing on Cotoneaster.- Last
week, when staying in Worcesterthire, I saw a
large and healthy specimen of Mistletoe growing
on a bush of Cotoneaster microphylla. 1 should
be glad to know if a similar instance has been
recorded. The Cotoneaster was against the hou.'ia
wall, and 50 yards away was a Lime tree on
which Mistletoe was growing freely. I was in-
formed that the Mistletoe had been some ten
years on the Cotoneaster, and that it had got
there without help from hand of man. — H. J. 0.
Walkf.r, Lte Ford, Budlcigh Saltoioit.

Robinia pseudecacia semperflorens. —
The varietal name of this form of the Falfo Acacia
is well merited, for it is a most continuous bloomer,
commencing, as it does, just after the typical
kind and continuing in some cases till August is
well advanced. The long period over which the
flowering of this Acacia extends renders it an
extremely interesting, as well as a highlj' orna-
mental variety. Taken altogether, the False Acacia
is very prolilic in distinct forms, there being par-
ticularly noticeable besides this the pinkish-
flowered Decaitneana, a beautiful flowering tree,
while of those remarkable for their foliage or
habit there are several varieties, among them
being angustifolia elegans, which forms a charm-
ing, light and elegant specimen ; aurea, with
golden leaves ; crispa, latifolia, and monophylla,
all characterised by distinct foliage. Those that
differ most from the type in habit are fastigiata,
nearly as upright as a Lombardy Poplar; um-
braculifera, that forms a close, round head : and
tortuosa, with curiously gnarled branches. Several
other names are to be met with, but the above
include a varied selection. — H. P.

Genista setnensis. —Though it has been
many times noted in TiiE Garden, where a
coloured plate of it was given March IS, 1893,
this Broom is even now not half enough known,
for it is really not only a very handsome species,
but produces its blossoms after nearly all the
others are past. Anyone paying a visit to Kew
during the first half of July must admit that it
certainly one of the most beautiful of all outdoor
shrubs to be seen at that time, for several fine
specimens are there represented. G. a-tnensis is
one of the larger members of the Broom family
as it reaches a height of 10 feet or more and formi
a specimen of a loose, graceful outline, whose long,
slender shoots are pendulous and almost devoid of
foliage. This omission is, however, compensated
for to a great extent by reason of the bright green
bark of the shoots. The golden-coloured blossoms
are borne for a considerable distance along the
slender drooping shoots, as shown in the coloured
plate above alluded to. It is, as implied by the
name, a native of the Mount Etna district, and
was introduced into this country quite early in
the present century. Like many of the Brooms,
it seems in time to become worn out, but as it
can be raised in quantity from seed, this matters
but little. It will succeed fairly well in hot, dry
soils.— H. P.

WATERING.
The great need for liberal waterings of all descrip-
tions of plants in gardens during last and the pre-
sent year has helped to emphasise the exceeding
importance of an abundant supply in all gardens.
When seasons are of the ordinary mixed character
and showers alternate with sunshine, the grave
need there is for having plenty of water at disposal
does not present itself. When, however, month
after month passes away, and in place of .showers,
cold nights or dry harsh winds alternate with hot,
parching sunshine, then is it found that without
liberal waterings crops cannot thrive, and indeed
can hardly exist. But even where there may be
abundance of water, very much of its useful-
s depends upon the facility with which it can
be utilised. Where with plenty of water there is

constant pressure and the hose can be always in
use, great things in the direction of supplying
needful moisture can be done. When, on the
other hand, water has to be carried by tubs or
cans, and often long distances to moisten crops,
then is the labour most arduous : indeed, is of the
heaviest which gardeners are called upon to under-
take. Waterings that are of a mere surface kind
do little or no good. They may give to vegeta-
tion a temporary stimulus and help to generate
roots which come to the surface in search of mois-
ture. But mere surface waterings soon disappear
under the influence of hot parching sunshine, so
that the latter case of the plants is very often
worse than the first. It may well be asked
whether as a matter of cultural policy water-
ing in such case had not better be omitted
altogether. If soil has been, as all soils
should be, deeply worked, it is far wiser to encour-
age the roots to go down deep in search of such
moisture as the lower soil still affords, and this,
too, out of reach of the scorching rays of the sun,
rather than to attract them to remain near the
surface by sparse waterings that are so soon dried
up. Wliilet there are other good reasons why
plants prefer deep soil to that which is shallow
worked, none have greater force than is found in
the capacity of rools to go deep down in search of
moisture, and find it, too, when the surface soil is
parched and dry. All experience also favours the
contention that one thorough soaking of the soil is
f.'^.r more beneficial than are several mere surface
waterings. Wheusoil hasbeendeeplysaturateditis
not dithcult to help to the retention of the moisture
by surfacings with litter or manure, or even with
dry, loose soil, as this latter, even if affording no
plant nutriment as manure, will at least act as a
mulch in intercepting the strong rays of sun-
shine, and thus prevent rapid evaporation.
Although it is generally held that leaves have
considerable capacity to absorb moisture from the
atmosphere, yet let the air be ever so hot and dry
it is surprising to see how leafage will remain
firm and fresh when roots find moisture. When
both air and soil are dry, then leafage suffers
materially. Still, it is relatively easier to supply
moisture to roots than to leafage, as soil may be
made to retain this water for some time, whilst
leafage dries rapidly. But even in the hottest of
weather, assuming that nights are of the ordinary
character, no doubt considerable moisture is
absorbed from the air by leafage then, as there
is always some modicum of humidity avail-
able, as is evident by the way in which
flagging leafage will revive so soon as the
rays of the sun are withdrawn. But whilst
plants do derive benefit from atmospheric humi-
dity more or less, it is certain that all derive
very material benefit from soil moisture. It is
from the soil and through the agency of roots
alone that plant food is obtained, and we know
that such food can only be obtained through the
agency of minute root hairs, in a highly soluble
form, which is practically as liquid, so that where
soil is very dry, not only water, but food is denied
to plants. That roots have a remarkable search-
ing power and can find moisture where none is
apparent to human vision there can be no doubt.
Nothing is more noticeable in that respect or
more wonderful than is the way in which huge
trees continue to leaf and grow year after year,
even though the soil about them be hard baked,
pervious, and apparently dry as dust. That
condition of soil is often found in avenues, or
woods, or where clumps of trees are dense, and
there is scarcely any evidence of the presence of
moisture. On the other band, does not this
bsence of water, and consequently incapacity of
the roots to absorb essential food, largely account
for that not always apparent, yet actual internal
decay so often found in trees that might be re-
garded as in the prime of life ': Those who are
familiar with the condition of soil beneath trees
now, after we have had during the past seventeen
onths not more than three months, if even so
uch, of rain, realifc what long and continuous
downpours are needed to bring such soils into a
normal condition of moisture. However, trees of

88

THE OARDEK

[Ad<;ust 1, 1896.

this description have enoimous root areas, whilst
>rarden crops have small areas, and in such case
feel the need for moisture all the more readily.
A. D.

Rose Garden.

ROSE SOUVENIR DE l.A :\IALMAISON.
Possibly with the exception of Gloire de Dijon,
this grand old Rose is more extensively culti-
^■ated at the present day than any other variety.
That this is so after being in conuuerce for
tifty-three years is sufficient evidence of its
great merits. It is an ideal garden variety.
Commencing in the month of June to unfold
its lovely clear flesh-pink V)lossoms, it continues
to do so all through the summer and autumn.
Doubtless all the Bourbon Roses appear to
best advantage in the autumn. The cooler
days and nights appear to add a stiflness to
their petals which tends to prolong the life of
the blossoms, and thus, instead of isolated
flowers on one plant, as is often the case with
many Roses, we hereby obtain a gorgeous dis-
play at the same time. One of the many
charms of this lovely R ise is its beautifully
formed bud of a clear flesh-pink colour, the
outer petals being almost white. The expanded
flowers are very flat, but as there is always a
number ot buds and half-open blossoms on the
plant at the same time, this otherwise defect is
easily overlooked. This fine old variety shows
no indication of degenerating. The growth is
vigorous and it makes a splendid subject to
grow in standard form, as can be seen by the
engraving, and if planted singly on lawns,
backed up by dark green conifers, the effect of
this Rose when in full bloom is not readily
forgotten. It is a fine variety for planting in
bold masses, and it appears to enjoy good
hard pruning and good stifi' loamy soil. I
have seen plants cut down to the ground
line spring up the following summer as
vigorously as ever and flower quite as freely.
I lately saw some hundreds of plants of this
variety grown exclusively for market, for which
it is admirably adapted, the fine buds com-
manding a ready sale, and if the plants are
on their own roots or the seedling Brier, there
never appears any cessation in their flowering.
If a glass covering of some kind could be placed
over the plants in October before the autumn
frosts commence, we should be able to cut
Roses up to Christmas Day. It is a fine variety
for pot culture.

Three very good sports have emanated from
this Rose. One named Souvenir de la Malmaison
Rouge is velvety red in colour, but it does not
possess altogether the good qualities of its
parent. A much better kind is Kronprinzessin
Victoria, the flowers being of a lovely sulphur-
yellow colour, and it should be in every
collection. The other variety is the climbing
Malmaison. It is exceedingly vigorous, quite
as much so as Oloire de Dijon, and the flowers
are identical with tho e of the parent variety.
It is rather shy flowering until well esta-
blished, but doubtless it will soon become a
general favourite. — Philomel

The accompanying illustration shows a

Rose tree growing in the garden of Uphill Rec-
tory. Weeton-puper-Mare. It is believed to be
the largest of its kind in the county of Somerset,
and probably in England. It was planted in 1877.
It will be observed that it is all on one stem, and,
strange to say, it has attained to its great size
in soil which is little else but sand. Nothing
has ever been done to it except topping every
year to reduce its size. It blooms twice a year
most abundantly, the September blooms generally

being the finer. A photograph was taken in June
of last year, and at the end of that month there
were upwards of IdOO blooms upon the tree. This
garden is close to the sea, and is composed en
tirely of sand, except, of course, the dressing
hich is put upon it. The strange thing is that
Rose tree should attain to such a size and be
so prolific in blooming — and that without fail for
some years past— in such a sandy soil. I should
be glad to know if you have ever heard of a tree
of a similar size and so free flowerins». The
dimensions are as follows : Diameter, 1 1 feet
0 inches : height from ground to bloom, .'5 feet ;
extreme height from ground to point, 8 feet
3 inches.— Arthur J. Burr, rphill EeHory,
M'cslon-snper-AIare.

Rose Paul's Single Wilite.— Have any of
your readers found this very beautiful single Rose
bloom a second time? I have now a good-sized
plant of it which is covered wi:h bloom ; the first
bloom which was equally full was about a month
ago. Although I have had occasional second
blooms of it in other years, I have never had any-
thing like the quantity I have had this year.
These second bloom- seem to be p-oduee'^ '■•O'"

Mermet. It was exhibited in the stand for which
Mr. Lindsell obtained the Dickson cup at the
metropolitan exhibition of the N.R.S., and when
shown by Messrs. Dickson at Ulverston, obtained
for them the gold medal as a new Roee. It may
be described as pure ivory white, with the outside
petals blush. It promises to be a grand ac(iuisi-
tion to a cl.^ss which has not had many additions
to it of lute years. — D.

Rose Mme, Pierre Cocliet.— This Rose was
beautifully exhibited by Messrs. Paul and Son in
their stand of garden Roses at the Crystal Palace.
It is a Noisette of peculiar colour and habit. The
colour of the flower is light or.ange or apricot,
while the growth is not rampant, as in most of
the Noisettes, but dwarf, with very glossy foli-
age. It is very free flowering, and will be a valu-
able addition to our garden Roses, a class which
is rapidly coming into favour, and deservedly so.
— D. A.

Rose Mrs. W. J. Grant.— This is another of
the Roses raised by the Irish firm. It ob-
tained the gold medal from the N.R.S., and was
afterwards purchased by nn American firm, by
whom its name was changed and who sent it
out a= Bei'e S'eb'ec^t T^^a "'as I'kely to

Rose Souvenir de la Malmai.

shoots made since midsummer, and the plant has
not been pruned at all. Should this character
be permanent, it will be a most valuable addition
to our garden Roses, whose great defect is that
of only blooming once. — D.

Rose Janet's Pride. — This very beautiful
Brier, whose origin is unknown, has been very
well shown this year, and seems to be increasing
much in favour. My original plant of it had
grown too large for the position in which I placed
it, and I have been obliged to remove it, and
consequently the bloom this year was not such
as I could have wished, but I hope next year to
have it better than before. My plant was a
sucker from the original, which I found in Mr.
Whitwell's garden in Darlington some years ago.
It is, however, I believe, much better when worked
on some stock — either Brier or Manetti ; and
being a little more than a single Rose, it lasts
longer than those that are purely single.— D.

Rose Muriel Grah.ame.— This Rose— which
obtained the gold medal of the N.R.S. at
Ulverston — promises to be a useful addition
to our Tea Roses. It is, I believe, a sport from
The Bride, which is itself a sport from Catherine

create some confusion, and the committee of the
society, thoroughly objecting to this change of
front, decided, as far as they could possibly have
influence with the growers of this side, that it
should be called by the name under which it
received the gold medal. It was too recent an
introduction to be extensively shown this season,
although some good blooms of it were exhibited
both at Reading and the Crystal Palace ; but it
was shown in grand form by the raisers at the
northern show of the N.R.S. at Ulverston, where
a box of it obtained the first prize for tbe best
light Rose. It is bright and fresh in colour, re-
minding one somewhat of La Fraicheur, and ap-
pears to be vigorous in habit. Those growers
who were present at Ulverston said it fairly
deserved the honours it obtained. — D.

Roses at Ulverston.— The exhibition held at
Ulverston on the 15th inst. by the National Rose
Society proved much more extensive than had
been anticipated, and the general t|uality of the
flowers was higher than at either the southern or
metropolitan shows. The total number of exhi-
bition Roses amounted to 2610, or about 500 less
than the average for the previous eight northern

August 1, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

89

shows. Two of these exhibitions were, however,
decidedly smaller, viz., that held at Sheffield in
1889, and that at Worksop in 1893. The show
day wag nearly perfect as regards weather, and
the attendance of visitors, as shown by the gate
money (£112), was large, the usual receipts at the
local show from this source being, I was told,
between £20 and £30. In such a remarkably
early season it may be interesting to note the
different parts of the kingdom from which the
exhibits came. Excluding the looal classes,
forty-two exhibits were grown in England south
of the Trent, thirty-seven in England north of the
Trent, while fifteen came from Scotland and the

Kose Mme. Chauvry. — This is a most lovely
Rose, of a beautiful pale apricot colour, deepen-
ing towards the base of the petals, while the
outer row of petals is of a charming pale fawn or
buff colour. The Bower is as large as that of the
variety Mme. Berard, and would make a fine show
Rose, especially if grown as a standard. It is of
climbing habit, not quite so vigorous as Mme.
Berard. A large bed of Mme. Chauvry would
have a fine effect in the garden. The centre
plants could be trained in pillar form, while the
outer row could be pegged down.

Bose Aimee Vibert.— Just now this grand
old variety is simply perfect. A plant grown in
pillar form which I saw a few days ago was
covered with large bracts of snow-white flowers,
each bract containing as many as thirty to thirty-
six blooms and buds. This splendid Rose is ex-
ceedingly valuable for its autumn flowering
quality and also for its beautiful dark green, shiny
foliage which it retains almost all the winter. It
is a variety well suited for planting in cemeteries,
and also to grow on tall stems to form a weeping
Rose. Not the least attraction of this beautiful
RoEe is its almond-like perfume.

Societies and Exhibitions

ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.
July 28.
This meeting was one of the smallest held this
year, the collections of hardy flowers and the very
extensive and well-arranged group of Begonias
and fine-foliaged plants from Mr. Jones, of
Lewisham, being the chief attraction. The
colours of the Begonias, both single and double-
flowered, were remarkably rich, these being well
set off by the Palms, Crotons, Caladiums, and
other things that were charmingly intermingled
with them. The Orchids— no doubt in a great
measure owing to the heat we have lately had —
were also few in number.

Orchid Committee.

A first-class certificate was given to —

Cattleta Atalanta. — A cross between Cat-
tleya gigas and C. guttata Leopoldi. A plant
with a single flower from this same cross was ex-
hibited by Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons on August
14, 1894. The plant now under notice came trora
the same firm, and is no doubt one of the finest
and most distinct of Mr. Seden's hybrids. It has
a great resemblance to some forms of Lajlio-Cat-
tleya elegans, except that the front lobe of the
lip is broader and brighter, clearly showing the
influence of the pollen parent, 0. gigas. The
plant bore t«o flowers, the sepals and petals rose,
shaded with a darker tint, the petals very broad
at the base ; lip broad in front, deep crimson-
purple in colour. The growth was nearly inter-
mediate between that of the two parents. It
closely resembles some varieties of Cattleya
Fowleri (C. guttata Leopoldi x C. Hardyana), but
is superior in the size of the lip and more richly
coloured. From Messrs. Veitch and Sons.

Awards of merit were given to —

Masdevallia Ajax. — The result of crossing M.
Peristeria and M. Chelsoni. It is intermediate in

the shape of the flower and is a distinct and vali
able addition to this neglected genus. The ground
colour is yellow, heavily suffused and spotted with
dark purple. The tails are deep purple-brown ;
the lip chocolate-brown, with yellow side 1 '
tipped with brown. From Messrs. J. Veitch and
Sons.

Cypripedium Harrisan'der. — A hybrid be-
tween C. Harrisianum superbum and C. Sander-
ianum. The dorsal sepal is greenish yellow, lined,
spotted and shaded with deep brown, the lateral
sepal being of a similar colour. The petals are
reddish brown, shading to greenish white at the
base, spotted with dark brown ; lip highly
polished, deep brown, veined with a darker shade.
This is one of the most distinct Cypripediums we
have seen for some time. From Mr. W. C. Clarke,
Liverpool.

Odontoglossum aspidorhenum. — A beautifully
grown and finely-flowered plant, with small
flowers in the way of those of 0. Sanderianum
Sepals and petals yellow, spotted with light
brown ; lip pure white, with two to four purple
spots in centre. From Sir T. Lawrence.

A botanical certificate was given to Dendrobium
curviflorum, a distinct variety, flowers pure
white, except the centre of the lip, which is soft
lemon-yellow. From Sir T. Lawrence.

Messrs. T. Cripps and Sons, Tunbridge Wells,
were awarded a silver Banksian medal for a group
of Disa grandiflora, remarkable for good culture
and the colour of the flowers. Messrs. F. Sander
and Co. sent a small group, consisting principally
of rare hybrid Cypripediums, amongst which were
a good form of C. Lord Derby, cctificated last
year ; a distinct and fine variety of C. A. de
Lairesse (C. Curtiti x C. Rothschildianum),
larger than the above, but the colouring not so
clearly defined, the brown being more suffused on
the dorsal sepal ; Cypripedium Masseanum, a
cross between C. superciliare and C. Rothschild-
ianum, and a fine form of C. Pattersoni (C. Lowi-
anum x Dayanum), resembling the seed parent
in shape and colour of the petals, the dorsal
sepal only showing the influence of C. Dayanum.
Paphinia Randi, sepals and petals greenish white,
lined and heavily suffused with deep red, the
basal part thickly spotted with the same colour,
lip bright red with a cluster of bristles at the
apex ; Acropera luteola, greenish yellow sepals
and petals, lip bright golden yellow ; and Cattleya
granulosa var. princeps, a distinct variety, sepals
and petals yellow suffused with reddish purple,
lip rose-pink in front, lined and spotted with
crimson, the basal half being bright yellow,
were also shown here. Messrs. W. L. Lewis and
Co. sent a plant of Cattleya Schofieldianasuperba,
a finely spotted variety with broad segments. It
is certainly one of the finest we have seen. Mr.
W. C. Clark, Liverpool, sent Cypripedium
MabeUi.-p, a hybrid from the same parents as
W. R. Lee, of which it is a variety. Mr. W.
Cobb, Dulcote, Tunbridge Wells, sent Miltonia
vexillaria Dulcote var., a good form of the radiata
section, having a distinct bright purple disc. Sir
T. Lawrence, Burford, Dorking, sent a fine plant
with eighteen expanded flowers of Masdevallia
infracta ; Masdevallia Hubschi, white sepals and
petals tipped with brown, lip yellow in centre,
heavily suffused with brown at the front and
edges ; a fine plant of the distinct Dandrobium
revolutum, and Cypripedium Chas. Steinmetz, a
cross between C. Lawrenceanum and C. philip-
pinense, distinct and intermediate between the
two species from which it is produced. Mr. Seary,
164, Camberwell New Road, sent a collection of
photographs of Orchids, showing in all cases the
subjects to the best advantage.

Floral Committee.

Awards of merit were given to —

Hollyhock Ovin.— Finely shaped flowers of
good size and substance, the colour bright rose,
shaded with white at the tips. The plant ap-
pears to be of robust constitution and a remark-
ably free flowering variety. From Messrs. Webb
and Brand, Saffron Walden.

DELi'Hr.ir.-M Zalil— A distinct variety, with
self-coloured canary-yellow flowers. This first
flowered at Kew in July, 1888, and an interesting
account of it was prepared by Sir Joseph Hooker
for the April number (tab. 7049) of the Botanical
Magazine, and reprinted in The (Jakden of May
25, 1889, p. 492. From Messrs. Barr and Son.

Campanula pvramidalis alba co.mp.mta. —
A grand form, flower-scapes 4 feet to 5 feet long,
thickly branched and covered with pure white
flowers, which were of good shape and substance.
It is a fine addition to this class of plants. From
Mr. G. Wythes, Syon Gardens, Brentford.

A very gorgeous display was made by the
exhibits shown before this committee. A
pretty exhibit of hardy herbaceous flowers and
Carnations came from Messrs. Cutbush and
Son. Among the former were Adenophora
Lamarckiana, with pretty white, pendulous
bells ; the purple Salvia Horminum, some beau-
tiful double Delphiniums, fine flowers of (Eno-
thera macrocarpa, immense spikes of Acanthus
candelabrum, and the beautiful and delicate Cata-
nanche cierulea (silver Banksian medal). A
group of Hollyhocks came from Messrs. Webb
and Brand. Saffron Walden. Magnificent spikes
of Fire King, Joy, Ruby King, Alba su-
perba and Mulberry Gem were shown, and
other excellent cut blooms (bronze Banksian).
Messrs. Barr and Son staged a very attractive
group of hardy herbaceous flowers, the arrange-
ment showing a great improvement on the usual
method of staging. The bunches were in all
cases lightly and gracefully put together, and
crowding was avoided, the effect being very
charming. Some of the best things were Gypso-
phila paniculata, Echinops Ritro, Coreopsis
grandiflora, Statice inoana nana, some very
beautiful Agapanthus umbellatus, Montbretia
crocosmiseflora, Anthericum Liliago majus, An-
themis Canary Bird, and a fragrant and splen-
didly coloured collection of Phloxes (silver Bank-
sian). Messrs. Cannell and Sons sent three
baskets of nice Antirrhinums, a dwarf yellow.
Golden Gem being particularly pleasing. From
Messrs. Cannell came also a large and very repre-
sentative collection of cactaceous plants, all show-
ing evidence of excellent culture. There were
good examples of Aloe plicata, Agave dasy-
lirioides, Echeveria metallica crispa, Cacalia
articulata, Yucca aloeifolia variegata. Aloe vera,
A. filifera. Euphorbia pendularia, Pilocereus se-
niUs, P. Hoppenstedti, Mammillaria pusilla, and
Echinocactus' longihamatus bearing its pretty
yellow blooms (silver Flora medal). A similar
collection of cactaceous plants came from Mr.
N. R. Chilton, Wealdstone, and contained ex-
amples of Mammillaria viridis, Echinocactus Gru-
soni.M. longimamma, M. sanguinea, andM. densa.
Yet another large group of Cacti was shown by
Mr. G. Prichard, Forest Gate. Opuntia frutes-
cens, O. armata argentea, O. ficus indica, O.
gracilis, O. braziliensis, Cereus chiliensis brevis-
pina, C. peruvianus, C. Baumanni, C. flagelli-
formis, Mammillaria Schelhasi, M. gracilis, and M.
pusilla were among the many varieties. A small,
but interesting group of Cacti came from Mr.
C. A. Blogg, South Croydon, and included Mam-
millaria elegans, M. pusilla, Echinocactus Otto-
nis, E. Grahami, and Cereus peruvianus.

A group of Dahlias and Sweet Peas, the latter
very well arranged in bundle?, cime from Mr. J.
Walker, of Thame. Among the Sweet Peas were
Dorothy Tennant, a beautiful rich mauve ; Scar-
let Invincible, Princess Beatrice, Princess May, a
very pretty light blue ; Boreatton, velvety
maroon ; Venus, a delicate flesh colour ; Cardinal,
a particularly fine bright self ; Mrs. Eckford, soft
cream colour ; and Empress of India, scarlet.
The Dahlias were good examples of the large show
varieties, the best being John Henshaw, John
Standish, George Rawlings, Wm. Jackson and
J. T. West (silver Banksian). Boxes of cut Be-
gonias, somewhat damaged in transit, were
shown by Messrs. Young and Dobinson, Steven-
age, Herts. A good group of cut flowers was
shown by Mr. T. S. Ware, Hale Farm Nurseries.
Tall spikes of Campanula pyramidalis and deli- :

90

THE GARDEN.

[Auoi

cately tinted Hollyhocks formed a good tack
ground. Other "ood thinirs were Gaillardia
grandiBora hybrida, Veratrum nigrum, Veronica
longifolia subeesrilis, a large quantity of very
lovely rentstemon?, and the pretty Lathyrus
latifolius albu8 (silver Flora medal). A very
charm'ng little Ivy-leaved Geranium, Moxoni,
was shown by Mr. J. Hnzslby, Hampton.
The Bower is (mall, semi double, and of a delicate
pink colour. A small group of hardy flowering
shrubs was shown by Messrs. Veitch and Sons.
The varieties were Stuartia pseudo Camellia,
flowering well ; Corylus Colurna, with a quantity
of its pretty sheathed fruit : I'avia macrostachja,
with ma.'ses of flowers ; and fome very lovely fpeci-
mensof Eucryphia pinnatifolia. Messrs. Cartt rand
Co. sent plants of a pretty new Pttunia, Queen of
Ro?es, a good rosopink flower. Mr. R. Jensen,
Chingford, put up a group of his new Geranium,
King of Denmark, a sturdy dwarf plant with well-
matked foliage and large, full flower-trusses cf a
bright pink colour {silver Banksian).

One of the finest and most beautiful exhibits in
the show was a really magnificent group of Be-
gonias, shown by Mr. H J. Jones, of Lewisham.
The flowers were of huge size, perfect in form,
and most brilliant in colour: the plants were
dwarf, sturdy, and the foliage perfectly clean and
healthy. The arrangement was exceedingly
good. " Instead of the usual even topped mats of
flowers and hard unbroken edge, the plants were
staged in undulating banks, with a background ol
graceful Palms and Bamboos. At intervals in thg
group a Palm surrounded with the handsome
Asparagus plumofus tenuissimus lightened the
the eflfect and served to tone down the brilliant
colours of the Begonias. At the edge Crotons
and small Caladiums were used with gocd ellect.
The groundwork throughout was of Maiden hair
Fern. The edge of the group was arranged in a
series of semicircles, varying in size and perfectly
finished. A more beautiful group and one possess-
ing more true artistic merit has rarely been seen
at the Drill Hall. It was a splendid example of
the tfTect which can be obtained by the suitable
use of beautiful foliage in the arrangement of
flowers. This unrivalled exhibit was justly
awarded a gold medal.

Fruit Committee.

Some very fine examples of hardy fruits were
staged before this committee, the Gooseberries,
Cherries, Plums and Currants in variety being
specially good. Peaches were good, and Grapes
an interesting exhibit, but Melons, though
numerous, sadly lacked flavour.

A first-class certiflcate was awarded to —

Gooseberry L.^ngley Be-vcty, a large yellow
fruit of dehcious flavour. Ic is a very fine addi-
tion to the desseit varieties, of a bright golden
colour, with ditlioct character of growth, and an
enormous cropper. It is a seedling between Rail
way and Yellow Champagne. From Messrs
Veitch and Sons, Chelsea.

Awards of merit were given to —

GoosEBEi'.RY Lancley (iAiiE.— A medium-sizcd
oval green Iruit of first-rate flavour. The growth
of the plant is upright. It is a seedling between
I'itmarton Green Gage and Telegraph. From
Mes-sre. Vei'ch and Sons, Chelsea.

Bed CiRRAST The Co51et, raised in Jersey.
The bunch is of great length, berry large, bright
red. It is said to crop freely. This received a
cultural award last season, and the committee
asked that it be sent to Chiswick for comparison
with other kinds. From Mr. Becker, Jersey.

Messrs. Veitch, Chelsea, filled a large space with
hardy fruits, having 12.5 distinct varieties. Of
the Gooseberries, Telegraph, Dan's Mistake, Sur-
prise, London, Lancafhire Lad, Major Hibbett,
Plonghboy, Miss Xightingale, Prince Arthur,
Trumpeter, High Sheriff and Magistrate were
finer than are usually seen. Of the dessert kinds,
Ironmoneer, R(d Hairy, Hedgehog, Red Cham-
pagne, Keens' Seedling, (ireen Walnut, White-
smith, Karly Sulphur and Bright Venus were
noted for their good flavour. Plutns were staged

.ritty. Early Prolific. Sturf, Green Early Gage,
Early Favourite and Blue Gage were shown in
quantity. Of Cherries, the best were Late Duke
and St. Margaret, with Morellos in variety.
Earlv Pears comprised Jargonelle, Beurro Giifard
and "Fondante de Behoril, with Mr. Gladstone,
Duchess of Oldenburg, Red Astrachan and Beauty
of Bath Apples (silver-eilt Krijihtian medal). Mr.
G. Keif (gardener to Mrs. Abbot, Regent's Park)
exhibited a very fine b»x of Peachps named
Royal George, but diti'ering very rauth from
that variety in colour and size. The fruits, of a
deep colour, were backed by some stands of Black
Hamburgh and Bucklacd Sweetwater Grapes.
The ccmmilteein giving the award (a silver-gilt
Banksian medal) took into con-'ideration the
fruits having been grown in London, and re-
quested the exhibitor to send leaves of the Peach
for examination as to variety. A new Plum, a
very early roundish yellow fruit named Burbank,
was sent by Mr. Mclndoe, Hutton Hall. The
fruits were in great clusters close on the soil, and
the tree has a Willow-like growth, not at all com-
psct. As an early kind it should be valuable.
It was now sent to show its free fruiting charac-
ter. Ripe fruits will bi sent to the next meeting.
Two varieties of Tomatoes were staged by
Messrs. Cutbush, Highgate Nurseries. They
were King of Yellows, a cross between Blenheim
Orange and Conference, of delicious flavour, and
The Cropper, a seedling from Perfection and Con-
ference, an enormous cropper. Fruits and growth
of a new Tomato of deep colour, but lacking
flavour, were sent by Mr. W. Handjside, New-
castle. The secretary placed on the table To-
matoes which showed one half scalded, and the
opinion expressed by the majority of members
was that it was caused by condensed moisture
and insufficient air. Other exhibitors staged To-
matoes, one stated to be a cross with an Auber-
gine, but it was of no value. Messrs. Rivers,
Sawbridgeworth, Herts, sent a white Grape
GradisVa, a variety having a clear skiT, the
bunch tapering, and the berries of nice flavour.
A small Pear, Little William, was sent by Mrs.
Hicks, Shirley, Croydon. Four dishes of ripe
Gooseberries were sent by Mr. Crcok, The Gar-
dens, Forde Abbey, Chard. A dish of Peach
Early Rivers came from the Society's Gai dens,
Chiswick. It is a large fruit, deeply coloured on
one side, and of good quality. From the same
source also came Newton Nectarine and Crimson
Galande Peach. Melons were shown in quantity,
but all lacked flavour. A dish of a new variety
cf Peas was sent by Messrs. Hurst and Sons,
Houndsditch. This was asked to be sent to
Chiswick for trial.

(E Colby Sharpin) ; Lmd Wantage (T. E. Hen-
ood), a pleasing pale, soft yellow self of fine
quality ; and a bufl self, named Mrs. Albert J.
Palmer, frcm the same exhibitor.

New Carnations and Picotees at the
Crystal Palace.— A large number of new varieties
was staged for recognition at the recent exhi-
bition of the National Carnation and Picotee
Society at the Crystal Palace, especially by Mr.
Martin R. Smith, who received as many as
fourteen certificates of merit for the following
varieties : His Excellency, Dragoman, finely edged
with purple ; Caress, a soft and refined variety ;
Empress Eugenie, Hyeeria, Cupid, Perseus, very
striking, heavily edged with bluish bronze : Mrs.
Macrae and Councillor, all additions to the yellow
ground class ; and, in addition. Miss Maud Sulli-
van, a fine rose or salmon-pink self ; Endymion,
a pale rose self of the finest quality ; Gilda, a
pale yellow self, soft and pleasing ; Erin, a highly
refined white self ; and Hidalgo, a variety startling
in its distinctness, having a bright pale yellow
ground, flaked on the petal, edged with crimson
and maroon. Nothing can better illustrate the
value cf Mr. Smith's fine strain than the fact
that so many were found on one occasion deserving
of such an award. Other flowers likewise dis-
tingui"hcd hv certificates were ro=e flake Carna-
tion "Crystal" Rose (H. Geggie), the bright rose
flake bcinfr in sharp contrast to the purity of the
ground ; Verna(M. V. Charrington), a bright and
telling scarlet self of fine quality ; Alice Mills, a
charming yellow ground Picotee, with a medium
edge of bright rosy red, very fine in quality

Notes of the Week.

Carnation Britannia is a grand border kind

irl a very superior yellow self, deep and rich in
colour, the flowers exquisite in form, and very
freely produced.

Carnation Sir John Felstsff — This is cne
of Mr. Martin Smith's latest additions to the
scarlet or light crimson shades. It is certainly a
fine flower, and, apart from its size, pofsesses a
perfect calyx with a grand petal and good form.

Carnation Yellow ftueen.— This is among
he best of the yellow self kinds, of a shade very
learly akin to that of Germania. It is a free and
abundant bloomer, possessing a good vigorous
constitution, and producing abundance of material
for layering.

Campanula pumila alba. — This neat littla
plant has been keeping u|) a display of its pure
white bells for some time. In cool and moist
recesses in the rook garden, or as an edging to a
border among stones it is always pleasing, acd
once established remains good for years.

Menziesia polifolia alb i.— This interesting
little shrub and also the type are now cjuite a
mass of rosy-purple and pure white blossom. For
a sandy peat and a slightly shaded position they
a'e well suited, forming very pretty marginal
plants to such things as Rhododendrons or hardy
Azaleas, and making agreeable groups in the rock
garden.

Gaura Licdheimeri.— In seasons that are
noteworthy for long-continued drought this plant
always flowers well, even if not better than at
other times. It is a free-floweting plant, easily
grown, and when cut its elegant spikes of rose-
white are very pretty. The plant is quite dis-
tinct in appearance, and a group of it in the
border is always effective.

Disa grand flora.— A large basket of plants
from Messrs. Cripps, Tunbridge Wells, of this
striking terrestrial Orchid was among the finest
exhibits at the Drill Hall on Tuesday last. There
must have been something like two dozen of its
spikes, and the richly coloured blossoms were very
effective. Very few Orchids indeed possess the
brilliant colour as seen in the flowers of this
plant.

Lilium Icngifloium gigantenm.— Fine as
are the best flowers of L. Harrisi, those of the
above variety are vastly superior in point of size
as well as substance and purity. It is largely
grown at Colchester by the Messrs. Wallace, and
a fine group of cut blooms was recently exhibited
by them at the Drill Hall. As thus seen there
need be no two opinions as to the value of this
h indsome form.

Calystfgia pubescens fl. - pL — A very
pretty climbing or trailing plant, scarcely 'uited
to the ordinary border because of its inclination
to travel at the root In the rock garden or in
any position where its roots may be confined to a
limited space, the delicate rosy flesh-coloured
blooms are very pleasing. In some gardens these
things quickly become raropsnt, and in such some
care will neetl to be exercised in planting it.

Anthericum Liliago msjup.— The one ad-
vantage that A. Liliago possesses over I he forms of
A. liliaslrum is that the former is a profuse
bloomer and continues to throw up its graceful
spikes of snowy blossoms for many weeks in suc-
cession. This habit also characterises the mojus
form, a large bunch of which was noted in Messrs.
Barr's group of hardy flowers on Tuesday at the
R.H.S. Beth kinds are serviceable in a cut state.
Iris Dalavay", which has just flowered here, is
a beautiful and distinct plant if July shculd be
its normal season, that is in a hot summer. We may
expect it to be even later, and bo it Will be most

lUGUsT 1, 1896.]

THE GARDEISI

91

valuable. In habit and foliage it is a good deal
like I. spuria, while the flower very much re-
sembles that of I. decora, but is larger and
brighter. It seems to be distinctly a lover of
swamp?.— T. Smith, Neivry.

Veronica longif jlia subsessilis. — The
handsomest of all the Speedwell family, bold and
distinct in its foliage and stems, and imposing in
its stately spikes of bloom. Plants of it have been
flowering for some time past, and recent welcome
rains have freshened the remaining flowering
spikes in a wonderful manner. The intense
purple-blue of its flowers in large massive spikes
makes it one of the best and most attractive of
hardy perennials.

Campanula Hendereoni. — Among the dwarf
summer Bellflowers none possess greater merit
than this fine hybrid. It is, however, not so
easily cultivated as many kinds, and in cold soils
more especially is apt to die ofl' in the winter.
This is the more noticeable when the plants are
pulled to pieces late in autumn. When well
grown the plant assumes a distinctly pyramidal
habit of growth, and this smothered with ics
mauve blue flowers is very eS'ective.

Charles Moore, of Sydney. — Mr. Charles
Moore, who has been for nearly fifty years in
Australia in charge of the Sydney Botanic Gar-
dens, has returned for a season to London on his
retirement, and we have no doubt that many of
his old friends will be glad to welcome him. Mr.
Moore is the author of a valuable flora of the
country of his adoption, and as so many of his old
friends have passed away, it may be as well to say
tha'-j he is a brother of the late David Moore, of
Glasnevin.

Chrysanthemum maximum flliforme.—
There are now many varieties of the above differ-
ing but little from each other in their usefulness
for the border, and as it is not possible to accom-
modate so many nearly allied forms where space
is limited, a selection will have to be made of the
most distinct. Of these the above is one, as the
rather formal arrangement of the florets of the
ray is relieved by the addition of florets of a
thread-like character that renders it more elegant
in appearance.

Lilium auratum rabro-vittatum is a grand
and striking form, in which the golden band on
the centre of each petal is replaced by one of
dark crimson, a colour varying in shade accord-
ing to the age of the blooms, the latter being
also freely spotted with crimson. As a com-
panion pot plant to auratum and its varieties,
virginale and platyphyllum, it is well worth the
attention of cultivators. Quite recently we have
sesn some fine forms of it in flower in the exhibi-
tions around London.

LiliumHenryi.— This grand Lily is now finely
in flower in the Royal Gardens, Kew, where
several groups of it are well established in a bed
of evergreen shrubs. There are perhaps a scire
of its flowering stems, many of these toweiing to
8 feet or 9 feet high— abundant testimony of a fine
vigorous constitution. It is perhaps one of the
most profusely flowered of all Lilits, and may be
described as a yellow-flowered speciosum, though
the fohage is (luite distinct from that of the mem-
bers of this valuable group.

Carnatioas from Kalso. — Messrs. Laing and
Mather send us a beautiful series of Carnations,
among which some of the best are The Pasha,
which is a very deep salmon colour ; Crombie's
Pink, a very pretty rose ; Duchess of Fife, cer-
tainly a large and handsome lose, not perhaps in
shape what would please the present London race
of Carnation growers, but beautiful fur all that.
Ketton Rose seems to do very well in tho north.
Mis. Barningwell Elliott is a good salmon. They
are well grown, handsome kinds.

Djtfjntainea spmoaa.— A small flowering
plant in a pot was in the group of things from
Messrs. Cutbush on Tuesday at the RH.S. It is
indeed unfortunate that so distinct and desirable
a plant is not more frequently seen in bloom. The
flowers are deep ecarlet and not unlike those of

Correa cardinalis in colour, while they are longer
and somewhat more tubular in outline. It is a
very attractive plant from tho Andes of Chili and
New Grenada, and has long been known to culti-
vation. When grown outside it should occupy
only the warmest positions.

Campanula pyramidalis alba compjcta.
—This, shown at the Drill Hall on Tuesday by
Mr. Wythes, Syon House, is a beautiful plant
and very distinot. 'he result of years' selection,
it is named compacta on account of its compact
growth and distinct character. The flowers, pure
white, much rounder than in the old form, and of
greater substance, are produced in great quanu-
ties low down on the plant. For cool house deco-
ration it should be a favourite, as it will be a good
companion to the blue variety noticed in these
pages in 1892, when exhibited and given an award
of merit.

Single Hollyhocks. — Anyone interested in
flower gardening might well have a look at the
border of single Hollyhocks in the Regent's Park,
and then transfer himself to the opulent extra-
vagance of Batter.-ea Park, with its great over-
stock of tender plants, in no case as effective or
happy in colour as that of the usually neglected
plant in tjuestion. Why should there be this
great cost in things which are never really happy
in our climate, and the noble families of hardy
flowers be almost wholly neglected— Irises, Del-
phiniums, Sea Hollies, and many other handsome
plants ?

Eryngiam Olivarianum.— This is one of the
most valuable members of this genus and should
be seen in all good collections. Its peculiarly
ornamental character is well suited to forming
bold and striking effects in the gardan, and when
at maturity the flower-heads put on tlieir beauti-
ful amethystine-blue tint, these plants are only
equalled by few. The effect of a group of this
plant is among the most striking that can be
seen, and even before the flowering stage is
reached the plants are highly ornamentil for the
sake of their foliage alone. The majotity of the
species succeed quite readily in a deeply-dug and
fairly good soil, and may remain several years
without disturbance.

Crinum Powelli. — Soma very handsome
spikes of this hardy bulbous plant were in-
cluded in a group of cut flowers staged by
Messrs. Cutbush on Tuesday at the Drill Hall.
The large rose or "pink-flushed blossoms of this
p'ant make it a striking object in the garden.
The rarity of such things in the open may po-sibly
be due to an existing doubt of their hardiness.
But when such things safely pass the trying ordeal
of zero in winter-time with a mere handful of
Bracken, which was not a necessity, there need
be little fear on this point. To make them safe
the bulbs are best planted rather deeply in the
ground. In very large pots or tubs the-eCrinums
also make really fine objects in the cool conserva-
tory, and when established will flower well each

Androsace lanuginosa.— This charming rock
plant is still flowering with its wonted freedom,
and appears as fresh and bright as it did in the
early part of May. Indeed, in the rock garden at
this time fewer plants are in flower, so that such
as continue are doubly welcome, 'ihis plant is so
easily raised from cuitings that a good stock may
soon bs secured, and with encouragement it quickly
makes a gcol displny. The best way is to plant
the rooted cuttings a few inches apart, and in
this way, by covering a space of 2 feet or so, ex-
cellent results may be quickly obtained. This is
the more readily accomplished when it is remem-
bered that the season's growth may to a great
extent be utilised for the cuttintts, which root
freely under a hand-light in September. Plant in
a bed nf fairly rich and deep loam with plenty of
grit added.

Lilium Martagon dalmaticum.— For the
open border in quite ordinary soil this is one ot
the most beautiful, particularly when it has be-
come well established in any one position, when
it will readily attain to 5 feet high and produce

as many as thirty or forty flowers to a spike. In
flower It is most distinct, and perhaps one of the
most conspicuous of Lilies, the gl >ssy purple-
crimson flowers making it imst etfective. The
variety Catani has flowers of a rather darker hue
of colour, and much of the same shade is seen i.i
the recent hybritl Dalhansoni. Groupjd together
these would make a very pleasing displ.ay, espe-
cially if some bold stems of the pure white Mar-
tagon were introduced among the claret-purple
-hades of dalmaticum and theoihers above named.
These Martagon kinds are very hardy and of easy
culture in good sandy soils with free drainage.

Hybrid Cimp^nulas. — A couple of years
since 1 hybridised Campanula isophylla alba with
the pollen of C. carpatica alba in the hope that I
might obtain some dwarf intermediate white
forms that would extend the summer display in
the border when C. carpatica varieties had
finished flowering. Singularly enough, the seed-
lings, so far as they have yet flowered, have all
been of blue shades, yet possessing a distinct
trace of both parents in the flower-stems and
trus). One of the plants has the frail erect flower-
stems of C. carpatica alba above the leaves of C.
isophylla, while another has something of the in-
florescence of C. isophylla, with erect bell shaped
flowers upon a habit more closely resembling C.
muralis, a plant I do not possess. Tho curious
Doint of all is that by crossing two such whites all
the oft'spring should be blue. One of these is a
great bloomer, and yet only 0 inches high. — E. J.

Lavatera trimestris.- This annual Mallow,
with its large Convolvulus-shaped flowers of pa'.e
rose and glistening white, has been a most attrac-
tive note in the flower garden during the pist
month, the plants growing to a height of 3 feet or
more and producing a quantity of blossom. It is,
however, when used for indoor decoration that
the beauties of the plant are most apparent. Cut
at their full length after sundown and at once
placed in tall vases, the eff'ect of the flower sprays
is a delightful one, the attractions of which in-
crease for three days, by which time all the
tightly folded buds will have expanded and the
satin-pink and white flowers studded the length of
the curving shoots. The lasting properties of the
blossoms are far greater than their delicacy ot
petal would lead one to expect, and in this re-
spect they compare very favourably with many ot
the midsummer flowers whose indoor life is to be
reckonei by boars rather than by days. —
S. W. F.

Piatycodons. — It is surprising how seldom
one sees these beautiful plants in gardens ; the
finest of all is undoubteJly P. Mariesi m ijus. My
big specimen a day or two ago had forty-two of
its immense flowers open at one time The type,
hundreds in a mass together, produces a wonder-
fully fine effect. There appears to be a little con-
fusion about the names. O.ie sees P. Mariesi and
P. grandiflorum apparently doing duty for the
same thing. P. Mariesi is the dwarfest grower of
all and distinct in other ways. Its sn-called white
variety, P. M. album, grows a little taller than
the type and varies a good deal in the amount of
blue with which the white is suffused, but is very
beautiful all the same. P. grandiflorum here
grows about IS inches high Then th;ra are its
semi-double variety, the pale or neaily white
form and its semi-double variety. A group of
several plants of the last peeping from amongst a
dwarf Br.amble is very pretty. The tallest as
grown here is P. autumnile, running up to 2 feet,
and quite late in flowering. -T. S-mith.

Carnations fiom Tynnmghame. — Mr
Brotherston sends us a lovely bunch of Carna-
tions from the open air, which show well how
happy Carnationsareinnorthern gardens, especially
near the sea, the yelU ws being larger and better
in colour than the yellows in the south. The best
of these he sends appears to be one called Corunna,
but Forty-five is also good compared to those we
have in southern gardens where the yellow Carna-
tion oftfin produces little effect. M eta, a "Painted
Lady, -is large and pretty ; Sigurdia an excellent
oratige self ; Meteor is alsd a fine thing itt the

92

THE GARDEN.

[AuonsT 1, 1896.

same way it" it does not burst. It is not the
fashion to like purple?, but one he sends, Foxhall
Beauty, is etiective. Hayes' Scarlet is a splendid
kind ; Minnie is promising, and a rich orange in
colour. The Picotccs, good as they are, do not
persuade us that they are as good as the selfs,
which have hitherto been neglected, and are even
now brought in with a sort of apology at our shows,
but even if all the raisers in England go to work
with the Ticotees and striped kinds they will
never make them so handsome as the self-
coloured kinds. The most natural colours of the
flower are certainly those that enable us to get
the best effects.

An old Yew tree.— In the churchyard of
Stoke llabriel, on the banks of the river Dart, is
growing a tine old Yew tree which is apparently
still in robust health. Its branches spread over a
circumfeience of about Sij yards, their diameter
in one direction being i29 yards. A flat, circular
platform of stones, of a height of 18 inches, ex-
tends for some distance from the base of the bole,
and was probably constructed to prevent injury
to the roots. The trunk rises to about 7 feet
without a branch, its girth at the height of .3 feet
being K-> feet. Great care is evidentlv taken of
this interesting tree, as almost all "the main
branches are supported by props. The lower
branches, and also the topmost, seem perfect,
but there has apparently been a loss of some of
the intermediate ones, possibly in the blizzard of
March, l.s'U. Local report speaks of the tree as
"the largest Yew in England," but in girth of
trunk it falls far short of the largest of the Seven
Sisters at Fountains Abbey, Y'orkshire, the
measurement of which is affirmed to be ;« feet,
and whose age is reputed to exceed SoO years.
I find also that " in ISol a Yew tree was said to
be growing in the churchyard of Gresford, Xorth
Uales, whose circumference was 9 yards 9 inches,
being the largest and oldest Y'ew tree in the
British dominions." It would be interesting to
know if this tree is still in existence.— S. W. F.,
South Devon.

Sweet Pea Cupid.— Amid the chorus of
adulation which has greeted this deformity, dis-
praise, however faint, will strike a dijcordant note,
but It IS impossible longer to resist the desire of
asking the question, " What do we want with
dwarf Sweet Peas ? " We have been accustomed
to lift our eyes and enjoy the beauties of these
flowers as they topped a 6-feet-high paling or
smothered a tall pyramid of Bean sticks with
their many.tinted blossoms. From childhood the
Sweet Pea has been the emblem of untrammelled
beauty, clothing it=elf with evented flower festoons
and tendril tied posy after her own sweet and
wayward will. Is the Jasmine to be dwarfed, the
Clematis to be stunted, that we must look for
them with downcast eyes instead of upwards as of
yore? In the craving for "something new "—a
very old complaint, by the way— the merits of
introductions are rarely critically assessed, but I
am inclined to think that maturer judgment will
remove Cupid from the pedestal on which it has
been placed, and certainly trust that never, as a
writer in a late number forecasted, may "all the
varied gamut of tints of the tall Sweet Peas be
represented m the pigmy strain," so that they
may be used " where it is necessary to have com-
pact masses of colour," for then will our unre-
stricted and aspiring Sweet Pea become a straight-
wai.-tcoatcd " bedding plant," a creature with no
will of Its own, an automaton that forms circles
triangles and stars, nor ever ventures an inch
beyond its appointed line, nor varies one iota from
Its correct shade and is held in bondage, even as
the red Geranium and the vellow Calceolaria.—

The weather in West Herts.— The past
month has proved a most trying one to vegeta-
tion generally in this district, owing to the un-
usual warmth and dryness of the grcund, the
great heat of the sun, the dryness of the air, and
the great difference between day and night tem-
peratures. The weather lately has, however, been
decidedly cooler, the highest reading in shade

being only 75 ■, while on the nights preceding the
-Sth and 29th the thermometer exposed on the
lawn fell to within 5° of the freezing point. The
temperature of the ground both at 1 foot and
2 feet deep has fallen about 2 since the beginning
of the week, but is still high for the time of year.
On the 26th rather more than a quarter of an inch
of rain fell. Although this was the heaviest fall
since June 10, the grass on my lawns remains
very nearly as brown as it was before— showing
how extremely dry the soil had previously be
come.— E. M.| Berkhamsted.

Public Gardens.

The churchyard of St. Dunstan's-in-the
East. — The Metropolitan Public (iardens Associa-
tion having laid it out as a public garden, the
churchyard of St. Dunstan's-in-the-East was
formally opened yesterday by Lady Teynham,
who was accompanied by Lord Teynham, deputy-
chairman of the association. The churchyard,
which contains rather less than a quarter of an
acre, is situated in Idol Lane, Eastcheap. The
amount spent in laying out the churchyard was
£50.

New park, Halifax.— A new park at High-
road Well, Halifax, has just been presented to
the town by Mr. H. C. McCrea and Alderman E
Robinson. The park, which has an area of be-
tween 7 and 8 acres, was formerly common land.
The Lord of the Manor (Lord Savile) transferred
his rights as to minerals, &c., and the Board of
Agriculture granted a provisional order for the
land to be converted into a park for the benefit
of the inhabitants. This work has entailed an ex-
penditure of over £21100.

Fortune Green, W. Hampstead.— Inhabi
tants of West Hampstead have lately discovered
that they possess no public rights over the open
space in their midst known as Fortune Cireen, and
unless it be speedily acquired and vested in same
authorised body the speculative builder will take
possession of it, to the great loss of children who
want a playground, and older folks who like a
garden and outdoor recreation. A committee has
been formed, with Mr. F. Reeves Torres, of Wood-
lea, as honorary secretary, to preserve it as an
open space, and the Hampstead Vestry have pro-
mised to contribute £30(10 towards its purchase.
This leaves £5000 to be raised by subscription,
the price including three cottages and gardens
adjoining the green.

VIOLA CONFERENCE.
A CONFERENCE will be held in the Museum, Royal
Botanic Society's Gardens, Regent's Park, on
Saturday, August 8, 1896, when the following
programme will be carried out : —

Twelve o'clock (noonl— Introductory address
by the chairman, Mr. A. J. Rowberry.

2. Report of special committee re trial of
Violas, Mr. R. Dean.

.S. Paper by Dr. Veit B. Wittrock, Director of
the Botanic tJardens, Bergisland, near Stcck-
holm.

" Violas for Bedding, with special reference
to their adaptability for association with other
plants." Papers by Mr. C. Jordan. Superin-
tendent, Regent's Park, N.VV., and Mr. .L W.
Moorman, Superintendent, Victoria Park, N.E.

5. " Violas for Exhibition, with special refer-
ence to newer varieties.' Papers by Mr. H. A.
Needs and Mr. W. Baxter.

"Viola Sports." Paper by Mr. J. D. Stuart,
Belfast.

7. Report of judges of seedlings submitted to
the conference. It is particularly requested that
new varieties be sent for consideration. A spray
or bunch of not less than six blooms of any new
variety should be staged. All new varieties must
be staged for inspection by eleven o'clock, so that
they may be judged when quite fresh. Any

blooms sent by post must reach the Royal Botanic
Gardens on the morning of August 8, addressed
to Mr. J. B. Sowerby, Secretary, Royal Botanic
Gardens, Regent's Park, London, N.W.

8. Consideration of arrangeffients for 1897, and
election of officers.

Obituary.

Death of Mj. John Ewingr.— A Shcfiield
contemporary says: "Many haJiiiuia of the
Botanic Gardens "in the old days will hear with
regret of the death of Mr. John Ewing, who for
more than thirty years occupied the respcnsiblo
post of curator there. Mr. Ewing was a native
of Fife, and before he came to Shetfield held a
very good position at Kew (Jardens. He was well
known among the leading gardeners and nursery-
men of the country. A few years ago he retired,
with the promise of a pension from the authorities
at the Botanic Gardens. It was, unfortunately,
discovered after his retirement that the paymerit
of the pension money was illegal. Mr. Ewire,
who was 8,3 years old, leaves a son and two
daughters."

Cracked mud edgings in Finsbury Paik.
—The flower beds at Finsbury Park show an ex-
ample of the ill-effect of these edgings, which we
are glad to see have been given up, and none tco
soon, in the Regent's Park. Just now in the heat
these at Finsbury are all cracked and gaping to
the sun and wind. In a hot year or any year it is
madness to cock the beds up on a little wall like
this, and the idea could only have grown out of
the mind of a mechanic and not a gardener. The
proper way to make a flower bed is to let the
earth slope gently down to the margin.

Hand-weeding.— This operation is regarded
by many as too tedious to be profitable, and is
seldom had recourse to save in compulsory cases,
such as cleaning rows of Onions and simi'ar
grown crops. I find, however, that it is often
time well spent, and that time is gained and
damage fretiuently prevented by adopting the
system amongst herbaceous and hardy plants
where it is very difficult to use the hoe effectually,
especially in a moist time when weed growth is
very speedy. When the hoe is entirely depended
upon for up-rooting them in such close quarters
many are wholly or partially covered with soil,
and, despite raking afterwards, remain concealed
and retain their vitality, no matter how hot the
weather is, springing into renewed vigour im-
mediately rain falls ; whereas if hand-weeding
precedes the hoe, the latter tool and small rake
following, the process certainly takes Irnger,
but cleanliness will be preserved for double ar.d
treble the time. Where there is ample room to
work the case is different. — J. C.

Trapping cockroaches.— In some glass struc-
tures, notably Orshid houses. Pine stoves, and
Melon houses, these pests are very annoying, the
amount of mischief one or two of them will work
in a few nights being quite astonishing. Many
methods of extermination have from time to time
been recommended, but I find nothing more
effectual than phosphorus paste besmeared over
small pieces of bread and butter and laid at even-
tide about their haunts. The smell seems to
attract them, and they feed upon it greedily.
They sometimes attack my Melons growing on
pot plants plunged in the Pine house, in which
case I surround the base of the stem with cotton
wool, as it is by these they usually ascend. If
the inner or unglazed surface of the wool is
turned outwards, they seem shy at traversing it,
although they are capable of springing a long
distance. The same means check them when
they attack the Pines. The paste is just as good
for taking woodlice, and beats the old-fashioned
plan of laying hoUowed-out Potatoes amongst the
plants. The baits should always be taken up
during the daj time, or they become dry and use-
less. Renewal is necessary about every third
day.-J. C.

THE GARDEN.

03

No. 1290. SATURDAY, Augusts, 1896.

'This Is an Art

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

MANAGEMENT OF STEAWBEKRY
PLANTATIONS.
With the exception of the late fruiting varie-
ties growing on cool north borders, the Straw-
berry crop of ISflG is nearly over, and a very
abundant one it has proved, in many cases
far exceedirg expectatir ns. Not only have
the berries been plentiful on each individual
plant, but they have also been unusually large
where the plants have received a suiScient
amount of moisture at the rootp, and last, but
by no means least, the flavour has been very
superior and the colour all that one could
desire. I never remember seeing Keens' Seed-
ling so large before as it has been this season,
and the size and colour of that fine old well-
tried variety Sir J. Paxton have been magnifi-
cent. I have heard one or two complaints this
season about the colour of Royal Sovereign not
being good. With me it coloured well, and
when the fruils were sent to table they were
pronounced to be of first rate flavour. This
variety I have propagated extersively, every
procurable runner having been layered into
a small pot. When well rooted these will be
planted out on a warm, sheltered piece of
ground for supplying the earliest crop next
season.

Now that the majority of the fruits have been
gathered, layering should be pushed on in ear-
nest to secure the required number of the
strongest runners at once, with a view to get-
ting them planted out early and thus ensure a
good crop of fine fruit next season. Layering
may be done either by employing 3-inch pots
filled with rich soil into which to peg the runners,
or soil may be placed between the rows to peg the
runners down to. The former method gives the
best results, but should not be attempted unless
suflicient labour is employed so that they can be
kept regularly watered until rooted sufficiently
for removal. Early layered plants can always
be depended on for giving a good crop of finely
developed fruits the first year,and a whole season
is thereby gained. This is a great consideration,
and is ample compensation for all trouble and
labour involved in the layering into pots and
subsequent attention n quired in keeping the
soil moist for the runners to root quickly into.
Young plants merely pegged down into soil
placed between the rows will give a good
account of themselves if lifted carefully and
transferred at once to the site they are to
occupy as soon as well rooted, but they will
also require more attention than pot plants ior
a time if the weather should prove hot and dry,
and should have two or three good soakings of
water. Many plant the naturally rooted
runners as found between the lines of old
plants, but of course a crop from these plants is
not looked for, and the ground between the
rows is generally cropped with something else
the first season. Whichever method of propa-
gation is adopted, the previously ascertained re-
quired number of runners should be secured in
order that the plants which are to be retained
for another season may be trimmed and put in
order. My own practice is to break up the
beds after fruiting the third time ; consequently
there is always a large breadth (about one-

third) to break up each year, and the planting
of new runners annually on fresh ground is also
carried out in sufficient numbers to keep up the
supply. There is one exception to this rule,
and that is that fine late kind Oxonian, which I
have to treat as a biennial on account of its not
yielding any fruit worth speaking of the third
year. This I grow on north borders ; conse-
quently it does not interfere with the arrange-
ments made regarding the other varieties. It
is an excellent plan to change the site for
Strawberry plantations as often as is convenient.
Change of stock is also to be recommended
even if it is only the same variety. This gene-
rally leads to good results if the plants are pro-
cured from a reliable source. The preparation
of the site selected for forming the plantation
should be taken in hand as soon as layering is
finished, and the soil will then have time to
.■settle down somewhat before planting is done.
When

Selectikh the Ground
for planting Strawberries, it is always best to
choose soil that is inclined to be heavy than
otherwise, but it should be well drained. Light
soils may be made more suitable for Strawberry
growing by the addition of loam of a heavy tex-
ture or road sidings. This should be well dug
in and thoroughly incorporated with the staple.
I prefer giving naturally light soils such a dress-
ing as described instead of applying quantities
of manure. Heavy soils, on the other hand,
are greatly benefited by being well manured,
and the manure should be thoroughly decom-
posed. Another thing to be avoided when
choosing a site for a Strawberry plantation is
to ignore low, damp situations, for although
the Strawberries may succeed in a season such
as the present, in the generality of seasons they
would fall a prey to mildew, and the fruit
would rot in a wet time. The digging done,
matters may be left alone until the plants are
ready for setting out, and then the soil should
be made quite firm by trampling it evenly all
over previous to planting. This will thoroughly
consolidate the soil and make a good firm l)ed
for the plants to root into, and it will also in
a great measure prevent the plants being thrown
out or lifted by frost during the winter months.
Some few hours before planting, the young
plants should be well watered, and it is also a
good plan to water them home directly the
planting is completed. A trowel should be
employed for setting out pot plants and pegged -
down runners, and the soil must be made very
firm about them. Runners taken from the
plants without preparation may be dibbled in
if lime and labour are an object, but they
should be made very firm or numbers will be
lost during the winter. The latter method of
planting is more generally pursued by market
growers than by private gardeners, and however
well it may answer for market work, it is not to
be recommended for private places where cropsof
fruit are expected the first season. On light soils
a mulch of spent Mushroom manure or such-like
material spread round about the fresh set-out
plants is of great assistance in preventing them
drying quickly and needing so much water. On
heavy soils, which naturally retain more mois-
ture, mulching is not so essential.

The usual distance for planting Strawberries
is 2 feet between the rows for gardens and 3 feet
for field culture, and the plants may be set out
18 inches apart. If planted closer than this,
every other plant would have to be lifted the
second season. As soon as the required number
of runners is obtained for planting, the old
plants should be trimmed up, cutting away all
the older leaves and runners and raking off the
mulch. A slight hoeing is generally required

to free the ground of weeds, but beyond this the
soil should not be disturbed. Those who are
fortunate enough to have plenty of manure at
command may give the ground a dressing be-
tween the rows. This will encourage the pro-
duction of fres-h growth and roots, and the
plants will make ample foliage, which generally
winters well. After this trimming up all
runners should be suppressed, it being a good
plan to look the plantations over every week,
when every runner showing should be cud off.
Weeds should also be kept down either by hoe-
ing or hand- weeding. A. W.

melon The Lady. — I have grown this Melon
this year, and am much pleased with it. It is a
free-bearing and robust-growing kind, the fruits
when ripe being of medium size and pale yellow
in colour. The flesh is deep, of a greenish red
colour, and the flavour, which after all is the
principal criterion in a Melon, is most luscious
and tender. I consider it a first-class variety,
and worthy of cultivation where medium-sized,
high-flavoured Melons are in request.

Netting Apples and Pears.— Fruit growers
are sometimes vexed by their finest specimen
Apples and Pears grown on espalier and horizontal
cordons falling to the ground and getting bruised
83 as to render them useless for keeping. Exhi-
bitors are especially tried in this way, as soine-
times a young tree may not have more than a dish
of fruit on, and if only one falls the dish is spoilt.
The best safeguards consist in the email square
nets sold by various sundriesmen for supporting
Melons. One thing necessary to observe in tying
on the nets is to allow a fair space between the net
and the fruit, so as the latter can expand without
undue pressure, otherwise the print of the net
will be on the fruit when gathered.— J. C.

Melon Duchess of York. — This variety of
Melon I also tried in company with the above,
and found it to be almost if not quite equal to it
in merit, the only drawback being the colour of
the flesh, which is of a yellowish tint. As a rule,
I find most consumers of Melons prefer either the
green or scarlet-fleshed kinds, and do not take
kindly to the white or yellow-fleshed Melons. In
this particular instance the objection may be over-
ruled, as the flavour is certainly first-rate. The
fruit attains a larger size than that of The Lady,
and is beautifully netted and much like Hero of
Lockinge, which is said to be one of its parents,
Best of All being the other. It is a very free
cropper and a good grower, two excellent recom-
mendations. Both this and The Lady, I should
imagine, would prove excellent Melons for grow-
ing in large pots in Pine stoves or similar struc-
tures, as they possess such vigorous constitutions,
and would no doubt do with a less amount of
bottom-heat than some kinds,— A. W.

Poultry in Apple orchards.— I was ex-
tremely interested in reading the article under
the above heading in the issue of The Garden
for July 25, especially that portion of it dealing
with the advantages to be derived from allowing
poultry a free run in Apple orchards. The ex-
perience there narrated corresponds in a great
measure with my own, as I have had several
orchards under observation for the past few sea-
sons, and can confidently state that in each case
the attack of caterpillars and weevils has been
very much less severe this year than in other
orchards from which the poultry are either ex-
cluded or where none are kept. The orchards
cited are grass orchards, and m every case the
fowls roam about at pleasure among the trees the
whole day long both in winter and summer, and
in one instance so many are there kept that
hardly a blade of grass is to be seen during the
summer months. The fowls turn the soil over
after the grass has disappeared in search of food,
and do an almost incalculable amount of good in
destroying insects and grubs of all kinds. In this
particular orchard it is seldom that the trees miss
carrying good crops of finely developed fruit, and
the Blenheim Orange, Seek no Further, and other

94

THE GAKDEN.

[August 8, 1896.

varieties wouM take a great deal of beating were
they exbibiied. In addition to destroying insert-
and pniHs, the orchard becomes well manured
during the year, which has a most beneficia'
etlect on the tree*, and serves to maintain them
in pood health and a free bearing condition, ho
much so that thev need no assistance in thi^
direction. I am firmly convincpd that where
grass orchards exist poultry would do much to
wards destroying manv of the foes that beset thp
fruit grower at the present day if kept in siitli-
cient numbers to visit every part of the orcharri
they may be turned into, and portable poultry
houses are now so cheap, that the fowls may be
housed every night on the spot where the orchards
are situated some distance from the farmhouse or
cott-age, as the case may be. These portable fowl
houses are generally mounted on wheels, which
affords a ready means of transport, and the fowls
can then he transferred from one orchard to an
other at plea.'ure when it is considered they havt
been in long enough, and without much trouble
-A. W.

PEACHES AND NECTARINES FOR
AMATEURS.
AMATKrRS, as a rule, have not sufficient accommo-
dation for planting Peaches and Nectarines of
capricious characters merely for variety's sake,
their usually limited glass structures forcing upon
them the necessity of growing only those varieties
whifh have been thoroughly well tested and are
profitable. The market grower's selection, in
fact, is just what the amateur wants — which in-
variably consists of those sorts which seldom or
ever miss a crop, mere size of fruit being only a
secondary consideration. To those who possess
only one house, varieties which follow each other
in the order of ripening are important, as, with a
judicious selection, a supply of fruit for a period
of several months can be had. For earliest
gatherings Amsden June may safely be planted,
as this is doubtless by far the best of all the
American Peaches, at any rate in the matter o
eettins and freedom from falling during the stoning
period. The heat given by amateurs to the
Peach houses would suit also Alexander and
Waterloo— two other American varieties— as it
usually amounts to little more than that produced
by the sun's rays, and that is just what thes(
quire. It is when started very early and subjected
to a maximum forcing temperature that failure is
to be apprehended. Where room is limited and
extra earliness is not desired, Hale's Early may
be planted, this being a good all-round Peach of
the early type. Mention must he made, however,
of the fact that it requires artificial fertilisation
when grown under glass, but when this is given
it never fails to bear well. Stirling Ca?tle and
Violette Hative are both excellent Peaf-hes, ripen
irg about the same time. The former favours
Royal George in most respects, but is safer ir
houses where little or no heat is employed, anc
especially in wet, sunless seasons not being sub-
ject to mildew, as Royal George unfortunately is.
Where the planter is anxious to exhibit, a mag-
nificent Peach of the same season is Dagmar.
This not by any means new Peach is, strange
to say, seldom heard of. It has a grand constitu-
tion, is similar in size to Stirling Castle, but under
full exposure colours as highly as Crimson Oalande,
That good old Peach Bellegarde ie unsurpassed for
carrying on the supply, it being not only of
all-round good quality, but an unfailing cropper,
even under rough-and-ready treatment. For later
gatherings, the Nectarine Peach, also compara-
tively little known, and Sea Eagle, grown now by
almost everybody, complete a short, but very reli-
able list of Peaches for amateur growers. The
Nectarine Peach is very large and luscious and is
very free, while Sea Eagle, which belongs to the
paler skinned section, is so good, that it would be
hard to name another Peach ripening at the same
date to equal it.

Turning to Nectarine«, I may perhaps be con-
sidered old-fashioned for advising the planting of
Hunt's Tawny, but I know of no other Nectirine

which bears such continuous and heavy crops and
few that ripen earlier, which is saying a good
deal. It belongs to the yellow-flesh' d class and
is of good flavour. A tree of Early Rivers thould
also be included, as this new Nectarine, in addi-
tion to producing large fruit, is a very free cropper.
Experience, I think, has proved that Lord Napier,
ilthnugh fine when seen at its best, is not at all re-
liable under glass, its constitutional defect being
shrivelling just as the fruit is ripening. I h ive
It both in a lean to and span- roofed house, neither
of which is forced early, and a portion of the fruit
in both always shrivels, and that in spite of timely
roof shading. Some gardeners, however, grow it
well. Splendid examples of it have been shown
by Mr. Blair, of Trentham, the low-lying, moi»t
situation of that garden seemingly suiting it. To
follow on, Rivers' Orange and Humboldt must be
named ; both are of the yellow-fleshed section,
nd where room is limited both need not be
planted. The former is, perhaps, the best bearer,
I'he latter, a seedling from Pinr-ipple, is rather
larger and possesses all the good qualities of that
well-known Nectarine. Stan wick Elruge is fine
for a cool house, but is very liable when forced to
cast its fruit at stoning time, for which fault it
was discarded both at "Thoresby and here. Little
need be said about it, except that it is as good
((uality as the old Elruge and is a size larger. For
later supplies Spenser and Newton are both ex-
cellent, the latter growing and fruiting grandly
each year in an east aspect house a mile from here
That fine flavoured, but capricious Nectarine
Victoria s-hould not be planted except where high
cultivation can be given, as in nine cases out of
ten it is dis-appointing.

Many more good varieties exist, but I do not
think the above-named can easily be superseded
where there is only room for a limited number of
trees. J. Cr.^wfurd

crops before removal, and showed no signs of
casting its buds. As an outride Peach it is large
and well coloured, but the quality, compared with
that of Grosse Mignonne, Stirling Castle, and
other standard varieties, is only second rate, and
the peculiar way in which the skin parts or cracks
at the apex of the fruit about the time of ripen-
ing, causing speedy decay and free ingress to
attacks of insects, is much against it. In a drier
ate than this the latter defect miy not be
prevalent, but as it has been proved here, I con-
sider Hale's E<>rly a very much over-rated Peach.
J. Day, Galloivay House, Oarliestuum, N.B.

Apple Beauty of Kent.— It is to be regretted
that there are several sorts of Apples in cultiva-
tion that pass under this name, one in particular
that is nothing more than Hubbard's Pearmain.
The most distinct feature in Beauty of Kent is
the growth of the tree, which when cultivated as
a standard has a spreading flat head. This de-
scription will show at once that it is not suitable
for a pyramid ; as a matter of fact, it cannot de-
velop its free fruiting character if grown in any
form that necessitates hard pruning. It ia only
when cultivated as a low spreading bush that its
regular and prolific character -.a shown. My trees
are in this form. All the pruning they get is to
thin out the weak wood, shortening an unruly
branch sometimes. Under this treatment the
trees bear heavy crops every year. The fruit is
large and handsome and not to be despised for
dessert. When the fruit is thinned out early and
freely it develops to a large size and will keep
well until March. Where space is at all limited
I should place this variety first on the list of keep-
ing sorts.— J. C. C.

Peach Hale's Early.— "S. M." (p. 477)
speaks very highly of this variety for early forc-
ing, and states that with him it is quite free from
the evil propensities of some early varieties of
casting their buds. I am sorry that my experi-
ence of Hale's Early under glass does not coin-
cide with that given by " S, M ," and so far I
have failed to get even the third of a crop from a
large healthy tree that was lifted from the opan
walls four years ago, and was with several others
planted in a span-roofed house. The first season
after removal a fair crop was produced, consider-
ing the check given to the roots, but since that it
has been a failure, as most of the buds have
dropped as soon as the tree showed signs of
growth in spring, while other varieties in the
same house have set double the quantity of fruit
they could carry to maturity. In this case it is
not a high and toodry temperature from fire heat
that is at fault, as the trees start very gradually,
the fruit not being required until the middle of
June, and watering is carefully attended to.
This tree, growing on an open wall, produced good

MANURING STR.\WBERRY BEDS.
It is more than thirty years ago that the ques-
tion was raised in my presence as to which was
the best time, spring or autumn, to manure es-
tablished plantations of Strawberries. The
question was raised by the late Mr. B. W.
Knight, nurseryman at Battle, Sussex, who
was not only a grower of this fine fruit for
market, but a raiser of new varieties, as he dis-
tribute! a new kind named Princess of Wales,
which for some time proved to be a useful early
fruit. The mention of this fact will serve to
show that Mr. Knight was interested in any-
thing that related to Strawberry culture. On
hearing from liim the principal points of the
system of culture he pur.sued, I was stirprised to
learn that he had a well-grounded objection to
manuring Strawberry beds in the autumn. His
reason was, that by doing so it excited the
plants at a time when they should be going to
rest. More than that, it was the cause of the
plants producing many more leaves than other-
wise would bethe<a<e. As a consequence the
fruit did not get all the sun and air 'hat were
necessary to ripen it properly. Since that
time I have had to deal with a variety of
soils, and I have only in part found Mr.
Knight's arguments hold good. In fact, this
question of autumn versus spring manuring can
only be decided by the character of the soil,
and whether the plants are set out thinly, and
to some extent the habit of the sort grown.
When dealing with the deep fibrous loam in a
garden adjacent to Wimbledon Common before

1 had had time to learn the character of the soil, I
certainly found that spring manuring was more
satisfactory than when done in autumn, as the
number of leaves produced by such sorts as
President and Sir Charles Napier necessitated
the removal of some of them from the centre of
the plant to enable the sun's rays to reach the
fruit. Later on the difficulty was overcome by
setting out the plants further apart.

In making a new garden eight years ago I
made another mis^take in planting too thickly —

2 feet between the rows and IS inches from
plant to plant in the rows. The laud being
good and fairly well manured in the autumn, I
had to remove one-third of the leaves from the
centre of each stool, or I should have had but
few fruit. Now I do not manure at all either in
spring or autumn, destroying the plants after
taking two full crops, I, however, thoroughly
manure and dig tho land before planting, and
I have increased the distance between the
plants in each direction of such sorts as pro-
duce a large number of leaves. I question if
sufficient attention has been paid to the selec-
tion of varieties that produce only a moderate
number of leaves for gardens of limited space,
because it is not the vigorous growers that
always produce the greatest number of Hower-
trusses. We have proof that there is such a
distinction, even if we do not go any further
back than the introduction of the two com-
paratively new kinds, Sensation and Royal
Sovereign. In so far as I have seen, the former

AuGtsT 8, 1896.

THE GARDEN.

95

sort is a much more leafy plant than the other,
and therefore should be given more space.
Even then I do not think it bears so well a.«
Royal Sovereign. This question of ton many
leaves is undoubtedly greatly influenced by the
time of application and character of the manure
used. At one time I used to apply soot and
lime to the beds in the spring for the purpose of
destroying vermin, which I believe it did to a
certain extent, but after a year or two I had to
discontinue the soot because it had a tendency
to increase the number of leaves without add-
ing to the fertility of the plant.

I have for some time thought the question of
manuring Strawberry beds is of more importance
than many people imagine. I feel satisfied that
in the majority of private gardens too much
manure is being used. To use it liberally and
dig deeply when preparing the ground is, I ad
mit, a necessity, but any further application of
solid manure to plants that will be destroyed
when they hiive produced the second or third
crop is a mistake when the staple soil is mode-
rately heavy, and in the case of light ground it
will be better to make fresh plantations every
second year. We all know that young plants
produce finer fruits than old ones. For this
reason I contend that it will pay better to use
the manure for making fresh beds than to apply
it to strengthen old ones. Some cultivators say
that a mulch of manure laid on in the autumn
aflfords some protection to the plants. This, I
think, is an erroneous idea, as I have never
known unprotected plants of moderate size in-
jured by frost, but I have seen old ones dis-
figured by it when the surface of the ground
has been covered with half rotten manure that
retained sufficient moisture to form sheets of
ice. J. C. Clarke.

Woods and Forests.

0.\KS.
It has been stated by Dr. Schlich that " Oak
timber is the most valuable of the indigenous
species. " The following notes, so far as they are
purely local, refer especially to the Weald of
Sussex — Hants, where Oak is largely grown.
Although timber merchants pay more for certain
kinds of Oak than for others, owners of Oak
woods apparently seldom trouble to exclude
comparatively worthless forms. In the Weald
of Sussex two well-marked forms are generally
recognised under the names While Oak and Fir
Oak. The names appear to correspond fairly
exactly to the botanical names peduuculata and
sessiliflora. A local timber dealer of forty
years' experience in the Weald states that he
generally gives about 2d. per foot (round measure-
ment) les"! for Fir Oak than for White Oak.
The Fir Oak is said to contain too much sap-
wood and too little heart- wood, which defects
render it less durable. Another timber dealer
n the Weald, who also buys extensively in the
New Forest, considers that Oaks in the latter
district have a tendency to form too much sap-
wood, which tendency he attributes to the sea
air. But why this should cause an increase of
alburnum, or what is commonly called sap-wood,
is not very obvious. Nevertheless the fact re-
mains, according to the authority referred to,
who states that he pays less per foot for New
Forest than for Wealden Oak. In some cases
owners are apparently unaware that they own
more than one kird of Oak. The Fir Oak is a
handsome tree and it would be a pity to condemn
it, but the objects of a forest and of a park
should not be confused. In Continental forests

great care is exercised. In the national
arboreta and forestry institutions of Belgium,
France, and Germany experiments have been
made in the introduction of American. Japanese,
and other exotic species of Oak. The Red Oak of
Texas (Quercus rubra) has proved successful
in Belgium, and so has the Water Oak of Mis-
souri (Quercus palustris). Both of these are
growing at Kew. The beautiful Scarlet Oak of
Florida (Q. coccinea), which likes a clay soil,
and the Black Oak (Q. tinctoria), which extends
from Massachusetts to Tennessee, have been
grown in Belgian forests, but hitherto with
disappointing results. The common American
White Oak (Quercus alba), which extends all
over the Eastern States from Massachusetts to
Florida, has also apparently given inferior
results in Belgium.

Altogether there are in the world about
300 species of Oak. Of these we have only one
unquestionable species indigenous to Great
Britain, Quercus Robur (L ), with its two varie-
ties, pedunculata and sessiliflora. Alphonse de
Candolle enumerated 281 species of Oak for the

hole world in his monograph of Quercus,
published in " Prodromus " in 18C4. Since
then King has monographed the Indian Oaks

d enumerated 82 species, including some

w species not enumerated by De Candolle,
and excluding a number of dubious species.
Oaks extend over the whole of the northern
hemisphere excepting the extreme north.
Southwards they pass the Tropic of Cancer into
the Moluccas and in the west along the chain of
the Andes. Outlying forms are recorded from
the mountains of Mexico, from Guatemala, and
in the east from Java. Though there are
82 species of Oaks in India, there are none in
the adjacent island of Ceylon, and though Oaks
abound in Central America and Florida, there
none in the British West Indies. Two
specimens introduced some years ago to Jamaica
to a comparatively cool climate in the Blue
Mountains at an altitude of oOtlO feet look
more like diseased Crab Apples thm Oaks.
Of the native American Oaks, Sargent enume-
rates thirty-six species in his "' Forests of N.
America." Unfortunately, there is no mono-
graph of the whole genus Quercus more recent
than that of De Candolle (18C4). As regards
the number of species in the world, no doubt
Durand, following " Genera Plantarum," is well
within bounds in estimating the present total as
at 300. Upwards of fifty of these appear to be
growing at Kew.

Foreign species have long been successfully
introduced into England ; for instance, the Ever-
green Oak (Quercus Ilex) from Southern Europe,
the Cork Tree (Q. Suber) from South-western
Europe, the Turkey Oak (Q. Cerris) from South-
eastern Europe, the Red Oak (Q. rubra) and some
others from N. America. Most of these may
be seen in the Oak collection at Kew. Of the
handsome Turkey Oak (Q. Cerris), there is a
good specimen at the south end of the Rhodo-
dendron walk, and there are a number of
younger specimens of the same species in other
parts of the arboretum. The Cork Tree (Q.
Suber) grows well in England. There is a fine
old specimen in a private park in Sussex loaded
with cork and exhibiting no emphatic desire to
return to the warmth of Spain and Tunis. In
Tunis, where all forests belong to the State, of
the total forest area (415,000 hectares) Oak
occupies 194,000 hectares, and of this total no
less than 115,000 hectares appear to be undtr
Cork Oak. As there is no immediate prospect
of an abolition of the use of corks in England,
Scotland and Ireland, perhaps we might grow
our own corks, bungs and life-belts instead of
importing them in large quantities from Spi '

Apparently fine old Cork trees exist in a number
of private parks in England. There seems to te
one at Kew, possibly more than one, for many
of the specimens have no label or are labelled
indefinitely " Quercus sp." Turning now to

British Oaks,

we may reject the old view that there are two
species of Oak native to Britain. It will be
better to accept the view of Sir J. Hooker in
the "Student's Flora," and of Bentham and
Hooker in the " British Flora," according to
which Great Britain possesses one species only,
Quercus Robur (L.), comprising two extreme
forms, varieties, or "races," as Bentham and
Hooker cautiously term them, with the names
pedunculata and stssiliflora. The species Q.
Robur (L ) extends over the whole of Europe,
except the extreme north, and penetrates along
the chain of the Caucasus some distance into
Central Asia, although further north it does not
ss the Ural. Sir Joseph Hooker records it
from the Atlas Mountains. It is also found in
Syria. Q pedunculata is the more common
variety in England and the lowlands of Scot-
land up to Sutherlandshire. Although mainly
a lowland tree, it is recorded at altitudes of
1500 feet in England, 1350 feet in Scotland,
rOOO feet in the Alps and 5000 feet in the
warmer climate of Greece. The Sessile Oak, on
the contrary, is the commoner variety in Norrh
Wales and the hills of Northern England.
Nevertheless, it is more southern than pedun-
culata, and, according to Dr. Schlich, "does
not go beyond the 54th degree of N. Lit.," yet
it rises higher in the hills and is found at alti-
tudes of 4000 feet in the Alps and more than
0000 feet on Mount Etna. In the south of
Europe it is a tree of the low hills, but in the
north, like pedunculata, it is a tree of the low-
lands. In the Weald of Sussex, where it is
less common than pedunculata, there are, never-
theless, a good many hundred si ecimens.

The majority of the Oaks in Hyde Park, Re-
gent's Park, Richmond Park, and the old
arboretum at Kew are peiunculata. It is diffi-
cult to find a specimen of sessiliflora in the
neighbourhood of Whitehall. Both kinds are
too impatitut of London fog to be planted as
street trees. For this purpose the Plane is as
successful in London as the Lime in Berlin and
Thespebia populnea and the Guango in the
tropics of east and west. Such names as
'•Royal Oak" and " British Oak Tavtrn" sur-
vive only to remind us that before the days pi
bricklayers' improvements even London was in-
habited by Oaks. Dr. Schlich in his " Manual
of Forestry " states that

The Oak requires warm air ; it suffers from late
frosts, but not so much a.i Beech, as it sprouts
later in the spring. It also sutfers from severe

inter frosts. It is a light-demanding .species,

hich should have its head free to the full enjoy-
ment of light. It does not require much moisture
the air. It is more stormliim than any other
species. The sessile Oak requires somewhat less

armth in the air than the pedunculate species ;

ence it goes higher in the mountains. Oak re-
quires a soil which is deep, at least fresh, warm
and fertile. It accommodates itself to moist soil,
and is not sensitive as regards inundation. Fer-
tile, loamy soils cause its highest development,
but it is also found on clay and on sandy loam if
it is fcuiBciently moist. On the whole, it is the
most exacting indigenous species. It thrives
better on southern than northern aspects. The
sessile Oak is somewhat less exacting as regards
fertility, and requires a little less moisture in the
soil ; hence it is found in poorer and drier soils
than the pedunculate Oak. If grown as coppice
the Oak is less exacting than if grown as a timber

tree The Oak is principally regenerated

by sowing and planting, or by stool shoots in

96

THE GARDEN.

[AuGtsT 8, 1896.

coppice, less frequently by natural regeneration
by •seed.

Some of the above statements are very ques-
tionable. For instance, it is difficult to recon-
cile the statement that " the sessile Oak requires
somewhat less warmth in the air than the pe-
dimcnlate species ; hence it goes higher in the
mountains," with two previous statements in
the same volume to the effect that the pedun-
culate Oak extends " all over Europe up to the
60th degree of N. Lat.," and the sessile Oak
"does not go beyond the 54th degree of Lat."
Even if the reverse were true, it would still be
dangerous to assert that " the sessile Oak re-
quires somewhat less warmth," etc., when the
evidence of that supposed fact is so meagre.
The causes of distribution are often so complex,
sometimes so utterly inexplicable, that it is rash
to jump to a conclusion from merely geographical
data. Dr. Schlich states that for the botanical
part of his work he follows Hooker's " Student's
Flora." In spite of this announcement, the old
notion of "two species " crops up. Fortunately,
at the end of Dr. Schlich's volume some
" botanic;il notes " are added as an appendix,
and written by Professor Marshall \A'ard, who
adopts the view now generally accepted. In
both of the standard moitm books, the
"Student's Flora" of Sir Jos. Hooker and
the " Brit ii<h Flora " of Bentham and Hooker,
and in the "Index Kewensis" the modern
nomenclature is maintained, not of course
arbitrarily, but simply for the sake of conveni-
ence and consistency. Quercus R ibur (L ) is
the only species recognised as British, and the
old names Q. pedunculata and Q. sessiliflora
are abolished as species and reduced to th«
position of varieties of Q Robur. Neverthe
less, one still sees numbers of Oaks at Kew
labelled Q. pedunculata and Q. sessiliflora, in
accordance with the antiquated nomenclature
Numbers of specimens of Q. Robur at Kew
have not the name Robur at all on their label
Uninitiated visitors to the gardens are puzzled
at the discrepancy between the standard books
and what is supposed to be a standard living
collsction. They regard with awe the occult
knowledge of botanical freemasonry and wonder
whether a British Oak is really a British
Oak. The labels at present are merely confus-
ing and give a name which is neither scientific
nor popular. The best plan is to ignore tht
labels and follow the '• Student's Flora."

Dr. Schlich describes the two forms of Eng-
lish Oak as follows : —

The shape of the sessile Oak differs somewhat
from that of the pedunculate species. ItS branches
tend upwards and are less gnarled and knee- bent

As regards those that I have seen in Sussex
it will be impossible, without using botanical
terms, to give a more accurate and concise de
Bcription of their difference. C. H. R.

SOILS AXD PLANTS.
The relation between vegetation and tho nature
of soils is one of the most indisputable facts of phy
tostatics ; it was known even to botanists in ancient
times, and Linnnua expressed it in an aphorism
the Philrj>^ophira B'jtiimra as follows : "Dignoscitur
ex sola inspectione plantarura subjecta terra et
solum." This relation, however, has never yet
been interpreted bm it should be. In a great
number of treatises on botany we find it repeatedly
stated on the authority of Thurmann that the
chemical influence of the soil on the dispersion of
plants takes effect only when the soil contains
salte of a very soluble nature, such as marine salt
and ammoniac salts, and not in the case of car-
bonate of lime and alkaUne silicates. It is not
necessary to enter into along dissertation in order
to prove the falsity of this doctrine ; it issutficient

to define the terms, physical action and the
chemical action of the substratum. The physical
action is dependent on the manner of the aggre-
gation of the rocks, ft., their compactness either
as regards hard solid rock and rocks in marly or
clayey beds, or as regards rocks in motion — that is
to say, in the form of gravel and sand. Something
depends also on their calorific cjpicity, on their
hygrometric degree, and, in the case of submerged
rocks, the depth of the water, and \\hether still
water or water in motion, and in fine all the
circumstances which exercise an extrinsic influence
upon plants. The chemical action is intrinsic
and exclusively dependent on the elementary com-
ponent parts of the substratum. The essential
condition is that penetration of the vegetable
organism by mineral or organic substances in the
soil which have been previously dissolved in water
takes place. This solution of substances useful
to the life of plants is often preceded by reactions,
which modify the grouping of the elements. Such
reactions are chiefly produced in calcareous and
mixed soils, in which the presence of carbonate
of lime is favourable not only to the transforma-
tion of the organic matter in the soil — ammoniac
and nitrate salts — but also to the decomposition
of the natural silicates and the discharge of the
potash. This is the reason why mixed calcareous
soils are the most fertile, and why flinty soils only
bear hardy plants and plants that demand little '
the way of lood. The practice of applying lime
an illustration of this. Farmers are aware that
clayey and flinty soils can be made to produce
crops of silicule fodder plants like the Carnation
Clover, the meadow Clover, Sainfoin and even
Lucerne, where the arable bed is deep enough,
by means of a yearly application of .5 hectolitres or
6 hectolitres of lime per hectare.

Thurmann's doctrine rests upon an erroneous
distinction between the mode of action of salt!
that are very soluble in water (clorure of sodium,
ammoniac salts, nitrates) and matters that are
scarcely soluble in the same liquid, like the car
bonates of lime, magnesia, phosphate of lime,
silicate. Now evidently the quantity of the sub
stance so dissolved makes no difference to the
essential nature of the phenomenon, but merely
modifies its intensity. Moreover, it must not be
forgotten that telluric waters contain — especially
such as have passed through masses of vegetable
debris — carbonic acid and ammoniac salts, w-hich,
with the acid juices exuded from the roots, con-
tribute to the augmentation of their dissolvent
power as regards the said salts of lime and natural
silicates, and, as the absorption by the roots
continuous, the plants in the long run receive
considerable quantities the mineral substances
which are necessary to their life. A regular crop
of Clover or of Lucerne carries away annually some
400 kilogrammes per hectare of mineral sub-
stances, chiefly lime and potash, along with a
much less amount of magnesia and phosphoric
acid. Chara literally gorges itself with carbonate
of lime even to indigestion point, and in the ashes
of this plant 60 to 0.5 per cent, of this soil will
found. Eejuisetum does the same in regard to
silicate, and the ashes of this plant are found to
contain GO to 95 per cent, of the acid. Among the
Grasses the silicate concentrates in the stalk
whilst the lime phosphates and magnesia phos
phates accumulate in the seeds.

It is not possible to enter here into all the con
sidcrations of the subject ; nevertheless we believi
we have sutticiently demonstrated that not merely
the plants undergo the physical action of the sub-
stratum, but that their nutrition is influenced by
the chemical composition of the substratum as
well. Thurmann himself, towards the end of his
book, appears to have become conscious that he
had taken a false line, and he forestalls his critics
in foretelling the fate of his work. " In any
event," he says, "and should the present work
fail to establish the soundness of our negation
relative to the chemical influence of submerged
rocks, it will have at least the merit of having
brought together the numerous and irrefragible
proofs of the c,apital action of these rocks in the
sphere of phytostatics. '

The question of the chemical influence of rocks

the dispersion of plants would not have given
rise to a controversy so prolonged if all the vege-
table species had been either exclusively calici-
cole or exclusively silicicole. That this is not so
is well known, as also that a great number of
them are cosmopolitan as regards soil. Such in-
equality of temperament among things so alike
as regards organisation has had the result that
botanists, who more often study plants in the
herbaria and in gardens than in the natural
stations, have come to consider as of little import-
ance and as entirely exceptional the preference
shown by certain species for such or such a soil.
It has been alleged that observers are not agreed .
as to the preferences of certain species, in forget-
fulness of the fact that among those botanists
who have written upon this question of phyto-
statics a good many had not the geological know-
ledge which was necessary to enable them to arrive
at a just appreciation of the nature of the soil.

These differences in temperament, inexplicable
as regards their organic mechanism, are not, how-
ever, so inconceivable as some would have us be-
lieve. That " habit is a second nature" maybe
said of plants as well as of human beings and of
animals. So when a plant has vegetated for a
long series of ages on a calcareous or mixed soil,
its organs have become so well adapted to the
conditions of that description of substratum, that
it must necessarily undergo a great disturbance
on finding itself transported to a soil composed of
silicates and alkaline earths. When the transition
is sudden the plant succumbs or drags out a
wretched existence, being unable to sustain for
long the competition of the autocthonic species.
Inversely the reasoning applies to the case of sili-
cule species which have become so from long habit,
and are then transferred to calcareous soils, albeit
that the conditions offered by these last-named
soils are more favourable to the nutrition of
plants. The disappearance— at least, temporarily
and so long as the effect of the lime remains— has
been noted in the case of soils that had previously
been heavily limed of silicule species, like Hol-
cus mollis, Agrostis vulgaris, Anthoxanthum
odoratum, Nardarus distichus (N. Lachenali),
Rumex acetosellus, Galeopsis ochroleuca, Anarr-
hinum bellidifolium, Calluna vulgaris, Jasione
montana, Spergula pentandra, Teesdalia nudi-
caulis. Another test well known to fai mers con-
sists in causing the disappearance of Mosses,
Rushes, and Carex from fields, either with the
aid of lime or by applying a mixture of phosphate
of lime and sulphate of ammoniac. In the latter
case, in the place of the plants above-mentioned,
Clover and other fodder plants which previously
only existed in the field in small quantities were
seen to grow.

Plants that are cosmopolitan as regards soil
are, we think, species which, having existed in
the first instance in those mixed soils which are
found in most parts of our planet, have gradually
passed to other mixed soils in which the silicious
or calcic element predominated, as the case may
be, and thereby they attained to a suppleness of
temperament which species exclusively confined
for a succession of ages to crystalline azoic rocks
or calcareous strata were never able to acijuire.
The geic indifference of these cosmopolitan plants
would therefore, like the silicule, calcicule, halo-
philo and nitrophile idiosyncracies of other
plants, seem to be a matter of habit, or, in the
language of contemporary naturalists, the effect
of the adaptation of the organs to telluric con-
ditions. But be the philosophic opinion what it
may concerning the temperaments of plants—
whether these are the result of adaptation, or they
existed from the very beginning— their existence
cannot be denied. Consider the difference between
the temperament of the Talassophytes (living, as
they do, in sea water containing 40 grammes to
the htre of chlorine of sodium and magnesium),
and that of the majority of land plants which are
killed by the continuous application to them of
even very weak solutions of marine salt : whilst,
on the other hand, their vitality is increased by
means of equal applications of potash salts.

AcGusr 8 1696.]

THE GARBEJN,

97

A BORDER AT KINGSTON HOUSE.
TuE great fault of Kingston House — an illus-
tration and full description of whicli were given
in The Garden of December 22, 1894 — from a
gardener's point of view is that a site was
selected giving little scope for landscape gar-
dening or for the formation of a park such as
the importance of the mansion demands. The
lawns and gardens may be said to rise in ter-
races, and the great point aimed at in their
formation was apparently to give as much
seclusion as possible. It may perhaps appear

" The Slope garden," devoted to the cultivation
of flowers and vegetables, and on the left an old-
fashioned fruit garden with espalier Pear,
Apple and Plum trees set in squares. These
squares are edged with Box, giving a medi;eval
touch to the scene that one would not readily de-
stroy. The surrounding walls are covered with
choice trees, and access to the lawn is obtained
through an Ivy-clad doorway. Immediately
below the stone terrace — ornamented, by the
way, with many vases, which when filled with
plants have a really charming effect — is a flower

A fiower border at Kingston

almost hypercritical to complain that no com-
prehensive view is afforded of the picturesque
valley, up the sides of which climb the irregular
little streets of Bradford — that valley from
which Gainsborough painted some of his finest
landscapes. The view from the grounds of
Kingston House is nowhere remarkable, with
the exception, of course, of that of the house
itself, always a fascinating object. The Avon
is within sound, but not sight ; the gentle roar
of the water as it rushes over the weirs hard
by is heard, though the river itself is not in
view. On the right-hand side of the house is

border, herewith illustrated, the feature of
which at present is its Rose trees. To the
right of the terrace is a small lawn containing
in the centre a very good specimen of the
Catalpa. The lawn, which is reached by the
flight of steps opening on to the terrace, is
fringed with a shrubbery.

was the last Roee distributed by him. It is of a
lovely clear yellow. When opening, the centre
petals of the older flowers are faintly tinged with
pale pink. The size of the flower is quite up to
exhibition standard, and the growth quite a& free
as in Belle Ly onnaif e. It is an excellent variety for
a south wall, and also to grow aa a standard ; in-
deed, I think these climbing Teas should be
grown rnore extensively as standards, especially
if we wish to exhibit, and, provided we can winter
them safely, they make grand heads, and the
flowers are much finer in quality and colour.

Boss Henriette de Beauveau. — Un-
doubtedly the best of the pure yellow Roses are
to be found in what are termed the climbing
section of the Teas and Noisettes. The above-
named variety was sent out by M. Laoharme and

Orchids.

ORCHIDS IN VINERIES.
The concise note by Mr. E. H. Woodall on p.
59 respecting the growth of Vandas and other
Orchids in vineries should prove interesting to
lovers of this family, the pretty photograph
showing what may be done in this way when the
culture is carefully carried out. Vineries as a
rule are more spacious structures than the or-
dinary run ot Orchid houses, and this is one
point in their favour. Then the shade from the
Vine foliage is much preferable to that from
the ordinary roller blmds, one causing a broken
light through which the rays of the sun can
peep at intervals, the other too often a dense
shade while down, giving place to a glaring
light when they are drawn up, conditions that
cannot occui when the plants are growing na-
turally. The newer arrangement of lath blinds
obviates this to a very large extent, and this
system must eventually make its way with all
Orchid growers, the glint of sun that comes
between the laths not remaining long enough
on any one part of a plant to do mischief, yet
allowing ample light. Fruit growing under
glass, too, necessitates early morning ventila-
tion, and, in fact, careful manipulation of the
ventilators all day, while with a certain class of
Orchid cultivators it is too much the custom to
run the blinds down and leave the ventilation to
take care of itself. Possibly no Orchid in
existence enjoys a free circulation of air about
the foliage more than Vanda ccerulea, as I have
pointed out more than once in these pages, and
without a doubt this has a good deal to do with
its being so satisfactory under the vinery treat-
ment. Of course, where a large collection of
Vandas exists, it is easy enough to give them
the correct treatment, but where they have to
be grouped with other East India genera, such
as Phala;nopsids and the warmer section of C'y-
pripediums or Dendrobes, often in low, narrow
houses hugging the glass, then it becomes difli-
cult to do them really well. They may stand
the heat for a time and apparently excel in
luxuriance other plants grown under cooler con-
ditions, but the leafy system will be ill built up, so
to speak, subject to checks fromvery slight causes,
and not of the hard, healthy texture that is so
ential to long-continued health and freedom
flowering. Anyone in these circumstances
then if he has a vinery at command may with
confidence take Mr. Woodall's advice. He will
find his plants healthier and more satisfactory
in every way. The good old Dendrobium no-
bile is another kind that will do remarkably
well under these circumstances, and where there
are successional vineries the plants may in fact
be started with the Vines in spring, ripened
th them in autumn and rested with them in
winter, a good succession of flowers being the
result. Nearly the whole of the evergreen
section, some of the shorter bulbed deciduous
kinds, and such as D. infundibulum or D.
Jamesianum of the nigro-hirsute group may
also be included, but for the longer- btil bed

98

THE CxATJDEN.

[August 8, 1896.

sorts, as D. Devonianum or even D. 'NVartii-
auum, also D. formosum or eburneum, I should
prefer the East India Orchid house proper
while growing, though the vinery will be a
capital' place for resting such as require it.
Instances are on record of success in the culture
of many Cattleyas in vineries, but, suitable
though the summer temperature may be, I
should hesitate to recommend anyone to keep
them there during winter, provided always that
the Vines were considered. Xor would the
Brazilian L;vlias be happy under the circum-
stances, though many of the Mexican kinds
would thrive in the lightest part of the house.
Many other plants from the neighbourhood of
South Mexico, Guatemala, and the higher
regions about Costa Rica, including many of
the Odontoglossum grande and Insleayi types,
or O. citrosnium, many Trichopilias or Piluni-
nas, and the interesting Peristeria elata from
Panama — any or all of these if duly con-
sidered as to individual peculiarities may be in-
cluded with advantage. The list, in fact, may
be made a very long one, but mere repetition
of names becomes tedious, and it is often best
for cultivators to experiment for themselves.
Find out what kinds are best suited by the
treatment and grow them there. These will
benefit by the change, while others left behind
will have more room for their full development.
K.

Leelis elegans prasiata. — This may be re-
garded as one of the very finest forme of this
variable kind, unfortunately rather more rare
than most of the varieties, the flowers are each
nearly 6 inches across, of very good form and ^'ub•
stance and distinct in colour. The sepals are
light magenta-purple, the petals deeper and yet
rather brighter than the sepals. The side lobes
of the lip are pure white, the blotch in front a
glossy purple crimson. It usually blooms later
than the paler coloured forms, making a fine show
if freely bloomed and requires much the same
culture as L purpurata.

Cypripedium Godef oyse — It is getting late
for this pretty plant to be in flower, but the
curious and interesting blossoms are at all timei
welcome. It grows only a iew inches in height,
the foliage being short, the upper surface prettily
shaded with light and dark green, the under
side purple. In the typical form the whole of the
segments are a dull white, with spots of purple,
the latter being larger and more distinct on the
sepals and petals than on the lip. It likes the
same treatment as C. bellatulum, C. concolor, and
other species in this set, and has been found by
most growers to be better tor a little limestone
mixed with the ordinary compost. Plenty of heat
and moisture and a ^hady position are also neces-
sary, the plant being a native of the Eastern
Archipelago, in the neighbourhood of the China
Sea.

liycaste tetragona. — This peculiar plant is
not much grown, but now and then it turns up,
and I recently saw a plant in bloom in an ordinary
stove where few other Orchids were grown. In
habit it is not unlike a Stanhopea and this iden-
tical plant was labelled as such. The flowers are
produced singly on small plants, larger ones having
two or three on a scape. The sepals and petals
are dull green with brownish blotches and bar.^,
and the lip is white spotted with crimson and
purple. These flowers last a very long time in
good condition, and are, moreover, very fragrant,
bat it is questionable whether it will ever become
a popular plant. Equal parts of peat and Sphag-
num Mojs, together with a good sprinkling of
rough charcoal and potsherds, will grow it well.
The pots may be of medium size and well drained,
being careful to have all the particles of compost
rough and open. It may be best grown in an in-
termediate temperature, and while the growth is
active can hardly be overwatered provided the
plants are healthy and the compost as described.

During the resting season give just enough water
to keep the bulbs in good order, and a winter
minimum temperature of about 50'' is ample. It
is by no means a difficult plant to grow, and may
be recommended to those who like quaint and
out-of-the-common plants. It is a native of
Brazil and was introduced in 1827.

Phalsenopsis violacea.— This is a very dis-
tinct and charming species, bearing a short scape,
with several of the pretty little blossoms succes-
sively produced upon it. The sepals and petals
are light yellow at the tips, deepening to a rosy
purple shade at the base, the lip being bright
purple with a yellow centre. The flowers last
well in good condition and have the additional
recommendation of being pleasantly scented.
Grown in baskets of clean Sphagnum Moss aiid
charcoal in a warm, moist house, the plants will
be satisfactory if judiciously attended to, a free,
yet solid, growth and a resting, but not drying,
season being requirel. lo was introduced in KS61
from the islands about the Malay Peninsula.

Cypripedium Sedeni.— This pretty hybrid is
again in flower, and the progress made by the
plants, as well as the number of flowers produced,
is remarkable, and shows the vigour of hybrid
kinds. Grown in pots of psat, loam fibre, and
Sphagnum in about equal proportions with plenty
of crocks and charcoal, it does well in an inter-
mediate house. It seems never at rest, for as soon
as one set of growths is complete, another begins
to form, and almost every one carries a flower-
spike, on which the blossoms are produced over a
long season. It is, perhaps, the most popular of
all hybrid Cypripediums and a variable plant as
regards colour.

Lissochilus speciosus.— This is a very old
Orchid and one seldom seen at the present day.
The plant consists of spherical bulbs, these being
underground in a state of nature and bearing large
showy green leaves. The flower-spikes push up
after the manner of those of a Bletia, and the
blooming keeps on over a considerable time,
one flower fading and others taking its place
Each of these is about 1 h inches across, pale yellow
on the sepals, the petals and lip much brighter,
the latter tinged with purple. It is a true terres-
trial Orchid and may bo grown in loam, peat, and
a little leaf soil or Moss and plenty of finely broken
crocks. It is a native of various parts of South
Africa, and was introduced as far back as 1S18,

CATTLEYA GUTTATA LEOPOLDI
Several plants of this superb Cattleya are now
in flower, one of the best having quite large
flowers, but not so many on the spikes as usual.
If there is a fault to be found with this variety, it
is the fact of the flowers occurring so close together
as not to show to the full extent their individual
beauty. They make a fine show neveitheless, the
broad, well-formed sepals and petals of good sub
stance and a distinct shade of reddish chocolate

m grou

nd colour, with many dark red spots. The

p has a very deep purple blotch in front of the
column and the blossoms are deliciously scented,
far more so than those of most Cattleyas. It
comes from Brazil, and was named in honour of
the late king of the Belgians, being probably the
best form of this variable Cattleya. To do it
well, it must have a full Cattleya house tempera
ture, the plants being kept as quiet as possibli
after blooming and all through the winter. In
early spring the young shoots will push strongly
after the long rest, and with the increasing light
and heat of summer their progress will be rapid,
Care is necessary at this time with the watering
as the young shoots, though very vigorous and
healthy looking, are easily damaged, especially if
the water is a little colder than the temperature
of the house. By midsummer the spikes will be
showing in the centre of the young growth, root
action meanwhile being very free, so that plenty
of water will be required and continued right u
to the time when the bulbs are quite finished and
the blossoms open. Then, if the plants are taken
to the flowering house it will steady the growth

and no trouble should afterwards be found in keep-
ing them dormant. If carefully treated as de-
scribed above, C. guttata Leopoldi may be given
fairly large pots and a good depth of compost, as
it as a vigorous rooter and makes surprising pro-
gress in a short time. It is not unusual for small
plants with bulbs of say 1 foot in height to grow
to nearly double this height in one season, a
feat impossible with many Cattleyas. If the
large pots are used it is imperative that the
peat and charcoal in the compost we kept rough,
for if fine at first it soon gets into a close and
heavy condition in which the roots cannot thrive.
Large plants require considerable care in potting
to bring the base of all the leads as near as '
possible to the surface of the compost and the
centre of the pot. Should they get bare in the
centre the plan of cutting half way into the rhi-
zome is worth trying with a view to induce back
breaks, but if this is not successful, it is just as
well to break them up, a nice lot of healthy and
well-finished young plants being much more orna-
mental and useful than two or three badly fur-
nished ones. Even with small plants it is wise to
keep the leads back from the rims, as the bulbs
grow further apart than those of many other
kinds, and so many of the best roots miss the
compost altogether, being then auxiliaries to those
in the pot, whereas they should be the chief source
of the plant's sustenance and its mechanical sup-
port as well. As noted above, a good deal of varia-
tion exists in the forms of this plant, some of
them lacking the warm chocolate tint on the
sepals and having a not very agreeable green
suffusion. For this reason it is best in all cases
where possible to purchase plants in flower, the
slightly higher price saving much disappointment
afterwards. H. R.

Dendrobium Lowi. — A small plant of this
rather delicate Dendrobe is in flower, and very
pretty are the pale yellow, long spurred blossoms.
They occur on short racemes at or near the top of
the pseudo-Dulbs, each being from H inches to 2
inches across. This species requires careful treat-
ment and considerable heat and moisture while
growing. It may be planted in small pans or
ba.skets or firmly wired to pieces of Tree Fern
stems, but in all cases it is wise to give a thin
layer of compost only, otherwise many of the roots
will die in the winter, this weakening the plants
of course. It may be grown in the East India
house, and if seen to be inclined to rest in winter,
may be put in the Cattleya house for a time, but
it is not at all unusual for it to grow nearly the
whole year round.

Cattleya crispa delicatissima.— This is one
of the most delightful Orchids now in bloom, the
white sepals and petals and rosy markings on the
lip having a very delicate and refined appearance.
The flowers lack the width and substance of those
of many other Cattleyas, but this hardly detracts
from their beauty. It is rather a tall growing
plant, bearing a long narrow leaf on each pseudo-
bulb, and the spikes produce six or seven flowers
each about 6 inches across. It does well under
ordinary Cattleya house treatment and should be
well grown during spring and summer and kept
dormant during the winter months. C. crispa is a
very old species, and this and all the varieties are
natives of Brazil.

Miltonia Phalsenopsis. — This is now in
flower, the blossoms being very large in compari-
son with the size of the plant. The pseudo-bulbs
are each about an inch high, the leaves narrow,
about 8 inches in length. From two to four
flowers occur on a spike, pure white in ground
colour, variously streaked and spotted with crim-
son-purple on the large spreading lip. The plants
may be grown at the warm end of the Odonto-
glossum house or with the Cattleyas, and the
latter treatment will produce the stronger growth.
If grown in much heat the foliage is apt to be
badly attacked by thrips, so this pest must be
looked for and kept under. A thin layer of peat
and Moss over good drainage is the best compost,
and the plants may with adv.antage be kept a
little pinched for room in the younger stpges.

August 8, 189G.]

THE GAEDEN^.

99

Afterwards, as they gain strength, the pots may
be larger, but it is easy to overdo them with com-
post. It is easily seen at potting-time whether
they want more room or not, and it is safest to
err on the side of too little. Plenty of water is
needed while growing freely, this often being
during the winter months ; no drying off must be
practised, the plants being easily rested by keep-
ing them in a rather lower temperature for a time.
Light dewinge over the foliage are very helpful
in keeping down insects, and the growth of the
plants is also benefited thereby. M. Phala'nopsis
comes from New Grenada and was introduced in
1850.

DAFFODILS IN THE GRASS.
Makt clumps of the common double Daflbdil
had been growing here in the grass undis-
turbed, according to the testimony of " the
oldest inhabitant," for certainly more than
sixty years, probably fully 100. Encouraged
by their success and several letters in The
Gakhen, I determined to try other varieties on
the outskirts of my lawn and under trees. Ac-

THE GREAT FROST OF 1805.*
! It is a common saying that Englishmen are
never tired of talking about the weather. I
must hope that the members of the Field Club
are not easily tired in listening to talks about
the weather, for this is the third year in which
I have spoken about the weather of the preced-
ing twelve months and it.=i efiect upon the gar-
den. Had the weather of the twelve months
beginning with December 1, 180-t, and ending
1 with November 30, 1895, betn at all of an usual
, character, I should not have ventured to have
returned to my subject of the two previous
years, but there has been so much that is not
usual, and the efl'ects have been so very re-
markable, that I agreed with your secretary
and others, who thought that there should ap-
pear in our proceedings some record of such a
season ; and in a sketchy way I will now make
the record. That it was a season marked by
very unusual weather is well known to you all ;
it was a season in which the weather went into
extremes, an,d it seemed almost to bear out the
statement that was made a few years ago by a

Narcissus poeticus ornatus m the yrass at heimont, Co. ( " , n- /,
ngraved for The Gabden from a pliotograph sent by Mr. J. li. I'iiu

cordingly, five years ago the scattered tufts of
the aforesaid double Daffodils were taken up
and about ICOO replanted in one clump. They
were in large clusters of from 100 to 250 bulbs
in each, so crowded that there were seldom
more than a dozen flowers to a tuft. I also
planted several other varieties in the grass, the
most beautiful of all being Horsfieldi. The
soil is light, on limestone gravel, and the Daffo-
dils were given a good start by being planted
in separate holes made by a crowbar, a good
handful of leaf-mould and manure placed under
each bulb. All have succeeded well, except
some biflorus which are under Beech trees, but
I do not despair of their ultimate success. The
accompanying photograph represents a clump
of the early Poet's Narcissus. Most of them
are the variety ornatus, with a few tufta of
Burbidgei (type) and grandiflorus pipecox. All
this clump flowers early, which is an advantage,
as the grass is closely mown in summer, and
therefore it is necessary to have them soon
ripened off. Others in the grass here are prin-
ceps, the Pheasant's-eye, orange and yellow
PhoiDix. The Apennine Anemone is also grow-
ing amongst some of the Daffodils.

Belmont, Carlow. J. Thomas.

great meteorologist that the tendencies of our
seasons for some, perhaps for many, years to
come, would be that the weather would be in
extremes ; extreme heat and cold, and extreme
drought and wet. What the actual weather
was is best shown by a short account of the
rainfall, the heat, and the cold, during each of
the twelve months that have passed. Decem-
ber, 1804, was a mild month, with seven days
of slight frost never lower than 28° and reach-
ing as high as 55°, and with nearly 3i inches of
rain (3-35) ; but in the morning of the new
year a period of severe cold set in, which lasted
with slight intermissions for three months. In
January there were eighteen days of frost, and
on the 2Gth the thermometer fell to 18 . There
were some bright intervals, so that on the 20th
the thermometer reached 53° and there were
over 3 inches of rain (3'10), but the character
of the month generally was a low thermometer
throughout. But in this respect it was far sur-
passed by February, which was not only the
coldest month of the year, but the coldest
February that had been recorded for many

* Read December 18, 1895, before the members of
the Bath Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club
by the Bev. Canon EUacombe.

years. There were twenty-seven days of frost,
and for the most part very hard frost, the
thermometer on the Sth falling to 10°, and only
rising as high as 45° on the last day of the
month. The wind was in the north all the
month, and there was very little rain. It was
a month to be remembered for its extreme
severity and its consetjuent discomfort to man
and beast and plant. March was a little better,
but could not be considered a genial spring
month. There were frosts on ten days of the
month, but not very severe ; the lowest reading
was 2(3°, and towards the end of the month it
reached as high as 00°, but only for a very
short time, and the general character of the
month was a low thermometer and about 2|
inches of rain (2-32). But when INIarch was
past we had seen the end of the frosts ; April
was a mild month throughout, with a fairly
high thermometer, and over 3 inches of rain
(3-12) ; May, too, was a beautiful month, with
a high thermometer all through, reaching a»
high as 82° on the 30th, and with scarcely any
rain (0 44) ; June, too, was a brilliant month,
with the thermometer every day above C0°, and
with less than half an inch of rain (0 44) spread
over four days ; July also was a bright month
with a high thermometer all through, but with
4 inches of very welcome rain ; August was as
tine, with less rain (2-28), and September was a
very warm month, with 1-40 of rain only,
and reaching to great heat in the last days of
the month and the first days of October, which
showed remarkable heat at the beginning and
unusual cold at the end, the thermometer fall-
ing to 25° and frost continuing for more than a
week, commencing from the 20th of October
and reaching into the first week of November.
Since that we have had very little frost, except
a very slight frost on November 18, but during
the month of November there weie nearly
0 inches of rain (5 '94).

The notable points of the weather of the year
then were three months cold, and for the most
part very cold weather ; three months drought ;
exceptional heat at the end of September, and
exceptional length of cold in October ; and it is
the combination of these different points in one
year rather than the particular nature of each
point that is so remarkable. There have been
many frosts of greater- severity and length than
the frosts of January, February, and March of
this year ; there are records of greater heat
and longer drought than this year's record
shows, and it is not the first time that we have
had great heat at the end of autumn, and
great cold at the commencement of winter ; but
it is the combination of all these in one year
that makes the weather of the year remarkable.
But it is not altogether exceptional ; and by
way of showing how very similar our present
seasons are to those that our forefathers went
through, I will give a short record of the
weather of a season more than 500 years ago.
In the 14th century there was a William Merle,
who was Fellow of Merton, and rector of
Driby, in Lincolnshire. He was a close ob-
server of the weather, and has left a record of
every week of the weather at Oxford during the
seven years between 1337 and 1344. Of course,
not having our modern instruments, his obser-
vations could not be very minute, but he has
done his best to mark the differences. The
rain record is either pluvia magna and maxima,
or parra and minima, and for the cold his dis-
tinguishing marks are gelu, prnina and glades.
The record is called " Considerationes Tem-
periei per 7 annos per Magistrum Willelmum
Merle, socium Domus de Merton — 1337-1344."
It is preserved in the Bodleian Library, and a
few years ago was published in facsimile by

100

THE GAEDEN.

[August 8, 1896.

Jlessrs. Stanford. Kow the record for 13;>8-0 places sufl'ered more than the same plants in
shows hard frosts during nearly the whole of more exposed situations. I had three healthy
December, January, and^February, followed by plants of the New Zealand Senecio Greyi, al'

a very hot June, July, and August, but with
slight interruptions of rain, and very mild
throughout alter the cessation of the frost.
So far it is curiously like our record of this
year — three months frost and three months
drought : but the likeness does not altogether
hold further, for in 1330 the whole of October,
November and December were very mild, but
with much rain. I think this is a good answer
to those who are food of maintaining that the
climate of England is different in this our 19th
century from what it was in former centuries ; it
may be changed in some few parts where exten-
sive tracts have been reclaimed from marsh and
fenland or forests, but in the maiji it is abso-
lutely the same ; and so it always must be as
long "as Great Britain continues to be an island
washed by the (lulf Stream, and forming part
of the globe which travels round the sun in the
same course that it does now.

So much for the weather of the year ; I now
come to the question, what has been the

Effect ix the Gakdex

of the great frost, and what are its lessons ?
Whether the frost was exceptional or not it was
very severe and very prolonged, and every
gardener must have watched its results with
anxiety. Certainly I did, and the thing that
has struck me most forcibly is the very small
injury that has resulted from it. Of course I
had losses, and severe losses, and it may be
well to name a few. I lost nearly all my
Kniphotias and Cisti, and when I have said
that I have exhausted my list of total losses,
But among all plants, and especially among the
shrubs, there was great disfigurement ; there
was a loss of many years' growth, and in many
cases plants were killed to the ground. But
there were some very curious exceptions. I
have a fine specimen of the Californian Bay
(Umbellularia californica) ; it grows in a shel
tered place, near my entrance porch, but ii
the winter of 1880-1, after standing uninjured
for many years, it was killed to the ground,
and was appai'ently so lifeless that many advised
me to grub it up ; but I was patient with it,
and after two years it showed signs of healthy
life, and is now 10 feet or 12 feet high, and
during this winter scarcely a leaf was injured.
All the Bamboos not only survived without in-
jury, but seemed even to Lave acquired an in-
crease of strength and vigour. Most of the New
Zealand and South American plants, which we
grow as hardy plants, but which are all more or
less doubtful, stood the cold well ; the Palms
were very little injured ; the Myrtles survived,
but had a hard fight for life ; but even such
tender things as the Jalap, the Rhynchosper-
mums, Solanum jasminoides and Penlstemon
cordifolium were very little hurt. The curious
thing is that in former bad winters, and in many
winters which by comparison might be called
mild winters, all these plants were very much
more injured, and their escape during the last
winter may be attributed to three reasons.
First, during the whole time of the frost the air
wa-s very still ; there was very little wind ; and
I have always found that wind does more mis-
chief to plants, especially to shrubs, than hard
frosts. Secondly, the frost was continuous,
with very few alterations of frost and thaw.
The mischief done to plants is generally after a
thaw, when plants begin to put out shoots and
leaves, and if the frosts come back then, the
results are disastrous). This was shown very
strongly in an unexpected way — I found that
many plants under a south wall or in sheltered

slightly protected against wind, but two of them
in very sheltered spots, the third in the open
garden, and of the three the two in the sheltered
spots were entirely killed, the third was unin-
jured ; and the same thing occurred with other
plants. The third reason was that the frost did
not come till the plants were well at rest. I
am sure that a frost coming when the plants are
still green and their vessels full of sap, does far
more harm than if it comes when the plants are
all comfortable in their winter sleep. To me
these reasons sufficiently account for so many
of our plants coming unscathed through such a
frost, but whether 1 am right or not the fact
remains the same, that, though our plants had
very little of Nature's own protection of snow,
they showed themselves well able to take care
of themselves, and did take care of themselves
far better than in some other winters which
were far milder and much more destructive.

jEssons to

Learned.

The great frost has taught me some lessons.
I think the chief lesson that 1 have learnt is that
I am more ignorant about frost and i's eflects
than I thought I was ; at any rate it presented
to me a lot of fresh puzzles which I cannot an-
swer. Another thing that I have learned is
that to divide plants into hardy and tender is a
most uncertain division, because of many plants
of the .same species in the garden some were
killed by the frost and some survived, and it
would puzzle anyone to say whether for the
future they should be ranked as hardy or tender.
The instance 1 have just cited of Senecio Greyi
is a case in point, and there were many such.
In my own garden the New Zealand Veronica
Traversi was injured, but not killed ; at Kew
every plant was killed, while on the high land
of Caversham, not very far from Kew, 1 saw
many large bushes with not a leaf injured. An
old vigorous plant of the Indigofera is probably
quite dead, though I am not sure of it, but
seedlings near it an inch or two high are unin-
jured, and it was just the same with Euphorbia
Characias, and a strong plant of Aristotelia was
quite killed, while a few feet away a half-struck
cutting in the open ground lived and has been
a flourishing bush. Another puzzle was this :
Several shrubs put out good shoots, but soon
died entirely ; and in that case I fancy that the
shoots were living upon some reserve store of
sap, but the roots were dead and the supply
could not be kept up. And besides these
puzzles, the frost brought with it some pleasures
and some practical lessons. It is surely some-
thing to have seen the very worst winter that
most of us are likely to see ; something to
be able to feel that whatever discomforts from
the weathfr are in store for us, we have left
the worst behind. And it was a real pleasure
when the frost once completely broke up,
and the flowers began to come again, to see day
by day the reappearance of some favourite of
whose life you felt you had good reason to des-
pair. This reappearance of lost plants went on
all through the year, even to the end of October,
and I believe it is not yet at an end. I shall
not be surprised to see next year many plants
again in their usual places of which there have
been no signs this year. Another lesson is not
altogether a new one ; but I have had additional
proofs to my old belief that the grand thing to
provide, if we want to ensure the lives of ten-
der plants, is to do all we can in keeping
warmth at the roots. I consider mine a warm
soil, and to that I largely ascribe my success in
growing many plants that will not grow in other

gardens. This warmth of soil has very severely
tested this year. I have never taken the earth
temperature of my garden at any time of the
year, but very accurate records of earth tem-
perature have been kept for many years at Re-
gent's Park, which is a cold, clayey soil. There
Sir. Sowerby has recorded that the coldest
night of the year was February 7— when the
thermometer stood at 7 '5° — but on that night at
1 foot below the ground the thermometer
was 31°, and it was not till seven days after that
the earth temperature was aslowas28'2°, when
the air temperature had been steadily rising for
some days, and all through the winter the earth
never froze lower than 1 foot. The experience
of the gas and water companies throughout the
kingdom showed that the freezing of the soil
depended less on depth than on the situation
and nature of the soil. It was found that pipes
laid at 3 feet below the soil on an incline
facing to the north would freeze sooner than
pipes laid 1 foot but with a southern aspect ;
and pipes laid in a porous light soil were much
less injured than those in a hard and heavy soil ;
and the pipes that were most injured were
those laid under concrete. We may be quite sure
that what is true of underground pipes is equally
true of the roots of plants, with, however, this
qualification, that the power of roots to with-
stand frost depends not only on their depth or
the warmth of the soil, but also on the rich or
poor character of the soil. It was an old ob-
servation of Humboldt's, " In general it is re-
marked by cultivators that the trees which
grow in a fertile soil are less delicate, and con-
sequently less affected by great changes in the
temperature than those which grow in land
that aftbrds but little nutriment." — Personal
Narrative, vol. i., chap. 2. This seems natural,
for it is the same in all animals ; a healthy,
well-fed man or animal can fight against cold
far better than a weakly one, and there is a
strong likeness between animal life and plant
life ; but this year's great frost has shown me
one difierenoe. In any animal, say especial'y
man, there is a great centre of life in the heart ;
if the heart is dead, the whole man is deail.
But a plant seems to. be, if I mav say so, all
heart, or a collection of hearts. Half or more
of a plant may die, but if one good branch rt -
mains we can propagate a new jilant from it, or,
if it is killed to the ground and nine-tenths of
the roots are destroyed, the remaining tenth is
sufficient to renew the plant in full health and
vigour. I have been much impressed with tiiis
this year. I have seen many plants coming to
life again, and I know certainly that the new
life has sprung from a mere thread, and the
plant that comes is not a new plant, it is the
old plant that has fought a brave battle against
tremendous odds. These are not the only les-
sons that the year's frost has taught me, but I
must leave the rest, for I have still one or two
things to note that I must not leave out. So
on the subject of the lessons of the frost I will
only add that I have learned more distinctly
than ever that we really know nothing about
the frost so far as plants are aft'ected by it ;
I mean that on the initial question as to what
are the chemical or structural or other constitu-
ents of a plant, which determine that it will be
tender or hardy, the answer to that question
seems as far off as ever.

The year was remarkable for the great abund-
ance of flowers and fruit, but whether that was
in consequence of the great frost, or in spite
of it, I cannot say. There can, however, be no
doubt that the long rest, followed by an absence
of late frosts, was very beneficial to all plants.
In my own garden I had a complete failure of
all wall fruits, and I attribute this to the fact

AuGCST 8, 1896.J

THE GARDEK

101

that from time to time the rest was broken
from the sunshine on a south wall, when the
trees were tempted to begin their growth, and
then the frosts had full power over them.
With me the great failure of the year was in
Irises, but I am inclined to think that this
failure was quite as much, if not more, due to
the drought than to the frost. 1 cannot say
much of the efl'ect of the frost on animal life.
Jn some severe winters I have seen numbers of
birds lying dead ; this year I saw none, and I
cannot help thinking that in the wonderful way
in which birds are able to forecast the weather
far better than we can, they had notice of the
coming severity, and migrated in larger numbers
than usual before the frost came. I do not
think the extreme cold had much eflfect on the
slugs and snails ; I do not think it ever has ;
their innate wickedness is a complete shield.
But I think it had an effect on the insects ; I
have had no such plague of earwigs as 1 noticed
last year, and butterflies were certainly much
fewer than usual.

With one marked feature of the year I will
conclude this long paper. We had literally no

Autumnal Tints

this year. Up to the middle of October the trees
on the lawn were quite green, but the frost of
the 22nd broughc them all down, so that on
the morning of the 2.'^rd my lawn was thickly
strewn with leaves, all green. A few retained
their leaves, especially the Elms, and for two
days they put on a beautiful golden appear-
ance, but the heavy gales at the end of October
stripped them all. To me this was a real loss
in the beauty of the year. I think a tree or
shrub, however beautiful it may be in summer
foliage or flower, only half fulfils its allotted
task if it fails to show the beauty of its autumnal
tints. I was more especially disappointed this
year, because I was hoping to watch the tints,
and see how far our English experience would
agree with the experience of American ob-
servers. You are aware that the Americans
pride themselves on the beauties of their
autumnal woods, and many good observers
among them have done their best to find out
the causes of the tints and something of the
laws which govern them. At present the con-
clusion seems to be that the tints are produced
by the action of oxygen on the chlorophyll, act-
ing in different ways at different times of the
year, but in the autumn, when the strength of
the tree is diminishing, producing a discolora-
tion something analogous to the action on metals
by oxygen. They have also observed that the
tints are far finer after a wet summer than after
a hot and dry summer, and the explanation is
this : —

During a moiat summer the cuticle of a leaf re-
mains thin and its colours are vivid. In a dry
summer this cuticle becomes thicker and harder,
in order to prevent an injurious loss of water from
the plant ; and while bright colours may form
within the leaf, they appear dull because seen
through the opaque skin or epidermis. — Garden
and Forest, October 2, 1895.

This certainly held true in my own garden, but
I had several reports from other parts where
the autumnal tints were reported to have been
of exceptional beauty. At Dodington Park the
colours were so brilliant, that I received a special
invitation to go and see them, but unfortunately
I was not able to go. I got the same report
from the Wye Valley, but I think both these
cases rather prove the American rule. My
garden, and especially the trees from which I
look for autumnal tints, are fully exposed to the
sun, while Dodington Park and the Wye Valley
are not ; and so in both those cases the hot

sun of this year may not have had the same
effect that it had on my garden. I cannnt
follow this subject further now, but I think it
worth fuller consideration in future years.

I am painfully aware that my paper has
reached an abnormal length, but for that you
must blame the abnormal charactor of last
winter, its length and severity. I hope better
things from this winter. I am not a weather
prophet ; I can only hope, and give no reasons
for my hope. If any member would like to
prophesy a severe winter, he is at full liberty to
do so ; if he can give a reason for his prophecy,
so much the better— or worse.

Kitchen Garden.

SPRING CABBAGE.
Many gardeners will already have made their
first sowing of these, but alter repeated trials I
find there is nothing gained by sowing too
early, particularly where the ground has been
well tilled and in good heart. Select a piece of
ground in the open, that the air may act on the
plants from all sides, this being far preferable
to sowing on a border that is sheltered by a
wall. Before sowing, see that the soil is made
thoroughly moist to the depth of a foot, that it
may not be necessary to water so heavily after-
wards. In my opinion it is far better to sow in
shallow drills about 0 inches apart than broad-
cast, as by so doing the seed is not only more
evenly covered, but the plants are more easily
kept clean. If the fir^t lot of seed be put in at
any time during the second or third week in
August, the plants will be large enough for
transplanting to their permanent quarters by
the end of September, which in the majority of
cases will be quite soon enough. When the seed
is sown, if the weather is hot and dry, give the
ground a watering, then cover with a mat, as
this will prevent evaporation and so keep the
soil in an even state of moisture. After four
days the mat ought to be removed, for at this
time of the year germination takes place
quickly, and if covered when the young plants
appear through the soil, they soon become
drawn and are spoiled. SVhen the first seed
leaf makes its appearance and if the weathei
continue dry, add a little guano to the water
each time watering takes place. The plants will
then soon be large enough for pricking out,
which ought not to be delayed one day longer
than is absolutely necessary, as they soon get
spoiled. Each one should be carefully drawn
after giving the bed a thorough soaking, that
they may leave the ground readily. They
should then be pricked out about 4 inches
apart each way, that a sturdy growth may
be made. The ground on which it is in-
tended to grow Cabbage cannot well be too rich.
With many it is the practice to plant on ground
from which the crop of Onions has been taken,
and this no doubt is a good place provided the
soil is in good heart. I have known gardeners
simply clear off the Onions and hoe the ground
where the soil is light, but I do not consider
this good practice for various reasons. In the
first place, the Cabbage crop usually lemains on
the ground for a considerable time ; therefore if
fine hearts are to be had, and these followed by
a crop of tender sprouts, it is evident, unless the
soil be of extra quality, this cannot be done.
Where the Cabbages are cleared off as soon as
they are cut it may not be necessary to go to
the trouble of digging light land. Here, however,
there would be some difficulty in getting a
dibber into the ground unless it were dug. It
is, therefore, my practice to give the plot on

which these are grown a liberal dressing of
manure, then to dig it two spits deep, taking care
in so doing to break it up as fine as possible.
The distance allowed between the rows of early
Cabbage must greatly depend on the quality of
the ground and variety grown, or whether it is
intended to grow any other crop between them.
Some prefer planting every alternate row with
Coleworts, in which case it will be necessary to
allow a greater space between the row ; but
where ground is fairly plentiful it is as well to
plant the early Cabbage by themselves, and if
late kinds are grown putting the Colewort be-
tween these. The space allowed here is 18
inches between the rows and about a foot from
plant to plant, and I find they have ample room
to grow, as most of the early varieties make but
few leaves. Before planting, a shallow drill is
drawn, and it the ground is at aU dry, water is
run down this till the soil has become thoroughly
soaked ; the plants are then carefully lifted with
a fork, so as not to destroy more roots than can
be avoided and planted up to the first leaf. If
the weather is very bright, a small pot is turned
over each in the daytime, but removed in the
evening before the sun goes down. In this
way they soon take hold of the earth and grow
away rapidly. When they are sufliciently
established to do without watering, the soil be-
tween the rows is made level, which keeps them
in position, so that none of the stem is exposed
to the frost during winter. Early in March the
ground between the rows receives a dressing of
nitrate of soda, which after the first shower or
two soon makes itself seen by the rapid pro-
gress made by the plants. The most suitable
varieties for autumn sowing are Ellam's Early,
Sutton's Flower of Spring, and Little Gem. It
is often diflicult to get good Cabbage seed. Unless
special care is taken to keep the different varie-
ties far enough apart they are sure to become
crossed. H. C. Pkinsep.

WINTER SPINACH.
Last autumn the germination and growth of
winter Spinach were probably the worst on re-
cord ; indeed, amongst the many notes which
appeared in The Garden from different
parts of the country relative to this crop only
one, so far as my memory serves me, intimated
that the writer's crop of this vegetable was
doing satisfactorily. It mattered not whether
the soil was light, medium, or strong, the young
plants turned yellow when two pairs of leaves
had been made, and all efforts to restore them
proved useless. I sowed two beds at different
dates and in difl'erent positions, which I always
do, as if one fails, the other sometimes does well,
but both beds collapsed, although one was in a
comparatively shady place and was watered al-
most daily. I have before referred to the fact
that round or summer Spinach does equally as
well as the prickly or so-called winter variety.
I was assured of this by a gardening friend in
1893 who happened to call just when I was
sowing for my winter crop, and, acting on his
advice, I sowed an equal breadth of each, and in
spite of the severe winter which followed, the
summer variety did quite as well, if not better,
than the winter, and did not run to seed so
soon in the spring. I think that the seed is
often sown in too shallow drills at this time of
year, and as many gardeners, though errone-
ously, I believe, take care to select a sheltered,
warm border, in order, as they think, to give
the crop the best chance of standing the
winter, a dry, parching, and perhaps a
rainless September and October often play
mischief with the seedlings, so affecting the
delicate young roots, that partial or complete
collapse ensues as soon as frost appears.

102

THE GARDEN.

[August 8, 1896.

Altbough, owing to the liability to attacks fi-om
wirevrorm, I usually thin my beds with caution,
I ^t^ongly advise both early aud liberal thinning,
and that for two reasons : tirst, it is a pre-
ventive against a weak growth in its early
stages, wliich is very important ; and secondly,
Spinach so thinned does not get blown about
by high winds — a fertile source of injury— as
when thinning is neglected. As soon as my
beds seem well established I thin a second time,
in moist weather if possible, afterwards gently
pressing the plants which remain into the soil
with finger and thumb to steady them. It is
this loosening by wind that plays the mischief
with autumn-sown Onions. My experience is
that winter Spinach, as a rule, does best on a
somewhat exposed ijuarter of the garden where
it is not subjected to as many, or as great fluc-
tuations of temperature as that growing on,
say, a warm Peach or Apricot border. It is use-
less trying to grow Spinach on plots infested
with wireworm unless remedial measures are
taken in good time. This consists in incor-
porating a liberal quantity of gaslime two or
three months previous to sowing. Old seed
should never be sown. J. Crawford.

somewhat intermediate between those known as
4S's and 32's. The soil itself is of the usual des-
cription, but firm potting evidently finds favour,
whilst a good amount of light is aimed at in every
one of the many houses now filled with plants
fast approaching their fullest beauty.

The" varieties are not in any sense pxtcnpive,
but the colours are clear and decided. This latter
point has evidently been kept well to the front in
past years.

Of whites, Her Majesty is }}Tr exceUenre the
model of what a Gloxinia should be. The purity
of the flowers is most noteworthy, being abso-
lutely white throughout, and the substance, with
all other good points, as noted previously, stand-
ing out in a remarkable degree, especially the
singularly short flower-stalks. It is a wonder
that such a flower as this Gloxinia possesses is
not more sought after by the decorative florists.
Another white variety was noted which has a
decidedly lemon-yellow throat, with in other
spects equally fine flowers. From the foregoing
l.as been raised quite a distinct variety called
Princess May, which has pure white lobes
margined with rosy pink in two shades, the
flowers of full size and the growth sturdy. The
finest of purples, a rich deep Tyrian purple, is t
be seen in Empress of India, in other respects
counterpart of Her Majesty. One named the Duke

Stove and Greenhouse.

GLOXINIAS AT READING.
In the extensive ranges of glass at the seed and
trial grounds of Messrs. Sutton and Sons there is
now to be seen a most imposing display of these
useful and beautiful plants. The results now
achieved are the outcome of years of patient and
persistent selections and of hybridisation. Not
only has increased vigour been imparted into the
leaf growth, but the same results have been
achieved in the flowers also. The former of these
attainments, it should be noted, is often gained in
a measure at the expense of the flowers them-
selves. In speaking of vigour of constitution, it
must not be inferred that it is at all excessive or
out of proportion. The individual leaves are
broad in proportion to their length, whilst the
leaf-stalks are short ; the pots are thus easily
overed by the first four leaves that are made
nfter the seedling stage, these leaves not extend-
ing beyond the pots to any great degree, but
drooping down and thus partially covering them.
The leaves are ideal types of what such growth
should be in the Gloxinia, being thick and fleshy
and of a dark green shade. It; should be noted
here that many growers of the Gloxinia spoil
their plants in the initial stage either by over-
crowding in the seed pan or by excessive moisture.
In the former instance the dwarf, close growth so
needful is sacrificed, whilst the foliage, if large
even, has not that consistency which is so desir-
able tJ produce fine flowers, and the attacks
of thrips are as a natural sequence more
readily encouraged. The Messrs. Sutton, in
•ecuring the habit of growth as noted, have also
gained another most important point, viz , a short
flower-stem, by which means the flowers are en-
tirely self-supporting— so much so, in fact, as to
ob%-iate any need of sticks to secure the flowers
when the plants are taken to an exhibition. The
substance of the individual flowers also is most
remarkable ; they are of leathery texture, and
when handled quite firm also. The length of
tube is also increased, whilst, the width is in pro-
portion thereto, with the lobes also of great
width and overlapping each other.

The plants from which these notes were taken
have all been raised from seed this season, having
already been in flower some weeks. If such re-
sults can be had in such a short time, each plant
bearing numbers of blossoms, the second season
bids fair to be of still greater promise. Examples
of these older plants were to be seen at the
Temple show. The pots used are not at all ex-
cessive in size ; that which finds most favour is

of root moisture and finally withholding alto-
gether when the plants are stored away in a dry,
cool place just free from frost, being again intro-
;d into a gentle warmth in spring according
to the time they are wanted to flower. If a part
of the latch is kept back for later blooming, a
ttle water should be given occasionally, as a too
prolonged state of root dryness will cause the
hulbs to shrink and render blooming uncertain. —
J. C.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1078.

THE PERIWINKLES.

(WITH

COLOURED PLATE OF VI>X'A MINCE
FL.-rL.*)

The two best known of all the hardy Vincas are
V. major and V. minor, which together with
their single and double and variegated-leaved
forms are often met with clothing banks and
walk margins, rocks, and tree stumps in
pleasure grounds, woodland walks, and in
plantations everywhere. All the kinds seem
_ _ most luxuriant in moist places and in half

orVork''"belo"ngs'to what"'isa very popular type I shade, but will grow anywhere in even poor

of Gloxinia with many growers as regards colour, soils, especially it it be stony, or under the

viz., a dark velvety crimson, with the iobes

broadly margined v/ith the purest white. That

named the Duchess of York is an excellent com-
panion to the foregoing, a deep velvety purple,

with the same distinctive white margin in con-
trast thereto. Another variety named Azure

Blue has flowers with the throat of great width,

its name being taken from the colour of the lobes

against a jrare white ground colour ; this is a

singularly distinct form. In scarlets the best

possible choice is that named Reading Scarlet, in

which the same excellent habit is maintained,

the foliage in this instance being slightly undu-
lated and somewhat darker in colour ; the colour

is of a rich glowing shade. Very similar in habit

is a selected crimson variety, quite distinct in

every other way. The spotted varieties are also

in strong force, the vigour of growth showing a

very marked improvement. One of these was

noted with very large flowers, the lobes being of

a pure white ground colour, with a rc^y pink

venation. Other forms were also very distinct.

In one group was to be seen a great variety of

colours, as represented by the produce of mixed

packets of seed.

Just at this season it is worthy of note that by

sowing seed without delay, good results may be

had during the ensuing winter months for the

decoration of the stove. Visitor.

ajor).

Amaryllises. — For many years Amaryllises
seemed to go out of fashion, but the recent intro-
duction of so many fine varieties has again
awakened enthusiasm for their culture, and it
cannot be denied that their general usefulness
amply repays any amount of pains which may be
bestowed upon them. Their culture is tolerably
easy, but why some fail to do them well is because
they give them too little heat when making their
growth Others store them away before the bulbs
are well matured and in too warm a place ; con
sequently when started the following season they
fail to flower, or do eo very irregularly. Potting
should be performed as soon as the plants go out
of bloom, using pots in stiict accordance with the
size of the bulbs, as overpotting they strongly
resent. The compost which suits them best is
good fibrous loam three parts and one part
leaf mould and well decomposed cow manure, with
some coarse sand added. After potting, an inter-
mediate house is the best place for them, this en-
couraging an early and free growth and a conse-
quent early ripening of the bulbs. As soon as it
can be perceived that growth has ceased, removal
to a cooler and more airy structure for a few
weeks is necessary, gradually lessening the supply

shade of deciduous trees. V. major is the
largest and strongest growing kind, its long
growths rooting at the tips only, and in this
way it extends widely and soon covers a large
area. The large purple-blue flowers are pro-
duced in February or March, and as seen at its
best it is a very handsome trailing shrub.

V. minor is much smaller in leafage and in
flower, and also more variable, there being two
or three variegated forms and also varieties
having white, purple, and blue flowers, and of
all these there are double-flowered forms. One
of the best and most graceful of these is shown
in the plate, a double form of V. minor pur-
purea. Apart from its smaller size, V. minor
diflers from V. major in rooting at almost
every joint, and its growth is more prostrate,
forming a dense carpet of stems and leaves.
V. minor is most useful for covering banks and
bare ground under trees, as its rooted shoots
may be dibbled in or planted at any time of the

• Drawn for The Garden by H. G. Moon from
flowers sent by Mr. P. Davidson, Iwerne Minster,
Blandford, Dorset. Lithoitraphed and printed by
J. L. Goffart, successor to Goillaume Severeyns.

THE

WINKl.E (Vni ■ ■ MINOR FLFL

August 8, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

103

year during mild and rainy weather with suc-
cess. A kind more rarely seen is V. media, or
"V. acutiflora, as it is often called in gardens.
Of this there are both blue and milk-white
forms, but it is more delicate than the others
named, and does not make such a good carpet-
ing plant.

The hardy European Vincas are really allied

to the tropical Allamandas, being apocynaceous,

and Vinca rosea and its white-flowered form are

well-known hot-house shrubs from Madagascar.

F. W. B.

The Week's Work.

FRUIT HOUSES.
Early Peach uouse. — The wood on trees that
were fcrned very early will now have become firm,
bub in ordc^ that the foliage may be maintained
■fresh as long i? possible, plenty of air should be
afforded both day aud night. With bright sun-
shine the border.^ aiC apt to get dry and the foliage
infested with red spider. To prevent this trouble-
some pest from doing much mischief, see that the
trees are washed occasionally and that the border
is kept moist. Many of the evils attending early-
forced trees may be traced to neglect after the
fruit is gathered. All gardeners know that both
4he Peach and Nectarine are very late naturally
in shedding their leaves ; therefore, in the case of
trees that have been forced severely the foliage
fthould by no means be hurried off, as there will
be ample time for the trees to rest during Octo-
ber. When the borders are allowed to become
too dry the leaves fall prematurely, which is often
the cause of the buds dropping when forcing com-
(mences. With later houses from which the fruit
has been gathered every precaution should be
taken to keep the foliage healthy, as it is only by
so doing that that the buds can be properly de-
veloped.

Vineries. — Where early forcing is carried on to
a considerable extent, the most forward Vines
from which the fruit has been cut will now be
ripening their foliage. All the air possible should
be admitted that the buds may remain dormant,
for if any extra excitement of the sap were to take
place the top buds would push, causing a lateral
growth. If this happens to any considerable ex-
tent the Vines will still go on growing till they
are checked by cold weather in the autumn.
Where the rights can be removed this should be
done, but houses having only lifting ventilators
and front lights should be left open as wide as
possible both day and night. In many old places
Vine borders are outside, and where such is the
case early forcing has to be done under adverse
circumstances, as there is much difficulty in raising
the soil to the necessary warmth to promote a
healthy growth, and often during the autumn
they become so saturated by the heavy rains,
•unless protected, as to render them very cold.
Where it is necessary to have Grapes ripe very
«arly, recourse should be had either to pot Vines
•or to small houses with inside borders suitable for
that purpose. In such, good crops may be had
for two or three years in succession with far less
trouble than with Vines in pots. Those who con-
template erecting houses of this description
would do well to set about the work at once before
bad weather comes on ; they would then be ready
for planting next spring. The size of such houses
must depend on the needs of the establishment.
It would, however, be far better to have two
20 feet each in length than one 40 feet ; they
could then be replanted without any apparent
Joss.

Late vineries. — Pay particular attention to
the watering and ventilation of these, that satis
"factory progress may be made while the days are
■■still long and the sun has sufficient power to keep
up the requisite temperature without the aid of
much fire-heat. It is well, however, to have a
■aUght warmth in the pipes at night, as this

assist in promoting a healthy growth. Some va-
rieties of Grapes require more heat than others to
finish them well and take a much longer period to
ripen ; therefore, unless these are brought forward
while there is good sunlight it cannot be hoped that
they will ripen satisfactorily. Gros Colman, Bar-
barossa and others of that class are inferior at
the best, and unless these are thoroughly ripened
they are quite worthless. Young Vines that were
planted late in the season ought now to be mak-
ing satisfactory progress. A moist, warm atmo-
sphere should still be maintained and growth en-
couraged as much as possible. All laterals must
be kept pinched back that there may be more
room for the leaves on the main rod to develop,
as these are those recjuired to furnish the sap for
developing the buds at their base. The syringe
should be freely used at closing time, shutting up
that the temperature may run up to S5", or even
higher on bright days. When the canes have
reached the top of the trellis, they should be
stopped. The border must be kept in a proper
condition as regards moisture. Surface dribblings
do more harm than good, for if root-action is to be
encouraged the whole border must receive atten-
tion. Pot Vines that are intended for early forc-
ing should be exposed to the open air as much as
possible, and where the lights cannot be removed
the Vines should be carried out and stood in a
sunny position, taking care in doing so not to in-
jure them in any way, as the least twist would
cause serious damage. The canes should be made
secure, that they may not be rocked to and fro by
the wind. Vines rooted from eyes in the early
part of the.'season will by this have nearly finished
their growth. Where this has still to be com-
pleted, see that they do not suffer from want of
moisture at the roots. The syringe should also
be freely used to keep the foliage clean and thereby
promote a healthy appearance.

Orchard house.— Much of the early fruit
these structures will have been gathered. There
will, however, be the main crop to still receiv(
attention, such, for example, as late Peaches
Pears, and the like. Choice, well-grown speci
mens are always deserving of special attention, and
in the case of both these fruits nets should be
afforded to prevent them from falling to the
ground. It often happens that insects of varioi
kinds are more troublesome to the finest sampl
than any others ; therefore extra precautions
should be taken to guard against their attacks.
I have never known birds so troublesome as they
are this year ; they are attacking the Apples
wholesale while stdl hard. Wasps are very
numerous, and unless these are at once destroyed
they will make sad havoc with the fruit. There
ought not to be any difficulty in keeping them out
of houses provided the ventilators are covered
with gauze of some kind. The best plan, how-
ever, is to seek out their nests and destroy them.

Soils. — There are but few places in the king-
dom where an adequate amount of good material
can be procured for potting. It often happens on
large estates where old pastures are plentiful that
the gardener is unable to procure a load of turf
without some unpleasantness, and even when he
has got what he requires, it is of such poor quality
that nothing will grow in it satisfactorily, the
land having received such scant attention. Where
such difficulties exist, and they are by no means
uncommon, the present is a good time to procure
the necessary supplj'. This should be stacked in
a heap, putting one layer of turf, then another of
fresh stable manure. If this be done while the
turf is still dry, the ammonia in the manure will
be the more readily absorbed by the soil. We
read a great deal about good turfy loam, but this
is an article seldom seen in some gardens ; still
good crops of fruit are procured. Where the soil
is naturally heavy, it takes a considerable time to
get maiden loam from such pastures in a work-
able condition, and where this is used for Vine
borders without previously being specially pre-
pared, the roots do not so readily take hold of it,
for when the fibrous portions are gone the re-
mainder settles down into a hard mass, and as it
is impossible to loosen such owing to the roots

very little progress is made, and in the course of
time the Vines perish. If soils are properly pre-
pared there would be but little danger of such
taking place, and in my opinion no better time
could be found for getting the materials together
than the present. H. C. Prixsep.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
Lettuces. — The production of good Lettuces
throughout the wmter frequently taxes the in-
genuity of those in charge, and where they must
be had it is important to raise now a large bed of
seedlings of those varieties which have hitherto
been found most suitable for the work. A large
supply of plants is a necessary item, as large gaps
are often made in those stored thickly under the
cover of frames or cold houses by drip, which it
may be impossible to prevent, and which causes
much damage before it is observed, especially to
those plants the lifting and replanting of which
under such shelter have been deferred until the
nights have become too cold to allow of fresh root
action taking place. Mildew also occasionally
attacks such plants, so that it is necessary to
provide sufficient to cover losses of this kind,
which may be reasonably expected throughout a
long and trying portion of the year. Free and
robust growth must be encouraged, and to obtain
this the seed should be sown thinly on a well-
manured and sunny border quite away from the
influence of shade at any portion of the day. I
prefer sowing broadcast at this time of the year ;
the forwardest seedlings can then be removed
early and transplanted without disturbing those
that are left, and will then come in for lifting and
replanting under glass ; the second sized lot will
do for planting close under south walls, where
they will if they escape the winter turn in early in
spring ; the remainder will probably winter where
sown, and I find these more sure to come through
safely than are those planted under walls, the
latter being frequently killed by frost and thaw,
while those further removed from the walls are
safely ensconced under a canopy of snow. The
Bath Brown Cos is generally used for this sowing
and cannot be beaten for general use. Other Cos
varieties which I cin recommend are Hick's
Hardy and Wordsley Gem, the latter being a
most useful variety not nearly so popular as its
merits warrant. It comes into use earlier than
any other Cos variety ; indeed it grows so close
and upright from the first, that it always appears
to contain a well-blanched, crisp, and tender
heart. Of Cabbage varieties, Paris Market, All
the Year Round, and Perfect Gem will be found
useful, but I place most confidence in the Cos va-
rieties for this sowing, and defer making a large
sowing of Cabbage Lettuce to stand the winter
for another three weeks or so. In planting out
Lettuces from earlier seed beds, it is well not to
despise the smallest plants, as any of these which
are large enough for planting out at any time
during this month will be sure to come in most
useful.' Plenty of ground will now be available,
and they will follow almost any crop with but
little preparation of the ground.

ToM.iTOES.— Presuming that outdoor plants
have been kept fastened to the wall and that all
lateral growth has been systematically pinched
out as fast as it has formed, as I have advised in
earlier notes, they will be carrying sufficient
bunches of fruit or flowers to form a full crop, and
it only remains now to pinch out the tops of the
plants and to feed the plants well by giving occa-
sional waterings with liquid manure, or, as an
alternative in case of excessive rainfall, by using
slight surface dressings of suitable concentrated
manure. It will be useless to expect that any
bunches of flowers formed after this date will bear
fruit forward enough to ripen under glass after
they have been cut and housed, so it is wiser to
concentrate the whole force of the plants on per-
fecting that which has already formed. I never
advise the entire removal of any leaves, and only
allow a slight reduction of the tips in case they
overlap any fruit which may soon be wanted or
which has an undue proportion of shade, as I am

104

THE GARDEN.

[AuGDsT 8, 1896.

convinced that defoliation is a frequent source of
bad flavour and want of substance in the fruits,
and I think it far better to wait a few days for a
perfect fruit than to liurry it at the expense of
([uality. riants under glass should be watched
lor white fly, which appears to be plentiful this
year, and which does the plants much harm and
fouls the fruit as well. The best remedy I have
found for this is spraying with Killmright, but one
operation is insutlicient, and it should be repeated
three times at least with weekly intervals. See
that the seedlings sown as recommended for
winter fruiting a few weeks back are not allowed
to get drawn or stunted, as a free and sturdy
growth is imperative.

Sri.v.uH.— I advise that the main crop of winter
Spinach be sown now in those districts which lie
north of London, and especially on cold soils,
though in those of a warmer nature it may be as
well to wait for another week. With the prepara-
tion of the soil for sowing I dealt in earlier notes.
Winter Spinach must be grown in well drained
soil, and 1 tind that it does best with me on a plot
sloping sharply to the north. A dead level is not
good for the crop where fogs are prevalent, for,
though no cold appears too severe for Spinach,
continuous wet hanging about the leaves causes
them to spot, and the plants eventually to die out.
To obviate this where these conditions prevail, I
advise that soil be thrown up in bed form, with
alleys 1 foot wide between the beds, to be wide
enough to contain two or at most three rows of
Spinach. I prefer beds 3 feet wide, each to grow
two rows, for economy of labour, as the alleys
thrown out then come in with a little deepening
as trenches for early Celery. Tread the soil if at
all lieht and water the drills before sowing.

rAKSi.EV.— It should be the practice in every
garden to provide a bed of Parsley under cover
for winter picking when the crop outdoors is
frost or snow-bound, as digging for and picking
the latter under these conditions are both un-
comfortable and wasteful. Quite a small frame
will, if planted now with suitable plants, provide
a nice lot of fresh green leaves at a time when
most in request. My practice is to till such a frame
with good rich soil to within 1 foot of the glass,
and to plant thickly in this lifted roots from the
earliest sowing, or if these are judged too big,
some from the second sowing are utilised. It is
well to know, however, that quite big plants lift
and transplant well, and though these may lose
most of the leaves they are now carrying, this
will make no material difference to their welfare,
and the winter growth thrown up by big plants
is more plentiful and more dense than that pro-
duced by younger plants, so that the balance is
in favour of planting a frame full of big plants.
Water in thoroughly, shade the frame until
growth has recommenced, then give the plants a
good sprinkling of soot to improve the colour, a id
expose them to all weathers until winter sets in.

Geneeal work. — Since my last notes were
written some rain — over half an inch— has fallen,
but it came in such a torrent that most of it ran
away down the drains. Such fitful storms are
not to be depended on to supply deep-rooted
things with water, and Peas, Scarlet Runners,
&c , must not be neglected if they are to perfect
a full and lasting crop. Weeds have grown in
spite of the drought, which only appears in their
case to have tended to early seeding, and in the
case of Carrot, Parsnip, Beet, and Onion plots,
through which the hoe has not lately been plied,
big weeds will have appeared, and these should
be pulled before they cast their seeds. Here So-
lanum nigrum is most persistent, and will, if not
sought for, perfect huge crops of seed among things
that might naturally be thought dense enough to
choke out any weeds. Early Leeks will now be
quite forward enough for earthing up, but the
trenches should not be filled in until they havi
been well drenched. It is not yet too late fo
planting any small Leeks which may remain on
the seed beds, and these may come in very useful
in late spring where room can be found to plant
them now. Caterpillars are troublesome on Cab-
bages and other green stuffs, and may be destroyed

by light sprinklings of powdered salt given in the
mornings when the plants are wet with dew.
Slugs should be trapped by putting down heaps
of bran among crops that are attacked and ex-
amining these at night, especially after a shower.
They have not been much in evidence with us
this year, and slight dustings of lime have been
sufficient protection for most things, but a drip-
ping time if we should get it will bring them out
hungry and voracious. J. C. Tallack.

Fruit and Vegetable Crops.

THE FRUIT CROP.

The fruit season of 180G will be a memorable
cue for many reasons, chief of which is the al-
most total failure iu many places ; and the old
adage as to there being many a slip " 'twi.xtcup
and lip " has received ample verification, for
who could have wished for brighter prospects
and promises of heavy crops of fruit than were
held out by the appearance of the plentifully-
budded trees early in the spring I The trees
when they came into bloom made a magnificent
show, converting the whole countryside for the
time being into a vast flower garden, and owners
of fruit trees conjured up visions of heavy crops
of fruit in their own minds, and predicted that
the crop would be equal to that r f last year.
But their hopes were not to be realise,', for in-
numerable quantities of caterpillars and weevils
put in an appearance and devoured both foliage
and embryo fruits in a wholesale fashion, and,
to make matters worse, great numbers of the
blossoms failed to set owing to the unusually
dry state of the soil. The rainfall iu this
locality has been unusually deficient for a very
long time past ; in fact, at no time during last
autumn and winter did sufficient rain fall to
properly moisten the subsoil ; consequently
much time and labour have had to be expended
in the watering of all kinds of fruit trees.

To return to the subject of insect attacks.
Those growers who grappled with the enemy at
the outset have had the satisfaction of saving their
crops, while those who have let matters slide
have to deplore the loss of ntarly the whole of
the crop in some instances, and in others they
have but halt a one at the most. In cottage
gardens and orchards belonging thereto I have
met with isolated cases of full crops of Apples,
and the owners will find these very remunerative
later ■.:n. Another thing I have observed both in
this and previous seasons, and that is that wliere
poultry are allowed the full run of orchards the
caterpillar attack has been very much less
severe, and cottagers and farmers would do
well to profit by this most useful object lesson.

I am sori-y to have to report a short yield of
vintage Apples and Pears, the trees in the
majority being less heavily cropped than the
table varieties. This fact is to be greatly de-
plored now that the cider and perry-making
industry is showing unmistakable signs of a
healthy revival. The foregoing remarks apply
more particularly to the Apple and Pear crops.
Plums and Damsons will not be heavy as last
year, but sweet Cherries have been above the
average and of good quality, while bush fruits
have been fairly abundant. Strawberries pro-
mised an unusually heavy yield, but this was
secured only where artificial watering was re-
sorted to. Nuts of all kinds are very abun-
dant, although the trees were hard hit ; the
foliage on the majority has the appearance of
having been riddled by small shot.

In these gardens washing and watering have
been largely resorted to, and the results achieved
are in every way satisfactory. Apricots,

Peaches, Nectarines and Cherries are one and
all carrying heavy crops. Plums and Damsons
are very good. Bush fruits are abundant, and
Strawberries have yielded very heavy crops of
fine fruit. Watering in the latter case was done
at three difl'erent periods — just before the
plants bloomed, when setting, and again a fort-
night afterwards. The soil was thoroughly
soaked each time, and it proved sufficient to
sustain the plants right through the bearing
period.

Among Apples and Pears the following are
a few that are bearing well, viz., Cox's Orange,
Fearn's, Ribston, King, Franklin's, London and
Cellini Pippins, Stirling Castle, Tower of
Glamis, Pott's Seedling, Lady Henniker, and
New Northern Greenings, Duchess of Olden-
burg, Maltster, Ecklinville, Warner's King, Lord
Clyde, Lord Suffield, Manks Codlin, Cox's
Pomona, Small's Admirable, Mere de Menage,
Lewis's Incomparable and Red Ingestre. Of
Pears, Williams, Souvenir du Congres, Beurr6
Hardy, Althorpe Crassane, Marie Louise, Marie
Louise d'Uccle, Louise Bonne, BeurrS d'Aman-
lis. Doyenne du Comice, Thompson's, Marochal
de la Cour, Beurr(5 Superfin, Knight's Monarch,
Duchessed'Angouleme, Seckle, Bergamoted'Es-
peren, Glou Morceau, Flemish Beauty and
Catillac are bearing good crops.

With regard to the vegetable crops, 1 never
remember a worse season than the present one.
Taking Potatoes first, the early crops are turn-
ing out fairly well as far as crop is concerned ;
the tubers are small, but to make amends for
these drawbacks the flavour is all that one can
desire. Second early varieties are larger and
the crop is fairly good, but with regard to the
main-crop and late varieties the yield will be
almost nil, unless rain falls in sufficient quan-
tity to thoroughly moisten the ground ere long.
Parsnips, Carrots, Beet, and Onions are look-
ing well with me. Fortunately, these were all
sown on ground that had been deeply worked,
otherwise I am afraid they would not have been
very good. In the neighbourhood the root
crops mentioned look parched up and need rain
sadly. For Cabbages and Cauliflowers the
weather has been the worst possible, and in
spite of watering they are anything but satis-
factory. Winter greens, Brussels Sprouts, and
Broccoli in variety present a woebegone ap-
pearance and make but little headway. A
thorough soaking rain is needed to give them a
good start. Spinach, Turnips, and saladings
have required constant attention to be able to
have them in fit condition for table. French
Beans are only kept going by the free use of
the water-pot, and Scarlet Runners the same.
Early Celery has made a good start, and this
and later lots have been well mulched to save
labour in watering. Early Peas cropped well,
and second early kinds the same, while the
main-crop snd later varieties have only been
kept going by dint of frequent waterings. The
best early Pea to suit my purpose here is
Veitch's Selected Early, First and Best follow-
ing close in succession, there being but a differ-
ence of a few days. Exonian and Stratagem
take up the supply after these, and then Dr.
McLean, an old, but firmly established favourite
Pea here, and which is grown in large quan-
tities, succeeds them. Autocrat gives the main-
crop supply, and Sturdy is grown exclusively
for late work. The varieties enumerated are
those which find great favour here, and the
more recently introduced kinds have not yet
been tried, simply for the reason that the above
are considered to be first-class in every respect
and suited to our special requirements.

A. Ward

Stole Edith Gardens, Hereford.

August 8, 1896.]

THE GAEDEK

105

SOUTHERN.
Claremont, Eaher. — Apples are, unfortun-
ately, a thin crop, not so much that many trees
are a total failure, but that nearly all sorts
are scantily represented. I fancy this is not
altogether the result of atmospheric influence,
but rather a preponderance of imperfect flowers.
Early sorts, both dessert and cooking, are
decidedly the beat. Apricots are very good, the
crop heavy, and the fruit for the season of fair
average size. The first fruit from an early variety
was gathered on July 4. Cherries, both dessert
and Morello, were and are an average crop ; some
varieties of the former were thin, others very
good ; Bigarreau Napoleon is still hanging. Pears
set thickly, but a large proportion of the fruit
dropped prematurely, and the crop, as a whole,
will be under average. Plums on walls are again
very good, and as all varieties in succession are
plentiful, it will be a lengthy season. Early
favourite and Early Prolific were gathered re-
spectively for dessert and culinary purposes the
first week in July. Peaches and Nectarines are
a very heavy crop, and together with Plums and
Apricots have required a lot of thinning. The
acquisition of such early sorts as Amsden June,
Alexander, and Waterloo is a wonderful boon
where there is no forcing, and with simply out-
door culture a supply of Peaches is available for
three months. Hale's Early, Grosse Mignonne,
and Early Alfred follow those named above before
the mid-season fruit comes in. Strawberries were
fairly good, below the average, however, in size,
and very quickly over. Very little growth has
been made ; indeed, on all other than one-year-old
plants a (juarter might be searched without find-
ing hardly a single runner. Of other small fruits.
Gooseberries and Raspberries are plentiful, but
Currants not so good as usual. A considerable
proportion of the fruit has been preserved up to
the present standard by the aid of heavy mulch-
ing, and in all practicable cases by a thorough
soaking of water. This applies particularly to
trees bearing heavy crops either in very exposed
positions or that are naturally shallow rooting
and necessarily are the first aflfected by a pro-
longed drought. As may be expected in a season
like the present, insect pests have been very
troublesome, and only by constant attention has
healthy foliage been preserved. The black fly es-
pecially has returned to the attack in a most de-
termined manner. Now that the smaller insects
are done with the battle with the earwigs will be-
gin. The Bean traps are in position, and we shall
inspect them every morning with the view to
lessen the numbers of the enemy before the major-
ity of the fruit approaches the ripening stage.

The Potato crop, I may add, promises to be ex-
ceptionally good ; tubers are of fine size and excel-
lent quality, and no sign of disease has as yet
appeared. — E. Burrell, Claremont.

Surrey, KiDgstOD-on-Thames.— Frequent
visits to various parts of this county have enabled
me to ascertain that the present season will
prove but a moderate one for tree fruits, whilst
bush fruits have been fairly good. Apples are
very thin. Here and there trees carrying fair
crops may be seen, but relatively they are few.
The fruits, too, are smaller than usual for the
time of year, owing doubtless to the drought and
abundance of insect pests ; still, some good rains
may do much yet to improve the sample. Pears,
though thin also, show belter samples, the foliage
of the trees having suffered less from insects. So
far the fruits seem to be very good, though mode-
rate crops are limited to common varieties.
Plums here and there are abundant, but generally
the crop is light. The trees also are much
blighted ; for that reason it is well they be not too
heavily laden with fruit. On some walls crops
are very good, but these are exceptions. The
Cherry crop has been a very fair one, and though
the samples were, owing to the drought, not
large, they were very sound. I'eaches and Nec-
tarines on walls have good crops, but have
needed very considerable attention in watering
to keep the fruits on the trees and swelling.
The trees, too, have needed ample washings.

Apricots have been a moderate crop. Goose-
berries have been abundant and a good sample
where the caterpillar was not prevalent, and that
was not frequent. Red, White, and Black Cur-
rants, too, have been very good, though the latter
suffered somewhat in places from aphis and
drought. Raspberries have done very well bar-
ring dryness in shallow soils. Strawberries have
been better than was generally anticipated, the
crop having been a very good one on retentive
soil. On shallow soils where water could not be
liberally furnished the crop was a short one. That
capital late variety, Latest of All, was fruiting
finely at Clarendon Park on July 15, where also
the La Versaillaise Red Currant on dwarf com-
pact bushes fruits superbly, and yet close by
Raspberry canes, so strong the first season, die
wholesale the second. Small Nuts seem to be
very scarce, but Walnuts show in many places
heavy crops.

In spite of the long drought vegetables have
been plentiful and fairly good. This is largely
the result of deeper cultivation of the soil than
was formerly given, thus enabling the roots to
find more food and moisture. Early Potatoes
ha\'e been rather small relatively, but their cheap-
ness tells of their abundance. On dry soils the
earliest are all practically ripe, the tops dying
off a rare yellow hue. Late Potatoes have been
materially checked, but the partial rains and
cooler temperature will give them a fresh start ;
hence there is later every prospect of good crops.
Peas, regarded from the purely productive aspect,
have been good with all earlier sowings, but com-
parative failures with many later ones, a liberal
supply of water having failed to outweigh the
eflects of excessive heat and a dry atmosphere in
destroying fertility and promoting the develop-
ment of maggot. Late sowings that have not
shown bloom may now break fresh growth and
give good results. Runner Beans have made good
growth and promise well. Dwarf French Beans
have suffered a good deal from thrips, but chiefly
on shallow soils. Asparagus has been plentiful
.and good. Cabbages are not so good as usual,
the midseason plants being much riddled by
caterpillars. Early heads were good, and later
ones no doubt will also bear. Too many of the
large loose-leaved varieties are still grown. Cauli-
flowers were very good early, but have been loose
and premature during the heat. There will, no
doubt, be plenty of fine heads later. Brussels
Sprouts have been liberally planted and look well.
Spinach has rarely been seen good of late. White
Turnips have been prematurely blighted, yet
there is good promise from late sowings. Carrots
have suti'ered very much from thrips and spider,
the foliage being reddish, but rains will doubtless
cause them to improve. Onions have so far been
remarkably good, the maggot having given very
little trouble. Celery looks very well, but good
Lettuces are rare. On the whole for vegetable
culture, the season has been one of great trial. —
A. Lean.

Old Warden Park, Biggleswade.— Apples
are an average crop, very healthy. Louise Bonne
of Jersey and Bon Chretien Pears generally good,
but small. Plums of the popular kinds are thin,
the best being Victoria and the old Orleans.
Cherries of the Morello type good crop, but rather
small. Peaches and Nectarines are a full crop,
but generally small, through the long spell of dry
weather. Apricots are very thin, but the trees
very healthy. Gooseberries and Currants plen-
tiful. Gooseberries very fine. Strawberries gene-
rally were a disappointing crop, but good results
followed generous treatment during the long
drought.

Vegetables during the long drought have suf
fered very much. Potatoes have suffered also
through the dry weather, and are consequently
very small, but free from disease.— G. R. Allis.

Arundel Castle, Sussex. — Apples under
average. Lord SufEeld, Cox's Pippin, Lane's
Prince Albert, Blenheim Orange, Old Nonsuch,
Warner's King, Stirling Castle and King of Pip-
pins are carrying the best crops. Pears under
average, Williams' Bon Chretien, Louise Bonne

of Jersey, Pitmaston Duchess, Doyenne d'Ete and
Jargonelle being the best. Peaches and Necta-
rines average ; trees are troublesome to keep
healthy owing to the hot and dry weather. Apri-
cots average. Currants, Black and White, aver-
age ; Red under average. Gooseberries very
heavy crop, quality excellent. Raspberries aver-
age, small owing to want of moisture. Medlars
average. Nuts under average. Walnuts average.

Tomatoes outside doing remarkably well.
Early varieties of Potatoes are yielding rather
light crops, quality very good. Beans — Broad
not doing well owing to drought ; runners and
dwarfs where watered are doing tolerably well.
Peas, early varieties, did very well considering
the dry weather. Dickson's Harbinger I consider
one of the best and earliest, being a splendid
cropper and good flavour. — E. Burberry.

Mereworth Castle, Maidstone. —Apples
are very patchy ; in fact, on the whole the crop
is very light. The trees are looking fairly
well, although the caterpillars, &c., made sad
havoc with the foliage early. Pears are light.
Plums scarce. Cherries somewhat thin, but very
good in size and quality. Nuts exceptionally
heavy in some gardens. Peaches and Nectarines
were never better. Strawberries good. We have
a good average crop of Black Currants, but in the
neighbourhood the crop is light. Apricots are
fairly good and a nice crop.

Potatoes good and free from disease as yet.
The tubers will not be large, but of good quality.
Peas — midseason were never worse, early sorts
good. Our best were Chelsea Gem, Bunyard's
Early Dwarf, a fine Pea, and William L Following
these. Criterion, still one of our best and most
reliable kinds. The Marvel did well, but Telephone,
Prodigy, &c., are bad in the extreme. Champion
of England fairly good for the season. Later kinds,
such as Ne Plus Ultra, Goldfinder, &c., are look-
ing well. On the whole, vegetables are far short
of what they should be. Drought and heat com-
bined have in many instances proved too much
for them. — H. Markham.

Syon House, Brentford.— The season, owing
to heat and drought, has greatly affected small
fruits and caused Apples and Pears to drop. On
our thin soil we have suffered greatly. Apples
set a wonderful crop, especially those of the
Codlin type, such as Lord Grosvenor, Manks and
Keswick, and in spite of drought are laden with
fruit. The same remark applies to King of the
Pippins, a great number of trees being grown in
this locality. Choice dessert kinds such as Cox's
Orange, the Russets, and Pearmains have but a
thin crop, and many late cooking varieties with a
few exceptions, Alfriston being a notable one, have
dropped the fruits badly. Lane's Prince Albert
and Alfriston are our two best croppers. Pears
are an average crop ; some trees have more than
they can well carry, others very scarce. Cordon
trees are mostly cropping freely, but these have
received better treatment in the way of mulching
and moisture. Our best Pears this season are
Louise Bonne of Jersey, Durondeau, Pitmaston
Duchess, Marie Louise, Emilie d'Heyst, BeurrtS
Baltet, Glou Morceau, and Ne Plus Meuris.
Young trees are best ; many of the older trees have
not a single fruit. Plums are an average crop, a
few above, but the majority much under. The cook-
ing varieties such as Victoria are heavily laden,
others, mostly dessert, have a poor crop. In the
market gardens close round there are very heavy
crops of Victoria and Pond's Seedling, the trees
breaking down with the weight. Cherries of all
kinds are much above the average, though the
season has been a short one owing to the heat and
drought, and the trees were badly attacked by
black fly, requiring much attention to prevent it
spreading. The late kinds such as Bigarreau
Napoleon, St. Margeret, Morellos and Flemish
Red are very fine this season. Apricots, Peaches,
Nectarines, are plentiful and good. I gathered
Large Early on July 1.^, and OuUin's Early Peach
next day. Moorpark, Hemskirk, and others are
equally early this year and good ; there has been
but little bad wood and the trees are making a
clean growth. Of course they have required much

106

THE CxAimEK

[AUGCSl

1S;;G.

moisture to get good results. I am much pleased
with the Peaches and Nectarines, and the condi-
tion of the trees shows they like plenty of warmth
if they pet ample moisture. The trees set \cry
heavy crops of fruit and are makinjr a wonderful
grow'th. We are this season in advance of ISi'.i,
one of the earliest years on record. Amsden
June and a few others are all gathered at the
time these notes are written (July IS), and Hale's
Early, Condor and Early Canada are nearly ripe.
The later varieties, such as Barrington, Dymond,
Noblesse and Royal George, promise grand fruits
and in quantity. NecUrines are eijually good.
I have this season found how valuable the new
Early Rivers is for open walls planted alongside
of our old favourite, Lord Napior. It is much

cf Fyrus Maulei.

and healthy. Peaches and Nectarines on south the present day. A good rather deep loam that

walls are a plentiful crop, but the trtes are very is always at lea.'-t fairly moi.st suits this Pyrus

much blighted. Strawberries were an abundant best, but it is by no means fastidious as to soil

crop, but small, the flavour being excellent. I ^j. situation.

Raspberries, Gooseberries and other small bush i,- , i . , • n tvt i • i.- i, • r

fruits are average crops, though much smaller ^ An allied kind is Pyrus Maulei, which is of

•ban usual on account of the long-continued far more recent introduction, having been ob-

drought.— James Tci.i

Trees and Shrubs.

THE JAPAN QUINCE.

(PYKfS .TAPONICA.)

The fruits of this Pyius herein illustrated ;

earlier and a splendid fruit as regards size and
colour. Lord Napier, Humboldt, Pineapple and
Rivers' Orange are all excellent. Small fruits,
such as Strawberries, Raspberries, Gooseberries,
and Currants, are good. Strawberries have been
good and abundant. I rely mostly upon youngplants
and mulch freely. These fruits were very early,
good dishes being had the end of May, and Latest
of All has given us a good early July supply.
Raspberries have suffered from heat. Superlative
is our best variety. Gooseberi ies are plentiful, but
Currants dropped badly through drought.

The vegetable crops have been excellent all
through the spring and early summer months.
Cabbages turned in much earlier than usual, good
beads being secured in March, and I never
remember a more plentiful supply of all kinds of
winter and spring Broccoli ; there was no loss by
frost and the heads were good. The succession
crops of Cauliflowers for summer supplies have
not been good, the drought having been too great.
French Beans where given ample attention have
been earlier than usual and good, but Broad
Beans suffered much from drought in our light
land. Asparagus was good and abundant, and the
first crop of Peas very good ; midsummer varieties
have been less plentiful, the season being a short
one. Potatoes have suffered from drought ; the
first crop though heavy was small, but theijuality
first-rate. A 1, Ringleader, and Sharpe's Victor
were tit to lift at the end of May from the open
ground. There have been very good crops of
Veitch's Ashleaf, not a tuber diseased, and the
large cropping American kinds such as Early
Puritan are excellent this season, a dry time im-
proving the flavour. Sutton's Supreme is very
fine both in crop and quality. Later kinds
promise well, and so far there is no disease. —
G. Wytiies.

Amport House, Andover. — With the ex-
ception of Apricots, the fruit crops are very satis-
factory here this year. Apples are a heavy crop,
the beet we have had for the last five years, more
especially on old standard trees. The best varie-
ties are King of the Pippins, Hawthornden, Lord
Suflield, Keswick Codlin, while on espalier-trained
trees the beet are Tower of Glamis, Duchess of
Oldenburg, Devonshire Quarrenden, Irish Peach
and Cox's Orange Pippin. Pears and Plums on

tained from Japan by Messrs. Maule, of Bristol,
after whom it was named. This Pyrus made
its appearance as a novelty in 187-'j. It diflfers
in many widely marked fea'iun'S from P.
japonica, being much less in growth, with
smaller foliage and flowers, these latter being
of a bright orange-scarlet as a rulp, though in'
tint they vary somewhat. The fruits are borne
more freely than in the case of P. japonica,

_ while they are in shape more like an Apple, and

large, and though they do not become brightly when ripe are of a rich golden yellow, flushed
coloured when ripe, as many of their allies do, with red. In the early part of May P. Maulei
yet their fragrance at that time is very tempt- is an extremely bright object when laden with
iug, but they are by no meaus pleasant to the blossoms, and frequently its fruits form an
taste. It is indeed as a flowering shrub that equally eftective autumn feature. There is not
this Pyrus claims attention, and iu this respect : nearly as wide a divergence from the nornial
it stands in the very front rank, for it possesses | type iu this species as there is in the allied
so many desirable features. In the first place, P. japonica, for this last is represented in dif-
when trained to a wall its rich- coloured bios- ferent lists by varieties innumerable, while
sonis serve to brighten up an otherwise dull P. Maulei, though it shows a certain amount of
winter's day ; next, though often treated in variation when raised from seed, has only, as
this fashion, it is thoroughly
hardy when grown as an
open bush, though in this
case, of course, its season
of flowering is later. Under
whichever conditions it
may be grown the bloom-
ing period of this Pyrus
extends over a considerable
time. It is one of those
subjects that may be re-
garded as everybody's
flower, for many a cottage
is during the winter and
spring enlivened with its
bright-coloured blossoms,
hile in the largest and
most ambitious gardens it
frequently represented
by several varieties. When
grown in the open ground
this Pyrus is not seen at
its best if dotted here and
there in a shrubbery border
or similar position, but is
very efl'ective as a bush on
the open lawn, while three
four distinct kinds
grouped in a good-sized
bed will form a most at-
tractive feature when in
bloom, and be an object of
interest throughout the
year. The varieties are
numerous, the principal
feature of each being the
diff'erent colour of the
flowers, which range from
pure white to deep crim-
son through various shades

of blu.sh, pink, and scar- , ■ , j • . m,-

let. This Pyrus, which at one time was far as I am aware, one decided variety Ihis
more generally known as Cydonia japonica, is superba, whose blossoms are much richer and
was introduced from Japan in 1815, but little deeper in colour than the common kind
seems to be known of its early history. Its When first introduced it was thought likely that
merits, however, asserted themselves before any the fruits of P. Maulei would prove useful, but
great length of time had elapsed, as it was by they can only be eaten as a preserve, it is just
Loudon referred to in the following terms : as hardy and indifi'erent with regard to soil as
" One of the most desirable deciduous shrubs in P. japonica, and when a group or groups ot this
cultivation, whether as a bush in the open last are planted, P. Maulei is just the thing for

lawn, trained against a wall, or treated as an the outskirts thereof. 1-

ornamental hedge plant." Though it is many \ ..,,,,,

years since this was written, Loudon's opinions I Desfontamea spinosa.-Most people regard

Fruit of Purus japonica. From a phofograph'.sent by
lir. J. 0. Seabrooke, Qrays, Essex.

and Coxa Orange i-ippin. l-ears ana riums on j^caio =.iiv,c .^.o ,.,... „.„,_„_ ^ 4. I fuu »a heino-

walls are an avirage crop, the trees being clean I will, I think, be still endorsed by everyone at I this as being

that tender, but according to

August S, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

107

my experience it is about as hardy as any ever-
green plant we grow. I have bushes of it grow-
ing in my garden, and beside them Arbutus,
Portugal Laurel, and Photinia. All were planted
three vears ago. The severe frost of 1S94 and
1895 killed the Arbutus down to the ground line,
and the Portugal Laurels and Photinia were
terribly injured by it, while the Desfontainea re-
mained unhurt, as it blossomed as well the fol-
lowing season as at any time before or since. I
just mention the circumstance to show its hardy
character. It is somewhat slow in growth, and
as it flowers at a time when there are few flower-
ing shrubs in bloom, it is valuable where variety
is wanted. — J. C. C.

Elm Louis Van Houtte is a very vigorous
growing golden variety of great merit. It is not
quite so bright as the variety Dampieri or Wreedi
aurea, the colour of Louis Van Houtte being a
russety golden colour, but the growth is much
superior, and it can be confidently recommended
for park planting.

Rhododendrons in America. — The follow
ing Rhododendrons {according to Gardening) are
perfectly hardy in New England : Album grandi
florum, Alexander Dancer, Archimedes, Bacchus
Bluebell, Caractacus, Charles Bagley, Charles
Dickens, Delicatum, Everestianum (rosy lilac, free
blooming), Giganteum (bright rose), Guido, Ham-
let, H. W. Sargent, Charles Sargent, James Bate-
man, Kettledrum, King of the Purples, Lady
Armstrong, Lady Clermont, Lady Francis Cross-
ley, Mrs. Harry Ingersoll, Mrs. Charles S. Sar-
gent, Mrs. ililner. Old Port, Rosabell, Roseum
«legans and Sir Thomas Sebright.

Corylus Avellana aurea is a splendid addi
tion to our hardy coloured deciduous shrubs
The Purple Hazel when growing freely (and not
starved, as is too often the case) is a very fine
shrub, and a golden form should be equally valu
able. The two varieties grouped in one bed
would make a very effective mass of colour all
through the summer months. They should be
hard pruned each year and well manured ; the
foliage then would be large and well coloured,
Standards and half-standards of them would also
be very useful to plant on lawns or in the shrub
bery provided thoy have as much sun as it is
" " to give them.

Flower Garden.

PRIMULA DENTICULATA.
It is always a matter of some surprise, seeing
the ease with which plants of this species may
be raised from seed and how freely the latter is
produced, that we do not more often find them
used in spring gardening. If we, again, bear in
mind that its peculiar shade of colour is not
very common, I think one may assume that
some pretty garden effects may be obtained by
its free use or in company with other things, or,
again, when grouped in the rock garden. The
forms of Himalayan Primroses can vie with
almost any hardy plant for general effective-
ness either in its large handsome tufts of broad
leaves or its dense clustered heads of lilac
flowers. And when speaking of these forms of
Himalayan Primroses I would be understood
to mean not only the above-named species, but
also its many variable forms, which include
cashmeriana, and by going a little wider em-
brace also that equally valuable, though in
many gardens less reliable, species P. capitata.
These are so nearly akin in general aspect, that
they may all with advantage be grouped in a
somewhat similar manner. The last named
species has almost globular heads of flowers of
the deepest purple-blue, a most distinct and
often varying shade of colour. This is invalu-
able for grouping in the rock garden in deep
loamy soil and a position removed from hot

sun. In the cool house this is a capital plant
for winter work in pots, and should be largely
grown for this purpose alone. Seeds are freely
produced and plants may be raised abundantly
where required. It should be noted that P.
capitata is not so truly a perennial as the other
kinds, and therefore there is greater need for
more frequent renewal by seed. There are
many positions in the garden suited to these
plants, and none more so perhaps than the
half- shady parts of the woodland or the drier
parts of the bog garden. In either of these a
group of fifty or a hundred plants will produce
a splendid display.

P. denticulata has heads of blossoms less
globular in shape and of a pale lilac, which
also is most variable in colour. The variety
puicherrima has larger heads of flower of a
deeper shade of colour. There is also a white-
flowered variety of this plant, P. denticulata
alba, a group of which is shown in accompany-
ing illustration. It is in reality, and also un-
fortunately, not a pure white flower, though
sufficiently white to merit the varietal dis-
tinction. It is quite possible that having thus
far departed from the typical plant in point of
colour, a good and pure white may yet be forth-
coming, while to those who have plenty of
spare time I would suggest crossing this white
variety with the snowy Primrose through a series
of years, with the object of securing the snowy
heads of pubescens alba on a more vigorous
habit of growth. These varieties of denticulata
are distinct in having no meal on the stems and
leaves, while in P. cashmeriana the plant is
covered with a dense mealy farina. This last-
named form is perhaps the most vigorous of all,
revelling in a soil which is both deep and fairly
rich and rather moist, for here it produces its
densely formed heads of pale blue or lilac
flowers on stout stems, often 18 inches high,
and frequently, where shade and moisture are
always at hand, even more. By the term mois-
ture here applied, and which is applicable to
all save P. capitata, which is more content in
drier spots and partial shade, it will be found
all suflicient if the roots are in touch with the
moisture, as the crowns very quickly perish if
long submerged. But, given this moisture at
the root, the plants will bear the fullest sun-
light, or, where these conditions are not forth-
coming, may be well grown on a border that
possesses a fair amount of shade as well as a
good depth of soil.

In raising seedlings, the plants are always
best if potted or planted out at once in per-
manent positions, as any check in their earlier
stages is a detriment to after success. Apart
from seeds, it may be noted that any specially
distinct kinds may be increased by root cuttings
in winter. This operation has been frequently
described in The Garden, though it is really
only worth while in quite exceptional cases,
seeing the splendid results obtainable from
seed. E. J.

Iris Milesi. — Hitherto I have never thought
very much of this, but recently I saw in the gar-
den at Narrowater a fine clump 5 feet or 6 feet
across, with dozens of flower-stems, quite 4 feet
high, abundantly flowered, the colour much
brighter than I had been accustomed to see it.
The flowers are not large and showy in the sense
that those of I. Kajmpferi, for instance, are, but

grown it was most distinct and effective,
looking, in fact, like a giant Mora^a. — T. Smith.

Lilium candidum and the leaf disease. —
This, I think, is more a matter of weather than
anything else. This season, owing to the dry,
warm conditions prevailing, this Lily flowered
splendidly — leaves and stems perfect. Many thou-
sands in beds and clumps in various positions were

all equally healthy. The flowering, however, was
scarcely over when the weather changed to almost
constant showers, and in ten days the leaves were
quite destroyed. This not only refers to L. can-
didum, but to L. croceum also. Nor do I think
that the presence or absence of disease germs very
much affects the matter. Three years ago these
Lilies were simply decimated and not a flower
opened. The person in charge allowed the stems
to remain, fall down and rot on the ground, in-
stead of taking what I should have thought to be
the very necessary precaution of clearing away
not only the stems, but the surface soil also, and
burning it. I fully expected that the following
season the disease would be rampant, but instead
the summer was dry and not a solitary trace of
disease appeared, and these Lilies never were so
good. It is well known that Lily bulbs should
never be dried, in fact it is often disastrous so to
do. The Kew people may be able to afford such
an experiment as suggested on page 87, but I,
for one, should most certainly never dream of
making it.-— T. Smith,

GERANIUMS IN THE FLOWER GARDEN.
Despite the rage which for a few years existed for
carpet bedding, it is now almost a thing of the
past — so far, at any rate, as private places are
concerned. We see it still, though on a much
reduced scale, in public parks and recreation
grounds, but its doom is sealed, and in a few years
hence visitors to the latter places will look for
it in vain. Coupled with its extreme formality
is the fact that, viewed from a distance, it has no
effect whatever, and everyone who has had any
experience with it knows that, owing to the mul-
tiplicity of subjects which sometimes have to be
U6ed in a single bed to complete a special design,
untold labour in trimming and pinching — so as
to prevent the larger things from outgrowing
the small— is incurred. Although willing to
admit that in the old-fashioned form of massive
bedding formality cannot altogether be excluded,
yet for the adornment of large flower gardens it
will take a lot of beating, and that for viewing at
a distance it positively has no equal. The spa-
cious garden at Revesby Abbey (the residence of
the Hon. Mrs. Stanhope) in fine sunny seasons
presents a sight worth going a long distance to
see, and a similar sized one at Melton Constable
(the seat of Lord Hastings) was last summer ren-
dered extremely beautiful by a happy combina-
tion of the various hued Geraniums, Calceo-
larias (which seem to escape the too well-
known disease in that neighbourhood). Lobelias,
and a host of other well-matched subjects.
The improvement of bedding Geraniums has been
very marked of late years, although some of the
older varieties will hold their own in their respec-
tive sections. The most popular dark crimson
bedder at the present time i^ Henry Jacoby, the
demand this season in some districts being greater
than large growlers could supply. Another
capital scarlet is John Gibbons, much in favour
for bedding in the midlands, and becoming better
known each year in the south. It has a fine bushy
habit and is very free. Triomphe de Stella is an-
other excellent dark scarlet flower, belonging to
the nosegay class, its noble trusses, which are pro-
duced in great profusion, being very eSective
when seen en 7nas!ie. For a good scarlet of the
dwarfer section, the old Vesuvius is still one of
the best, one of its best points being resisting wet
weather well. Vesuvius should be planted closely,
as its habit of growth is not so spreading as some.
The semi double Wonderful is likewise a first-
class Geranium of the same colour, being exceed-
ingly free-flowering, and holding its trusses intact
in rainy weather better than the single forms. As
a pink bedder Christine is still worth retaining,
ts free-flowering character being well known ; its
chief drawback is its non-resistance of wet weather.
A comparatively new variety of this class is E. F.
Crocker, which, although much of the same habit
of growth as Christine surpasses it in richness of
colour ; it is said to be a sport from Christine. Of
salmon shades Mr. F. Bartleman must be placed

108

THE GARDEN.

[AugistS, 1896.

in the front rank as an elTective bedder. Mrs.
Pollock and Mrs. Harry Cox in the golden tricolour,
Crystal Falace Oem in the golden edged, and Miss
Kingsbury and Little Trot in the green and white-
leaved section are as good as any. In the bronze-
leaved section Black Douglas is as good as any.
Geranium raisers may take heart, as, judging from
the last year or two, there is every probability of an
increased demand both for good bedding and pot
varieties in the future. J. C.

THE EULALIAS.
The Eulalias are hardy and ornamental peren-
nial Grasses of robust growth, C feet to 7 feet
high. Established plants form clumps 17 feet
to IS feet in circumference. The brownish
violet flower panicles of E. japonica have at
first erect branches, but as the flowers open
these branches curve over gracefully, and re-
semble a Prince of Wales' feather. Each of the
numerous flowers has at its base a tuft of long
sUky hairs, which contribute greatly to the
feathery lightness of the whole. For isolated
positions on lawns this kind is excellent, or it
might be used in groups or on the margin of
the shrubbery. Even more valuable than the
tvpe are the two variegated forms — variegata,
with leaves longitudinally striped with white
and green ; and zebrina, with distinct cross bars
of yellow on the green, which render it singu-
larly attractive. These variegated forms, par-
ticularly zebrina, are not quite so hardy as the
type. E. gracillima is very beautiful, as the
accompanying illustration shows. It is well
worth establishing in our gardens. The Eula-
lias are increased by either division or seed, and
come from Japan.

DOUBLE DAFFODILS TURNING GREEN.
The blooms of my double Daffodil Van Sion, of
which I have a large quantity, have all turned
green, the flowers deformed, for the past two
seasons. The same trouble exists in many other
gardens. I have tried shifting to other ground,
also applying stable manure and desiccated night
soil without effect. Can you suggest a remedy ?
Is there a variety of Narcissus called nobilissi-
mus ? If so, is it a double Tazetta, and what is
the colour ? I cannot find it mentioned in Baker's
" Amaryllidacc-E," though I have seen the name in
one of the English trade catalogues. — A. MoN-
T.M^rE, Victoria, Australia.

*,* The question of double Daffodils having
green flowers is an old one, and in our opinion
the cause is to be sought for in the weather. The
double Daffodil requires plenty of sun and
warmth to develop its flowers to perfection, and
thus be of a good yellow colour. During the
springe of 1890 and 1891 in England the flowers
of double Daffodils generally came green, and in
those years we suffered from cold and sunless
springs.

Narcissus nobiliseimus belongs to the Tazetta
or Polyanthus section of Narcissi, and is distinct
from tbe double Roman Narcissus. It would not
be found in Baker's " Amaryllidaceie," since it is
a double flower, and therefore a garden monstro-
sity.—Barr & So.N-.

CEnothera speciosa. — The washy - looking
tints of some varieties of this plant are not very at-
tractive, but I have several plants now bearing
flowers of the purest white, and though these were
knocked about badly by the heavy thunderstoim
on the 2i;th ult., they are now holding up their
heads bravely. It is a very free growing and useful
herbaceous plant. A native of North America. — R.

Chameepeuce diacantha.— The hot weather
and continued sunshine have apparently suited
this variety of the Fishbone Thistle. Plants
raised from seed sown in March are already 2 feet
and upwards in diameter, the pale green and
white foliage and hard, sharp spines having a dis-

tinct appearance. It is a suitable plant for single
effect, a large, well-grown specimen in a prominent
position in a border or in the rock garden being
sure to attract attention.

Platycodon Hariesi. — The large, deep blue
campanulate blossoms of this fine plant have now
for over a fortnight been brightening up the her
baceous border. It is of the easiest culture and
large clumps of it are extremely attractive. Seeds
will ripen in plenty if allowed, and plants are by
this means easily raised, this perhaps being the
most suitable method of propagation. The old

--X3^v

Garden'. It is a grand outdoor Lily, whether seen
in a mass by itself or associated with shrubs.
Selections of Lilies suitable for pot culture are

I occasionally given, and, with regard to this, it
may be pointed out that the variety splendens is
by far superior for such a purpose to any of the
other Tiger Lilies, for when confined in pots the
foliage is apt to suffer, while splendens retains its
leaves. The typical L. tigrinum is often planted,

' doubtless because it is cheaper than splendens,
but the difference in price is not great, and, as a

' rule, from the Dutch cultivators we obtain finer

WM

iJulalia jap07iica gractUi

plants may also be taken up after flowering, care-
fully divided and replanted. It is one of those
useful and showy plants that should find a place
in all gardens.

Tiger Lilies. — As might be supposed in a
season like the present, the different Tiger Lilies
are flowering earlier than usual. Of the different
forms, by far best is the variety splendens, or
Leopoldi, which is in every way much superior to
the ordinary Tiger Lily, as may be readily under-
stood by the many notes in its favour which are
scattered through the different volumes of The

bulbs of splendens than of the ordinary form. The
double- flowered variety, once thought so highly
of, is admired now by very few, and to my mind
is altogether wanting in the grace and elegance
of the single forms. — H. P.

Cassia corymboss.- Occasionally in some
old-fashioned garden a large plant of this Cassia
may be found which can be depended upon to
flower well every summer, and during the winter
it is kept in the conservatory, or somewhere just
clear of frost. In some of our public gardens,
too. it may be seen growing outside during the

August 8, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

109

summer associated with other tender subjects.
The excessively hot weather of the present season
eeems to suit it well, for it is quite a mass of its
golden blossoms, and bids fair to continue for
some time. It is, as a rule, far more frequently
met with among our neighbours across the channel
than it is in this country. Cassia corymbosa is
a native of the neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres,
and was introduced in 179S. It is of eisy culture,
succeeding, as it does, in any ordinary potting
compost. The principal thing to be observed is
the thorough ripening of the wood towards the
end of the summer.

*,* This plant used to be planted out every
season in the Poyal Horticultural Society's gar-
dens at Chiswick, and fljwered splendidly. Oa
the approach of frost the plants were lifted, cut
down and potted, and placed in a house with
Pelargoniums until required again for the flower
garden. They invariably did well treated thus.
Plumbago capensis, given the same treatment,
also flowered splendidly. The plant here figured
is growing against a west wall in Major Gaisfords
garden at Offington. It covers a space quite
9 feet high, forming a spreading mass of glos-y
leaves, which greatly add to the beauty of the
flowers. It stoDd tae severe winter of 1894 95,
but for better protection the shoots had been tied
into a bundle. — Ed.

FLOWER GARDEN NOTES.

Carnation's. — In a season like that of 1896 th
Carnation is, on a light dry soil, second to n
flower if sufficient knowledge and energy is thrown
into its culture to counteract, as far as possible,
the influences at work against it. Perhaps one is
bound to acknowledge that a first-class Rose is
better than the best Carnation, but then one cxn
grow the latter flower successfully where Roses
are poor .and short-lived, and for a fine display on
the border or their value in a cut state Carnations
in variety are quite at the top of the tree. We
have started layering rather earlier than usual
this year, commencing on July 20 with Countess
of Paris and Mrs. Reynolds-Hole. Apropos of the
last-named, I have to acknowledge several letters
recommending good substitutes in the event of
splitting tendencies being greatly in evidence, and
note that whilst midland and south growers are
in favour of Carolus Duran, those further north
pass this variety by in favour of The Beau, The
Pasha and Sigurd, a fact, coupled with the know-
ledge that Carolus Duran is of French extraction,
leading to a doubt as to the hardiness of that va-
riety. The variety grown by Mr. Brotherston, of
Tynninghame, under the name of Sigurd is the
finest self apricot I have seen both as to siz3 and
quality, that is as a homi fide border Carnation.
It is comparatively unknown in the south, and
presumably a northern seedling that has not as
jet reached us in quantity. A reminder to those
just about starting the cultivation of Carnations
is to layer early and carefully, choosing the best
grass obtainable and not to neglect daily atten-
tion in the way of watering, if the weather keep
hot and dry, until the points of the grass indicate
that the layer is beginning to shift for itself and
the check given by the partial severance is at an
end. If a batch is wanted for pot work, note
must bo taken of the quantity required and an
additional number put down, choosing the
stoutest, healthiest grass and giving the prefer-
ence to free fioweting sorts of dwarf, sturdy habit,
like, for instance, the old dwarf crimson Clove. I
was reluctantly compelled to discard this some
few years ago owing to the fact that the foliage
was practically destroyed by spot (it would be
covered with the disease when varieties on either
side were (juite free), but now that the mixture
for which we are at least indirectly indebted to
Mr. Martin Smith has proved efficacious in the
case of Malmaisons, I hope once more to work
up a batch of the old favourite. Although
several ingredients are responsible for the build-
ing up of the above mixture, I take it the
Bulphate of copper is the real destroyer, and would

do the work alone if used with discretion. Where
no layers are required from Carnation beds and it
is determined to run them on for another year, the
plants can be overhauled as soon as they are out
of flower, and all but a few of the strongest shoots
removed. The beds can then be touched over
with a small fork, loosening them to the depth of
1 inch, and when this is done a layer of spent
Mushroom or peat Moss manure can be put on
and the shoots pegged down in several directions
to cover the beds fairly well. The drawback
the systsm are smaller flowers than are obtainable
from one-year-old plants and a little difficulty
staking, but if a mass of flower is required, such
beds will furnish a grand display.

Tufted P.\nsies. — Propagation of these com
menced today, July 27, as I like to get most of
them in by the end of the month, early propaga-
tion meaning a sturdy bushy plant for turning
out by the end of September. Taking the dry
weather into consideration, they have done re
markably well, and one or two good soakings have
not only kept them in flower, but encouraged the
tiny central growths, so that they are just about
the right length for removal, and a careful split-
ting oir will bring many of them up with the tiny
rootlets attached. White Swan, Duchess of
Sutherland, William Niel, Mrs Ballamy, Archie
Grant, with Ardwell Gem and Bullion among the
primrose and yellows, have again'been among thi
best, not that others have not flowered equall;
well, but in a season like the present all sorts
other than selfs have run out to an extent that
renders them practically unrecognisable, and their
worth, except for mixed beds, is proportionately
lessened. Given a hot drying sun, it is a good plan
to take along a small bowl or jar of water, and if
the cuttings are tossed in this and then trans-
ferred to the ground directly after they have their
slight trimming, there is no flagging and con
sequently no check, or rather no avoidable check
They want shading for a time if the weather con
tinues bright ; a roll of tifl'any will answer the
purpose admirably. Soil from old cutting pots
and boxes to which a little leaf mould and sand has
been added is a good compost, and if it can rest
on a firm bottom so much the better ; the plants
can be lifted more readily and transferred to per
manent (juarters more successfully if the roots are
fairly well under control and not diving down
deeply into light soil. Any sorts from which as
yet no cuttings are obtainable will get an extra
soaking of water, and if too late for cuttings they
will be divided presently into as many little plants
as may be required.

ANTiRRHiNr-MS.— Writing of Tufted Pansies
brings Antirrhinums to memory, from the fact that
in future bedding operations they are likely to be
more frequently associated, a little experiment in
that direction during the current season having
been a decided success, and the homely Snap-
dragon will take the place of Begonias, the latter
flower, except in damp seasons, not doing kindly
out of doors with us. A selection of pronounced
colours in white, scarlet, crimson, yellow, and
primrose is easily procurable from a batch of good
seedlings. Selections as to height must be made as
required, as the seedlings will vary considerably
in this respect. I notice in the programme of the
Viola conference papers on their value as bedding
plants, and suggestions as to other things that
will associate well with them. Let me in this
direction strongly recommend Antirrhinums.
Whether the relative heights give just about the
right effect combined with the marked contrast
in habit, the colours blend well together, or that,
being both hardy subjects, the association has a
natural look, or something of all three, I know
; certain it is that a combination of Antir-
rhinums and Tutted Pansies carefully planted
makes a very charming bed. Cuttings of the
selected colours may be taken any time towards
the end of August and inserted in boxes, using a
light sandy compost. If sufficient boxes are to
hand, the cuttings can have a lair amount of
room, enough that is to allow for their develop-
ment itito nice bushy little plants, so that they
may be transferred direct to the flower garden

preparatory

without the necessity for boxing
to the final planting.

Useful August flowers.— Now that the beauty
of the Gypsophila is on the wane, the varieties of
Sea Lavender, Statice latifolia and S. Gmelini, are
very useful. A few seasons back, having a border
already partially filled with shrubs and conifer.-e,
I decided to complete it with the three plants
above named and here and there a piece of
Tamarix gallica. This is now a very useful
border, from which we can cut plentiful supplies,
and the effect produced by these in contrast with
the foliage of variegated Hollies and Buckthorn,
Retinosporas, and the erect form of Cupressus
viridis, is decidedly pleasing. A broad edging of
the common Phea=ant's-eye Pink completes the
arrangement. Sunflowers (perennial) are not so
strong as usual, but are flowering early and very
freely. Rigidus and var. granditlorus among the
singles, and multiflorus plenus and Soleil d'Or in
the doubles were gay by the middle of July. If
flowers are not required for cutting, decaying
blooms will be promptly removed to ensure a
longer display. Daspite the drought, the newer
Phloxes are flowering grandly, and their value
when contrasted with the old types is even more
marked than usual. Centres will be pinched out
as the flowers are on the wane to allow for side
shoot development. Starworts available during
the present month vary considerably in habit and
are useful in mass, as acris, the varieties of
Amellus and lasvis ; or for furnishing elegant
spr.ays for vases, as cordifolius, sagittifolius and
Shorti. The number of sorts available for the
latter work right away from July to November is
now so great, that they deserve a special note, and
I hope to furnish the same some time before the
planting season. E. Burrell.

Claremont.

NOTES FROM NEW JERSEY.
Hydr.\nge.\s. — H. hortensis is a popular shrub
about here, and I see large specimens frequently
standing on little lawns, the plants being in tubs
and of course have winter protection by removal
to greenhouses or cellars. They look very hand-
some now covered with great heads of pink
blooms. The object of this note, however, is to
mention one or two other species less known, but
very beautiful and hardy enough to be used with
good effect in English gardens. Foremost among
these is the Oak-leaved H. quercifolia, which the
"Dictionary of Gardening" calls a half hardy
shrub, but, all the same, it stands zero weather
with impunity, and is one of the most beautiful
of outdoor shrubs, strikingly distinct in leafage,
and possessing no small degree of merit as a
flowering shrub. I lately saw stronger testimony
to its beauty in the luxuriant growth of some
bushes that have been established about three
years. Leaves lU inches in width are plentiful
upon the bushes in question. The flowers, now
abundant, disposed in branched pyramidal heads
like those of H. paniculata, are all small except
the terminal one, which is sterile, with broad
petals and borne on a longer pedicel. Another
Hydrangea we have in great variety is named H.
vestita, a name strange to me and possibly a
doubtful one, but the shrub is very handsome alike
in growth, leaf and flower. Its leaves are broadly
ovate, inclining to heart shape, the larger ones (i
inches long by 4 inches wide, of a deep dark
gresn above, with under surfaces of a uniform
charming silvery white. Some of the bushes are
nearly 5 feet high, every shoot terminating in a
flat corymb of sweet flowers, mostly- perfect, but a
few of the outer ones are broad-petalled and
sterile. H. paniculata grandiflora rapidlv grows
to an enormous size, becoming quite tree-like, but
to ensure a good display of fine corymbs it must
undergo hard pruning in spring.

The Venetian Sumach (Rhus Cotinus) does
not generally develop its fullest beauty till late
summer days in English gardens, but here already
it is covered with its unique silky hair-hke clus-
ters, and I have seen several very fine specimens
recently. The best specimens I have seen in Eiig-

no

THE GARDEN.

[August 8, 1896.

lifh gardens are large spreading shrubs with
branches resting on the ground and covering a
considerable area, but those lately seen are quite
trees with a clear stem of from 2 feet to 3 feet, the
branches showing the same upward tendency.

Iris Ksmpkeki is the finest hardy dower of the
present time, and although moisture is considered
essential towards ensuring its successful growth
and blooming, very little indeed but what has
fallen from the clouds has reached the masses that
prompt this note ; yet they could not be tiner,
showing hundreds of great blooms and buds on
stems nearly 5 feet high. The?e plants are on a
dry exposed knoll; the ground has never been cul-
tivated deeply, and the only attention the?e fine
tufts have had these three years is just keeping
them free from weeds. Is abundant sunshine a
factor that contributes to abundant blooming . I
know from past e.xperience that an abundance of
moisture alone doe.-- not suttice, but here is a hot,
dry spot that I should never have thought of in
connection with Iris K*mpferi brilliant with
hundreds of large showy blossoms, and giving
promise of hundreds more. A. Herrinotox.

JUaiiiscu, X.J.

CARNATIONS FROM SCOTLAND.
I AM sending a few good border Carnations,
among which may be some that may prove worth
the attention of Mr. Burrell and other growers.
My OW1 opinion is that all Carnations are hardy,
though some require different treatment as to soil.
All are better for being layered early and planted
early. I have enclosed a "bunch of Sigurd, which
with me is in every respect superior to Mrs. Rey-
nolds- Hole, and also to The Pasha, which possef ses
a less vigorous habit of growth. Minnie is a smaller
flower, but deeper in colour and of a very pure
shade, while Meteor approaches nearly, if not
quite, to orange. The best scarlet is, I think,
Hayes' Scarlet. Oriflamme is also fine with me,
and the Port Lioht is particularly brilliant.
Huntfnian, though less good in colour, is a desir-
able sort. I have Chaldee on trial, and this I am
certain will supersede all others of a scarlet sh.ide.
The whole of these are strong growers, Oriflamme
perhaps a little weakly. Arnong yellows, none
hai= as yet surpassed Germania. Miss A. Camp-
bell is no doubt very good, strong, and of good
habit, but for out of doors I am sure that Corunna
is better. The Forty-five is very good with me,
and Lothian Yellow (a fort that grows perfectly
upright) will, I imagine, prove of great value for
borders and beds. As to hardiness, all the above
wintered 1894 and 189.') in the open ground. Of
rosy shades I have sent Midas, Clove, Duchess of
Fife and Ketton Rose ; none are better than
these. Lady Nina Balfour, of w hich I enclose a
nice bunch, is much better than any other light
variety. It is of a different tint from Countess of
Paris and Waterwitch, but superior to both.
The deeper pink Sadek is extra fine, and I am not
sure that Braw Lass is an advance. Foxhall
Beauty is the best purple for borders, but I think
Gladiator will run it hard ; and a very pretty
violet flower is Bendigo.

I have also sent some yellow Picotees, a few of
which are really worth attention. They are all
absolutely hardy, and all those sent, except Harle-
(luin, are of very vigorous growth and upright
habit. Harlequin, however, is very pretty and
very free. Primrose League is a most lovely va-
riety, and I know succeeds to perfection in the
south of England. Cowslip is good, and both St.
Margaret and Queen Esther do well with me. I
am very fond of the latter, as much from the
habit of the plant as from the appearance of the
flowers. Va'hti is a very bright form and pretty.
I have put in a few fancy flowers, e 'j., George
Cruickfhank, a glowing variety and good for the
open garden ; The Dey, a very pretty soft fancy ;
Cardinal Wolsey, very rich in colour, and Prince
Charming, a nice shade of apricot and carmine,
the plant.s being covered with bloom. Meta,
belonging to the Painted Ladies, is also very
pretty, and Lady Dorothy Neville is, I think, the
brightest of the clasa to which it belongs,

Mephisto is the best deep crimson for borders.
Crimson Pearl is good, and Firefly is a variety
that does particularly well with me. There is, I
imagine, a decided advance in the varieties that
are being raised as to (jualities that make them
suitable for border cultivation. The colours are
more pure, form of flowers generally more perfect,
the plants are mostly of vigorous growth and of
film upright habit. R. P. Brotherston.

Ti/7uii»ijhaim:

PROPAGATING TUFTED PANSIES.
I .\M reminded of the seasonable importance of
the above work by a remark occurring on page 33
of The G.iRDEN for July 18, which has reference
to planting these things in the autumn, a piece
of advice of wide and far reaching importance
to all those who attach any value to an early
bloom as well as to the greatest perfection in the
cultivation of these useful and beautiful plants.
Indeed, it is only those who year by year have
planted such things in early autumn that really
know anything of their best side. To be in a
position to plant early in autumn, however, a
beginning must be made at the end of July or
early in August with the cuttings. And who will
attempt to assume that spring- planted cuttings
shall in any particular eiiual those having such a
lead— a lead of far monj importance than at first
eight appears? The plants that are put out in
autumn have several months' start of the spring
batch, and having what they love most of all, a
cooling time of year in which to fully establish
themselves, are thereby fortified against the try-
ing heat and drought of such a year as the pre-
sent. Planted in autumn and under proper con
ditions these things are incomparable in the
flower garden in spring by their extreme florifer-
ousness, and under the influence of the cool,
moist days of autumn the young plants root both
vigorously and abundantly, and this is the essen-
tial to a good display of blossom in the earliest
spring-time, often before many other plants are
in their places. There is much that 'could be

urged on this side of the subject alone, did

space

permit, and it is to be hoped it will be
urged at the approaching conference on these
flowers. It will, however, be a matter for regret,
seeing the great move in favour of the=e beautiful
things, if wrong conclusions are arrived at, be-
cause the plants are not in a fit state for a correct
udgment to be formed. Any trial or conference
on this or any other subject should ever be
on a most exhaustive scale and as complete
as possible, as almost anyone can make a relative
or comparative trial in a garden of a few
yards across. I am, however, diverging from
the subject of their propagation, which at
the moment is the more important theme. In
large gardens and where large quantities of
plants are needed it is always a good plan to
plant a reserve batch for the purpose of securing
cuttings at the proper time, and in this way
avoid disfiguring the beds. In any case the best
thing to do at the moment will be to cut a por-
tion of the plants over with the knife, cutting
away all the old flowering tops and other growth
to within 3 inches or 4 inches of the soil. When
this is done it will be seen in many varieties that
the centre of the tuft is more or less charged with
fresh young shoots, and it is thefe that will be
ready in a few days to make the best cuttings.
Upon no account attempt to utilise the old mate-
rial for propagating, as it is useless by comparison
with the shoots just named. After a few days' ex-
posure to light and air, the strongest of those young
shoots should be nipped out, taking hold of the
shoot low down with finger and thumb, so as to
secure its being detached at the base. In many
instances where this is carefully done it will be
found that each shoot has already two or three
tiny rootlets adhering to it, so there will be no
further trouble with regard to making such cu
tings as these. Apart, however, from the*
shoots being already rooted, they possess the
additional value of many radical cuttings of push
ing growth freely from the base, an item of con

siderable importance in the hereafter of these
plants. Such cuttmgs as these always make good
tufts when planted out, and that quickly. Where
large numbers are grown it will doubtless prove
necessary to go over the stock plants twice or
perhaps thrice in order to secure sullicient. This
will always, however, dep-nd upon the number
of stools available for cuttings at the right
moment. These cuttings may be inserted in two
batches — the rooted and unrooted ones. The
former will be best in a shallow frame, and the
latter in a similar place or on a shady border, or
the whole may be placed in a frame for a short
time, but in this case it will be best to avoid
keeping it too close, or the cuttings will be '
weakened. Some prefer the shady border en-
tirely for the cuttings, but generally in the south
I prefer a temporary frame that may be shaded
at will for the first fortnight or so.

There is another way of securing good young
plants of these Tufted Pansies, and where a
limited number only is required, it is very useful
and at the same time simplicity itself. The old
tufts may be cut down in the way recommended
for cuttings above, and when this is done, give
each plant a thorough soaking of water at the
root. Now take some fins sifted soil and trickle
this in among the young shoots in the centre of
the tuft and to about one half the depth of the

hoots ; at the same time surround Cnch plant
about the base similarly with the soil, and in turn
treat as many plants as ma}' be deemed sufficient
in thi-i way. When the work is finished a gentle
watering will settle the soil about the growths,
and this should also be repeated daily for a fort-
night if no rain falls in the time. At the expira-
tion of this period many of the young shoots will
be rooted, and, to avoid overcrowding, should be
lifted and severed from the parent tuft in the
course of the next few days, and be planted 4
inches apart on a shady border, to establish them-
selves ready for planting later on. This system
■ 1 so perfectly simple and easy, and entails so

ttle trouble or labour, that it has much to re-
commend it, particularly to amateurs. At the
same time, my own experience of the two systems
compels me to say that the single cuttings are in
the long run superior, as by the adoption of this
method you have an entirely new plant each year
that can hardly fail to produce the best possible
results. When these are well rocted it is a good
plan to pinch out the point immediately ; this
will cause them to break away at the base, and
if transplanted at once will form fine compact
tufts for the permanent beds later on. Where
plenty of room is available, the cuttings may be
put in thinly, which will make it unnecessary to
transplant the cuttings at this stage. In a future
note I hope to say something of their general cul-
tivation. E. Jenkins.
Ha7npion Hill.

Calceolaria amplexicaulis.— The different
varieties of Calceolaria that were at one time
largely employed in the flower garden are not
grown to anything like the same extent that they
formerly were, for they are liable to die off in the
height of the season and thus leave ugly gaps.
Calceolaria amplexicaulis was tried in some places
as a bedding plant, but owing to its height and
somewhat unorthodox manner of growth it did
not meet with any great amount of approval,
though it was proof against the disease which
carried off its dwarfer brethren. Nowadays,
however, when mixed beds are viewed with so
much favour, this Calceolaria is far more fre-
quently met with. This is not at all surprising,
as throughout the latter part of the summer and
in early autumn its brightsulphuryellow blossoms
are freely borne. C. amplexicaulis is a native of
Peru, from whence it was introduced into this
country in 184.5.— H. P.

Begcnia President Carnot.— This is one of
the finest Begonias that we have in our gardens,
and one in all probability destined to occupy a
prominent position for many years to come. It
belongs to the shrubby fibrous-rooted class and
was raised by M. CrOzy, who announced it as a

AuGDST S, 1896.]

THE GARDEI^.

Ill

hybrid between B. Olbia and B. rubra, but, as
pointed out in The Garden at the time the col-
oured plate was ieeued, this latter name is in all
probability intended for B. coccinea, which is
more generally known under the name of B. coral-
lina. It is by no means adapted for growing as
small plants, but in pots from 9 inches to a foot
in diameter it produces quite a large bold speci-
men over a yard in height. The large drooping
clusters of carmine-coloured flowers are in rome
cases quite 9 inches in diameter, and the female
ones particularly retain their brightness for a con-
siderable time This Begonia needs more heat
than some of the others, and it succeeds best when
treated during at least the greater part of the
year as an intermediate house plant. We have
now such a number of desirable Begonias, both
species and hybrida, that in many cases a rigid
selection is necessary, but however strictly this
may be carried out, the claims of the particular
variety above-named must not be overlooked. — T.

Notes of the Week.

Wistaria sinensis. — In several instances this
is now flowering abundantly for the second time
this year, and in one instance where the plant is
overhanging the tops of some Laburnums the
show of blossom is very attractive.

Piikx Opera. — This is a very handsome
variety with large heads of flowers of a vivid
carmine, very decided in its tone of colour and
extremely effective in the mass. Those in favour
of decided colours should note this one.

Pelargonium King of Denmark.— Judg-
ing by a large group at the Drill Hall recently,
this gives promise of being an excellent variety,
producing large massive trusses of salmon-scarlet
flowers. The trusses are of large size and almost
globular in outline.

Carnation MjphistD.-This fine border Car
nation is of the same shade of colour as the
Crimson Clove, and regarded as the best of its
shade yet raised. The fliwers possess the most
exquisite form of any Carnation, and may, in
short, be regarded as perfection in this respect. It
is also a free bloomer with good habit.— E. J.

Lilium Batemanniae.— Mr. Wallace, of Col-
chester, sends us flowers of this rare and beauti-
ful Lily. It is a species of slender growth, the
leaves narrow and delicate green, whilst the
flowers, produced in a bold umbel, are of a very
beautiful self apricot colour, quite distinct from
anything else amongst the Lilies. It is a Lily
that delights in partial shade and a well-drained
loamy soil.

(Enothera macrocarpa.— This is a very
showy plant of trailing habit, flowering well at
the present time. Its large blossoms of pale yel-
low are showy as well as distinct, and, allowed to
trail at will, it makes a desirable plant on the
rookery. Beds here and there may also with ad-
vantage be devoted to it, and with the assistance
of a few spikes of Gladiolus may be made gay for
a long season. — E. J.

Telekia speciosa— A very striking subject
this at the present time in the large border,
where its heads of golden flowers towering well
above many things may be seen at some distance.
Where only space for dwarf things exist this should
not be included, as unless space is afforded for
free and full development its beauty is lost. But
where a group of half-a-dozan may be planted the
effect is very good, and for such positions it is
worth encouraging.

EacrypMa pinnatifida.— This is one of the
many charming shrubs that Messrs. Veitch and
Sons are constantly bringing to the meetings of
the R.H.S., and the value of which it i« impos-
eible to over-estimate. It is indeed a lovely plant,
and the masses of pure white blossoms are
handsome in the extreme. Very pretty, too, and
in distinct contrast with the purity of the flowers

are the brown- tipped anthers. The plant is a
native of Chili, and well grown bushes of it would
be most effective.

Stuartia pseudo-Camellia. — This was also
shown by Messrs. Veitch, and made a very pleas-
ing exhibit, better known and more frequently
seen perhaps than the Eucryphia already men
tioned. For very favoured locnlities these thing-
would make charming subjects in the open air,
as the masses of flowers on the exhibits fully
testify. The flowers are white, with numerous
gold-tinted stamens and coloured anthers. In
the large conservatory, winter garden, corridor,
or Camellia house such things as these may be
housed during the winter with safety, or planted
out in such places constitute a most delightful
feature when in bloom.

LUium Henryi. — We have received flowers
of this beautiful Lily from Mr. Wallace, of Col-
chester. It is certainly a splendid introduc'ion,
and its history has been often told in The Gar-
den, whilst a coloured plate whs given of it in the
number for November 7, 1891. L. Henryi has
been well named the Orange flowered L. epecio-
sum, which it resembles in the shape of the
Bower, a clear apricot in colour. It is, fortu-
nately, very robust in growth, and attains a
height of 7 feet or more.

LUium tigrinum.— This is a capital Lily for
planting freely in beds or among plants of a
shrubby habit. It is an easily grown plant in all
its varieties, and being comparatively cheap may
be planted in quantity, and thus produce a good
eflect. Some of the finest beds we have seen of
this plant were in the Royal Gardens, Kew, a 5 ear
ago, and these were greatly admired at the time.
It is aNo a good sign when one sees such things
flourishing fo well in the open garden, as such
instances afford encouragement to those about to
engage in similar work.

Salisburia adiantifolia variegata.- Messrs
Cripps had a small plant in pit of a variegated
form of the Maiden hair tree. For the most part
the variegation appears on the upper surface of
the leaves, and is not very pronounced in the small
specimen under notice. The typical species does
not seem to be much in favour wiih planters gene-
rally if one may judge by its comparative rarity
— a fact in a measure due no doubt to its some-
what densely, columnar habit of growth. In quite
old examples of the tree there is generally an ab-
solute want of that freedom of beauty and form
now so much admired and desired in fine trees.
-E. J.

Hyacinthus(Galtonia)candican8.— Twenty
years' experience or so has made this a popular
flower in the garden of the amateur. That it is
perfectly hardy and increased readily by seeds as
well as by offsets are points that strongly recom-
mend it to notice. Some single bulbs planted
two or three years ago have now developed into
fine clusters, with some halfdozsn flowering stems
towering up 5 feet high, and each bearing about
three dozen of its pure white drooping flowers.
Not only in the herbaceous border, but in the
shrubbery also it is fast becoming an indis-
pensable plant for grouping, and is showy for a
long season.

Lathyxus latifoiius albus — This valuable
old perennial is still among the finest of old-
fashioned flowers in the garden, and where the
plants are well established it has this season
defied heat and drought alike. Thrips were very
troublesome earlier in the season, but the rains
and cooler weather have banished these to a large
extent, and the plants are a mass of bloom, very
fresh and pure. It is certainly among the most
valuable plants for cutting, while the profusion
of its flowers is remarkable. No garden should
be without this variety, for it has no equal among
hardy flowers, and once planted gives no trouble
whatever.

Rudbeckia Newmani. — Dwarf, showy, and
compact, and producing quantities of blossom at
about 2 high, this is a most serviceable plant for
massing in various parlfe of the garden. It is in

pects the most worthy member of the
Coneflovrer family, being so peifectly hardy and
free flowering. The golden ray florets surrounning
the black cone in the centre is productive of very
fine effect, and for cutting it is always highly
esteemed. Another feature of the plant is its
well furnished habit of growth, the plants spread-
ing out into the moat handsome tufts imagmable.
For bedding on a large scale it is araongthe most
desirable plants that could be named.

Tropaeolum speciosum. — For some time the
trailing growths of this hardy climber have been
all aglow with its vivid-coloured blossoms, and by
numerous buds promises a display of its flowers
for some time to come. It requires ticne and
patience to establish it in some gardens, and par-
ticularly in the south of England. Deep and firm
planting appears to be needed, and in many in-
stances it appears to have a liking for association
with brickwork, as when planted at the foot of a
wall it is usually more successful. In good con-
dition it is among the most brilliant climbers of
the garden. In those instances where it is desired
to transplant it the best seasons are early in
October, or with renewed growth in spring.

Romneya Coulteri. -Some large, handsome
blossoms of this fine shrub were noticeable among
many interesting things from Me-srs. Cutbush at
the Drill Hall on the 28'h ult. Few '

pire

with this in the exceeding beauty of its large
eatin-white flowers which are fully 4 inches across.
This fine plant should never be absent from any
garden where a warm sheltered position can be
given it as well as a good deph of sandy loam.
In some gardens it may be trained to a wall, and
frequently flowers succes-sfuUy thus treated.
Taken as'a whole, however, it gives the best re-
sults when treated as a cool greenhouse plant,
where room can be afforded it.

Currant La Vers, illaise.— I herewith send
you a few clusters of the above Rsd Currant,
which, as you will see, are large and well col-
oured. I have previously written m praise of
this fine variety, which is unsurpassed for jelly
and wine. It is a gieat pity it is not better
known. It has been err meously asserted that La
Versaillaise is a poor bearer, but my expeiience
is that no variety can touch it in that respect.
It is a strong grower, cuttings soon developing
into large bushe-. The foliage is large and de-
velops early, shielding the fruit from inclement
weather. If market gardeners were to take up
the culture of La Versadlaise, the Red Dutch
would soon be driven out of the market.— J.
Ckawford.

Lilium philippiaense.— This is perhaps one
of the most frail members of the genus, and at
first sight one may be inclined to doubt whether
the slender stems were capable of supporting
the long trumpet flowers that follow. In its
frail and slender stems and its narrow and linear
ascending leaves it is one of the most distinct of
all the fecnus. The flowers, too, are remarkable
for their length, which is frequently 7 inches to
10 inches, and also for the permanent imbrication
of the divisions near the stem. They are pure
white in colour, funnel-shaped, and slightly fra-
grant, growing about 2 feet or so high. A capital
lot of plants of this species was shown in flower in
pots at the Drill Hall on the 2Sth ult., and
attracted a good deal of attention. — E. J.

Campanula Zoysi.— This is perhaps one of
the most curious and distinct of all the Cam-
panulas, so distinct, in fact, outwardly that one
may be pardoned for inquiring whether it really
does belong to the Bellflower family at all. At
ihe last meeting of the R.H.S. Messrs. Barr and
Son had flowering plants in pots of this species,
which only raises itself 1 inch or so above the
soil. The flowers are of a distinct shade of blue
or porcelain, the corolla cylindiical and constricted
towards the mouth— a character just the reverse
of that of the majority of the species. When
freely flowered it would prove an interesting
species, the flowers reclining, or nearly so, on its
tufts of obtuse, obovate leaves. It is a native of
Carniola, and should be planted in gritty loam in

11!

THE CxAT^DEX.

[August 8, 1896.

the narrow tissurea of the rockery, where free and
ample drainage would be forthcoming.

Kose Mre. BtimBey. — Mr. Rumsey, of Joyn-
ings Xur.-ery, Waliham Cross, sends "us flowers
of his beautiful Hybrid Perpetual Rose Mrs.
Rumsey, a sport that occurred in his nursery from
Mrs. George Dickson. The more we see cf this
fine Hybrid Perpetual the more we like it, as it
preserves all the gocd points of its parent. The
growth is remarkably stiorg, the leafage stout,
deep giccn, ar.d without a trace of mildew— no
small advantage when many popular kinds are
white with the psst, whilst the flowers are pro-
duced freely until quite the autumn. It is a gar-
den Rose to cut, beds of it now being a mass of
blcom. The flowers are a delightful pink colour,
dcepenins; in the centre. There is no trace of
m;igenta or any obno.xious shade about it, simply
a pure bright pink.

Water Liles in imall gardens. — At p. a.S
of vol. xlix. I published a shoit rote of my expe-
rience with these charming flowers, to which I
would now like to add a postscript. The plants
obtained from M. Marliac in April, l!>95, as tiny
pieces were, when repotted and reboxed this year,
fine crowns, and since then have advanced by
leaps and bounds and have flowered well. To-day
(August '2) the following were in blossom : N.
alba (nearly over), N. Matliacea chromatella, N.
Leycekcri rosea, N. odorata rubra, N. o. exquisita,
N. pygma-a alba and N. p. helve ola. N. o. ex-
quisita is very lovely, deep rose colour, with the
narrow petals of its tiibe. X. p. helveola is a
dainty little gem, never out of flower, with its
tiny ■■ed-spotted leaves and yellow starry blos-
soms. My favourite, however, is N. Marliacea
chromatella, which is admirably figured at p. iOi
of vol. xxxiii., but the foliage is not right. X.
pygn-.aa alba I do not so much care for, and, so
far, X. cdorata alba has proved a shy bloomer, but
very pretty when it does flower. This year's ex-
perience warrants my endorsing all I said in the
note referred to as to the satisfaction to be had
from these Lilies even in very small pools. —

GkEENWii. Ill PlM.

The Polyanthus.— It is a long time since I
have known Polyanthuses and Primroses eo tho-
roughly denuded of leaves, owing to the great
heat and drought. But plants that look to be
dead to the casual observer are not really so. It
is quite true that in shallow, dry ground some have
died outright, but recently I have had to trans-
plant a good many, both Polyanthuses and Prim-
roses, and on examining them on being lifted from
the ground I find them remarkably well rooted
and the crowns plump, bright and fervent,
though leafless. These, as soon as planted in
fresh soil, begin to form fresh leaves, and after all
there will be very few losses. They are putting
forth the summer growth, which is a part of the
economy of the plant, and they are doing it vigor-
ously, helped by waterings and welcome showers.
The fact that the plants have rooted so well I
trace to the tendency of plants at a dry time to
send down their roots in search of the moisture
they fail to find on the surface. We may regard
the weather as broken up, and if we may also look
for a copious and welcome rainfall, the Primrose
and Polyanthus will no doubt bloom somewhat
freely in the autumn, but that is only a primu-
lacecus habit, which is also exemplified in the
case of their near relative the Auricula — R. D.

New Water Lilies at Syon.— How well the
new additions to this beautiful class of plants
thrive is seen in the above gardens. Though
most of them were only placed in their permanent
quarters early last March, they have in most
cases made such a splendid growth, that they
show at a glance how valuable they will be in our
gardens, while their varied and rich colours give
a charming addition to the landscape. When
planting, Mr. Wythes had grave doubts whether
the plants would take to the altered conditions,
as the water is not eo fresh as one would like. It
ia wonderful how well the plants have done. They
have thrown up large quantities of bloom and the
colours are in striking contrast to those of the

older forms, which are here in great quantities.
The new kinds promise to grow quite as freely
and with little trouble. In the large lake run-
ning through the grounds these new varieties
appear quite at home. Being small when received,
they were wintered in a cold house and placed in
their growing quarters at the time named. Mr.
Wythes is so pleased with them, that he hopes in
a short time to give them much of the space now
devoted to less worthy subjects. Mr. Wythes hag
done well to give the newer kinds plenty of breath-
ing space. One of the most telling in the collec-
tion is N. Marliacea chromatella, very free and

one of the best, I think.

regf

ids

growt

and

substance of bloom. X. Lejdtkcri rosea has
not made the growth the others have, but the
colour is so rich that it should be in all collec-
tions. It flowered very early in May. and by its
appearance looks eijual to doing so till October.
N. albida is a lovely flower and a splendid grower.
It is evidently as much at home as the commoner
species and soon gets established. X. carnea is
very fine and the colour most telling. There are
others, but those named were the showiest at the
time of my visit. N. ocurulea is being given a
trial in the open. For years it has thrived with
very little protection. If it succeeds, its colour
will be an additional charm. — J. B. C.

Carnation layering.— This seasonable work
is now in full swing, perhaps somewhat earlier
than usual owing to the warm, dry season having
ripened the grass a little before the usual time.
By ripening, I mean that the shoots put forth
from the base of the plants have hardened suffi-
ciently to be layered with safety. It is not well
to layer when it is too young, soft, and sappy,
nor when it is too old and hard, as that will
frequently cause delay in rooting. Fresh, sweet
sandy soil is very helpful, and the old custom of
taking out 2 inches of the top soil and then filling
up the pot to the rim with fresh in which to put
down the laj-ers is a good one. As a matter of
course, the foregoing refers entirely to plants
grown in pots, but the addition of fresh, sweet
soil is quite as necessary in the case of plants
grown in the open air. Mr. Robert Sydenham, of
Birmingham, who at Birmingham as well as at
the Ciystal Palace proved himself the champion
grower of the year, uses a compost for layering
made up of leaf-mould, sea-sand, and shells broken
up fine. He holds that the salt and lime con-
tained in the two last named greatly stimulate
and strengthen the layers. Weakly growths
should not be layered unless the variety is a very
scarce one, as they rarely grow into good plants.
I have tried, with a fair amount of success, re-
potting, after the rooted layers have been taken
ofif, any plants with weak shoots which could not
be layered, shaking all the soil from the roots,
cutting away the old ones, leaving as many fibres
as possible, and then repotting in small pots,
twisting a long stem a little round under the soil
if necessary, so as to bring the head down near
the soil, and then keeping the plants close for a
few days until root action sets in, and carrying
them through the winter with a little care. Such
plants are useful for furnishing stock if they are
not allowed to flower. When layered the plants
should be kept well sprinkled overhead, care
being taken that the runners are not allowed to
flag. I think it is a good plan to take oS' the
layers as soon as possihle, thiit is, as soon as the
roots are half an inch long, and pot them singly
in small pots where it cm be done. When the
proper soil is used for potting and the plants are
kept sprinkled overhead, they soon become active
and grow into size quickly and with vigour. All
weakly-rooted layers and such as are only cal-
lused should be put into a frame or under ahand-
light and kept close for a time, and they will soon
commenca to make roots and grow into useful
plants.— R. D.

I 1 to 5 p.m. At 3 o'clock a lecture will be given
by Mr. C. T. Druery, F.L.S , on "Fern Genera-
tion, Normal and Abnormal."
Royal Botanic Society.— At the annual

meeting to be held on Monday next, the 10th
inst., a resolution will be submitted in favour of
inviting the existing horticultural and floiicul-
tural societies to hold their exhibitions in the Re-
gent's Park Gardens and of electing on the
council representatives of the leading societies.
A motion will also be brought forward recom-
mending the society to give next season, musical
promenades, to be open to the public on Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Satuidays, the charge for ad-
mission being fixed at 2s. 6d., Is., and 6d. re-
spectively. The meeting will be held in the
society's gardens on Monday next at 1 p.m.

Royal Horticultural Society.— The next
fruit and floral meeting of the Royal Horticul-
tural Society will be held on Tuesday, August 11,
in the Drill Hall, James Street, Westminster,

The weather in West Herts.— The past
week has been again, on the whole, about season-
able in temperature. There occurred two cold
nights when the exposed thermometer registered
respectively temperatures only 1'^ and 6° above
the freezing point. Since 1SS7 there has not been
as warm a July as that of the present year, and,
taking June and July together, I find that the
weather has been waimer this year than in the
same two months of any of the previous ten years
during which observations have been made here.
Rain fell on but ten days, and to the total depth
of only about three quarters of an inch, making
this the driest July since 1SS7. No measurable
quantity of rain-water came through either per-
colation gauge during the month, and none at all
in the latter half of it. The sun shone for a
greater number of hours than in any July since
1887- the average duration for the past month
being about seven hours a day. The winds were,
as a rule, light and calm, and came almost ex-
clusively from some westerly point of the com-
pass. In the middle of the day the air was drier
than in any July since 1SS7— or for nine years. —
E. M., BtrkhanuUd.

Public Gardens.

HattF^tead Heath, 1896.— At a meeting
of the London County Council on Tuesday, July 7,
the Parks Committee reported that it was their
intention to preserve Hampstcad Heath as far as
possible in its natural state. They therefore re-
commended the Council to reduce the number of
workmen on the Heath to three, whose work
would be strictly limited to clearing up refuse,
clearing out watercourses, repairing foot-paths,
staking and tying trees, and similar indispens-
able operations. The recommendation was
adopted. Public opinion urgently demands that
some person or persons cf taste should be ap-
pointed to overlook all work done on the Heath,
also that many of the newly-planted trees (said to
be flOOO) should be removed, as it is universally
felt that they are misplaced. — Waltek Field,
A.B.W.S. _^__^^^^^^^^_^.^,,^,,_,___

Chrysanthemums.- Last year several flowers
appeared single in well-known varieties. Is this
caused by some mistake in disbudding or in
taking the shco*s, or what is the reason? —

HiBEKNIA.

Campanulas in Switzerland.- 1 should be
greatly obliged if you or some reader of The
Garden would kindly make a list of the varieties
of Campanula that one sees growing freely in
Switzerland both in the fields and on the wayside.
To my non botanical eye they are bewildering in
their variety and beauty, and I should much like
to obtain tome of them, the taller growing ones
especially.— A. D. G.

Names of plants.— IF. Wilson.— V&yia macro

stachya ; Erythriua crista-galli. E. S.— Gloxinia

not equal to luuny that have been raised.

THE GARDEN.

113

No. 1291. SATURDAY, August 15, 1896.

"ThiBlB an Art
Which does mend Nature : change it rather ; but
The Art itself is 'Satv^s."— Shakespeare.

Rose Garden.

MONTHLY ROSES.
This appellation is generally conceded to the
China or Btngal Roses, although it could
honestly be given to the Tea-scented clafs.
However, it is with the China Roses that I wish
to deal with in this short article. It is becom-
ing more and more difficult each Tear to deter-
mine the diflerence between the China and the
Tea-scented Roses. The common Mush China
Rose is decidedly distinct from the Tea Rose,
but such varieties as Mme. Laurette Messimy
approach very nearly, if not quite, the Tea-
scented class. The flovpers of the China Roses
are generally small and produced in great abund-
ance, mostly in corymbs, but not always.
They are uneijualled for massing, for edging to
carriage drives or Rose beds, and some varie-
ties, such as the common and Fabvier, are ex-
ceedingly useful to plant as semi-climbers in
front of greenhouses or low walls. Pillars of
the vigorous kinds in sheltered spots would be
an unfailing attraction all the summer, and in-
deed almost up to Christmas Day. I am sur-
prised these beautiful Roses are not more fre-
quently employed in our public parks and gar-
dens. Beds of them containing two to three
hundred plants would make a grand eflfect if
planted on raised mounds or slopes. I would
certainly recommend that the plants be on
their own roots ; this would ensure a number of
sucker- like shoots constantly springing up
crowned with their gorgeous blossoms. The
soil they revel in is a rich, but rather sandy loam,
which should be well drained either naturally or
artificially, and of course renovated at intervals
with decayed and liquid manure. Provided the
plants are established, they are very accommo-
dating as regards pruning, for if we desire them
kept very dwarf, they may be cut down like
Osier stools ; on the other hand, if tall plants
are required they may be left almost untouched.
They would be found exceedingly useful for pot
work to embellish the conservatory ; even plants
in 3-inch pots blossom abundantly. They also
make capital low hedges for bordering lawn-
tennis grounds and similar positions. The best
varieties for this latter purpose would be the
Common Blush, Fabvier, and Abbe Mioland.
In severe winters the plants should be protected
in the same manner as Tea Roses. Fir boughs
and Fern or Bracken would be very suitable for
this purpose. Perhaps a list of a dozen of the
best sorts would be welcome by readers unac-
quainted with these lovely garden Roses. I
will place them in their order of merit, and will
commence with

Common Blush.— This variety is so well known
that little need be said in its praise. It is the
freest and best of all. The colour is a blush-pink,
shading cfT to crimson-pink. Suited either for
climbing or massing.

Cramoisi SrpERiECR. — Rich velvety crimson,
a most brilliant and lovely colour. Rather
moderate in growth. Perhaps best suited for
massing, edging, or pot work.

Fabvier. — Bright scarlet with white centre,
semi-double and a fine vigorous grower. Well
adapted for climbing or massing.

Mme. Laurette Messimy. — This is a very

popula

liar vaiitly, cultivated now by the thousand,
of a very taking colour, which is a lovely
clear rose, shaded with yellow. A first-rate bed-
ding variety.

QuEEX Mab. — A variety destined to become
very popular. It was exhibited in fine form .at
Chiswick last October. The colour of expanded
flowers is a pleasing apricot tint, shaded with
rose, whilst the buds are a lovely salmon-orange,
quite a new colour in China Roses. The buds are
charming, and will gladden the hearts of those
florists who have large quantities of sprays and
button-holes to make up.

Mme. Ecgexe Resal. — This is a seedling
from Mme. L. Messimy and is quite distinct from
that beautiful variety. The colour is rosy crim-
son, sufi'used with golden and bronzy yellow. I
believe this will become as popular as the well-
known Noisette I'ldeal when better known.

Dcke of York. — A beautiful Rose and pecu-
liarly variable. The buds are pretty in shape,
double, and of a deep carmine colour, shaded
with white. It reminds one of the Tea Rose
Homere, only the flowers are richer in colour and
much better formed.

Akchduke Charles.— Clear rose colour, chang-
ing to rich crimson, very variable, and a first-
class variety.

UrcHER — Fine pure white, very showy, and a
most useful kind.

Little Pet (sometimes called White Pet).—
The corjmbs of flowers when cut are almost in
every way identical with Felicite Perpetut?, an
old fashioned evergreen Rose. Little Pot is a
charming Rose for pot work and would be the
ideal Rose to plant on a grave. It is very dwarf
and free flowering.

Red Pet. — A good companion to the latter
variety. It is of a rich crimson, changing in
autumn to blackish maroon.

Abbe MioLAyi). — Reddish purple in colour and
of a fine vigorous habit. Philomel.

Hose Mme. Pierre Oger. — This is certainly
one of the most beautiful of the Bourbon Roses.
The lovely colouring of the flower is only equalled
by its perfect formation. The petals are shell-
like in shape, and are eo regularly placed that the

wer appears to consist of six circles of petals.
The colour is ivory-white suifused with deep
pink, the latter colour increasing in intensity
towards the edges of the petals. It is very free
blooming and of good vigorous habit, making a

;od Rose for a standard or pillar.

Boss Kaiserin Friedrich.— All who love the
old Gloire de Dijon will be well repaid by finding
room for the befiutiful Rose named above. It is a
port from Gloire de Dijon, and is a counterpart of
that variety in growth and hardiness, but its colour
is the greatattraction, this being yellow.shaded with
that beautiful tint of carmine so much admired in
Marie Van Houtte. The buds appear even of
better shape than those of its parent — a not un-
common fact in sports. This year the carmine
tint has been more intense than usual, and much
earlier, as in ordinary seasons this colour is most
marked in this variety towards autumn.

Re 86 General Baron Berge.- A splendid
showy garden Rose of recent introduction. The
colour of the flower is a reddish maroon with
velvet shading. It is an exceedingly free-flower-
ing variety, a quality not very common in these
marcon-coloured Roses. It would make a fine
variety for massing. The flower is of good size,
but not very regular in form ; hence we could not
depend upon it for exhibition. It would make a
fine variety to grow in standard form.

Bose Gloire Lyonnaise as a bedding
Rose. — This season this variety has been most
lovely, as the abundance of sun we have had
has brought out the beautiful pale pink tint,
which on the eulphur-yellow ground endows it
with an additional charm. As a light- colon red
Rote for massing I think it unequalled, as the
large semi-double expanded flowers are produced
on stiff stalks which exhibit each blossom to per-
fection. It should be treated during winter as a
Tea Rose by moulding up the crown of the plant

th earth if a very severe time is threatened. — P.

Bose Mme. Alfred Oarriere.— We are
sadly in need of a good white, large-flowered.

hardy and perpetual climbing Rose. We have a
near approach to this in the above variety. It
cannot be called pure white, the colour being
really a flesh-white, but at a distance it has the
appearance of being white. It is a splendid
grower, and would quickly cover a wall. Like
most climbers, it should be allowed to have its
own way, merely cutting out a rod now and then
if it becomes too crowded.

Bose Mme. Pierre Cochet. — This Rose
is remarkable for its colour, which is of a beau-
tiful reddish orange, much more fiery than the
variety Wm. Allen Richardson, upon which it
was announced to be an improvement. I think
there can be no doubt that ROve d'Or is one of
its parents, as it resembles that variety in growth
and colour of foliage. The bud is of exquisite
form, long and pointed after the manner of
Madame Falcot, but much more double than this
fine old variety.— P.

Bose Mme. Morean. — This variety is of
climbing habit, and is something in the way
of Mme, Bi^rard, but quite distinct from that fine
variety. Its colour on the inner side of petals is
a deep coppery yellow, but reflexed with a lovely
rosy salmon and apricot, whilst the edges of the
petals are of a golden yellow. The bud is most
beautiful and well suited for buttonholes, and the
foliage is of a glossy green, and the wood of the
reddish colour of Mme. Berard. As a standard it
is -rery fine.

Bosa elynophylla duplex.— An old, but
rarely met with variety that should be more ex-
ter.sively employed on the rockery or in the wild
garden. Its flowers, which are freely produced in
clusters, are of a clear satiny blush colour, of
globular shape and rather more than semi-double.
The great attraction, however, of this Rose is its
foUage, which is of a bright glossy green some-
what resembling the Macartney Roses, but much
larger, and the spines are long and handsome.

Bose Gloire de rExpositiondeBrnxelles. —
One is instantly drawn to this Rose when looking
over a collection, for at first sight it appears to be
the darkest variety in the garden. The colour is a
rich maroon shading off to the beautiful tint seen in
Black Hamburgh Grapes when fully ripe. I think
what is so attractive in this Rose is that it
produces three or four expanded flowers at one
time on one stalk, and these flowers are erect in
habit, which cannot be said of many dark varie-
ties ; consequently we have a mass of colour visible
at one time, which gives this Rose so distinct
a character. It is a fine free growing variety for
the garden.— P.

Bose Stanwell Perpetual. — This grand old
perpetual Scotch Rose is flowering profusely just
now. The foliage resembles that of the Scotch
Roses, and here the relation ends, for the flowers
are quite as large as those of Souvenir de la Mal-
maieon, although not nearly so double. The
colour is a lovely shell-pink when opening, re-
sembling that of the Maiden's Blush, and the
expanded flowers are almost white. If we could
but obtain crimsons and yellows of this type of
Rose, how fortunate we should be. It should be
freely planted in shrubberies facing south, along
carriage drives or on rockeries.

Rose Germaine Trochon.— A very pretty
Rose of good habit, colour of flowers fawn to
orange-yellow, very distinct. I find it classed by
Messrs. Paul and Son amongst the Dijon Teas,
but with me it has not shown any of that ten-
dency to rampant and climbing growth that
characterises that section, nor are the flowers of
the same form more cupped. It promises to be
a useful Rose.

Bose Marechal Niel.— I have been surprised
to find on a plant of this excellent Rose a full
second crop of blooms. It is planted in a cool
house and has been there for about fourteen years.
I was obliged this spring after it had done flower-
ing to cut out a large quantity of the wood, and
find that it has thrown out many shoots and a
good quantity of flower-buds. Of course it is
pleasant enough to get them now, but I am
doubtful as to what the effect will be for next

114

THE GARDEN.

[AuGCST 15, 1896.

spring. I have been in the habit of cutting from
iJlXt to Sf'O blooms, not very large, but etill pretty
and useful, and I am afraid that thit second crop
will interfere with its flowering next spring. — R.

Rcsa LoEgworth Rambler.— This is about
the best of the dark Roses for climbing purposes,
it is so very abundant in foliage and free in flower-
ing. It is a better colour than either Qaeen Marie
Henriette or Cheshunt Hybrid, and if anyone wants
to cover a wall or part of the house with a red
Rose which grows well with Mme. Bajard, Belle
Lyonnaise, Bouquet d"Or, or, indeed, any of the
Dijon Teas, he cannot do better than plant this
Hybrid Tea Rose.— Delta.

Rose Beaute Inconstante.— This flower well
deserves the name, but it varies from white to
dark crimson, sometimes cream colour, sometimes
terracotta. It is a most charming Rose for button-
holes or sprays, and is somewhat fuller than other
Roses of the same character. It is a free grower
and is very beautiful for all decorative purpose;
where Roses are employed.

Kitchen Garden.

CAULIFLOWERS.

Thesk are treated in two different ways at
p. 4.'i, and as both writers favour the cold frame
treatment, I am induced to send an additional
note to point out how much earlier the spring
supply may be had by diverse treatment. At
p. 45 Mr. TaUack does not agree with the
Chiawick classification, and I admit to many it
seems at variance with one's ideas of season and
types of Cauliflowers. As he refers to me con-
cerning Dwarf Erfurt Mammoth, I wDl briefly
allude to this classification. Having seen the
trials at Chiswick in 1894, 1 have a belter know-
ledge of the subject than otherwise I should
have. I confess I cannot class Dwarf Erfurt
Mammoth with Snowball, as was done at Chis-
wick, as the habit of the former is more spread-
ing, the leaves are closer to the soil, and there is
a much larger head or flower than in Early
Suowball. It must not be thought that I do
not care for Snowball— indeed, the reverse.
Growers well know that there would not have
been so many synonyms of Snowball, as if it
had not been liked, it would have soon been
dropped instead of selections being made from
ir. Snowball with me is usekss for autumn
sowing, and its value lies in its quick growth.
With good culture, if sown early in the year it
catches up the autumn-sown, and that is a great
gain to many who cannot house plants and°who
require only limited supplies. Though I think
theio is a wide difl'erence, others with more
knowledge class them as the same type, but ad-
mit there are wide variations. Jlay this not be
the cise with Early London and Walcheren >. I
wotild feel disposed to make another class and
admit first early and second in the same way as
Pea», but at Chiswick, Snowball and Dwarf
Mammoth are classed with some seven others.
I wUl now refer to Early London and Walcheren
which are bracketed together. I am not (juite
at one with Mr. TaUack in his estimation of
Early London, and I have a much earlier date
cl cutting than he gives. I sow early, winter
in the open, and do not give frame culture.
My soil IS very light, and that may account
for a great deal of difl'erence. I would
raise another point. What is the difl'erence
between Walcheren Broccoli and Walcheren
Cauliflower? I fail to detect it, and if so,
why have two / There are very dis-
tinct kinds of Walcheren, some vastly in-
ferior. Having some years ago a very select
strain. I always used it in a hot gravelly soil
for summer use from July to October, and the

growth at that season is quite distinct from that
made in late autumn and winter. 1 fear 1 have
digressed a little, but I did so to point out how
seasons and soils aft'ect the plants. This may
be the case with Mr. Tallack's Walcheren. Is
the seed the true stock, as my first heads were
cut in the third week in May, and a great num-
ber were over by June 15, the date he com-
menced cutting ? Strange to say. Pearl sown in
February was in on June 30. This was sown
in a little heat in a frame on leaves and manure,
the plants pricked tff in March and planted out
early in AprO. In the Chiswick trial Pearl
is classed as midseason, and Mr. Tallack's
trial confirms (hat— if it is as reliable as
Walcheren, which it resembles in quality.
The Chiswick Pearl is of medium size, pale
yellow, whereas the Pearl I have always grown
is pure white. I cannot understand Walcheren
being so long turning in. I tow in the
middle of August, plant out the first week
in October nine plants under each hand-glass,
and early in March all the plants, excepting
the four corner ones, are carefully lifted with a
trowel, and those left turn in from the third
week to the end of May. The reason I prefer
Walcheren is that the heads are more compact
than those of Early London. They do not turn
in all at once and there is no buttoning. In
the case of Early London, in our light soil I
have lost three parts of the plants, whereas
there are few losses with Walcheren. I also
pot up a few hundreds and plunge close
together in ashes. These and those trans-
planted form a succession to those left in the
hand-glasses, and though Walcheren may be a
few days later than Early London, I consider it
superior in every way. I am aware my opinion
is not general, and I am inclined to attribute
my failure with Early London to soil and situa-
tion, not altogether to variety, as a few yearti
ago I had a difl'erent opinion of the type in
question. G. Wythes.

Savoy Cabbage for late winter use.— The
planting of winter Greens has been so difficult
owing to drought that unless prompt measures are
taken to make up for lost time there may be a
scarcity. For use through January and February
the Savoy is most serviceable; indeed, it is of
superior quality at that season, as the cold
weather removes any strong flavour the heads may
have. I am not an advocate for sowing or plant-
ing very early Savoys, as the early plants are
often infested with caterpillars, often split badly
and are then not usable. If planted early ii
August and grown without a check the heads an
superior in every way. The growth at this period
of the year is so rapid that lost time is soon made
good. To get the beet results, sturdy plants sown
specially for late planting are necessary, and if a
late lot is wanted it is well to plant a north border
with the Drumhead or De Vertus varieties, the
latter excellent for the purpose and less afl'ected
by frost than the early varieties.— 0. W.

Vagaries of Tomatoes. — I have seen several
wide departures in the form and colour of the
fruit, and during the past week I have gathered
from a plant— one of several— that in its true form
produces only oval-shaped, smooth fruit, two
fruits that are deeply corrugated, and in shape
quite opposite to what it should be. If this is not
a vagary, peihaps someone will explain what it
is.— J. C. C.

Sowing spring; Cabbages.— With the soil
a patched condition, the raiser of plants for
October planting will find a difiiculty in getting
the seed to germinate freely. I find a few days
either too early or late make a lot of ditl'erence at
this season, and have a great deal to do with bolt
ing in the early spring. Doubtless of all kinds
such proved varieties as Ellam's Early Dwarf,
Mein's No. 1 or Wheeler's Imperial are among the
best types for present sowing. Though I do not

go so far as to assert that the sowing of any one
kind should be on a certain date, I find that by
king two sowings, one from July 10 to 15, the
other at the end of the month, and planting out
before the plants pet large or drawn, there is no
r of bolting or loss of pUnts. Thin .sowing and
ly planting are important, and in light soils I
prefer to make the soil fiim before planting, this
encouraging a firmer root hold and sturdier
plants, not readily affected by frost, and early
cutting the following spring. In sowing there
should be no lack of moisture, and the germination
will be hastened if the seed bed is covered till the
plants are through the soil.— S. B.
Vitality of Tomato seed.- My people make
good deal of Tomato sauce every season, and,
last year the seed taken out of the fruit so dealt
with found its way into a liquid manure tank as
it w^as taken out. When it got to the tank the
' must have gravitated down among the sedi-
ment. At different times during the winter the
liquid was pumped out of the tank to prevent its
running to waste. Being short of water early in
the summer, the liquid got so low that I had to
bale it out, the same being used about the garden.
The result is that, wherever this thick liquid was
used. Tomato plants come up in dozens at many
different places. I could understand the seed re-
taining its vitality in the open ground in such a
winter as we had last, but that it should do so
for so many months in a tank that was nearly
always full of liquid is quite a new experience to
me in this or any other seeds. — J. C. C.

Tomato failures.— The crops of Tomatoes
both under glass and in the open air are lighter
this year in many gardens wide apart than I have
known them for some years. The cause of this is
not ditiicult to explain, and the explanation is
want of root moisture. The great heat that pre-
vailed for so long was such a strain upon the
plants that only the most favoured growers who had
both labour and water available could cope with it.
The consequence is that many of the flowers failed
to set, and therefore the crop so far is a light one.
It has betn an unfortunate season for those who
had their plants in pots or boxes, as these have
suffered more than those planted out in a bed of
soil, as might be expected. At the same time the
failures in the open ground are quite as numer-
ous, especially in the case of those who are not
thoroughly conversant with the wants of the
plants in such weather as we have passed through,
only the crop is a little better.— J. C. C.

TRANSPLANTING AND SOWING SPRING

ONIONS.
I HAVE no doubt that the notes on the above
subject by Mr. TaUack which appeared in The
Garden last year have proved of value to many
who find it a difficult matter to secure even a
moderate crop of Onions owing to the persistent
attacks of the Onion maggot. Mr. TaUack main-
tained that the best way out of the difiiculty wes
to sow seed early in the year, say February, in
boxes in a moderate warmth, prick out when
large enough into other boxes, gradually harden
off in frames, and finally plant in the open as soon
as weather permitted. The plan was adopted by
several in this neighbourhood who have a sandy,
shallow soil to deal with, and the result has been
most satisfactory. In one garden especially,
where spring-sown Onions had failed for many
years in spite of mixing soot freely with the soil
at digging time, and frequent broadcast applica-
tions of it during the growing season, as fine a
crop of bulbs as one could wish for was produced
by transplanting. As Mr. TaUack says, the
plants seem to grow away out of the reach, as it
were, of the pest, and the skins become too tough
and hard. If sown even in January and duly
hardened, it is surprising how soon most of the
Spanish types will bear exposure in open quar-
ters ; in fact, they will grow just as freely in
March or April as the so called winter or Tripoli
section, which many erroneously imagine are the
only ones that will stand inclement weather or

August 15, 1896.]

THE CxAEDEK

115

sharp frost. I myself this spring sowed Cran
Eton's Excelsior, the most reliable of all the large
forms cf exhibition Spanish Onion, with its fine
boule-shaped neck, and although the mapgot has
thinned the rows of the same variety, which was
sown on the same plot in the usual way, not one
of the transplanted bulbs is injured. Seme may
think this plan incurs more labour than sowing in
the open, but when we consider how large an area
can be tranFplanted by one man in a few hours
and then compare this with the time taken up
sowing and thinning, it must, I think, be seen
that in the matter of labour the transplanting
system is a distinct gain. Mr. Crook has shown
by recent notes that the old Nuneham Park may
be sown in autumn and safely wintered quite ex-
posed, and I have found Trebons just as hardy
here in Nottinghamshire. It would repay those
who have annually to fight with this great' Onion
enemy to sow half their plot with Spanish varie-
ties notable for their well-shapen necks in autumn,
and to fill the remaining portion in March or
April with heat-raised plants. I would still ad-
vise a free use of soot, as, independent of its
being unpalatable to the Onion fly, it is un-
doubtedly a good fertiliser for the crop if not used
in too great quantities. J. Crawfokd.

be tried as capable of imparting warmth and later apportioned accoiding to the number of
piquancy to what is otherwise a somewhat taste- | points. Last year the best of the six collections

TOMATOES.
It is probably some twenty years or even longer
since the Tomato Hepper's Goliath was put
into commerce. It was, no doubt, a selection
from Trophy, which it closely resembles. Re-
membering how many scores of new varieties have
been introduced since then, I was rather surprised
to see a houseful of the above-mentioned variety
at Woodhatch, Reigate, recently, and to hear from
Mr. Salter, the gardener, that it was still with him
one of the best. ] f that be so, ho w little does it say
for our advance in Tomato production. No doubt
there is much difference of opinion. Hackwood
Park was one of the earliest of the Perfection
type put into commerce, and yet that remains a
great favourite to-day. The fact is these and
other varieties are such good croppers, producing
literally all that any ordinary plant could well
carry in fruit, that advance in productiveness
seems to have been impossible. The chief im-
provement seems to have been in the production
of smaller, handsomer, and much more even sized
as well as useful fruits. As to flavour, with one
or two moderate exceptions, or as to solidity of
flesh, we seem to have gained little. Flesh beco'mes
more solid as the summer advances, and less so
as it wanes. Flavour is found most marked in
one or two of the smaller-fruited varieties, whilst
in the bulk it is much of a muchness, or really
distinguished by its absence. At Chiswick, where
a collection of some 100 assumed varieties have
been well grown in pots this year for purposes of
comparison, only two had any real flavour— Sutton's
Golden Nugget and a variety which received an
award of merit under the name of Chiswick Des-
sert, having smallish red fruits. The appellation
is perhaps not a happy one, as there is a some-
what similar variety already in commerce
under the name of Sutton's Red Dessert.
Two varieties having good coloured red
fruits of the Perfection type. Young's Eclipse
and Nield's Seedling, both good croppers, ob-
tained awards of merit because they carried as
fine crops in far more compact and dwarf form
than did any others. So satisfied did the mem-
bers of the fruit and vegetable committee, who
met at Chiswick on the 31st ult,, seem that To-
matoes for the present at least evidenced no ma-
terial advance, that they advised the suspension of
trials of these fruits at Chiswick for a few years
to afford time for real development if any can be
furnished. What is now needed is flavour. A
variety was recently shown as a product of a cross
between the Tomato and the Egg plant. Of
course, the possibility of any such cross is absurd,
and even if accomplished could hardly have any
beneficial result. We must look in other direc-
tions for flavour development. Several years
since it was suggested that the Capsicum should

less, though a refreshing fruit. The Capsicu
may even if tried prove to be as broken a reed ;
is the Aubergine. It is remarkable that persons
in all parts of the kingdom should continue to
send to the meetings of the fruit committee at
the Drill Hall fruits as commonplace in colour,
appearance, flesh, and taste as they well can be.
These people have, no doubt, sanguine ideas as to
the special merits of their own selection, and in-
different ones as to what others are grown or
known. Beyond Tomatoes, we find Potatoes and
Peas, both annually tested at Chiswick, to show
practically little or no advance of late, and it is
hoped that Potato trials there may for a season
or two assume rather cultural trials than as now
the testing of myriads of so-called seedlings.
Raisers have introduced during the past twenty
years such enormous croppers, that the Potato
trade is now almost ruined. If they go on longer
raising they may kill it entirely. A. D.

The Carrot grub. — The Carrot grub is very
troublesome on dry, shallow soils this season.
Only yesterday I received a letter from a gar-
dener saying that his earliest-sown bed, which up
to May looked most promising, had now com-
pletely dwindled away. Those who have made
second sowings will probably lose them also, un-
less precautionary measures are at once taken.
As soon as the first signs of attack are visible, or
even before, one bushel of soot and one of lim(
should be thrown into a tub containing lOO gal
Ions of water. This should be well stirred and
then allowed to stand unmolested for twelve
hours. The Carrot bed should then be well
soaked with the clear water by means of rosed
watering pots. This is really an excellent remedy
and was made known to me by an old vegetable
grower.— J. C.

Early Peas.- 1 think "W. S." (p. 84) has
overlooked one or two points in my article on
" Early Peas" (p. 15). If he peruses it again he
will see that I did take the favourable nature of
the season into account, and acted up to it in
practice. How much plainer could I be when I
stated that " I firmly believe it is not wise to be
too stereotyped in giving advice on such opera-
tions, as seasons should be taken into account"?
And the following sentence, which I need not
quote further, still gives emphasis to the matter.
Those writers who advised early pot raised Peas
being held over for planting until the early part
of March during such a season as the past did not
exhibit much show of foresight. But at the same
time I did not gauge my experience with these
Peas from this season alone, but over a series of
years. Further, I do not see why I should not
have included an early round variety or two,
although these inferior rounds have had no little
condemnation from me in the past, which views
I am not at all likely to depart from. I always
include one, not simply because it is hardier, but on
the score of its coming more quickly to maturity,
as any variety, whatever may be its quality,
which may be gathered from three or four days
earlier, is a consideration in an establishment
where vegetables are expected as early as it is
possible to have them. My point always has been
that the early Marrows are hardier than is gene-
rally supposed and well adapted for early sowing.
If it were not for the dilTerence of a few days in
point of earliness of the early rounds, I should
not trouble at all about growing them.— A.

" iUNG.

Vegetable competition at Caishalton.—

The annual exhibition of the Carthalton and Dis-
trict Horticultural Society, held on the August
Holiday, is probably the only one of its kind
in the kingdom at which prizes in cash are
awarded according to the number of points, and
■ arbitrarily fixed sums. This form of prize
giving, however, applies to one class only, that
for nine kinds of vegetables set up in the ordinary
way. The awards are made according to the
number of points given to each dish, and then to
the whole in each collection, the money being

staged obtained sixty one points ard the pooiest
forty-six points. The best obtained in cath out
of the £5 allotted 19s. 4d., the lowest 14s. 5d.
This year there were seven collections staged, the
best securing fifty-seven points, the lowest thirty-
four points; then in allotting the money the first
had ISs. 8d.,and the lowest lis. Id. Generally
there was this year, owing to the drought, a fall-
ing oflF in quality. In several cases. Beet, Par-
snips and Turnips, neither strong vegetables, yet
had to be shown, whilst strong ones, like Peas,
Potatoes and Tomatoes, were less good than
usual. The judges have simply to point the ex-
hibits, a process that does not take long, whilst it
secures perfectly accurate estimation of value.
The apportioning of the cash is undertaken by the
committee. — A. D.

Late Peas. — Rarely have these vegetables been
so great a trouble to have good as this year. The
plants have suffered less from dryness at the roots
— for in many places they have been well watered
—than from the heat and dryness of the atmo-
sphere, which has led to blindness or imperfect
fertilisation. It seems very probable that seed
will be difficult to obtain from some of the latest
sorts where sown late. It is very probable that
any early varieties sown late have suffered in the
same way'; that is at least my experience. Very
frequent overhead sprinklings orsyringings of tall
varieties may have minimised the effects of the
general dryness somewhat, but the effects of these
moistenings have been very evanescent. Mildew
—generally a product of excessive dryness— has
also given great trouble to late Peas. Few
growers, however, seem to employ for its de-
struction the well-known sulphate of copper and
lime solution, although that is found to be very
efficacious when applied, as it is for instance to
ChrysantheoDums. Perhaps they fear the contact
of the sulphate with the pods might eventuate in
poisoning ; still, there seems to be no other re-
medy that is less innocuous. Where late sowings
of Peas are yet but from 12 inches to 20 inches in
height and have no evidence of bloom, and can be
kept growing on by ample overhead waterings,
they may be saved for late September and October
podding, because whilst the air is still rather
dry the heat is much less, and reviving showers
coine occasionally. Where late sowings are in im-
perfect bloom the prospects of a good crop are
poor. It is a season in which greater reliance will
have to be placed on other products, especially on
such as Runner Beans and young Cauliflowers.
-A. D.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

LATE PEACHES.
Late Peaches as a rule, at any rate in the ma-
jority of counties, do best under glass, as their
growth is made at an advanced period, and ex-
cept in the sunniest seasons is apt to ripen im-
perfectly, unless the aid of artificial heat can be
given. There is now a long list of varieties
belonging to this category, and although a few
of them are rampant growers, and shy at bear-
ing fruit, the majority can by judicious man-
agement be brought early into a fertile state,
and some of them possess a flavour second to
none of the earliest and midseason Peaches.
To prevent a break in the supply between the
medium season house and the first gatherings
from the late one, it is well to plant Dymond
and Sea Eagle, both excellent Peaches in every
way, and, although vigorous growers, needing
no correction by root pruning, and usually
bearing the first year after planting. Dymond
has size, colour, and first-class flavour to recom-
mend it, while Sea Eagle, though pale, is yet
delicate and not easily beaten for quality by
any other of this section. Prince of Wales is a

116

THE GAT^DEX.

[A-GUST 15, 1896.

grand Peach for planting in a late cool house,
and is one of the most persistent croppers I
know of. That good old Peach Bellegarde, or
French tialande, which used to do so well oa
open walls in the eastern counties, should
be included, its black red colour on the sunny
side, and rich noyeau liivour, commending it-
self to everyone who likes a good Peach. It is
also constant and free, Harrington cannot be
beaten for colour, size, and general appearance,
and is also of fair tlavour, but my experience is
that unless planted in a strong loam, corrected
by plenty of lime rubble, the fruit are liable to
drop wholesale at the stoning period. I have
been so troubled with this Peach in this re-
spect, in spite of liberal mulchings and copious
supplies of water at the roots, that I would
never plant it in a light porous loam again. I
was recommended by a good Peach grower to
try biennial root lifting, which I did, but this
made no dill'erence whatever.

One of the very best and most reliable sorts,
and one that is at present comparatively little
known, is the >ectarine Peach. Mr. Allan, of
Gunton, has it growing on the back wall of a
perfectly cool house, and thinks very highly of
it. 1 tasted a fruit and thought it delicious.
An extra large pale-coloured Ptach is Goshawk,
but unless in large houses and for the sake of
variety this had better be left out, as despite
repeated root prunings it is apt to grow grossly
and bring disappointment. Golden Eagle is a
very late Peach of rich milky flavour, and, al-
though requiring more or less root pruning for
the first few years, bears almost as freely as Sea
Eagle, and keeps for some time when fully ripe.
This is often exhibited at late autumn shows,
and is very telling. Another of the same date
of ripening is Gladstone, also very large, finely-
coloured, and of rich noyeau flavour, but this
variety is also a rampant grower and by no
means a sure bearer. Where room can be
spared it may, however, be planted for the sake
of jjrolonging the season. Walburton Admir-
able may be mentioned, but, although of huge
size under high cultivation, it is often very
coarse, and under average in flavour. Many
gardeners prefer the ordinary Late Admirable.
Desse Tardive is one of the most exquisitely
flavoured of the very late section, but although
I humoured it, I could not induce it to hold its
fruit, all falling olf between the stoning and
ripening time. Like Harrington, I think it needs
a strong soU. At Blickley Desse Tardive does
capitally. If extreme late gatherings are desir-
able, loom may well be found for that now al-
most extinct Peach Salwey. It is true its
flavour is only third-rate, but it is very hand-
some, and makes a mark in the dessert when all
other Peaches are pa't and gone. Points which
must be observed in the culture of late Peaches
are shallow borders, thin distribution of the
young wood, and the application of pipe warmth
during autumn. J. Ur.awkord.

Layering Vines.— The practice of layering a
portion of the stems of young Vines in the soil
the tirst or second year after planting is not now
60 common aa it used to be. Some gardeners con-
demn it, believing that it encourages fungus, but
I think this is more imaginarv than real. One
good Grape grower used to cut his young Vines
back to within an inch of the soil, allow them to
start, and when they had grown a foot and new
roots were forming, plant in the new border,
burying the inch of old wood in the eoil. A tuft
of yuung roots soon s-tartei from the junction of
the new and eld wood, which he considered
aj^eiited in producing a fine strong cane the first
s€a=oD, and their condition in the autumn cer-
tainly justified hie idea. I was under Mr.
Maclndoe at Button when the large vineries

there were planted, and I remember that layering
was practised the second year. The young Vines
previous to being stai-ted were bent down, and
some L' feet or ," feet of the base of the stems em-
bedded in the soil, being secured by means of
stout wooden pegs, they were laid in about G
inches deep and, I believe, notched here and there
at the joints. A colony of roots issued from the
buried stems as soon as the Vines got into active
growth, and extra strong canes were produced
that year, nor has fungus ever troubled the Hutton
Vines, so far as I am a^^are.— J. C.

Planting Strawberries.— No time should be
lost in getting next season's fruiting plants into
their permanent quarters, as the earlier the plants
are started the better will be tho crowns for next
season's fruiting. It is a loss of time to allow the
first or earliest runners to go astray ; indeed, far
better grow a few plants for runner production
alone. With such a protracted drought, old,
worn-out stools will have a ditficulty in tiding
over a severe winter. In case the runners are not
large enough for immediate permanent planting,
place them in rows in rich soil, 1 foot between
the rows, 6 inches between the plants, in firmly
trodden soil. These small plants will lift grandly
early in March or even earlier if the winter is
mild. Such plants as the Queen or Pine family,
Waterloo, or other slow growers do grandly
treated thus, and are much less trouble than
patching up old quarters.— S. H. B.

Apple Mr. Gladstone. — The extreme earli-
ness of this Apple is unquestionable. I have to-
day (July 13) gathered it from a tree on a wall. I
cannot, however, say much in its favour as a
cropper either in that position or as an espalier.
I am inclined to think that bush form would suit
it better, as it seems to be one of those sorts
which fruit on the ends of the shoots, and, there-
fore, resent spurring back. In regard to its
quality the less said the better ; further than
that it is refreshing on a hot day if gathered
from the tree and eaten at once. Keep it will not,
even for a few days when quite ripe, mealiness
setting in in twenty-four hours. Perhaps on a
stronger soil it might be better. The small white
Juneating will be ripe in ten days, and as grown
here is really better than Gladstone.— J. C.

EARLY FORCING STRAWBERRIES.

Althoikh early layering — with early potting and
consequently early maturity of the crowns— is not
so very important in the case of Strawberry
plants which have not to be introduced into heat
till the end of January or beginning of February,
it will, I think, be conceded that the above con-
ditions are imperative with plants intended for
extra early forcing— i.e., to be placed in heat, say
at the end of November or beginning of Decem-
ber. One old gardener I knew, who forced Straw-
berries early — his first batch being expected to
ripen in February — was never satisfied unless in
September the pots were tolerably well filled with
roots and the crowns prominent and well-browned.
Keens' Seedling was the best Strawberry for
forcing in those days, except in point of earliness
perhaps, in which case Black Pnnce had the pre-
ference, a few of this variety being grown in
ig-inch pots for an extra early picking. This plan
of potting a certain number of early varieties in
small pots is a very good one, as by a little extra
attention the balls can be kept moist in autumn,
and doing their work at a comparatively dull,
sunless period of the year, root dryness need not
affect them when on shelves under glass. One
good point about Keens' Seedling is that it fre-
quently develops but one crown in pots, and those
varieties of the same habit of growth are certainly
to be preferred for early forcing. La Grosse
Sucree also produces few crowns, and when two or
more appear it is an eas}- matter to cut them out
in their infancy. The worst of Vicomtesee Hcri-
cart de Thury is that it produces its crowns in
clusters of four, five or more, and that the bloom
trusses are, in consequence, borne on short
stems, which often scarcely overlap the rim of

the pot. This certain-setting, forcing Straw-
berry should be treated in the manner above
described, a couple of crowns only being left.
Royal Sovereign will be found most useful for
small pots, its crowns being few and prominent,
and it therefore easily ripens. For these limited
batches of extra early forcers, a few plants for
producing runners only are necessary, as they re-
quire to be layered eai ly in June and to be shifted
into their fruiting pots by the second week in
July. A sunny position also is needed, free from
any shade whatever. The successful old forcer
referred to used to give them a plot w hich had
been cleared of early Cauliflowers, facing due
south, giving the surface a good sprinkling with
lime and removing the larger stones with a rake,
liquid manure in a weak state being given daily
as soon as roots became numerous. This extra
labour is well repaid where very early Strawber-
ries are a feature, as we all know the disappoint-
ment which often attends late-potted plants in
large pots, it being sometimes a difficult matter
to secure a respectable dish from a long row of
plants. If these early plants can be plunged in
a gentle bottom-heat of leaves until the bloom-
trusses throw up so much the better.

J. Ckawford.

VINE ON HOUSE IN SURREY.
Ai.Tiionui Earls wood is the home for many
thousands of Chrysanthemums, there is something
else which seems at home there — viz., a Vine
of White Frontignan (Irape. This Vine was
planted thirteen years ago (just a rooted cutting)
in a bed of clay which had been dug out
of the stoke- hole, to fill up the ground in front of
shop, and asphalted over seven years previous to
planting the Vine, so that when the Vine was
planted a hole about 1 foot square and deep was
dug out and filled up with some good mould.
Nothing was expected from this Vine but for
shade over the shop window, but three years ago
about 4 bushels of Grapes ripened beautifully.
The greater part of these found their way amongst
some water and sugar and into a tub. The Vine
has been allowed to extend as much as possible
since then, and each year has ripened a fair crop
of Grapes, but this year it is the admiration of
everyone who passes by ; in fact, many came on
purpose to see it. It is simply loaded with bunches,
the best of which I have thinned. Many of the
best bunches will weigh very close upon a pound
by the time they are ripe if they go oa as they
are going, for they have not yet commenced
stoning, and the berries are as large as one
often sees Black Hamburgh in a vinerj- at the
same stage of growth. I enclose a small bunch
for your inspection. It is almost impossible to
count the bunches, they are so thick, but I should
think there must be over 2000, and when full
grown there will be ten or twelve bushels. They
have never been so early as this year and not such
large bunches, and the berries on those which I
thinned are as large now as they have hitherto
been when ripe, so I am looking forward to a
larger tubful of one of the best summer or winter
drinks one can possibly have — that is one who
likes homemade wine.

Returning to the Vine, it is a mystery to me
where it gets its nourishment, for, besides the
crop, it has already (August 10) made shoots 10
feet long, and not a drop of water has been given
to it, for it is in the centre of a piece of asphalte
20 feet square, and it is impossible to give it water
anywhere in that space, and a main road runs
two sides of the house. It may have crossed the
road and got amongst the Chrysanthemums (a
distance of 20 or 30 yards) ; if so, that accoonts
for the extraordinary crop and growth ; or one of
its toes may have kicked against the sewer in the
road, but in either of these cases they would have
" a hard road to travel," and in the latter case to
travel deep. W. Wells.

*,* An excellent photograph, showing the good
effect of the Vine, is sent bv Mr. Wells, who also
forwards a specimen bunch of very clean white
Grapes. — Ed.

August 15, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

117

Flower Garden.

THALICTRUM AQUILEGIFOLIUM.
This handsome plant is well worthy of a place
in the herbaceous border or wild garden. In
rich, deep soil it will often attain a height of
5 feet, and when the tall flower-heads expand
their somewhat insignificant blossoms into a
cloud of yellowish white inflorescence, the effect
produced is extremely striking, the fiuely-
formed leafage and purple stems contrasting
pleasingly with the feathery lightness of the
innumerable blooms. Associated with the

rockery. T. adiantifolium is valuable solely on
account of its foliage, which bears a striking
resemblance to the fronds of the Maiden-hair
Fern, from which it derives its name. The
elegance of the delicately cut leafage gives the
plant a graceful appearance, and its fronds, as
they may almost be called, are most decorative
when arranged artistically with cut flowers.

S. W. F.

Irishexagonalia Mance. — Another season's
erowth of this Arkansas variety confirms, says
Garden and Forest, the first impression as to its
being a handsome form. Among the many Irises

ilegifolium. From a photograrph sent by Mr
Lanscombe House, Torquay.

strong-growing Lilium croceum, which will
throw its many -flowered bloom - spires full
6 feet high, this Thalictrum is seen Lit its best,
the deep orange of the Lily blooms setting ofif
to advantage the parchment - white of the
^leadow Rue's blossoms. There are varieties
of this Thalictrum with flowers of a pink or
purple hue which lack the ornamental qualities
of the type here represented.

Other beautiful Thalictrums are T. anemo-
noides, the Rue Anemone, and T. adiantifolium,
or Fern Rue. The former produces its delicate
white chalices, much resembling those of the
wUd Wood Sorrel (Oxalis), above its daintOy-
cut dwarf foliage in the spring, and is a gem
that is seen at its best in the setting of a

it would be difficult to name the most beautiful
and pleasing, but this has claims to be numbered
among the choicest of a generally handsome
family. There are others of more delicate and
quaint hues, but the colour of this is as nearly
blue as is found in flowers. The flowers are wide-
spreading, with flat segments, and three or four
are borne on short pedicels on one side of a leafy
prostrate stem. It is perfectly hardy and has
long, thick, creeping rhizomes. The white-
flowered form of Iris hexagona, discovered in
Florida by Mr. Mead, does not prove to be hardy
here.

Coronilla cappsdocica. — This genus contains
but few species that are regarded as hardy.
Coronilla varia is, perhaps, the best known, and
is a desirable species, and C. cappadooica, which

is quite distinct, has proved to be a good garden
plant and perfectly hardy. It is of prostrate
habit, sending up in summer numerous spikes of
the brightest golden yellow flowers, which remind
one of the blossoms of Lotus corniculatus, except
that they are much larger. C. cappadocica is a
native of Asia Minor, and is another of the many
fine garden plants for which we are indebted to
the energy and perseverance of Mr. Whittall.
Plants grown here produce seeds freely and aS'ord
a ready means of propagation. As with all legu-
minous plants, it is best to start the seeds where
the plants are to remain permanently, as it some-
times takes years for the plants to recover from
the check caused by removal. — E. O. O., South
Lancaster, Mass , in Garden and Forest.

BORDER CARNATIONS— OLD AND NEW.

After the mild season we enjoyed last winter
these charming flowers are now unusually fine
in seaside gardens where the soil is sufficiently
retentive of moisture, or where they have been
occasionally watered during the severe heat and
drought now past. In consequence, it is, I
think, especially important to go over our
plants, marking the freest and handsomest
kinds for immediate layering and propagation,
because any variety that is not really satis-
factory this year should be passed over, as it
cannot reasonably be expected to be better in
future years ; and so we should concentrate our
energies on the most satisfactory plants.

Many, I hope, wUl agree with me when I say
that the old Clove is the model of excellence for
a border Carnation, for what I mean by a
border Carnation is one that will live in an or-
dinary border and persist for several years, pro-
ducing annually a fine crop of flowers till it dies
of old age. Carnations that need annual plant-
ing and layering may be, and often are, most
beautiful things, but they are not true hardy
border plants that will take care of themselves
in an ordinary way. This is what is such an
endless source of distress to anxious amateurs
who buy probably some lovely, but delicate
Picotee, and expect it to grow on and flower
again when once planted ; and I constantly hear
the complaint, "I cannot grow Carnations," from
people who have admired such and such a
flower when shown no doubt by a specialist. It
is, for instance, a little disheartening to hear of
those splendid seedling varieties raised by the
president of the Carnation Society being grown
by the hundred under glass to protect them
from insect injuries, for one would hope that
some at least of them are hardy enough to take
care of themselves out-of-doors, as we shall pre-
sently see. Seedlings are, of course, the most
obvious means of stocking a mixed border with
bloom, but I do not want to talk of them to-day,
as they cannot all be good, while masses of old
and hardy varieties can be relied on for quality
and colour wherever the Carnation grows
happily — that is to say, in two-thirds at least of
English gardens. Given the old Clove in its
several varieties, especially the crimson and
the blush-pink, there comes next the " ever-
lasting " Raby Pink, which is even hardier and
more abundant in bloom. But of whites,
how few there are really handsome and
really hardy. The common white small-
flowered Clove is so poor, the large and fragrant
Gloire de Nancy how tender and how soon
spoilt by wet ! There are any number of beau-
tiful white Carnations, i deed, but of sturdy,
hardy border varieties, how few. A real trea-
sure for the border has, I think, however,
turned up in Mr. Martin Smith's EUen Terry,
a white of the purest and largest size, vigorous
and hardy beyond any but those mentioned.
Plants that stood out the winter of 1894-05,
and again last winter, are now quite as vigorous

118

THE GARDEN.

[Aug:st 15, 1896.

as young plants, and as full of flower and grass.
There must bo quite a hundred or more flowers
and buds (.great aud small) on one plant, and
the quality is improved by its age — a strong
point in its favour. This will, I thiuk, be a
standard white border Carnation in the future,
its only drawback being the feebleness of its
scent. " I have been much disappointed to tiud
that Uriah Pike, =o grand under glass, is not to
be depended on outside. This year after the
mild winter it is good, but the previous winter
froze its pith, and the plants generally suc-
cumbed just as they were trying to flower. I
hear the beautiful, but nearly scentless Mephisto
is quite hardy, but as I have only had it out
during last winter I dare not pronounce posi-
tively : at any rate, it is one to propagate and
try thoroughly. Of yellows it seems almost
hopeless to find a good hardy border variety,
but 1 can say that Duke of Orleans (also one
of Mr. M. Smith's seedlings has passed un-
scathed two winters and is now blooming pro-
fusely, there being ten flowers out at one time
on one single stem and of fair quality : while
Germania has never survived two winters and
then been healthy enough to produce good
flowers. Carnations no doubt behave very dif-
ferently in the north from what they do in
southern gardens, and while 1 have often seen
the orange Mr.;. Reynolds-Hole straggling
vigorously in southern gardens, it lias never
been kindly with me, and I bail Pasha with
much pleasure as a hardier and better flower of
the same type, which is flowering again Ireely
on two-year-old plants. The Hunter, another
orange variety, is also a vigorous and free-
blooming variety that has stood three years
out of doors, and is stUl good. Its colour is
peculiarly vivid and clear, but its grass is very
long and thin and needs staking. Good
scarlets are easily raised from seed, but
I must say that Hayes' Scarlet, with which I
was much disappointed in its first year,
has retrieved its character in my eyes, for a
four-year-old clump that had been luckily
planted on the top of a bank has produced
masses of brilliant blooms perfect in shape and
gorgeous in colour, as the guard petals protect
the inner ones from the hot sun when the
flower-stems hang down. Ketton Rose is a
well-known and good variety that certainly
deserves a place in every Carnation grower's
border. Comtesse de Paris I have grown and
admired for years, but it all died in that severe
winter of 1894-95, so it cannot quite be con-
sidered " proof." A new variety somewhat
similar, called Wateraritch, has much disap-
pointed me ; its petals are so flimsy, that one
heavy shower of rain entirely ruins both flowers
and opening buds — quite a fatal objection in my
eyes. I have left nearly to the last in the list
of self border Carnations what is perhaps the
loveliest, freest, and hardiest of them all. Its
excellence may be gathered from the fact that
it has no less than three names, and yet it is
beautiful under them all. Burn Pink, Maggie
Laurie, or Duchess of Fife is far the prettiest
blush-pink border Carnation I know, and, if not
quite as persistent a plant as the old Raby, it
is still cjuite to be depended on as a hardy bor-
der Carnation. In moift northern gardens a
fine rose self border Carnation called Beauty of
Boston is very hardy and good, but in the
south I have never seen it in beauty, so that
this is purely a northern kind. Of fancies it is
very difficult to give any names. For my part
1 rarely admire them, and am content to grow
chance'seedlings that please me, and have never
gone in for named varieties in this line. When
we come to the florists' Carnations, flakes,
bizarres, and Pitotees, I have found only three

of those I have cared to grow really reliable as
border plants. These three are the beautiful
rose flake Lady Mary Currie, a mod*-! of hardi-
ness and excellence ; then comes J. B. Bryant,
a Picotee with a deep red eye, aud Liddington's
Favourite, with a thin rose edge, which have
all graced the borders here for many years, and
take care of themselves in an ordinary way.
It would be a satisfaction to hear what are the
true border Carnations grown in other gardens
that are as persistent as these 1 can mention.
When a really hardy and lasting scarlet variety
equalling Ellen Terry in size and beauty is
raised, may I still be alive to possess it. King
Arthur, so splendid in colour, size, and habit,
is of no value as a second year's plant, and
so not to be included in border Carnations.

Edward H. VVoodall.

PRIMULA SIEBOLDI VARIETIES.
"R. D." on page 66 appears to regard heavy
rains or much moisture as detrimental to the well-
being of these charming plants, and suggests "a
cold frame " as an " advantage" in keeping them
free from such. This is, however, so contrary to
my experience, that I think it may be well to give
another view of their behaviour without the
coddling in a cold frame, for I have never known
these plants to suflfer from full exposure to all the
rainfall, but rather the reverse ; indeed, at the out-
set it would be opposed to the generally accepted
notion of the genus as a whole if it were found
that moisture was an objectionable item in their
cukure. It may interest " R. D." to know that
upwards of twenty years ago, when I had charge
of the hardj' plant department of the Messrs.
Rollision at Tooting, I grew the varieties grandi-
flora, lilacina, intermedia and alba (that very
purest of white kinds, with very large pips of
somewhat drooping flower.s), also one called hy-
brida, all of them plunged in pots in the open
all the year round winter and summer. Each
year these things always started most vigorously
into growth, and, instead of losing any, the plants
invariably admitted of being increased two or
three-fold each year — proof, I take, that they were
in no wise injured, or even inconvenienced, by
their surroundings. The plants were potted for
sale purposes generally in 4-inch pots, and the
rhizomes spread quite freely over the soil,
apparently luxuriating in the moisture of the
plunging material. Each spring, after flower-
ing, the plants were potted and replunged in a
mixture of soil and ashes between thin hedgerows
of Arbor-vit*, where they received daily attention
in watering. With the decay of the leafage, an
inch, or rather more perhaps, of spent hops from
a neighbouring brewery was placed over all, and in
this way they remained till repotted in the
following spring. No protection of any kind
was given them, and in this moisture-holding
material the plants grew cjuite vigorously and in-
creased rapidly. In the specimen beds no such
covering was given or needed, as the rhizomes
spread freely on the surface and were perfectly
hardy. Coming to more recent times and with
increased numbers of kinds, I may say I have
frequently recommended the planting of theee
things in the drier parts of the bog garden, and I
did not attempt to recommend their use in this
particular position without experience of their
suitability. Indeed, some of the most vigorous
patches of theee plants that I have seen formed a
long broad line some dozen or more years ago in
the Botanic Gardens, Birmingham, where in
the moist est part of the garden and in a position
rather low Mr. Latham had them growing in the
greatest luxuriance. Plants of this group have
occupied the same border, and, moreover, in a
rather heavy and at first sight one may think un-
congenial soil, for year", and their exceptional
vigour is the beet possible proof of their being
contented with their lot. Here in Middlesex some
years ago I specially sunk a bed nearly a foot
below the surface that theee very plants might

receive the rainfall, and in this spot the plants,
originally small pieces put out in lines, quickly
formed one mass several feet across, and when in
flower the mass of bright red flowers near a
group of Trillnims was exceedingly good and
efl'ective. I have nothing to say against pot-grown
plants of these things where this is done to for-
ward them under glass and thereby extend the
season of flowering. It ie, however, a totally
dift'erent matter to suppose that pots and cold
frames are a necessity in their cultivation, because
the plants are never grown to the same perfection
by these means, and to urge their use is in a large
number of instances to prevent many ever
attempting their culture at all. But grown in a
spot continually cool and moist, and if shaded
the better, these plants are among the brightest
and most pleasing of early spring flowers.

E. Jenkins.

DRY WEATHER CARNATIONS.
This has been a most trying season for border
Carnations on light shallow soils, and those who
went to the trouble of mulching round the plants
fairly early in the year will have reaped the bene-
fit. I never remember a season when thrips were
so troublesome, and there seems to be no way of
checking them. Many of the self-coloured varieties
presented (juite a freckled appearance by the
tissue of the flowers being eaten away by these
pests. Lying somewhat high, and having a rather
light soil with abundant drainage, from which
moisture quickly drains. Carnations which do
well in a dry season are especially valuable to
me. I do not think a better pink variety for free
growth and floriferousne.ss can be named than
Celia. The Bowers, which are borne on very stout
stems and in great quantities, are of a bright, but
pleasing hue, and are very delicately scented.
Celia may truly be termed a perpetual bloomer,
as it will continue to flower, and that freely, right
into October, and a stronger grower I do not
know. Another pink variety thriving w ell in a dry
season and producing flowers in abundance is The
Burn. The flowers are much paler than Celia,
reminding one of Miss Joliffe ; it eeldom bursts
and lasts a long time in a cut state. Pride of the
Garden poseessesagood constitution and bearsfreely
large flowers of great substance, the colour being
a fine deep rose. As a golden \ellow Cirnation ~
can speak highly of Corunna. In our light soil this
season it has flowered freely and has made a capital
lot of grass for another )ear. Miss Ellen Terry
stands out prominently as one of the very best
and largest white border Carnations. The blooms
remind one of the old Malmaieon in size and tex-
ture. This variety has made a good show this
summer without any mulching or artificial water-
ing. The Pasha, a tine fringed variety, colour
deep apricot, is a reliable grower, and owing to
its usefulness for bouquets and buttonholes is quite
indispensable, even in the most limited collection.
Uriah Pike, although classed as a tree Carnation,
has made a brave show here on a hot sunny border.
This will certainlv replace the old Clove in gardens
where the latter dies oft'. .J. C.

\ I

Violas or Tufted Pansies.— I can heartily
endorse what Mr. D. T. Fish says of these beauti-
ful flowers, for we southern and eastern growers
cannot hope to compete with growers north of the
Tweed with a flower that needs moisture and
shade. The editorial note (see p 76) is also
correct, for here on one of the sunniest spots in
South Hants the Violas have lived through the
long drought, but it would be a stretch of imagi-
nation to say that anyone could have found any
about here in satisfactory bloom during June or
July, and finding the coolest and moistest posi-
tions would have been a problem I should like to
have seen solved anywhere hereabouts, a=, no
matter what the aspect, there was no raoifture
whatever. Of this I am positive, for in the laet
week in July we started to sink a well close by
where our Violas and other flowers all languish-
ing for water were growing, and the soil at .3 feet
deep had not a vestige of moisture in it any more

August 15, 189C.J

THE GARDEJ^.

119

than the surface, and if tossed up in the air flew
away like the dust off the road, and it was not
until we had penetrated some feet into the gravel
that any perceptible moisture could be found. It
ie this moieture rising from below that we have
to thank for keeping trees and other deep-rooting
things alive, for the drought has been a long
steady drying up of all the moisture that was
available, accompanied by a dry, cool atmosphere
that robbed the soil nearly as much of its mois-
ture by night as by day, for there was scarcely
any dew to refresh the flagging and withered
vegetation. Those who grew Violas in this part
thought themselves fortunate if they kept them
alive until rain did fall, and I may add that
although the rain we have had has not penetrated
more than 3 inches deep, it has done more to
start the Violas into bloom again than all the
water we could put on them from the water-pot.
— James Groom, Goaport.

CEnothera speeiosa.— In the notes on this
beautiful species nothing is said of its delicate odour.
It is a favourite of mine and I always grow it in pots
for the sake of its pleasant perfume.— J. M., Char-
mouth, Dorset.

IRIS PALLIDA.
Of all the Flag Irises, there is none finer, when
seen at its best, than Iris pallida. It ia a native
of South-eastern Europe, and is easily grown in
any ordinary border. It has large glaucous
foliage and stout flower-spikes about 4 feet high,
each producing six or seven large flowers of a
light lavender-blue. The buds are peculiar,
being short and thick and carefully wrapped
up, apparently in tissue paper. There are
several varieties, one of the best and richest
coloured being known as dalmatica — the one
photographed. There is also, I believe, a rose-
coloured form, but I have not seen it. The
clump figured herewith contained about twenty
spikes, and when in blossom was a floral picture
hard to beat. A coloured plate of this Iris
appeared in The Garden for January 14, 1888.
T. P.

GLADIOLUS CULTURE.
On seeing a fine lot of spikes of this showy flower
in a florist's window recently it struck me as some-
what strange that its culture should not be more
general. Most of the old gardeners gave a por-
tion of a sunny border to Gladioli, a good batch
of the old brenchleyensis being included. These
were grown in rows, a stout stake being driven in
at each end, and cross sticks taken from one to
the other for tying the stems to, the plants being
shaded with canvas in hot weather. Many com-
plain that the new hybrids do not last more than
a year or two and then gradually dwindle away,
but for a mere nominal cost a fresh stock of bulbs
may be obtained from the growers, and the new
named varieties are all very handsome. It is use-
less attempting to produce good spikes by plant-
ing the bulbs in unprepared soil .and subjecting
the plants to rough-and-ready treatment. They
require a nice open loamy compost, with a free
addition of leaf mould and coarse sand, and if a
little sand is placed round each bulb at planting
time, roots will be more quickly and freely
emitted. I have known gardeners residing in
cold districts to start the bulbs in small pots and
plant out when growth was Ij inche? high. This
is a good plan in gardens infested with slugs, as
frequently these pests play sad havoc with the
tender shoots when just through the ground.
Their attacks may be prevented by placing small
pots over them at eventide, removing them the
following morning. The end of April is a good
time for planting the bulbs, and if in beds the
best way of doing this is in drills 8 inches or
4 inches in depth, pressing the soil gently around
the bulbs with the hand. Gladioli will do well
planted singly in sunny pleasure-ground and
shrubbery borders, but in this case a portion of the
old soil should be taken out and a little prepared

compost put in. For a display in such positions,
nothing surpasses the brilliant old brenchleyensis.
The vigour of the plants and strength and colour
of the laloom-epikes are much increased by applica-
tions of hquid manure to the roots several times
during the season ; a good mulch of short manure
is also beneficial. The plants must be secured to
neat sticks at an early date, as even before the
spikes appear high winds often break them down.
At the beginning of November the bulbs must be
lifted, dried, and stored away in a cool place free
from ifrost, the small offsets being saved for plant-
ing by themselves for flowering the third year.
J. Crawford.

Fruit and Vegetable Crops.

SOUTHERN.
Knebworth Gardens, Herts.— The outlook
of the more important of the hardy fruits in this
district is not now so rosy and promising as the
abundant, strong, and perfect blossom on the
trees and bushes led us to expect. Two or three
frosty nights, but more especially the long-con-

tinued biting east winds which prevailed during
the blossoming period of both Apples and Pears,
only too surely wrought and left behind traces
of injury to most orchards and gardens, save in
some few instances where friendly protection was
afforded against the blighting wmds by belts of
trees and other agencies. Apples will be below
an average crop. Falling of much of the fruit is
general. Some people think this is attributable
to the prevalence of the dry weather, but I think
it must be put down to an imperfect set, conse-
quent on the cold weather at the flowering stage.
The cutting open of several of the fallen truits re-
veals imperfect fertilisation by the absence of
the non-swelling and shrivelled-up appearance of
the pips, these defects clearly pointing to that
fact. The crop on standard Pears will be below
the average. The same may be said of Plums.
On walls Pears are better, so also are stone fruits.
Apricots, Peaches, Plums, and Cherries are
a good average crop, and where the trees are
receiving timely supplies of water, the fruit is

swelling to a goodly size and will be of excellent
quality. All bush fruits are abundant and good.
Strawberries have been heavy crops and of ex-
cellent quality where early attention was given
to the watering of the plantations. Where this
could not be done and on the lighter soils the
season of gathering has been a short one and the
fruit mostly small and poor. As is usually the
case after long spells of chilling and blighting
east winds, insect pests have been rampant on
almost all fruiting and flowering plants, and a
continual waging of war has had to be kept up
against them to secure fruit and flowers alike in
anything like a presentable condition.

Most vegetable crops have had a most trying
time on account of the long-continued dry
weather. The constant use of the watering-pot
has had to be be resorted to to keep up the sup-
plies of nearly all kinds of vegetables, and these in
most instances have been, and are, of but poor
quality. On the dry gravelly soils, where there
is a scarcity of water, a great number of the
crops have been wholesale failures. Peas have
filled badly and given only half returns. Early
and second early crops of Potatoes have ripened
off prematurely, the tubers being small generally
and only about one-third the weight of produce
there ought to be. Late crops in the fields
_ are showing signs of distress, the tubers as
yet being small, with skins partly set, and
should rain come now, of which there are
signs, to start them into fresh growth,
super-tubering is sure to follow and the
quality of the crops reduced thereby. —

J. KiPLINC.

Wrotham Park, Barnet. — Apples
about an average crop, some varieties, viz..
King of the Pippins, Cox's Orange Pippin,
Lord Grosvenor, Lord Sutheld, Cellini,
Striped Beaufin, Juneating, Lane's Prince
Albert, and Stirling Castle being about
the best this season. There was an abund-
ance of bloom, but a quantity either set
imperfectly or not at all. Pears under
average, but the quality appears to be
good, and the fruits clean and free from
blemish. Plums over average and of good
quality on the walls : not so much fruit
on the bush or standard trees, the birds
having destroyed most of the buds this
last spring. Peaches over average crop and
very good so far, but owing to the drought
and consequent shortness of water here,
spider has attacked some of the trees,
which will doubtless aft'ect the quality
of the fruit on them. Figs imder average.
The trees here have not recovered from the
effects of the severe winter of 1894-95.
The growth made was very late in 1895 ;
then we had a sharp frost early in the
autumn of that year which killed all the
points of the growths, from which the
trees are only recovering this summer.
Strawberries average crop, quality good
generally, but the earlier fruit was very
good indeed both in size and quality,
the hot, dry weather spoiling the later fruits
in many cases. Black Currants average crop,
good quality, but the fruits smaller than
usual. Red Currants under average as re-
gards quantity, but the quality good. Goose-
berries over average, an abundant crop, perhaps
rather smaller than usual. Raspberries under
average and bad, owing to the drought here. In
some places near where there has been more rain,
or where the soil is more retentive of moisture,
the crop has been pretty good. Cherries under
average, but very good m quality. Morellos
over average ; in fact, abundant, very good, and
early. Nuts average crop. Walnuts about an
average crop here, rather under in some other
places.

Most vegetables about here are not up to the
usual standard owing to the hot and dry weather.
Potatoes are good both in number at a root and
(juality, but small. Peas are getting scarce and
the later sowings doing badly, as also Spinach.
Runners are not setting well. Turnips scarce.

120

THE GARDEN.

[August 15, 1896.

also Cauliflowers. Winter stuff not growing much
and looking very blue. This only applies to where
water is scarce. In places where there is plenty
of water or where the grouml is not so gravelly
the crops look, and nre, better, Potatoes especially
being very good. The deeper-rooting vegetables,
rarsnips,"Beet, &c., are doing very well generally.
—Geo. R1N..HAM.

Dropmore. — The fruit crops in this district
are rather uniler the average, although of some
kinds unusually heavy ones can be reported.
Coming under this last head are outdoor Peaches
and Nectarines, both of which have required
severe thinning. The trees, too, have kept
wonderfully clean considering the extreme
drought, and also have made satisfactory growth.
Early Peaches, as Waterloo and Alexander, are
nearly over : fruits of these were gathered from the
open wall the first week in July. Apricots are a
partial crop, probably owing to rough stormy
weather when in bloom earlj- in March. Plums
both on walls and stanilurd trees are carrying
heavy crops ; some are dropping owing to extreme
drought, and a week's rain now would be most
welcome. Apples are a good average crop and
the trees looking well, considering the trjing
season already experienced, and with a good rain
now a full crop may be expected. Blenheim
Orange, Sturmer Pippin, Dutch Mignonne, Devon-
shire t.'uarrenden among orchard trees are heavily
laden, and among bush trees Lord Grosvenor,
Grenadier, Lord Derby, Lane's Prince Albert,
Ecklinville Seedling, Cox's Orange Pippin, Cox's
Pomona, Bismarck, and Pott's Seedling have re-
quired considerable thinning. Pears on walls, ex-
ceptingthevariety Williams' Bon Chretien, arethin,
while bush trees are a partial crop. Some of the best
are Williams' Bon Chretien, Mme Trey ve, DoyennS
du Cornice, Fondante d'Automne, .Josephine de
Malines, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Souvenir du
Congres, Beurr6d'Anjou,andBeurre Diel. Cherries
on walls have been good, while orchard trees
generally in this neighbourhood have been thinly
cropped. Notwithstanding the drought, Straw-
berries have been abundant and good, although
over perhaps rather earlier than usual. Goose-
berries have been a heavy crop and good, but
Currants-, both Black and Red, thin and under
ai-erage. Raspberries poor, owing to continued
drought. Nuts are very plentiful.

Among vegetables. Potatoes, although rather
smaller than usual, are of excellent quality, and
no disease yet seen. Vegetables have suffered
much from the continued drought, especially
where not well supplied with water. Peas especi-
ally suffer in this respect. Of dwarf early Peas,
Chelsea Gem and Sutton's Seedling did remark-
ably well, and rather taller were May Queen and
Ringleader, equally early. Duke of Albany still
holds its own with me, as I consider it about the
best se^nd early Pea. Sutton's Eureka is a
capital dwarf variety. Autocrat, Ne Plus Ultra,
Goldfinder, Sutton's Late Queen are excellent
late kinds that invariably give satisfaction. —
Cn.vs. Herrij;.

Goodwood, Chichester. — Considering the
long drought which we have experienced this
summer, it is surprising that many of the crops
have done so well, but frequent waterings and
mulchings have been resorted to with good re-
sults, especially so in regard to Peas and Straw-
berries. Where the ground was not previously
prepared by deep cultivation and heavy manuring,
together with a scarcity of water, the present
must have been a trying season. Most fruit trees
suffered early in the season from blight, &c., and
the foliage of Peaches and Nectarines was badly
blistered, but these are now making clean growth
and carrying good crops. Apricots are a full
crop this season, and I have noticed so far there
has been less dying off of branches. Plums are a
heavy crop both on walls and in the open, so also
are Cherries. Apples on aged trees are below the
average, but it has been necessary to thin the fruit
on recently planted trees. Pears on wall-s are
carrying good average crops, but not so on
standard". TheStrawberry season was somewhat
shortened by the dry we.ither and the fruit small,

but this was of good quality, and none were spoilt
by slugs, &c., which is generally the case in wet
seasons. Sir Chas. Napier appears to withstand
the drought well here, and I gathered from these
quite ten days after other varieties were over.
Runners of this are scarce, but I intend planting
this freely next month, as it seems suitable for
the situation and climate. Small fruits of all de-
scriptions are plentiful. Fig trees suffered some-
what from the sharp frosts of February, 1895, but
the trees are now recovering, and I notice some
very fine fruit of Brunswick and Brown Turkey ;
but the crops generally are light this season.
Nuts of all sort.^ are plentiful, so are Mulberries
and Med'ar.^.— R. Parker.

Nuneham Park, Abingdon.— The crops of
fruit in these gardens this season are generally
satisfactory. Apples are much above the aver-
age, young standards of some of the leading sorts
that were planted about seven years ago being
heavily laden, and older trees that usually fail to
produce more than a moderate crop are this year
carrying exceptionally heavy ones. On bushes,
too, the yield is plentiful. Pears, for the most
part on walls, are bearing exceedingly well, and
as a consequence we cannot expect the fine fruit
of some of the sorts that is looked for when they
are less abundant, but the bulk promises to be
much larger than usual. Strawberries suffered
much from the effects of frost when in bloom,
consequently the crop was lighter than usual, but
some of the fruit was exceptionally fine and the
quality as good as could be desired. Apricots are
fine and thecrop isanaverageone. Plums of all kinds
are abundant. Green Gages carrying very heavy
crops. Clierries of the sweet varieties were bad
and very much blighted, but Morellos are abun-
dant and good. Black Currants and Gooseberries
are also carrying heavy crops, and there is no
reason to complain of there being any under-sized
fruit. The crop of Bed Currants and Raspberries
is light, with the exception of a young plantation
of Raspberry Superlative, which is bearing
heavily. Of Peaches and Nectarines we grow
none outside, but of Walnuts and Filberts there
is an abundance.

Early Potatoes have been good, both as regards
quantity and quality, but later varieties are eadly
in need of the long-wanted rain, or I fear the
yield will be light. At present I see no trace of
disease. Boots, where sown early and a good plant
obtained, are looking well, as are also Onions, es-
pecially those sown in boxes and afterwards
planted out or kept well supplied with water, a
plan to be highly recommended, especially where
the maggot is at all troublesome, although this
year I have seen no signs of it amongst them. All
the Brassica tribe have suffered terribly from the
maggot. — A. G. Nichols.

Fulham Palace, S.W. — Apples average crop,
but of good size, also of good quality. The mag-
got is very plentiful this year. Pears, Plums,
and Peaches average crop. Bush fruits average
crop and of good quality. Strawberries above
the average and of excellent quality.

Tomatoes setting well and doing remarkably
well. Potatoes are looking well considering the
very dry weather, but it is rather too early to
give a good report. Vegetable crops have to be
watered daily, and this I have found the only
way to keep up a good supply. Those not
watere-i are looking very bad, leaves now turning
yellow. Peas and Beans were sown in trenches,
with 3 inches of rotten manure at the bottom,
and not filled up to within 4 inches of the ground
level, and so held the water well, and conse-
quently have had almost daily pickings since
May 2iJ.

■Wycombe Abbey.— In this district Apples,
Pears, and Plums will be less than an average
crop. Both Apple and Pear trees have suffered
severely from fly and the red spider, which has
caused much mischief already and will deteriorate
the fruit very much indeed. Pe'jches, Nectarines,
and Apricots are a fair average crop. Cherries,
excepting Morellos, are considerably less than an
average crop. Strawberries were very plentiful,

but, owing to the want of rain, were not large,
and the season soon terminated. Small fruits,
excepting Raspberries, were good, and Walnuts
and common Nuts are abundant.

Owing to the dryness of the season. Pea crops
have not attained the state of perfection they
usually do; a report would therefore not fully
represent the true character of their merits this
year. Potato crops look extremely well. The
early crop now bemg lifted is rather a short one.
Later kinds promise by their appearance to give
a better return. No disease is apparent at the
present time either on the haulm or tubers. —
Geo. Tho. Miles.

Paik Place, Henley-on-Thames.- Apples
a good crop and the trees are healthy. Pear^,
especially on walls, are very even and good.
Plums and Cherries abundant. Peaches and Nec-
tarines good. The trees blistered a good deal in
spring. Strawberries quickly dried out. The
younger beds were fairly good. Anything over
three years' standing was of no use. Small fruits
of all kinds, including Nuts and Walnuts, are
abundant and the trees healthy. It is a good
average fruit year. — Georce Stanton.

Woodhatch Lodg^, Reigate.— Apples are
under average. Some varieties— Warner's King,
Stone's, Lane's Prince Albert, Oldenburg, Ecklin-
ville, Lord Grosvenor, Tower of Glamis, Cox's
Orange and Brownlee's Russet, are cropping well.
Pears under average. Plums under average.
Cherries average. Superlative being especially
good. Gooseberries under average. Currants
average. Strawberries under and crop soon over,
Royal Sovereign being best with us.

Potatoes ai-e looking well and are free from
disease. — J. Salter.

Highclere Gardens, Newbury.— Fruit crop
are, on the whole, fairly good, though in some
respects disappointing. Apples very good, over
average in crop and clean. Pears a fair average,
very good. Plums few and poor. Apricots,
Peaches and Nectarines good. Strawberries very
plentiful and good, but soon over. Raspberries
also good. Gooseberries and Red Currants short
in quantity, though very good. Cherries, espe-
cially Morellos, a very good crop. Nuts about
average.

Vegetables, in spite of the drought, are looking
fairly well, Peas and Beans having been excep-
tionall}' good. Biassicas of sorts are suffering
somewhat, grubs having been more than usually
troublesome this season. Root crops are promising
well where sown fairly early, but those sown late
are more or less a failure. Early Potatoes are
good, rather smaller than usual, but quality ex-
cellent, rain being badly needed for late crops.—
Wm. Pope.

Benham Gardens, Newbury, Berks.—
Although not visited by any severe late frosts, the
long-continued spell of drought, accompanied by
harsh winds, brought about a plague of insect
pests and blight ttiat did a deal of harm to the

fruit crop in general

Mi

ny people predicted

scarcity, but the general pros|iect now is fairly
good. Apples in this neighbourhood are an
average crop ; with me they are rather over
average. Pears are scarcely average, some sorts
being very scanty. Plums are an average crop,
and on the walls promise to be of good quality.
A pricots are average crop and good. Peaches and
Nectarines are an average crop and very early.
I gathered Alexander Peaches on July 10, the
earliest date with me outside. Of small fruits.
Currants are generally below the average, and
Gooseberries a partial crop. Raspberries average.
Superlative being excellent. Strawberries above
average and of excellent quality, but of short
duration.

Potatoes are looking well, early varieties good.
— J. Howard.

Harewood Lodge, SunnyhjU.— Blight and
maggot played sad havoc among Apple trees in
the spring. The crop with me will be measured
by gallons instead of bushels. Pears escaped and
set a free crop of clean fruit, but from want of
rain are very small. Plums and Cherries a total

August 15, 1896.]

THE GAEDEl^.

121

failure. Apricots fairly good, in some places
excellent. Peaches and Nectarines severely
punished by blight, not half a crop on open walls.
Gooseberries, White and Red Currants very good.
Black Currants small. Strawberries in open
quarters fairly good ; a bed of that grand old late
variety Oxonian under a north wall abundant and
good, still (July 13) giving a daily supply of fine
fruit. Why does not one tee more of this grown
on north borders ?

Early Potatoes very good, late ones plenty in
number, but without rain must be very small.
Onions full crop, and for once free from masgot.
Peas plentiful and good up to date, but late-sown
crops are failing through drought. Xe Plus
Ultra has done me such good service for many
years that I am careful not to try new varieties
against it for main and late crops. Dwarf Beans
plentiful and good. Broad Beans a failure.
Scarlet Runners have made good headway, but
want rain, and are very shy in setting. Carrots,
Beetroot, Turnips and Parsnips a good plant,
but want rain very badly. This remark applies
also to all of the Brassica tribe.— C. Deavi.v.

Albury Park, Guildford. —With the e.xcep-
tion of Apples and Pears, which gave every pro-
mise of being good, but which were destroyed by
grub and blight, all kinds of fruit are a very
good crop. Small fruits are very fine and plentiful.
Strawberries have been very fine and extra heavy
crop. I still find the old standard Strawberries
much the best both for forcing and outside. The
new Royal Sovereign is not nearly so good as Sir
Joseph Paxton, particularly outside. Royal
Sovereign is too tender, while for flavour the old
sorts are preferred. — W. Leach.

Englefieid, Reading.— Here Apples are about
half a crop this year, only one or two varieties
bearing good crops, namely : Cox's Orange, Kes-
wick Codlin, Norfolk Beaufin, and Worcester
Pearmain. Pears are about half a crop. Plums
are good. Peaches very good, both indoors and
out. Apricots a full crop. Bush fruits. Currants,
Gooseberries are carrying good crops of fruit.
Strawberries have also done well. I find Sir
Joseph Paxton hard to beat as a midsummer
variety. Raspberries very poor crop.

Potatoes are looking very well, no trace of dis-
ease at present. Early Peas were good, but later
varieties are poor. — F. Coombes.

TitBey Gardens, Limptfield.— Apples are
very partial. Pears good. Peaches and Necta-
rines plentiful. Apricots partial, good crops in
places. Plums good. Gooseberries good, also
Red and Black Currants. Strawberries were tine
considering the dry season. Nuts are plentiful.

Peas are very good, and have been from the
first crop. I always grow Veitch's Selected or
Early Gem for the first supply, and can find no
better for that purpose, a Pea of excellent quality,
taking up little room, as in the best soil here I
find they only require stakes about 2 feet high,
which I think is a great boon where ground is
limited, as it enables a garden-Br to plant another
between. Our soil here is a peculiar one, the
strata consisting of chalk, which is very trying in
a season like this. We suffer greatly from
drought, and not having a supply of water makes
it very worrying to a gardener, especially when
he cannot obtain enough water to keep his wall
trees alive. I have just lost two splendid Morello
Cherries through the drought, trees which had
just reached the top of the wall; also one large
Pear tree through the same cause. Peas which I
grow for late work are Veitch's Perfection and
Autocrat. These, sown in early June, bear in
September, and continue the supply till the frost
comes.— J. G. Dean.

Addington, "Winslow.- Fruit crops of all
kinds moderate. Gooseberry and Currant bushes,
both Black and Red, were much injured by bull-
finches. The Strawberry crop pretty good, but
soon over. A very marked feature of this ye,
has been the wonderful wealth of blossom on all
flowering trees and shrubs.

The winter of 1895-96 being so mild and
open, winter vegetables of all kinds did remark-

ably well. Broccoli, which generally suffers, was
particularly fine. AH kinds of Kale were most
productive, particularly Cottager's Kale. I cannot
say so much for our summer crop. To begin
with, the open winter did not leave the land in the
best of condition for working. Then the long
spell of dry weather in April and May was much
against the progress of many crops. The early
and midseason Peas have been fair, and if we do
not have an alteration in the weather very soon
late varieties will not have a chance to do much
good. Last year I found Autocrat, Exonian, Dr.
Maclean and Veitch's Perfection most useful va-
rieties. Potatoes so far look well. Early kinds,
such as Sharpe's Victor and Ashleaf Kidney, are
of fine quality when cooked. — J. Mathisox.

Hanger Hill House, Ealing.— Apples gene-
rally are scarce, below the average. Pears are
about an average, but rather poor in quality. All
kinds of bush fruit are in abundance, but rather
small, and some kinds, especially Raspberries,
lacking in flavour. Strawberries were consider-
ably above the average, good in quality, especi-
ally British Queen. 'This with me does exceed-
ingly well on a heavy soil. Peaches and Nectar-
ines are very good. Apricots above the average
and of good quality. Plums and Damsons are a
good crop in all forms of tree. Cherries below the
average.

Vegetables of all kinds are plentiful, except
Peas ; these generally have suffered from blight.
All winter and spring Brassicas are looking
wonderfully well. — David Cooper.

Luton Hoo, Beds. — Considering the dry
season, crops generally have been very good.
Apples and Pears are about the average, so are
the Peaches and Apricots. Lane's Prince Albeit
is the best all-round Apple in this neighbourhood
and a certain cropper. Strawberries have been
very good, but owing to the dry weather the crop
was somewhat lighter than usual. The most re-
liable here are Vicomtesse, Royal Sovereign,
President, and Sir J. Paxton. Stevens' Wonder
is a good early forcer. Leader and Monarch have
both been tried, but have not yet been sufficiently
proved, although as far as can be judged at pre-
sent, both are come to stay. Plums on the walls
are a good crop, but on the pyramids a failure.
All kinds of small fruits, such as Currants, Goose-
berries, &c., have been good.

Early Potatoes are good in quality, but the crop
is very light. I fear the main crop, on account of
the dry season, will be light also. Never before
have we had early and second early Peas in such
abundance. Veitch's Extra Selected Early is the
one relied on for first crop. Turnips and Cauli-
flowers have been rather scarce; all other crops
good. — Geo. H. Maycock.

Aldenham House, Elstree. — The fruit
crops are generally satisfactory in this district,
but are beginning to feel the effects of the con-
tinued drought. Apples are abundant, clean, and
the foliage healthy. Pears, except on walls, are
not so plentiful, but the fruit is swelling away
freely. Plums and Damsons are a poor crop and
the foliage badly infested with aphis. Cherries
of all kinds average crop and good. Peaches and
Nectarines in many places excellent. Apricots
average crop and good. Small bush fruits of all
kinds very heavy crops, especially Gooseberries.
Strawberries a fair crop and good flavour, but
small and soon over. Nuts of all kinds very
abundant.

Vegetables I cannot speak so favojrably of.
The continued dry weather and the hot, scorch-
ing sun have been most trying to nearly all
kitchen garden crops. Potatoes are small, but
clean and free from disease. Peas are eaten up
by thrips.— Edwin Beckett.

Royal Gardens, "Windsor.— The fruit and
vegetable crops in this district have suffered con-
siderably from want of rain, also from the attacks
of vast numbers of caterpillars, and though, on
looking round, I find I shall have a good quantity
of Apples and Pears, 1 must state the crop will
be below the average and I expect the fruit small.
Cherries are now over, but have had good crops

and very early. Apricots heavy crop, but small.
Peaches and Nectarines gooa crops and trees
looking well. I picked my first dish of Peaches
outside on July 2— Early Alexander, very fair
fruit and nicely coloured ; Early Rivers and
Waterloo a few days later were also very good.
Plums medium crop. Early Prolific is ripe and
has been more than a week. Damsons fair crop ;
these are not much grown about Windsor. Straw-
berries abundant and of good flavour ; Noble and
Royal Sovereign very fine. Ripe fruits were
gathered off a south border from runners planted
last autumn on May 26. Of other varieties the
following are good": Sensation, Scarlet Queen,
Lord Sutfield, A. F. Barron, Leader, Aromatic,
Sir Jos. Paxton, and Waterloo. La Grosse
Sucrfie is still as good and reliable for forcing and
packing as any. — O. Thomas.

Buxted Park, TJckfield. —The present season
on the whole cannot be considered, in this district
at least, any other than a fair one. In giving a re-
port it is well to consider all points, for though
some kinds of fruit may not be up to the standard,
others again may be in excess of their usual
quality. In the first place the Strawberry crop
with us was a good one, both as regards size and
quantity of fruit. Amongst the best were Royal
Sovereign, President, Gunton Park, Lord Suf-
field, Scarlet Queen, A. F. Barron and Auguste
Boisselot. Coming next to the Raspberries, these
have certainly been a wonderful crop, but on poor
ground the flavour has not been up to the usual
standard. Superlative with us was the best.
Gooseberries have been an enormous crop and
of good quality, while both Black and White
Currants are short. Apples are not a full crop,
though some varieties, such as Kerry Pippin,
Irish Peach, Coxs Orange Pippin, King of Pippins,
Lane's Prince Albert, Ecklinville, Worcester
Pearmain, Stirling Castle, Duchess of Oldenburg,
Warner's King and others, are a full crop. Pears,
more particularly on the walls, are quite up to the
average, while those in the open have a fair crop.
Plums on walls are very good, and such well-
known varieties as Monarch, Diamond, Czar,
Early Rivers and Victoria in the open ground are
very good. Cherries with me are very good ; in
fact, I have never known the sweet varieties pro-
duce a heavier crop. Peaches and Nectarines are
both good, though the fruit, owing to the dry
weather, is rather small. Apricots are a fair crop,
and the fruit is quite up to the standard as regards
size. Nuts, both Filberts and Walnuts, are a
heavy crop ; therefore, taking things all round,
the present fruit season cannot by any means be
considered a bad one.

Vegetable crops of all kinds have been very
good, with the exception of Spinach, which of
late has been most difficult to produce. The best
we had of this is one named The Car;,er, a variety
sent out by the firm whose name it bears. It is
too early yet to speak of the late Potatoes, but
from appearance, unless rain falls soon, they will
be small. The early ones have been very good
and a fair crop. Cauliflowers I never remember
L... g so good, but owing to the hot weather they
turned in too fast. French Beans have been most
prolific where watered regularly. Of the runner
kinds it is rather too early to speak, as the ma-
jority of varieties are only just bearing. Turning
to Peas, we have had much trouble of late in
keeping them up to the usual standard, the
weather being so hot. Of the early kinds Chelsea
Gem still holds its own, and this season with me
attained its usual height of .3 feet. Sutton's
Early Forcing was a very prolific kind ; the same
may be said of Early Giant and Excelsior, all of
which are new. Amongst the midseason or main-
crop varieties we must give Veitch's Main crop a
first place, then Sutton's Dwarf Defiance. Eck-
ford's Prior was first-class as a tall kind, and the
same may be said of Rex, sent out by the same
firm. Boston Unrivalled, a variety sent out by
Mefsrs. W. W. Johnson, was most prolific, grow-
ing to the height of about 6 feet. I must again
give a word of praise to Sutton's Peerless, as it
kept longer in condition than most others, and
produced an enormous crop. A variety named

122

THE GAIJDEN.

[AuGisT 15, 1896.

Magi, sent out by Mr. Eckford, appears to be
very good ; it grows to the height of about 4 feet,
is of a dark green colour, and a mo.-^t prolific
bearer. This so l&r has been a trying season for
the root crops, more especially Turnips, as they
so soon turned stringy. Snowball is still one of
the best early kinds, while Turple-top Stone holds
its own as a midseason. variety. Early Carrots
have been good, though there was much trouble
at the commencement of the season to kee[i off
snails and slugs. Spring Cabbage was very good,
particularly Flower of Spring, Sutton's Favourite,
and Ellam's Early. One of the most rem.arkable
crops we have had has been the Globe Artichoke.
The winter, being mild, was very favourable to an
early growth, many of the flower-stems pushing
up in April, so that during the month of May
there was an abundance of tine crowns. The
plants, being well rooted, have continued to send
up flower-stems till the present time, although the
weather has been so dry.— H. C. P.

WESTERN.

Condover Hall, Shrewsbury.— Considering
the dryness of the past few months, the fruit crop
has been very favourable. Here and in the neigh-
bourhood President Strawberry (one of the best
for ijuality) has been very good ; fruit quite equal
to last year. From two beds I gathered SOU lbs.
Apricots are bearing medium crops, but fruit
^ood. Gooseberries exceptional crop ; also
Currants. Damsons are scarce with me, although
trees were covered with blossom. Raspberries
fair. Nuts are plentiful. Apples not so abun-
dant as last year, but a very good general, all-
round crop. Lord Sutlield will be very large
again. Pears only a crop here and there. Louise
Bonne of Jersey is bearing well, more especially
trees on the walls. Plums a partial crop.

Vegetables did well in early part of season, but
not many Peas stood the dry weather. Tomatoes,
owing to the very fine weather, are giving excel-
lent results. — Jas. Newman.

Wilton House, Salisbury.— The fruit crops
in this garden and neighbourhood are good, but
where frequent washings and waterings have
been neglected, great injury has been done both
to crops and trees by the continued drought and
the consequent increase of insect pests. Apples
are a good crop, but not abundant. Pears good,
but under average. Plums fair crop ; trees much
infested with aphis and red spider where they have
not beenwell and constantly cleansed and watered.
Cherries good, fine crop. Peaches and Nectarines
extraordinary crop and fine in quality. First ripe
fruit (Waterloo) from open wall gathered July 6.
Apricots heavy crop, fine in size and quality.
First fruit (Large Early) gathered July 4. Goose-
berries, Currants and Raspberries average crops,
good in quality. Strawberries under average.
Nuts fair crop.

In consequence of the continued heat and dry-
ness the vegetable crops have suffered severely,
and where constant watering has been imprac-
ticable, such crops as Turnips. Cauliflowers and
Peas have been very scarce. Potatoes, although
a light crop, are good in quality and perfectly free
from disease.— T. Chali.is.

Badminton, Gloucester.- The fruit and
vegetable crops in this garden and neighbourhood
are not so satisfactory as at one time they pro-
— ---^ to be, the continued drought militating
ings.

much against a free growth in most th
Apples are an average crop, but I fear they
not be very fine, as the foliage in manv cases is
poor and the growth stunted. Pears "here are
under the average, but the trees, unlike the
Apples, are making fair foliage and wood. Plums
are extremely partial, some trees laden with fruit,
Victoria and Green Gages especially so ; other
varieties, including Damsons, rather bare. Apri-
cots are very good, and a heavier crop than last
year. Strawberries were abundant and good, but
the season was soon over owing to the dry, hot
weather. President is still the best all-round
variety I can find, and Vicomteese stood the

drought well and is most reliable. Gooseberries
and Currants of all kinds are good and plentiful.
I think I never remember seeing the fruit
gathered in better condition, so dry and clean.

Vegetables of all kinds have suffered from the
extremely drj- and harsh atmosphere and want of
rain.-W. Nash.

Trelissick, Truro.— The Apple crop in this
neighbourhood will be less than one half of an
average season. The trees blossomed and set
well, but the fruit has since fallen off', and that
left will be very small and prematurely lipe.
Pears are a fair average crop and promise well.
Peaches and Nectarines are a splendid crop, the
trees being clean and healthy, a result attained
no doubt by incessant watering to root and
branch. The first fruits of Early Beatrice were
gathered on June 20, the earliest date here for
out-of-door Peaches. Plums are an enormous
crop, but are falling through the severe drought.
Cherries moderate, but wall trees full of blight.
Bush fruits have been plentiful, especially Goose-
berries, but much pestered with caterpillar ; had
to give frequent syringings with hellebore powder
to keep them in check. Strawberries have been
a complete failure, many of the plants destroyed
with the great heat and red spider, watering
being out of the question with a limited staff.
We have had nearly 6 inches less rain up to July 1
than we had in the first half of the Jubilee year, a
year of almost unprecedented drought.

The vegetable crops this season are the worst
I have seen during my thirty-eight years' experi-
ence of this neighbourhood. Cornwall seems to
have had less rain than any other part of Eng
land ; many crops have been burnt up. I have
not seen a really good Turnip for the season, and
good Cabbages are almost equally scarce. Po-
tatoes are very poor, and not half an average
crop, our heavy adhesive soil being baked as hard
as bricks, making it impcssible for the tubers to
swell to their normal size. Broad Beans and
Peas I never remember to be so scarce. Tall-
growing varieties of the latter that usually attain
the heiglit of S feet to 10 feet are this season not
more than 4 feet to 5 feet high and the pods not
half their average size, whole rows being com-
pletely destroyed by thrips and mildew. — W.
Sancwin.

Cote House, Westbury-on-Trym.— Owing
to the dry weather we in this neighbourhood are
suffering severely. We have had only 6J inches
of rain since January 1 ; consequently the Pea
crop is almost an entire failure. Pear crop good.
Apples fairly good, but falling from want of
moisture. Stone fruits fairly good. Strawberries
very good, Royal Sovereign being the best both
for quality and quantity. Small fruits poor owing
to drought. — William H. Bannister.

Mount Edgcumbe, Plymouth.— Crops of
all kinds are very bad owing to lack of rain.
Raspberries, Gooseberries, and Currants plenti-
ful, but small. Strawberries very bad. Cherries
small and falling, owing to want of rain. Apples
and Pears the same. Plums fair crop. Peiches
and Nectarines very thin.

The early Potatoes are not worth lifting, and
the late varieties are growing out. Peas are a
complete failure, and this is the case with all
vegetables. — S. J. Ricil\rds.

Shobdon Court, Herefordshire. — Apjiles
are an average crop, taking the district collec-
tively, in some cases in orchards abundant.
Pears a good average, early varieties plentiful.
Apricots under average. Peaches and Nectarines
average. Figs outside promise a fair crop.
Plums and Damsons are over average crop, Dam-
sons in some cases being abundant. Bush fruit
is a good crop, though email. Strawberries though
a heavy crop did not ripen well and were very
soon over owing to the hot, dry wtather.— G.

PrITi IJARD.

Inwood, Blandford.- All small fruit such as
Gooseberries, Currants (red, white, and black).
Raspberries, Strawberries, a tremendous crop ;
fruit small and soon over. Peaches and Nectar-
ines under average ; owing to so much blight and

east winds, they were so much blistered. Apri-
cots a fair crop and nice fruit. Cherries a most
abundant crop, but fruit not over large except
where thinned out. Apple trees bloomed well,
but cold east winds and frosts when in bloom
carried off a lot of them. We h,ave a fair crop of
fruit left. Pears average crop and good fruit.
Plums above an average in some places and nice
fruit. Nuts small, are above an average.

Early Potatoes are very small, but late ones
look remarkably well in garden and also fields,
and if we can get a good rain within a week we
shall have a wonderful crop. — T. Wilkins.

Bosahan, St. Martin, Cornwall.- Owing to
the almost unprecedented drought, I can give but
a very poor account of the fruit and vegetable
crops this season. Strawberries (out-of-doors)
were scarcely worth picking, being very little
larger than the common wild variety. Black and
Red Currants scarcely half a crop. Raspberries
(being in a rather more shaded situation) have
done fairly well. Wall fruit, such as Peaches,
Plums, &c., have every appearance of doing well,
although not so plentiful as last year. Apples
and Pears, which usually do so remarkably well in
this neighbourhood, will, I am afraid, be much
under the averge, but it is not to be much
wondered at, seeing we have only had about IJ
inches cf rain during the last three months. —
Thomas Crawiord.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1079.

HYDRANGEAS.

(with a coloured plate of H. nORTEXSIA

VAR. .lArOXIC'A ROSEA.*)

There are about a dozen species of Hydrangea
now in cultivation, at least half of which may be
accounted useful hardy shrubs. As a green-
house plant H. Hortensia is, of course, known
everywhere, but for cultivating out of doors it
is only in mild- wintered localities like Devon
and Cornwall that it is of any great value.
With the exception of this species, however,
and in a less degree of H. quercifolia, all the
species mentioned in the following notes are
quite hardy in the neighbourhood of London.
None of the Hydrangeas are natives of Europe,
but, like so large a proportion of f>ur hardy trees
and shrubs, are represented in North America
and in Northern Asia. They are all of shrubljy
habit and have opposite leaves, the flowers
appearing in terminal corymbs or panicles.
Plants have many ditlerent ways of attracting
insects to fertilise their flower.s, but in most
cases where bright colours are the attraction
each flower does its share in the general ad-
vertisement. In Hydrangeas, however, certain
flowers are told ott for that purpose alone. In
every species in a wild state there are two kinds
of Mowers, the ones perfect in all the essential
organs, but comparatively inconspicuous ; the
others, which are generally on the margin of
the inflorescence, being many times larger than
the former, and, whilst devoid of stamens and
pistil, have broad, conspicuous petaloid seg-
ments, which give the inflorescence its chief
beauty. Cultivation has had the effect in the
case of several species of changing a large pro-
portion (or even all) of the small perfect flowers
into the large sterile ones, and thus adding
much to their showiness. This, of course, pre-
vents the formation of seed, but as Hydrangeas
are very easily increased by cuttings or layers
it is no detriment.

All the Hydrangeas like a free, open, and

* Drawn for The Gakden by H. G. Jloon at
Messrs. Veitoh's nureery. Litbogi aphed and printed
1 y J. L. Gotfart, successor to Guillaume Severeyns.

H"/T)RANGEA JAFONICA ROSEA.

i

August 15, 1896.]'

THE GARDEN.

123

fairly rich soU, none of them being in any way of H. radiata is ovate and has smaller, more finely-
difficult to accommodate. The two climbing pointed teeth, the chief distmction however,
species, H. petiolaris and H. altissima, should ^r:^-^;^^^:-^^;:^:^ Telfo'f^ ^iltd
be grown on a sunny wall. j= i-u

The following is a list of the chief species and
Tarieties in cultivation : —

North American.
H. arborescens (H. urticajfolia).

,, var. cordata.

H. quercifolia.
H. radiata (H. nivea).

,, var. canescens.

Asiatic.
H. altissima.
H. Hortensia (H. japonica).

,, var. acuminata.

,, var. japonica rosea.

,, var. Lindleji.

I closely appressed felt of
bluish white colour, giving the plant a striking
appearance when blown by the wind. It flowers
at the same time as H. arborescens and has also
white flowers, the sterile ones being few and dis-
tributed on the margin of the panicle. Nivea, a
more recent name than the one here given and
frequently used, refers to the beautiful snowy
white under surface of the leaf. Although H.
arborescens and H. radiata are readily distin-
guished in the typical state, they are united by
numerous intermediate forms, probably of hybrid
origin. In the collection at Kew there are about
half a dozen plants, each difl'erent and ranging
between the two, but it is hard to tell where one
species ends and the other commences. Attempts
have been made to classify them, and such varietal

Hydrangea Rortensia as a pot plant.

H. Hortensia var. nigra (H. cyanoclada and
H. mandschurica).
,, var. stellata.

B. paniculata.

,, var. hortensis (H. p. grandiflora).

H. petiolaris (H. scandens).

H. pubeecens.

H. Thunbergi.

H. ARBORESOEXS. — A Spreading, vigorous bush
with large cordate leaves, the largest of which are
7 inches long by 5 inches broad. The margins
are coarsely toothed and the apex is drawn out
into an acuminate point. The upper surface is
glabrous and of a vivid dark green, the under sur-
face paler and hairy. The flowers are produced
in a corymbose panicle and are dull white, but
few being sterile. At Kew this species is at pre-
sent about 4 feet high, and is chiefly noticeable
for the size and brilliant green of its leaves. It
flowers in July and August.

H. RADIATA. — A bush of much the same size
and habit as the preceding species, to which, in-
deed, it is nearly allied. In their typical state,
however, the two differ considerably in leaf. That

names as cordata, laivigata, discolor, &c., have
been applied. The question, however, has but
little practical interest.

H. QUERCIFOLIA. — A spocios found in the ele-
vated parts of North Carolina, Georgia, and other
Southern States. It is a shrub rarely more than
'2 feet to 3 feet high in Britain, but said to attain
almost tree-like dimensions in its native localities,
reaching in moist situations a height of over
12 feet. It is the most distinct and handsome of
the American species, being noteworthy alike for
the beauty of its flowers and foliage. The leaves
are large, measuring 5 inches in length by
4 inches in width, and whilst of ovate outline in
the main, are deeply lobed after the fashion of
the American Red Oaks, to which, no doubt,
Bartram referred when giving the name of querci-
folia. The flowers are borne in large thyrsoid
panicles, the lower ones being sterile and white.
This is the tenderest of the American Hydrangeas
and should be given a sheltered position where
the soil is deep and moist. It is a rare plant both
here and in the United States.

H. Hortensia.— This is the commonest of all

the Hydrangeas in gardens, but is grown almost
solely as a greenhouse plant. In the south-west,
however, it is one of the most effective of hardy
shrubs. In Mr. Rashleigh's garden at Menabilly,
in Cornwall, it is grown in great quantity, es-
pecially in shady positions near walks and drives.
I saw it there one September day a few years ago
and was charmed with its beauty. Even in colder
districts, after a winter that has been mild enough
to enable the terminal buds of the previous sum-
mer's growth to survive, it is sometimes very fine.
In a cottage garden at Batsford, the village near
Mr. Freeman-Mitford's delightful garden, I re-
member seeing a fine plant in flower in the
autumn of 1894. The plant is too well known to
require any description, but there are several
other Hydrangeas that have been made varieties
of it which are well worth bringing to the notice
of those interested in hardy shrubs. To the cul-
tivator they are chiefly valuable because they
flower well when grown as purely hardy shrubs.
Unlike the common Hydrangea, they blossom on
the shoots that come from the axillary buds of
the previous years growth, and although the ter-
minal buds may be killed in winter, this inter-
feres but little with the crop of flowers the follow-
ing July. The following four varieties are of this
group :—

H. VAK, LiNDLEYi (seo plate in Garden, Decem-
ber 1, 1894) has the sterile flowers confined to the
margin of the inflorescence and they are of a pale
rose colour, each one Ij inches to 2 inches in
diameter, the whole corymb being sometimes 6
inches across.

H. VAR. JAPONICA ROSEA. — Flowers of the same
colour, but smaller than those of var. Lindleyi, all
of them being sterile (see coloured plate).

H. VAR. STELLAT.A Is in itself a variable plant.
A large proportion or all the flowers are sterile,
the segments being narrow and pointed, some-
times slightly toothed ; at first pale rose, they
gradually assume a deeper shade.

H. VAR. ACUMINATA is now fioworing at Kew
and the sterile flowers are of a lovely shade of blue,
but they are as frequently rose-coloured. H. Hor-
tensia has the peculiar property of changing the
colour of its flowers from blue to pink or riee versa.
The flowers come blue when the plant is grown on
ferrugineous soil. These four varieties are all
different from the ordinary H. Hortensia in the
leaf being smaller and of a duller dark green.
More closely resembling the type and better
suited for the greenhouse are the three foUow-

side of the corymb only.

H. VAR. NIGRA (cyanoclada), with stems of a
dark purplish brown, and very handsome on this
account.

H. VAR. Thomas Hoog.— A very beautiful
plant with flowers of the purest white.

[It may be here noted that the above is the
correct spelling of the specific name — not hor-
tensis.1

H. PANICULATA. — In the home counties this
species shares with the hardier section of H. Hor-
tensia the distinction of being the showiest of the
genus. It is a robust, strong growing, and quite
hardy shrub, with short-stalked, ovate leaves,
varying from 3 inches to 6 inches in length, and
slightly hairy on both sides. They are frequently
borne in whorls of three at one node. The
flowers are borne in erect panicles, only a small
proportion being of the large sterile kind. On
first opening they are almost pure white, after-
wards assuming a pinkish tinge. The typical
form is not so much in demand as the var. hor-
tensis (or grandiflora). This has all its flowers
sterile, and is in consequence much more effec-
tive than the ordinary form. It produces its
huge pyramidal clusters in early autumn, and
they remain in beauty for several weeks. I notice
that in the United States this variety is nearly
always spoken of as being inferior in beauty to
the type and wanting in the grace and lightness
of the latter. Possibly they both flower more
profusely under the brighter American skies, and

124

THE GAKBEK

[August 1.'), 1896.

whilst the species itself becomes more striking
than it is with us, the sterile variety becomes too
lumpy and heavy. In England, however, it does
not seem to have that defect under ordinary
treatment at any rate, and is, I think, to be pre-
ferred to the wild form from which it sprung. A
native of Japan.

H. ri r.EscENS. — A robust and perfectly hardy
species of erect growth and at present 6 feet high
at Kew. It has narrowly ovate, acute, finely-
toothed leaves, 3 inches to 5 inches long, with a
few hairs on the veins. The flowers are prcduced
in a flat corymb, measuring G inches across, the
outer ones being all sterile and pure white on
first opening, afterwards rosy. The perfect
flowers are of a dull white. It comes into bloom
in the latter part of June, and the blossoms re-
main on the plants till the early frosts of autumn.
This species, like the rest of the Hydrangeas,
varies, and the plant introduced some years ago
as H. pekinensis is but a form of it, diflfering in
some small fwrticulars of the foliage. Given a
sunny, sheltered position, this Hydrangea forms a
really handsome shrub, although it has not the
showiness of the two previously mentioned. It is
a native of the mountains near Pekin, whence it
has been introduced by Dr. Bretschneider. It
is said also to be wild in Japan, but this is
doubtful.

H. THrNBERivi.— One of the dwarfest of the
Hydrangeas and one of the most uncommon. It has
stood outside at Kew for several years without
prctection and is about 1 foot high. The leaves
are like those of H. Hortensia var. Lindleyi, except
that they are smaller, and the flowers are in
corymbs 3 inches or more across. The sterile ones
are blue or rosy, according to the soil in which
the plant grows. A native of the mountains of
Japan, and more botanically than horticulturally
interesting.

H. rr.TioL-iRis.— This, better known as H. scan-
dens, is a climbing species, native of Japan. The
leaves are almost as broad as they are long, and
are truncate or slightly cordate at the base. The
petioles are very hairy and long in proportion to
the blade. The flowers are produced in large,
flat corymbs sometimes 10 inches in diameter;
the few sterile ones are whitish, the fertile ones
having a greenish tinge. This is an interesting
and striking wall shrub, clinging by its ;f rial roots
much as the Ivy does. In foliage and mode of
growth this species resembles Schizophragma hy-
drangeoides, and is frequently grown under that
name. The two are Cjuite distinct. Professor
Sargent in his "Flora of Japan " says, "Nothing
is so un-American, or so attracts the attention of
the American traveller in Japan, as the trunks of
trees clothed to the height of 60 feet or 80 feet
with splendid masses of the climbing Hydrangeas
(H. petiolaris and the Schizophragma), or with
the lustrous evergreen foliage of the climbing
Euonymus.'

H. .\L'nssiMA. — A climbing Himalayan species
introduced (so says Loudon) in 1S3!I, but still very
rare. It is not so cIofo a climber as H. petiolaris,
and it dififers also in its larger, ovate leaves. The
flowers, only a small proportion of which are
sterile, are produced in flat corymbs and are
white. Rojie states that this species climbs
lofty trees in the forests of Nepaul.

W. J. Be.\n.

stems are among the more distinguishing features
of the true plant. The floret rays are of lilac-
blue shade, the flowers very sturdy and usually
three or more on each stem. It is one of the
finest of summer rock plants where a good
depth of soil is forthcoming, but failing this it
would be better in the border. An excellent
plate of the above species occurs in Wooster's
"Alpine Flowers."— E. J.

Erigercn glancus. — Of the dwarf members
of this genus this species is among the best and
most useful, valuable for its freedom of flowering
and equally so for its distinct sub-shrubby habit
of growth. The true plant, moreover, would ap-
pear to be scarce, as not unfrequently one of the
forme of E. specioeus has to do duty for this plant.
Indeed, on one occasion at the Drill Hall recently
a variety of the latter was exhibited as glaucus,
but the two are among the most widely distinct of
any. The true plant, as I have said, is of sub-
shrubby habit almost, the growth more or less
persistent, but in all the forms of E. speciosus the
stems are strictly herbaceous. The dwarf, spread-
ing, almost tufted habit, as well as the glaucous
giey of its distinctly spathulate leaves and woody

The Week's Work.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
Winter O.mon.s.— Gardeners vary somewhat in
the time they select for sowing winter Onions and
also in their methods of treatment. My own ex-
perience in this district is that a date very near to
the iOth of August is the best that can bo chosen,
the young plants then naving a fair chance of be-
coming a good size without getting too big before
winter. I also find that the best results attend
sowing on firm ground, though this has not
always been my practice, and I may say that the
finest autumn-sown Onions I ever saw were grown
in little else th.an leaf-mould and manure. This,
however, was in a much milder climate than we
enjoy, and the practice would not be admissible
here, as the soft growth made under such condi-
tions would most certainly be killed in this neigh-
bourhood during an average winter. I prefer
now to sow on an old Strawberry bed, without
any further preparation than cleaning the ground
and drawing the drills, which should be some 15
inches apart and somewhat deeper than they are
usually drawn for spring-sown Onions. I prac-
tise thin sowing, and let some of the plants finish
their growth where sown ; the thinnings are
planted elsewhere in spring. For some years I
used to sow on a warm border in small beds and
transplant the whole of the plants, but I find
that we get better results from the altered prac-
tice. Much has been written about sowing varie-
ties other than those generally recognised as
suitable for the autumn, but having given most
varieties a trial, I see no advantage in using any
but the Tripoli and Rocca varieties, and of them
all I prefer the White Leviathan Tripoli, as this
commences to bulb earlier than the others, is
always mild in flavour, and very rarely runs up
to seed, which is a prominent fault with most
varieties when sown in autumn. Trebons is also
good, and the only fault I have to find with it is
that the seed is frequently defective in germinat-
ing power. The Giant Rocca becomes in some
seasons too pungent to be pleasant. I gave last
autumn an equally fair trial to the above, and
grew with them also the new Record and Cran-
ston's Excelsior, but found, as usual, none so
satisfactory as the White Leviathan. In writing
thus. It must be understood that I am not taking
the keeping properties into consideration, as I
only sow in autumn to fill the gap between spring-
sown crops.

Onions— si'RiNi: sown.— These will be ready
for harvesting and should not be allows d to start
rooting afresh before being pulled, or their keep-
ing qualities will be much impairf d. Choose the
first dry day for pulling, and the 1 ulbs will finish
better if they can be removed to a sunny spot on
a hard bottom, such as a gravel walk. Lay them
out thinly and stir them over occasionally until
they have shrunk somewhat and are perfectly dry
all round, then move them into a cool shed, where
they may remain until time can be found for
bunching or roping them. Large bulbs for ex-
hibition purposes, or which may be selected to
[iroduce teed, should have a little extra care in
ripening, and will be best if inverted on some-
thing that can be placed under cover by night
and brought out by day. I use for this purpose
an old light from which the glass has been re-
moved, and stretch across this a strong piece of
fish net, through which the necks of the bulbs
can be drawn : this is then elevated on flower-
pots, and in this way the bulbs may be ripened

perfectly,
place of :

Galvanised netting may be used in
place of fish net, but on this heavy bulbs are
liable to bruise themselves.

Winter Radishes.— Should these be in re-
(]uest, a sowing proportionate to the demand
should be made of the Black Spanish and China
Rose varieties. These, unlike the summer varie-
ties, require to be grown to full size, as they re-
tain their crispness, so they should be sown thinly
and thinned out when large enough to a distance
of from 3 inches to 4 inches apart. I have before
now noted the partiality Radishes have for good
soil which has been recently brought to the sur-
face, and I grow those for winter between the
rows of Strawberries in newly-planted beds ; this
saves the preparation of ground specially for the
Radishes and does the Strawberries no harm.
Sowings of summer varieties must still be con-
tinued, and from now onward Ilibenone better
than the French Breakfast, as this is always at-
tractive in appearance and can bo had in excellent
quality well into November.

French Beans. — These plants being very
tender, it is useless to depend on any future sow-
ings made outdoors for a crop, and espscially is
this so in low-lying gardens where frost is not un-
common in autumn. Those who have the advan-
tage of pits which may be heattd at any lime will
do well to sow in one of these on a bed cf good,
light and rich soil, where the plants may have the
advantage of artificial heat whenever required, but
in the majority of cases it will be neref sary to sow
in pots or boxes, which may be removed to such
pits or frames after these are cleared of other
crops. In either case cool culture, with a full
exposure to light and air, must be given to the
plants during the first few weeks of their exist-
ence; this treatment will give a clean and healthy
start and be conducive to good cropping later on.
Red spider is very prevalent this year, and means
must be taken to prevent it from attacking the
Beans, the best means of prevention being to pro-
vide a rich larder for the plants and strict atten-
tion to their needs as regards watering. If room
can be found for a small sowing on a warm border
outside, it will be wise to make one, as there is a
possibility of their escaping frost and giving a
good crop, but, as I have already said, there must
be no dependence placed on this, and 1 only advise
it as a supplementary provision which would be
found very useful if all went well with it, and in
any case no harm would be done in trying in this
way for an extra supply. Ne Plus Ultra is my
choice for present sowing under either system,
and Mohawk is also useful, being a very quick
cropper.

Brus-sels Sprouts, &c. — Before these get too
large to admit of its being done the stems of these
and all other members of the Brassica family
should be well moulded up by drawing a good
bank of soil to them from the intervening spaces
between the rows ; this steadies and straightens
the taller varieties, and it also has a good influence
on the growth made later. The difference between
rows moulded and those left undone is most
marked, even when other details of treatment are
similar. With the same object in view I have
always recommended deep planting, a thing I
find very necessary on this soil. Some of the
earliest Brussels Sprouts were moulded some
weeks ago and are making great progress, but the
majority of such things will be just ready for the
I attention.

Celeriac . — This, like Celery proper, is a water-
loving plant, and unless it has a fair share of
moisture during the growing season the roots will
be small and of bad texture. It should have every
encouragement and will well repay for good feed-
ing with manure water in the form of diluted
drainings from the stock-yard, and this should be
supplemented by a mulching of short manure
where this can be spared ; or where there is a
scarcity of this, any of the various substances
used as mulchings will serve to conserve moisture
and to encourage growth.

General work.— This will largely consist in
attention to various details already advised, such

AnGCST 15, 1896.1

THE UARJ3EJN.

125

as riiDning a little soil into the Celery trenches to
keep the leaves from falling abroad, tilling in
around Leeks, planting out Endive, Coleworts,
Ac, as the various batches of seedlings become
fit and room can be found for them. Hoeing is
also an important matter just now, as we may
certainly be justified in expecting weather which
will make the killing of weeds more difficult than
it has been, so that no pains should be spared in
getting rid of the autumn crop as opportunity
offers. Mushroom beds giving over bearing
should be watered if dry ; this will give them a
chance of producing a second crop before they are
destroyed. A little salt or stable drainings in the
water used will have a quickening effect.

J. C. Tallack.

HARDY FRUITS.
Orchard trees.— The summer pruning of Apples
and Pears if not already attended to should now
be taken in hand. Those trees that did not have
the young shoots pinched back in the early part
of the season will have made a quantity of brush
wood ; this, with the exception of any required for
extending the size of the trees or for filling in
vacant spaces, ought to be cut back to within
three or four eyes of their base, taking care in do-
ing so not to injure the leaves which are left, as
these will be required to draw up the sap for de-
veloping the buds at their base. Where the
trees are of fair size and have made strong growth,
it would be the better practice not to remove
these all at once, but to go over them a couple of
times, taking the strongest first, that there may
be no check to the growth of the fruit. It is,
however, seldom that trees which make such
gross wood fruit very freely. Any branches that
have got too close to each other should be tied in
position, that the fruit may have the full benefit
of the sun. These remarks apply to young trees
that are growing vigorously, as it is seldom that
old trees need much summer pruning. Some of
the early varieties will be ripening. Where
blackbirds and thrushes are very numerous the
fruit must be protected, otherwise these will soon
clear off the whole crop. Where it is practicable
the trees should be netted with half-inch netting,
for sometimes small birds, such as tomtits, are very
troublesome, making holes near the stalks w here
the wet penetrates, which soon rots the fruit. If
it is desired to preserve any fine specimens for a
particular purpose, these should be put in muslin
bags to ward off the wasps and flies. We fre-
quently see the finest examples attacked by
these creatures, particularly those containing
the most saccharine. Beauty of Bath, Irish
Peach, Kerry Pippin, and others of that class
are special favourites. The budding of Apples
should now be completed. Those budded in
the last month should be examined, and where
any have started into growth, the side shoots on
the stock should be shortened, that the sap may
be concentrated in the scion. The ties ought to
be inspected to see if they are cutting into the
stock, for if this happens the union will not be
perfect. Trees that were grafted in the spring
should by this have made a good growth ; the
young shoots will therefore need support to pre-
vent them from being blown off by high winds.
Where worked near the ground there will be no
difficulty in making them secure ; those, how-
ever, that were grafted some distance up ought
to have the sticks securely fastened to the stocks
previous to tying the young growths to them.
Young trees in the nursery ground should also re-
ceive attention. Where any have to be trained,
this ought to be taken in hand before the shoots
get too hard to bend easily. The first starting
requires some knowledge, otherwise the shape of
the tree may be spoilt. The shoots ought to be
fixed at an equal distance from each other, that
all may get the same amount of light. Watering
orchard trees is not so much practised as it de-
serves to be. With young trees, where the crops
are heavy, growth is often checked in dry weather
to such an extent that the trees are crippled, and
fail to make the progress one would wish. Unti!

rain falls more freely than it has done of late,
watering ought to be attended to.

Pr.uMS AND Damsons.— In this district the rain-
fall is still very short, being considerably below
what it was last year, there having been up to
the present time less than lu inches : the ground,
therefore, especially where the soil is poor, has
become exhausted, and unless attention be given
to the trees at once they will suffer. To prevent
the fruit from ripening prematurely the soil round
the roots of the trees should be thoroughly
soaked, and if the foliage shows the least signs of
being attacked with red spider the garden engine
should be freely used till it has been cleared off.
With the earlier kinds every care should be taken
to afford them protection from birds and wasps.
Where the fruit has to be sent awaj' to a distance
it should be gathered before quite ripe, and any
that show the least signs of decay ought to be
picked out. There are not many kinds of Plums
that will hang for any length of time when fully
ripe ; therefore they should be gathered as they
ripen, the trees afterwards being washed to rid
them of any insect pests.

Nuts. — Cobs and Filberts are a good crop this
season, but in districts where squirrels abound ir
any numbers they will soon be cleared otT unlesi
special attc-.tion is paid to the destruction of
these annually. It is astonishing what a number
of fruit they will carry away to their hiding
places in the course of a few da5's. I know of no
means for trapping them : a constant watch with
the gun should, therefore, be kept, and when any
make their appearance they should be shot.

Str.iwberries. — Plants that were potted in
the last month should now be making headway.
Where stood pot to pot on a bed of ashes they will
now need more room that the sun and air may
circulate freely amongst their foliage. Water
must be freely given them, for at no time should
they be allowed to get dry. When the pots aie
with roots liquid manure should be afforded
twice each week that the soil may be kept in a
high state of fertility. Any that have still to be
potted should receive attention at once, otherwise
they will not have time to make good crowns
before winter. We prefer boxes for these late
batches, as the plants do not suffer so much from
the effects of the bright sunshine during April and
the early part of May when in the forcing house.
Boxes are, moreover, much easier to manage than
pots, requiring far less attention. It is good
practice to make new plantations at this time of
the year, but this season, owing to the weather
being so dry, there has been some difficulty in
getting the plants forward enough for that pur-
pose. No time, however, should now be lost in
bringing such work to a close if the plants are to
be well established before winter comes on. The
best crop of Strawberries we had in the year 1S9.5
was from plants layered in pots and planted out
early in the autumn ; these were not affected by
the severe winter previous, much of the foliage
remaining green, while that on older plants was
killed. Where fresh plantations have been made,
every attention ought to be paid to watering should
this dry weather continue, otherwise progress will
be very slow. All runners must be kept pinched off
as they appear, that the sap may be concentrated
in their crowns, as the foliage will then be much
more robust, and better results will be obtained
next season. It is also a good plan to plant a
row of each kind intended for forcing, to produce
early runners. Such plants ought not to be
allowed to fruit ; they will then commence to
grov/ much earlier. If planted on a piece of
ground handy to the water, there will be less diffi-
culty experienced in keeping the plants watered
when layered, or of watering the plants early in
the season should the weather be dry. Old Straw-
berry beds should also be looked over, and all
runners removed from plants that it is intended
to be saved for fruiting another year. Where any
have died off, these should be made good from
those layered in pots, planting three together
triangularly to form a clump. We make it a prac-
tice at this sea.- on of the year, after clearing off
all runners and weeds, to give a dressing of short

manure, which is dug in. This helps to keep
down the weeds, and the fresh soil that is worked
in among the crowns encourages new roots
higher up the old rhizomes. Great care, however,
is needed in digging so as not to disturb the roots
of the plants. H. C. Prinsep.

Trees and Shrubs.

HARDY SHRUBBY ARALIADS.

Although so distinct in general character, the
Araliads are closely allied to the Ivies. The
group, which contains trees, shrubs, and herbs,
lias its headquarters in tropical regions, whence
come several very ornamental-foliaged plants
that are cultivated in stoves and greenhouses.
From the tropics a few species spread north-
ward to the cool temperate regions of North
America and North Asia, and there are now in
cultivation about half a score species of shrubby
habit that may be grown outside in the
southern parts of Britain. In Cornwall and
similar places they would nearly all, no doubt,
thrive as well as in their native homes, judging
by those already growing there. As far north
as London they should be given sheltered posi-
tions— not so much from fear of frost as the
biting north and east winds which disfigure and
cripple the young spring growths. They are
aluable amongst hardy things because they
represent a type of vegetation essentially
tropical in general aspect, and in some in-
stances quite distinct from anything else that
can be grown permanently out of doors here.
For the most part the following are compara-
tively recent introductions. Loudon in 18-12
only knew one species — Aralia spinosa — al-
though he mentions a second — Aralia japonica
hich it is difficult to identify, as the figure
in tlie " Enoyclopfedia of Trees and Shrubs "
is certainly not that of the Fatsia japonica de-
scribed below.

North American.

Aralia spinosa.

Fatsia horrida (also native of N. Asia).

North Asiatic.

Aralia chinensis (Dimorphanthua mandschu-
ricus).

Acanthopanax ricinifolium (A. Maximowiczi).
,, sessiliflorum.

,, spinosum (Aralia pentaphylla).

Fatsia japonica {Aralia Sieboldi).

Eleutherococcus senticosus.

Helwingia japonica.

Aralia spixosa.— This shrub or small tree— a
native of North America, and found chiefly on the
western slopes of the Alleghany Mountains — may
be taken as the type of a section of the genus
Aralia, represented not only in North America,
hue also in Japan and Manchuria. We have in cul-
tivation plants with such names as A. spinosa var.
elata, A. spinosa var. canescens, and A. chinensis
(Dimorphanthusmandschuricus), all of which may
be considered forms of this species, differing only in
geographical distribution and small characters.
The true North American A. spinosa is not common
in gardens, having given place to the Manchurian
plant (here described as Aralia chinensis), which is
hardier. It has the well-known habit of the
latter, the large bipinnate leaves clustering at
the ends of the branches, each measuring 3 feet to
5 feet in length and nearly as much in width.
The leaves are of varying degrees of prickliness,
some having spines over 1 inch long on the
petioles, others with much smaller ones, and some
with none at all. The stems also are more or less
armed with short strong spines. It flowers quite
freely when a few feet high, producing a noble
compound panicle of yellowish flowers ao the end

126

THE GARDEK

[August 15, 1896.

01 the branch. This plant should be given a shel-
tered, moist spot.

Ar.\lta CHiNENSis (Dimorphanthus mands-
churicus>. — Although both here and in its native
country this Aralia occasionally attains to the
dimensions of a small tree, it is more fre<iuently
of shrubby dimensions. The largest specimen I
have seen is (or was a few years ago) growing at
the entrance to Mrs. Shilson's garden at Tre-
mough, near Falmouth. This is a tree 3ii feet
high and even more in the spread of it? branches,
with a trunk it inches in diameter. The leaves
are bipinnate, like those of A. spinosa, and of the
same or greater size. The leaflets, however, are
broader and more coarsely serrate than tliose of
the American plant, and also more glaucous and
pubescent on the lower surface. These are the
chief points of distinction. It is a native of
Manchuria, hence the cumbrous name by
which it is most oft«n grown, but which might
very well be dropped in favour of the better and
more correct name here given. What is practic-
ally the same thing is found also in Yezo and
other parts of Japan. It is essentially a moisture-
loving plant. The fine specimen at Tremough is
growing close to a stream of water.

Ac.\XTHoi'-tsAX KuiNiFOLU'M.— Next to Aralia
spinosa, this is perhaps the most striking of all
the shrubby Araliads. It is perfectly hardy and
grows freely at Kew. Like that species, it is
valuable for the striking shape and size of the
leaves, which are of a type common enough in the
stove and greenhouse, but rarely seen in hardy
shrubs. The petioles are long and slender, the
blade being digitate and the five, or more fre-
quently seven, lobes serrated. The diameter of
the whole leaf is 14 inches. It is verj- unlikely
that this species will ever reach in Britain the
dimensions of the wild specimens noted by
travellers in Japan. Professor Rein, of the Uni-
versity of Bonn, mentions trees 90 feet high, with
stems" 9 feet to 12 feet in circumference. It is
very common in the forests of Yezo, the great
northern island of Japan. Its first appearance in
Europe seems to have been with Van Houtte, who
figured it in the Flore des Serves in 1874. The
original plant was the product of a single seed
which had unknowingly been sent to him from the
St. Petersburg Botanic Garden, and which pro-
bably had been brought there from Japan by
Maximowicz. It is now easily obtainable, and is
well worth trying by those who take an interest
in uncommon shrubs, and especially in the gar-
dens of the south and west.

AcANTHoi'.\N.\x SESsiLiFLORCM. — A new species,
a native of China, Manchuria and Japan. It
has rugose, dark green leaves, consisting of three
to five leaflets, the petiole and midrib having a
tew scattered bristles. This plant much resem-
bles the Eleutherococcus described below, but is
almost glabrous, whereas the chief feature of the
other is its bristly character. The leaflets of the
Acanthopanax, too, are of rougher, firmer tex-
ture than those cf the Eleutherococcus. This
species is in flower at Kew, the flowers, as the
name implies, being produced on a sessile,
terminal, spherical head. The flowers are small,
closely packed, and of a dull purple colour, with
protruding stamens.

Acanthopanax siiNosni. — A small shrub with
leaves divided into five segments (sometimes only
three), each one being 2 inches to ,3 inches long
and three-quarters of an inch to 1 inch wide,
ovate-lanceolate, and serrated. The stem is armed
with a few sharp prickles. This plant is more
frequently grown in a greenhouse than out of
doors, more especially the variegated form. They
are both hardy in sheltered positions, although
they do not grow so freely as indoors. The varie-
gate I plant has its leaves edged with a broad
Dorder of creamy white. It is frequently grown
as Aralia pentaphylla variegata. A native of
Japan and introduced in 1874.

Fatsia hoi'.kida. — This is a shrub very common
in certain parts of North America to the west of
the Reeky Mountains. It is found also in Japan.
It has not yet been got to thrive well in this
country, our winters possibly being too moist and

warm, and thus encouraging an early movement
of the terminal bud, which is almost invariably
injured by spring frosts. On the continent, where
the climatic conditions approach more nearly
those of its native land, it succeeds well and bears
its fine scarlet fruit in abundance. It is a low
bush, with stems and petioles densely covered
with sharp spines, and with leaves that are pal-
mately lobed and thickly set with prickles on the
midrib and chief veins.

Fatsia .tatonica. — Although best known as a
greenhouse shrub and as one of the most popular
of all plants for room and window decoration, this

these plants had no covering beyond a thick layer

' of dry leaves raked about them.

I Eleutherococcus senticosus. —There is little
to be said of this shrub at present. It is a very
recent introduction, and there are only two small
plants at Kew. It is distinct from all the
Araliads here mentioned in the stems ; these are
thickly covered with stiff green bristles, not woody
enough to be called spines in these young plants,

I whatever they may be on older ones. This
bristliness extends also to the long slender petiole,
the midrib, and the veins of the leaf on the lower

I surface. The leaf is made up of five distinctly

Aralia spinosa in the garden at Gastlewellan, Co. Don
photograph sent by Lord Annesley.

species has also considerable value and interest as
a hardy evergreen. Of course it can be grown
only in exceptionally sheltered positions, as, for
instance, in the Bamboo garden at Kew, where
there are half a dozen plants in robust health. In
such places it is well worth growing for the bold
and striking outlines of its foliage, its leaves being
quite distinct from those of any other hardy ever-
green. Unless it will thrive without artificial
covering (mats and such like) in winter, it is not
worth growing at all. I have always found that
protection of this kind does more harm than good.
Even in the hard weather of February, 1895,

I stalked leaflets of lanceolate shape, 2 inches to *
inches long, and doubly serrate. Both surfaces
are glossy green. The species is a native of China
and probably other parts of North Asia.

Helwincia .iai'onica.— This must be looked
upon as a botanical curiosity rather than as a
shrub of any great horticultural value. A plant
is growing on the walls at Kew which flowers
every spring. It is remarkable in producing the
flowers, which are small ;and greenish on tho
middle of the upper surface of the leaf. The
leaves are ovate-lanceolate with ciliate dentate
margins, and of a very lustrous green on the'

August 15, 1896.

THE GARDEN.

127

lower surface, duller green above. The species is
a native of Japan, whence it was introduced to
the Continent by Siebold in 1830. The young
tender leaves are said to be used as a vegetable by
the Japanese. — W. J. Bean.

Lord Annesley sends us the following note re
the plant figured : —

The specimen the photograph was taken from
is 17 feet in height, with a diameter of branches
20 feet. In addition to its large leaves and sub-
tropical appearance, it is very ornamental when
in bloom in September, having large panicles of
small whitish flowers. It is readily propagated,
as it produces suckers freely, young plants being
very ornamental with leaves about a yard long.
Here we find it does best in fairly rich holding
loam.

Hedyssrum multjjugum. — This is a very
meritorious flowering shrub from the vast Legu-
minosa; family. It is of recent introduction and
when better known will surely be much in re-
quest. The colour of the flowers is of a beautiful
rich magenta, and the light airy elegance of its
foliage reminds one very much of the Indigofera.
Golden mop-headed Acacia.— All who ad-
mire the compact growth of the Robinia inermis
will find in this golden form a very valuable addi-
tion to our already numerous variety of golden-
foliaged plants. If plenty of sunlight is afforded,
the beautiful golden colour is well developed, and
this can be further increased by good hard prun-
ing each year.

Ligastrum japonicnm macrophyllum
aureum. — This is a grand variegated form of the
Japanese Privet. The leaves are quite as large
and are finely variegated, and are broadly mar-
gined with a beautiful golden yellow : the centre
of the leaf is of a pea-green colour. A very
striking effect would be produced by employing
this shrub largely among deep green subjects.
It is of a free vigorous habit.— Philomel.

Hydrangea quercifolia.— Of the plants now
in bloom in shrubberies this bush is conspicuous
by its large cymes of showy flowers. The heads
are pyramidal in outline. The sterile flowers are
quite numerous and entirely hide the fertile ones
on the inside. On first opening, the sterile
flowers are rich creamy white, changing eventu-
ally to a pinkish tinge. The plant in a young
state has a rather straggling, or one-sided appear
ance, but when it grows older it becomes a com
pact and neat bush. Perhaps the reason it is not
more abundant in collections is the difficult
propagation. It is exceedingly slow in rooting
from cuttings at any season of the year.— 6'a?rfe«
and Forest.

Effect of soil on growth of trees.— I have
read with much interest Canon EUacombe's excel-
lent paper on the great frost, and I can follow
him in what he says, but the quotation from
Baron Humboldt (see p. 100) is an exception to
all the rest. It runs thus : "In general it is re-
marked by cultivators that the trees which grow
in fertile soil are less delicate and consequently
are less afiected by great changes in the tempera-
ture than those which grow in land that affords
but little nutriment." This puzzles me very
much, and is quite contrary to the instruction I
have received and to my own experience as well.
I have been for a long time accustomed to believe
that a tree which is grown in poor soil makes
slow, short, and sturdy growth, while another
specimen of the same sort which is well fed is
likely to indulge in long and weakly growth, and
lays itself open to attack from the first violent
frost or burning heat which may occur. I should
very much like to know which of these two views
is correct, as a great deal may follow from it. A
friend who takes much interest in these things
has remarked to me just now that it is not true
to_ say that there is a great likeness between
animal hfe and plant life in this respect. He
justly observes that if a man shot out new arms
and new legs when he is highly fed, he would then,
and then only, be on the same plane with a tree

which makes great shoots and exposes itself to
great trouble when its larder is over good. No
doubt " feed me with good convenient wine " is
applicable both to men and to trees, but the
question in many cases really is to find out in
what this does consist, and I fancy that an under-
fed tree will stand adversity vastly better than a
man or a woman who lacks a generous diet. A
close observer of these things was talking to me
on this very subject a short time ago, and he
holds the opinion I have expressed. This induces
ms to ask for more information about a matter
which is not yet clear to me at all — H. Ewiiank.
Osmanthus Equifolius.— The illustration on
page 86 of Osmanthus myrtifolius shows what a
beautiful evergreen shrub it is, and they all well
merit what is therein said in their favour ; while,
after such a season as we have experienced,
O. aquifolius, at least, may furnish us with another
autumn feature, for in 1893, when the summer
was much in the way of the present one, some of
the plants flowered with such unusual freedom
that they presented a very uncommon appear-
ance. The flowers are small and white, and
borne in clusters in the axils of the leaves, while
occasionally they are produced from the old wood.
The blossoms cannot be regarded as showy, yet
they are very pleasing, and the time at which they
are borne (the latter part of the autumn) makes
them still more appreciated. Another feature
their agreeable fragrance, which is in the way of,
but not to the same extent as that of the blossoms
of Osmanthus fragrans, better known in gardens
by the generic name of Olea. The form of Ose
thus alluded to on the above-mentioned page,
under the name of purpurascens, is undoubtedly
one of the finest low-growing evergreen shrubs
that we possess. — T.

tion of roots. This Desfontainea, which is the
only member of the senus, is a native of the
Andes, from Chili to Xew Grenada, and was in-
troduced therefrom by William Lobb, who was
travelling for Messrs. Veitch. It was a remark-
ably successful journey, for among other intro-
ductions at that time may be mentioned Lapa-
geria rosea, Escallonia macrantha, Embothrium
coccineum, and Philesia buxifolia, as well as one
more valuable than any of these, viz., Berberis
Darwini. The world is now too much ransacked
for a collector to acquire such a bevy of good
things on a single journey. T.

DESFONTAINEA SPINOSA
When in flower this Chilian shrub is sure to
attract attention, particularly among those with
but a limited knowledge of plants, as in all par-
ticulars save that of blossoms it mimics a small
sturdy.growing Holly, and when these features
supplemented by brilliantly-coloured tubular-
shaped blooms it proves a puzzle to many. The
flowers are drooping, nearly a couple of inches
long, and of a thick wax-like texture, their colour
being scarlet and yellow, somewhat after the
manner of a Blandfordia. This shrub is hardy in
many localities, but, on the other hand, it is ten-
der in some districts, and the severe frosts ex-
perienced during the early part of last year in-
jured it greatly or killed it outright in places
where it had stood out for years. It is, however,
so attractive when in bloom as to well repay the
protection of a greenhouse or conservatory where
there is any doubt as to its hardiness, for among
its other desirable qualities is that of continuing
to flower for a lengthened period, as it will often
keep up a succession of bloom from July till
autumn is well advanced. Xo special treatment
is required, as it will thrive in ordinary potting
compost, but prefers a larger amount of loam in
the soil than many plants do. When grown in
pots and required for flowering under glass, it
may be plunged out of doors in the spring when
all danger from severe frosts is over, and allowed
to remain there till the blossoms make their ap-
pearance, when the plants may be removed into
the greenhouse and wintered in the coolest
part thereof, to be plunged outside again in the
spring. Though treatment such as this will yield
satisfactory results where the plants are not hardy
outside, they are never so striking as under more
natural conditions, for, as a rule, when planted out
of doors the foliage is richer tinted than when
confined in pots. For furnishing low walls it is
Iso very desirable. Propagation is carried out
chiefly by means of cuttings, which are not diffi-
cult to root, though, as a rule, they stand some
time before they strike. The summer is a good
time to take the cuttings, and if then put into
of sandy soil and placed in a cold frame kept

Eacryphia pinnatifolia.— In many placas
this beautiful Chilian shrub seems flowering during
the present season with unusual freedom, and
besides the fact that the blooms are not produced
till the second half of the summer, they are quite
distinct from anything else in flower. It is usually
regarded as a hardy shrub, but in many districts
this statement needs a certain amount of qualify-
ing, as it is frequently injured by the frost. It
forms a rather upright, freely-branched bush,
clothed with pinnate leaves of a very deep green
tint, while the flowers, which are from 2i inches
to 3 inches in diameter, remind one very much of
a pure white St. John's Wort, the mass of pro-
minent stamens being arranged very much as in
the Hypericum. In some places this Eucryphia
does not grow very kindly, the conditions most
favourable to it being a compost consisting of a
good amount of peat and a spot where the plants
will not suffer from want of water during the
summer. This Eucryphia is still far from a
common shrub, as, in addition to being none too
hardy, it is not at all an easy subject to propagate,
the most successful method bsing by means of
layers. Not only do they take some time to root,
but it is necessary to have a good-sized plant
before it can be layered. — H. P.

Abelia rupestris. — The blooms of this
Chinese species of Abelia are not nearly as showy
as those of its Mexican relative — A. floribunda —
which, however, requires the protection of a
greenhouse, while A. rupestris is hardy. It is
an extremely neat and pretty little shrub, which
usually forms a low, much-branched bush, fur-
nished" with oblong-shaped, small, deep green,
glossy leaves and slender drooping shoots, towards
the points of which the flowers are produced in
clusters. The blooms are tubular in shape, about
an inch long, and pale pink in colour. They are
also agreeably scented. A prominent feature, and
a most desirable one in connection with this
Abelia, is the fact that it will bloom for months
together, and that, too, after most shrubs are
past, that is to say, from June onwards. It is not
a subject to plant in a shrubbery border or posi-
tion such as that where it will have tn contend
with vigorous growing subjects, but it needs
rather a choicer spot and it is very effective on
rockwork, as its somewhat drooping shoots are
seen to great advantage overhanging a rocky
ledge, or in a similar position, while it is also a
first-rate subject for clothing low walls, and in
such a spot it will bloom profusely. It is one of
the many beautiful shrubs introduced from China
by Robert Fortune, and is in no way a particular
subjecu if the soil is kept fairly moist during the
summer. Cuttings of the half-ripened shoots are
not at all difficult to root with ordinary treatment.
— T.

The European Box Thorn (Lycium euro-
pasum). — In some districts, especially where the
soil is shallow and of a sandy or gravelly nature,
a great many trees and shrubs have suffered
terribly from the long-continued drought, and
looking over a garden of this kind recently where
most of the shrubs had a very woebtgone appear-
ance, I was particularly struck with a grand mass
of the common Box Thorn rambling over an old
fence and growing in little else but gravel. The
foliage was as bright and green as possible, and
for this reason alone it offered a direct contrast to

close and shaded, they may after a time be given all of its associates, while in addition the entire
a little heat, which will accelerate the produc- ' mass was profusely laden with blossoms, which

128

THE CxARDEN.

[August 15, 1896

when first expacded are of a bright violet colour,
but before dropping they change to almost a buff
tint. The plant had been flowering for a con-
siderable time, and, judging by the number of
buds still remaininc it will yet continue for a long
while. A few of the earlier berries were begin-
ning to change colour, and before long they will
be very conspicuous bj- reason of their bright red
tint. Many such things as this are apt to be over-
looked because they are common, yet such a plant
as this Lycium is infinitely more pleasing than
other and rhoicer subjects that can barely exist.
For exposed portions of the larger arrangements
of rockwork, for furnishing dry, sloping banks, or
for similar purposes, this Lycium is well suited,
while in any selection of plants for clothing
arbours or bowers this Box Thorn must have a
place assigned it. It is a native of the south of
Europe and was introduced into this country in
1730.-T.

SHOST XOTES.— TREES AXD SHU UBS.

The Purple Birch.— This is one of the most
lovely of all onr deciduous trees. The foliage is of a
rather rale porple colour, but when the tree develops
a gocd silver stem — as it will do with age — the contrast
is effective and striking. It should be extensively
planted wbere lightness and elegance are appreciated.

Bhamnus iiceritinus.— All lovers of large,
bold-fplii"sed shrubs will find in tlie a' ove a real acqui-
sition. The leaves remind one of those of the Spanish
Chestnut. They are fully 8 inches long and 3i inches
wide, and are of a dark green colour. It forms a fine
bushy shrub, and should te afforded ample rjom for
development.

The Weeping "Walnut is a refreshing umbra-
geous tree well adapted f.T planting on a lawn. Its
bold foliage acd true pendulous habit would maVe a
cha'miug addition to onr already wealthy variety of
hardy tiees and shrubs, and, of course, its highly aro-
matic leaves would he very welcome to all lovers of
sweet perfumes.

"Weeping Pyracantha.— Of course this plant
should he grown in standard form, and if dotted among
evergreen shrubs of rather dwarf nature, the effect is
fine. The shoots are freely produced, and they have
rather a spreading rature, n^t exactly pendulous. It
qrickly forms a good head, and its shiny, dark green
foliage looks very refreehing when brought into con-
trast with golden Tews and shrubs of a similar cha-
racter.

Bobinia angustifolia elegans.— This is a
ncott elegant deciduous tree, with eiass-green leaves
of a con- pound chaiacter. The individual leaves are
about three-quarters of an inch long and a quarter of
an inch wide, and are produced in great abundance,
giving the tree an exceedingly dense and compact
appearance. I can ccnfidently recommend thisvariety
as a suitable subject for planting singly in a position
where it« heanty can be suitably disjilaycd. Standard
or pyramidal form sui;s it admirably.

Orchids.

SACCOLABIUMS.
Although one or two kinds in this noble genus
may be described as rather weedy plants, the
majority are really magnificent Orchids, possess-
ing an elegance and grace not to be found in
many that are more sought after, and conse-
quently higher in price. Even when not in
bloom the plants themselves are very orna-
mental, that is to say, if they have been care-
fully grown and kept free of insects. Nor is
thi.'* at all difficult, for I have frequently seen
very fine examples of S. Bluinei, S. guttatum,
and even S. giganteum grown among ordinary
stove plants. Most of the known kinds come
from India and the adjacent islands, and they
are all true epiphytes. Heat in plenty and
nioLsture. with judicious treatment of the roots,
will therefore be necessary to grow them well.
Plenty of light too without scorching sun is a
great help in keeping the plants hard and
healthy, consolidating their leafy system and

preventing the foliage from being attacked by
spot. The large specimen plants, several feet
in height and as much through them, do not
seem to find so many admirers as formerly— at
all events they are not so often seen. Noble
objects they were, and it is a pity that present
day growers will not allow them a place. Still
it is something that the species are grown, for
not so many years since it seemed that they
were going out of cultivation altogether. The
style of plant now most often seen is about 0
inches or a foot high, such plants as may be reared
in medium-sized wood ba.skets suspended near
the roof. These usually produce about two or
three spikes of bloom, according whether the
species is a free-blooming kind or the reverse,
and those kinds having pendent scapes look
very charming when grown this way. Clean,
freslily-picked Sphagnum is the best of all
material for the compost, and nothing else need
be added but crocks and charcoal in plenty and
in suitable sizes according to that of the
baskets. Root action commences more or less
early in the spring, and whatever disturbance
is needed should be seen to before this is far ad-
vanced. Old established pieces with roots en-
twined about the rods of the basket are the worst
to transplant, and a deal of care is necessary,
otherwise they will be seriously injured. Turn-
ing it completely out of the basket is of course
out of the question, any attempt at this being
assuredly followed by lacerated and bruised
roots. If the wires can be pulled out from the
corners, the baskets may be pulled apart piece-
meal, removing a chance root from the rods with
the haft of a budding knife, avoiding snapping
them in the process. But where the roots are
plentiful this cannot be done, and the rods
must be cut through at the corners, placing
the pieces intact in the new basket, first
removing all decayed wood, as this is likely
to breed fungus in the Moss. Where the
baskets are very small and the plants
healthy and well rooted, it may be advisable to
place them entire into the new ones, first, of
course, removing all sour and decayed parts of
root or compost. By this means many of the
air roots will be brought under the influence of
the compost, and freer ramification of these and
the emission of fresh ones into the atmosphere
will be the result, to the ultimate benefit of the
plant. In every case where such strong growers
as those referred to are under treatment a fairly
good shift may be given, as by means of annual
top-dressing afterwards they may be kept in
health for a good many years without again
being diiarbed. Some of the smaller-growing
kinds that produce erect, instead of pendent
flower-spikes— such, for in.stance, as S. ampul-
laceum, S. curvifolium, or S. Hendersonianum
— are, I consider, much safer in small, well-
drained pots or pans than in baskets, these
having less capacity in comparison with their
width and depth, and the roots like the hard,
porous earthenware. If they are so grown they
also must be kept well up to the light, this
being just as needful to them as to their larger-
growing congeners. If not convenient to sus-
pend them, give them a place on a light shelf or
in some similar position, but if they can be sus-
pended quite clear of each other they will one
and all be greatly the better for it. There is
not, in fact, a single species of either Sacco-
labium or Aerides with which I am acquainted
that is not greatly the better for being hung
from the roof, as long as they are of a suitable
size. Large specimens must of necessity be stood
on the central stage, their heads about a yard
away from the glass if possible, and no other
plants hung between them and the light. In
growing a collection of any size it will be

noticed that the different species, and some-
times even the diflferent plants of the same spe-
cies, go to rest at diflerent times, the roots of
course being the index to their condition. As-
this is so, no time can be mentioned as to when
the water supply to the roots will have to be
lessened, but the latter must be closely watched
in autumn, for too much water after they have
done growing is a mistake. They must not be
kept absolutely dry at any time — just enough
to keep the foliage right, and a nice mild tem-
perature in the house wherein they are grown.
Among those most generally grown are

SACC0L.4BIUM AMiTLLACEUM, a dwarf habited,
kind not usually moie than 1 foot high, with stiff,
dark green leaves and erect racemes of flower, pro-
duced in early summer. The flowers are wholly
a pretty rose colour, and they last nearly a month
in good condition. This kind must not be over-
done with compost and likes a light position. 16
is a native of Sikkim and other parts of India, and
was introduced in 1S39.

S. liELLiM'M is a charming species, introduced
about ten years ago from Burmah by Messrs.
Low. It does not produce the cylindrical ra-
cemes of small flowers usual in the genus, they
occurring a few together and being individually
larger than most kinds. The sepals and petals
are greenish, with markings of chocolate-brown ;
the lip white, with the centre yellow, and having
a cavity at the base, white with light purple
spots.

S. Blumei is one of the best of all, and a
splendid species that no collection should lack.
It is a rather large grower, erect in habit, and
producing densely . flowered pendent rajemes,
usually simple, but, sometimes forked, and nearly
2 feet long. The colour of the flowers is a rosy
white, with many spots of magenta-purple. It is
a somewhat variable kind, the forme including a
pure white one that is much prized and very rare.

S. ciKLESTE is a dwarf growing kind with bright
green leaves and close racemes of flower from
6 inches to nearly a foot in length. The blossoms
are small, whitish in ground colour, with
the lip and th.^ tips of the segments pale blue.
The present is its flowering season ; being a,
native of Siam, it requires plenty of heat and
moisture.

S. oicANTEi-M is a fine plant when well grown,,
but requires very careful winter treatment. It is
best reared in baskets or pans, and must have
ample heat all the year round, plenty of water
whilst the growth is active, and just enough in
winter to keep the plant going and maintain the
flowers. These occur on almost horizontal ra-
cemes and are closely set. The sepals and petals
are whitish, with rose-coloured spots, and the lip
is mauve, striped with deep purple. S. violaceum
and Harrisonianum are closely related to this,
the former having mauve, the latter white blos-
soms.

S. Henderso-Nianum is a native of Borneo, a
dwarf growing and very distinct species of a
peculiar habit of growth, the stem growing some-
times erect, at others horizontal. The flower-
spikes are erect, each blossom about three-quar-
ters of an inch across, bright rose with a white
lip. It is a pretty and interesting kind, and first
flowered in England in 1874.

Dendrobium Dearei.- This is one of the most
generally useful of all Dendrobiums, and, though
often flowering earlier, it is at this time that itg
chaste white blossoms seem more than ever useful.
These are produced at the apex of the newly-
formed bulb and occur on many-flowered spread-
ing racemes. Each blossom is about 2^ inches
across, the segments all pure white, with the ex-
ception of a greenish blotch on the lip. D. Dearei
is a native of the Philippine Islands, and conse-
quently must have a strong and moist heat while
growing, and as the bulbs are long and closely
leaved this takes a considerable time. From the
time they begin to grow until the bulbs are quite
finished this moist heat is essential, and when the
blossoms are past the plants may be hung in a

THE GAPvDEK

129

light sunny position in order to harden the growth
thoroughly, for, though flowering on the new
shoots, this is quite as necessary as with those
that bloom on the older bulbs in spring. The
roots of D. Dearei are fairly plentiful and
strong, but it is not a species that should be
over-burdened with compost. In choosing the
pots or pans then, any with a margin of about U
inches all the way round will be large enough,
and in these the plants must be firmly fixed.
Care is necessary in watering at first, and until
the new shoots begin to emit roots, but after this
occurs they are safe unless really over-watered.
Being so valuable for cutting, this kind has be-
come very popular ; it was introduced in 1S8'2.

Stove and Greenhouse.

HYACINTHS AND OTHER SPRINCx-
FLOWERING BULBS IN POTS.*
The spring-flowering bulbs that will be noted in
the following cultural remarks may be termed
everybody's flowers, because they take up but
little room, and therefore persons with the
smallest amount of glass accommodation may
grow them equally as well as those with unlimited
greenhouses. Nor is fire-heat absolutely essen-
tial, except for early forcing, so that even the
cottager with the light given by an ordinary
window may be successful with them. Not the
least important of spring flowers is the Hyacinth,
and, starting its culture with the small details,
one must be provided with a stock of clean pots.
I would use old ones in preference to those quite
new, as the latter (unless soaked) are apt to dry
the earth unduly. Forty-eights, or 4|-inch pots,
are the most generally useful. I have" tried Hya-
cinths for exhibition in a size larger, but have
had equally fine spikes of bloom in pots the
named ; it is therefore wise for the sake of
economy alone to choose the smaller. The soil
recommended is composed of rotten turf of a
fibry character, broken up small, manure, prefer-
ably cow manure, dried, so that it may be passed
through a sieve, coarse sand or road grit, the
loam being in slightly the larger proportion. In
this compost water will pass through freely, and
a rich root-run is also provided. One might
imagine that, as Hj-acinths will grow in water
alone, it matters little about having a soil that is
porous ; but the fact is, these bulbs require som
care as to the quantity of moisture given when
cultivated in pots.

Use the potting earth in an even state— neither
sodden with wet nor dust-dry. It is advisable t
mix the compost a considerable time before re-
quired, so that that desirable condition may be
obtained. In potting, place one goc'l sized crock
over the hole of the pot, then a handful of the
rougher portion of soil ; afterwards fill the pet
and press down the earth moderately firm, then
scoop out a hole with the finger in which to place
the bulb. This latter item is of some importance,
because, if we press the bulb and soil down to-
gether, that portion under the bulb becomes so
hardened that the roots, instead of wandering in
the earth, will raise the bulb upwards, and
perhaps finally push it out of the pot entirely.
Take care then to have the soil loose for the
bulb to rest on, and I may mention that about
one half of the bulb should be buried. A
finish is made by pressing the soil down
evenly in the margin between bulb and pot.
When the compost is in the condition before-
mentioned, watering immediately after potting is
not required, but if the earth be at all dry one
good soaking should be given. Stand the pots
close together in any available space that is open,
that is to say free from the drip of trees. Put them
on a sound bottom of ashes likely to prevent worms
from entering the pots, then place an inverted
pot of small size over each bulb. This detail is per-

* Read before the members of the Woking Gar-
deners' and Amateurs' Association, July 10, 1896.

haps not essential, but it is done with the object of
keeping subsequent growth clean ; the covering ma-
terial is apt to find its way into the centre of the
new leaves and may be rot the flower spike. We
next bury the pots, bulbs and all, with cocoa
fibre to a depth of 4 inches. The material named
light and clean ; sand, however, will answer
the same purpose, but, if possible, avoid a cover-
ing of ashes ; the sulphur these contain has some-
times done mischief below. I would pot Hya-
ths in September ; if left much later roots will
have started growth, and the bulbs are likely to
deteriorate thereby. They may be left — forgotten,
I might say — for about two months. I would at
the same time advise that a covering of glass—in
fact anything — be provided in case of more than
usual rainfall to guard against the earth in the
pots becoming soddened. The object of placing
the bulbs under ground, as it were, is to get
them well rooted before top growth takes place
any extent. This item, to my mind, is the
3t important of all. Without a good supply of
roots there is not anything to force the spike of
bloom out of its bulb. The bloom is placed there
by the previous season's growth, mostly in Hol-
land, and we cannot alter its form, but by good
cultivation we may develop each individual
bell, and in the end obtain a spike of bloom ap-
parently double the ordinary size. Extra large
bulbs are not indeed desirable in producing fine
spikes of flower ; in fact, very large ones usually
give more than one spike, which, for purposes of
thow at least, would be useless. Choose, therefore,
medium-sized, firm, well-ripened bulbs to obtain
the best Hyacinths.

Some time in November then we should ex
amine the plants. Roots will be found plentiful
in some cases growing through the hole at the
bottom of the pots, while the top growth will be
about an inch high and the bloom-spikes visible.
Such as these may be taken from their covering
and stood in a cool frame or greenhouse where
plenty of air can be admitted. For a few days do
not remove the pots which were placed over the
bulbs ; the change from darkness to light must be
gradual. Hyacinths to be well grown must grow
slowly, otherwise the leaves will advance faster
than the blooms ; the latter, too, will be wanting
in substance, points against them in competition.
Of course, such matter are not so important
generally ; most of us like to lengthen the period
of flowering by gently forcing a few — Hyacinths
will bear this— and retarding others.

Keep the plants well up to the glass at all
times and give air abundantly. Do not water
much in dull weather. I «ould, in fact, keep the
soil on the dry side until the blooms push well
up out of the bulb. Use rain water slightly
warmed. After the spikes of bloom show colour
growth is very rapid, and it is then we must
develop them to their utmost. By this time we
should have abundance of roots ; all the stimulants
necessary may then be given. Soot water is ex-
cellent, but I have not myself used anything to
equal sulphate of ammonia. This powerful salt
should be given at the rate of an ounce to two
gallons of water. Use it at every watering, which
may now be often, for at the final period ic is not
easy to over-do Hyacinths with moisture at the
roots. It is well to shade the flowers from strong
sunshine, or the lower portion of the spike may
sufi'er before the top bells open.

Hyacinths are not used for pots the second
year, but after flowering they may be again placed
in the open and duly watered until the leaves die
down. By planting the bulbs in the ground and
allowing them to remain, we may, however, reap
a rich harvest of nice useful spikes of bloom for a
considerable number of years. I will name a few
of the best varieties : Ua Grandesse is a very fine
white sort, with ext.-a large bells. Mont Blanc
bears a splendid spike. Alba maxima is a third
good white. In reds there are few better than
Lord Macaulay and Von Schiller. Roi des Beiges
is a fine red, but generally produces more than
one spike. Vuurbaak is an extra tine rich red.
Fabiola is a good variety of a rosy red shade.
Kohi-nor (semi-double) is also extra fine. An-

other red of a salmon shade is Moreno, one of the
handsomest of all Hyacinths. Gigantea is a rosy
white with small bells, and Princess Amelia pro-
duces a grand spike of a blush-pink shade. Czar
Peter and Lord Derby are both fine kinds of a
light blue shade. King of the Blues is about the
best of a dark hue. Another goad blue is Grand
Maitre. Ida is the best yellow. Distinction,
Magnificent and King of the Blacks are all hand-
some dark-coloured Hyacinths, but generally the
spikes of bloom are small.

Early TcLirs, like Hyacinths, delight in a cool,
-teady growth. Any attempt to force them, ex-
cept a few of the smaller kinds like the dig'erent
coloured Due Van Thols, means failure. Tulips
like plenty of room for the roots; they should
therefore have larger pots than are required for
most bulbs. I would use nothing smaller than 6-
inch ones. These may contain four bulbs. Use
a compost similar to that named for Hvacinths,
but with less of manure and grit. When potting,
it is well to choose bulbs about equal in size.
That is to say, all the larger ones should be potted
together, and those smaller be placed similarly,
then an even lot of blooms may be obtained. The
rule of making a hole for each bulb, previously
noted, is also applicable to Tulips, and they
should be covered for the purpose of forcing root
growth before leaves. The great number oi tiny
roots that Tulip bulbs send out points to the fact
that water must not be given sparingly, and when
coming into bloom abundant daily supphes become
necessary. I favour a cool stimulant for Tulips.
Liquid cow manure is capital, but a watering or
two with sulphate of ammonia when the blossoms
are opening will aid in giving colour and sub-
stance. Light, air, a cool temperature, and
abundance of moisture at the roots are the chief
elements in the culture of Tulips in pots^ ■^.f.e«'
extra good varieties are as follows : Vermilion
Brilliant, scarlet ; Joost Van Vondel, dark crim-
son, sometimes flamed white. A white sort (pre-
sumably a sport) of the same name is the finest
white to be had. The next best white is Potte-
bakker. Ophir d'Or, yellow : Keizsrkroon, red and
yellow ; Proserpine, rosy-crimson ; Duchesse da
Parme, orange-red and yellow ; Van der Neer,
purple ; Tournesol, red and yellow ; La Candeur,
white ; Rex Rubrorum, scarlet, are good double
sorts, but personally I much prefer the single
kinds.

Narcissi are placed next in order. They are
now-adays more popular perhaps than any spring-
flowering bulbs, not, however, as pot plants, bub
grown in the open border. I have tried a fair
number of the so-called distinct Narcissi - it
would hardly be possible to try all— and the sorts
named below are excellent for pot culture. By
this means we may not only obtain nice subjects
in themselves for the greenhouse decoration, but
by the aid of glass we are able to anticipate the
outdoor ones and thus lengthen the flowering sea-
son. Narcissi are perfectly hardy and generally
will not stand a forcing heat. I would pot the
bulbs in pure loam and grit, and they should be
potted firmly. They are better not plunged in
the dark, but may be stood under some kind of
glass structure to ward off excessive rain. A shell
near the glass of a greenhouse where frost is just
kept out is an excellent position for Narcissi
during winter, and here they may remiin until
the blooms are well advanced. A frame in ths
open border, if protected in severe weather, is an
equally good place for their gradual growth, and
the needful supply of soft water must not ba ne-
glected. Nor should they remain in a close atmo-
sphere whenever the weather is favourable to the
glass being open. Bulbocodium (Hoop Petticoat)
is a pretty sort for pots. It should be planted
thickly-that is, six or seven bulbs in a 6 inch
pot. Golden Spur, about four bulbs in a pot
similar in size, makes a first-rate specimen. This
will force well. Emperor, large yellow trumpet ;
Empress, yellow and white ; Sir Watkin, yellow ;
Horsfieldi, yellow and white-these are among
the noblest of Dailbdils and do well in pots.
Princeps, yellow, and Grandee, bicolor, are not un-
like the above-named and are cheaper. «""••

Barri

130

THE GATIDEN.

[August 15, 189C.

conspicuus is a very rich-coloured variety. All
except the last may have a 6 inch pot for three
bulbe. Among doubles. Sulphur i'hunix and
Orange I'hanix are grand ; five bulbs in a pot is
a good number for these. Viin Sion is a tine
yellow double sort. Then there are the rolvan-
thus Narcissi, which bear bunches of small
sweetly scented blos-soms : they make hamlsome
pot plants. Grand Monarque, white lemon cup,
somewhat la»e, is extra good ; Gloriosa, orange
and white : Xewton, Jaune Supreme, Queen of
the Netherlands, Her Majesty, are capital sorts.
These mostly have large bulbs : throe in a
pot will therefore be suthcient : they pro-
duce several spikes each and are very showy.
There is this about Narcissi ; When one has
once purchased a stock they may be readily in-
creased by planting them in the open border.
Then there are Lilies and Tuberoses, which 1 will
not deal with in this short paper ; but

Freesias are charming, early-flowering bulbs
which may be grown by anyone with a bit of glass.
The bulbs are tiny, not expensive, and of easy
growth. Well grown specimens are exceedingly
pretty and the blossoms are nicely scented.
This bulb will grow in almost any soil, but a com-
post rich in leaf mould and sand is one to be re-
commended. Pot the bulbs in autumn, about
seven in a oinch pot and ten in the G-inch size ;
slightly bury the bulbs, then stand the pots in a
frame. They require no covering — I mean, the
pots should not be plunged — but need protection
during severe weather. The best position for
them, perhaps, after growth has started is the
greenhou.-e shelf ; here they may remain up to the
time of flowering. All tha't is necessary is to give
plenty of water, air in abundance, and a mild
stimulant when the bloom is opening ; the
branches may be tied with neat sticks. Unlike
Hyacinths, for instance, these Freesias do not lose
in value after flowering ; they increase rapidly, so
that when once a stock is procured there is no
need to buy a second supply. After the blooms
are past allow the growth to wither gradually,
and the bulbs may then be taken from the earth,
stored, and again potted the following autumn.

Gladiolus Colvillei alba The Bride is a favourite
flower of mine, but one can scarcely term it spring-
flowering. There is, ho%vever, no dithculty in
getting the blooms open by Whitsuntide, that is,
if an early start be made. Plant about nine
bulbs in a 6-inch pot and treat in the manner ad-
vised for Freesias ; by these means we may
obtain a wealth of lovely white blossoms. The
bulbs of this plant increase easily, and they may
either be potted annually or planted in the open
garden in a very dry, warm situation, in which
case protection is necessary during winter.

Societies and Exhibitions.

ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.
Ar..r.-T 11.
The meeting of Tuesday last was a very full
and comprehensive one. Rarely in the month
of August has a finer display been seen, it being
all the more noteworthy when the prolonged
drought is taken into consideration. Hardy
flowers, bulbous and otherwiee, were of specially
good quality, notably the grand display of Gladioli
from Langport, of which aho two smaller exhibits
were to be seen, these latter being composed
chiefly of the Lemoinei and Xanceanue hvbrids.
Dahlias also were staged, chiefly Cactus varieties,
but it if yet a little too early to see them to the
best possible advantage. Mixed exhibits of hardy
flowers were numerous, making a good show. A
most interesting and instructive group of Bamboos
in the best and rarest of the hardy species and
varieties came from Coombe Wood. These plants
are evidently destined to become more increasingly
popular, the proof of their hardiness being abun-
dant. From Gunnersbury were sent some of the
beet kinds of coloured as well ae white Water

Lilies, to two of which first-claBs certificates were
awarded.

Of indoor plants, the Caladiums, consisting of the
finest kinds in the best possible condition, came
from Chelsea, and formed a prominent feature
Miscellaneous groups were also jiresent, but not of
special note. Orchids were, however, much finer
than usual at this season, August not being one
of the best months for a varied display. A few
grand forms of Cattleya were shown, notably one
from The Dell collection. A few capital hybrids
were likewise noted from various sources.

Fruit consisted chiefly of early kinds of Apples
and Pears from Maidstone, well coloured aud as
well advanced in quality. Plums from tha
Langley nurseries of the Messrs. Veitch were also
specially noteworthy, bearing evidence of the for-
wardness of the season. These included the best
dessert kinds as well as culinary. Other fruits
were not numerous, not even Melons on this
occasion.

A great improvement was to be noted on this
and at the previous meeting in the grouping to-
gether of the certificated plants. This is as it
should be, instead of these being scattered
amongst various groups through the hall. This
angement, it is to be hoped, will be persevered
in at every meeting. Fruits also should be simi-
larly treated, so ohat anyone who is desirous of
inspecting; the various novelties may have better
facilities for doing so and with less searching out.
Orchid Committee.

Orchids were not in abundance, but some choice
varieties were exhibited.

The following awards were made : —

First class certificate was adjudged for Cattleya
Hardjana splendens (Clarke's variety), a fine
variety of the now somewhat plentiful natural
hybrid supposed to be a cross between Cattleya
Dowiana aurea and C. gigas. The sepals and
petals are deep rose, lip velvety-crimson in front,
bright yellow in the centre, lined with yellow and
crimson in the throat ; the plant bore a raceme of
four flowers. From Baron Schneder.
The following received awards of merit ■. —

L.i:LI0C.\TTLEY.\ EI.EIiANS VAR. CaN'VE.N'BERi: HI-
ANA. — An extraordinarily large flowered variety,
sepals and petals pale rose-tinted, lip very broad,
rose-purple in front shading to white at the base.
A fine cut spike of nine flowers was exhibited.
From Sir F. Wigan, Clare Lawn, East Sheen.

L.ELK 1-Cattleya Seraph.— To Mr. C. J. In-
gram, for La'lio-Cattleya Seraph, a hybrid said
to be the result of crossing L.-C. elegans and
Cattleya citrina, but no trace of the latter parent
could be observed except, perhaps, the yellow of
the sepals and petals, these latter being sulphur-
yellow, the lip being rose-purple in front shading
to white at the base and throat.

CVI'KIPEDIUM ExCEL.'ilOR YAK. MaRS. — To

Messrs. F. Sander and Co. for Cypripedium Excel-
sior var. Mars. This is the reverse cross of C.
Excelsior (Rothschildianum x Harrisianum). It
is very distinct from that variety, and considered
to be superior to it in its darker markings and
larger flowers, but a^ the cross had been previously
registered, the committee decided to retain the
original name, giving it the variety name as being
distinct. The dorsal sepal green, lined with dark
brown, petals pale green shading to brown purple
at the tips, the whole heavily spotted with dark
brown ; lip dark brown, shading to green at the
base.

A botanical certificate was awarded for Masde-
vallia anchorifera, one of the dwarf -growing small-
flowered section. The flowers are greenish-yellow
lined aud thickly spotted with dark brown. From
Mr. R. J. Measures.

A bronze Banksian medal was awarded to Mr.
R. J. Measures, Cambridge Lodge, Flodden Road,
S.E., for a small group of Orchids, amongst which
were some fine varieties of Cattleya gigas, a fine
form with two flowers of Cattleya aurea, Cypri-
pedium Laehmu, a bold flower with deeply spotted
petals, a cross between C. ciliolare and C. super-
biena ; Phahunopsis violacea, a dark sepal and
petalled variety ; a fine plant with seven flowers

of Lailia monophylla, remarkable for its orange-
scarlet flowers ; Cypripedium leucochilum, Cam-
bridge Lodge variety, one of the most distinct
varieties we have seen, the backs of the petals
and sepals being spotted with dark brown on a
white ground, and various rare Mapdevallias, both
of hybrids and species. Baron Schroder sent
Cattleya Hardyana, Wriglej's variety, a pale form
previously certificated, and two fine varieties of
Lalio-Cattleya elegans Turneri. Mr. E.Ashnorth,
Harefield Hall, sent an extraordinarily fine form of
Cattleya Gaskelliana alba, the flower being of
the purest white, while the sepals, petals, and lip
vvere of fine form and substance. Cattleya Kienas-
tiana also came from the same exhibitor, but had
previously been certificated. Mr. Sington, Chapel-
en-le- Frith, sent Cypripedium Singtonianum
(vexillarium x barbatum Warneri) ; the flower,
as might be expected from such a cross, could
scarcely be discerned from forms of C. barbatum.
Sir W. Marriott sent Cattleya Marriottiana and
hybrid, the result of crossing C. Eldorado and C.
gigas ; sepals and petals pale rose, lip crimson in
front, white in the centre, with a yellow disc and
throat ; the plant bore a spike of nine flowers. Sir
F. Wigan sent a fine cut spike with ten flowers of
L.-C. elegans Turneri. Dr. Smee sent cut spikes
of Odontoglossum aspidorhynum and a distinct
form of Lycaste species in way of L. plana. Mr.
R. Young, Liverpool, sent cut spikes of La4io-
Cattleya elegans Turneri and a fine form of
Cattleya velutina. Mr. Milton, Bristol, sent a
fine spike of Cattleya Loddigesi with extra large
flowers. Mr. P. Ralli, Ashted Park, sent two cut
spikes of Sobralia Lowi, a dwarf growing variety,
with small deep rose-purple flowers and a fine
spotted variety of Odontoglossum aspidorhynum.
Messrs. F. Sander and Co. sent a small group ;
prominent amongst this was a fine form of L -C.
Turneii with five flowers ; Cattleya
Schofieldiana, a yellow ground variety, thickly
spotted with brown ; a fine plant of the lovely
Phajus Humboldti, with sixteen flowers on the
spike ; Cattleya Eldorado Wallisi, with its pure
white flowers ; Sobralia xantholeuca and its paler
variety, S. leucoxantha, and a good form of Catt-
leya gigas.

Floral Committee.
First-class certificates were on this occasion
awarded as follows : —

Bambusa I'Ai.MATA. — An extrafineand decidedly
distinct species of sturdy and compact growth,
the leaves being quite ,3 inches in width and some
!1 inches or more in length. It comes nearest per-
haps to B. Metake, but it is much larger in its
foliage, which is also of a brighter shade of green.
From Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons, King's Road,
Chelsea.

Phvli.ostaciiys kumasasa, which, as compared
with the foregoing, is even dwarfer and more
compact, with a wiry-looking growth and small,
oval-shaped leaves ; the tendency towards a
branching habit will make this a very compact
plant, whilst both of these varieties will be admir-
ably adapted for massing. From Messrs. J. Veitch
and Sons.

Nymi'H.ea Rubin.sonia--a, which is one of the
more recently introduced hybrids of M. Latour-
Marliac, and at the same time one of the most
richly coloured varieties in cultivation ; the col-
our is a deep vinous crimson, somewhat lighter
towards the edges of the petals, the substance,
too, of which is excellent. The stamens are of a
rich orange tint, thus contrasting well with the
deep crimson. Fully developed flowers are quite o
inches across, and this with more vigour will no
doubt be increased. It is also a very floriferous
variety. The leaves are of medium size, being
spotted and splashed with dark reddish crimson.
From Messrs. de Rothschild, Gunnersbury Houee,
Acton.

NY.Mra.EA Marliacea carnea.— Another of the
hybrids from the same source as the last, and one
of great beauty, the flowers when fully developed
being much larger than N. alba in every way ;
the petals are somewhat rounded at the tips as
compared with other forms of N. Marliacea, being
white towards the extremities and of a dellCate

August 15, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

131

flesh colour towards the base ; the stamens are
orange-yellow. From Messrs. de Rothschild,
Gunnersbury House.

Awards of merit were decided in favour of the
following subjects : —

Gladiolts Jeax Dvbowski (Lemoinei hybrid of
the Nanceanus section). — A tine variety with ver-
mihon scarlet flowers feathered and spotted wi;h
creamy white. From Sir Trevor Lawrence and
Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons.

Gladiolus Deuil de Carnot (Lemoinei section).
— A deep vinous crimson, shaded with marcon
and a lighter feathering, a rich shade of colour.
From Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons.

Gladiolus Senateur Volland,— A most re-
markable variety with flowers of a decided
lavender-blue in two shades, with a white line
through the petals and sulphur-coloured feather
ing ; quite a novelty. From Messrs. J. Veitch
and Sons.

Gladiolcts Emile Augiek (Lemoinei hybrids).
— Another noteworthy variety with pale primrose-
yellow flowers and the featherine of an orange-
red shade, very distinct. From Sir Trevor Law-
rence.

Gladiolus Pexx. — Deeper and brigher than (i.
brenchleyensis in colour, feathered with purplish
crimson, and the flowers of extra sizs. From
Messrs. Kelway and Son.

Gl-Adiolus Carlvle. — A deep carmine colour,
feathered and spotted with crimson on a light
ground, of the Nanceanus section to allappear-
ance. From Messrs. Kelway and Son.

Gladiolus Baxter.— A dark velvety purplish
crimson, with darker flakes, very distinct. From
Messrs. Kelway and Son.

Sidalcea malvacea var. Listeri, distinct in its
colour, a soft shade of blush-pink, very attractive,
and with good spikes. From Mr. Lister, Rothe-
sjy.

Abutilox Silver Queen. — A very dwaif
variety with the foliage chiefly of a creamy white
colour and but little trace of green, effective and
distinct. From Mr. Sharp, Fareham.

Clematis Viticella alba.— A white variety of
this well-known specie?, to which it should prove
a fitting companion. From Messrs. Paul and
Son.

Pentstemon Presidext Carn'ot. — A distinct
and showy variety of this popular flower, with
very large expanded blossoms, the throat of which
is white, the inner margin of the lobes light red,
and the outside entirely of a darker red. From
Messrs. Barr and Son.

Stkeptocari'US Mrs. Heal (S. Veitch's hybrids
X S. Wendlandi). — A remarkably fine cross in
every respect and a valuable decorative plant ;
the leaf growth is quite intermediate, being en-
tirely green on both sides, with no trace of the
reddish purple as seen in S. Wendlandi. The stout
spikes bear two or three flowers each, of extra ?ize
and substance, fully 2 inches across, and of a dark
but bright purplish blue, with darker lines of
purple and maroon. From Messrs. J. Veitch and
Sons.

Perhaps the most striking, and certainly the
most showy exhibit in this division was a superb
collection of Gladioli from Messrs. Kelway, of
Langport. The spikes were of great size, and the
flowers in very fine condition and brilliantly
coloured. The following varieties were especially
notable : Chas. Wyndham, a deep rosy scarlet,
splashed with purplish crimson, a remarkably
large flower : Chopin, a beautiful light scarlet ;
Bicolor, reddish salmon and cream colour : Mr.
Fowler, a pretty mixture of rose and pale yellow ;
Bias, a finely formed salmon-pink, with the outer
petals shading to scarlet ; Semolina, a delicate
salmon-pink, splashed with deeper tints ; Flam-
boyant, a most gorgeous scarlet ; Carlyle, a mag-
nificent scarlet, with the lower petals shaded with
white ; Cassinus, a lovely mottled, rose-coloured
variety ; Disraeli, a splendid purple striped with
white ; and Haydn, a fine dark velvety maroon
(awarded silver gilt Flora medal). A pretty group
of cut flowers was shown by Sir Weetman Pear
son, of Paddockhurst, Crawley. Noteworthy
items were Carnation Raby Castle, Coreopfeis

grandiflora, C. lanceolata, Linaria italica and
Solidago multiflorus (silver Banksian medal
awarded). A large and nicely arranged collection
of cut flowers came from Messrs. Cutbush, and
included some good Carnations, excellent examples
of several varieties of Helianthus, Buphthalmum
speciosum, branches of the beautiful Fuchsia
Riccartoni (flowering well), Francoa appendicu-
lata and Gentiana asclepiadea (silver Banksian
medal awarded). Mr. Ware, of Tottenham, was
also represented by a large and very fine collection
of cut flowers, among which were Campanula
pyramidalis, fine spikes of Veronica subaeseilis,
Helianthus Bouquet d'Or (a good double), a num-
ber of delicately-tinted Pentstemons, and a group
of very fragrant Phloxes (silver-gilt Banksian
medal awarded). A simiUr collection was shown
by Messrs. Barr and Son, comprising Phloxes in
fine condition, some very beautiful Violas, Gladioli,
Montbretia crocosmia-flora aurea, Rudbeekia spe-
ciosa and some very fine varieties of Helian-
thus (award silver Banksian medal). From
Messrs. Cheal and Sons, Crawley, came a
group of early Dahlias and ornamental Crabs.
The former included some really excellent blooms,
among them Matchless, Gloriosa, Major Hoskins,
Fusilier, Mary Hillier, Mrs. Kingsley Foster, a
variety of good Cactus form, a beautiful terra-
cotta colour, and Mrs. Gordon Sloane, also a good
new Cactus. The Crabs, which were heavily
fruited, included Dartmouth, Transcendant, Yel-
low Siberian, Red Siberian, John Downie, and
Cheal's Scarlet, a new variety (broriza Banksian
medal awarded). Messrs. Cannell and Sons sent
a group of very fine Cockscombs, all sturdy dwarf
plants, splendidly grown. The variety was al-
most endless, the colours exquisitely soft and
pure, and varying from the palest pinks and yel-
lows to the deepest shades of orange and red
(silver Flora medal awarded).

A small, but very nice exhibit of cut flowers
was put up by Messrs. Paul and Son, Cheshunt.
Very charming was a collection of button-hole
Roses, including some very good flowers of I'ldeal.
A group of delightful Phloxes was noteworthy,
also Canna Italia, a pretty scarlet and yellow
variety, and C. Austria, a rich pure yellow (silver
Banksian medal awarded).

Messrs. Veitch and Sons put up a small collec-
tion of Gladioli (Lemoine's hybrids). The spikes
were slightly past perfection, but still served to
show the splendid colours obtainable. Some of
the best were Deuil de Carnot, a very dark crim-
son ; Senateur VoUand, nicely shaded purple :
Rev. W. Wilks, a fine scarlet ; and Sophie
Buchner, a pale prinrose and crimson. A mag-
nificent group of Caladiums was staged by Messrs.
Veitch and Sons. Every plant was in perfectly
healthy condition, with large and well-coloured
leaves. The arrangement was admirable. The
varieties included Comte de Germiny, Silver
Cloud, Ibis Rose, Orpht'e, Baron Adolphe de
Rothschild, Lord Penrhyn, Lord Derby, and Lady
Mosley. Of exceptional interest was a group of
reiiarkably fine Bamboos, also shown by Messrs.
Veitch and Sons. The most noteworthy varie-
ties were B. palmata, a splendid broad-leaved
plant ; Phyllostachys kumasasa, Arundinaria ni-
tida, Phyllostachys aurea, P. sulphurea, and P.
nigro-punctata. Messrs. Veitch also showed a
basket of their Rhododendron multicolor Ruby, a
fine flame coloured flower; a basket of Begonia
Princess Charles of Denmark, and a splendid new
Streptocarpus, Mrs. Heal, a fine large purple
flower, very distinct (awarded collectively silver-
gilt Flora medal). A new Abutilon, Silver Queen,
was shown by Mr. Sharp, of Fareham. The foliage
is almost white.

Some good boxes of Spiraea Anthony Waterer
came from Mr. A. Waterer, Knap Hill. It is a
good dark red. A collection of ten varieties
of the new Water Lilies, including some of the
best of M. Latour-Marliac's hybrids, was shown
by Mr. Jas. Hudson, gardener to the Messrs. de
Rothschild. The varieties shown were N. odorata
exquisita, N. Marliacea Chromatella, N. Layde-
keri rosea, N. Marliacea rosea, N. Marliacea carnea,
N. Robinsoniana, N. pygmfta helveola, N. rosacea.

N. Marliacea albida, and of N. alba, the Swedish
or Norwegian form. A somewhat heavy-looking
group of plants was shown by Mr. J. Purnell,
Streatham Hill, and consisted chiefly of Ferns,
tuberous Begonias, Balsams, Petunias, &c. Messrs.
Young and Dobinson, Stevenage, Heits, were re-
presented by a very curiously-staged group of cut
flowers, comprising Begonias and Verbenas, ar-
ranged in flat masses and backed by festoons of
Pansies and Plumbago. The style of arrangement
is not to be commended. It has no art'stic merit
and is not calculated to show off the flowers to
advantage. A nice group of stove and greenhouse
plants was shown by Mr. F. Reckitt, of Highgate,
and comprised good specimens of Campanula pyra-
midalis, Lilium lanceolatum album, and some well-
grown Caladiums. A fine large plant of Cycaa
revoluta came from the same exhibitor (awarded
silver Flora medal).

Fruit Committee.

The exhibits before this committee were fairly
numerous. Some good samp'ei of hardy fruit
were staged. Several Melons were shown, but in
most cases were wanting in flivour. The prize3
offered by Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons, Chelsea,
for fruit of good flavour were not veiy keenly con-
tested.

An award of merit was granted to Messrs. Bun-
yard and Co., of Maidstone, for a dish of Apples,
a well-coloured dessert variety named Cardinal.
An award of merit was also granted to the same
firm for a dessert Pear, Aspasie Ancourt. An
award of merit was awarded to a scarlet-flesh
Melon named Harris' Favourite, exhibited by Mr.
Philip Crowley, Croydon. A very good collection
of Apples and Pears, numbering forty dishes,
was exhibited bj- Messrs. Bunyard and Co.,
Maidstone. Amongst the exhibits were good
samples of Williams' Bon Chretien, Jargonelle,
Beacon, Aspasie Ancourt, and a market variety of
Pear named Lawson, of fair siza and good appear-
ance. Apples included dessert and kitchen vaiie-
ties, such as Cardinal, Beauty of Bath, Lord Suf-
field, Stirling Castle, Duchess of Oldenburg and
others. The fruits on the whole were clean and
well coloured and meritei the award— a silver
Banksian medal.

Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons staged a collection
of fruit, which included twenty-two dishes of
Plums gathered from pyramid tress in the open.
The most noticeable were De Montfort, a largo
early Plum, Belle de Louvain, Early Transparent
Gage, Angelina Burdett, July and Early Green
Gage, and a dish of early Damsons. Two dishes of
dessert Pears, a dish of Negro Largo Figs, and a very
good dish of Morello Cherries comprised the col-
lection (silver Banksian medal). Melons were ex-
hibited by Mr. Philip Crowley, Croydon ; Mr. G.
Willard, Holly Lodge, Highgate; Mr. A. Alderman,
Effingham Hill Gardens, Dorking ; Mr. Wythes,
Svon House, and Mr. Reid, Farnham Chase, Slough.
a' dish of Peaches, Princess of Wales, was ex-
hibited by Mr. W. Davis, Amberley Court, Stroud,
gardener, Mr. Butcher. A bunch of Madresfield
Court Grape was also exhibited from same place
to know cause of not colouring properly, the fruit
having been grown in a low lean-to house. A box
of Cucumbers, named Palmer's Graceful, in various
sizes was exhibited by Mr. W. Palmer, Andover,
Hants. This new variety is a cross between Sut-
ton's Cluster and Telegraph. Some of the fruits
had been cut a considerable time and still ap-
peared fresh, showing good keeping qualities (no
award was made). Mr. J. Nash, Belvedere Nur-
sery, Wimbledon, exhibited four dishes of Vic-
toria Nectarine. Some fruiting sprays of the
Wineberry (Rubus phienicolasius) were exhibited
by Mr. W. Batchelor, Harefield Park Gardens,
Uxbridge. The fruit of this plant resembles that
of the Blackberry in some respects, but is of a
bright red colour and a peculiar flavour. A dish
of Runner Beans, Sutton's Best of All, came from
the same gardens.

The first prize for Apples, ofl'ered by Messrs.
James Veitch and Sons, was awarded to Mr.
Given Thomas, Royal Gardens, Frogmore, for a
good dish of Irish Peach. Mr. Colville BrOwn,

132

THE GARDEN.

[August 15, 1896.

Hextable, Swanley, came secoLd lor a well-
coloured dish of Red Astrachan. The prizes for
Pears, offered by the same firm, were taken by
Jargonelles, the first prize going to Mr. King,
Gatton Park Gardens, Reigate, and the second
being awarded to Mr. Owen Thomas, Frogmore.
Some of the fruits in this class when cut open
were found to be rotten in the interior, probably
owing to being over-ripe.

The fruit committee met a', Chiswick on July SI
and examined the early stocks of Potatoes on trial,
some 100 varieties of Tomatoes and French or
dwarf Beans. Twelve members were present.
The French Beans were sown on June 4, but,
owing to drought, had not made sufficient pro-
gress to give them a good trial.

The fol'owing received awards of merit unani-
mously :—

To>i.\To Xeild's Seedi.ixi;. — A very fine type,
free cropper, fruits of good colour and flavour,
above medium size and borne in very large
clusters. The plant has a dnarf, compact, dis-
tinct habit.

Tomato Chiswkk Dessert. — A variety raised
in the society's gardens. Fruit of a beautiful
red colour and borne in large clusters. The plant
is of good habit.

ToMAT^i Vor.N(;'s Eii.irsE. — A very fine variety
of the Perfection type, but dwarfer, with few
small fruits and very prolific. It is a very tine
Tomato as regards (|uality and appearance.
Plant of compact growth. From Messrs. Young
and Dobinson. Stevenage, Herts.

Potato Famots.— A flattened round or pebble-
shaped kind of verj- tine quality. It is an early
variety of nice appearance, and when cooked of
first-rate quality. From Mr. Ross, Welford Park
Gardens, Xewbury.

VIOLA. CONFERENCE.
A coNfEKENCE of growers and others interested
in the cultivation of the Tufted Pansy (Viola) took
place in the Museum, Royal Botanic Gardens,
Regent's Park, London, N.W., on Saturday last,
August 8. The proceedings commenced at 11
o'clock in the forenoon, when a committee was
appointed to inspect all seedlings staged for their
adjudication and to confer first class certificates
on those sorts of exceptional merit. Quite a large
number of seedlings were submitted by Messrs.
A. J. Rowberry, J. D. Stuart, D. B. Crane,
Dobbie and Co. and Dr. Stuart, besides a number
of individual exhibits by other raisers. Many
pleasing breaks in colour were observed in several
stands, showing that careful work in cross-ferti-
lisation has been carried out. This was very no-
ticeable in several varieties which were of a deep
blue colour, a shade quite new in flowers of the
Tufted Pansy. Other varieties of very chaste and
delicate shades of colouring were largely in evi-
dence, acd many of these were absolutely raylees
and strikingly fragrant. Those sorts which are
described as " miniatures '—being less than IJ
inches indiameter— seemed to be utterly neglected,
one eminent raiser declining to express an opinion
on the merits of the varieties submitted. There
appears to be a need for a better definition of this
type cf the flower before they are likely to be
properly recognised and more largely grown. The
certificates were granted without any considera-
tion of the habit of the sorts thus recognised, so
that the bedding value of them cannot be esti-
mated by the awards given. A list of those
awarded first class certificates will be found in an-
other column.

The conference proper commenced at 12 o'clock,
when the president, Mr. A. J. Rowberry, occupied
the chair.

The chairman suggested that it was unnecessary
to read the minutes of the conference held in
Birmingham last year, as they h.id been printed
and ma^e up in bock form, which all inteiested
had read, and he thought the time might very
well be saved. The suggestion was therefore
accepted.

Coriespondence was read from many of the
northern growers and others, regretting their
inability to be present.

Mr. KVm. Cuthbertson (treasurer) then read
the statement of accounts, from which it appeared
the total income represented £S 17s. 6d., a large
proportion of this amount being received for td-
vertisements in the conference report. The ex-
penses, which were of a very varied character, in-
cluding the cost of printing the report, were kept
very low, so that the treasurer had a balance in
hand of £1 48. 7d. to hand over to his successor.

The chairman then proceeded to read his ad-
dress, in which he acknowledged the honour con-
ferred upon him by his position as president, but
thought it should be conferred on one of longer
standing. He explained that the conference in
London was wisely adopted by the executive.
He went on to say that in London and the suburbs
during the last three years a great increase in the
cultivation of the Tuittd Pansy has been noticed ;
hence the need and witdom of holding a confer-
ence in London this year. He hoped that future
conferences would be held with a joint society.
The council of the Royal Botanic Society had
welcomed them and had afforded them facilities
for a trial of plants in their gardens, and these
had well stood the severe test of the present sea-
son of drought.

The secretary (Mr. R. Dean) then explained
that the previous day had been occupied by a
committee in inspecting and reporting upon the
trial of Tufted Pansies taking place in the gar-
dens in which they had met. The committee
consisted of Messrs. C. Jordan, Regent's Park ;
J. W. Moorman, '^'ictoria Park; F. W. McLeod,
Roehampton ; W. Cuthbertson, Rothesay ; A. J.
Rowberry, and the secretary. When inspecting
the trial the committee considered them as deco-
rative plants for the gaiden as well as for exhi-
bition. Only those varieties were mentioned which
received a sufficient number of points to entitle
them to a certificate, this distinction being con-
ferred on a large number of old and new sorts.
The following varieties were amongst these men-
tioned : Princess Louise (new rayless yellow),
Rosea Pallida, William Niel, J. B. Riding, Pen-
caitland, Acme, Marchioness, Rose Queen, The
Mearne, Archie Grant, Rosine, Sylvia, Snowflake,
Niphetos, Lemon Queen, Norah May, Luteola,
True Blue, Ivanhoe, Duchess of Fife and its
sports, and two seedlings of Mr. Andrew Irvine's
numbered 217 and 596, besides others. The fore-
going were considered to have proved their
adaptability for bedding. The.'se were again
divided up into types and colours, a section
being devoted to those of dwarf growth and
tufted habit, while a second section included
those of strong growth and straggling habit,
these latter sorts being considered to par-
take of those characteristics which make them
of value for associating with other plants and for
use as a carpeting for them, as in the case of a
bed of Carnations and such like. A few instances
will give the principle adopted. Dwarf and
tufted, white : Slarchioness, Countess of Hope-
toun, Pencaitland, and Snowflake. Taller and
straggling, white : Countess of Wharncliffe and
Gigantea. Dwarf and tufted, primrose : Ardwell
Gemand Luteola. Tallerandstraggling: Sulphurea.
Dwarf and tufted, yellow ; Princess Louise, Lord
Elcho, and Bullion. Taller and straggling : A. J.
Rowberry. Dwarf and tufted, blue : True Blue.
Taller ; Archie Grant. This rule was observed
right throughout with the different colours,
generally growing three dwarf sorts to two of the
taller growths. The committee stated that there
were many good sorts which had not been men-
tioned, but as these were not in good form at the
time they were of necessity passed by.

Mr. B. G. Sinclair mentioned that the follow-
ing varieties had succeeded well with him this
year in his garden in Highgate Road : Lady
Isabel, Ardwell Gem, Goldfinch, Lemon i.iueen,
Charm, Duchess of Fife, J. B. Riding, White
Duchess, and Countess of Kintore. These were
planted in March, and Mr. Sinclair's experience
supported the report of the trial.

The secretary read a brief paper sent by Dr.
■Veit B. Wittrock, Director Botanic Gardens,
Bergisland, near Stockholm. He had sent copies
of his Viola studies, his last being the history of
the Pansy. Of the genus Viola in this connection,
Viola lutea, V. cornuta were mentioned, as was
V. calcarata, the latter a very valuable species.
The writer mentioned that Professor Hillhouse in
his paper on " Some Notes on the Genus Viola,"
read at the conference in 1895, made no mention
of V. calcarata. Some beautiful illustrations cf
the genus Viola were passed round the room in
book form as sent by the writer of the paper.

A vote of thanks was accorded Dr. Wittrcck
for his valuable paper.

Mr. C. Jordan (superintendent of Regenl'sPark)
next read a very interesting, instructive and prac-
tical paper— " Violas for Bedding; with Special
Reference to their Ada|)tability for Association
with other Plants." The writer of the paper
began by stating that this was not a new suloject.
The committee of the Viola Society do not con-
sider the subject is yet exhausted, and he would
therefore try to interest the uninitiated. The
Pansy is numbered with the older popular flowers,
and as a decorative subject has become esta-
blished. He paid a compliment to the earlier
raisers, mentioning the Cliveden Violas, those also
of Trentham Hall and Belvoir Castle— experts and
ceaseless workers who had passed away. The
foregrounds of mixed borders were suited to V^iolas.
not always in long lines of one colour. There
was a series of colours readily obtainable. When
making up your mind as to colour obtain plants of
the colour you need. As the season advanced it
was necessary to use seme stimulating manure.
Clay's fertiliser being a very good one. He men-
tioned that there was an opening for a good
manure, something that would return to the soil
more than was absorbed by the plant. Do not
plant in the autumn in a London garden, as the
effect of the atmospheric conditions on them was
very bad, the experience of a London fog being
very convincing. When propagating for spring-
flowering plants he reccmmended breaking them
up5 instead of ncakirg cuttirgs : by these meats
nice healthy pieces were obtainable with roots
attached, and a great gain in time made ; this
was done during July. The Tufted Pansy was a
good town plant. Careless transplanting courted
failure ; we must do our best. With spricg-
flowering subjects, such as Polyanthus Narcissus
Grand Monarque, he would associate V. Blue-
bell ; with Stocks, Irises and flowers of similar
character he would use Countess of Kintore,
with its rambling habit. The climbing habit
of Greivi he did not object to. For a spring
border he used Sylvia to soften the effect
of Primula cortueoides Sieboldi. Tufted Pansies
and Ferns were very pretty associated with the
delicate greenery of the latter. In summer in a
public park they are very noticeable. They
should be planted on fresh ground each year.
Planted in the same ground two successive seasons,
there was a distinct falling off and a difficulty in
keeping stock. The sunniest position of the gar-
den should not be planted with the Tufted
Pansy except for a spring display ; they should
not be planted where they turn their backs to the
spectators. The varieties used by him were :
Ardwell Gem, Archie Grant, Bluebell, Cliveden
Purple, Bullion, Countess of Kintore and Countess
of Hopetoun, Greivi, J. B. Riding, Lilacina, Sylvia
and Violetta.

This concluded by far the most popular paper
of the day, judging by the manner in which it was
received.

Mr. D. B. Crane expressed surprise that the
reader of the paper had not tried masses of Tufted
Pansies, in which beds and borders were exclu-
sively devoted to them. Mr. Alex. Dean, in a
long speech, spoke of the beauty of the flower,
stating that Tufted Pansies were planted in the
same positions year after year by Mr. McLeod,
Roehampton, but it was understood afterwards
that the soil was renewed each Ecason. He men-
tioned the charming association of Tufted Pansy
Bluebell and a pretty silvery grass.

August 15, 1896.]

THE GAT^DEN.

133

After luucheon, Mr. J. W. Moorman, Victoria
Park, read another paper on the same aspect o
the question as that given by the previous reader.
He seated that the Tufted Pansy was in the front
rank of hardy decorative plants, equally well
adapted for either small or large gardens. He
advocated massing the plants for obtaining a
striking effect. Countess of Hopetoun and Sylvia
he largely used. Bullion and Ardwell Gem
possessed the habit all desired. Of creeping sorts
for beds he recommended Lord Elcho, Geo. Lord,
True Blue, Bluebell, and Holyrood. Duchess of
Sutherland and J. B. Riding were highly spoken
of, as were also all kinds of the Countess of
Kintore type. The Duchess of Fife type were
pleasing and useful, and were represented by long
footstalks. Tufted Pansies can and will grow
well in London. We want a substitute for water,
and this was to be obtained by deep cultivation.
He detested the use of the hose, as this often
washed the soil away from the roots. Watering
overhead did not disfigure the flowers. All Tufted
Pansies propagated by cuttings were best for his
purpose if theworkwasdone in lateautumn. Young
growths dibbled in a close frame in September
and planted direct from the cutting bed to the
place of blooming well repaid for the small
labour expended on them. Sickly and cankered
growth, as well as attacks of the grub and wire-
worm, often resulted from planting in successive
seasons in the same plot of ground. Most plants
associate with the Tufted Pansy, the latter form-
ing a pleasing contrast.

Dr. Shackleton expressed his surprise that the
flowers of the miniature type had not been men-
tioned, as they were so beautiful for bedding pur
poses.

Messrs. W. Baxter and H. A. Needs were ne g.
on the agenda, each with a paper on " Violas for
Exhibition, with special reference to newer
varieties." The former gentleman commenced by
pointing out that there were varieties which were
useful alike for exhibition and for bedding, and
under this heading he included the names of A. J.
Rowberry, Border Witch, Christiana, Ardwell
Gem, and its three relations, Duchess of Fife,
Goldfinch, and White Duchess. Then there were
those with long footstalks, which in habit of
growth and appearance more resembled the show
Pansy, Craigi and Purple Empress being repre-
sentatives of the type. Lemon Queen was also
mentioned as representing another form of the
flower, the lower petal being not so large as in
the last mentioned type. In Florizel we had a
flower which was almost square on the upper
edge. There were sells in almost all shades but
scarlet. Of the striped flowers, H. W. Stuart was
the only one worth growing. Of the new sorts
there were many which gave promise of high rank.
A selection for exhibition was then given, and in-
cluded the following varieties : Countess of Hope-
toun, Norah May, Yellow King, a flower midway
between Lord Elcho and Bullion ; Lord Salisbury,
pale yellow : Archie Grant, Purple Empress, Tara,
Mrs. C. F. Gordon, to take the place of Countess
of Kintore, Dandy Dinmont, Craigi, and Stophill
Gem. Among the newer sorts he would include
A. J. Rowberry, certainly the richest yellow in
existence ; Geo. Lord, another rayless yellow, of
good form and size; and Lizzie Lindsay. Of white
flowers. Vestal and Ethel Hancock were highly
spoken of. Christiana (creamy white) was the
finest of the colour. Border W^itch, of the
reticulated sorts was one of the best. Of W^ater-
loo (blue) and Florizel he could not speak too
highly.

Mr. H. A. Needs briefly supplemented Mr.
Baxter's paper, endorsing all that had been read.
He should include in his list Cottage Maid, which
he was surprised to learn that day had been sent
out some years before. Lady Isabel, also of the
same type. Cherry Park was an elegant flower,
but socLetimes inclined to come a little coarse.
Carissima was wanted for its colour, but the
flower lacked substance. A. J. Rowberry, al-
though such a good flower, had a distinctly bad
constitution. Molly Pope was a good lighter
yellow rayless self, but Catherine was better.

Katie Hay was mentioned, and Mrs. J. W. Jones
was of Craigi style, but freer. Pencaitland (white)
was good, but the trial had not done it justice,
Niphelos, synonymous with Marchioness, wasalsc
spoken of highly.

Mr. D. B. Crane thought that both Nellie and
Mrs. A. M. Young should find a place in the list
of newer sorts, the former being one of the
of the rayless white flowers, while the latter was
a plant with a better constitution than lona, but
was a darker flower with somewhat similar mark-
ings.

The programme was here slightly altered and
the arrangements for 1897 considered. It was in
the end decided to hold the next conference in
London in 1897, and another trial was also deter-
mined upon. The council of the Royal Botanic
Society would afford them facilities for this purpose
in their gardens, and would find a new position for
them if they needed it.

Mr. A. J. Rowberry was reelected president
for 1897, Messrs. W. Sydenham, Geo. McLeod and
Dr. Shackleton vice-presidents, Mr. H. A. Needs
treasurer, and Mr. J. B. Riding, Chingford, hon.
secretary.

Mr. J. D. Stuart, Belfast, sent a paper on
" Viola Sports," which was read by the secretary.
This was very short, for which the writer apolo-
gised. Brief as it was, there was probably more
expression of opinion on this than on any other
paper. A suggestion was made that the same
subject might be dealt with in a fuller manner
at the next conference, as the subject was full of
interest to all growers.

Votes of thanks to the chairman and ofilcers,
together with the Royal Botanic Society, con-
cluded the conference.

Tufted Pansies awarded first class certificates
at the Viola conference, Royal Botanic Gardens,
Regent's Park, N.W., August S, 1896: —

Bartholdi. — A very large circular exhibition
flower of much substance. The lower petals are
rich purplish plum in colour, shading oflf to a clear
rose on the upper petals ; neatly defined deep
yellow eye. From Mr. D. B. Crane, Highgate, N.
Endymiox. — Pretty flower of good size, circular
in form, being in appearance like Lemon Queen,
but with the beautiful sulphur-yellow colouring
of Ardwell Gem, extremely clean and neat. From
Mr. A. J. Rowberry, South Woodford.

Mabel. — A flower of medium size and exquisite
form. Colour lavender-blue, with a small white
blotch in the centre with a neat orange eye ; fra-
grant. From Mr. A. J. Rowberry.

Roland Gr.i^me. — Very large dark blue self,
with deep violet line? running through the lower
petals from the centre, oval in form, yellow eye.
From Dr. Stuart, Chirnside, N.B.

Arg'I. — A very pretty medium-sized flower of
oval shape. Colour light sky blue, almost a new
shade of colour in these flowers, neat primrose-
yellow eye. From Dr. Stuart.

Haulet. — Large flower of good form and sub-
stance. Colour striped bronzy orange and crim-
son - purple, a very striking novelty. From
Messrs. Dobbie and Co., Rothesay, N.B.

Ikis. — A medium-sized flower, of good substance
and circular form ; colour light lavender-blue,
with violet-purple centre, suffused with deep
bronzs. From Messrs. Dobbie and Co.

Dainty.— A very pretty, but small flower;
colour white, with a well-defined narrow Picotee
margin of lavender-blue. From Mr. J. D. Stuait,
Belfast.

Lavinia. — A flower of medium size : colour
bluish mauve, with an orange eye. From Mr.
J. D. Stuart.

Pembroke.— This is another useful addition to
the rayless yellow sorts and is of good size ; colour
on the lower petals orange-yellow, with a lighter
shade on the upper ones ; good form. Fiom Mr.
W. Sydenham, Tamworth.

Britannia.— A flower of good size and sub-
stance ; colour deep imperial blue, slightly veined ;
neat yellow eye. This is quite a new shade of
colour, and one that will be useful for bedding
purposes. From Mr. W. Sydenham.

Commended for colour : —

Cleopatra. — This is a flower of medium size,
but good substance ; colour deep imperial blue,
with a suffusion of purple-blue— a new shade
altogether. From Mr. A. J. Rowberry.

Cottage Maid (old variety) was also com-
mended, Mr. Baxter being thus recognised for
bringing it into prominence again.

The RDyal Botanic Society.— The annual
meeting of the Fellows of the Royal Botanic So-
ciety was held in the museum at the society's gar-
dens at Regent's Park on Monday afternoon, Mr.
Pembroke S. Stephens, Q.C, presiding. The
council, in the fifty-seventh annual report, ex-
pressed satisfaction in recording the election of
109 new Fellows, which was the largest number
of elections in one year since ISSn. Owing to the
decreasing income from shows and /'tVes, new
sources of income had had to be found, and in
addition to the admission of the public on Satur-
days and Mondays and Bank Holidays, garden
parties, tennis, croquet, &c., had been instituted,
and bicycling was now permitted in the gardens
before 2 p.m. A steady increase of income under
these heads had been the result. In 1893 the
amount was £69 178. 2d., and during the past year
it had risen to £701 5s. 6d. The finances were,
however, far from satisfactory, for, notwithstand-
ing the fact that the receipts had amounted to
£31(i9 ISs. 6d., the liabilities still amounted to
£19,774 4s. lid. The report was adopted. The
ballot resulted in the election of Sir J. Blundell
Maple, Dr. Coode Adams, Mr. H. A. Blyth,
Mr. A. Leveson-Gower, Mr. C. E. Layton, "Mr.
H^ L. W. Lawson, Mr. W. Martindale and Mr.
William Sowerby upon the council. A vote of
thanks to the Duke of Teck for presiding over the
affairs of the society was then passed.

Notes of the Week.

Mina lobata.— This pretty half-hardy annual
has succeeded remarkably well during the long
season of drought of the present summer, and has
well repaid for the extra attention given. A
sunny wall of Mr. Beckett's house at Aldenham
Gardens has been trained with a number of these
plants, the efleot being quite unique. The twin-
like racemes of orange-red blossoms are freely
produced. They are invaluable also for table de-
corations, in which the colours would pleasingly
associate.— D. B. C.

Hybrid Pentstemons and bumble bees. —
One of the most showy beds in my garden is filled
with fine named varieties of the florist flower
Pentstemon, received fron Lemoina, cf Nancy,
and Forbes, of Hawick. A similar bed last
summer was from the commencement of its bloom
so infested with large bumble bees, as materially
to curtail the duration of its beauty by causing
the handsome flowers to dropoff prematurely soon
after they opened. This year not one of these
bees comes near the bed. Can any reader account
for this abstention ?— W. E. G.

Chrysanthemum M. G. Grunerwald.- This
is a most continuous blossoming variety, and, con-
sidering the small size of the plants, it is also most
profuse. For quite three weeks blossoms have
been freelj' produced, each one borne on a useful
footstalk. The colour on opening has been pale
pink, passing with age to blush-white. As the
season advances the colour will be better and the
blossoms larger. It is for the hardy border in
which I am growing it that the value of this va-
riety is best appreciated. At the moment there
is proittise of a somewhat prolonged display. — C.

Crinum hybridum Powelli.— My big
clump of this handsome hardy bulbous plant
has been finer than ever this year, and is still in
beauty. It has this year produced no less than
forty of its tall spikes, each spike bearing from
twelve to sixteen deep rose coloured flowers. It
is much to be regretted that the companion va-

134

THE GAl^BEK.

rieties of this handsome plant should be some-
what less fieeblooming than the type form, my
clump of the lovely pure white C. P. album hav-
injr only produced two, and the pink C. P. inter-
me<lium a similar number of spikes. — W. E. (■.

Double Budbeckia Golden Glow.— This
American novelty in hardy plants was sent to me
this sprintr bv Mr. Henrv Dreer, of 714, Chestnut
Street. Philadelphia, and is now in full tluwer.
The stems are over 6 feet in height, and each bears
about thirty flowers of medium size in an open
panicle. The first flowers to open were rather
routrh in ijuality and irregular in duplicature. but
tho.<e which opened afterwards show a marked
improvement, and closely resemble those of one of
the double-flowered perennial Sunflowers. The
colour is a good clear golden yellow.— W. E. G.

Heliotropium Xiss Nightingale.— A very
effective diamond shaped bed of this somewhat old
variety is one of the prettiest pieces of bedding
to be seen in the gardens of Aldenham House this
season. The plants were propagated in the spring
of lS9,"i, flowered and grown on through the suc-
ceeding winter, and at the present time they are
in a very healthy and vigorous condition. They
have attained a height of from -Ji feet to 3 feet or
more, branching out freely with most lu.xuriant
growth and flowering most profusely, rendering
the immediate surroundings delightfully fragrant
and forming a pleasing contrast to the occupants
of surrounding beds. Smaller plants are brought
into requisition for carpeting the beds, adding
materially to its beauty and attractiveness. It is
a matter of surprise that the use of this beautiful
subject is nob more generally adopted. — D. B. C.

Hibiscus speciosus.— I stnd a flower of this
very beautiful, but set- mingly very shy-blooming
speci.-s. I have had plants of it for perhaps thirty
vf irs, but not until now has it rewarded me witn
blooms. These are rosy crimson ; the calyx, show-
ing through the base of the petals, forms a green
star in the centre, and the calyx itself is behind
surrounded by long filaments. The foliage is digi-
tate. It fcilongs to thr section that dies down
annually. It fit-ms our summers are too short
and too cool for it, coming from Carolina, where
probably it is wild in the rice fields, as it delights
in abundant moisture at the roots when growing,
and I have found seids of it amongst rice. Too
much forcing only lengthens the stalks without
forming buds, yet it is necessary to start it early.
Men'y protection from frost in a pit is all the dor-
mant roots require. — J. M., Charmoidh, Dorstt.

*,* A most interesting, beautiful and rare
plant, with brilliant petals and soft pale green
sepal?.— Eu.

Helenium autumnale superbum.— This is
another American novelty sent to me last year by
M. Lemoine, of Nancy. Last year it bloomed
fairly well on stems of about .3 feet in height, but
this year, having become well established in my
border, it has sent up a couple of strangely fas-
ciated. perfectly flat stems of from 5 feet to o^ feet
in height. Each stem is crowned with a large
number of flowers, borne on a number of inde-
pendent lateral growths. The fasciation has ex-
tended itself into the flower-buds, one of which
consists of either four or five flowers run into one,
others of two or three similarly fused. None of
the flowers are yet open, but when thev are,
should make a fine show of golden yellow bloom.
I hear from my friend Mr. Wolley-Dod that a
plant of this variety, obtained at the same time
as my own, has in his strong Cheshire soil grown
much more vigorously than mine, aid has this
year sent up no less than seven stems, each about
7 feet in height, and that none of these show any
signs of fasciation, which is so marked a feature
in both my stems. — W. E. G.

The feathery Cockecombs. — If anyone would
see these in perfection they should pay a visit
the flower garden in the Regent's Park near
the Portland Road Station, where Mr. C. Jord
has employed there charming plants largely a
with excellent effect — such a perfect strain, so
handsomely feathered, so varied in tint, so bril-
liant in hue of some of the crimson shades, and so

even in character— and not only are the tsrminal
feathers finely developed, but lateral shoots are
being put forth which will keep up the floral sue
cession for a considerable time. How attractive
they are is seen in the number of passers by who
stop to examine them and wonder what they are,

and hazard

many curious conjectures as to thi

identity. The strain is peculiarly a Regent'i
Park one, for Mr. Jordan assured me he had been
occupied ten years in selecting it, and he is to be
congratulated upon his remarkable success. Mr.
Jordan always holds a considerable reserve of
plants for special uses. For instance, the beds of
Carnations are now over and have to be removed,
and there is not only the reserve of Celosias, but
other things to succeed the Carnations and
kindred subjects, which, flowering early, are not
continuous in bloom. Besides the feathery type,
Mr. Jordan has a reserve of the Crested Cocks-
combs, a good many of which he has already put
out and are doing well, rapidly developing their
combs. The feathery Celosias mark a record in
decorative gardening. — K, D.

Hardy flowers from Winchmore HiU Nur-
sery.— I am sending per separate post a few
flowers that I thought might be of interest to you.
Gaillardia Tom Thumb only grows about 15
inches in height, forming a stitf little bush, simply
covered with flowers, and I have another variety
growing under 9 inches, but this variety has
passed flower ; it is their natural height, and I
think they will be two grand plants for bedding.
What do you think of Magenta Queen ? The col-
ours are quite distinct from anything I have seen
before ; the flowers are somewhat dingy, owing to
the heavy rains of the last few days'. Achillea
Little Gem, entire plant cut ofi'at the ground to
show habit and size of plant. Chrysanthemum
atifolium grandiflorum just coming into flower ; a
grand plant, far superior to the old variety. Echin-
acea (Rudbeckia) purpurea, Winchmore Hill var. , is
a veiy good form and much brighter than the old
varietier. Platycodon grandiflorum plenum is a
very fine plant and very late flowering. Platycodon
Mariesi alba is very dwarf and exceedingly free.
Geum Heldreichi is still in flower, and now that
we have had some rain will flower fieely till late in
the autumn, it is a splendid plant. [Yes, splendid ;
veiy fine colour.] I have also some very fine
crosses with Geum montanum, diflTerent shades of
orange : some, I think, will be interesting addi-
tions to this popular family. — Amcs Perry, Jr.

*,* Platycodon Mariesi alba is very delicate in col-
our and distinct ; Aster Bigelowi, a very early and
handsome kind ; Rudbeckia purpurea (the Wmch-
more HiU variety) is of veiy good colour, much
better than the ordinary ore. — En.

Double zonal Geranium Mme. Alcide
Bruneau.— This new variety, raised and sent to
me this spring by the well-known French nursery-
man, M. G. Bruant, of Poitiers, is quite the
prettiest thing of the kind I have ever seen, and
is, indeed, a most distinct break in quite a new
direction in doubles, just as Lemoine's Belle
Alliance of last year was in singles. The indivi-
dual pir:'8 of this new double zonal are of large
size and by no means fully double, which, I think,
is rather an advantage, as the flowers have a more
perfect and less crowded appearance. The ground
colour of the flower is a clear blush-white, and each
petal is distinctly bordered with a clearly defined
thread of rose colour, exactly as in a perfect
Picotee Pink. A double zonal was sent out a few
years ago under the name of Picotee, but it was
a very poor thing and altogether inferior in beauty
to this new French variety, which should find a
place in every complete collection of these most
satisfactory and easily managed ornaments of our
contervatories. I received at the same time from M
Bruant four new single-flowered zonal Geraniums
of his own raising and of the same race and strain
as the two he sent out last year, named M
Bruant and FleurPoittvine, which were mentioned
and described in thecolumns of TiiK Garden. The
namesof the fournewvarieties are Docteur Marmo-
teck, a deep rose, with white centre ; La Vienne,
carmine, flushed with white ; Mme. Coralie Bajac,
rose, with white centre, and Mme, Cadeau, large,

[August 15, 1896.

deep rose colour, flushed with white. All these 1
are bright, pretty and free-flowering varieties,
producing large trusses of bloom, but as they all
belong to the nosegay section of the family, the
petals of the individual flowers are narrow and the
flowers are distinctly deficient in that roundness
and perfection of form to which the many fine
seedlings raised by our best heme growers, such
as Messrs. Miller, Pearson and Cannell, have made
us accustomed, and for which all who love flowers
must feel grateful to them. Still, these new
French varieties will doubtless find many admirers
for their brightness and free-blooming qualities. —
W. E. G. _^^^^^^^^^^

Planting by railway companies.— The

Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway
Company have decided to plant with trees all
vacant slips of land which are the property of the
company, and which lie between the cuttings of
the London extension and the public roadways.

African flora.— In the House of Commons en
Friday, in answer to Mr. Hedderwick, Mr. Akers-
Douglas said : "The third volume of the ' Flora of
Tropical Africa ' was published in 1877. In 1891
the Treasury authorised the completion of the
work, in four more volumes, under Mr. Dyer, of
Kew Gardens, on the understanding that one
volume would be published every two years. No
further volume has yet been issued, although
portions of one are in type. Mr. Dyer has been

rged to complete the work as rapidly as pos-

;ble."

The weather in West Herts.- A cool week
for the time of year, the temperature in shade on
only two days rising to 70', while most of the
nights were below the average. The ground tem-
peratures have fallen during the week, but are
still slightly above the August mean at both
depths. Rain fell on three days, the total measure-
ment, however, amounting to lessthan half an inch.
No rain-water at all has now come through either
of the percolation gauges for a month. The winds
were again light, and came mostly from some
northerly point of the compass, while the record
of bright sunshine proved low for a
month.— E. M., Bei-khamsted.

Propagating Carlina acaulls (Carlina).—
Divide it in early autumn.

Book on Orange Culture (C. Farquharson).
— There is a great book on the subject published in
France, but Orange growing is not practised in this
coantry. Write 'to Georges Massoii, Boulevard St,
Gernia n, Paris.

Name of fungus {A. C. B.). — The fungus is
Agaricus rachodes ; it belongs to the edible
series. The best examples grow in pastures ;
those from woody places are considered less suit-
able for the table.

Table and button-hole plants.— Will some
kind reader tell me a nice collection of table
plants and something nice to cut for spray other
than Smilax, also a nice collection of flowering
plants suitable for button hole work? I should be
extremely grateful. — T. RoArn.

Flowers for gr&ve (ThMe).— On such a small
place it will be impossible to have as much as you
desire, and we do not think a glass structure
would be nice or of much use. The best way
would be to cover the grave with mossy Rockfoils
and to let a few simple flowers come through,
such as Snowdrops and white Narci.«si, or any
others that you fancy. If there are railings
around, a garland of Honeysuckle or wild Rose
might be added.

Names of plants.— Grami/ie K. Ryder.— A.n
annual Hibiscus, apparently one of the varieties of H.

Trionum. A. V. B.— Agaricus rachcdes I'Ht-

cherii. — 1, Xeran'hemrm aunuum ; 2, Campanula,
specimen not sufficient to name ; 3, Pbysosfegia vir.
giniana; 4, Hypericum hircinum ; 5, Sapotatia ( ffici-

nal's. J. Crmnford. — It seems to be a Gypsophila,

and it may prove to be the epfcies you name when it
gets a bit stronger. If not, send us a fair specimen,
roots and all, and we will do our best to name it.

THE GARDEN.

135

No. 1292. SA 7URDA Y, August 22, 1896. Vol. L

Orchids.

NOTES ON ORCHIDS.
The present and the two succeeding months
may be considered about the dullest in the year
for Orchids, the number of species in flower
being probably less than at any other time.
Still, there are tven now many very interesting
and beautiful kinds to be seen, and where a
representative collection is grown no fault is
likely to be found. Already the lovely ra-
cemes of Dendrobium Phalsenopsis are open,
and when it is considered that a succession of
these can easily be kept up until after Christ-
mas, the value of this remarkable Dendrobe may
be easily imagined. Not the least of its charms
is the marvellous range of colour, this passing
from almost pure white through many shades
of rose to a rich deep purple, each and all of
them beautiful and most useful Orchids. Sac-
colabium Blumei, too, with its long cylindri-
cal racemes of ivory white flowers, is a charac-
teristic member of the distichous-leaved section,
noble in appearance, and very free blooming.
Aerides crispum, A. quinquevulnerum, and A.
suavissimum also contribute to the season's
display, while the showy Vandas, suavis and
tricolor, in variety have still a few flowers left.
The Butterfly Oncidiums, O. Kramerianum and
O. PapUio, continue at intervals to throw up
their peculiarly attractive blossoms, each on the
apex of a wiry-looking peduncle hardly visible
at a little distance, and heightening the like-
ness considerably by their elegant poise.
PhaL-enopsis violacea is a useful member of this
genus, and the pretty blossoms are now open.
A good deal of light is required now by all
these warm house Orchids, for not only is the
sun losing power, but it is time to think of
preparing them for winter. Already I have
taken a considerable number of Dendrobiums
from their growing quarters, and these, having
been previously hardened by a week's sojourn
in the Peach house, are now in a sunny frame,
the lights being drawn oflF and no protection
given except from very heavy rains. These con-
sist of D. aureum, D. Ainsworthi, D. crassi-
node, I). Parishi, D. nobile, D. speciosum,
and D. Wardianum. They are still kept
moist at the root, or rather they are fre-
<[uently watered, as the air and sun com-
bined soon dry up the compost. All these and
others as they finish their growths will be kept
outside until the nights are getting too cold for
this to be safe, when they will be again taken
under cover. Any house that is light and well
ventilated, and in which the night temperature
is maintained at about 45° or 50°, will do nicely
for these species until they are again started,
and every one of them will be better for the
complete rest thereby induced. Many of the
Mexican Lselias, too, are greatly benefited by a
fortnight or three weeks' exposure to the open
air after the growth is complete, the treatment
having a steadying effect upon the plants, in-
ducing them to go to rest early, and conse-
quently to flower more freely. There are also
several Anguloas, Lycastes, Maxillarias and
Stanhopeas that do with the outdoor treatment,
but the foliage of many of these is more sensitive
and easily injured by strong sunlight, and I
would advise growers to experiment at first
with a few plants they are not particular about

rather than trust a valuable collection outside,
This is chiefly on account of locality. What will
do in moist and well protected gardens will bt
wrong in higher and more exposed positions.
Often at this time of year a little rearrange-
ment of the plants becomes necessary, bringing
to the lightest and warmest positions any that
are behind their season, placing small or weak
ones where they are well in sight and not likely
to be overlooked. The removal of the for
wardest plants, too, makes more room for those
left behind, and these will now require to be
as far apart as possible, to let the light and air
play about every part of them. By these
mtans and by judicious watering, each plant
will have the correct treatment as far as this
is possible, whereas had all been left together,
many would be growing out of season, while
others would not have the requisite room for
their full development.

It is seldom that I have to remove any
plants from the Cattleya house, but if it seemed
to be necessary, I should not hesitate to place
any early pieces of C. gigas or C. Gaskelliana in
a light airy greenhouse or vinery in order to en-
sure their being kept dormant, while later
plants of say C. Mossias were finishing. But if
this removal can be averted by careful arrange-
ment and judicious ventilation and shading, so
much the better. The distinct-looking Cattleya
bicolor is in flower in this house, the blossoms
being remarkable in that they have the column
bare and not enfolded by the side lobes of the
lip, as is usual in the genus. It is not so showy
or fine as many others in this set, yet a good
variety of it is well worth a place. The richly-
marked blossoms of C. guttata Leopoldi are
greatly superior and make a welcome change
from those of the labiata section, for, gorgeously
beautiful as these are, it must be confessed
that there is a certain amount of sameness
about the different species. Among the coolest
section of Odontoglossums there is now some-
thing of a dearth of flower, but where the plants
are well cared for by an enthusiastic cultivator
he will find ample to interest him in the ad-
vancing bulbs, or rather growths. The quan-
tity of water that has to be given to these beau-
tiful Orchids soon upsets the mechanical con-
ition of the compost, and whenever a plant is
sen to be needing fresh material it should have
it. It is not necessary to disturb the roots
much, a little of the top peat and Moss being
easily removed and new substituted if the drain-

! is in good order. If in so bad a condition

to necessitate turning right out, no compunc-
tion need be felt as to doing it, for sooner or
later it has to be done, and when once over, the
roots have the benefit of the new compost to
run in. I am not advising a thorough over-
hauling this month, as I think it is wiser to wait
untU the weather is a little cooler, but any
plants seen to be really in need of fresh material
should have it, more especially those that are
forward in growth, and that will consequently
soon be pushing fresh roots in abundance. The

hts being much cooler, less air must now be
left on this house and less shading will be re-
quired to keep the day temperature down
about 60", which figure ought seldom
now to be exceeded. Large pots or pans of
Cadogyne cristata will need abundance of water
at the roots, the new bulbs being well advanced,
and if possible they wiU be all the better for
coming up a little nearer the light. There is
yet time to put untidy plants in order by add-
ing fresh compost and tying in the bulbs, but
it ought not to be longer delayed. Keep a
sharp look-out for the new roots of (Jncidium
macranthum, O. undulatum, Odontoglossum
Edwardi, and similarly habited kinds, for if

there are snails or cockroaches in the house they
are sure to find these out, and the mischief they
do is considerable. Towards the end of the
month, covering must be aftbrded the frames
where cool Orchids are grown, for though there
may be no actual frost, the change from the
day to the night temperature is too much for
them, and being close to the glass they are apt to
be chilled. After the flowers of Disa grandi-
flora and others are over the plants must be
kept in a cool temperature, not dried by any
means, yet allowed to rest awhile if they will
before being again potted up. Anguloas must
be well watered, the roots being gross feeders
and the plants having a lot to do as yet in
finishing up the large fleshy bulbs that are
necessary to free flowering next season. The
smaller-growing kinds of Soplironitis, too, grown
as they usually are in pans or baskets, must
not be forgotten. The flowers that will make
such a bright and efl'ective display in November
and December, when everything outside is
dreary and dull, are now forming, and it must
never be lost sight of that these are mar-
vellously large for the size of the bulbs that
produce them. Be careful of the plants now
and their future bloom is secured, but if
neglected now, it is useless to look for a bright
display or future health. So one may keep
on giving instances of small matters that aie
continually needing attention, but they will
suggest themselves to anyone who looks closely
intcT the needs of the plants under his care, and
it is only this class of cultivator that can hope
to be successful with Orchids of any kind for a
number of years. ^•

Cypripedium stenophyllum.— This pretty
hybrid belongs to the Selenipedium section of the
genus and was the result of crossing C. Schlimi
with pollen of 0. Pearcei. It was raised in the
collection of Mr. J. C. Bowring, of Windsor,
it ten years ago, and is a distinct and pleasing

I. In habit it is about intermediate between

its parents, and the bloEsoms are freely produced
on many flowered scapes that spring erect from
the new growth at various seasons. The sepals
are white, veined with green, and slightly flushed

th rose at the base, the pouch and petals of
varying shades of rose. It is a free-growing plant
and may be potted in equal parts of peat, loam,
fibre and Sphagnum Moss, the pots well drained,
and the roots supplied liberally with water all the
year round. It does best in a shady part of the
Cattleya house.

/pripedium superbiens.— I consider this
one of the most beautiful of all Cypripediums,
not only the flowers, but also the foliage on well-
grown plants being strikingly ornamental. In
shape and also in colour, with the exception of
the petals, it comes very near to some of the
best forms of C. barbatum, but it is the petals
that give the flower its peculiar charm. They are
white with a sufifusion of pale purple towards the
apex and a flush of green at the base, and over
their entire length are email purple spots. It
may be grown with ease in a shady part ot the
Cattleya house. It is a native of Java and was
introduced in 1835,— H. R.

Stanhopea oculata.— The flowers of this
Orchid vary considerably, those of some of the best
forms being very showy and worth a place in any
collection. A plant in bloom now has two spikes
each bearing five handfome flowers upwaids of 5
inches across. The ground colour of the sepals
and petals is a clear yellow, and there are many
bright purple spots, especially upon the former.
The bp is white with crimson spots in the centre,
the frontal portion spotted with purple. Being a
native of Mexico it requires less heat than most
of the other species and may in fact be accommo-
dated with the warmer section of Odontoglots or
with the Mexican Lslias. Otherwise the treat-
ment may be similar to that recommended for

136

THE GARDEN,

[August 22, li

Stanhopeas generally, but not being quite so
bust a^ some others it must not be allowed .(uite
so much root run.

Dendrobium chryaantlinin. — This pretty
species has but one fault and that is the short time
the flowers last in good condition— usually only
from ten days to a fortnight. Thev are produced
along the newly-formed growth, which often at
tains a length of from 3 feet to 4 feet. The goldei
yellow blossoms with deep maroon eyelik
blotches have a very fine appearance, and the fact
of their being delicately scented is an additional
reconimendation. A frequent mistake made with
this fine Dendrobe is tying the growths up to
stakes, this spoiling the natural habit and giving
it a strained and ungainly appearance. Let them
hang loasely and naturally and the growth will be
stronger and the beauty of the plants greatly
enhanced.

Epidendrum cochleatum.— This quaint old
sf)ecies often blooms during this month, and is
even at the present day worth a place if this
grotesque-looking kind of Orchid is liked. In
habit it is not unlike one of the labiata section of
Cattleyas, and the flower-spike is produced from
a sbeath at the apex of the bulb in the same way.
This be.irs several blossoms that vary considerably
in colour, but the sepals are usually some tint of
greenish yellow, the outside of the concave li]
being reddish purple, inside white or pa'e yellow-
It is one of the easiest of Orchids to grow, and
never fails to bloom profusely, being in this w
unlike E. fragrans, a somewhat similar species
appearance, but of diflferent colour. It is a very
old species and a native of Trinidad, Jamaica and
Mexico.

Masdevallia peristeria.— This belongs to
the smaller flowered section of the genus, and is
a peculiar and interesting plant, remarkable on
account of the resemblance of the internal parts
of the flower to Peristeria elata. The growth is
free and vigorous and the blossoms freely pro-
duced, the colour of the sepals a rich brownish
yeUow with spots of purple, the tails pale yellow.
The flowers are produced at various times in the
year and last a considerable time in perfeotion. It
is a native of Colombia, and will thrive in quite a
cool house all the year round. The plants should
be potted in equal parts of peat and Sphagnum
and a plentiful supply of water afi'orded them.

Miltonia Candida. -This is a useful and free-
blooming species now just coming into bloom-
The flowers are produced on erect racemes, as
many as eight or nine occuring on each when the
plants are strong. They are 2}-, inches across and
very variable in colour, the sepals and petals
usually some tint of brown, and the lip white
It IS an Orchid that may bo grown by anyone
being of the easiest culture if planted in small
pans or baskets and suspended in a light, but not
too sunny position in a warm house. Plenty of
water is required all the year round, but especially
while in full growth or flower. Equal parts of
peat fabre and Sphagnum over good drainage will
^ mf ^^"' ■'' '* ^ "^"'"'^ °' Brazil, introduced

Paphinia cristata. — Though not by any
means a showy Orchid, the blossoms of thii
Paphinia are quaint and interesting, and of a dis
tinct colour. Though the ground colour is whitish
this 13 so heavily overlaid with chocolate markings
that the white is hardly noticeable ; the lip
chocolate-brown, with a tuft of fine white hairs in
f roit. The spikes appear at the base of the newly-
formel pseudo-bulb, and as a rule carry about
three flowers only. This Orchid likes plenty of
heat and abundance of atmospheric moisture while
growmg and even while at rest it ought not to be
dried. The treatment of the roots may in facf
be somewhat similar to that accorded Lvcastes'
but they are not quite so strong feeders. "An im-
portant point is to see that nothing of a sour
nature is allowed about the roots, as this i= often
the cause of trouble with it. The peat and Moss
must be renewed often ; it will not. as a rule last
in good enough condition for Paphinias longer
than two years, and in repotting or basketing

great care is necessary to disturb the plants as
little as possible. P. cristata should be hung up
if convenient close to the roof glass, but it must,
nevertheless, be carefully protected from bright
sunshine, the foliage being rather thin in texture
and easily damaged. It is also subject to the
attacks of red spider, which soon spoils its appear
ance if allowed to go on unchecked. A moist at
mosphere, then, and frequent spongings with clear
water are important points to be looked after
It is a widely distributed plant, growing naturally
in many parts of South America, and was intro
duced in 1834.

Odontoglossum lasleayi.— Flowers of this
well-known species come from several correspon
dents, showing its value as an autumn bloomer,
while its beauty in the better forms cannot be
doubted. The varieties run into each other, s
speak, and it is ditficult to give a name to some
of them, they being distinct from the type, yet
not exactly like the recognised varieties. Nor '
this really necessary, so much varietal nomencl
ture leading only tr confusion. O. I. fplendens
is the largest and best form of any, and th
comes from E. J., Somerset. The flowers are
upwards of 4 inches across, as deep in colour on
the sepals and petals as the best forms of 0.
grande, and having the same sleek, varnished
appearance. The lip is lemon-yellow with red
spots, making up a really beautiful flower. O.
Insleayi is of easy culture and may be grown in a
cool house or even a shady frame during the
summer months, any moist greenhouse where the
temperature is kept a little above 50° at night,
suiting it during the winter months. The growth
is sometimes attacked by a soft brown scale, but
this may be kept under by ordinary vigilance.
Good drainage should be allowed in mediumsizjd
pots, and the compost kept in a rough and open
condition by adding plenty of rough lumps of
charcoal and crocks. While growing freely it re-
quires abundance of water, and while at rest
must never be really dried off', this treatment
only weakening the plants with no correspondin
benefit. It comes from the higher regions i
Mexico and was first introduced in 1840.

ONCIDIUM ZEBRINUM.
The flowers of this Oncidium are very distinct
and beautiful, and I consider it is not nearly so
much grown as it deserves to be. The flowering
season depends to some extent on how it is grown,
but if kept going after it starts in spring the
blooms may be had in perfection during the pre-
sent month. They are produced on long scandent
and branching scapes and are individually from
IJ inches to 2 inches in diameter. The ground
colour of these is white, and the sepals, petals
and lip are all transversely barred with purple, the

p spotted with reddish-brown. The best mode
of culture for O. zebrinum is to make up suitably
sized rafts and line these with about an inch of peat
and Moss, as it is easy to add more afterwards if
found necessary. The plants may be wired down
firmly to these as near the centre as possible, for
-n account of the bulbs occurring at a consider-

ble distance apart on the rhizome they will soon
reach the outside of the raft. Every season it
will be necessary to remove a little of the old com
post and give fresh peat and Moss when signs of
new root action are apparent. This will strengthen
the plants considerably just at the time they need
support, and obviate the necessity of removing
them entirely. If the plants do well they will
push abundance of roots down through the com-
post, and these twining about the rods make it a
diflicult subject to transplant, so the need of
keeping each set of new roots healthy may easily
be seen. The best place for the plants is a shady
part of an intermediate house, the rafts being sus-
pended from the roof, where they will get the
benefit of the air currents. If no intermediate
temperature is at command, that is, nothing
cooler than the Cattleya house, the plant will
thrive with the Odontoglossums ; in fact some

Itivators prefer the cooler system for it. It is
more a matter, however, of a nice moist and

steady atmosphere and careful treatment of the
roots, for if these details are well attended to, a
few degrees higher or lower will not make much
diSereiice. No resting season is required, though
if the growth seems inclined to steady a little it
is not advisable to excite it. But the plants must
never be dried off, such treatment being very in-
jurious and weakening to the plants, no corre-
sponding benefit accruing. Scale is the only in-
sect likely to attnck the plants in a suitable
atmosphere, but if kept dry and hot thrips are
also liable to put in an appearance. Neither of
these must be allowed to make headway or tho
plants will be greatly checked, so at the first signs
of the insects they must be carefully sponged, re-
peating this if necessary until a complete rid-
dance is eflTected. 0. zebrinum is a native of
Venezuela, and first flowered in this country
about a year after its introduction in Mr. Bull's
collection at Chelsea in 1872. H. R.

Masdevallia Trocmlus.— The flowers of this
Masdevallia are very quaint and distinct, re-
sembling neither the showy flowered set nor the
varieties of the Chima-ra section. In h»bit the
plants are fairly strong, the leaves about S inches
high, bright green, lecurved at the tips, the
flowers being produced singly from the base of
these. Each flower is from G inches to S inches in
length, the colour at the base of the sepals reddith
brown, the elongated tail like processes yellowish.
It should be planted in pots of peat and Moss
over abundant drainage, and care must be taken
to always keep the compost sweet and open. It
does well in the cool house provided the tempera-
ture does not drop below 50° in winter, and it is a
native of New Grenada.

Masdevcllia Harryar a regalis.— This is
one of the very best forms of M. Harrjana, and it
would be almost impossible to improve on the
rich dark tint of the blossoms. Seen in flower
alongside the typical and some of the poorer forms
its attractions are even more manifest. It does
well in the cool house, treated as frequently ad-
vised for the Peruvian and Colombian kinds
generally, the principal points in its culture
being to keep the growth free of insects and to
maintain a regularly moist and cool temperature
all the year round. Very little compost is needed,
only a thin layer over good drainage, and care is
necessary with the watering during winter.

Oncidium barbatum.— This is a bright and
very effective little Orchid when well grown, the
spikes producing several bright yellow blossoms,
spotted with red on the sepals and petals. The
habit is dwarf, the pseudo-bulbs growing clcfe
together, each bearing a single leaf. It should be
given the heat of the Cattleya house while making
rowth and allowed a rest in a cooler and
rather drier temperature afterwards. It succeeds
in small baskets or pans, the latter for preference,
and these should be suspended from the roof in a
light and airy position. In potting it is wise to
disturb the plants as little as potsible, as the rcots
are not so vigorous as in some other kinds, and
a very thin surfacing of clean open compost over
good drainage suffices for it.

Odontoglossum conatrictnm.— Though not
by any means in the first rank of Odontoglots,
this species is useful at this season, when not many
others in the genus are in bloom. The blossoms
are produced on branching spikes and are each
about 2 inches acro-e. The sepals and petals on
a plant I have in flower are deep yellow, striped
with reddish brown, while the lip is white, with
lighter coloured blotches. It is a native of La
Guayra, and thrives well in the cool house. The
plants must be kept well up to the light, and
should be placed in medium sized pots in a com-
poft consisting of equal parts of peat and Moss.
-R.

Masdevallia Lowi.— This is one of the rarest
of Masdevallias, as not more than three plants are
known to be in cultivation. The leaves — which
are each about 7 inches long — resemble those of
M. Chimxra in shape, but they are not so thick
and paler green in colour. The flower-spikes are
produced from the base of the growths, and push

August 22, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

137

their way downwards tbroueh the potting mate-
rial, as in the case of M. ChimjEra, but instead of
keeping their downward position, as is the habit
; of most of the last-named section, those of M. Lowi
f begin to turn up when the spikes come into
' contact with the light, and continue to grow erect
to the length of 12 inches or 15 inches. The
spikes, which are produced in succession, are two
or more - flowered. The flowers are triangular
in i-hape, the extreme tips of the flower ivory-
[ white to the extent of 1 inch. The basal part has
I a ground colour of greenish white, shading to
orange-yellow at the extreme base, the whole
I being heavily suffused and spotted with crimson-

Surple. The lip is rose- purple, the back of the
ower greenish white, showing the purple spotting
at the base. It is certainly one of the most dis-
tinct Masdevallias I have seen. M. Lowi re-
quires warmer treatment than most Masdevallias.
It thrives with Mr. Measures at Cambridge Lodge,
Camberwell, in the Cymbidium house in a tem-
perature of about 60°.— Steus.

JULY IN SOUTH DEVON.
The past month has followed the lead of its pre-
decessors in being unusually dry, only 1 52 inches
of rain having fallen on ten days, against 2 73
inches on twelve days during the corresponding
month of 1895, the average for July being 2 79
inches. For the seven months of the present
year the rainfall has been but 814 inches, com-
pared with 14 14 inches for the same period of

1895, and an average for the seven months of
17 "97 inches, so that up to the present time we
have had less than half our usual rainfall. In
the last nine years there have been three very dry
summers— 1887, 1893 and 1896. For the four
months commencing April 1 and ending July 31
the rainfall on the three years in question was as
follows : 1887, 4 38 inches ; 1893, 5 91 inches; and

1896, 3-58 inches. The driest month in 1887 was
June, with a rainfall of Oil of an inch. In 1893,
April, with 0 41 of an inch, thowed the lowest
average, but during the present year April beats
both the months with 010 of an inch, while May,
with only 003 of an inch, was practically rainless.
The mean temperature for the past month was
62 8° against 60'2° in 1895 and an average mean
of 61-2°. The lowest reading on the grafs was
47° on the 29th, and the lowest in the screen
50° on the same date, while the highest screen
temperature was 75 4° on the 7th, and the highest
sun-reading 125 4° on the 10th. Sunshine has been
considerably above the average for the month.
which is 183 hours, 242 hours 40 minutes having
been registered against 179 hours 10 minutes for
July, 1895. For the past seven months 1155 hours
have been recorded, against 1242 hours 30 minutes
for the same period of 1895 and an average of 1128
hours 5 minutes. The total hoiizontal wind move-
ment has been 5570 miles, compared with 7433
miles in July, 1895. The greatest daily run was
406 miles on July 4, and the highest hourly velo-
city attained 31 miles per hour between 6 and
7 a.m. on the same date. For twenty-two days the
direction of wind has been from south to west,
and on nine days north to east. The mean register
of ozone for the month has been 55-3 per cent.,
the highest amount — 85 percent. — being recorded
during a strong south-westerly breeze on the 26th,
and the least — 25 per cent. — during a north wind
on July 7. The mean humidity of the month has
been 74 per cent., against 76 per cent., July, 189.').

In gardens where the soil is shallow and where
no means of watering have been at hand, herb
ceous plants have been much dwarfed in statu
and the quality of their bloom has been greatly
impaired. Tall growing Phloxes have in some
cases been considerably less than 2 feet in height,
and their blossoms have shrivelled at the edges
almost immediately after expanding. On the
other hand, where copious supplies of moisture
have been afforded and the soil is deep and rich,
these plants have been exceptionally fine, some

reaching a height of 5 feet and bearing masses of
perfect blossom. A bright cerise is the most effec-
tive colour, being even more striking than the
deeper shades of red, while the salmons and whites
leave little to be desired in their respective tints,
but the wafhv pinks are of scant value to the
border. Achillea ptarmica The Pearl has continued
Its display through the greater part of the month,
and the Monkshood (Accnitum Napellus) has pro-
duced a second supply of tall blue flower-spikes.
The white and the blue African Lily (Agapanthus
umbellatus) are in fine bloom in some gardens,
the practice of keeping the plants in tubs, which
are taken under shelter during the winter, being
unnecessary in this mild climate. Among those
subjects whose chief beauty lies in their fine form,
the Acanthus has been noticeable, and tall rods of
flower nearly 7 feet high are thrust up from the
gianb leaves, which owe much of their beauty to
the fact that no frost touched them throughout
the past winter. In the same category of foliage
plants are the Funkias, F. Sieboldi being the
handsomest, owing to the cool, glaucous tint of
its leaves. This variety as well as F. grandiflora
and F. ovata variegata have borne their some-
what inconspicuous flowers in abundance. A
fine Arundo conspicua, with slender- shafted
plumes arching gracefully above the thickly-
growing leafage, has been a feature in the
garden, the plumes being numerous and almost
feet in height. Alstnemeria aurantiaca has
been in bloom the month through, but the
hybrids concluded their blossoming a fortnight
earlier. A. pelegrina alba (the Lily of the Incas)
has bloomed and given a faint idea of what may
be expected of it when well established. The un-
welcome reminder that autumn and her harsh
follower— winter, are hastening their footsteps is
reluctantly borne in upon us when the Japanese
Anemone opens its snowy petals, and this year,
before Julv had wasted half its days, the tall
clumps were white with blossom, and the peren-
nial Sunflowers were showing breaks of gold from
bank and border, Helianthus rigidus and its va-
riety Miss Mellish, H. multiflorus, H. Soleil d'Or
and H. laitiflorus all adding their (juota to the
yellow glow, which will reach its climax in the
days of August. The Plume Poppy (Bocconia
cordata), with its blue-grey foliage and large
heads of inflorescence, partly ivory-white, partly
the tint of burnt almonds, has been very effective
with a backing of Phyllostachy s viridi-glaucescens,
and has shot up more strongly than ever. The
handsome Chelone barbata, with its long flower-
spikes, sparsely set with drooping coral-red bells,
is very taking, especially when seen in a good
sized clump. Carnations have been good, the old
crimson Clove not suffering from the spot as much
as is usual with this favourite variety. Campanula
turbinata and its white form, with their dainty
fragile petalled bells, have been as beautiful in a
humble way as their giant sister the Chimney
Campanula (C. pyramidalis) has been in her lofty
estate, while Platycodon grandiflorum and P.
Mariesi, with their Campanula-like blossoms, have
bloomed well. The new race of Cannas has
made a brilliant display, with their large flowers,
and C. Ehmanni iridiflora, valuable alike for its
large and handsome foliage and for the uncom-
mon ruby-pink of its flowers, is always remarkable
for its fine form and colouring. Coreopsis
grandiflora is a sheet of gold, and the pretty
annual Cosmos bipinnatus has borne quantities of
Calliopsis - shaped white flowers, its deeply-
cut foliage, much similar to that of the
Nigella, being also attractive. A large bufh of
Cytisus racemcsus is again covered with golden
blossom, and the Wistaria has borne a second
flower crop. Chrysanthemum maximum has
already begun to expand its large Daisy-like
flowers, and the handsome Crinum Powelli is in
bloom in sheltered gardens. Here and there
appear the fine yellow stars of Doronicum planta-
gineum Harpur - Crewe, and the Dahlias are
blooming in fair quantities on this the last day of
July. Eryngium Oliverianum and E. amethysti-
num were at the brightest of their metallic blues
at the commencement of the month, and at its

close the round blue flower-heads of the handsome
Globe Thistle (Echinops Ritro) were at their bett.
Erigeron speciosus, which commenced to show
bloom in March, is still in flower in some gardens.
Lathyrus latifolius albus, the Everlasting Pea,
has smothered a shed root with its white bloom-
sprays, and the Gaillaidias have been brilliant
with their crimson and gold. The tall Cape Hya-
cinth (Galtonia candicans) has hung its white
bells above the scarlet Lychnis chalcedonica,
which in slightly sheltered spots has retained its
brilliance through the greater part of the month,
and Gladiolus brenchleyensis, with its scapes of
vivid red, has contrasted well with the paler tints
of G. Lemoinei and G. floribundus. The white
Galega has been a snowy mass of Pea-like flowers,
and Gypsophila paniculata, in billows of its deli-
cate flower-lace, is at a distance a vaguely defined
grey mist, which upon nearer inspection resolves
itself into a host of minute white blossoms on
many branched hair-fine stems. For indoor de-
coration it is invaluable, associating well with
almost every description of artistic flower arrange-
ment. Another July bloomer that has a certain
resemblance in its inflorescence to the Gypsophila
is Statice latifolia, which is very ornamental both
in the open and as a cut flower. Hemerocallis
Kwanso fol. var. has flowered well, and I
came across an extra vigorous plant the other
day, which had thrown up its flower-heads to
a height of 5 feet. This plant had almost en-
tirely lost its variegation, only one or two leaves
being slightly striped with white. Hollyhocks,
as far as my knowledge goes, have this season done
remarkably well, and many fine rows of these
plants have I seen without a sign of disease. In
cottage gardens, both in this district and in the
Isle of Wight, their appearance left nothing to be
desired. The Hydrangeas have commenced their
display betimes, but they are as yet far from the
zenith of their beauty. Helichrysums, though
stiff and artificial-looking, have profited by the
absence of frost.

Two homely flowers have made as effective
a show of white and gold as many of their aris-

tocratic companions

of the like colour— to Mit,

Matricaria inodora fl.-pl. and Helenium pumilum.
The only Iris that has dowered the month with its
beauty "has been I. Kaempferi, which in shaded
positions by the waterside remained in bloom for
the first fortnight. Of Lilies, L. pardalinum has
been especially fine, one of the stems being
6 feet 6 inches in height and expanding forty-seven
blossoms. L. superbum was poor in comparison,
but L. canadense was, as usual, the perfection of
grace of form. For colour, no Lily approaches
the glorious scarlet of L. chalcedonicum, which
this year has bloomed finely, as has the stately
L. Humboldti, with its orange-yellow, lake-spotted
blossoms. Lychnis vespertina alba plena has ex-
tended its blooming period through the month,
and L. diurna rosea has also been very showy.
The yellow glow of Linum flavum has shown little
diminution, while in light soil the Mesembryan-
themums have been breadths of glorious colour.
Nicotiana atiinis has amply repaid us in the even-
tide, with its delicious aroma, for its slightly un-
ornamental effect during the sunny hours. That
lovely Evening Primrose, Oinothera marginata,
with its large white, scented blooms, is as delight-
ful a sight as any to be found in the garden on a
July evening, and the tall <K. Lamarckiana
in the wild garden— where such strong-growing
subjects as Inula Helenium and Telekia specioea
have been in flower— has a stately presence in large
masses that at once rivets the attention. Oxalis
floribunda rosea has been a mass of bright colour,
and the Tufted Pansies in well-watered ground
have been very lovely. The Welsh and Iceland
Poppies have lasted well through the month, and
I saw a splendid specimen of the Californian
Poppy (the peerless Romneya Coulteri) in fine
bloom towards the middle of July. This speci-
men had been planted last year, cams through the
mild winter well, and made strong growth in the
spring, some of the shoots at the time of my visit
being nearly 8 feet in height. Fourteen blooms
I were open, some 6 inches

diameter, and the

\^s

THE GARDEN.

[August 22, 1896.

plant was evidently in robust health. The flowers,
though large, being single, are most refined, the
crC-pe-like petals, white as snow, making a delicate
contrast with the central boss of golden stamens.
Those who are able to humour this glorious plant
into good beh-iviour will be amply repaid for any
trouble they may have taken to secure this end.
The dark blue Plumbago Larpenta> has begun to
bloom, and Phygelius capensis has perfected its
racemes of scarlet blossoms, while its cousin the
Pent«temon has been prodigal in its display of
bloom, and the Polemoniums have not yet ter-
minated their flowering. The single white
Macartney Rose, as usual, came into bloom in
July, and bids fair to continue in flower until the
advent of the first frost. Rudbeckia Xewmani
and R. purpurea are both in flower before the
close of the month, as is the handsome Senecio
pulcher. The pale blue of Scabiosa caucasica is
a delightful colour, and the plant deserves to be
largely grown. In damp situations, however,
sharp frost* are usually the cause of heavy losses.
The dwarf Veronica spicata has commenced to
flower in the rockery, its profuse blue creating a
pretty distant eft'act. The Willow Herb (Epilobium
angustifolium) may often at this season be seen in
bloom in cottage and other gardens. It is, however,
outofplaceundercultivation,butinamar8hof8ome
two acres in e.xteot, beneath a hanging wood, its
showy crimson has formed an attractive picture.

The scarlet and yellow flower-heads of Kni-
phofia Uvaria have besun to appear, but many
of the plants were checked by the frost of 1S95,
and with the past dry summer have eciroely
yet recovered their vigour. Of annuals, Lavatera
trimestris has been a great success, and has the
additional merit of lasting well when cut and
placed in water. The single white Opium Pop-
pies have been handsome and fleeting as usual,
but the Salpiglossis has surpassed itself in strength
and free-flowering. Great Sunflowers here and
there line the walks, and pyramids of Sweet Peas
make breaks in the masses of scarlet Zinnias and
Begonias, Mignonette, and Heliotrope. The
Spirasas have bloomed well, S. ari;efolia being
prhaps the most eflfective, and lasting far longer
in perfection in the open than the white palmate
flower-sprays of the grand S. Lindleyana. The
blooms of the latter, however, if cut and brought
indoors will be found to be fresh when those of
the same age on the shrub are withered and
brown. S. Bumalda has produced dense heads of
rose-coloured blossom, and S. Anthony Waterer
has also been in bloom. Of climbers, Solanum
jasminoides is still the most striking, and to-day
I noticed an archway white with its flower-
clusters. Physianthus albens is in fine flower,
and Tropaolum speciosum has painted with i
let a large expanse of wall. The curving sprays
of Abutilon ve.xillarium have been studded
with crimson and 3'ellow blossoms, while
valley garden I saw in full bloom against a wall
a fine shrub of Rhynchospermum jasminoides
Desfontainea epinosa has produced its scarlet-yel
low-tipped tubes, the neighbourhood containing
a few very fine specimens of this handsome
Chilian shrub. Embothrium coccineum has
places been in fine bloom, though it is seen at .„„
best during the month of June. The Myrtles are
blooming profusely, and in a sheltered garden an
Oleander is now in blossom. The Daisy Bush
(Olearia Haasti) has been a mass of white, while
the Yuccas have flowered finely and earlier than
usual. Ill one garden Y. gloriosa, Y. pendu:
Y. flaccida, and Y. filamentosa were to be seen ...
bloom at the same time. Where these plants are
grouped in large clumps of the same variety the
effect produced at their flowering time is very
fine. The large standard Magnolia grandiflora
has this year surpassed itself in its wealth of
blossom, there being scarcely a shoot that is not
terminated by a bloom-bud or flower. To-day
more than thirty expanded flowers are to be seen
on one side of the tree, some being not more th-
6 inches from the ground, while others are at a
height of 20 feet. Altogether considerably more
than 500 flowers will be borne this year,

S. W. F.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

EARLY VERSUS LATE KEEPING
APPLES.

According to my experience, it will pay better
to grow early Apples than late ones when the
grower, having planted the sorts that are suit-
able for a particular class of trade, can retail his
own produce. I do not think for a moment
that there is much profit to be got out of early
Apples— at least, not for the grower in what I
may call a first-class trade — nor will they pay un-
less the grower is settled in a fairly thickly popu-
lated neighbourhood that consists chiefly of
middle-class and working people. It is amongst
these that the demand for early Apples and
other soft fruit exists, and when one can meet
this demand with fruit of his own growing, a re-
munerative price can be obtained, and the earlier
and more highly coloured the fruit, the better
it will sell. I stated in The Garden last year
that every season there was quite a rush for the
fruit of the Duchess of Oldenburg Apple. It
has been the same this year, all my stock being
cleared out before it was ripe. The same re-
marks apply to the highly-coloured fruit of Mr.
Gladstone and Lady Sudeley. The handsome
appearance of the fruit of these two Apples is
their greatest recommendation, quality being
only a secondary matter with the majority of
people for whom I cater. Another point in
favour of these early sorts is that they are heavy
and regular bearers. The reason for this is
easily explained, because after the fruit has
been gathered there is a good half of the sum-
mer weather left for the trees to regain their
strength. One would hardly think there was
room for any improvement or extension in
the list of early Apples, but there certainly has
been in the introduction of White Transparent,
aa it embraces the two qualities of being as
suitable for dessert as for cooking. This sort
belongs to the Codlin type, and is the earliest
of them all, as I had some handsome and large
fruit ripe this year on July 14, the flesh being
soft and juicy and very good in flavour. For
cooking this sort must take the lead of all
others, as these soft-fleshed Apples are greitly
appreciated by persons who dare not think of
eating those of a closer texture like the Quar-
renden. I intend to increase my stock of trees
early in the autumn, and then I shall look for a
fair crop of fruit next year. I question very
much if sufficient attention has been paid by
growers to the subject of planting in particular
neighbourhoods the class of fruit suitable for
that district. Anyway, I am painfully aware
that when I began eight years ago to plant fruit
trees for profit I made more than one mistake
in the selection of varieties of Apples and Pears.
Of the latter I got together at some expense a
considerable number of the best sorts known to
me as a private grower. Many of these have
proved to be of but little value, because they
are unsuitable for the class of trade. They are,
in fact, too choice, and a suitable market away
cannot always be found for choice Pears in
limited quantities. In some measure the same
remarks apply to Apples. If I had tilled my
ground with sorts that would be ready for sale
during the months of July and August instead
of planting so many late-keeping varieties, I
should not have had to go to the expense of
building a fruit room in which to store them.
A collection of Apples or Pears is very well as a
hobby, but when one has to look at the stern
fact of having to provide rates and taxes and
the cost of labour, one can see that it is possible
to ride a hobby too far. Before making a selec-

tion it is better to have some knowledge of the
demand likely to occur at any particular se
and select accordingly. J. C. Clark

Currant La VerBaillaise.— Like Mr. Craw-
ford (p. Ill), I too can say a good word for this
valuable Currant. I consider it the best Red
Currant grown — all points considered. Some
years ago when living in North Hants, on a hot,
dry soil not at all favourable to the culture of
fruit, I grew this amongst several other kinds, and
found it gave by far the best returns. To growers
for market it should prove valuable, as the long
big bunches so quickly fill the measure. The only
fault I consider it has is that it is a strong grower
and apt to get broken down and the tree get one-
sided.— J. Crook.

Apple DucheBS of Oldenburg.— Dry sea-
sons are evidently to the liking of this handsome
Apple, all the trees I have this season inspected
carrying good crops of fruit and looking particu-
larly healthy. I lately saw a line of trees of this
variety about 8 feet in height which had been
transplanted during the latter part of 189.5.
These looked every whit as healthy and were bear-
ing as many fruits as trees that had been left un-
disturbed. The taking appearance of this Apple
is greatly in its favour, and in towns it sells
readily and at remunerative prices. The experi-
ence of the past few years gives a special value to
varieties of Apples that can stand the drought. —
S. W. F.

Strawberry Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury
(syn.. Garibaldi). — It is amusing to find, says Mr.
Barron in The Gardeners' Chronicle, attention
being again directed to the merits of this excellent
Strawberry and its identity with other aspirants
to its fair name. One could have hoped that this
question, once strongly debated, had been settled
for ever. But not so. That they are identical
there is no manner of doubt ; any little difference
there may be being entirely due to cultivation.
Having had a good deal to do with the Vicomtesse,
it may not be altogether uninteresting to your
readers were I to relate something of my experi-
ences on the points raised, although it is not alto-
gether in unison with that of my Edinburgh
friends. The Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury Straw-
berry was raised and sent out by M. Jamin, and
not by Vilmorin, as stated by Mr. Carmichael. I
well remember the following circumstance in con-
nection with this Strawberry : Some time during
the summer of 1858, the late Mr. Gilbert, of
Burghley, and your present correspondent were
one day engaged amongst the Strawberries in the
old Horticultural Gardens, when we noticed one
variety very distinct in habit from all the others.
The late Mr. R. Thompson, on being appealed to,
said, in his peculiar manner, "Ah! by-the-by,

that's the " but what he said we did not know

until next day, when he had it reduced to writing.
This proved to be Vicomtesse Ht-ricart de Thury.
Mr. Thompson told us it was a variety he had
noticed in France on a recent visit to that country,
and advised that it should be taken special care
of. From that date the Vicomtesse Hericart
de Thury Strawberry became one of the most
popular of Strawberries. It was largely grown in
the Royal Horticultural Gardens, Chiswick, as a
main crop variety, and thousands of plants were
distributed amongst the Fellows of the society.
A little later on it became a very popular variety
for market purposes around Edinburgh, Aberdeen,
&c. In 1867 it is described in the pages of Le
Bon Jardinier, with the further statement that
the cultivation of this variety for market pur-
poses is yearly increasing. In 1869 a highly
eulogistic notice appeared in the Journal of Ilorli-
cxdlure, where it is stated to be grown largely in
various parts of the country. The statement that
the Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury Strawberry was
sent out the same year as Garibaldi, about thirty
years ago, is altogether wrong, and has no founda-
tion ; the fact being that the Vicomtesse Hericart
de Thury as a Strawberry was grown in the Royal
Horticultural Gardens at Chiswick, some years
before Garibaldi as a Strawberry, or as a patriot
appeared on the sdene.

August

1890.J

THE GARDEN.

139

Stove and Greenhouse.

CASSIA CORYMBOSA.
Occasionally in some old-fashioned garden a
large plant of this Cassia may be found which
can be depended upon to flower well every sum-
mer, and during the winter it is kept in the
conservatory, or somewhere just clear of frost.
In some of our public gardens, too, it may be
seen growing outside during the summer asso-
ciated with other tender subjects. The exces-

This plant used to be planted out every
season in the Royal Horticultural Society's gar-
dens at Chiswick, and flowered splendidly. On
the approach of frost the plants were lifted, cut
down and potted, and placed in a house with
Pelargoniums until required again for the flower
garden. They invariably did well treated thus.
Plumbago capensis, given the same treatment,
also flowered splendidly. The plant here
figured is growing against a west wall in Major
Gaisford's garden at Oflington. It covers a
space quite 9 feet high, forming a spreading mass
of glossy leaves, which greatly adds to the beauty

Cassia corymbosa. From a pkutuytapk

sively hot weather of the present season seems
to suit it well, for it is quite a mass of its
golden blossoms, and bids fair to continue for
some time. It is, as a rule, far more frequently
met with across the channel than it is in this
country. Cassia corymbosa is a native of the
neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres, and was intro-
duced in 1790. It is of easy culture, succeed-
ing, as it does, in any ordinary potting compost.
The principal thing to be observed is the tho-
rough ripening of the wood towards the end of
the summer.

i/oi-ci, Uriington, Worthing.

of the flowers. It stood the severe winter of
1894-95, but for better protection the shoots had
been tied into a bundle. T.

Acacias.— These most useful and highly orna-
mental subjects are very varied in their characters
and time of flowering, and are certainly worthy of
more extended cultivation. Few things are more
suitable for the decoration of the conservatory, as
with a judicious selection of varieties a display of
bloom may be had from February to June, and
while perhaps the planting-out system suits most
of them beet, they do cipitally grown in pots if

treated liberally. Associated with Palms, Dra-
caenas and other fine-fohaged plants, they produce
a capital effect planted out in centre beds or side
borders of large cool conservatories or carriage
couits, and some are equally effective when trained
up pillars, back walls or trellis-work. Some sorts
also, as, for instance, armata, dealbata, grandis and
Drummondi, are admirably adapted for cutting,
and last well in water in a cool room. Being free
rooters. Acacias need plenty of pot room and
abundance of water when in full growth, ample
drainage also being indispensable. They thrive
well in a mixture of equal parts of peat and loam,
with a free addition of silver or river sand, the
more robust varieties doing equally well in loam
only, provided it be of a light fibrous nature.
When making growth, the treatment usually
accorded Azaleas suits Acacias well, and when
this is completed, a month or so in the open air,
selecting a sheltered, but fairly sunny spot, will
aid in ripening the wood and strengthen the plants
generally. The golden colour of the Acacias en-
hances their value, that hue being somewhat
scarce among flowers at the period at which they
bloom. — J. Crawford.

Standard and trained Fuclisias. — Those
who travel through Egham cannot but fail to
admire the standard and trained Fuchsias in the
front garden of Mr. Wm. Paice, The Limes, the
standards varying in height from 6 feet to HI feet
and being from ten to twenty years old. These
have a very imposing appearance, many having
very fine heads of bloom. There is also a covered
bower some 6 feet in width, several feet high,
and of considerable length, leading from the front
door to the entrance gate. Most of the plants are
grown in pots and plunged in the ground. They
are not closely pruned in when grown for this
purpose, so that they cover the trellis and are
effective at once. There are also to be seen
Fuchsias forming arches, &c. Fuchsias form
capital summer screens and are also very telling
when planted in a conser\atory and the branches
allowed to ramble and droop in a natural way
from the roof — in fact, few plants are more effec-
tive. Mrs. Marshall, Lord Beaconsfield, and
corallina seem to be the best varieties for bower
work, having a long drooping habit. For stan-
dards, besides those named, may be added fulgens,
serratifolia, corymbiflora, &o. Is it not a little
singular that the Fuchsia is so neglected as a pot
plant at the present day? Some thirty years ago
grand tpecimen plants used to be exhibited, but
one scarcely ever meets with anything worthy of
the name of specimens in these days. — Edward
Benkett, Queen's Road, Eghavi.

ROCHEAS.
R. cocciNEA and allied species, which are more
generally known as Kaloeanthes or Crassulas, are
among the most useful of summer-flowering plants
for pots. The peculiar scent is perhaps obnoxious
to some when confined in rooms, but otherwise
they may be strongly recommended, as the flowers
last for a considerable time and are bright and
effective. R. coccinea has been neglected, but
we now have some hybrid varieties which seem
likely to find much favour with market growers.
I do not know their origin (perhaps some reader
of The Garden can give that information which
would interest me and others), but they appear
to be intermediate between R. coccinea and R.
jasminea. Of the three varieties which I have
grown, I find Mrs. Wynne is the brightest in
colour, M. Buchner, white, shaded red, and W.
Pfitzer, nearly pure white. They are all of similar
habit, being dwarf compared with coccinea. They
branch out freely and almost every shoot produces
a good truss of bloom. Strong cuttings taken
early in the year will make flowering plants for
the following season, but to make really good
plants it requires two seasons. Cuttings root
freely, but, like all succulents, they should be kept
quite dry until they are well started. They may
be potted singly as soon as they are well rooted,
and light sandy compost will suit them. Their
cultural requirements are very simple. During

140

THE GARDEN.

[August 22, 1896.

Trees and Shrubs. %

the summer they should be grown out in the open
where they eet all the sunshine available, and a
cool jireenhouse where they eet plenty of light
and air in the winter. R. ja?minea is an equally
useful plant, and should be grown under similar
treatment. Some years ago I was acquainted with
a variety of coccinea called Phunix, which was of
stronger growth, the flowers larger and of a deap
tiery-crimson. Though a fine variety it is not so
suit.ibl.> for small pots a^ the others referred to. I
have seen it exhibited as a specimen, and as such
it is most etTcotivo, but as large specimen flower-
i ig plants are rarely met with.

One great recommendation for the Rocheas is
that they are little troubled with any kind of in-
sects, and, with ordinary treatment and plenty of
light and air, they never fail to come into bloom
at a season when good flowering pot plants are
oot over plentiful. H.

THUNBERGIAS.

How rarely is the South African Thunbergia
alata and its varieties seen, and yet they were
great favourites as greenhouse annuals among the
past generation of gardeners. One occasionally
meets with them as I did a short time ago in the
garden of Mr. Robert Sydenham, of Birmingham,
where they could be seen growing in pots in one
of his plant houses, the pots placed upon the
lowermost shelf of the central stage where the
trailing shoots hung down in festoons laden with
charming flowers, the growth vigorous and with-
out a trace of the red spider that is occasionally
seen infesting the plants. It is all a question of
attention. Starve and neglect the Thunbergia
and the red spider soon finds a lodging upon it,
but grow it generously, giving it the attention it
recjuires and then the results are most satis-
factory.

I have just had an indication of the neglect
into which this plant has fallen in taking up the
seed catalogue of a provincial house having a
large connection, and finding to my great sur-
prise there is no mention of the Thunbergia. It
is difficult to understand this, for some of the va-
rieties are beautiful and the culture simple. The
seeds should be sown in a gentle bottom-heat,
and as soon as the plants are large enough to be
potted otl" they should be treated as warm green-
house plants, and be grown on into size until they
have made a vigorous growth. All individual
plants if potted into rich soil will do remarkably
well in a 4i-inch pot, or they may have a size
larger : then when they are hardened ofi' somewhat
and placed on the lower shelf of a greenhouse
stage or employed as a front row to a side stage,
where the trailing shoots can hang dowu and pro-
duce their blossoms, they are truly charming.
They re'juire to be well looked after in the matter
of water, and an occasional stimulant will be
found of advantage. The type is T. alata, the
flat, almost circular corolla buff-yellow, with a
dark eye or centre ; alata alba, white with dark
eye : alata aurantiaca, deep yellow ; alata Bakeri,
pure white; Fryeri, orange with dark eye ; nitus
alba, white, and a new variety of alata named
grandiflora, which is said to produce large light
blue flowers. There is thus an ample selection,
and the seeds being moderately cheap are readily
obtainable.

I once 8.aw the annual Thunbergias turned to
excellent account in Messrs. Sutton and Sons' trial
seed grounds in the London Road, Reading. The
plants, raised from seeds in heat and planted out
eingly on a warm sunny border and in good soil,
had placed around each individual in the form of
a circle a few twigs 18 inches or so in height.
The plants grew rapidly and in time covered the
twigs, and then the leading shoots falling down
upon the surrounding soil, they formed a series of
dwarf cones, and exhibited to view little heaps of
blossom, and very effective they were. It was an
admirable way of turning these pretty creepers to
account. They are well adapted for planting
round large stone vases or basins, and can be em-
ployed in many ways, but they must have atten-

tion, and so long as they grow freely they will
bloom abundantly, and be free from the attacks
of red spider to which they are very subject.

R. D.

Callistemon salignus (Metrosideros flori-
bunda), or Bottle Brush. — I have a specimen of this
7 feet high, in a pot standing on an inside border
in front of a conservatory. It has rooted into the
soil beneath, and flowers most abundantly every
year and continues in bloom for a long time, the
" brushes " appearing in succession. It will resist
several degrees of frost. I have another species
raised from seed received from abroad— the Cape, I
think. It has longer and very narrow leaves and
the "brushes'" are much larger and of a more
brilliant red, but it is not so free-flowering. One
thing detract? from the beauty of these shrubs.
The clusters of seed vessels become woody, and
so closely adhere to the branches, that they cannot
be detached without injury, presenting the ap-
pearance of a cankerous growth.— J. M., Chai--
movlh.

Bouvardia Humboldti corymbiflora. —
Most of the Bouvardias generally grown are gar-
den varieties, and of the original species that at
the head of this note is met with perhaps more
frequently than any other. It is in several re-
spects quite distinct from any of the garden
forms, as it is earlier to flower, being now in many
instances in full bloom, while the leaves are
smooth instead of hairy, as in the others, and the
blossoms are deliciously fragrant. The flowers,
which are borne in loose corymbs at the points of
the shoots, are very large, being nearly 3 inches
long and IJ inches across the expanded portion.
It IS a favourite flower with the London florists
for many purposes, and besides this it will, if
planted out, bloom more or less nearly throughout
the summer, and for this reason it may be em-
ployed for mixed flower beds which are in many
instances popular at the present time. The smooth
leaves of this Bouvardia are not affected by smoky
fogs to the same extent as those of some of the
hairy-leaved varieties are, but even this does not
resist smoke at all well. So readily are Bouvar-
dias injured in this way, that in the immediate
neighbourhood of London their culture has of late
years been almost discontinued. — H. P.

The Japanese "Wineberry (Rubus phani-
colasius). — It seems not a little curious that such
an attractive and easily-grown plant as this should,
twenty years after its introduction, be practically
unknown. In the last ten volumes of The G.4Rde.n
it is mentioned but three times, once being the
occasion of its gaining for Messrs. Kelway a first-
class certificate at the floral committee in 1S92.
This Rubus is attractive at all stages. The un-
opened flower-buds have long, slender calyces
densely bearded with deep crimson glandular
hairs, and which persist till the fruit falls ; these
open showing the tiny white petals within, and
soon close to open again, showing the young fruit
first yellow, then orange, passing through cherry-
red into deep shining ruby, the various tints being
present together in each cluster, which consists of
twelve to fifteen fruits about the size of an average
Blackberry, and which contrast beautifully with
the leaves, which are deep green above and pure
white beneath. The fruit, which is now (August 1 )
just ripe, is intermediate in flavour (as in time of
ripening) between the Raspberry and the Black-
berry, and forms a welcome addition to the dessert
at a time when other small fruits are mostly
over. It would, I think, be excellent for jam.
The plant when established grows strongly, mak-
ing canes 8 feet or 10 feet long, and is exceedingly
free bearing. A trellis could easily be formed of
it, and would, in addition to providing valuable
fruit, be most ornamental. All who have seen it
here this year, whether in bud, flower or fruit,
have been loud in their admiration of it. As to
hardiness, my plants were received in the autumn
of isyi, and were uninjured by the exceptionally
severe winter that followed. — G. P., Monkstown,
Dublin.

THE MONTEREY CYPRESS AT HOME.
One can scarcely imagine that the neat-growing
bushy trees of Cupressus macrocarpa that are
now so familiar to us in the mild parts of these
islands can be the juvenile stage of such a
picturesque tree as is shown in the illus-
tration, which represents a few of the largest
trees in the famous Cypress grove at Monterey,
in California. The photograph might easily be
mistaken as representing some of the Cedars on
Lebanon, or even some of the Stone Pines as
seen in the Ravenna forest, or of Pinus
austriaca on the mountains of Austria.

When I saw the Cypress grove two years ago
in an excursion I made from beautiful Monterey
my first impression of the tree from a distance
accorded with that of Hartweg, who in the first
account he wrote of the tree described it as " a
tree 60 or more feet high with stems 9 feet in
circumference, with far-spreading branches, Hat
at the top like a full-grown Cedar of Lebanon,
which it closely resembles at a distance." It is
only when quite near the trees that one can dis-
cern the more feathery foliage and small cones,
and recognise the characters of Cupressus.
The grove is a very remarkable sight, but it
does not quite accord with the dictionary render-
ing of the word where umbrageous growth and
luxuriance prevail. On the contrary, the feeling
that steals over one in the Cypress grove ia
that of loneliness and desolation, where for ages
there has waged an unequal struggle between
the trees and the unceasing and relentless winds
that sweep with full force from across the vast
Pacific. It is the winds that hold the mastery
over the trees, and the skeletons of a multi-
tude show but too plainly that it is only
the very strongest can outlive the struggle.
Darwin's dictum as to the survival of the fittest
could not be more clearly exemplified than
among the individuals of the same species in
this grove. The point that impressed me most
in this grove, as it did also in the WeUingtonia
groves and the Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
forests, was the paucity of young trees. Here
and there one sees seedlings in the more shel-
tered spots, but even these seem to have a hard
life of it in the poor soil and wind-swept ex-
posure, and they appear even from their infancy
to lean away from their enemy as shown by the
clipped appearance on the wind side. Can it be
that this tree is slowly, but surely approaching
extinction in a state of nature ? The species is
now, I believe, confined to this small promon-
tory on the American continent, and perhaps,
unless artificial means are taken to assist repro-
duction, it will in a state of nature become as
extinct as the dodo. It is very remarkable that
both this Cupressus and the Sequoia gigantea
should be confined to such circumscribed areas,
whereas other conifers, such as S. sempervirens,
the Pines, Abies, and Piceas, seem to grow on
limitless areas. The publication of such illus-
trations as that given here of the adult stages of
coniferous trees is quite educational, as it places
the multitude of the so-called modern conifers
of our gardens in a different light, and probably
gives us an idea of how altered will become the
landscape in our English parks and gardens a
centtiry hence when the adult stage is reached
by the species which survive the juvenile stage.
None of us will ever see trees of the Monterey
Cypress in England so as to be mistaken for old
Cedars of Lebanon, but it is a safe prediction
that the character of English land.scape will be
far more changed by the prevalence of exotic
conifers in adult growth at the end of the com-
ing century than it has been during the past

AuGrsT -22, 1896.;

THE GAEDE^.

141

fifty years, iiotwithstardiEg the fact that the
landscape of parks and gardens of to-day is, by
the wealth of evergreen growth, so entirely
changed from what it was at the beginning of
the century. W. Goldring.
Keu:

Hedera Helix atro-purpurea.— This, the
best and deepest tinted form of the bronzed Ivy,
which is so much used during the winter months,
at which time the colouring of the foliage is at its
richest, is during the greater part of the summer
of an almost normal green tint, but within the
last ten days a large specimen that I have had
under my observation has rapidly changed to a
bronzy hue, that is to say, all the mature leaves,
for the young ones etill retain their bright green
colour, and consequently they stand out conspicu-
ous against the dark bronzed background, it is
really a very pretty Ivy, and in any selection of
distinct varieties is well entitled to a place, that

surface of the leaves is of a beautiful purple colour.
I he growth is very free.

Gcld-leaved Box.— This is a splendid little
shrub for Edging. 1 saw it in tine form at Chiswick
last year. It has a compact habit, and, given plenty
of suD, the rich golden colour is very attractive. — P.

FagUS asplenifolia assumes a perfect pyra-
midal form. As its name implies, its foliage has a
resemblance to the Asplenium Pern. This Beech is
certainly a most striking tree, quaint, yet elegant, and
even in mid-winter its russet brown foliage is not with-
out a certain charm.

Crataegus tanacetifolia— Doubtless all th;
Cratajgus family will be finely berried this year, and
the above variety will not be the least attractive. Its
boautiful chrome-yellow fruit is nearly the size of
Siberian Crabs, and its unique palmate foliage has a
peculiar woolly appearance.

DiplopappuB chrysophyllus is a pretty
evergreen composite shrub that should be more ex-
tensively cuhivated. It is just now flowering pro-
fusely, and the beautiful golden Heather-hke fohage is

is where varieties only of medium vigour are re-
quired, as it would be overgrown by some of the
strong-growing forms. — T.

Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora.— The
giant heads of blossom produced by this plant are
now very effective, and are alike valuable in the
shrubbery border or in beds on the lawn. Some
years ago I grew this plant in standard form here
and there amid the Rhododendrons on a steep
sloping bank, and by hard pruning each year
secured some of the tinest heads I have seen this
plant produce. Doubtless the Hydrangea was
much benefited by the frequent waterings that
were needful for the Rhododendrons in dry
weather. But, be this as it may, the great heads
of the above plant modified the monotony of the
dark green of the Rhododendrons considerably
when these had finished flowering.— E. J.

whether or not a Melon house is used for the pur-
pose, it is necessary that there should always be
both ample top and bottom-heat, for it is useless
to think of growing Cucumbers without it. There
should be a suthcient quantity of piping for top-
heating to enable the temperature to be kept up
without overheating having to be resorted to dur-
ing frosty weather. When this cannot be done
without hard diiving, a plentiful crop of red spider
generally results from the aridity of the atmosphere
which then obtains, and, be the cultivator ever so
careful and vigilant, he cannot keep this insidious
little insect at bay under such circumstances.

The kind of house that I prefer for winter Cu-
cumbers is a rather narrow lean-to, partially sunk
in the ground to economise heat, with a brick pit
in front and a walk along the back close to the
wall in order to gain suihcient head-room for the
attendants. The pit should be provided with a
flow and return hot-water pipe lor bottom-heat
purposes, and over them should be laid slabs of
wood or paving-stones, some 12 inches or 15 inches
above them, to form a hot-air chamber. This
would leave ample room for plunging the pots in
a bed of leaves where the latter are preferred, and
by the same rule there would also be ample space
for planting on hillocks of soil where this
method is pursued. Cucumbers, I think, succeed
much better during the winter months when grown
in large pots, as the roots are then more under
control, and when once the pots are well filled
with roots, the latter may be enticed over the
rims if rich compost is placed close up to them.
If this is done frequently and just suthcient; com-
post given each time to keep the roots active, it
will keep the plants in a healthy bearing condi-
tion. The pots should always be placed on a good
firm base— bricks are the best— and should never
be plunged in the leaf-bed, for when the latter
decays, the pots will sink with them and the
plants will have to be cut loose, otherwise the
ties will cut through the bine and cause disaster.
Before planting, the house should have a thorough
cleansing, and every exposed particle of brick-
work well limewashed for the destruction of con-
ferva; and insects, and, if needed, a coat of paint
will also effectually put an end to all insects lurk-
ing in the cracks and crevices in the woodwork.
It insects have been particularly troublesome, a
little petroleum should be added to the limewash
at the time of mixing. Sulphur is also an excel-
lent antidote for red spider, and this may also be
used in conjunction with the limewash. When
the house is in readiness the pots should be placed
in position, and it is as well to keep them a sale
distance from the piping if the latter should be
laid round the front of the house. Stand each pot
on three or four bricks, and then place the drain-
age over the outlets and cover ttiis with turfy
loam. They will then be ready for the compost,
which may be a trifle richer than is generally used
when the plants are set out on hillocks. Good
sound loam should form the basis, and with this
__hvays charming. I prefer small plants about 2 feet ^^jj. ^^ little spent Mushroom manure, also some
high, as those of a larger size have a rather straggling bone-meal at ttie rate of half a peck to a barrow-
ippearance. This shrub would be a, welcome addition ,^^^ ^j j^^^_ ^j^^ manure will enrich the soil and

■ t-nt 6y Mr. Luther Burhaixk,

I the subJ!;ct3 suitable for edging beds of Evergreens,
nd by careful pruning it can be kept fairly dwarf. — E.

SHORT NOTES. — TREES A XI) SHRUBS.

Acer platanus purpurascens Nizette.—

The major portion of the foliage of this is beautifully
variegated with bronze, apricot and salmon tints, but
generally the bronze tint prevail^, whilst the under

Kitchen Garden.

WINTER CUCUMBERS.
Where Cucumbers are in demand the whole year
round it is usually the rule with most growers to
set out plants for giving the winter supply either
the latter end of July or the first and second week
in August, according to locality and force of cir-
cumstances. Very often winter Cucumbers have
to follow a crop of summer Melons, the planting
of the two crops being timed so that they follow
each other in due season, and this method is a
very excellent one, as the house is then utilised to
its utmost capacity throughout the whole year.
To grow Cucumbers successluUy during the three
most dull months out of the twelve, it is necessary
that a well-heated structure be provided, and.

provide something for the roots to feed upon for
the present, after which the bone-meal as it de-
composes will keep them well supplied with stimu-
lating plant food until the pots are well tilled with
roots. Loam of a heavy and holding character
may have some sharp sand incorporated with it,
or, what is better still, charcoal broken up small
to about the size of horse-beans. Loams of a
lighter texture will not need an addition of sand,
but the charcoal may be included, as it so largely
absorbs moisture. Plan ting may of course be done
so soon as the soil has become warmed through,
which does not take long at this time of the year ;
and, if the plants are in readiness, the sooner it is
done the better, as they cannot become too well
established before the winter. It is only in
country districts where leaves may be obtained for
packing round the pots, and even then many will
have to wait until they fall from the trees before
it can be done, owing to want of room for storing
a sutticient quantity in the winter-time : but this
delay will not matter in the least provided there

142

THE GARDEN.

[AuGL-ST 22, 1896.

is a good bottom-heat under the pot? and the
leaves can be placed round them as soon as they
are procurable. Failing leaves altogether, litter
or stable manure may be employed, but it must not
be too fresh, otherwise it will heat violently,
and the gases given ofl' will work mischief with
the inmates of the house. If manure alone has to
be used, it should be thrown together and allowed
to heat some days before taking it in, on purpose
that the rank gases may be dispelled beforehand.
Even then it must be watched in case it heats
too much and scalds the roots through the sides
of the pots. If found to be getting too hot, the
manure should be cleared away from the pots
until such time as it is deemed safe to put it back
again. Watering and syringing and other
matters of a routine character need not be touched
upon in this note, but a few words on top-dressing
may be useful. This should be made richer and
more stimulating than the compost provided for
placing in the pots, and it may therefore have
more spent Mushroom manure and bone meal
mixed with it, and, for a change, dried horse
droppings may be used instead of the ingredients
mentioned. The loam should be fibrous and
turfy, for in loam of this description the roots of
Cucumbers fairly revel, and as long as they can be
kept at work rooting into it, it is astonishing how
productive the plants are. Soil for top-dressing
is best mixed in fairly large quantities and kept
in the potting-shed ready for use. The bone-
meal then becomes partly decomposed before
the soil is made use of, and is then in a more
available form for assimilation by the roots of the
plants.

With respect to varieties, the old Syon House
is still preferred by some, but this is now super-
seded by that fine market variety The Rochford,
which is undoubtedly the finest Cucumber for
general purposes that can be grown. A. W.

Cucumber Royal ■Windsor.— Since this va-
riety—one of Mr. T. Lockie's raising— was put in-
to commerce some years ago by Messrs. Sutton
and Sons— and since that time several new varie-
ties have been certificated and sent out — it is
doubtful if a variety bearing more handsome and
shapely fruits than Royal VVindsor has ever been
put into circulation. Messrs. Wood and Ingram
grow at their nurseries at St. Neots Cucumbers
largely for seed, and they have at the present
time a house of Royal Windsor which presents
this variety to view in the best light. It is a good
grower and remarkably free, and at the present
time it is maturing a heavy crop for seed.
Planted out in rough wooden boxes, 2 feet or so in
width and from 1.3 inches to IS inches in depth,
the shoots are trained up the interior of the roof,
and with good attention do remarkably well.
With an occasional dressing of some artificial
manure, the plants are maintained in vigorous
character and excellent crops of seed are realised.
-R. D.

Fruit and Vegetable Crops.

WESTERN.

Shirbum Castle, Tetsworth, Oxon.—
Apples are under average and will be small.
Pears average. Plums under average. Currants
of all sorts plentiful. Strawberries have been very
good owing to their having been well watered.
Dr. Hogg I cannot grow. Royal Sovereign I have
not fruited outside yet, as I had all the flowers
taken off for getting early runners. Indoors it
has no equal, and Scarlet Queen is very good as a
forced Strawberry. The Vicomtesse H. de Thury
does not throw up its flower-stems to suit me, but
still it is a good cropper.

Potatoes are very good. Sharpe's Victor as a
first early has no equal. I have not heard of
any disease in this neighbourhood yet.— W. M.
Gei>l.e~.

Croxton Park, St. Neots. — Apples very
much under the average, owing, I think, to the

crop of last year. Peaches, Nectarines,
and Pears good average. Plums and Apricots very
thin indeed. All small fruits above average.
Strawberries good heavy crop, but soon over
owing to dry weather.

All vegetable crops are excellent, especially
Runner Beans, Onions, and Potitoes. Potatoes at
least three weeks earlier this year. Early Peas
were good. — W. H. G.\s<ni(;NK.

Giewston Court, Boss.- The Apple crop in
this district is under the average. Pears very good
and clean. Plums average, but small, owing to
the drought. Cherries average and good. Peaches
and Nectarines under average. Apricots average
and good. All small fruits average, but very small,
and also Strawberries. Nuts very good.

The vegetables in this district are all suffering
very much from the drought. — C. A. Bavk(ii;|).

Seed Ashton, Trowbridge. — The bright
prospects of the spring have not been realised,
both as regards fruit and vegetables, the most
noteworthy perhaps being Strawberries, Raspber-
ries and Peas. Strawberries while in flower escaped
injury from frost, which usually occurs at about
that season, and the plants possessed vigour in
truss and leaf, which was sustained until ripen-
ing commenced, when from want of rain or arti-
ficial watering they collapsed without maturing
more than two-thirds of their crop. Laxton's
Latest of All was our best variety, and this from
young stcck put out last August, but its title and
oharacter were altogether out of harmony, as
first beiries ripened almost simultaneously with
Noble. The last-named is being ousted by the
better Royal Sovereign, which comes almost or
C|uite as early. Sir Joseph Paxton, Alice Maud,
President and Countess were our other best sorts.
Raspberries were very healthy and flowered pro-
fusely, but the prolonged drought set up prema-
ture decay in the canes, and the later fruit did
not swell at all. Gooseberries have been a heavy
crop, and caterpillars have been more than usually
abundant. Black Currants, too, are good, but
red and white have been light. Peaches outdoors
are a good crop. Apricots light, though variable.
Plums generally are a full crop, requiring thin-
ning in a green state, and the same remaik
applies to Cherries, both Morello and dessert va-
rieties. Pears are in some cases a full crop,
notably Jargonelle, Williams' Bon Chretien,
Doyenne d'Ete, Beurre Clairgeau, Pitmaston
Duchess, Winter Nelis, Doyenne du Comice,
Beurre Capiaumont, Seckle, Althorp Crassane and
Emile d'Heyst. Apples in garden and orchard
vary very much, the maggot doing considerable
mischief among the open flowers. Stirling Castle,
New Hawthornden, Ecklinville, The Queen, Cox's
Orange Pippin, Stone's Pippin, Beauty of Bath,
London Pippin, Dumelow's Seedling, Adams'
Pearmain, Worcester Pearmain, Mannington Pear-
main, Lord SufKeld and Gravenstein are bearing
good crops. Nuts, both Filberts and Walnuts,
are plentiful Quinces are scarce and Medlars a
fair crop.

Vegetables are becoming scarce, the drought
causing an absolute check to growth. Potatoes
are ripening up very fast, while the growth has
been much more moderate than usual, and, neces-
sarily, a light crop follows. Late-planted tubers
in the field and allotment gardens are very patchy,
many never showing above ground. These and
mid-season varieties must produce but poor crops,
except in districts where thunderstorms have been
frequent. In this district the average rainfall for
the past six months has been If ss than 1 inch per
month, the total being only .') 6(1 inches, or less
by 3j inches than last year for a corresponding
period. Peas are suffering badly ; many sowings
hereabouts have given but scant crops. The
early batches did particularly well, the mild spring
and the March rains suiting them splendidly.
Early Cauliflowers did equally well, but there is
no succession possible. Cabbages have been
good, but are now much infested with caterpillars.
Turnips cannot grow now, but, like the Cauli-
flowers, were good in the early summer. French
Beans have done good service. Runners up to
the present are not setting well, although their

growth has been satisfactory. Onions, consider-
ing the dry state of the soil, are looking well, and
in our case show a decided proof of the value of
deep cultivation. Lettuces have given much
trouble in keeping up a supply, and this, unless
rain comes quickly, cannot be maintained. Alto-
gether, the season is one of the most remarkable,
and will not readily be forgotten. — W. Stru<;-

NELL.

Witley Court, Stourport — The Apple crop
is almost a failure in Worcestershire, the heavy
crop of last year possibly accounting for this. In
this garden there are a few exceptions, and this
amongst young and vigorous bush trees. On
looking over these I find a few varieties aie carry-
ing fair crops, and the fruit individually will be
fine. These are King of the I'ippins, Peasgood's
Nonsuch, Stirling Castle, Lane's Prince Albert,
Devonshire Quarrenden, Alfriston, Ecklinville,
Professor, Tyler's Kernel, The Queen, Summer
Golden Pippin, Kerry Pippin, Keswick Codlin,
Benoni, and a few others. Pears against walls are
a complete failure, whilst in the open the trees are
carrying a fair average crop. Very large trees of
perry varieties which last year bore but a scanty
crop — in fact, being comparatively fruitless— are
this season weighed down with fruit. Plums are
a very heavy crop, also Damsons. Damsons in
some of the farm and cottage gardens are much
blighted ; consequently the crop will be scanty.
Cherries have been good, the fruits individually
being very fine and clean. Peaches and Nectarines
are carrying heavy crops and the trees are clean.
Alexander was gathered from a tree growing
against a south wall on July 1, the fruit being
large and of good quality ; in fact, I am quite
pleased with this variety, and consider it well
worth growing. Strawberries a good crop, the
quality also being excellent. These, of course, had
to be watered. Gooseberries have borne heavy
crops of fruit ; so have Red and White Currants.
These latrer are of exceptional size and very
bright in colour. Black Currants are partial ; for
instance, in one portion of this garden, where the
soil is of a holding nature, the bushes also being
partially shaded, the crop is everything that can
be desired, the bunches being large and the
berries individually fine, whilst in another portion,
the foil being light and the trees more exposed,
the crop is scanty. It is the same in neighbour-
ing gardens. Raspberries a fair crop, but the
weather is too dry for these, birds also being very
troublesome. Nuts will be good, Filberts excep-
tionally so.

Considering the season, vegetable crops on the
whole are good, Turnips being the worst. Pota-
toes are very good, both as regards crop and
quality. First and second early Peas have done
capitally, but mid-season and later varieties are
aftected by the drought. They seem to be
covered with small thrips, although well watered
both at the root and overhead. Onions free from
maggot, al.-o Carrots. Early Cauliflowers have
been abundant, but summer supplies have
buttoned. French Beans and Runners are also
good, but all succulent vegetables have had to be
both frequently and freely watered. — A. Young.

Crichel, Wimborne.— Considering the extra-
ordinarily dry season we have experienced around
here, fruit and vegetable crops are very fair. Bush
fruit of all sorts is very good. Apples and Pears
are much below the average, owing to slight frost
during the flowering time. Plums also suflered,
but are a fair crop. Strawberries fruited well,
but fruit rather below the average in size. Rasp-
berries are good. Peaches outside are under the
average.

Vegetables are very fair, but thanks are
due chiefly to the water carts. Autumn-sown
Onions, Shallots and spring Cabbages have run
to seed wholesale. Peas have suB^ered much, and
to speak of their respective qualifications would
be unfair criticism. I find Veitch's Selected
Early, Telegraph and Duke of Albany are the
best here. Root crops are very fair, but I am afraid
toughness will be the cry when they come to be
dressed for the table. We are pestered with insect
life, owing, 1 suppose, to the very mild winter and

August 22, If

THE GARDEN.

the dry spring and summer months, each variety
of fruit tree having its own particular enemy.
In many cases around here, where due precaution
has not been taken to check the ravages of blight,
&c., whole crops have been entirely spoilt, espe-
cially the Bean crops. Until we get a good rain,
crops in general will yet suffer much. As an
instance of the dryness of the soil, I had a piece
of ground dug up where Cauliflowers had been
growing, and 1 foot from the surface it was per-
lectly dust-dry. The same comments apply
equally to the neighbourhood of Crichel. —

P. ISHERWOOD.

Ashton Court.— The fruit crop in this dis-
trict has this year been very light ; many market
growers have sad bales to tell of the losses they
have sustained owing to the hot, dry season.
Strawberries have been of short duration this year.
They came in early and were soon over ; even
the latest sorts finished their fruit off very
suddenly, and, although it has been an under
average crop, the quality has been very good.
Raspberries have been a very light crop and the
fruit small ; hundreds of canes, after commencing
to grow in the spring, died back to the ground.
Currants have been good in some parts of this
district, while in others the crop was very light.
Gooseberries have been an abundant crop, and
seem to have felt the dry weather less than any
of the small fruits. Plums are a good crop ;
many trees are breaking down with the weight of
fruit, although generally it will be small. Apples
and Pears are a very scanty crop. The Codlins
have a good sprinkling of fruit, but many of
them are falling off, being attacked so severely
by the maggot. A few large trees of Pears are
to be seen here and there carrying a lot of fruit,
but they, too, are small.

In looking round the kitchen garden one cannot
find a single quarter where the crops are flourish-
ing; almost everything is drying up. The vaiious
kinds of Braesica have been planted over and
over again, only to be burnt and dried up.
Dwarf Beans are turning yellow, although only
just commencing to bear. Broad Beans are
nearly done, Beetroot, Carrots, Onions, Partnips,
all sharing the same fate. Potatoes that were
planted very early did well. Midseaeon and later
sorts are drying up and the crop is exceedingly
light. — H. Ndble.

KiUerton, Exeter.— Peaches and Nectarines
are a good crop and the trees healthy, although
they were much blighted in the early spring. I
gathered Early Louise and Early Rivers the early
part of the month, and am now (July IS) gather-
ing Hale's Early. Apricots have been fine and
good, but the crop is below an average one.
Early Cherries were good, but Morellos are
moderate. Plums are good. Early Prolific and
Prince Englebert are very heavily laden with fruit
on standards in the orchard. We are now (July
18) gathering Early Prolific quite ripe. Apples
are below an average crop, although there was
plenty of blossom, but the continuous dry east
wind at the time and the long drought ever since
have had an adverse effect on the crop. Dumelow's
Seedling is one of the best, although the trees
carried fine crops last year. Pears are a partial
crop. Strawberries have been very good, but are
now over. I began picking Noble and Black
Prince on south borders in the third week of May.
Currants, Red, White, and Black, also Goose-
berries, are all very good crops. Raspberries have
been very good, but are almost over. Figs are an
abundant crop, especially Brown Turkey, White
Marseilles, and Brunswick. Filberts and Cobs are
very plentiful. — J. Garlaxd.

Bicton, Budlsigh Salterton.— Apples below
the average ; trees infested with insects. Pears
average crop and trees fairly clean. Peaches and
Nectarines under average, especially on an east
wall, owing, I think, to east winds when in bloom.
The trees on south walls are carrying good
crops. Apricots under average. Plums abundant.
Cherries, sweet and Morello, good crops. Straw-
berries good crops, but owing to the severe
drought could not swell or ripen. Gooseberries
abundant. Raspberries excellent crops, especially

Superlative, which I consider far in advance of
all other varieties. Currants, Red, average crop,
but not so large. Currants, Black, very scarce,
and a lot dropped off.

Vegetables are very scarce just at present.
Early Potatoes are fairly good and free from
disease, but I am afraid the later ones will be
poor, as they have had scarcely any rain since
they were planted. Cabbages were early and good
when first coming in, but are now infested with
caterpillar. I never had so many bolt as th'

sprmg.

EUam's Early behav

but all
of rain. — J,

the best. Cauli-
flowers are scarce owing to drought. Onions,
Carrots, and Beet are looking well in spite of the
dry season. Asparagus was very
crops are now suffering from wai
Mayne.

Weston Birt.— The fruit crop in this locality
is on the whole an average one, but, owing to the
dry weather, is far from being first-rate in quality.
Apples, both trees and fruit, are very clean ; in
fact, much cleaner than I have seen them for
years. Annie Elizabeth, Cox's Orange Pippin,
Frogmore Prolific, Herefordshire Pearmain, King
of the Pippins, and Stirling Castle have to be
thinned. Wyken Pippin does well in this part of
the country, size ard shape excellent for the des-
sert table, flesh tender and juicy. It is a good-keep-
ing variety. Pears are under average, especially
on walls. Espaliers and pyramids, though covered
with bloom in the spring, set badly. Williams'
Bon Chretien, Louise Bonne of Jersey, and Beurrt'
de Capiaumont are bearing the most. Thompson's,
both on wall and trees, a failure. I find this Pear
in our locality does best in a damp season. Plums
are an average crop, standard Victorias in sheltered
positions being loaded with fruit. Damsons are
not so plentiful. Apricots average, but small.
Cherries set abundantly, but very few swelled.
Morellos on north wall are very good. Peaches
and Nectarines above average— have to be thinned.
Sea Eagle is an excellent Peach for outdoor work,
especiallv in this neighbourhood, where we have
the natural lime in the soil ; we rarely have the
fruit drop or the stone split. Hale's Early is
grown in amateurs' gardens and very good fruit
is picked from the trees. Pitmaston Orange Nec-
tarine, too, does well here, but the trees on a
south-west wall have the best fruit, ripening out
more evenlv. Figs are an average crop. 1 pro-
tect the trees with Spruce boughs during the
winter months ; this prevents the wood made the
previous year from being killed by the frost, and
the embryo fruit swells up, and we get good crops
during the months of September and October.
Strawberries very good. Our soil, being of a stiff
clayey nature, suits them well during a warm,
dry season. I usually force La Grosse Sucr^e as
an early variety. Crescent Seedling as second
early, Augusto Nicaise, John Ruskin, and Sir
John Paxton. Noble I grew, but have discarded
it. It is handsome to look at, but flavour quite
second-rate. I usually plant out my forced plants,
and these bear good truit the next season. Crescent
Seedling is an excellent outdoor Strawberry.
Auguste Nicaise fruits well, but the first rain mil-
dews the fruit. President and Sir Joseph Paxton are
the two best varieties I grow, especially the
latter, as it packs and travels well. I am grow-
ing Royal Sovereign, so shall be able to report
upon it next year. It is only once in five years
we can get good fruit of British Queen, and then
no Strawberry I grow can surpass it in flavour.
Bush fruits are abundant, but fruit small and
very acid, and ripened much earlier than other
years. Currants La Versaillaise and Raby Castle
are good late red varieties'; White Dutch is the
best white one. Black Naples is miserably small
this year. I am discarding this one and growing
only Carter's Champion Black. Gooseberry
Whinham's Industry is the best variety for pack-
ing green. Golden Drop for preserving. These I
plant in a portion of the garden by themselves ;
they can then be picked early and so save having
to net so many from the birds. Raspberries
Semper Fidelis and Superlative are the two best
and the most productive that I grow. Walnuts
and Nuts are under average.

Potatoes are good. The old Ashleaf is largely
grown in this neighbourhood and stands first for
flavour ; Sharpe's Victor, both for forcing and
early work, is a good variety ; Puritan on not too
rich ground is good, size large and plenty
of them ; Sutton's Seedling is a first-rate variety
where dug early or kept. Sutton's Abundance,
Magnum Bonum, Scotch Champion, and Windsor
Castle are the chief sorts grown for late crops,
and the last one is an excellent cropper, medium
in size, quite free from disease in allotments and
fields, quality first-rate.— A. Chapman.

Brockhampton Court, near Ross, Here-
fordshire.—Apples and Pears on espaliers, half
standards and small bush trees are a fairly good
crop, in a few instances very good, but orchard
trees are very bad in this neighbourhood. Pears
not quite so bad as Apples. Plums a very heavy
crop. Damsons fair. Gooseberries very good.
Red Currants fair ; Black Currants very scarce.
The same may be said of Cherries. There was a
good bloom, but we had several late frosts which
crippled it, and caterpillars were abundant, many
trees being almost stripped of leaves. Strawber-
ries were good early in the season, but this garden
being of a sandy nature the continued drought
destroyed the fruit of the later varieties. Apri-
cots and Peaches are a fair crop. Earwigs are
very destructive.

The weather has been very much against the
vegetable crops, for we have not had enough rain
to reach the roots. Early Potatoes were abun-
dant, but very small, and I am afraid the late
ones will be a poor crop. "

had!

Dwarf Beans were
Cauliflowers very much deformed. We
grand lot of Peas up to the end of^une, but

since then they have done very badly. They have
not grown half their usual height, and are, in fact,
almost a failure. We have several rows of late
ones looking very well, and if we could have some
rain we should have a nice crop.— A. East.

EASTERN.
liivermere Park, Bury St. Edmunds.—
The fruit crop is not heavy, but quite heavy
enough for the trees in such a dry season, and
there is reason for congratulation in the fact that
there are no complete failures. Heavy crops
would have led this year to undersized fruit in
places where thinning is impossible, so the com-
parative thinness is likely to prove in many in-
stances a blessing. Apples are with us some-
what under average, and those carrying heavy
crops are Ribston Pippin, W'ellington, Cox's
Orange, King of Tomkins County, and Striped
Beaufin. A good mulching of manure and top-
dressing of burnt earth did the trees much good,
and has undoubtedly prevented much of the fruit
from dropping. We are not yet, however, safe from
this, for every day the drought searches deeper.
Trees in this neighbourhood were sadly injured by
various grubs and caterpillars, in many cases to
the entire destruction of the crop, and the eflects
still show badly on the young wood being made.
Pears are decidedly a light crop, especially on
trees which bore well last year ; the Iruits indi-
vidually are fine and should be extra good, judg-
ing from past experience of similar seasons. Ex-
ception to the general lightness of crop are found in
Williams' Bon Chretien, Duchesse d'Angouleme,
Beurre d'Amanlis, Conseiller de la Cour, and
Napoleon. Plums are very partial ; some trees are
heavily laden, others, mostly bush trees, have very
few fruits. The best are Victoria, Washington,
Jefferson (almost always good). Angelina Bur-
dett, and Goliath. The Plum aphis has been par-
ticularly bad this year, and lack of heavy rain has
intensified the nuisance. Apricots a fairly heavy
crop, and the fruits good where watering has been
possible. These, like Plums, have been badly in-
fested with aphides. Peaches promise well with
me, but I notice much blister in the neighbourhood.
In one garden where, I am told, it has never been
troublesome before, it is especially bad. Cherries
(sweet) the heaviest and best crop I have known
here. Cherries (Morello) under average and in-
clined to be small. Black aphis very troublesome

144

THE CxARDEN.

[August 22, 1896.

this year. Raspberries, a full average crop of
fine berries, season likely to be rather short.
Currants (Black) a very line crop indeed. Cur-
rants (Red and White) somewhat under average
and the bushes much infested with aphides. Figs,
outdoor trees, have not yet got over being cut to
the ground with the frost of 1894-95. Grapes, a
good promise of outdoor fruit ; Medlars, average
crop : Damsons, very thin crop ; Quinces, thin
crop : Walnuts, average, some trees heavily
laden : Strawberries, though they suftered some-
what from the drought, were a very good crop.
As was to be e.xpected, young plants did best.
Royal Sovereign is a grand addition to our
varieties, and is a fine healthy grower.

Early and second early Potatoes did well, but
the present outlook is bad for main-crop varieties,
and in many cases they are beyond lecovery, even
should rain soon come in quantity. I hear good
reports from the Fen districts and also from other
places, so the dearth will teonly local, and is con-
hned mostly to field crops. Vegetables gener-
ally are doing well, but have required far more
than the usual amount of care in watering and
mulching. The most notable results of tlie season
with vegetables are the earliness and plentifulness
of Globe Artichokes, the collapse of June-sown
Spinach, and the presence of black aphides under-
neath the leaves of all large-leaved plants, which
is little less than a plague throughout the whole
neighbourhood. Tomatoes are again having a
grand season and are doing well. — J. C. T.vllack.
Ashwellthorpe HaU, .Norfolk.— In this dis
trict most of the crops may be termed above the
average. Apples especially. Trees of the follow-
ing kinds are loaded with fruit : Blenheim Orange
Ribston Pippin, London Pippin, Dr. Harvey, and
Xorfolk Beaufin. Early Pears are rather sc
but we have promise of good crops of the later
kinds. Cherries have done well this season,
have had large crops of fruit and the flavour was
all that could be desired. Plums, especially Vic-
toria and Green Gage, are carrying good crops of
fruit, but I am afraid if the drought continues it
will prove too much for them. Peaches and Xec-
tarinea on the walls are a good crop. Apricots
are abundant. This, I think, is owing to the
past dry season ; the wood being ripened, gum-
ming has not shown itself this time, which is
quite the reverse to what we get after a wet
time. Raspberries are grown very largely in this
neighbourhood. These promised well, but owing
to the drought much of the later fruit shrivelled
up, which is telling sadly against the market
gardeners. All kinds of bush fruit have done
well, especially Gooseberries and Black Currants.
We have very heavy crops of Whinham's In-
dustry and Keepsake Gooseberr}-, and Black
Currants on the north border have been excep-
tionally good. Strawberries were a very fair
crop, the following kinds doing best here : Royal
Sovereign, Noble, Vicomtesse, and Sir Joseph
Paxton, the long-continued drought being too
much for the later sorts. Nuts of all kinds are
very abundant.

I am sorry I cannot speak favourably with re-
spect to crops in the vegetable garden. Early
Peas did well, especially Veitch's Chelsea (Jem,
and, for mid-season, Veitch's new Pea Maincrop
has done splendidly, carrying a heavy crop and
retaining its colour up till the last. Late sorts
are almost a failure, and unless we get
shortly Peas will be over by the second week in
August. Crops of early Potatoes are very light
indeed, but the quality is all that can be desired.
The tops of the late Potatoes are dying ofl' fast.
I am afraid this crop will be below the average.
Onions and Carrots are doing fairly well. All
the Brafsica family are suffering very much from
want of rain, and the Celery maggot is making
its appearance in several places. — T. B. Fikld.

Haverholme Briory, Sleaford. — The fruit
crop here this season I consider a good average.
Apples, especially early varieties, are over ; mid-
season and late slightly under average. Our
best crops are Lord Sufiield, Lord Grosvenor,
Stirling Castle, Pott's Seedling, &c. Pears are
good, especially Citron des Carmes, Doyenne

d'Et^, Williams' Bon Chrt^tien, Jargonelle, Marie
Louise, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Beurro Diel, and
Bergamote d'Esperen. Bush fruits have been
barely average, but have been extra fine. Straw-
berries were soon over, and late fruits were very
small. Peaches, Apricots, and Cherries, especially
Morellos. are good average. Plums — Early Rivers,
Kirke's, Jefferson, and Green Gage, are heavy crops
on west wall.

All vegetables look well on the heavier land,
but Peas are light on shallow soils. Early garden
Peas were splendid crops, but midseason and late
are very light. My favourite Peas are still
William the First, Dickson's Favourite, and Ne
Plus I'ltra. Selected strains of these three are, in
my opinion, for house supply bad to beat. — J.

COWARll.

High House, Campaey Ashe, 'Wickham

Market. — The crops of fruit here are very good.
Pears good, also Apples, Plums, Cherries and Nuts.
Walnuts heavy crop. Gooseberries and Black
and Red Currants ex'.ra good. Raspberries fair.
Peaches and Nectarines on wall very good. Figs
good crop. I think Apples and Pears round heie
this year are very fair crops.

The Peas that suit here and do well are Carter's
Lightning and Addison's Early May. Sharje's
Queen and Daniels' Matchless Marrow are extra
good and grown in several gardens. — Alfkkd
Andre\v,s.

Coldham Hall, Bury St. Edmunds.— As
far as I have opportunity for seeing, the fruit crop
in this neighbourhood may be classed as a good
average, and with regard to vegetables, I should
say they were never better in medium and heavy
soils that are well cultivated. Here small fruits
of all the kinds we grow have been abundant and
good, and although, owing to the great heat.
Strawberries were soon over, the quality of the
fruit has been excellent. Red Currants are rather
short, but White and Black are about an average
crop. Goosebeiries a fair crop, but the fruit in
most cases rather smaller than usual. Raspberries
have been, and are still, an exceptionally good
crop, the fruit very large and of excellent quality.
Plum trees are heavily laden with fruit, but so
badly infested with blight as to be almost a failure
from a cultural point of view. Apples very light
many trees not carrying a dozen fruits. Pears
are much better on walls and espaliers, but by n(
means a full crop. Peaches and Nectarines out
side and in .are a splendid crop, and the trees an
full of healthy growth, hard and solid looking
Walnuts an immense crop, and Filberts very good
indeed.

The drought has been against late Peas, espe
cially on light soil, but early and midseason kinds
have borne heavy crops of good quality. Chelsea
Gem, William Hurst, Ringleader and Sutton's A
are good early Peas. Duke of Albany, Telephoni
Sharpe's Queen, Yorkshire Hero and Duchess (
Edinburgh are good midseason varieties, while for
late sowings I can find nothing to beat Autocrat,
a really good and handsome variety that should
be grown by all. With regard to the general
vegetable crops, they are good where the soil has
been well manured, but on poorer ground they are
a failure, as they must be in all dry seasons.
Carrots and Turnips are the worst among the
roots, while Beet and Parsnips are the best.
Potatoes of the earlier kinds were a short crop,
but later ones are lifting well, and the latest va-
rieties are apparently doing very well indeed.
Salads and all green crops have been very good,
but Broccoli and other winter greens want rain
badly. — H. Rn hards.

Shrubland Park Gardens.- As a result of
the hot summer of 1S95, there was a most splendid
show of bloom this season, but in conseiiuence of
spring frosts and insect pests expectations in the
case of Apples and Pears have not been realised ;
we have but very poor crops. I have never seen
caterpillar'more destructive; trees left to take care
of themselves were in many cases completely
defoliated. Cherries and Plums are plentiful on
both bushes and wall trees. Apricots a medium
crop. Currants and Gooseberries abundant.
Raspberries scarce. Strawberries have been re-

markably good and abundant. The sorts grown
here are Xoble, British Queen, Dr. Hogg, James
Veitch, John Ruskin, SirC Napier, and Vicomtesse
H^ricart de Thury. This is one of a few places
where British Queen does well; it is prolific, of
fine appearance, and fully bears out its character
as to flavour. Nuts ate a heavy crop.

Vegetables have been and are plentiful, but the
labour to produce them has been great in conse-
quence of the drought. Peas have done fairly
where grown in trenches. Early Potatoes are a
good crop. The late sorts are looking well and
there is as yet no trace of disease. All kinds of
the Brassica tribe are doing well, as alfo are
Onions, Beet, and runner and dwarf Beans. — G.
Taylor.

Garden Flora.

HYBKIDS

(with

PLATE 1080.

JF NARCISSUS POETICUS.

OLOURED PLATE OF NEW
VARIETIES.*)

Tbk Poet's or Pheasant's-eye Narcissus has
had a very conspicuous share in the prodiic-
lion of the manifold variety of cross bred
Narcissi which has bestowed so much of new
beauty niion the English spring garden.
Pretty or stately as are the trumpet Daffodils
in all their sizes and tints, fiom the tiny
minimus to the regal maximus or the great
bicolors, yet there would be something of
sameness in them were we without the im-
mense further range of shape tnd colour in
cup and petal which has followed their inter-
marriage with N. poeticus — the host of N.
incomparabilis and Barri, with the infinite
gradations created by the further crossing of
these seedlings with the trumpets and poeti-
cus.

These hybrids are of exceeding value, as
being on tlie whole much more liberal in
bloom and increase and of sounder constitu-
tion than the trumpet Daffodils, an accession
of vigour which they derive from the poeticus
parent. This is very apparent in N. Leedsi,
a group of lovely pale Narcissi which we have
gained from the alliance of N. poeticus with
the white Daffodils — N. cernuus, albicans,
&c. The latter are in most gardens the most
delicate anil fastidious of their race, yet many
of the N. Leedsi are as robust and free flower-
ing as can be desired. In raising seedling
Narcissi, the rule will be found generally true
that the nearer we approach the poeticus the
stronger is the plant Hence, secondary
crosses, such as that between N. incompara-
bilis, itself a hybrid, and poeticus, are of great
value. These also offer the readiest means of
attaining to the most brilliant possible scar-
lots and oranges in the Narcissus, by infusing
again the red of the eye of the poeticus into
high-coloured hybrids which have already
derived their colour from a first cross with the
same species.

The flower at the top of the plate has
gained its cup of apricot-scarlet from such
a double or cumulative cross. The yellow-
cuppf d flower beneath it is an instance of a

* Drawn for The GAunEN by H. G. Moon from
flowers sent Viy Rev. G. H. Engleheart. Lithogi-aphed
and printed by J. L. Goffart, successor to Goillaame
Severeyns.

WpI

®

Si

HYBRIDS

August

1896.J

THE GARDEN.

145

similar effect upon the perianth by this re-
peated crossing. It has a perianth as purely
■white as that of the poeticus itself — a rare
feature in these hybrids and only occasionally
obtained by stamping, so to speak, the periantli
of the poeticus upon an incomparabilis already
whitened by the first cross.

It is strange that the earlier workers among
the Narcissi made apparently no attempt to
improve the Pheasant' s-eye pure and simple.
In purity and fragrance it is the most attrac-
tive of its genus, and my own experiments
are showing me that by careful and patient
intercrossing of its existing forms and by
seed selection it is as capable of enhancement
in size and in colour to the eye as any other
Narcissus. I have in my garden, and have
from time to time exhibited, solid-petalled,
weU-formed flowers almost twice the size of
the well-known poeticus ornatus and with
large eyes deeply suffused or margined with
liery red. These new Pheasant's-eyes are also
of value because they bloom between, or in
succession to, the kinds already in cultiva-
tion. Three of these have been faithfully
drawn by !Mr. Moon in the accompanying
plate, though from flowers which had stood
all day in a hot show-room, and are therefore
not so firm, flat, and round in appearance
when fresh. The flower on the extreme
right had for one of its parents the late
blooming poeticus reciirvus, and is interme
diate in its period of flowering between that
and ornatus. G. H. Exgleheakt,

The Week's Work.

HARDY FRUITS.

Early Pkars.— Those that ripen at this time
of the year are usually much better flavoured if
allowed to hang on the trees till required for uee.
Great care, however, will be needed in gathering,
as the least rough handling will cause them to
rot. If a basket is used in gathering, this should
be lined with paper to prevent the twigs from
bruising the fruit, for quite as much care should
be exercised with these as is necessary with
Peaches. Jargonelles have been exceptionally
line this season, especially those from an eastern
aspect. To prolong the time this kind is in use,
if only one tree is grown, a portion of it should
be shaded from the bright sun previous to the
fruit commencing to ripen. Beurre Giffard is also
a good Pear if treated in like manner, but soon
goes sleepy if gathered and ripened in the fruit
room. The earliest and finest fruit of Williams'
Bon Chri^tien on south walls will soon be showing
signs of ripening ; such should be gathered and
placed in boxes and kept in the dark till required
for use. Clapp's Favourite and a few others
growing against south walls, which ripen at this
time of the year, are better for being gathered a
few days before they ripen, as the heat from the
walls seems to extract their juice and cause them
to eat woolly. The same may be said of some
varieties of Apples, while others if gathered too
soon lose all their flavour. Devonshire Qaarren-
den, Irish Peach, Kerry Pippin, and Lady Sudeley
are all improved by being allowed to remain on
the tree till fully ripe, while soft varieties should
be gathered a few days before being eaten and
taken to a cool place, especially if the weather be
hot. They ought, moreover, to be removed from
the trees early in the morning while cool, for if
we should experience a season like the last, where
the soil is poor many of the early Apples will be
scalded by the sun. There is quite as much art

preserving fruit as there is in growing it ; there-
fore during a season like the present when it is
not over-plentiful, pains ought to be taken to
prevent any from being spoilt. Where not already
done no time should be lost in covering the trees
with nets, for never have the birds been more
troublesome than this season, nothing coming
amiss to them. The blue-headed tits commence
to pick holes near the stems while the fruit is
quite hard, and will soon spoil sufficient to pay
for protecting it. Continue to water trees that
are carrying crops, there not having been anything
like sufficient water to go down to their roots. It
is useless to give driblets to the surface; sufficient
should be aflorded to penetrate the soil to a con-
siderable depth, as we may still have tome dry,
hot weather to contend with.

Grapes ox walls. — The fruit in favoured dis-
tricts will now be showing signs of ripening. In
order that the berries may be assisted by the heat
from the wall, remove all laterals that may have
been allowed to grow through neglect or" other
cause, but do not expose the bunches that have
been shaded to the bright sunshine, as this would
cause the berries to scald. The roots must re-
ceive attention in the way of watering where the
soil has become dry, not only close to the wall,
but some distance away.

Raspberries. — Varieties that have finished
ripening their crop should have all the old canes
removed, that more light and air may be admitted
to the young ones in order to thoroughly mature
them. Where they are grown in clumps, the
young canes should be drawn together to prevent
breaking down by the wind ; at the same time,
care should be taken not to injure the foliage, or
the buds will fail to push in the sprir i;. If single
rows are cultivated, thin out the yt ^ng canes to
the required distance, then tie them loosely up to
the wires. Do not shorten their growth, as this
would induce some of the buds to push, which
would in all probability spoil the prospects of the
crop for another season. Encourage the autumn-
bearing kinds by liberal waterings, particularly
where the soil is dry, otherwise the crop will be a
thin one and the fruit of but poor quality.

Blackberries. — These have done well this
season, and are now giving an abundant supply
of fruit. It is rather strange that they are not
more grown considering the quantity that may
be gathered from a small space. There are many
out-of-the-way corners that might be turned to ad-
vantage if planted with these. Where it is im-
possible to make borders for fruit trees owing to
the space for root room being so limited, a few
Blackberries could be giown, and at this season
of the year they would be found most useful. The
large American varieties have very pretty cut
leaves, and as these remain green till so late in
the season, they are very useful for decorative
purposes. The young growths, in whatever posi-
tion they are grown, should ba trained either to
stakes or to the wall, for when allowed to hang
about they get broken by the wind. Those grown
in an open position usually fruit the most freely,
the wood getting better ripened ; for this reason,
when the fruit is gathered the old canes should be
cut away to make more room for the young ones.

Fits. --It cannot be too deeply impressed on
the minds of those who have a number of these
trees under their control growing in the open
that it is advisable to remove the young figlets
from the lower portion of the young shoots, as it
is very seldom indeed that these ripen, and when
allowed to remain they hinder smaller ones that
would have formed in the place from which they
were removed. We too often see the greater por-
tion of the shoots on outdoor Figs bare, only one
or two fruit at their tips coming to perfection ;
whereas had the first that made their appearance
been removed in time, others would have taken
their place and would have survived the winter,
unless of extraordinary severity, and thus a full
crop would have been secured. In many places
in the south Figs do well, and but little care is
exercised in their cultivation. Large bushes are to
be seen growing in the open, which in favourable
seasons give a tair amount of fruit, but had these

received anything like proper care, the crops
might be fourfold. Figs in the open are not one
of the easiest fruits to grow to perfection, bub
when well done few pay better ; therefore every
care should be taken to find out which is the most
suitable time for removing the tiglets that form
first. It is seldom that a second lot is produced
at the places from which the others were taken if
they are not removed before the first week in
September, and more frequently August 25 is
quite late enough. In houses, under more favour-
able conditions, this crop would ripen, but out of
doors the fruit, not being forward enough to come
to maturity, would be destroyed by the frost ;
therefore every effort should be made to get
others to take their place, which, not being so
forward, would be able to withstand the cold and
would commence to swell again with the warm
weather in spring. Many birds are partial to
ripe Figs ; this being so, the fruit must be pro-
tected with small-meshed nets, otherwise the
crop will soon be cleared off. Where the fruit
has to be sent to a distance it ought to be
gathered before being fully ripe, otherwise it will
not travel. Shallow boxes that only take one
layer are preferable for this purpose, and where
they have to go a considerable distance should be
made sufficiently stout to resist the knocking
about they get on the railway. Where a quantity
has to be sent at one time it would be best to
divide the boxes into four, each compartment
taking a dozsn. In this way when they ^et placed
on the ends, but little harm would result; whereas
it there were no partitions the weight of the top
fruit would crush those beneath.

H. C. Prissef.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
Cabb.vge (.rouxd. — The preparation of the ground
intended to receive the main crop Cabbage should
be taken in hand as soon as it is cleared of a pre-
vious crop, and the nature of this crop, together
with the method in which the ground was prepared
for it, must be taken into consideration when get-
ting ready for the Cabbage. Most crops are ear-
lier this year, and this gives a more varied
choice of cleared ground than is usually the case.
A favourite site for the Cabbage bed is the
ground already cleared of spring-sown Onions,
and on this there should be no occasion for
further manuring, as the heavy dressing given to
the Onions should leave the ground in good heart
and able to carry a heavy crop of Cabbages ;
nevertheless, the latter being such gross feeders,
it will be well to make sure of the matter by giv-
ing a further supply of well-rotted stock-yard
manure if there is any doubt at all about the
capabilities of the land. Either in combination
with manure or alone, I would advise that in aU.
gardens where Cabbages give any trouble the
ground shall have a fairly heavy dressing of gas-
lime just now, either dug in with other manure, or
where the latter is not to be added, forked in near
the surface. Gas-lime has a wonderful effect for
good on all the Cabbage tribe, as it promote.^
good growth and grand colour on the produce
and prevents attacks from club and various
infect pests. There need be but little fear of
overdoing the land with this cheap and valuable
fertiliser, as it has no injurious effects on Cabbages
when pure, the only danger being that portions pf it
may have become , as they sometimes will, saturated
with gas-tar while in the purifiers, but such por-
tions may easily be discovered either by the
colour or by smell, and should be cast aside.

The Oxiox ground, except on the heaviest soils,
will hardly need digging for Cabbages except as
a means of adding manure; in other cases a merely
superficial stirring of the surface will be sufficient,
as a firm root-run is best tor the crop and should
be obtained when digging is done by breaking
down all clods into a tolerably fine condition and
treading the plot thoroughly after digging and
again before planting. Although Cabbages revel
in a rich soil, it is well in low-lying gardens to be
cautious about planting them on such, as experi-
ence here has taught me that plants on such soil

146

THE GARDEN.

[August 22, 1896.

in a low position are the first to succumb to a
severe winter, and for this reason I dvoid the
Onion plot foe the main crop and plant on cround
in a higher position, which has been cleared of
Potatoes, simply dressing this with gas-lime and
forking it over level before treading. A few are
planted to succeed the Onions, but these are fre-
quently cut and used before Christmas, as it is
only in such winters as the last that they come
safely through without loss. A final sowing of
main crop varieties may now be made, and
sufficient ground should be prepared to carry a
good breadth from this sowing, as none of the
plants will be likely to bolt, and they will prove
valuable for succeeding the earlier sown plants,
and in a private garden a good succession is of
more value than a large breadth of purely early
plants, some of which would be sure to spoil be-
fore they could be used.

TrRNiPS.— There is yet time for the formation
of good usable Turnips if a further lot of seed is
sown at this time. Kain has at last come in fair
quantity in this neighbourhood, and with the
ground thoroughly warm as it is, growth should
be quick. In any case these late-sown plants are
sure to prove thoroughly hardy and may be left
in the ground, so that those not needed for use in
the orthodox way may remain to form greens in
spring, these being at times very acceptable. In
addition to the White Stone and Chirk Castle va-
rieties Early Milan may be added to the list for
present sowing, and this will come in earlier than
the others for pulling. Earlier sowings will need
and must have every attention in the matter of
early hoeing and thinning, for Turnips are quickly
spoiled and lose all bulbing power if left thickly
in the row long after they have reached the rough-
leaved stage ; they ought, too, to have frequent
dustings of wocd-ashes, this gives them a dirty
appearance at the time, but saves them from bird
and insect attacks, besides promoting good
growth, and it should be used with no unsparing
hand if intended to thoroughly effect its purpose.
Choose for sowing an open position, as the plants
will now need all the light they can get. Do not
over-thin — that is to say, there is no need to give
more than S inches between the plants of small
varieties, anything more than this with late sow-
ings is wasted room, as the leafage will not be great.
Peas. — Where the advice given in previous
calendar notes as to watering and mulching Peas
has been put into practice there should have been
but little difficulty in keeping up the supply, ex-
cept in those gardens where the demand exceeds
its due limit. For a week or two we had, owing
to a bad attack of thrips in the blossom, a slight
falling of}', but this was soon mastered, and thi
present supply is good and likely to remain so, a
rows of Gold'finder, Ne Plus Ultra, Duchess of
Edinburgh, and especially Chelsonian, are carry-
ing a heavy crop and still blossoming. The last
mentioned has reached a height of S feet and
still growing. In dealing with late crops, light
showers must not be taken into account, and
watering should be continued, as it is only by
this means, combined with mulching, that that
dreaded pest to Peas, mildew, can be kept at bay.
Where this pest has already attacked the plants
they should be treated to bi-weekly syringings with
a solution of sulphide of potassium or some other
mildew destroyer. Those who have still good
rows of Peas coming on should be especially care-
ful in staking the same, to give plenty of support
to resist the strong winds which may be expected
before the Pea season is over, and which frequently
do the crop much damage. The rows, too, which
are already staked might have a few additional
sticks placed here and there along the row, with
the same object. The garden sparrows appear too
fastidious to get off to the cornfields this year while
they can get green Peas, which are more to their
liking than is corn in dry weather. The ordinary
gin, baited with an open pod full of Peas, is the
best means of dealing with the pest, and in the
case of tall varieties the traps should be set high
up amongst the sticks.

Crf rMi;EK~. — If Cucumbers are expected during
the winter, the pre8?nt is a good time for sowing

the seed, which should be done singly in small
pots, and the young plants must have good atten-
tion from the "first. Genial cinarters, a full share
of light and freedom from insect pests are im-
portant points to bear in mind when dealing with
winter Cucumbers, as plants weakened from
neglect of either of these will be worth nothing
for fruiting during the dullest months of the year.
The soil for the seed- pots should be light and

oist enough at the time of sowing to do without
further watering until germination takes place,
and it will be well to place the seed-pots under
bell-glasses until the seedlings appear. Enough
seed should be sown to admit of selecting only
the strongest plants, a night temperature of 65^'
should be given, and the young plants must be
potted on or planted out (whichever system is
chosen) before they become root-bound, as checks
to growth from any cause are fatal to success. As
the pit or house in which the plants are intended to
fruit will not get much ventilation later on, it ia
necessary to see tuat it is thoroughly clean
and sweet, the walls and all available surfaces
should be whitewashed. Though the hotbed
system is not recomminded for winter Cucumbers,
a few inches of sweet Oak or Beech leaves and
manure mixed and placed under the mounds of
soil or the p^ts will counteract somewhat the dry
heat proceeding from the hot-water pipes in cold
weather. The soil for potting or planting must
be light and fibrous, and should contain no other
manure than about one-sixth of decayed horse
manure, and, added to the whole, should be enough
broken plaster or lime rubble to keep the soil sweet.
Sion House and Telegraph are my favourite
winter Cucumbers, the former, though small, ir
very freely produced.

Fr.vme CrccMBERS.— a few weeks ago I ad
vised those who have not the advantages of i
winter Cucumber house, but wish to make the
manure-heated frame or pit supply last out as long
as possible, to sow for this supply. The plants
should now be ready for planting, and the pit, which
should be a narrow one, ready to receive them.
Late fruitsfrom these plants will be good in quality
if few in number, and will beat in that respect any
grown on plants which have been fruiting for
some months. Any plants which have become
infested with red spider may be treated to an old
fashioned, but effective remedy, which m>y safely
be put in practice now, though a little risky dur-
ing the hot weather we have had. I allude to the
little practised plan of giving the plants a heavy
syringing in the morning and keeping the frame
or pit closely shut and unshaded all day. The
efi'ect of this on a bright day will be to kill the
maioritv of the insects without injuring the
plants. J- C. Tm.lack.

Flower Garden.

HARDY BOKDER FLOWERS AT KEW.
Theke is at the present time in the long and
spacious border adjoicing No. 7 greenhouse in
the Royal Gardens at Kew what is undoubtedly
a welcome array of the best hardy flowers in
season Not that tliis particular spot has in all
the year that is past been noteworthy for its
barrenness ; far from it. On the contrary, it has
been showy for weeks past, displaying many of
our finest hardy flowers, not in ones or twos,
but in bold and telling groups that must, if such
things can do anything at all, create a desire in
the minds of those who behold them to endea-
vour to do likewise. The border in question is
essentially a mixed one, and contains, as all
such borders undoubtedly should, a varied
assortment of plants to furnish a display of
flowers during the greater part of the year.
And if at the time of planting this was one of
the chief objects in view, it must be a source of
gratification to the designers _that^_ so important
an aim has been

upon several occasions at intervals during the
present season visited this border, and while it
has always been interesting in the variety of
'owering subjects it contained at the moment,
it has upon others been even gay and again
decidedly attractive. And now, having fur-
nished such a succession of flowers as
may during the past three months have
been seen by numbers interested in hardy
flowers, the same border is to-day (August 8)
even more gay and more attractive than ever.
In this same border quite early in the year
were to be seen masses of fragrant Pinks in the
greatest profusion, Iberises, Oriental Poppies
in gaudy splendour, the stately towering Lark-
spurs in bold masses, Pyrethrums, early (suf-
fruticose) Phloxes, Irises, and many others
equally suitable, and a later display included
climbing Roses, Sweet Peas, together with the
perennial kinds. Day Lilies in bold, efl'ective
display, Lenioine's Gladioli, and the like ;
while at the present time there is a fiile show
of Gaillardias in many showy forms, all bril-
liant and afl'ording abundant material in those
instances where cut flowers are required ;
Bocconia cordata, the three forms of Japanese
Anemones— red, white, and pink, all in spread-
ing masses that will carry a profusion of blos-
soms for a long time. As here seen the red
variety is the earliest to bloom, and has quan-
tities of flowers already some days expanded,
and very showy and distinct it is. The white
variety, unequalled for its glistening purity,
had not so many open blossoms, but buds in
great numbers, and the groups of exceptional
vigour. Phloxes now also make a fine display,
several kinds being especially fine. Of these.
Pantheon is a rose -salmon with very large
flowers; Sidcle, brilliant salmon-scarlet, very
efl'ective ; while Diademe and Sulphide are the
finest of pure white kinds. There are also Vero-
nicas, Pentstemons, Statices, Carnations in
various colours in bold masses, Gaura Lindhei-
meri, perennial Sunflowers in variety, Rudbeckia
Newmani and a host of other things in variety ;
and then, apart from the more perfectly hardy
subjects, and occupying positions where bulbous-
rooted things flowered in spring, are effective
trroups of Godetias, Phlox Drummondi in many
brilliant and effective shades, Linum grandi-
florum coccineum. Convolvulus minor, Chrysan-
themum carinatum, Senecio elegans, Antirrhi-
nums (very attractive, particularly those of deep
crimson hue), masses of Amaranthus, Marigolds,
among which appears the dwarf kind recently
figured in a coloured plate in The Gardex.
These are all in broad efl'ective masses, that
show the value of such things, and are so dis-
posed amid the freedom and luxuriance of the
predominating perennials, that they rather assist
the display in the foreground that in spring was
occupied with dwarf subjects. And there is yet
enough of material in this particular border to
make it gay for some time to come. I" tn>s
later display the Michaelmas Daisies will ba
conspicuous, for they are even now producing
myriads of buds that will presently be expanded
blossoms, and with these the latest flowers of
the Kniphofias and perennial Sunflowers will
also appear. And it is just such a border as
this that in any large garden would prove an
inestimable boon, and such a border— contain-
ing so many of the useful and beautiful flowers
of the year— may not be lightly esteemed ;
rather should it be freely imitated, as much for
the interest it awakens as for its own intrinsic

successful. The writer has

worth. . ^' •

liilium Henryi.— This well merits the noUces
that have from time to time appeared in The
Garden, as it is in most respects a very desirabie
Lily. One notable feature is the vigour of its

August 22, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

147

ccnstitution, for planted out in an open border the
Emallest offsets will rapidly gain strength and
improve year by year. Its value as a first-rate
outdoor Lily has been well shown at Kew for a
few years, and the present is no exception to the
rule. This Lily has been in some catalogues
spoken of as the yellow speciosum, which it cer-
tainly is not, as the general appearance of the
plant suggests as great an affinity to L. tigrinum
as it does to L. speciosum, though it is perfectly
distinct from any of them. The bulbs of L.
Henryi do not bear any resemblance to those of
either of the epecies just mentioned, but, singu-
larly enough, they are more in the way of some
other eastern species. Thus, though the follow-
ing kinds are distinct enough in foliage, flower
and style of growth, their bulbs in some cases
approach each other so closely, that it is impossible
to separate them. The species are L. Henryi, L.
nepalense, L. neilgherrense and L. sulphureum, at
first known as L. Wallichianum superbum. I do
not mean to fay that all the bulbs might be so
confounded, but there is a certain amount of
variability about them, and some individuals of
one .species mimic those of another. It is only a
few of the mahogany-coloured bulbs of L. neil-
gherrense that would be mistaken for any other,
while the dark hue of most of those of L. sul-
phureum serve to form a distinguishing feature.
L. nepalense, on the other hand, is more uniform
in appearance than the preceding, and it is diffi-
cult to select them with certainty from L. Henryi.
There is one feature, however, in which all these
Lilies show a strong affinity towards each other,
and that is in the fact that very few roots of a
fibrous nature are produced, for those pushed out
from the base of the bulb are stout and deep de-
scending, while they are not borne from the
bottom of the flower- stem to anything like the
same extent as they are in some Lilies. Another
species to which these remarks will apply is the
Caucasian L. Szovitzianum, a beautiful Lily, and
one of the early flowering ones. — H. P.

Japanese liilium longiflorum.— We now
receive bulbs of Lilium longiflorum or varieties
thereof from various parts ot the world— viz., the
typical species, now not much grown, from
Holland, that known as L. Harrisi from Bermuda,
a very striking form from Japan, while a few
seasons ago South Africa sent us some grand
bulbs which proved in every way satisfactory.
As the bulbs of Harrisi from Bermuda reach here,
as a rule, in the early part of August, they are of
course superior to any of the others for early
forcing, and are consequently much sought after
lor that purpose ; but when required for planting
out of doors, or for bringing on in pots to flower
at the normal season, or nearly so, the .Japanese
bulbs have within the last few years greatly in-
creased in popularity, and are by many preferred
for later blooming— that is to say, from May
onward. The demand for them last winter was
so great that the supply at the London auction
rooms was soon exhausted. It is considered by
many that, as a rule, these bulbs from Japan pro-
duce more flowers on a stem than the Bermuda
ones, and this, I think, more particularly applies
to the smaller bulbs. The magnificent group
which Messrs. Wallace, of Colchester, have several
times exhibited at the Temple show (and more
recently at the Drill Hall) under the name of
L. longiflorum giganteum shows these Japanese-
grown bulbs in a most favourable light. Planted
out of doors, they have been during the latter
half of July one of the most attractive objects in
the garden. Earwigs are very fond of congregating
at the end of the long tube-like flower, from
whence they can be shaken out and destroyed.
— H. P.

Lilium Batemannee.— The note on this Lily
(page 111) is well merited, for it is just now one
of the most conspicuous Lilies in flower in the
open ground. In general particulars it is very
like a form of Lilium elegans, the apricot-coloured
flowers being much in the way of those of that
variety of L. elegans known as venustum. Con-
siderable numbers of this Lily are generally sent
here from Japan during the winter, at which

time it can, as a rule, be purchased at a moderate
rate. The bulbs are scarcely to be distinguished
from those of the much rarer and extremely grace-
ful L. Leichtlini ; hence L. Batemanna- is some-
times sold at auction sales under the name of the
other species. L. Batemannse is essentially a
Lily for the open border, as it does not lend itself
to pot culture, for though the flowers usually de-
velop fairly well, the foliage gets very shabby
before the time of blooming, which detracts
greatly from its beauty. The other Lily above
referred to — L. Leichtlini — is such a charming
species, that one wonders it is not more often
grown. It is a slender grower with narrow grass-
like foliage, and beautifully reflexed blossoms of
a warm straw colour, dotted with crimson. This
will grow and flower in a perfectly satisfactory
manner in pots, but for all this it is delicate in
constitution, and must be well drained and not
overwatered. It seldom holds its own in the open
ground for any great length of time, which is
doubtless the reason of it always commanding a
good price. — fl. P.

larger varieties down, and the smaller up to the
required standard. It is well known that when
flowers naturally disposed to co.arseness are sub-
dued in growth, they gain in form in direct pro-
portion as they lose in size ; and, on the other
hand, small and compact varieties will be im-
proved by an excess of growth, as these varieties
rarely become coarse, even when subjected to high
cultivation and treated to stimulants. Coarse
flowers are reduced in size, and have their sym-
metry more assured by allowing the plants to
develop all the buds they form. Small flowers
have their sizes increased by judicious, and some-
times by severe disbudding. R. D.

THE COMING DAHLU. EXHIBITIONS.
So early generally are the flowers this season that
they have already put in an appearance, and were
seen in competition at the early shows of the
present month. At Cardiff, Taunton, Trowbridge,
Reading, Brighton, Bath and other exhibitions
which will be held during the next week or so.
Dahlias form an important feature in the cut
flower classes, and are seen in fine character. The
usual Dahlia show, in connection with the National
Chrysanthemum Society's exhibition, will take
place at the Royal Aquarium on September
and 3, followed by that of the National Dahlia
Society at the Crystal Palace on the 4th and 5th ;
and on the latter date a newly-formed Dahlia
society at Wellingborough, Northamptonshire,
will hold its first annual show — a fact which tes-
tifies to the revived popularity of the Dahlia as an
exhibition flower. Young or inexperienced exhi-
bitors are liable to commit two mistakes in setting
up a stand of Dahlias for exhibition — they stage
flowers which are frequent!}' too old, and they
then soon show signs of open centres (which is a
grave defect), or they soon commence to lose their
back petals. A flower should not only have a
full, high centre, but be symmetrical in all its
parts, fresh, clean, and old enough to be properly
developed, but young enough to stand the strain of
one day or two days' exhibition and remain com-
paratively fresh. Flowers with petals eaten by ear-
wigs are sometimes staged, apparently in the hope
that they will pass muster with the judges, or
they are defective from other causes. Another
common fault is that of placing on a stand flowers
uneven in size — some large, almost or quite past
their best, and some which are barely more than
half developed. This inequality in size is a
grave defect in a stand, and lowers it in the esti-
mation of the judges. An exhibitor may some-
times be driven to set up flowers which are too
young, by reason of scarcity of blooms with which
to make up the requisite number, but it would
be better to be content with a smaller class, or
not attempt to exhibit at all.

In stands of Dahlias staged for competition the
flowers are arranged in three rows. The blooms in
each row respeccively should be matched as nearly
as possible in sizes, and though some difference in
the dimensions of the blooms in either row (in re-
lation to other rows) is not only admissible, but
even to a certain extent necessary, yet the general
appearance of the whole is much more effective
when the disproportion of size between the first,
second and third tiers is not too marked, and the
gradation is just sufficient and no more. Let it
be remembered that the size of a flower may be
readily increased or diminished by judicious cul-
tivation, and so be made, in a great measure, to
accommodate itself to the requirements of the
grower. To this end it is a good plan to select
a variety neither too large nor too small, as the
representative of what is most appropriate for the
middle row, and then endeavour to grow the

"White Delphinium. — I lately saw this plant
in fine condition in Messrs. Kelway's nursery at
Langport. This variety is as vigorous in growth
as many of those which bear different coloured
flowers, and for contrast with them it is a valu-
able addition, for of this noble class of plants we
cannot have too many, especially if subsequent
summers are to be as hot and dry as the one we
are passing through — theDelphinium being adeep-
rooted plant. Those established in the ground
have not suffered from the drought nearly so much
as more shallow-rooting subjects-— H. C.

Cactus Dahlia Mayor Haskins. — Those on
the lookout for something good in the way of
Dahlias of this increasingly popular type should
make a note of the above. Its colour is rich crim-
son and the form perfect. I thought an improve-
ment on the variety Gloriosa to be an impossi-
bility. The fault of the latter with some is
that the flowers come too big. If this be a fault,
the newer Mayor Haskins should be called an im-
provement, and the colour, too, is richer than we
find in the older one. — S.

Cactus Dahlias and their flowers.— The
great fault of some of these varieties — notably
that charming yellow. Lady Penzance, and the
light pink Delicata— is that they refuse to throw
their blooms well out from the foliage, and are
thus not nearly so valuable for decoration as they
would be if the stems were longer. I have, how-
ever, found an easy way out ot the difficulty by
disbudding. It will be noticed that the blooms
of Cactus Dahlias usually come in twos and threes.
Now instead of keeping the centre buds, pinch
them out and allow either one, or for that matter
the other two, to develop and a striking difference
in the length of stem will follow.

Gladiolus Dr. H. P. Walcot.— This is a
superb variety, a large number of the brilliant
flowers opening upon the spike at once. A cut
spike now before me has twelve, and each blossom
is over 6 inches across. The three outer segments
are vermilion, streaked with white, the inner ones
overlapping, the upper similar to the sepals ; the
two lower each have a large white blotch in the
centre, the throat being spotted with a deep crim-
son-lake on a silvery white ground. — R.

Gladiolus Crimson Maitre.— Though not so
large or full as the preceding, this is a very
refined and beautiful flower and one of the most
richly marked varieties I have in a somewhat
extensive collection. The two lower petals are
as richly marked as a Tigridia, the centre being
a lovely velvety crimson, running into white
towards the front, the tips a distinct rosy magenta,
a charming shade that is repeated on the upper
petal. The outer segments are purplish crimson,
flaked with a brighter tint and white.— R.

Papavar alpinum.— A most unexpected form
of Papaver alpinum has just appeared in my rock
garden. The flowers, which are white, are rather
smaller than is usually the case with P. alpinum.
Some of them have two corollas, the inner one fitting
close to the outer one, but separated from it from
the base upwards, and each of the corollas,
instead of being divided into four petals, is irre-
gularly cut into a large number of small sections
(multifid), many of the divisions reaching half
way or more to the base, thus forming what at

first sight looks like

arge

petals of irregular width, but

number of small
St of which

148

THE CxAEDEX.

[August 22, 1806.

narrow and long, giving the flower the appear-
ance, as seen from a little distance, of a large and
somewhat cup-shaped Daisy. In one flower I
counted fifty-three divisions. Some of the flowers
have only one corolla, which on examination is
found to consist of four petals, but it is so deeply
and numerously cut, as above described, as to
make the four petals unnoticeable at first glance.
The plant is self-sown from last year. Imme-
diately above it are several clumps of alpine Poppy,
and somewhat near it are plenty of Iceland Pop-
pies, but these are all normal in form, so the mere
fact of a cross between some of these would not
explain the mystery. I had last year in a border
near this some clumps of large annual Shirley
Poppies, some of which were deeply fringed, but
it is ditticult to believe that the diminutive alpine
Poppy would cross with one of these. Perhaps
one of your readers may have had a similar expe-
rience or can offer a suggestion as to the cause of
it.— Ror.ERT W. Williamson-, The Croft, Dl<h-
hurt/.

Crocosmia imperialis. — The charming
orange-scarlet flowers of this fine hardy bulbous
plant are just now very attractive, the spikes
attaining a height of over .") feet and much
branched. It may be planted in autumn with
perfect safety, all that is required being to place
a little fine dry soil of a sandy texture about the
bulbs if the soil is inclined "to be heavy. The
flowers are among the best at this season for
arranging in tall vases or branching epergnes.

LILIUM AURATUM.
The bulbs of Lilium auratum shown in the
photograph were purchased six years ago. They
have been practically undisturbed since they
were first planted and have flowered well in
every year until 189.5. They never exceeded 6
feet iu height, whereas some of them that year
were over 8 feet. They are 'planted in peat
and leaf mould about IS inches on a subsoil of
gravel, with a south aspect and sheltered by
rising ground from the X. and E., with full es-
posure to sun. They were well watered during
the dry weather last summer, and this year are
as good as last summer. Some bulbs planted
in loam at the same tinje have not increased in
the same way, only throwing up two or three
stems as against twelve to fifteen by those
planted in peat.— H. G. Deva.s, UarttiM,
Jhnjis, K.:,d.

The golden-rayed Lily is a remarkably

variable species, for when grown in quantity it is
often extremely difficult to pick out two that are
alike, or nearly so, for they differ from each other in
many particulars. The marking of the flower, its
conformation, and the angle it forms in relation to
the stem are all noticeable points, and so is the
height of the plant as well as the leafage. In this
latterfeature itvaries considerably, somespecimens
having leaves double the width of that of others,
and many of the narrowest are three times as
numerous as the broad ones. Varying as they do,
it may be readily understood that from an orna-
mental point of view some are greatly superior to
others, the most effective form usually being one
of moderate height, with leaves of medium width,
whose flowers are pushed out at nearly right
angles to the stem, while the blossoms themselves
are round and full, with broad segments and well
spotted petals. In direct contrast to this is a
loose ii regular flower, generally poor in colour,
■with weak stalks, altogether a greatly inferior
form, which, unfortunately, in some importations
is pretty numerous. While such as are above
indicated crop up to a greater or less extent
among the bulbs sent from Japan, there are other
well-marked and recognised varieties which are
kept distinct, and at the auction sales held during
the winter they command higher prices. Promi-
nent among them is rubro-vittatum, a fine large
flower, in which the golden band down the centre
of each petal characteristic of the typical kind is
replaced by a rich crimson one, which renders it

a remarkably effective Lily. One drawback is
that after expansion the crimson snon becomes
rather dull, but even then the plant stands out
boliUy from its associates. Besides the varietal
name of rubro-vittatum, it is sometimes known by
that of cruentum. In direct contrast to this is
the variety virginale or Wittei, a pure white
flower except a golden band down each petal.
The total absence of spots is a notable feature of
this variety. The bulbs of the two last-mentioned
forms are, as sent from Japan, always a good deal
smaller than those of the average L. auratum,
but they flower well, and when obtained from the
auction sales can, as far as my experience goes,
be relied upon to be true to name. In the bulbs
of L. auratum rubro-vittatum the scales are broad
and with a rather reddish tendency, while in
virginale they are more numerous, being nar-
rower and of a paler tint. These two varieties
are rather delicate in constitution, and are more
often employed for greenhouse decoration when
griwn in pots than they are for planting in the
open ground. While the above are characterised

all grass for layering, but I can find no such fault
with the one in question, as it gives sufiioient
layers to allow of a rea-iy increase of stock. I
hope that those newer varieties in the same
colour of which Mr. Burrell writes will prove to
have an equally good constitution with Carolus
Duran ; and, notwithstanding its French origin,
there need be no fear of the hardiness of the latter,
which I have now grown for many years in a
garden noted for its cold winters and its fogs. I
plant in September or October and give no
shelter.— J. C. Tai.i.ack.

Clematis Jackmani.— This fine hardy climber
may be used in many ways in the garden. I
find it gets a lot of admirers grown in a single
bed by itself. It is growing in a round bed Vl feet
across : some ten or twelve plants are growing in
it. In the spring before growth begins I place some
spray sticks in it, raising them to 3 feet or 4 feet
high in the centre, allowing them to come close
to the ground at the edge. In this way it makes
a lovely mass of blue on the green turf. The
effect is improved this year by planting amongst

Lilium anratum

by weaker growth than the ordinary L. auratum,
there is a variety which is far more vigorous than
the type. This is platyphyllum, with very broad
leaves and large saucer-shaped blooms, which are,
as a rule, not much spotted. Some enormous
bulbs of this may sometimes be picked up during
the winter. The bulbs of this differ from most of
the ordinary auratum in having larger, broader,
and lighter-coloured scales. When in good con-
dition this is a grand Lily, but, like all the forms
of L. auratum, it is liable to die off when in full
growth without an}' apparent cause. — H. P.

Carnation Carolus Duran.— This fine Car-
nation is not, as Mr. Burrell points out, ([uite so
large as Mrs. Reynolds-Hole — that is to say, its
diameter is not so great, but it is a fuller and
weightier bloom. One of its finest characteristics,
viz , its perpetual character, has not been noted,
and it may interest growers of border Carnations
to know that the plants here are still (August 10)
in good bloom, while many spikes have not yet
opened a bud. This freedom of flowering is with
many Carnations a defect, as it robs the plants of

hardy Azileas in a bed adjoining a good mass
of the common red Gladiolus, the red showing off
the blue. — J. Crooic.

Datura cornucopsea. — I saw' the other day at
Euston Hall some good specimens of this new
Datura growing in the greenhouse and carrying
some very fine flowers the scent from which
was delicious, and which should establish the
plant in the favour of those who have a special
regard for scented plants. The massive bloom.'*
are handsome in form, though the mottled white
and purple colouring will hardly please those who
care most for decided self colours in flowers.
The plants appear to like plenty of pot room and
a strong loamy sail.— J. C. Tallack.

'White Everlasting' Pea. — It would be im-
possible to overpraise this hardy climbing Pea,
there are so many places it may be placed in to
advantage in large grounds. 1 have it growing
and hanging over some big stones in a rockery,
also (limbing up amongst some evergreen shrubs,
and covering a wall by placing a few sticks for it
to climb up. In each position it gives a good
effect. When at Rausdin recently I noticed a big

August 22, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

149

mass of it, supported by common Pea sticks, grow-
ing in the kitchen garden. I never have seen it
growing so strongly before. — J. Crook.

FLOWER GARDEN NOTES.
Suggestions for l-\rge i-.eds — On large lawns or
in various nooks and corners in large pleasure
grounds one often has to deal with large beds, and
they make a brave show if well done. If small
conifeno are not objected to, a few occasionally
in beds will be acceptable. A bed that I saw the
other day had seven Retinosporas 4 feet high and
nearly as much through at the base ; clumps of
Galtonia radicans occupied the central spaces
between the coniferie, and it was finished with
crimson Antirrhinum. A hint for a bed of similar
size planted in the same way, but with somewhat
different materials, would be Lobelia fulgens
Queen Victoria in lieu of the Galtonia, and Gyp-
sophilain place of the Antirrhinum. With refer-
ence to the coniferre, it is quite possible to keep
them well within bounds and yet to avoid undue
formality by judicious pruning, removing leading
shoots carefully where this is necessary, so that
no cuts are visible — in fact, so to leave the trees
when the operation is finished that it would be
diiBcult to say a knife had been at work. The
fact that the majority of deciduous shrubs are
spring - flowering naturally prevents one from
utilising them for the sites under consideration ;
their foliage, too, is not calculated to form that
pleasing contrast when associated with hardy
flowering plants that is a characteristic of Reti-
nosporas, Thujopsia, and other conifera?. An ex-
ception must be made in the case of bright-foli-
aored shrubs, such, for instance, as the variegated
Maples and Prunus Pissardi, that act respectively
as admirable contrasts to the hardy Fuchsias or
the Sweet Tobacco (Nicotiana attinis) or scarlet
and white Phloxes. Some of the taller annuals of
an enduring nature may also be used with advan-
tage in such beds, and if dwarf plants have been
previously employed for the purpose, their succes-
sors will be all the more welcome. Let me re-
commend a trial of the new miniature Sunflower,
var. Stella. The type is now generally known,
but this variety, both in vigour, in size of foliage
and flower (nearly twice that of the older sort),
may be accepted as a most decided improvement.
Plants from seed sown the latter end of March are
already 5 feet high (July 27) and flowering freely,
and this on an ordinary herbaceous border with
very little preparation. On a bed that had received
a thorough doing (to coin a familiar word) the
plants by the middle of July would be full of
vigour and covered with their large starry
flowers. Let me add a good word for Nicotiana
colossea. A demand for one or two good foliage
beds on a large scale is often made, and as house
accommodation is not always sufficient for so-
called sub-tropical plants, there was at one time a
difficulty in supplying the demand. The pro-
blem, however, is solved by the acquisition of the
giant Tobacco. If sown early, say some time in
the beginning of March, potted off singly, grown
on briskly for a time, gradually hardened off, and
then planted in good soil, it will grow away at an
amazing pace and soon furnish the bed. Xo plant
with such enormous foliage can bo grown so
easily.

Failures. — It has often been suggested in con-
nection with every department of the garden that
the unhesitating record of failures wquld be more
instructive than that of success, and, accepting the
undoubted truism, let me note a few.

Spik.eas. — More, perhaps, on our light dry soil,
because of the determination to try and associate
them with other things on the herbaceous border
rather than assigning them to special quarters, in
the first position, certainly, given a hot, dry sum-
mer, they are a decided failure, and it is a species,
taking the herbaceous or shrubby section as a
whole, that will not, like other moisture-loving
plants, accommodate itself to situations it does
not fancy, no matter how liberal the treatment.
The exception is the beautiful foliaged variety
filipendula fl.-pl.; this is apparently at home in

almost any soil and situation. I shall lift all other
varieties and plant them on a north border, an
experiment that has already proved a success in
the case of astilboides. Such a border will be
found extremely useful for many things. A selec-
tion of good Phloxes, for instance, will on this
site be considerably later in flowering, and the
flowers keeping out well, the supply will be pro-
portionately prolonged.

Dracocephalum grandiflorum. — Perhapssome
reader who has grown this successfully will kindly
say what it likes in the matter of soil. I was ad-
vised to plant it on a warm sunny border, but am
inclined to think, given such a situation, it should
be in a good, rather retentive soil. It does not at
any rate flourish in our sandy loam with a suc-
cession of hot, dry summers.

LiLiFM candidfm. — Again, in the matter of this
Lily 1 have to record almost a total loss of foli-
age, but the ability to save the flower-spikes, al-
though with flowers that in size were considerably
below the average. Like Mr. Smith in The G.4R-
DBN (p. 107), I cannot understand how any drying
of the bulbs can possibly act asa preventive to the
particular disease in question. The bulb has no
more to do with it as a first cause than have the
young tubers of I'otatoes with the haulm in the
case of Potato disease, and, indeed, the stem of
the Lily is not touched in any way ; it stands firm
and sound long after the foliage has dropped.
The mixture of blue vitriol and crystal soda
would probably be a great preventive, only it
would have to be applied early, even before the
disease had made its appearance in the mildest
form.

Princess Alice Stock. — The failure here is
not a matter of cultivation, but something wrong
with the seed. I have grown this variety for many
years, and have alwaj's obtained a big percentage
of doubles, probably quite 90 per cent. This year,
however, the case is cjuite altered, and more than
three out of every four have thrown single flowers.
This can generally be depended on to furnish a
fine supply of pure white flowers, and as the
single form is comparatively worthless, the loss is
considerable. Perhaps other correspondents will
kindly say what their experience has been.

PoLY,4_NTHUs. — There seems a doubt with some
as to whether divided old plants are likely to be
a success for another year, but there is very little
doubt about it. The answer is, " Most decidedly if
the operation is carefully performed." The finest
individual flowers are obtained from seedlings, but
for a great wealth of bloom there is nothing like
the old stock. Being aware that circumstances
would necessitate the removal of the plants from
the quarters they have occupied for the last four
years, I went carefully through them and marked
the best when they were in flower. These have
just been lifted, and as the permanent quarters
are not yet available, they are laid in on a north
border, and having received a good soaking, the
young growth is well on the move. The ground
for their reception will be thoroughly well done
and the old crowns split up into two, three or four
plants, as their size and formation may determine.
Red spider had a grip of the plants quite early in
the season, and with the inability to water, it in-
creased so rapidly, that some time before the lift-
ing took place the old foliage was simply a yellow

The Jalap plant.— I should like to say a word
in connection with these flower garden notes on
the illustration of the above plant that appeared
in No. 12S9. We get some beautifully executed
specimens in The Garden, and this struck me as
first-class in every detail, flower and foliage
being alike so clear and well defined and
the drawing of the tendrils so emphatically
natural. Such work is a great help to those
anxious to thoroughly understand the habit of a
plant, especially when that plant is both rare and
interesting. E. Bfrrell.

Ciaremont.

Nicotiana affinis. — The most fragrant flower
at eventide is this fragrant Tobacco, and large

plants about the shrubbery borders assist very
materially in brightening their surroundings and
producing a welcome fragrance that is felt far and
near at this season. It is a beautiful plant that
gives little or no trouble, and is very useful in the
garden.

Begonia semperflorena rosea.— Four large
circular groups of this pretty kind in the gardens
at Kow are very charming, and prove it to be
among the best of the dwarf bedding kinds.
The plants are each about (i inches or 8 inches
high, and produce an endless supply of rosy
blossoms. In close proximity is another called
Crimson Gem : of this there are two beds, and here
the bronzy-purple hue of the foliage is as effective
as the flowers. Both kinds are very useful and
are flowering near No. 4 greenhouse.

Polygonum affine. — The mass of this plant
in the rock garden at Kew is fully 5 feet across,
and this space is occupied by a dense throng of its
columnar miniature spikes of flowers. These
latter are of a pink hue, while the spreading tufts
of leaves are bronze. The plant is one of the
easiest to grow and well suited to dry spots,
where it quickly spreads out into dense, compact
tufts, and when covered with its numerous
spikes is one of the prettiest of late summer
flowers.

Zauschneria californica. — This has been one
of the most brilliant of rock plants for the past
week or two, and for its bright effect should have
a large space devoted to it either in the rock
garden or in the border. In some localities
It is apt to travel about too freely, particularly
where the soils are light and warm ; but in
the more heavy soils it sometimes gives trouble
to establish it. The flowers are brilliant scarlet
or vermilion in shade, very distinct, and most
effective in a large mass. In height it is about
1 foot, sometimes rather more when in the deeper
soil of the border. There is a variety of it called
splendens, with flowers of a brighter hue, though
it is difficult to conceive anything more brilliant
than the type. It should be generally known that
this is a good plant for a rather dry soil or position.

HEMEROCALLIS THUNBERGI.
I WAS somewhat surprised that the above excellent
kind received no mention whatever in the recent
note on the Day Lilies by " S. W. F." This may
have been due to a momentary oversight. To my
mind it is one of the most valuable of the self
yellow kinds, more particularly perhaps because
it provides flowers when the beautiful typical H.
flava is past and gone. This last-named species
is in all respects excellent either for the border or
for pots in the greenhouse earlier in the year, and
it may be due to its earlier flowering, perhaps,
that H. flava is the predominant kind in many
gardens. Those, however, who do not know or
grow H. Thuiibergi will find this as valuable in
July in the open border as is H. flava in the
month of June, a fact that gives it a value of its
own. Indeed, both kinds are etjually welcome, as
then a succession of beautiful flowers is kept up
for a much longer time. H. Thunbergi is less
erect than H. flava, the flowers are rather larger
and of a slightly paler tone of yellow. The plant
is as hardy as any and very free- flowering, and
those of your readers who do not know it should
make a point of adding this, nhich is one
of the most beautiful of the group. By no
means least of its charms is the fragrance
of its beautiful yellow blossoms. When com-
pared with H. flava it is much the more
vigorous plant, with dwarfer and more spread-
ing tufts of leaves. A grand bunch of H.
Thunbergi was exhibited at the Drill Hall by
Mr. Prichard recently at a date when the other
kinds had ceased flowering. Another very distinct
species not mentioned by " S. W. F." at page 17
is H. disticha, which is, perhaps, the most distinct
of the taller kinds. This is by no means an every
day plant, and frequently H. Kwanso has to do
duty for it. There is a beautifully variegated
form of H. disticha, a very charming, though

150

THE GARDEN.

[Adgcst 22, 1896.

scarce variety, and likewise a good double-flower- is a fine display of i

ing variety. H. graminifolia is also a distinct (iardens, Kew. Gr

sjiecies, dwarfer in habit, with narrow leaves and which a few weeks

flowers of a soft yellow colour. This usually at- endless blossoms of

tains little more' than 1 foot in height. Apart something like thr

from these, to which may be added those enumer- coloured flowers in

ated at p;ige 17 of the' present volume of TiiK much so, in fact,

G.AKPEN, some beautiful hybrid kinds have been weather there will

seen at the Drill Hall thi's year. One of thc.H\ came. Some of the strongest spikes

t at the moment in the Royal ' sound bulbs it would appear by no means diflScult
5uped together in a large bed ' to establish. Those interested in this species,
since was purity itself with however, may get an excellent idea of its vigour
the Madonna Lily, there are by paying a visit to Kew within the coming week,
ee dozen spikes of its richly Aster diplostephioides.— This is perhaps the
all stage? of development; so most striking'y distinct of the Asters. The plant
that with the present cool is only rarely teen in cultivation, though its good
be flowers for a fortnight to qualities certainly merit general culture. In

tig height it

Ityosotidium nobile in the garden

named Apricot, is a charming thing that should be
in demand if as hardy and free-flowering as the
best existing kinds. This kind has already been
noticed in The Gap.i.en, and is certainly one of
the most chaste and refined of this interesting
group of hardy perennials. E. J.

Lilium Henryi. — This handsome and beauti-
ful Lily has already been noticed in The Oariikn
this year, but so good and distinc: a subject will
bear referring to again, more particularly as there

Cornwall. From a photograph sent by Mrs. Poviys Bojers.

away to 0 feet high and bearing nearly forty
buds and open flowers. This noble species has
been compared to a yellow speciosum, and in the
manner of producing its flowers in twos on the
lateral branchlets it is much like the varieties of
speciosum. In the foliage, however, L. Henryi is
quite distinct, and in the rich yellow of its flowers
is quite unique. Happily, it promises to possess
a sound and vigorous constitution, so that those
who feel inclined to grow it in future may feel
some satisfaction on this ?core, and starting with

is about; 21 feet, and terminates with
very large Bowers of a distinct and
dfep azure-blue and nearly 4 inches
across. Unlike many kinds the flowers
of which are borne on much-branched
corymbs, the flower-heads of this species
are solitaiy, the florets numerous,
closely Set and rigid. The flowering
stems appear from tufts of leaves set
closely on the soil, and not unlike

rige

speciosus. A group of this

would be very effective,
the Himalayas.— E. J.

Native of

THE GIANT FOUGET-ME-NOT.

(myosotidium nobile.)
The illustration we give to-day of
this noble plant from the Chatham
Islands represents a fine specimen
grown by Mrs. E. Powys Rogers in
her garden at Perranwell, Cornwall.
It was raised from seed three years
ago and commenced to flower on
March 30 of the present year. It
was first tried in a shady spot, but
the plants failed, and the plant here
figured has been grown in a south
aspect under a high wall, sea sand
being piled up round its roots. A
coloured plate of it was given in The
Garpex of December 18, 1880, from
specimens sent by Mr. Loder from
his garden at Floore, Weedon.

THE IPOM.i;.\ FAMILY.
This genus, of which Exogonium
purga, figured in The Garden, is a
member, contains some of the most
gorgeous of twiners, and seems to be
represented in moit parts of the w jrld,
particularly the cropical. I have
grown many of them, and although
not successful in every case, I have
been much gratified with such as have
rewarded my care. Most of the finest
species require plenty of room to grow
them well, and by their freedom of
flowering deserve it. E. purga seems
best grown in the hottest situation in
the open air, as against a south brick
wall. I have it in a pot, but it does
not blossom every year. A species I
got from America called I. mexicana
is a handsome free-flowering kind now
in bloom ; flowers large, pinkish lilac,
foliage digitate, like that of Horsfalli.-e.
It is tuberous-rooted. This does not
agree with one I raised from seed under
that name, which gives long, tubular,
whitish flowers, cordate leaves, aad
fibrous roots, the bine emitting root
rudiments all over, which in moist
climates would, I should think, attach
themselves to everything in their way.
I. Leari is perhaps the best for ama-
teurs ; the whole plant is hairy, it is very free-
blooming, flowers large, rich purplish blue.
I. Hardingi, a reputed hybrid with tuberous
roots, has trilobed leaves and flowers similar
to the first. I. ficifolia has trilobed leaves
and tuberous roots, but I have failed to
flower it. I. pentaphylla and I. scarletina raised
from seed I have not succeeded with to my
satisfaction. I. pandurifolia I have now flower-
ing in a pot ; the blooms are white with a dark
eye. After two or three unsuccessful attempts to

August 22, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

151

winter it in the open ground I have given it up
I. albivenus from Algoa Bay, raised from seed, I,
unfortunately, lost before it flowered. Many of
the annual tropical species are very beautiful,
such as rubra ca?rulea, grandiflora, Bonanox.
The new Japanese hybrids introduced this year
are fine, but do not seem hardy enough for this
country save in exceptionully warm spots. They
are said to yield a great variety of colour, striped,
blotched, and spotted, but those that have hither
to flowered here are all alike, pale pinkish lilac
I. Childsi is a charming annual, flowers rathei
large, pale lilac, with deep white margin and
variegated foliage. Amongsta quantity of mixed
seeds from Bechuanaland appeared a little gem of
an annual Ipoma'a. It grew about a foot high ; the
blooms were scarcely half an inch across, white,
with red eye. Grown in a mass it formed a
pretty pot plant. J. il

Charmouth, Dorset.

Erodium trichomanifolium is a viry neat
and pretty species now flowering on the Kew
rockery with flowers of a rather deep rofc colour
The speoiea is not of every-day occurrence, but ii
quite distinct from all in the nearly self colour of
its flowers. These dwarfer members of this genus
are not notei for producing any very groat die
play at one time, though it is surprising to not
the greit profusion of their blooms, which often
keeps up for three months, and during that time
there is an almost daily supply of their daint
flowers. At the present time, besides the abovt ,
such as E. macradenium and E. supracanum also
continue to flower freely.

THE GENUS CAMPANULA FROM A
GARDENER'S POINT OF VIEW*
Though as a type of flower the Campanula i,
known all the world over, comparatively litth
is known of the exceedingly rich store there
is in this genus, as represented by the multitude
of types and varieties, their extensive range of
colour tints, their numerous forms and constant
succession of flowering when brought under cul
tivation.

It is not so much my intention to deal with
the tender species, or even with the annuals and
biennials, as to confine myself mainly, if not
altogether, to the hardy perennials. "When I
speak of hardy I mean the capacity of the plant
to withstand the rigours of even a severe winter
like 1S04-95 in any part of Great Britain,
though one is aware that plants in captivity are
largely influenced as regards hardiness by local
conditions, such as rich, heavy, or light soils,
wind-swept a.spects, fairly-elevated positions,
or the warmer and c'.oser and damper air of our
river valleys. These things have all much to do
with the hardiness and health of our garden
plants, influencing them so mueh that a man
must go to school afresh at every change of
locality where he may do his gardening, even
with the care of plants he has known and grown
all his life. To leave out of our present thoughts
such beautiful biennials and annuals as C. Me-
dium, alpina, Wanneri, thyrsoidea, sibirica,
attica and Loreyi may seem unfair in more than
one sense ; but besides the fact that one cannot
in a short paper deal quite exhaustively with any
one class, those I have named may also well be
left out for the present, because I wish to speak
of Campanulas placed under such conditions in
a garden as to grow after the way of nature —
spreading and mingling one with another year
after year, and so becoming a united and beau-
tiful whole.

The various species of hardy Campanulas are
pre-eminently adapted for special positions in
the wild or in the rock garden. As a sugges-

* Paper r^ad by Mr. J. Wood before the Koyal Hor-
ticultural Society. |

tion in passing, some are better for being used
in big groups by woodland paths, others in the
copse, and yet others never look more beautiful
than when springing up from the moist ditch
bank, or brightening the hedgerows with their
tall spikes at midsummer. But I wonder if
anyone has ever tried a garden of Bellttowers—
Bellflowers to the exclusion of all other her-
baceous plants, and with only a backing of trees
or suitable evergreen shrubs to break up that
plainness of surface which inevitably comes
about for several months of the year in all her-
baceous borders. I do not see why, with such
an enormous number of species (and of varied
forms) as belong to this genus, we should not
try a Bellflower garden as well as a Lily garden
a Rose garden, ferneries or Pasony breaks. It
would have the merit of novelty and
manency, and its beauty and interest would be
assured by the intrinsic value and adaptability
of the individual species throughout. As a
matter of fact, 1 have tried it on a small scale,
both in my own and in other people's gardens,
and it is remarkable how the blues and whites,
and the many shades of purple, mingled with
the evergreen shrubs just referred to, and
dying back into the deeper shade of a wood oi
plantation, attract and please by their somewhat
sombre efl'ect, as distinct from the more ordinary
garden efleots produced by the stronger glare
and more numerous colours dotted here and
there. The efi'ects are at once rich and restful
to the eye, for it is not all colours that mingle
well with the purples, more especially with the
red-purples.

Let us, for a moment at least, imagine a Cam
panula garden, and in so doing we may usefully
find hints and suggestions of a practical kind.
And, before we begin our word-picture, let us
reflect on what a Campanula garden essentially
implies — the ideal site. This should be
where there is suitable environment, because
of its special character. I mean this in th
sense that if we are to gather together in
one place a special collection of flowers of one
family, it will be worth while to do so with sur
roundings which may be expected to be con
ducive not only to the best scenic efi'ects, but
also to the best accommodation of the plants
culturally. If we grow Campanulas in mixed
borders, or mix them with other alpines in our
rock gardens, as a matter of course the borders
and rock gardens are not, and need not, be
specially selected so as to give the Campanulas
all or even a maximum of the advantages ; but
it could, and should, be otherwise with a Cam-
panula garden, and my point is that they merit
and warrant this special style of culture where
the opportunity 2>resents itself. Doubtless
many of the species (such as the alpines) are
better for the rarified atmosphere of the higher
altitudes, but, generally speaking, this section
of Campanulas flourishes in almost any posi-
tion where they are not absolutely or too par-
tially shaded. It is well known that Cam-
panulas flourish in the vicinity of dwarf shrubs
and trees. If these do not obstruct the direct
sky-light they conduce to a more balmy con-
dition of the atmosphere by reason of the
amount of moisture evaporated from the abund-
ance of leaf surface. 1 believe these are gene-
rally accepted facts, and, given an ideal posi-
tion for a supposed Campanula garden, let us
feebly attempt to imagine the picture. Coming
round a bend where a slope rises from a small
stream (the slope facing to the east), and by
another bend facing to the south ; the slopes
furnished with dwarf shrubs a little distance
presenting sometimes rounded, at other
times forked points, tapering in dwarfness to
within a few inches of the ground. A little I

beyond, the groups of shrubs become larger as
well as the stature of the individuals higher;
and beyond, again, are forest trees, common
to our parks and woodlands. Turning round
and glancing at the irregular strip or stony
bank between the walk on which you stand and
the stream, your eye is ciught at once by large
patches, rambling between the boulders, of the
delicate C. hederacea. C. Lsophylla (both the
white and blue forms) is far happier in
these moist stony positions than you are wont
to see it in drier places. Relieving the
stones are the glorious spikes of the big-
belled macrantha ; and cjespitosa, with its free
habit and pleasing leaves, as well as its abund-
ance of flowers, has possession of a broad piece
of the bank, and has rapidly encircled many of
the big boulders. There are Ferns, both large
and small, but these Campanulas by the water-
s de run around them ; forbidden by the dark-
ness or the shadow of the spreading fronds,
they have simply accommodated themselves by
turning in other directions, and they seem
grateful that they may ramble elsewhere. By
the edges of the walk on both sides, and de-
lightfully creeping into the gravel, are large
masses of C. pusilJa in various shades of colour,
also, of course, including the white form.
AUioni, a pigmy plant with giant flowers and
bells erect, occupies a similar place. The pretty
garganica, with its racemes of starry flowers —
procumbent — and with each flower suggesting a
white star in a blue foil, forms itself into
charmingly rounded tufts, the centre cushions
of delicate green being surrounded with a ring
of starry inflorescence. In no case do these
humble Bellworts occur in line, but, on the
contrary, break up the essentially line- character
of the walk. Unless you watch your feet, you
may tread on pretty tufts of tr.ollis and mu-
ralis. Pulla you may easily overlook, as its
herbage is so thin and scarcely conspicuous
when not in flower ; then, however, you cannot
miss it, for its comparatively large black-purple
bells almost invite you to kneel down and closely
examine and admire them. Here and there
near the walk are more of these humble beau-
ties, such as Waldsteiniana, with its hair-like
stems, almost leading you to suppose that its
sheeny bells are without .supports. In the
slight gutter on the walk side, and evidently
loving the gravel, is the rare grey-foliaged
Raineri, with erect, cup-like flowers of a deli-
cate heliotrope hue. In the warmer soil, by
reason of its mixture with the gravel, is Porten-
schlagiana, which in fatter soil might not delight
you with its perennial appearance. There you
see a deep green and shining mass of overlap-
ping and somewhat rosetted cushions of foliage,
with dumpy and stout, but very short flower-
stems. That is surely the typical nitida, and
by its side, of a paler green, and evidently noi
so robust, is its white form. In passing let me
say this ii one of the most exquisite of the
dwarf Bellworts, and all too rare. Seldom are
its flowers borne above 4 inches or £ inches
high ; they are of ivory whiteness and stout sub-
stance, (juite 2 inches across, and looking sky-
wards. Cenisia and excisa are rare gems,
flourishing only where the rooting medium and
the conditions of moisture exactly suit them.
Zoysi has a place in this open, sunny, and,
withal, moist position, and suggests an inquiry
whether it has not really got into wrong com-
pany in the Campanula garden, so unlike the
Bellttowers are its contracted tubes with mitre-
shaped limb— but, oh I how exquisite. Only
3 inches high at most, the flowers are in
abundance, surmounting delicate tufts of spoon-
shaped, tiny leaves, compared with which the
flowers of three quarters of an inch long are

152

THE GARDEN.

[August 22, 1896.

large. The seemingly white lines which really
form the edges of the corolla, and which appear
to cross sTuimetrically over the mouth of the
tube, constitute the feature to mcst excite our
curiosity in connection with this gem.

We linger among the alpine species, and
directly we find valdensis. This seems to come
somewhat near to pusilla, but it is more re-
fined. Its flowers are so shell-like that thej
rattle in your hand, or when you draw your
hand over them. Fragilis is a delicate beauty,
as impl'ed by its name. Abietina, with a
dense-growing, matted habit, has three rather
distinct features- -pale green herbage, glisten-
ing sky-blue flowei-s, and an abrupt, ascending
flower-spike. .\ little furtlier back from the
edge of the walk are spocits aud vavieties of
somewhat larger groftth and higher stature.
The lovely group of carpatica tiist attracts our
notice. This comprises the three or four shades
of turbinata, two or more shades of the distinct
pelviformis, the two (reputed) varieties of
G. F. Wilson, and the, so to speak, " false "
Raineri— not Raineri vera. More or less nearly
related to turbinata are various other forms of
carpatica, as alba and pallida, and where these
plants have been allowed to seed themselves the
natural hybrids of this type are delightfully
confusing. There is also the aggregata group,
1 foot to 2 feet or more high, glomerata and
dahurica being conspicuous. There have been
planted here also, according to the more ancient
nomenclature. Campanula grandiflora and its
varieties — known now-a-days as Platycodons.
These are distinct to a degree, as the change of
name made by botanists would seem to imply ;
but so lovely is this group of some four forms,
including the dwarf and indispensable Platyco-
don Mariesi, that the planter has been justified
in making a slight botanical deviation in the
Campanula garden. There is the pleasing C.
Hendersoni, a sort of pigmy pyramidalis, an
almost ceaseless bloomer, and one of the best
Bellworts — a hybrid itself, it somehow seems
to be variable. Ht.w grandly that pair of Hosti
show up :— the pure white and the deep blue
side by side in big patches. This species
literally produces sheaves of flowers. With the
knife, in sickle fashion, you may reap hand-
fuls of spikes 15 inches or 18 inches high to
fill a good-sized vase, and you may repeat the
operation for many days consecutively. Now
we get a glance of a more homely group —
the commonest of our native species— the Hare-
bell, or the Bluebell of Scotland. How grandly
this does in cultivation ! And our interest is the
more stimulated in connection with this species
from the fact that it has evolved many beauti-
ful forms, more or less recognised now under
botanical names, such as liniifolia and alba,
soldanellfeflora, major, and a double-flowered
kind. Rhomboidea and Rapunculus strike us
by their profusion of flowers of deep blue.
Persicifolia covers a large space, for not only
do the root-stems wander quickly, but it varies
greatly. There are five forms at least of white
varieties— one, known as coronata, having a
curiously puffed and puckered calyx. The type
itself Ls by no means bad, but some of the varie-
ties in both white and blue are great advances
from the gardener's point of view, notably the
one known by the long name of C. persicifolia alba
grandiflora, and you may see amongst chanci
seedlings several shades of blue to match thi;
for size and shape of flowers. Nobilis is not so
gay-looking a subject, but it strikes one by its
peculiar arrangement of the flowers. Grandii
and gemmifera are useful for their sheets of col
our, and the white variety of the former is very
telling. As you cast your eye still further back,
you see the giants of the genus, with, in front of

them, yet a few more of intermediate stature.
These comprise americana, with, by its side,
the distinct and very uncomaon boroniensis.
We halt a moment whilst reviewing this — it is
so remarkable. It has long slender stems of 4
feet, arching outwards, and all the flowers for
nf arly the whole length are open at one time.
They furnish the stem in a one-sided fashion
like a Foxglove, and the flowers rather resemble
in shape those of the Foxgloves, but are much
smaller. It is a telling plant as we see, especially
viewed at a short distance.

What is that lovely 5-feet, strong-sttmnied and
difl'usely branched kind, with myriads of flowers
of medium size ! The milk-white or pale blue
flowers at once truly suggest it as lactiflora.
Latifolia among the shrubs and nearing the
trees, common as it is, is pleasing. C. van
Houttei and Bourgati are a capital match.
They have extravagantly large flowers, exceed-
ing the common Canterbury Bells, with the
rims of the bells deeply cut, and did they not
by the weight of their big flowers bend them-
selves too low, they would perhaps be more
conspictious. A wealth of beauty they un-
doubtedly possess, but it is not displayed to
advantage. Still it were wise, I think, that
these were placed here, as they constitute a
somewhat distinct type. Sarmatica, and even
the common urticrefolia, contribute their quota
to the Campanula garden, as seen yonder in the
deeper shade. But I fear we shall have to leave
the imaginary garden without noticing many
other worthy denizens. For whoever can go
into a garden where there are such vast variety
and so much individual beauty that could take
note of all in a single visit.

Nomenclature.

Some of the names just mentioned may have
but slender botanical authority, especially in
reference to the varieties of the types. Still
they have the sanction of the usage of gardeners,
and so may be more orlfss justified, apart from
the stricter botanical point of view. Speaking
of names in relation to the facility of identify-
ing the plants, the genus Campanula doubtless
has long puzzled, and still continues to puzzle,
the gardener. When a man has had experience
in growing a large number of species in one
garden, and has noted the result of self-sown
seed, he no longer wonders that many forms
prove puzzling. The mere fact of a large
genus, the way in which some forms overlap
each other, the ditt'erence in the habit of a given
species as grown in captivity compared witli its
habit in a wild state, the large number of syno-
nymous names and the too frequent employ-
ment of obsolete nomenclature — all go to
mystify our conclusions as to the identity
of our material. I fancy I am not far wrong in
saying that, generally speaking, gardeners do not
realise how vast the variety of Campanulas is,
and as a consequence of this the genus is not yet
fully appreciated by them. And the intlubitable
fact that to the average gardening mind the
nomenclature of the Campanulas (at least as
they are distributed in commerce) seems all in a
muddle is hardly calculated to promote a larger
employment of these decorative flowers. And yet
it is precisely as a gardener that I would like to
urge my humble opinion, that with a little pains
the types may be fairly well recognised. As
for the varieties, we cannot, even if we would,
hope to master them in the sense of finality, for,
besides natural hybrids, we get numerous gar-
den varieties, especially where several types are
growingclosetogetherasina collection. Butwhen
once one has reached the point of suflicient ex-
perience to be able to pick out the varieties, and
group them around their respective types, then

the haze of doubt in a great measure disperses,
though even still, when you come to indivi-
duals, you may sometimes be long in doubt,
and require more than one light by which to find
your way out of the difficulty. As one thinks
about these flowers the subject seems to open
up wider and wider; in fact, we have all in the
Campanulas that can interest alike the botanist
and the gardener ; there is scope for the exer-
cise of all those thoughts and arts which render
gardening so pleasurable, but time forbids me
saying much more on the present occasion, al-
though I have not yet touched on culture and
propagation. Suffice to say that, though gener-
ally the Campanulas have a robust habit, and
are propagated by the very simplest and easiest
means, there are some kinds which are almost
the reverse, and have special requirements and
peculiarities. Whenever we investigate these
plants it is always better to do so in relation to
environment, for it goes without saying how
many and how varied are the conditions of dif-
ferent gardens, and it is often among these
varying local circumstances that we find
the real causes which alone account for the
difierent results attained. Generally, too,
the Campanulas flourish, and increase in size
in all their parts, under cultivation as compared
with wildlings, atd no doubt many of the alpines
experience their greatest troubles from a too
kind and generous treatment. I daresay that
some Campanulas are practically impossible in
some gardens, but such exceptions would be
very few indeed could we but trace out and
avoid the excessive artificialism of some gar-
deners' cultural methods. This shifts the re-
sponsibility of non-success in great measure
from the plant to the planter, and, to make my
meaning clear, I will glance at one example.
Take C. Raineri, a very dwarf alpine with
thickly pubescent herbage and somewhat thick
underground stems. Its roots, to my mind,
seem to have peculiar requirements both in re-
gard to air and moisture, and their require-
ments may be met by keeping them near the
surface, as on a moist stone ledge with a cover-
ing of well- consolidated soil, not more than
2 inches or 3 inches thick. With a deeper root-
run I have found the roots to be rank in summer
and to rot ofl" in winter. On the stony ledge
they .seem to grow longer and faster, and to be
much more wiry. We have here, in fact, to
humour a plant who.se roots have very finely
balanced requirements in the way of a freer at-
mosphere and moisture, whereas in regard to
quality of soil it shows a corresponding amount
of indiflerence. In the

Cultivation

of Campanulas, whether in the style of a Cam-
panula garden or otherwise, it would perhaps
always be advisable to prevent the escape of
seeel, even if we sowed the seed otherwise, be-
cause when the seed is self sown the unaccount-
able ways in which it comes up and develops
will upset all our ideas of classification, and,
worse still, the strongest and perhaps coarsest
forms will obviously prevail, and in a very short
time such self-sown seedlings will doubtless
upset the best arranged planting of carefully
named varieties. So insidious do those seed-
lings seem to be, that it almost appears as if they
were actually conspiring to cheat you, especially
when they implant themselves in the heart of a
choice kind, or correctly-named group, and
in a comparatively short time might easily
be taken by a casual observer to be the right-
ful owners of the positions and the names.
In speaking of propagation I shall take the term
in its more precise meaning — the increase of
a desirable variety by means of small parts

August 22, 1896.]

THE CtAPvDEK

153

taken from a common stock. I should hardly
consider this analogous to " propagation with a
spade," cutting off a slice of the matted roots of,
say, such free growers as pusilla, carpatica, or
turbinata. The increase of these implies no
care or skill to speak of, for they carry a full
complement of all the parts essential to free
growth, without artful or helpful means. I
think it is rather important for the propagator
to keep these distinctions in mind, because of
the widely varying root habits of the sections,
and even of the individuals. For instance, the
tap-roots of C. Henderson! being furnished with
fine fibre, you may propagate it readily if the
season of the year encourages growth by reason
of its warmth and long light days ; but you may
not pull this plant asunder in the dormant sea-
son with impunity. Just the same may be said
of pelviformis in the carpatica group, and there
are others ; but I prefer those better-known and
common forms as examples of my meaning, as
then, if my words have any value, they will
have a more extensive application and may
easily be proved.

There is another feature about the roots of
many Campanulas that may have been observed
by those who handle them in numbers ; some of
the fastest growers are remarkable for the way
in which their roots become almost invisible
during the winter. Instances of these are to
be found in the carpatica group— e.//., G. F.
Wilson and one or two nearly related hybrids.
Likely enough they inherit this from one of
their supposed parents — pulla — because pulla
is as remarkable as any for this habit ; and may
we not take it that, whenever a plant so closely
reefs or contracts its physical parts, we may
only deal with it for propagation when the
roots are in a growing state ? Anyhow, it
is a fact that we succeed with their propagation
vastly better when in a sprouting or verdant
condition, as opposed to the dormant state.

SHORT NOTES.— FLOWER.

Phlox Purest of All is worthy of note. As the
name impliea, it is white. The pips are large indi-
vidually, and the trusses of large size, the growth
dwarf and sturdy.

Dahlia Salisbury White.— This is not a true
Cactus-shaped variety, but it is nevertheless a most
valuable sort for cutting. The flowers are pure white,
neatly formed, and freely produced, the stems long.

Phlox Sylphide.— This is one of the purest of
the white Phloxes, the flowers excellent in form
and of good substance, the truss large, and the
habit vigorous.

Phlox Coquelicct.— A variety of the her-
baceous Phlox with flowers of the largest size, and
in colour the most intense salmon-scarlet. One
of the handsomest forma we have seen.

Carnation Burn Pink.— This is also known as
Duchess of Fife. It is a grand variety of capital
growth. The flowers are rich flesh-pink, not over-
large, but do not burst their pods. It is first rate in
the open border.

Carnations. — Adjacent to No. 4 greenhouse
at Kew are several masses of Carnations in
full bloom, the varieties being Eaby Castle and
a rather tall-growing free-floweriog crimson. For
hardiness and freedom these are undoubtedly ex-
cellent in every way.

Cactus Dahlia Earl of Pembroke is an
extra fine variety; colour plum, with quite a velvety
appearance. Its flowers, which are not over-large
and have the twisted Cactus form so much admired,
are thrown well out of the foliage, a point that should
alwajs le insisted upon. The growth of the plant is
also excellent.

Carnation G-Ioire de ITancy.— This variety
is not inaptly called the White Clove, and is among
the irost valuable for the supply of a quantity of
nicely formed blooms. I saw it in abundance lately.
The plants in question are two years old. They

flowered last year, were duly layered, and not re-
planted singly, resulting in immense clumps from
2 feet to a yard through, which are bearing hundi-eds
of blossoms. — H.

Notes of the Week.

Wild Pansies.- 1 enclose some flowers of the
wild Pansy (Viola tricolor and V. tricolor arven-
sis), a bed of which has been in bloom here for
some time and is at present quite as effective as
many a bed of what are considered as orthodox
garden flowers.- W. M.

Bhododendron Princess Frederica. — This
is one of the many charming greenhouse varieties
a selection of which should be grown in all gar-
dens where glasshouses abound. The flower
trusses of this kind are of good size and of a dis-
tmct yellowish buff tone that is very pleasing.

Pelargoniums from Woking.— Mr. Shoe-
smith, of Woking, sends us some tine specimens
of Pelargoniums, a lovely lot of glowing colours,
the orange-red shades being as fine as one could
wish for. Among the best are OUivier, Lord
Farrar, M. Calvat, George Gower, and Golden
Gate.

Teucrium montanum. — A pretty and free-
flowering rock plant, with numerous pale yellow
blossoms on dwaif, dense carpets of leaves, that
cling quite closely to the stones. The above has
grown and flowered quite freely in a dry spot
with very little notice ; indeed, it is suited to dry
positions and a rather poor soil.

Hypericum patulum. — Two oblong beds at
Kew are now ablaze with the flowers of this pretty
shrub. To equal advantage this species may be
employed as a margin to bolder things, such as
Rhododendrons and the like. In another position
a large bed is fully occupied by H. Moserianum,
with its somewhat large flowers.

Verbena venosa — This hardy Verbena has
close heads of purplish blossoms that come in
great profu-ion for a long season. It is a good
plant for permanent beds, and an excellent sub-
ject for edgings to large beds. The plant has
been in full flower for weeks post and still pro-
mises a display for some time to come.

Bougainvillea spectabilie.- This showy
greenhouse climber is now flowering profusely in
the succulent house at Kew, where its distinctive
shade of colour is very attractive. It is perhaps
the most showy of all, the flowers large and rich
in colour by comparison with those of some other
kinds. Allowed a fair amount of freedom, it is
among the most ornamental of climbing plants.

Liilium Harriei. — This season the first large
importation of Lilium Harrisi from the Bermudas
was disposed of on August 7, and good, well-
ripened bulbs they were, and that too at a time
when the same Lily out of doors in this country
wa.s in full flower. For early forcing this Lily is
now grown to a very great extent, and large sums
of money must be paid to our brethren across the
Atlantic for the bulbs.

Trillium nivale is a gem in its way. It is
the smallest and daintiest of its race, the flowers
of the purest white, the whole plant only growing
about 3 inches high. It is the first to flower, and
has generally gone to rest by the end of May. T.
erythrocarpum may also be mentioned in this
connection ; it is of moderate stature, the flowers
pure white with a red spot at the base of each
division.— T. Smith, Xewry.

Iris in bloom in August.-I have sent you
this day by sample post a few buds of Iris pumila
var., which I consider rather an unusual occur-
rence, as this is the second time the plants have
flowered. We have had here a rather unusual
dry and hot summer, and I think this may be the
cause. I should be glad to hear further about it,
as perhaps some other grower may be able to give
an explanation.- W. Griesingek, Ghent.

Erigeron mucronatus is a charming little
plant with coloured blossoms almost Daisy-like in

character, but of a pink-red hue, and afterwards
nearly white. The plant is often met with under the
name of Vittadenia triloba, and makes an excellent
summer rock plant, of easy culture and spreading
quite freely. In a large group 2 feet or more
across there are always several shades of colour
that make it both interesting and pretty.

Trillium stylosum was one of the most
beautiful plants which flowered here this season.
In stature it is about equal to the well-known T.
grandiflorum, and the flowers droop in the same
manner. In colour they vary from soft rose to
deep red. It is hardy and vigorous, and likely to
te ju^t as good a garden plant as T. grandiflorum.
A peculiar character of the plant is that it retains
its leaves until quite late in the summer. — T.
Smith, Neu-ry.

Blue Hydrangeas in Cornwall.— lam send-
ing you a photo of our big Hydrangea and also
some flowers. Seven hundred and twenty-five
blooms were counted on it on August 17. It ha?
been in front of the office here for thirty-five years,
and, beyond a little top-dressing of leaf mould,
has had little or no attention. — C. Rogers, Burn-
coose, Perranu-ell, Cornu-aU.

*,* Of varied and lovely colour, delicate porce-
lain blues and purples. — Ed.

Silphium laciniatum.— There is something
very distinct and pleasing in the soft clear yellow
blossoms of this handsome plant. It is a plant
eminently suited to the wild garden, thriving
in the stift'est of clay soils and often attaining to
6 feet or 8 feet high. It is also well suited to the
higher parts of the rock garden, and in this latter
position may now be seen flowering at Kew. The
plant is readily increased by division, and may
with advantage be more frequently seen in the
woodland or shrubbery borders.

Campanula Vidali. — This very distinct spe-
cies is now flowering in No. 7 house at Kew, and
in the large drooping, wax-like blossoms is tjuite
distinct from other species. The flowers are pure
white, very thick and fleshy, almost urceolate in
outline. Internally it is well marked by a bright
orange-coloured ring about the disc, which gives
it a striking appearance. The leaves are also
thick, and almost succulent and ccarsely toothed.
The plant is perennial, though not hardy, and
must therefore have protection in winter.

Begonia metallica.— This fine plant is with-
out doubt a handsome and useful subject for de-
coration. Some handsome groups of it may now
be seen in No. 4 greenhouse at Kew, where tho
plants are at least o feet high and freely and pro-
fusely flowered. In plants of this size the fine
trusses of pink and white flowers appear in strik-
ing contrast to the metallic lustre of the handsome
bronzy-purple leaves. There are many other
kinds in flower, but the above is one of the most
attractive and productive of good effect, the
plants being arranged in groups of half-a-dczen
or so.

Zephyranthes Atamasco. — This charming
bulbous plant is now producing quantities of its
pure white, almost Crocus like blossoms. It is a
capital plant in partially moist places, and may be
made quite content in the drier parts of the bog
garden or in spacious pockets in the rock
garden where a fair depth of moist, fairly rich soil
IS at hand. The plant increases rapidly at the
root, and for this reason should be divided and re-
planted every three or four years. There are so
few plants of like character in the hardy plant
garden just now, that its presence is the more
welcome.

Gentiana asclepiadea alba {Whits Willow
Gentian).— In I luite moist and shady positions at
Kew, in company with Ferns and the blue Poppy
of the Himalayas, some large specimens that have
attained to quite exceptional size are now flower-
ing abundantly. As sometimes seen in rather
dry herbaceous borders, the growth puny and
the points and margins of tho leaves browned as
though scorched, these giant plants would
scarcely pass for the same thing. But it is an
object lesson of some worth of what may be done

154

THE GAT{r>EK

[August 22, 1896.

when the conditions essential to success are at
hand. Equally tine, too, is the typical species.

Viola pedata (Bird's-foot Violet).— A most
beautiful fj>ecie? that should be grown freely in
all collections of alpine plants. Just now a very
charming group is flowering in the rock garden at
Kew, and its lilac-blue flowers— ofttn with a much
dee^ier shade in the upper petals— are very showy.
The plant gives but little trouble, and in most
gardens grows quite freely in moist, sandy peat,
with the addition of some shade. Plants may be
readily raised from seed, and these, if pricked" out
into deep, moist soil quite early in spring, will
soon take care of themselves, and many flower
during the first season. Grown in this manner,
few things are more eflective in a group, and a cool
nook should always be at hand for such.

Browallia (Streptosolen'i Jamesoni.— It
would perhaps be ditlicult to name a plant of
shrubby habit suited to the cool greenhouse that
could equal this in its great freedom of flowering
or the rich profusion with which its blossoms are
product. In the brilliant orange-red masses
of flowers it is also one of the most striking of
summer flowering plants. Large plants would
make a most eflective bed. A good example of
what may be accomplished in about a year with
this plant was on view at the last Temple show,
when Mr. Bennett Poi- exhibited a group of it in
large pots, each plant fully 3 feet high and freely
flowered. The only precautions needed are firm
potting, to thereby ensure short, firm-jointed
growth, and one or two timely stoppings in the
early stages, after which the plant should have its
own way. When well exposed in the open the
flowers are more richly coloured than when under
glass. A coloured plate of this was given in The
Garden of July 5, 1SS4 (p. 6).

Echinacea purpurea.- This showy Cone-
flower is among the most desirable and striking
of border perennials now in bloom. The peculiar
cDlouringof its flower-heads is somewhat scarce
among hardy subjects, and for this reason also
the plant is worthy of every encouragement.
Where it can be afforded from 2 feet to 3 feet of
rich sandy loam, this Echinacea will not only de-
velop its best qualities, but will make a most im-
posing group into the bargain. Unfortunately, it
is not so readily increased as are many Cone-
flowers, which spread rather freely by rhizomes,
and Eeeds are only sparsely produced at the best,
the latter vegetating but very iiidifferently. But
in spring with renewed growth it may be divided
with care, and every growth bud that can be
severed from its woody rootstock with roots may
be relied upon to make a fair-sized plant if put
out singly into good soil at once. This method
of increase is far better for the safety of the plant
than potting, while the after labour is reduced to
a minimum.

Old China Re see under new names.-It is
always pleasant to meet with a good new sort in
this useful and constant flowering group, but not
at all agreeable to have an old kind' foisted upon
us under a new name. Quite recently Red Pet
was sent out with a great flourish of trumpets,
and, if my memory serves me, was awarded a
certificate by the floral committee of the R.H.S.
Instead of this being new, it i^ nothing at all but
the very old Nemet is which we have had for ages.
Later came another named James Sprunt. There
a rather an American flavour about this name,
and it is possible it came from there, but now
this turns out to be merely the old climbitig
Cramoisi under a new name. Another very
similar instance is the case of the very much
lauded Carnation L'riah Pike. Now this has
settled down, no one, hereabouts at any rate, can
discover any ditferenre between it and the crim-
son Clove ; there may he just the least difference
in the grass of the two plants, but the flowers are
absolutely indistinguishable the one from the
other.— T. Smith, .V^irry.

",* The two Carnations referred to are quite
distinct both in growth and flower. We have
seen Uriah Pike quite 4 feet high and flowering
freely. Again, the fault to common in the old

Clove of the calyx splitting is quite absent in the
newcomer, which, in addition to its other good
qualities, can be struck freely from cuttings.
We have grown Uriah Pike in the open this year,
and it has quite exceeded our expectations, not
the least sign of the splitting of the calyx being
visible.— Ed.

Public Gardens.

A recreation grourd for Richmond.- A

movement that has been on foot in Richmond for
some time to acquire a portion of the Old Deer
Park from the Crown for the purposes of a re-
creation ground for the borough has .advanced
another stage. After receiving the consideration
of the Richmond Town Council it has been re-
ferred to a committee, who will go into the whole
question. It is proposed to ask the Crown to lease
to the corporation about ST acres of the Old Deer
Park at a rental of s.325 per annum, and to lay
this out as a recreation ground. It is also sought
to make a path across the park from the railway
station to tho lock and weir, as well as to lay out
a portion of it for allotments, the demand for
which, it is said, is increasing. The Crown, it is
understood, will place no serious obstacle in the
way.

Open spaces in St. Pancras.— According
to a report just issued, St. Pancras, taken as a
whole, seems happily endowed with open spaces.
In the Kentish Town sub district, where the
density of persons per acre is fifty-nine, there are
Parliament Fields, with its 2G7 acres "2 roods ;
Waterlow Park, 29 acres ; Highgate Cemetery, 38
acres ; Pond Square, Highgate, 3 roods, 20 poles ;
and several smaller open spaces. In the Regent's
Park sub-dittrict, where the density of population
to acreage is eighty seven. Primrose Hill Park .and
Regent's Park combined provide a breathing
ground of 4uO acres. Camden Town has St.
Martin's Gardens and St. Pancras Gardens, to-
gether yielding 6 acres 4 roods of open space. The
density of persons to acre in this sub-district is
ninety. Turning to Somers Town, where the
density of population to acreage is 181, it is found
that its inhabitants, in the possession of St.
James's Gardens, have only an open space of 2
acres 2 roods 31 poles secure for ever against
building operations. Tottenham Court sub dis-
trict claims for its own Whitfield Burial Ground.
This division of St. Pancras has relatively to each
acre 183 inhabitants. Finally the Gray's Inn
Lane sub-district, with a density of persons per
acre of ITS, possesses two burial grounds laid out
as recreation places, which combined are not 4
acres in extent.

Applying artificial manures.— I find it a
capital plan before spreading artificial manure
over growing crops such as Onions to mix with it
a portion of fine soil. Potting shed refuse passed
through a coarse sieve answers as well as any,
using the soil and manure in about equal propor-
tions. The crops then get the benefit of the
manure to a far greater extent than when it is ap-
plied unmixed. It gets washed down to the roots
more quickly and more thoroughly than when it
lies completely exposed on the surface, in which
case it often becomes baked and hard, and is to a
great extent wasted. Let anyone try the experi-
ment by dressing in both ways two small plots of
Onions growing side by side, and the truth of my
assertion will scon become apparent. — J. C.

Compote cf fresh fruits.— I shall be much
obliged if any reader can tell me how to preserve
Plums, Damsons and other fruits in the way they
do them on the Continent. A compute of Plums
or Pears is served daily as a matter of course in
Germany at both luncheon and dinner, and this is
invariably sweet and in good condition. — J. H. T.

*,* The compute used in all the best houses in
Germany consists of so-called "arrack fruits,"
and in our household we are never without them
all the year round, as they are very handy and
the method of preserving them is very simple in-

deed. The vessel best adapted for the purpose
should be made of china or earthenware, but must
be well glazed and should be of considerable
depth. The fruits are not boiled or heated in any
way, but remain raw and fresh and of a delightful
flavour. A bottle of good arrack rum (white
rum) or other kind of spirit is poured into the
vessel, and then follow the fruits one kind after an-
other, according to their season of ripening. First
come Strawberries, which are very suitable indeed,
then Cherries which have been freed from their
stones, then Peaches, Nectarines and Plums (all
without stones), and last good Pears from which
the skin and the kernels have been removed.
Raspberries, Gooseberries and Currants are not
very suitable. With every pound of the raw
fruit a pound of sugar is put into the preserving
pot until 8 lbs. or 10 lbs. of fruit are thus pre-
served. After that quantity, every additional
pound of fruit should have only half a pound of
sugar, as otherwise the compute will be too sweet.
At the beginning of this very simple process of
preserving, the first lot of fruit should be stirred
with a silver spoon to prevent the sugar from en-
crusting the bottom of the vessel. If a very large
quantity of fruit is to be preserved in the same
vessel, it may also be necessary to add more of the
arrack rum (or other spirit). The vessel must be
well covered to exclude all air.— F. W. Meyer,
Exeltr.

Photographs of gardens.- Photographs and
other illustrations of suburban and rural gardens
and scenery are now on view at the " One and All"
flower show at the National Co-operative Festival
at the Crystal Palace.

Royal Horticultural Society.- The next
fruit and fior.aI meeting of the Royal Horticultural
Society will be held on Tuesday, August 25, in
the Drill Hall, James Street, Westminster,

1 to 5 p.m. A lecture will be given at 3 o'clock
by Mr. T. Jannoch, F.R.H.S., on "Forcing Lily
of the Valley."

The weather in West Herts.— A week of
changeable weather, as regards temperature. For
instance, on the 13th the maximum in shade rose
to To" — the highest shade reading as yet recorded
here this month — but two days later it did not
exceed 0-5'. Again, on the nights preceding the
16t,hand 17th the exposed thermometer registered
readings only 6'^ above the freezing point ; where is
during the following night the same thermometer
never fell lower than 54°. Both at 1 foot and

2 feet deep the temperature of the soil still re-
mains slightly above the August average. Some
rain fell on four days during the week, but to the
total depth of little more than a quarter of an
inch. Shortly before midday on the 15th there
occurred a heavy shower, when for three minutes
rain was falling at the mean rate of nearly an
inch an hour. No lain-water at all has as yet
come through the light soil percolation gauge,
but on each of the last two days a few drops have
come through the one containing heavy soil. The
atmosphere proved, as a rule, very dry and the
record of bright sunshine about average. — E. M.,
Berk-hamsted.

Antirrhinums (Scalpel). — Insert the cuttiugs

Marguerite Carnations {Scalpel).— It is not
worth while to keep them over one year.

Propagating Saxifragapyramidalfs (Seal-
pci).— AH wuy.^ are good. If the soil and situation
suit alpine Howers, we should not hesitate to propagate
them in the open air ; if not, pot up the offsets and
keep in a eold frame throogh the winter.

Jadoo fibre. — Will someone kindly tell me if
Jadoo fibre— used last year for pot culture of Hya-
cinths in a town— will answer again for this year, or if
any artificial manure ought to be added to it ? —
Glasuoiv.

ITames of plants. — W. Silcoci. — Oneidium in-

curvuui. Gavin CiiUcn.—ya.r. of Althaea fruti-

cosa. G. T. 1.1. f',— 1, Spirsea salicifolia ; 2, Galin-

soga parviflora. H. P. M. — 1, Spiriea confusa ;

2, probably Staphylea pinnata.

Names of fruit.— B. P.— Devonshire Quarienden-

THE GARDEK

155

No. 1293, SA TURD A Y, / ugust 29, 1896.

"This lean Art
Which does mend Nature : change It rather ; but
The Art itself is Natube."— SAoiMjwanr.

Rose Garden.

POLYANTHA ROSES.

It is not surprising that these charming minia-
ture Roses have hecome so popular when we
consider the many uses to which they are
adapted. For massing there are very few
Roses to equal them. They are compact in
growth, dwarf, and exceedingly free flowering
and perpetual. Thty make splendid edging
plants for the Rose beds or borders, for they
can be kept as dwarf as we wish them. Oft-
times we have small borders in front of green-
houses, &c. , or we may desire a low hedge of
Roses ; we should find these Polyantha varie-
ties admirably suited to plant in these positions.
Grown in the form of short standards they
make pretty objects for the centre of a bed.
They are equally valuable for conservatory
decoration ; the profusion of flowers and their
lasting character make them a very welcome
addition in midwinter. Often as many as fifty
buds and blossoms can be counted on one
panicle, but the average number would be
about twenty. If cultivated in 5-inch pots
these lovely Roses would make pretty table
plants, or for putting into wmdow-boxes. In
fact, these Polyantha Roses in the hands of a
skilful gardener could be utilised in a variety
of ways. There are now in the market numer-
ous varieties, but only good bright colours
should be tolerated, as there is no room now-a-
days for dull, uninteresting Roses, and on n;>
account must the size of the flowers be in-
creased, for their main charm is centred in
their LUiputian character. Already we have
white, cream, orange, and pink ; therefore if a
bright crimson like Crimson Rambler, but
dwarf, could be obtained, and perhaps a rich
maroon, we should have all that we could pos-
sibly require. I would recommend that they
should be cultivated either on the seedling Brier
or on their own roots, and a light, well-drained
SOU suits them best. I give below a list of the
best varieties, placed in order of merit. Those
of a climbing nature I have not included.

Perle d'Or. — Deep yellow with orange centre.
Very beautiful double buds. Makes a fine pot
plant.

Gloire des Polyantha. — Deep rose with white
centre. An exceedingly abundant bloomer, and
certainly one of the best.

Akxa Marie de Moxtravel. — Pure white,
very small and full, extremely showy and free.

Madajie E. a. Nolte.— Buds of a clear apricot
colour, expanded flowers almost white. A bea
tiful variety, the buds and expanded flowers con-
trasting splendidly.

Blanche Rebatel.— The deepest colour jet
obtained. The flowers are of a deep magenta, and
produced in great numbers on each panicle.

Cecile Brunner.— Rosy flesh. The buds of
exquisite beauty, perfectly moulded.

Etoile d"Or.— Pale chrome-yellow, very beau-
tiful, but not very vigorous.

Paqcerette. — Pure white, very small, produced
in immense panicles.

Mignonette.— Soft rose shaded white, small,
very lovely. Free bloomer and good grower.

Golden Fairy. — Buff-straw, shading to pale
straw. A good variety of free habit.

Clothilde Soupert.— This cannot be omitted,
although it is large for this class. The shape of
the flower is its great point. This can be only

described as perfect. The colour is a beautiful
rosy- white, and it makes a charming pot plant.

Georges Pebnet.— Yellow and peach colour,
rather large, but very freely produced. P.

Rose Belle liyonnaise.— This is an old
favourite and belongs to the now numerous Dijon
group. Its large sulphur-yellow flowers, deepening
1 the centre to rich lemon, are of fine shape ; the
uds are also very beautiful. It makes a splendid
climber on a south wall, or it repays us well if we
grow it in standard form.

Rose Le Soleil. — This appears to be a seed-
ling from Belle Lyonnaise ; it is, however, a totally
distinct variety, the flower having a more refined
appearance. The petal is thick, and it reminds
one of a pale coloured Marechal Niel. The colour
is a beautiful rich lemon-yellow shading to pale
yellow, and there is a faint tinge of carmine on
some of the petals. It is not so vigorous in growth
as Belle Lyonnaise, but would make a good medium
climber and a first-rate standard.

Rose Charlotte Gillemot. — This Rose is one
of the most distinct varieties that has been in-
troduced for many years. It reminds one of a
lovely flesh-tinted Camellia alba plena, and the
petals are thick and perfectly arranged ; the ex-
panded flower is quite 4^ inches in diameter. It
said to be a cross between Lady Mary Fitz-
Uiam and Hon. Edith GifTord, and it partakes
of the colour of the latter beautiful variety. The
growth is moderate, but not at all weak. It
cannot fail to become popular as an exhibition
.•aiiety.

Rose Mme. Pernet-Ducher.— Of all the
ovely buttonhole and garden Roses, this one
stands out prominently as one of the best. The
colour of the beautifully formed buds is a rich
cream, edged with pale lemon. The expanded
flowers, which are only semi-double, are almost
white. Each shoot is crowned with from ten to
twelve buds and open flowers, which are pro-
duced on stiff stems, making this Rose an ideal
ariety for massing. It is of good vigorous
growth.

Two vivid Hybrid Perpetual Roses.— The
two most brilliant Roses among the H.P.'s flower-
ing just now are Victor Hugo and Duchess of
Bedford. The former is a rich velvety scarlet,
shaded maroon. It is not very double, but it
amply compensates for this defect in its brilliancy
and free-blooming qualities. It is of rather
moderate growth. Duchess of Bedford is of a
totally different character. It has grand petals,
the outer ones being tinted down the centre cf
each with a peculiar purplish colour, the re
mainder of the flower being intensescarleterimson.
It is a fine exhibition and garden Rose, even if at
times it is a little thin. The growth is very
vigorous.

Rose Fiammetta Nabonnand. — This splen-
did novelty— introduced by Nabonnand in 1S94 —
is now showing its true character. It is said
to be a cross between Papa Gontier and Niphetos,
and it partakes much of the style of the former,
especially in its refined beauty when the cooler
days of autumn arrive. The flower is globular in
form, rather thin when expanded, but in the bud
and half-open stage the peculiar beauty of this
variety is seen to best advantage. The colour of
buds and half-open blooms is ivory-white at base,
but the point of the flowers, which is rounded off
egg-shape, is beautifully and richly coloured with
rosy crimson. This colour extends downward
quite half an inch and gives this Rose a novel as
well as a charming appearance. The growth is
very similar to that of Papa Gontier, and it has a
sweet perfume something like Violets.

Rose Homere.— This most useful kind is seen
in most gardens and highly prized for covering
low walls and as a bush in favourable places.
Many people are charmed with it for cutting
from for button-holes, &c. For this purpose it is
grown extensively at Rousden. The gardener,
Mr. Jacobs, has it planted in a small house by
itself, and in this position it blooms most pro-

fusely. I was told it was seldom out of bloom,
and no kind gives more satisfaction for cutting.
There were only two plants in the house, but they
were in the best of health find full of bloom at
the time of my visit.— Dorset.

Cliina Rose Laurette Messimy. — This
pretty Rose was raised in 1SS7, and as yet is none
too common. The colour is a charming combina-
tion of rose and yellow. Its blossoms are not
large individually, but of nice shape and borne in
fine clusters. The plant is charming grown as a
standard about a yard high. We lose the full
beauty of many Roses as dwarf trees, but when
budded on the Brier at the height named one
may comfortably inspect the flowers. — S.

Cliina Rose Cramoisi Superieur.— In the
rage for large full blooms as seen at exhibitions
one is apt to pass by many beautiful Roses. The
Rose noted may be classed as such, for a richer
scarlet-crimson it would be difficult to find. It
is of moderate growth as a dwarf plant, but I
saw it growing capitally budded on Briers about
a yard high. In this form it is a very showy
object, being exceedingly free flowering.— H.

TJncommoii Roses as standards.- 1 saw
recently a number of Roses budded on the Brier
about a yard high composed of varieties and
species that, to say the least, one is usually accus-
tomed to see grown in other forms. They were
most interesting. For instance, the Japanese
Roses, varieties of rugoea, covered with large red
berries I thought exceedingly beautiful. The
foliage of these is striking, and the blossoms, al-
though single, are pretty. Alba rubra and Mme.
Georges Bruant {semi-double white) were all
represented by well-balanced heads on clean
straight stems. The tiny-flowered Polyantha
Roses, again, make first-rate standards. Gloire
des Polyantha, rose and white, is charming ;
Etoile d'Or, chrome-yellow, and Ma Paquerette,
pure white, give large trusses of flowers. Perle
d'Or, buff yellow, is excellent. Ce'cile Brunner,
blush-pink, is distinct and pretty. Turner's Crim-
son Rambler does not seem so happy on the Brier.
The Manetti appears the stock most suitable for
this fast-growing Rose. Several plants of the
Austrian Brier Roses were conspicuous with nice-
shaped heads, but the blooms are past before
August. Austrian Copper, Austrian Yellow, and
Harrisoni do equally well. I noted Lord Pen-
zance's new Sweet Briers growing uncommonly
strong budded as standards. VYhat fine objects
these would make worked on Briers 6 feet or so
high and allowed to grow almost at will ! Janet 8
Pride, white with crimson stripes, is an attractive
Sweet Brier very little known . The striped Y ork
and Lancaster is also beautiful when grown as a
standard.— S.

TWELVE GOOD YELLOW" TEA ROSES.
Y'ellow in Tea Roses seems to be the popular
colour, in addition to which the plants are, as a
rule, of stronger constitution than those bear-
ing mixed coloured flowers. More yellow than
mixed coloured Teas by far appear m florists
windows, and in going through any large
market grower's establishment one cannot but
be struck with the predominance of yellow va-
rieties. 1 am not depreciating the many beau-
tiful forms other than yellow ; I admire them as
much as anyone ; but for the guidance of those
who, as producers, are obliged to study fashioii
in flowers, I give a list of varieties which will
be found to give satisfaction either for growing
in pots or for planting out in borders m ordi-
nary Rose houses. Amazone is a capital Rose,
and having rather elongated buds, will be found
most useful for bouquet work when half ex-
panded. Comtesse de Nadaillac, a charming
variety, is really one of the best of the section,
its fine full flowers of apricot shade being very
imposing. Its vigorous growth is also a point
in its favour, and 1 have found it a most exce .
lent forcing Rose, although, of course, its bnl

156

THE GARDEN.

[August 29, 1896.

liancy is somewhat reduced under such con-
ditions. Comtesse de Nadaillac should be in-
cluded iu every collection, however small.
Etoile de Lyon is a most useful Rose, being of
fairly free i;ro«th, and yielding its sulphur-
colonre<l flowers, which are bright yellow in the
centre, iu profusion. Another free bloomer of
the pale yellow section, and one which has held
its own for a good many years, is Isabella Sprunt.
I cannot say much in its favour as a forcer,
but no fault can be found with it when planted
out and allowed to come on gradually.
La Boule d'Or is another of the] same type, but
yellower in the centre, the blooms under good
cultivation being very full and fine. Mme.
Falcot, a rich orange-coloured Rose, is very
useful if taken iu the bud state, although it
quickly collapses after reaching the half-ex-
panded state. One of the most beautiful Roses
amongst yellow Teas is Mme. Hoste, large, full,
and of a brilliant yellow shade. Its constitu-
tion is good. A useful Rose, the colour of
which would, perhaps, be termed by some more
salmon than yellow, is Mme. Trifle ; this ia a
seedling from Gloire de Dijon, which it to some
extent resembles in freedom of growth and
blooming. Medea, a handsome, full lemon-
yellow canary-centred flower, is another reliable
Rose of vigorous growth, and worthy of a place
Ln limited collections. The bloom is extra large
even when in the bud state. Perle de Lyon,
deep yellow, often chansing to apricot with age,
is a Rose which will take a lot of beating by
any other of the same colour, and one which in
vigour of growth is surpassed by none. This is
a favourite with market growers, which fact is
of itself a pretty good recommendation. Perle
des Jardins, another favourite with market
growers, is indispensable. The flower.", which
vary in colour from a bright straw to a deep
yellow, are produced in great numbers on the
many stout growths the plant annually makes.
When at Mr. Beckwith's immense establish-
ment some time ago I saw in pots a great num-
ber of this Rose, which were then being pruned
for early forcinsr. I was told that it was the
most profitable Rose they grew. There is now
a climbing form of Perle des Jardins, a sport
from the original, and most useful for training
over walls in conservatories, or for covering
south and west walls. Princess Beatrice, a
pale yellow flower, the edges of the petals
slightly coloured with rose, blooms very large
and fuU, and growth vigorous, and Sunset, an
apricot- coloured variety of great merit, also a
very free bloomer, complete the list.

J. C.

SBORT NOTES.— ROSES.

Bose White Lady (H.T.).— This magnifitent
Bose, DOW that the weather has become cooler, is
opening in prand form. It has about the largest
petal of any Rose I know, and the colour is of a most
delicate blrsh, Bha-ling off to a clear ivory-white. It
is not nearly so double as its parent Lady Mary Fitz-
william, hut the growth is certainly beltsr — E."

R-'Be Madame Bois.— It is surprising that
BU'-h a lovely Bose as this shonld remain so much in
the kickm-oand. I consider it one of the very best of
the numerous progeny of Victor Yerdier. Its colour
is a pure pink two or three shades deeper than that of
Mrs John Laing. It is of good etardy habit, and al-
together a first-rate variety either for exhibition or for
garden decoration, and its b^autifnl bud almost rivals
that of Mrs. W. J. Grant.— P.

Rose Duchesse d'Auerstarit (Tea).— This
climbing Bose is as \Hgorous as Reve d'Or. The
flowers are larg.; and of a beautiful golden-yellow,
shaded at the base with a cinnamon or nankeen tiuf.
It would certainly bn a fine Rose for covering a south
wall fjuickly ; for it has the true seandent habit which
ia not always found in these so-called climbers. It
would reqtiiie careful protection in a hard winter, for it

tentu
Bourbon

irdy, but it « ill amply repay for any extra at-

Rose Mrs. Paul.- On further ac-

l" i>iit:i Willi I 111- , . i:i|i;ir:itively new Rofe I am not

sii ' i I . I. 1 lii'iiuty. In the first place

"■' I ;., and when they do come

I" v, '.il,!. , . -Ill I I IP. Ilia-like look about them
tliat IS far tr.im li.'iiic; attraotive. It has, however, a
gouJ hardy constitution, so that there is no ditficulty in
growing it.— U.

Rose Q. Nabonnand.— To see this at its best
.110 must go to the Rose garden in the early morning,
or in the evening. Its wonderfully large, shell-
like petals loosely arranged, and of the most delicate
jiink and ivory-white tints, can never be forgotten. The
petals are so loose that the slightest breeze appears to
move them. As in the case of the majority of these
semidouble roses, the buds are charmin?. and the
crowth is as strong and vigorous as that of Jlarie \&n
Houtte.

Kitchen Garden.

SPOT ON TOMATO LEAVES.
C.^N you tell me the cause of the spots on To-
mato leaves ] I have given the plants for manure
an ounce of sulphate of ammonia to a gallon of
water once a week. Has the disease been
caused by over-watering ? They have had
plenty of air. I lit the fire only for a few days
when we had so much damp. They are carry-
ing a very good crop of fruit. — A. Wat.son.

*j(.* 1 f the damage to the plants had been caused
by sulphate of ammonia, and one ounce to the
gallon of water is a strong dose, flagging would
most probably be one of the first sj mptoms of
distress. The leaf sent was somewhat dry and
much flattened, but I have no doubt about this
being a bad case of cladisporium, a disease of a
fungoid nature which at one time threatened to
practically ruin the Tomato industry. All the
while the weather remained hot and dry very
little of this disease was observable, but directly
there came a change to moist, sunless days, then
cladisporium was again in evidence. It is
known as the "yellow spot" among the Chan-
nel Island and other market growers, owing to
yellow spots showing on the leaves wherever
the fungus has destroyed the tissues from the
under side. To many these spots are the first
indications of the trouble in store, but the ex
perienced cultivator is ever on the look-out for
diseases of which there are far too many, and
directly a few black flutty or mildew-like patches
of fungus are seen on the under side of the
older leaves, a change of treatment is com-
menced at once. The Tomato must not be sub-
jected to a heated, moisture-laden atmosphere,
as it is this which most favours the generatior
and fearfully rapid spread of the cladisporium
There ought to be a warm, dry, and airy feel
ing constantly noticeable in a Tomato house,
and then there would be fewer troubles!
" A. W." .states that his plants have had plenty
of air, but failed to mention when and how this
has been admitted. All through the growing
season I never really close the houses, but one
or two " notches " of top air are left constantly
on, not unfrequently on both sides of span-
roofed structures, and on warm nights a
chink of front air is also admitted where
possible. Not content with this, the fires have
not been let out for longer than about ten
days, this being during the hottest part of the
summer. A little warmth in the pipes serves
to keep up the circulation of warm, dry air,
which is particularly desirable in the long
ranges of houses owned by market growers.
This treatment prevents both the fruit and
leaves from becoming cold during clear nights,

and as a consequence there is no condensation
of heated air on them between the hours of
C and 10 in the morning. The coal and coke
bill is a serious item in the expenditure inmost
gardens, and most of us are tempted to curtail
as much as we can during warm weather, but,
all the same, it is doubtful economy as far as
Tomato culture is concerned. Not onlj' does
fire-heat, judiciously employed, serve to ward cfiF
diseases, but it favours early ripening, and the
crops are both heavier and better in quality
accordingly. That there are hundreds of
Tomato houses in which no tire-heat has been
turned on for many weeks or months past and
yet no disease has shown itself, I readily admit,
but try the same treatment on a larger scale ,
and the result will be very diflerent.

A. W.'s" Tomatoes have had plenty of air,
but how soon in the morning is this admitted (
The mischief is usually done in the morning
before the houses are freely ventilated, and
again by closing too early or while yet the sun
has sufficient power to run up the thermometer
several degrees. During the recent very hot
weather my houses were freely ventilated be-
fore C a.m. and never wholly closed, the air
being gradually reduced, till at T p.m. about
3 inches of top air was left on. Disease there
is observable, in spite of all the care, but it is
principally found at the highest ends of long
ranges of houses constructed on gen'ly sloping
ground, or where warm, moisture- lad en air
collects.

"A. W." asks whether trouble has been
brought about by either over- watering or over-
feeding, and my reply is that too liberal
treatment is apt to promote undue luxuriance,
and may be said, therefore, to predisf ose them
to disease. When, however, the plants are
heavily laden with fruit, or are furnished with
great clusters to a height of 4 feet and upwards,
it is scarcely possible to overfeed them, always
supposing the roots are not injured by an over-
dose. More err in the direction of not feeding
and watering often enough, starved plants
seldom proving profitable. From one-half to
three-quarters of an ounce of sulphate of
ammonia is quite enough to add to each gallon
each time heavily-laden pot plants are watered,
and every second time in the case of those
planted in borders ; but Peruvian guano or the
special manures supplied by various vendors are
more to be desired. The watering ought as
much as possible to be done in the mornings of
clear days, in order that the atmosphere may
become dry before the evening. There is hss
moisture to be felt in the atmosphere of houses
the borders of which are mulched with strawy
manure, and these mulchings are also of the
greatest assistance in conserving moisture.

According to my experience of so-called re-
medies for the cladisporium of a material
character, few are worthy of unqualified praife.
The mixture of sulphate of copper and newly-
slaked lime in solution (known as the Bordeaux
mixture) is of very little service ; iu fact, each
time I applied it more harm than good was done.
It is the under-side of the leaves that must be
reached and dewed over with the liquid, and
this also means wetting the upper surfaces,
flowers opened and unopened, fruit large and
small, and the operator far more than de-
sirable. The same objections apply to dusting
the plants thoroughly with the copper and
lime in a powdered state. My remedy — not
original, let me add — is to concentrate the
heat on an aflTected house, making the pipes un-
comfortably hot to the hand and raising the
temperature on a bright day, and with a little
air on, to 110°, or rather less, for the best part
of the day. If this does not kill the disease it

August 29, 1896.]

THE GARDEN^.

157

will stop its spread, and one or two more of
these hot days will most probably stamp it out.
The other alternative is to paint the flow pipes
with flowers of sulphur mixed with skimmed
milk, and during the next two nights to turn on
the heat sufficiently to generate fumes strong
enough to make the eyes smart or tingle on
entering. In this instance the houses should
be closed through the night. Each time I tried
this remedy it answered well, the disease, if it
did not wholly die out, receiving sufficient
check to save the plants and crops, while early
applications did not damage the young flowers
or buds. Close planting and over-luxuriance
greatly favour the spread of fungoid diseases,
but the thinning out and trimming ought not to
take the form of wholesale removal of old
leaves. True, it is these which the disease
mostly aflfects, and it is equally certain they,
and not young partially developed leaves, con-
tribute most towards the production of full-
sized, heavy-weighing, best-quality fruit. Keep
sappy shoots from robbing and smothering the
rest of the plants, and if the old leaves are
crowded, be content to reduce them one-third,
and in extreme cases to one-half their original
size. Soft, light-weighing, flavourless fruit is
principally contributed to the markets by
growers who adopt the reckless practice of
wholesale defoliation, and they get foreign fruit
prices for their pains. — W. Iggulden.

Vegetable Marrows.— These, planted on par-
tially exhausted hotbeds early in the season, will
now need attention, both in the way of removing
all fully-grown Marrows and well soaking the bed
with water. That from the farmyard somewhat
reduced in strength is beet. The first flush of
Marrows is now over, and if timely assistance is
given and air and light admitted by freely
thinning out the least promising growths, a
secondary growth will generally follow, which
often proves as fruitful as the first, and continues
to crop later in the autumn than successional
planted lots. Neglect, however, to attend to the
plants just at this crisis, and, should the weather
continue dry, the probability is that the plants will
go from bad to worse, and very few, if any, more
fruit be forthcoming.— N. N.

Planting Asparagus in autumn.— Very
often gardeners sow Asparagus seed with the in-
tention of forming a new bed as soon as the young
plants are ready, but the usual time for the work
is allowed to slip past owing to press of other
work. In such cases, unless the plants were
thinned out the first season to a greater distance
than usual, I would advise autumn planting. I
have practised ib with great success. A noted
East Anglian grower who won several first prizes
some years ago for Asparagus used to do it,
very shallow trenches to hold one row being
made. Although the plants were of fair size, they
soon took hold and grew freely for the remainder
of the season, starting well the following spring.
I do not mean to advise autumn planting as a rule,
but I believe that in high-lying, dry gardens
where drought is liable to be troublesome in spring
autumn planting would be an advantage. I have
before spoken of the necessity of selecting those
seedlings which bear a few large berries "in pre-
ference to those with many small ones, as the
former always produce by far the largest and best
Asparagus, and it is quite surprisingwhat a variety
both in growth and berry one sometimes gets from
a single packet of seed. Of course, when autumn
planting is adopted the young plants must be
secured safely to neat sticks, or high winds will
cause them to sway about and loosen, if not force
the root ([uite out of the ground.— C. C. H.

Cauliflowers. — It is so long since, at least so
far as my knowledge goes, a satisfactory trial of
Cauliflowers took place at Chiswick, that it will
be desirable to have another shortly. A trial of
Broccoli has been suggested, but this vegetable

rarely manages to exist through an ordinary hard
winter in those gardens, and thus time, labour, and
ground might be wasted. With Cauliflowers the
case is diverse. Sowings of, say, a dozen as-
sumed different varieties made in a frame early in
March, so as to give strong plants to put out in
May, would give excellent results. If practic-
able, the first early or dwarf section, such as
Snowball, &c., might be sown oven a month
earlier. Mr. Wythes refers to Snowball and
Dwarf Erfurt Mammoth as being distinct, though
classed as identical at Chiswick in 189-4. Early
Dwarf Mammoth is perhaps a selection from the
Snowball, but I recollect many years ago that the
true Snowball, as originally received from Den-
mark, was a far better stock than was the Early
Dwarf Erfurt. I do not know in what respect
the variety called Erfurt Mammoth is better
than Snowball ; certainly it can hardly be earlier
or dwarfer, for a true stock of the latter literally
sits on the ground, and will in a remarkably brief
time throw hard, compact, pure white heads each
6 inches and 7 inches across, and larger can hardly
be needed. — A. D.

Tomato Old Red. — As showing that we have
not made so great an advance in raising new sorts
of Tomatoes as some people suppose, I may men-
tion that a gardening friend of mine — who has to
furnish a supply of ripe Tomatoes during the
winter as well as the summer — wrote to me the
other day, asking if I could spare him a pinch of
seed of the Old Red, as he knew I grew the sort
largely. A year or two ago he discarded the sort
in favour of another, but he was so disappointed
with the new kind, that he wished to return to the
old sort, for he could not find a better for winter
work or for the open air in summer. I believe
other growers' experience is the same as that
of my friend. I devote a wall over 300 feet long
to outdoor Tomatoes every year, and I cannot find
any other sort so profitable as the Old Red. For
the past five years I have only grown the Old
Red, and at the present time I have plenty of
good-shaped fruit, each weighing from 8 ounces
to 12 ounces. — J. C. C.

TOMATOES FAILING.
I HAVE read with interest all the articles on
Tomato culture in The Garden, but have failed
to find what I require. Some of my friends say
pinch the leaves ofl', and others say keep them on,
so what am I to do ? Several of my Tomatoes are
going wrong. A little black spot appears on the
Tomato and spreads. I have a greenhouse 14 feet
by 10 feet. I put a flue in it, but I put the stag-
ing clear of the flue. Will any reader kindly ad-
vise me as to a remedy for the above disease in
mv Tomatoes ?— J . E. Shaw.

'♦,* Ought the leaves to be cut off the plants
..nd when are questions that are put to me; with
greater frequency than upon any other detail con-
nected with Tomato culture. My vocation brings
me into contact with numerous amateur growers,
and in cottage gardens Tomato plants are to be
seen here and thore also, as it is in that direction
where the great increase in the number of con-
sumers of the popular fruit-vegetable is most
observable. Directly two or three clusters of
fruit are formed on the plants some well-disposed,
but inexperienced individual advises trimming off
the leaves in order that the fruit may have the
full benefit of all the sunshine going. As a con-
sequence all but quite the youngest leaves are
stripped off, and nothing but these stumps and
fruit are left. It is the visitors to the Channel
Islands that are so keen on stripping off the
leaves, and it is to them that this widespread
blunder is to be attributed. They come back
with glowing accounts of the crops of Tomatoes
there to be seen, and are very positive that much
of the success attending their production is due to
the practice of early defoliating the plants. It is
a pity that cultivators do not bring a little common
sense to bear upon the subject. Novices are to be
excused in the matter, but not so those men who
must be aware that it is only fully-formed, healthy
leaves that are capable of elaborating sap, con

verting it into food for the benefit principally of
the fruit, yet it is these they too often strip off
prematurely. Instead of cutting away the service-
able old leaves, they ought to reserve these and
frequently cut away all superfluous young shoots,
stopping even the leaders beyond the third or
fourth newly-set bunch of fruit. All the strength
of the plants will then be concentrated on the
fruit, with the result of improving this in weight
and quality. According to my experience, and I
have conducted various experiments every season,
the fruit ceases to make much further progress
directly the leaves are stripped off wholesale— at
any rate they do not gain in weight, and the bulk
is light-weighing and poor in quality.

This practice of early stripping off the leaves is
not confined to plants grown in the open air, but
is carried out still more extensively under glass.
There is no justification for wholesale defoliation
in either case, though some excuse can be found
for a partial removal of old leaves as well as
young shoots. Direct sunshine striking full on
the fruit doubtless hastens ripening, and in the
autumn nothing short of freely reducing the size
of the old leaves will obviate this difficulty. As
it happens, the most exposed fruit on plants
grown in the open is the most liable to be
injured by disease, and I have already had to
gather some that derived no protection from the
leaves in order to finish ripening them under
glass— they were cracking badly. There will be
no early wholesale defoliation of these plants, but
in the autumn a rapid spread of disease will be
anticipated by drawing them out of the soil,
trimming off the leaves, and hanging them up in
a warm, dry house for the best of the fruit to
colour. What is not sufficiently advanced to
become red enough for the cook to use in soup-
making will be utilised principally for making
into pickle.

In the case of plants thinly grown under glass
I do not recommend the removal of a single
healthy old leaf, for the simple reason that the
best results attend their retention. When the
plants are trained 15 inches apart up a roof, these
would be thinlv i rown. More often than not
they are either 'planted, or the leading growths
are trained, less than 12 inches apait, and these I

ould consider crowded. Already a reaction has
_jt in in favour of wider planting, growirg Toma-
toes thickly together often ending in the produc-
tion of lighter crops than half the nurnber of
plants occupying the same space would give. It
is, however, in the cross rows of plants grown in
span-roofed houses by market gardeners where
the most crowding occurs, and where there is
usually the greatest necessity for reducing the
weight of foliage. If the lower leaves are not re-
duced to half their original size they either blanch
each other as well as the fruit, or else disease of a
fungoid nature quickly overruns the whole of
them, destroying theii usefulness in either case.
If, therefore, "J- E. Shaw" has arranged his
plants thickly to the extent of smothering each
other, about one-half of each leaf may be cut off,
one-third being enough if only moderately thick,

hile if they are quite clear of each other, do not
interfere with the leaves on the main stem till they
change to a yellow colour. He doubtless quite
understands that no young side shoots should be
allowed to form on the main stems, so that there
are only primary leaves to reckon with, and he
will do well to pinch out the points of each leader
or plant beyond the last-formed bunch of flower-
buds. , ^, ^

Tomato troubles are numerous tb is season. Most
growers have cause to complain of the loss of fruit

by disease, or what is attributed to d

" little black spot " that most often ai _

points of the fruit is thought to be caused by

The
appears at the

fungoid disease known as Sporocybe lycopersici,
but which I am disposed to consider the effect
rather than the cause of the damage. If the
cause, why is it we see so little of the disease dur-
ing either moderately warm or dull, sunless
summers? In 1887, 1893, 1895 and 1896 most
fruit was spoilt by this form of disease, and this
confirms me in the view that the excessive heat

158

THE GAKDEK

[August 29, 1896.

has most to do with it. I have tried coating the
fruit with sulphate of copper and lime mixtures,
both in a dry and dissolved state, without any
appreciable effect on the rate of removal of
damajjed Tomatoes, and the onlv remedy I can
suggest is freer ventilation. Keeping the houses
warm with the aid of tire-heat, leaving a chink of
top air to prevent stagnation of atmosphere, and
opening the ventilators wider as early as (! a.m.,
admitting all the air possible during the hottest
part of the day, are the best preventives of this
complaint and of other injurious diseases un-
doubtedly of a fungoid nature. When the nights
are cold, J. E. Shaw ouglit to get his flue warm,
this extra heat hastening the ripening of fruit as
well as checking the spread or warding off
disease. The house ought to feel comfortably
warm and dry. There must be no drying off at
the roots for some time to come, but the watering
and feeding should be done in the moruine.—
W. Iix;rLPE.v.

LATE POTATOES.
I HAVE noticed advice tendered to Potato
growers that they should get up their late stocks
at once before they grow out. That may be in
all cases good advice where the tops have
withered or are rapidly ripening. In those cases
the skins of the tubers have fairly set, and they
may be lifted and handled with comparative
safety. All the same, it is these very fairly
matured tubers with ripening tops that are least
likely to grow out or supertuberate. Ail those
breadths that are still full of vigour and growth
—the tops being quite green, if not luxuriant-
are either in top or in tuber far from being
ripe, and it is very doubtful whether lifting the
tubers now whilst so immature and the skins so
thin and tender, to escape growing out, would
not be the worse of the two evils. It must be
remembered that, provided the disease spares
the tops, tubers have fully six weeks longer in
which to grow, and just now, too, is the very
time when they are developing starch— that is,
changing from their soft or watery nature to
that of a floury or starchy substance, and
whilst immediate lifting would result in getting
tubers hardly eatable, several weeks more of
growth would ensure the having of these tubers
even if a little larger, at least far more fitted for
food. But, even apart from this matter, there
can be no question that the longer Potatoes can
remain in the ground to mature, the better will
they keep. Potatoes are not at all likely to
Buffer one-half so much from supertuberation
this season as last year, as the rains which so
far have fallen have been very moderate and
have not penetrated far. By the end of July
last year we had much more rain (because
the storms were heavy) than has fallen up
to the present moment. The late Pota-
toes were then much less advanced than
they are now. If there be no growing out this
year the tuber crop may be less than was that
of last year, but that can hardly be to the
market growers of late varieties a misfortune
as last spring hundieds of tons held over to
obtain a better price were either .sold at £1 per
ton or had to be given to cattle.

Late Potatoes, let the crop be ever so good
<an hardly be grown at a profit if sold for less
than £2 per ton. The case seems not to be at
aU one created by foreign competition, but by
excessive production at home. It was my ex-
perience last year, obtained in connection with
several diverse trials, that good forms of round
Potatoes did not supertuberate at all. The
worst development wa.s found in the Ion.' late
kidneys, especially those of the Jlagnum Bouum
type. That, however, may be but the idiosyn-
crasy of the year, because, as all growers know
various seasons produce very diverse results

The worst characteristic of the kidney section
referred to is that supertuberation with them is
found in an elongation of the tuber, so that one
part is firm or ripe and the other pait soft or
immature. It was very probably that fact
which to some extent led to the exceedingly
low demand for late Potatoes in the spring.
When round Potatoes grow out they usually
push smaller ones from eyes, but without ma-
terially affecting the texture of the older tuber.^.
Reverting to the present position, I prefer to
leave all late and yet strong-growing varieties
alone for a few weeks longer, as the tubers will
be much firmer by that time both in flesh and
skin. For travelling or much handling, every-
one knows that tender skins are very objection-
able, whilst hard skins save the tubers from
much harm. A. D.

Vitality of Parsley seed.— A friend of mine,
who is alpo an old vegetable grower, informed me
recently that he had Parsley seed fourteen years
old and found it cjuite good. It is true the strain
was a special one of his own and had been selected
and saved with great care, which might in part
account for its long-continued vitahty. It is
strange that there should be such a wide differ-
ence in seed in this respect, as that of some vege-
tables is worthless if two years old.— J. C.

Tomato Chemin. — I herewith send you a ripe
cluster of this at present little known, but most
excellent Tomato. I sent a note some time ago
on its merits as an indoor variety, but the fruit sent
is from plants growing on a south wall between
the Peach trees. With the ripe cluster I send
also three green ones in different stages of de-
velopment, so that you may see its continuous
bearing character. One of its chief recommenda-
tions is, in my opinion, its size. Below the aver-
age in this respect, it is most useful for sending to
table for eating in a raw state. Moreover, being
such a good cropper the aggregate weight ot
fruit from each plant equals that of most of the
larger fruited varieties which carry a less number.
—J. Ceawforh.

Tomatoes in pots.— On visiting the nursery
of Mr. J. P. Thoday, Willingham, Cambs, I was
surprised to see a large house, 300 feet long, filled
with Tomatoes in pots, carrying a splendid crop
of fruit. Mr. (irant, the manager, told me that
owing to the soil being unsuitable he had failed
when he planted out, and had therefore resorted
to pots. 1 believe they were chiefly 12-inch pots.
The plants were each S feet to 10 feet high, and
although a good many of the fruits had been
gathered, they were still carrying a good crop.
There were several sorts in the house. It is gene-
rally understood that when Tomatoes are planted
out they do not do well in the same house after
the first two or three years unless the whole of
the soil is removed and replaced with fresh. This
of course is a very expensive operation, and if
Tomatoes can be grown so successfully in pots, a
great deal of labour and expense might be saved.

Rollingr Onion ground.— Where the soil is
of a light or medium character, rolling Onion
plots, although incurring a little extra labour, is
good practice, as the best bulbs are produced from
a firm surface, and this can better be secured by
rolling than by the ordinary method of treading.
Treading, however, must precede the use of the
roller, using the rake to secure a level surface.
The plot should then be rolled lengthways and
crossways, and in the case of very light soils twice
over. The drills should then be drawn and the
seed sown, after which the roller should again be
brought into action. In dry times rolling the sur-
face has the effect of preserving what moisture
there is in the ground. On clayey or very retentive
soils the roller should not be ueed, as the surface
is apt to become baked and afterwards cracked,
which is an evil. I once saw the roller used on an
Onion plot having a very considerable slope, the
soil consisting of a clayey loam. Two evils followed

—first, wholesale cracking, and secondly, the run-
ning in a complete stream from top to bottom of
all the rain water which afterwards came. I well
remember when under a gardener who always
grew a bod each of Nuneham Park, James' Keep-
ing and Strasburg nn the broadcast principle,
which I believe is still the best for securing well-
shaped, thoroughly ripened bulbs, that if an Onion
sprang up in the hard trodden alley which sepa-
rated the beds and was allowed to remain, it in-
variably grew to a larger size than those in the
beds and always had a good neck, thus proving
the advantage of a solid surface. I have quite as
strong a liking for firmness for Strawberries as for
Onions, and I have never grown larger or better
fruit than when I sowed my spring Onions in rows
24 feet apart and planted my young Strawberry
plants between at the end of July or beginning of
August. The repeated trampling of the ground
to attend to the Onions rendered it very firm and
also hindered undue evaporation. — J. Crawford.

Cottagers exhibiting vegetables.- There
is room for much improvement in the manner in
which cottagers, as a rule, stage their produce at
local exhibitions. In some few districts, and
where a society has been in existence for a good
many years, the above-named class seems to have
taken a leaf out of the professional gardener's
book, their collections, instead of being huddled
together on an ordinary-sized tea-tray or on the
table, being neatly arranged on a green wooden
tray sufficiently large to admit of fair space be-
tween each variety, a garnishing of Parsley giving
the whole a neat and finished appearance. A
cottager who takes these pains stands a far
greater chance of winning a first prize than his
slovenly opponent. Of course, all single exhibits
cannot be garnished with Parsley, but in the case
of I'otatoes, Tomatoes, and a few other things,
which may be laid regularly on a cushion of Moss
or some soft material, the intervening spaces
being filled in with Parsley, a great improvement
is effected. I think that by a little endeavour on
the part of the committees of country shows this
rough-and-ready mode of staging might be done
away with. If a special prize were offered for the
best collection of vegetables in which neatness of
arrangement was to form a special feature, an all-
round improvement would soon be visible. — C. H.

Feeding Seakale.— At this season after a long
drought the plants are more vigorous than usual.
The value of liquid manure or other foods given for
the next two or three weeks will be great, as the
plants are now forming their crown upon which
depends next season's crop. With nice rains the
plants will make up for lost time. There should
be no delay in giving food, as the plants are now
in an active state to absorb the same. It is not
too late to reduce the crowns where they are at
all numerous, so as to throw all the vigour into
those left for forcing. This will promote early
ripening, and in a measure prepare the roots for
early forcing. In case liquid manure is not ob-
tainable, the best substitute I have used is fish
manure, and, failing the latter, good guano.
Whatever food is given, it is essential that it be
well washed down to the root.s.— G. W.

■Watering and feeding Celery. — Few
plants suffer sooner than Celery from want of
moisture, and as we frequently get a wet or
drizzling time after protracted drought, it may be
thought sufficient for the plants. Such, however,
is not the case, as it is surprising what a heavy
rainfall is re(iuired before the roots get any mois-
ture. Now is a good time to thoroughly saturate
the roots. I notice the growth of early Celery is
sturdier this season than usual, and will well repay
feeding in addition to copious supplies of moisture.
There is no bettor time to feed than now, as the
plants have now mostly absorbed the food in the
trenches, and food in the way of liquid manure or
fish manure is well applied previous to the water-
ing. Salt and soot are excellent fertilisers and
greatly improve the flavour of the Celery. These
given now will build up strong plants. With
liberal supplies of moisture there will be less fear
of running or hollow stalks. — G. W. S.

August 2J, l89o.J

THE GARDEis.

I5y

CONDOVER HALL.
The village of Condover is about 5 miles from
Shrewsbury, its name being recorded in the
Domesday Book, whilst the hall is a fine ex-
ample of Elizabethan architecture. It was built
by Thomas Owen, a native of Condover and a
distinguished lawyer of that period. He was
Queen's Sergeant in 1593, and a Justice of the
Common Pleas from 1594 till his death in 1598.
A fine monument to his memory may be seen
in Westminster Abbey where he was buried.
It is buUt of the local red sandstone, and is now
the seat of iV[r. R. H. Cholmondeley. Carved in

sected by the winding Cound, and beyond its
wooded confines rises prominently the long un-
dulating line of the Longmyn Hills. Un the
west side there is considerable flower gardening
on geometric lines with high Box edgings and
spiral J uniper-' . At the tim e of our visit It wa s gay
with the best of the usual summer bedding plants
in profuse bloom. A dozen Irish Yews, though
kept rather severely conical, are a fine feature,
in this garden, and the effect on the whole is
pleasing. At the end of the garden is a walk
skirting the lawn, margined with beds, in which
i were noted good Roses, also Zinnias and Stocks

of our visit were the Cactus Dahlias. The
fault of many of these is that the flowers are
hidden among the leaves, but those that we saw
here had been selected more or less free from this
defect, those noted being Matchless, dark crim-
j son ; Viscountess Folkestone, salmon- yellow ;
Purple Prince ; Lancelot, salmon-red; Amphion,
bufl-yellow ; Saint Catherine, of a similar shade;
Baron Schrceder, light purple ; and Beauty of
Arundel, ro.sy bufl'. Two borders of hardy
flowers — the entire length of the vegetable gar-
den— were beautifully edged with the old white
Pink. Fruit both on the walls and on trees in
the open vegetable quarters was
abundant and fine. Under glass
the same good culture was apparent
everywhere.

stone over one of the doors is this inscription :
" Those who enter by this gate cannot come too
early and never stay too late." The hall, stand-
ing back a little distance from the public road, is
reached by a straight road with lawns on either
side, adorned by a few isolated specimens of
evergreen trees ; this is the north side of the
house. On the south side are some simple grass
terraces, offering a most inviting situation for a
good flower garden, but here are only a few
isolated conical clipped Yews. Beyond, how-
ever, the view is extensive and picturesque,
with a park of several hundred acres inter-

yhanlx, Malton^ YorJcs,

finely grown, whilst a good Yew hedge bounds
this part of the garden, and in admirable con-
trast with it are pretty pyramidal golden Yews.
Upon the lawn near by we noted two very fine
Elms, one with wide-spreading branches sweep-
ing the turf. The village church, too, is close
by and easily accessible from the lawn.

The fruit and vegetable garden is admirably
planted, and, like many more such gardens,
appeals to lovers of flowers from the variety
and richness of its occupants coming and
going in their season. Here are grown many
flowers for cutting, and prominent at the time

SURFACE CATERPILLARS.

The attacks of these caterpillars,
according to a leaflet just issued by
the Boaid of Agriculture, have been
unusually noticeable this season (1896),
as the growth of many of the plants
on which they feed was checked by
the drought. Swedes and Turnips,
for instance, were very backward and
a thin plant generally, so that the
action of these caterpillars upon them,
which would probably not have been
of great consequence in ordinary
seasons, has been maiked and disas-
trous in many cases. Mangolds again
were seriously affected, being as a rule
a weak and backward plant, and, by
reason of the lack of moisture, unable
to grow away from the caterpillars.
Good- sized Mangold bulbs examined
in the middle of July were found to
be completely scooped out, and their
contents eaten by the caterpillars of
the heart and dart moth (Agrotis ex-
clamationis), which appeared to be
more plentiful than those of the Turnip
moth (Agrotis segetum). These cater-
pillars cause serious injuiy to many
crops of the farm, market garden, and
garden, and particularly to Mangolds
and Turnips. They, in common with
caterpillars of different species, are
styled '' surface caterpillars," because
they hide just beneath the surface
of the soil and attack plants of most
kinds just at, or just below, the sur-
face, and always in the night-time.
They correspond with the "cutworms"
in the United States, so-called be-
cause they cut the stems of plants
asunder. Some of these American
cut-worms belong to this same family
of Agrotis. Young Mangold plants,
and Mangold plants whose growth is
retarded by drought, are frequently
cut through by these caterpillars just
below the surface of the earth, and
Potatoes are also attacked, particularly
where earthing has not been well
done. Turnips and Swedes are often
spoilt by these caterpillars, which
completely clear out the insides of the
bulbs, or so injure them that they be-
come rotten. Lettuces, Carrots and
Beetroot are also frtquently attacked by the cater-
pillars of the garden swift moth (Hepialius lupu-
linus), but those of the Agrotis are far more de-
structive to them. Wheat and other corn plants
seriously suffer from Agrotis caterpillars, especially
wheat in mild winters. This injury is often attri-
buted to wireworms. Grasses in pastures, par-
ticularly those with thick bulbous stems, are often
eaten by these caterpillars, which do more injury
to grass land than is generally imagined. There
is no doubt that mild winters, without any frost,
tend in some considerable degree to account for
unusual numbers of surface caterpillars, as they
pass the winter in the ground in the caterpillar

160

THE GARDEN.

[Adgdst 23, 189(

state, and might be affected by frost, or at least by
frequently alternating frost and thaw. Mild dry
springs are favourable for pupation, egg-laying,
and for the caterpillars while small, and dry
weather later on prevents the caterpillar disease,
which is always more prevalent in rainy seasons.
Life History.
The female moth of Agrotis segetum is rather
larger than the male, its wings are much darker,
being black-brown, while the wings of the male
are greyish brown. The antenna- of the male an-
much pectinated, while those of the female are
simple. In size, Agrotis segetum diflers little
from Agrotis exclamationis. In Agrotis exclama-
tionis the female is reddish brown, with the fore-
wings darker than the hinder wings. The colour
of the male is paler brown and its antenna' are
slightly pectinated, the antenna- of the female
being plain. The wing expanse is about I ',
inches, and the length of the body is about
three - quarters of an inch. The habits are
the same in both species. Eggs like Poppy
seeds are laid at the beginning of the
summer, and fastened near the ground to the
leaves of cultivated plants, and of Plantains,
Goosefoot, Chickweed, and many cruciferous
weeds. Caterpillars come from these in from ten
to twelve days, and begin to feed at once. When
qaite full-grown the caterpillars are nearly U
inches long. One species can be distinguished
from the other only by careful inspection. The
Agrotis exclamationis caterpillars are darker than
those of Agrotis segetum, being decidedly
brownish, while the others are grey. The most
important distinction, as pointed out in Buckler's
" British Moths," is that in Agrotis exclamationis
the quite black spiracles are always larger than
the spots before and behind them, and that upon
each of, at least, the first five segments there is a
pear-shaped blotch rather darker than the bodv
colour. These caterpillars feed from their first
appearance in summer to the spring of the next
ypar, though probably a few of them, as stated by
Mr. Barrett in his "Lepidopteraof the British Isles,"
" appear to feed up rapidly by the middle of
August, producing moths the same autumn, and
reinforcing the great army of wintering larva;."
During severe frosts they retire to cells in the
earth. In the spring the caterpillars change into
reddish-brown pup.-e, in earthen chambers, in
which state they remain for about twenty-eight
days.

Methods or Prevention and Remedies.
To prevent a recurrence of the attack it is de-
sirable to lime infested fields with ordinary lime,
or gas-limt-, and to plough deeply. Turnips
and Swedes that are inftstid should hi; fed off
early by sheep. Land after Mangolds, where there
has "been infestation, should be limed, ploughed
deeply, and not cropped again till the spring, if
possible, and ploughed agfin before it is sown.
It would be dangerous to sow wheat at once after
a badly infested crop of Turnips, Swedes, or
Mangolds. Weeds must be kept down in fields
and gardens, especially cruciferous weeds, as
Charlock, which afford shelter for eggs and food
for the young caterpillarf. The frequent stir-
ring, with horse and hand hoes, of land having
crops in drills, as Turnips, Swedes, and Mangolds,
disturbs the caterpillars and kills some of them.
Drawing drags and harrows over young Swedes,
Turnips, and Mangolds when possible is also of
considerable advantage. Fresh, pure, finely-
powdered soot scattered on both sides of infested
plants and lightly chopped in has proved to be of
considerable benefit. It keeps the caterpillars off,
at all events for a time, and gives the plants a
chance to grow away, at least in ordinary seasons.
In seasons of extreme drought this application
should be repeated. Lime mixed with soot in the
proportion of 3 or 4 bushels of very finely tri
turatel lime to 1 bushel of well powdered soot
forms a pungent compound found to be very use-
ful in similar caterpillar attacks, and should be
sprinkled close to infested plants. A little sul-
phur mixed with this composition, at the rate of
1 lb. to a bushel of soot, aJdds to its offensivenese.

Kainit, put on in a similar manner, near to in-
fested plants, has a marked effect upon the cater-
pillars. It is desirable to force the plants on
with dressings of artificial manures, as guano for
Turnips, and nitrate of soda, in small repeated
doses, for Mangolds. Potatoes should be well
" earthed " where there is any fear of infestation,
and the earthing done early in the season. In
market gardens and gardens, and in the case of
valuable crops, as Cabbages, Lettuces. Celery,
Radishes, Carrots, and herbs, hand-picking is
advocated. The caterpillars are generally near
the plants, just under the surface of the earth,
which should be moved with a sharpened stick or
a small hoe and the caterpillar picked out. This
is, of course, an expensive process, but it might
pay to adopt it in some cases. In America baits
of "Clover, Lettuce, &.-., sprinkled with Paris
green are placed near infested crops to attract
and poison the caterpillars. Birds, as partridges,
rooks, gulls, starlings, and plovers, are devourers
of these caterpillars, and should be encouraged.
Hoeing and dragging infested Turnip fields give
the birds exceptional chances to get at these
night-moving insects. Moles also eat them, and
should be protected, as they do much good and
but little real harm.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

NOTES ON APRICOTS.
We learn from Mr. Wythea' recent remarks on
this indispensable fruit that the crop at Syon,
as in most other gardens, has this year been satis-
factory. Mr. Wythes finds that a dry, warm
summer suits the Apricot, always provided, as
he says, that sufficient root moisture is forth-
coming, artificial waterings, not only when the
crop is swelling and ripening, but also after the
fnnt is gathered, being imperative if stout, well-
developed fruit buds are to be secured and dying
off' of branches prevented, for my opinion is
that this too common disorder in Apricots is
brought about by more causes than one, equally
as much as is shanking in Grapes, and that in-
sufficiency of root moisture from the time the
fruit ripens till the foliage changes colour and
falls will produce it, the effect being seen next
season as soon as growth commences. If mulch-
ings which were applied early in summer
have, by repeated waterings, become exhausted
and partly dispersed, they should now be re-
newed, as this is half the battle, evaporation be-
ing very rapid in close proximity to hot south
and west walls. While willing to admit that
branch- withering and even the complete collapse
of many Apricot trees are due to unripeued
wood through an insufficiency of sunshine, this,
I think, having been proved by the fact that
previous to our seasons taking a turn Apricot
trees did well enough in every county in
England, the liability to decay might be
greatly lessened if a more thorougli system of
disbudding and thinning of the young wood
were adopted. With many gardeners who take
care that attention in this matter is not for a
moment lacking in connection with their Peach
trees on open walls, the disbudding of
Apricots is entirely igni red, the trees being per-
mitted to retain all their young growth, this
resulting in a thicket of foliage which the sun
of an ordinary summer cannot penetrate,
matters being made worse where the roots are
in a strong soil. The soil at Syon is, I believe,
of a s.andy nature, and my experience is that
such really suits Apricots better than a strong
loam. Some trees were planted in a garden
near here a few years since, the soil used
for making the border being of considerable
strength and somewhat retentive. They grew

rapidly for a year or two and looked the very
picture of health, but are now, I am sorry
to say, showing signs of decay, several large
branches having already gone, while the trees
in this garden have during the same period im-
proved, the soil being sandy and well drained.
I recently had a very striking proof of the need
for supplying moisture to the roots of Apricot
trees during summer. Some trees near here
were bearing a heavy crop of fruit and had
been left to take care of themselves. An extra
dry, arid interval occurred, during which the
foliage drooped and looked quite blue. Eventu-
ally a heavy thunderstorm came to their relief,
when the leaves quickly resumed their natural
stiffness and colour, clearly proving where the
mischief lay. Watering should never be done
very late in the season, or say end of September,
which is likely to be the case where work is press-
ing and labour scarce. Very late watering has a
tendency to promote an untimely growth, and
lay the tree open to a severe check when frost
comes. As to

Yarietie.s,

there can, I think, be no doubt that the
popular and highly flavoured Moorpark is more
prone to injury and decay from inclement
seasons than other sorts ; indeed, I have
not planted a Moorpark for some years, and
I know other gardeners who have given
it up, planting Hemskirk, one of the best
all-round varieties in cultivation, in its stead.
So far aa my experience of this Apricot goes,
which in this garden alone extends to thirteen
years, it is very hardy, and the least liable to
branch-withering of any. The fruit ripens
fairly early in the season, although not so soon
as the Large Early, another hardy and valuable
kind with melting flesh and most distinci flavour.
Oullin's Early Peach is true to name, and is
probably the most reliable sort to plant for
fruit for dessert, and this may be duplicated
by Breda, a medium -sized fruited variety,
also ripening early, and although lacking
first-class dessert quality is most useful for
tarts and stewing. Breda in favourable dis-
tricts succeeds in the open as a standard.
Shipley or Blenheim, which belongs to the
early season kinds, has beeu extensively planted
of late, its character being that of a good all-
round Apricot which seldom gums, even where
the soil is not so warm and porous as desirable.
J. Crawford.
Coildington Hall, Newark.

Plum Early Violet. — In this district there is
a small cooking blue Plum much grown for
market called Early Violet. Its size is between
that of a Damson and the well-known Early
Rivers. It ripens about a week before that
variety and sells well, there being so few other
Plums, even Victorias, in the market at that time.
It carries a heavy bloom and is of fair flavour,
though somewhat tart. The tree is a heavy
bearer in nine seasons out of ten, thus showing
that the bloom is hardy. I have looked in vain
through several fruit catalogues for its name, but
it is no doubt grown by nurserymen in this
county, the fruit being in great demand for jam
making. Perhaps some reader of The Garden
knows the Plum by this name. — J. C, Notts.

Watering inside Vine bordeTs.— How often
is the mistake of watering inside Vine borders in
the after paitof the day made, the house being
nearly or entirely closed at eventide, with the re-
sult that wholesale cracking and destruction of
the berries follow. This of course refers to
houses containing Grapes in a ripening cordition,
some varieties, such as Foster's Seedling, Madres-
field Court, and Buckli-nd Sweetwater, resenting
this treatment sooner than others. Independent
of cracking, the bloom is by such treatment com-

AoGCST 29, 1896.J

THE GARDEK

161

pletely spoilt, the bunches presenting a sorry
appearance. The wood, moreover, does not gtt
the chance of gradually ripening. The best way
is to wait for a light, settled day— if rather windy,
so much the better- and to water as soon after
breakfast as possible, full air being admitted : the
superfluous moisture has then an opportunity of
escaping before evening, and with a giadual with-
drawal of air, leaving a good chink on both at the
top and bottom ventilators, a constant current is
kept up, and both cracking and bloom-disfigure-
ment avoided. While on the subject of watering
I would like to add that watering borders of
early vineries after the crop is cut is very often
neglected, to the detriment of the Vines. Right
up to the time that the leaves turn yellow pi evious

were I to postpone mulching until late in the
spring, I should in the majoiity of seasons have a
very poor yield of Strawberries. Often during
February we get dry parching winds which liter-
ally draw every bit of moisture out of the surface,
distressing surface-rooting things like Straw-
berries and laying the foundation of a complete
collapse as soon as new leafage becomes abuLdant
should a minimum quantity of rain only fall.
Where gardeners err is in applying a heavy mulch
of wet close manure, which X admit in the eventof
severe frost does more haim than good, foiming
little better than a sheet of ice. W hat is needed
is a fair covering of short littery material
well saturated with the urine, which latter
is quickly washed down into the ground to

Musa Cavendishi

to falling. Vines are capable of assimilating food,
and if on account of tire heat being withheld
water is also withheld from the time the Grapes
are ripe till they are cut to avoid rotting, it
should be again literally supplied in all well-
drained borders the moment the last bunch is re-
moved from the house. — J. C.

Manuring Strawberry beds.— Mr. J. C.
Clarke's remarks on manuring, by which I take it
he means mulching. Strawberry beds is interest-
ing. My experience is that those gardeners who
have a light soil resting on a gravelly subsoil lun
a great risk of losing the crop if they neglect to
mulch in autumn, or at any rate during December
or January at the latest. I have a rather light
soil to deal with, and I can confidently say that

Eoits, which make runners slowly. I bought in a
few of the last-named for planting out, but as I
discovered spider on them, and aUo found them
only moderately rooted, 1 stood them behind a
north wall, giving the foliage a good sj ringing
with sulphur water. I have done the same with
other sorts layered at home, finding that thus
treated they made more headway, ai.d are ready
for planting sooner than when left on the parent
plant till fcufficiently rooted.— J. C.

photograph sent ly

feed the roots the ne.xt season, while the litter,
having become dry and therelore warm, remains
to keep the fruit clean without any addition.
Two birds are thus killed with one stone. Even
under this treatment I sometimes find a difficulty in
preserving the rows of those sorts which have the
Queen blood in them, but have little to complain
of and generally get good crops.— J. C.

Strawberry Monarch. — I planted some of
this new variety this season, and am much im-
pressed by the dwarf, sturdy habit of growth,
even on quite young plants. No trace of spider
is visible, and I am hoping it will prove to be a
good Strawberry for light, warm soils and hot,
dry seasons. Latest of All is more subject to
spider, as, indeed, are the majority of the later

MUSA CAVEKDISHI.
There are perhaps many and various reasons
for the somewhat rare occurrence of the fruiting
of Muaas, some of which are doubtless the
amount of space required under glass for their
accommodation, and the great heat that must
be accorded them if the fruiting is to be in
any way successful. To these and other reasons
is due the fact that fruiting examples are tisually
only seen in very large gardens and where
ample space is at command tor their accommoda-
tion, it can scarcely be said of these (as of
some tropical, heat-loving subjects that they
are difbcult to grow, for, on the contrary, they
are among the easiest, provided the two great
essentials (heat and moisture) are at command.
Indeed, these are their chief requirements, par-
ticularly so during their season of growth, for,
as a matter of fact, much of the success which
is achieved in the culture of these noble habited
subjects is really due to sustaining a high tem-
perature from the moment the sucker is
planted till its gigantic inflorescence has issued
trom the summit of its trunk-like stem and
the fruits developed to their full size. To
successfully accomplish this, it is much best to
plant strong suckers into their permanent posi-
tions quite early in the year, say by the beginning
of March. When this is done, the plants have
before them a full season of growth, the re-
quisite heat is maintained also at less cost, and
what is perhaps more important still to those
who engage in their cultivation is that the
fruits set with greater certainty in the autumn
ensuing. Later planted suckers, on the other
hand, would run the risk of the truss of bloom
becoming blind in winter through insufficient
sunlight and sun-heat, which are all-important to
the fullest development of the plant. These
drawbacks, together with much reduced tem-
peratures in winter, the fully -developed fruits
are capable of enduring with impunity.

The example in the illustration herewith is
one of eight plants grown by Mr. Charles Last,
gardener to Mr. H. O. O'flagan, River Home,
Hampton Court. The plants occupy the side
beds of a house specially designed for the growth
of Musas, this being a cumpact lofty struc-
ture with plate glass sides. Only very few
other plants occupy the house, and these from
a furnishing point of view rather than cultural,
since it has been found that the great shade of
the Bananas is too much for most things. The
plants were put out on March 15, 1895, and formed
asuccessiontoaprevious lot that was irretrievably
ruined by the great Thames flood of November,
1894, with nearly 4 feet of water in the house.
The first fruits were gathered March 12, 1890,
three days under a year from planting ; the fruits,
however, could have been ready much earlier,
but were purposely retarded. The plant repre-
sented in the illustration was selected by the
photographer on account of its position, and at
the time of photographing had upwards of 230
splendid fruits all fully developed. This was
no exception, as the remaining seven plants
each perfected upwards of 200 of the finest
fruits, the largest of all, a colossal bunch, show-
ing something like 260 splendid fruits.

162

THE GAEDEK

[August 29, 1896.

The method of culture adopted by Mr. Last
is by no means elaborate, the soil being com-
posed of turf edgings and short manure.
Altogether the beds are 2 feet deep and abi>ut
3 feet wide, drainage to the extent of '.» inches
being given. Each plant is entirely separate
from the rest, being divided by an inch slate
slab. Planted in these divisions the plants are
separately at command, and a much longer suc-
cession of fruit thereby ensured, a new sucker
being planted as soon as the fruiting example
has "finished. The fruiting plants this year,
however, were more or less together by reason
of the tiood previously noted. The suckers
were of about the same size and planted at
one time, and when in fruit were certainly
a noble lot of plants. The actual soil space
for each plant is 3 feet 10 inches by 5 feet
2 inches. From the first, copious supplies of
water are given at the root, and, with activ
growth, liquid sewage freely. No artificial
manure of any kind is employed, nor do the
plants appear to stand in need of it. Heat and
a continuously humid atmosphere are the chief
items, and these are given without stint.
Bottom-heat is aflbrded by pipes beneath the
beds and from open gratings, and around the
walls a plentiful supply of top-heat is secured.
It is worthy of note, however, that the heat in
winter frequently fell to 55", a temperature
apparently ample when the fruits are fully
grown. The batch of plants fruiting in the
early part of this year has long since been
cleared away and a new set of plants is rapidly
developing ; indeed, the largest of these at the
base had on August 3, 1890, a circumference
of 30 inches. E. J.

PEACH LEAVES TURNING YELLOW.
I HAVK here a very old garden, soil chalk. The
leaves of some of the Peach trees lurn quite yel-
low and some of the other fruit tree leaves do the
same. What is the cause of this and what the
remedy ?— D. R. S.

»^* This query ought to have been accompanied
by a sample of yellow leaves. It may be a case of
"yellows," a disease usually brought about by
faulty culture, more especially in the direction of
taking no measures to prevent undue deep root
action, or it may be that the trees are badly
fested by red spider. If it is the yellows, the
leaves at the points of the young branches nevei
become green, but are yellow from the first.
Should it be only red spider, the case is not so
serious. When the roots are driven by faulty
surface culture into the lowest part of a deep bor-
der— many of them finding their way into an
unkindly subsoil — they are out of the reach of all
the influences that tend to promote healthy pro-
gress. Those deep-running roots form few or no
tibres, and fail to absorb and transmit to the
leaves food that can be assimilated and turned to
good account. As a conseciuence of this want —
more particularly of mineral food — there is a
marked absence of chlorophyll in the leaves and
the trees are neither agreeable to look upon nor
serviceable. Some authorities consider the yel-
lows a disease more or less infectious, but, be this
as it may, I never yet met with an instance where
wholly Ufting and replanting in a fresh border
did not completely restore them to a healthy state.
In my reply to " W. T. C." concerning the cause
of premature fruit dropping I dwelt at some
length upon the remedy for this, and will here add
that frequent lifting of the roots and relaying
them in fresh compost of a loamy nature are also
the best preventives of yellows. Very bad cases of
it may be met by carefully and completely lifting
the trees, pruning the roots and relaying them
in fresh compost much nearer to the surface than
heretofore. Moderately bad cases can be obviated
by lifting the roots on one side of the tree, relaying
in fresh compost this year, treating the other half
similarly next year. Once the roots can be got

into and kept in a thoroughly active state near
the surface there will be litile or nothing of the
yellows observable, (gardeners are apt to form
too deep borders. A depth of 2 feet of good soil
is ample. I am content with IS inches and no
artificial drainage, the subsoil being naturally well
drained, but then the trees are kept well supplied
with moisture and liquid food at the roots, a
mulchmg of strawy manure also doing good
service.

Red spider was never more plentiful than it is
this season. Large quantities survived from last
year when red spider was also abundant, and the
hot dry weather of May and June favoured a
rapid and early increase. Only those trees in the
best of health, thanks to root treatment, and
which were also trained well clear of the glass on
the roofs of houses, could be kept free of red spider,
and these are the exception. Heavily cropped
trees starved at the roots could not be kept free
of red spider by means of the syringe and clear
water, while if infecticides were used strong
enough to kill red spider, these would also damage,
probably spoil, the tender skinned fruit. I find
flowers of sulphur an admirable remedy for red
spider on Peach, Nectarine, or any other fruit
trees, but this must not be applied to any, the
fruit of which is rough or hairy skinned— Peaches,
for instance — as it cannot be rinsed off them again.
After the fruit is gathered, either lightly dew the
trees over with the syringe, and then with a
bellows distributor or ordinary tobacco distributor
I coat the leaves with sulphur, or else squeeze
rge handful of the sulphur through a muslin
or canvas bag into a .3 gallon can of water, syring-
ing the trees with this. If a first syringing does
not leave sufiicient sulphur on the leaves to lightly
coat it, repeat the dose. Once the sulphur has
been applied, nothing more should be done in the
way of syringing, and the red spider will either
starve or drop off— any way it disappears. An
examination ot the leaves through an ordinary lens
or even with the naked eye ought to be sufficient
to lead to the discovery of this minute insect,
that is if it is the cause of the leaves on
"DR. S.'s" trees turning yellow, but experienced
gardeners can tell at a glance if red spider is
abundant. — W. I.

PEACHES AND NECTARINES FAILIXC
Wiiv do Nectarines in a large house with Peaches
shrivel up and fog ofiV They have done so for the
last two years. In former years the trees bore
well. The Peaches also are not so fine as formerly
nor the crops so heavy, but they do fairly well. —
W. T. C.

*,* Treatment that answers well in one in-
stance may prove radically wrong in another, and
failing to realise this fact has led to many fail-
ures. Much depends upon the nature and depth
of the borders. When Peaches and Nectarines
are first planted in a new border largely com-
posed of fibrous loam, with perhaps manure of
some kind added, they are apt to grow strongly,
too rankly in some cases, for a few years, and
after they have once got into a free bearing state
the crops are perfectly satisfactory for a short
time. Then comts a reaction, and whether they
shall be kept in a profitable state much longer
depends upon the treatment given. It ought to
be remembered that the older and poorer a border
becomes the more water and liquid food will be
needed, or otherwise the trees will be incapable
of supporting the heavy crops we are prone to
leave on them. Enfeebled trees require very
careful handling, that is to say, they are not
capable of making good progress under adverse
circumstances. There must be no delay in thin-
ning out the shoots or in stopping those reserved
by way of foster nurses for the truit, and in par-
ticular no neglecting to thin out the crops early.
Too often little or no thinning out of the fruit is
done till they are bigger than Morello Cherries,
and what is still more to be condemned, many
growers defer the final thinning till after the
stoning takes place. They anticipate premature
dropping by leaving abundance on the trees ;

whereas free thinning is the best preventive, the
opposite alternative being more likely to cause
wholesale dropping. It is during the stoning
period when the tax on the tree's energies is most
felt. Judicious thinning relieves the strain and not
unfrequently saves the crop. Those who are ob-
servant will agree with me that it is the trees in
failing health that invariably attempt to crop the
oftenest and heaviest. It may be that the trees
owned by " W. T. C." are in failing health, and
being allowed to attempt far more than they are
capable of carrying out satisfactorily, wholesale
dropping of fruit is the result.

Most probably something more than early and
judicious thinning out of growths and fruit or
merely preventing waste of energy is needed in the
case under notice. Some soils quickly wear out.
Frequent changes of soil are made by themos-, suc-
cesstul growers, and although I do not go to the
length of advocating wholly re forming the borders
annually, am yet of opinion that a change of soil
every second or third year is none too olten. At
Wilton House, Salisbury, where Peaches and Nec-
tarines are grown remarkably well both under
glass and in the open, every second year sees a
plete change of soil. One half of the border
or the soil on one side of each tree is renewed
ery second year, that on the opposite side re-
ceiving similar attention in the alternate years,
so that in reality the trees get the benefit of a
certain amount of fresh soil every season. The
question may be asked. Do the trees pay for so
much trouble'.' I reply, yes. Nor, alter all, is
this renewal of soil such a very laborious or ex-
pensive undertaking. What is wanted is a heap
of fresh compost consisting, say, of loam, not
necessarily fibrous loam, and good garden soil in
£([ual parts, with "burn-bake" (the residue from a
slow fire or garden " smother"), old lime rubbish,
and bone-meal added moderately freely. Even
the bone meal may be dispensed with, but if the
soil is poor and the trees have hitherto been
starved, nearly fresh horse droppings at the rate
of one part to four parts of soil should be used.
Open a deep trench from 4 feet to 5 feet away
from the stem half round the tree, and from this
gradually undermine with forks till it is possible
to get at the deep running roots immediately
under the stem. These should be searched out
and freely shortened. All other roots found should
be carefully saved and pruned, cutting out all
broken pieces, and making clean cuts where
broken ends were before, alter which they must
be thinly and evenly relaid in fresh soil, taking
the precaution to keep them nearer the surface
than they were before. If the soil is at all dry,
give a good watering, and where exposed, mulch
with strawy manure. When the whole of the
border is treated in this way in one season
there is a possibility of the trees receiving too
severe a check, but if only one half is done at
a time, the undisturbed roots are capable of sus-
taining the trees in good health and vigour till
those lifted and pruned are beginning to be most
active. It is yet full earh- to commence such
drastic measures with outside trees as well as the
latest of those under glafs, but the start should be
made soon after the wood is well matured and the
fruit-buds plumped up, this being long before the
leaves change colour prior to falling. It is in the
autumn when the roots display the greatest
activity, .and it is then when the renovating
measures should be commenced in order that many
root-fibres may have a chance of forming before
the resting period arrives.

Newly-moved soil is naturally more retentive of
moisture than any that has not been disturbed for
several years, and those who frequently renew
their borders are not under the necessity of water-
ing so often as are those who seldom disturb the
soil about the roots of their trees. Growers there
are who are vei y timid about breaking up even
the surface of their borders, but although a firm
root-run is desirable as a preventive of gross un-
productive top growth, I never hesitate about
lightly loosening the surface with a fork occasion
ally in order that every drop of water or liquid
manure applied may soak into and be retained by

August 29, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

163

the soil. Surface loosening must not be con-
founded with digging. There ought to be no dig-
ging with spades and no cropping about the bor-
ders of fruit trees — at any rate, not nearer than 4
feet from the stems. It is this bad practice of
cultivating and cropping nearly up to the stems,
and not surface loosening, that drives the roots
down injuriously deep. The latter, cou pled with a
good spring mulch of strawy manure, tends to
keep the roots active where they can do the best
service, viz. , within a few inches nf the surface.
The least that can be done to heavily cropped
trees that have been rooting in the same soil for
several years past is to loosen the surface of the
border and give good soakings of liquid manure
this autumn or immediately after the crops are
gathered, repeating the dose before they re.start
next spring and occasionally afterwards. There
should be no fixed dates for either watering or
manuring overworked fruit trees. If asked to say
how often the trees in any kind of border should
be watered, my reply would be, as often as the
borders are found approaching dryness. Some
soils are far more retentive of moisture than others,
and the depth of border, quantity of active leaves
and roots, and the weather experienced ought all
to be taken into consideration. — W. Icjivuldem.

Pear Cition des Carmes.— I quite agree
with "J. C. C's" note concerning this Pear on
page 54 of The Garden, for I started gathering it
on July 27, and most ot the fruits were discoloured
in the centre when they were gathered, and most
of the others have gone since. I gathered
Doyenne d'Ete on July 2.3, and I still have a
quantity of it. Although smaller than Citron des
Carmes, Doyenne d'Ete is far superior in quality.
With a season like the present, given a good
watering and mulching, this variety will grow in
favour, for coming in as it does it is very welcome
when the Strawberries are getting over. I would
advise that a tree of Doyenne d'Ete be planted
in gardens where early Pears are wanted for des-
sert.—C4. H.

Good flavoured Gooseberries. — It is
astonishing what a difference there is in the flavour
of some Gooseberries compared with others. Some
kinds are worthless for eating ripe, and should
only be grown for cooking and preserving. It
does seem strange that in some gardens there is
large amount of attention given to obtain highl;
flavoured Melons, Grapes and other fruit, while
no attention is given to obtain good flavoured
Gooseberries ; and yet there are but few people
Mho do not enjoy a good dish of well-ripened
Gooseberries. Many there are who prefer them in
this state to Grapes and other fruit. This being
so, I think more attention should be given to this
fruit for eating ripe. For many years I have
made a point of growing only highly flavoured
kinds for this purpose, and having had to grow
fruit for three diff'erent families during this time,
I have found that good Gooseberries are more
appreciated than most things. To have them
good for this purpo.se the bashes must be in good
condition and the fruit allowed to hang till
thoroughly ripe I consider it a mistake to grow
many kinds. Obtain a few really good ones that
follow each other, and grow them in quantity
The following I grow and find very good : White
and Red Champagne, Early Yellow (or Yellow
Sulphur). Whitesmith. Ironmonger, Red War
rington, Industry and Hedgehog.— J. Crook.

Oatdoor Peaches.— In answer to the query
on page !U as to the behaviour of Hale's Early
Peach, I may note that it is not a success indoors,
but outside all that can be desired. We get
nothing of the splitting of the crown, it is a cer-
tain cropper, the fruit large and highly coloured
and of very fair flavour, and it has the additional
merit of just hitting the season between Waterloo
and Early Louise, the latter being followed by
Early Grosse Mignonne. I have a Peach just
coming in (August 6) that is very like Hale's sent
under the name of Condor, which is certainly a
misnomer. Another misnomer is the prefix to
Early Alfred— that is, if I have the variety true

name ; it is here a contemporary in season with
Royal George. Both these varieties are very sub-
ject to mildew in dry seasons, and are not to be
compared in point of constitution with such
Peaches as Alexandra Noblesse and Dymond, two
of the very best midseason sorts. No hard and
fast rule can, however, be laid down in any selec-
tion of a given number of varieties, so much de-
pending, as with all other fruits, on soil, situation
and climatic influences, the last varying more
in different parts of England than one might ex-
pect. One often comes across in very old gardens
instances of the longevity of the Peach and Nec-
tarine, and it is remarkable how well some of these
old trees continue to bear. I have three or four
remaining on our long wall with stems quite 30
inches in circumference. Stems, however, they can
now hardly be called, seeing they are split and
scored and hollow a good part of the way, and
yet they be.ar annually good crops of fruit, make
very fair growth, and have, as a rule, clean, healthy
foliage. — E. Burrell.

Persliore Sgg Plum. — Very few gardens
outside the district where it is grown so much for
market seem to know this prolific bearing Plum.
For cooking and preserving there is none better ;
in fact, it is the most reliable sort I have for
kitchen use, as I never fail to get a heavy crop.
I planted a dozen of each of the following varie-
ties : Pershore Egg, Pond's Seedling, Jefferson,
and Green Gage, and I have gathered more fruit
from the Egsr Plum than the other three varieties
combined. Anyone who has not grown it would
do well to give it a trial.— T. T., Wareham.

were scorched refuse to swell and perfect their
earlier made growth. Buds not carefully matured
often refuse to break at forcing time, so that a
little shade is well repaid with Vines near the
glass. G. W. S.

SCALDING IN VINERIES.
I H.WE never known scalding so common as this
year, doubtless owing to the great range of tem-
perature and difficulty of ventilation. Much of
the evil may be arrested by a little shading dur-
ing the hottest part of the day, and though I am
not an advocate for shading, in seasons like the
present it is a necessity. I recently saw a very
bad case, and the variety scalded was Lady
Downe's. The Grapes had just finished stoning,
almost every bunch was affected. Both ventila-
tion and glass were at fault, as the latter was of
the cheapest description. I was told even in
ordinary seasons there was some trouble. Here
was a necessity for shade, as it is useless to rely
entirely upon airing, as with the thermometer at
1-20° one day and only half as much the next,
scorching and scalding are most common. The
well-known but not sufficiently practised plan of
giving a little air on the top ventilators at sunset
is a good one, and though I have seen air left on
at closing time to save labour, it is not a good
plan, as when the house is closed and damped
down, with air left on, the moisture given soon
evaporates. Those with iron or metal houses will
need to shade partially during bright sunshine. I
do not advise a permanent shade such as a wash
of any kind, as I find in our erratic climate one
cannot expect full sunshine daily. Though we
have had sunshine in abundance this summer, one
dull day causes such a lowering of the tempera-
ture that it is advisable to use a movable shade.
Muscats are often scalded, and to get the best re-
sults I allow a little more lateral growth in ex
posed houses if the Vines are far apart and_ the
ventilation defective. I am aware scorching is at
times caused by too early closing, but it often
happens through a deficiency of moisture accom-
panying such early closing. Though I do not
hold with roasting of the foliage at the time
named I am not in favour of dilatory closing, as
much good is done in checking insects by main-
taining a genial warmth with ample moisture, the
size of house and state of growth being considered.
In the case of young Vines not fruiting it is
necessary to be on the alert and to prevent the loss
of the main leaves at the base of the buds needed
for next year's fruit, as if these are burnt and the
canes are hard stopped it causes these buds to
burst and the fruit is lost. I know this can be
prevented to some extent by a liberal growth from
the end laterals, but I have known Vines which

Orchids.

CATTLEYA AUREA.
Once more this really delightful Cattleya is in
bloom, the finest iJowers having appeared a few
days ago. Although it does not vary so much
as some other kinds, yet considerable difl'erence
in the types will be noted, especially where a
large number of plants is grown. Some with
their regularly marked lip and faint crimson
markings on the petals come near to the typical
C. Dowiana ; others will be noticed with the
golden yellow tint occurring in larger or smaller
blotches and an almost entire absence of pencil-
ling except in the throat, while of intermediate
forms there are many. All, however, are beau-
tiful ; not a bad form or one not worth its place
in a tirst-rate collection has ever come under
my notice. I have seen ill-formed, abortive-
looking blossoms, the result of insufficient heat
or superabundant shade and moisture, but this
has not been the fault of the variety of course,
for the same plants under a well considered
system of culture would have produced well-
shapen and highly-coloured blossoms.

I have before described the treatment re-
quired by C. aurea in these pages, but presum-
ably by queries that come occasionally to hand
there are many anxious to grow it who have not
yet succeeded as well as they might wish, so a
few lines on its culture may to such prove of in-
terest. C. aurea, if received in good condition,
is easy to establish, and, judging from the ap-
pearance of imported plants, they have not such a
long journey to the coast-line as have some other
kinds ; consequently they do not shrivel ao much
and the foliage is usually in better order. There
is no need to lay such plants out for any length
of time before placing in pots ; in fact, if care-
fully attended to they may be potted at once.
There is so great a difference in plants grown on
the stage and others suspended from the roof,
where the light can reach every part of them,
that as long as I had the room I should not
think of staging a single plant. Whether they
are grown in pots or baskets or in pans is of very
little consequence, only get them well up to the
light. It is the one thing necessary, for they
obtain to the full the benefit of the ventilation,
they have all the sun that reaches the house,
and in such positions the temperature is higher
than on the stage — an important consideration.
The cleaning should by no means be missed,
however, every part of the plant coming in for
careful examination, for Orchids are apparently
troubled with many insect pests in their native
haunts. But few of the old roots are of any
good, as a rule, and it is no use putting
dead ones into the pots, as they only decay,
to the injury of the new eyes when form-
ing. Cut away all then except just a
few to steady the base of the plant. Fill up
with clean crocks to the base of the bulbs and
hang the plants up in the warmest house at
command. Water the crocks two or three
times daily when fine, and keep up a nice moist
atmosphere. The bulbs wiU soon plump up
and the basal eyes break into growth. There
is no need to put any compost over the crocks
until these young shoots begin to emit roots,
though a thin layer of Sphagnum helps to re-
tain a little moisture and may be allowed. No
time must be lost, however, when signs of root-
ing apptar, but a few of the upper crocks must

164

THE GARDEK

[August 29, 1896.

be reuio\ed and a little peat and Moss substi-
tuted, and this being quite fresh and sweet the
roots ent«r it freely, to the ultimate benefit of
the plants. Endeavour in every case to get the
new pseudo bulbs finished early ; they will then
have pleiity of time for a good rest and will
break more strongly in conseqxience the suc-
ceeding spring. When the plants are esta-
blished this dormant state in winter is to be
desired, for growth during this season is soft
and ill-built up ; it never produces a fair com-
plement of blossom, and even those flowers that
do form are thin in texture and poor in colour.
The growths to be satisfactory should start with
the increasing light and heat in spring, and
should go on unchecked until the flowers form
in the apex, when in order to conserve these
the plants may be taken out of the heat and
moisture to where cooler and drier conditions
prevail. The pseudo-bulbs will harden and the
whole system of the plant will be steadied, so to
speak, and by a rather limited supply of mois-
ture and free ventilation, as long as this is
practicable, no difficulty will be found in
keeping the plants at rest until the spring.
Owing to want of room in the Orchid houses,
1 have this season grown a batch of this Cat-
tleya in a house devoted to IMelous. Not an
ideal place for Cattleya", many growers will say,
but the condition of these plants and also that
of C. gigas leave nothing to be desired, the
strong heat and abundant atmospheric moisture
while the Melons were in growth suiting these
two Cattleyas exactly. A little shade was
given at first, of course, but as the season ad-
vanced this was entirely dispensed with, and
the pseudo-bulbs in several cases are half as
large again as those of last year.

Although generally known as C. aurea, this
is really a variety only of C. Dowiana, and as a
matter of fact the typical plant is occasionally
sold as the variety, which difl'ers from the type
in having more yellow about the lip, as implied
by the name. There are several named sub-
varieties, but they run into one another, and it
is difficult really to separate them. All are
natives of the west coast of America, about the
neighbourhood of Costa Rica and Colombia,
and the typical form was sent to this country
by Captain Dow, to whom it was dedicated by
Mr. Bateman. B.

Vanda Amesiana. — The fragrant and beau-
tiful flowers of this Vanda are now open, and,
though late in the season, are very acceptable.
In habit it is quite distinct from all other Vandas,
being dwarf, with stiff, fleshy leaves, nearly round
and tapering to a point. Considerable variation
exists among the flowers, the sepals and petals
being usually of a pale rosy white, the lip much
deeper and having a decided purple tint. Like
most other Vandas, it likes a nice light position
and not too much heat, a plentiful circulation of
air being kept up about it while growing, and the
roots kept well supplied with water. It comes
from India and many of the adjacent islands, and
was introduced in 1 887.

Dendrobitun clavatum. — "G. R' writes to
say he ha.= a fine plant of this charming old Den-
drobe in flower. It is getting late for it of course,
but I have before seen it flowering at the end of
summer. It is not, I think, so well known as
formerly, which is a pity, as it is one of the hand-
somest in the genus, though we have ore or two
others brighter in colour. There is not a single
one of the evergreen kinds that continue ."o long
in good condition. The stems are light green,
leafy, and the spikes is§ue from the top, the
blo»?nmp being deep yellow, with blotches of
reddish brown. It does well given the treatment
usually recommended for the evergreen kinds.

lonopsis utricularioides.— This pretty little
species comes from Jamaica, and is not so freely

represented in collections as the better-known
I. paniculata. The growth is tufted, but the
leaves may almost be described as triangular,
and they much resemble those of some of
the smaller-flowered Masdevallias. The flowers
occur on long racemes and are rosy white, with a
stain of deepest colour on the lip. It does well
in a cool house, and may be suspended from the
roof in small baskets or on blocks in a tempera-
ture such as suits Odontoglossum grande. Newly-
imported plants usually move away with vigour
the first few seasons, but the growth is small to
sustain such a crowd of flowers over a long season,
and, as a general rule, the plants are not long-
lived under cultivation.

Cattleya Loddig'esi.— Though an old and
common species, yet its free flowering character
and the fact of its being so easily grown ought to
ensure for it a place in all collections. It usually
attains a height of about 1 foot, bearing on top of
the cylindrical bulbs a pair of leaves, from between
which the flower spikes issue. The flowers are
rather small, but very pretty ; the sepals and
petals pale rosy lilac, the lip deeper in colour,
with a blotch of jellow in front. C. Loddigesi
does well with other Cattleyas in the usual tem-
perature, and needs a rough open compost, good
in quality, with plenty of water while making its
growth. The quieter it is kept the better during
the winter.

Odontoglossum bictonense. — This makes a
change from the crispum and similar kinds in the
genus, and although it cannot compare with many
of these superb plants, yet the blossoms are struc-
turally interesting and distinct in colour. The
scape rises from a light green pseudo-bulb and
continues to produce flowers over a long season.
Each of these in a good form now open is nearly
2 inches across, the sepals a brownish yellow with
chocolate bars, the lip pale purplish lilac. It likes
a rough and open compost consisting of peat
fibre and Sphagnum, plenty of rough pieces of
charcoal bemg added. The drainage needs
special attention and may occupy two thirds of
the depth of the pot. The base of the bulbs
should be kept a little above the rim of the pot
and the compost be bedded in firmly. It is a
native of Guatemala, and although often seen in
good order in the cool house will produce larger
bulbs and finer spikes of blocm in a house kept at
rather a higher temperature. It is an old species
and is said to be the first cultivated Odontoglot,
having been introduced in 18.35.

ONCIDIUM TIGRINUM.
The genus Oncidium contains many fine kinds
possessing an elegance and grace all their own,
and which few others possess. Among them
all there is none to excel this beautiful autumn
and early winter-flowering kind. The blossoms
are very freely produced, of elegant appearance,
and possessing a fragrace only excelled by that of
the sweet Violet, which it somewhat resembles.
They occur on long, much. branched spikes, that
appear at this season on the newly-formed bulbs,
each blossom measuring from 2^ inches to 3 inches
across. The sepals and petals are rich shining
brown, blotched with yellow, the lip wholly light
yellow, broad and spreading. It is an easy plant
to grow if received in good condition at first, the
young growths coming away with vigour in a
suitable temperature. This may with ndvantage
be rather higher than that of the Odontoglossum
house, the plants being grouped in a good light
po.-ition, but carefully shaded from bright sun-
light. In all cases, if possible, the growth should
be kept dormant during winter, as the plants are
then more likely to bloom freely. They must not,
however, be dried off to cause this rest, or pro-
bably they will not again start as strong!}' as is
desirable, the more coirect mode of treatment
being to keep them in quite a cool house and a
slightly drier atmosphere. In early spring new
shoots will push from the base of the bulbs, and
these should be pushed on rapidly during the
summer ty keeping up a nice moist atmosphere
about them and a free circulation of air. During

the latter part of the season roots will probably
be freely emitted and the compost must he kept
always moist, and this must be continued as the
spikes push up. By the time these au- half grown
the bulbs will be fully matured, and it will be
necessary to reduce the number of blossoms if the
plants are too weak to carry them, for, like several
others in the genus, O. tigrinum will flower itself
to death if allowed to do so. In any case it is
best to remove the flowers after about three
weeks, as if kept on longer than this they weaken
the plants considerably. The roots are net
strong, though so freely produced ; consequently
it is best not to give too large pots. Equal parts
of peat fibre and living Sphagnum Moss will form
a good compost, and the drainage should occupy
rather more than half the depth of the pot, ele-
vating the plants a little and potting rather
firmly. In all other respects the treatment as
advised for cool Orchids generally will suit O.
tigrinum. There are seveial varieties of this
plant, but they do not difl'er very much frcm the
type, excepting O. t. unguiculatum, a pretty
small-flowering form that blooms later in the sea-
son. They all come from Guatemala and Mexico,
whence the typical form was introduced in 1840.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1081.

THE GENUS PRUNCS.
(with a coloueed plate of prusus mime.*)
I.v the temperate regions of the northern half
of the globe there is no family of trees and
shrubs that adds so much to the beauty of cul-
tivated grounds as that to which the genus
Prunus belongs. Of all the woody plants that
can be grown outside in Britain, perhaps one
in every eight or nine belongs to this Natural
Order Rosaccie. The larger proportion are
shrubs, those attaining to tree-like dimensions
consisting chiefly of the Pears and Apples, the
Thorns, and, lastly, the Almonds, Plums,
Cherries, Ac, now brought together under the
comprehensive title of Prunus. Within these
extended limits the genus possesses what to
many people, no doubt, is an unexpected rich-
ness and variety. There are now between sixty
and seventy species in cultivation, besides
numerous varieties. From trees of large size
to. prostrate plants, it contains every interme-
diate gradation, and includes evergreen as well
as deciduous things. It would, indeed, be
difficult to exaggerate the importance of this
group of trees and shrubs in the adornment of
our northern gardens. To the deeper enjoy-
ment of existence that comes to all healthy men
with the lengthening dajs of spring, nothing
among external things contributes more than
the re-awakening to life of deciduous vegeta-
tion, and among arboreal plants no group bears
so prominent a part in the early part of the
year as does this group of Almcnds, Cherries,
and Plums. The whiteness that spreads over
the land as March passes away and April comes
in, and which some poet has happily termed
"the foam of spring," is almost entirely due to
them.

In the following notes I have endeavoured to
select out of the species now in cultivation
those which will best repay growing. Of
course, in dealing with this, as with any other
group of hardy trees and shrubs, one is always
confronted with the nomenclature question — in
other words, with the difficulty of making it
clear what particular plant is being discussed.
This lumping together of all these different

* Drawn for The G.msden hy H. G. lloon in
the Koyal Gardens, Kew. Lithcgiaihed and prii.ted
by J. ii. Gofiart, snccessor to Guillaume Sevtiejns.

PRUNUS MUME

August 29, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

165

tilings under Prunus has its iaconveniences, yet
under the circumstances it is the best arrange-
nieut. Since the old divisions of Armeniaca,
Amygdalus, &o., were made, species have been
discovered which could as reasonably be placed
in one as the other. Species, too, that have
recently come into cultivation have been named
in accordance with this latest airangement, and
thus we have the species here figured, which is
as much an Apricot as the common Apricot is,
called almost invariably Prunus, whilst the
common Apricot is called Armeniaca. Prunus
Davidiana, too, is rarely called Persica, al-
though it is so near the common Peach, that by
some authorities it is thought to be its wild
type. An additional advantage of using the
following names is that they are in agreement
with the Kew "List of Hardy Trees and Shrubs,"
which is the latest authoritative publication on
the matter and the most convenient.

Section Ajiyudalus (including Persica).

The Almonds and Peaches are confined to
the Eastern Hemisphere, the species coming
from North Africa, Eastern Europe, and
Northern Asia. They are chiefly distinguished
by the stone of the fruit, which is pitted and
fissured, and by the young leaves being folded
in halves like a sheet of note-paper. All of
them are known commonly as Amygdalus.

Prunus Amygdalus (Amygdalus communis).
,, Davidiana.

,, orientalis.

„ Persica (Amygdalus Persica).

,, Simoni.

P. Amygdalus (Amygdalus communis, the
common Almond). — Few, if any, of the great
Prunus family do more to beautify our gardens
in early spring than the Almond and its varieties.
One of the earliest of all hardy trees to come into
flower, and reaching its best before deciduous
vegetation generally has done more than show
signs of reviving life, it is, when in blossom, as
conspicuous as it is beautiful. Like all trees
flowering thus early it ought to have some back-
ground of Holly or other evergreen, against which
its flowers may stand vividly contrasted. An
Almond in an isolated position with its flowers
having no other backing than the cold sky loses
half its charm. The original home of the Almond,
like that of the Peach, was for long merely guessed
at, but it has latterly been found wild in the
mountains of Algeria, near Guelma. It may
possibly be a native also of other parts of the
Mediterranean region and the Orient, where, of
course, it has long been extensively cultivated for
its seads. The leaves are lanceolate, toothed and
dark glossy green, the flowers being U inches to 2
inches across and of various shades of" rose, some-
times almost pure white. The tree ultimately
attains a height of 2o feet to 30 feet. It was in
cultivation in England in 1538. There are several
named varieties in cultivation, but none better
than the finest forms of the common Almond,
which varies connsiderably in size and colour of
flower.

Var. amara (Bitter Almond).— Flowers slightly
larger than those of the type ; petals almost white ,
towards the tips, deepening into rose at the base. '

Var. dulcis (Sweet Almond).— This has leaves
of a grey-green colour, and it is one of the earliest
of all to flower.

Var. macrocarpa —This is a strong-growing
tree with larger, broader leaves than the type ;
the flowers, too, which are rose-tinted white, are
larger, and appsar earlier than those of any other
variety.

There are also double-flowered and pendulous
varieties cultivated under names denoting these
characters.

P. Davidiana.— This is the earliest of all the
Peaches to burst into bloom, and in favourable
years it may be seen in full flower as early as

January. Few more delightful trees have baen
introduced in recent years. It was sent to France
by the Abb4 David, whose name has for some
years been well known in connection with new
Chinese plants. He says that in the vicinity of
Pekin it is one of the most conspicuous trees. Its

1^*.

— >^

branches are of somewhat erect growth and the
leaves lanceolate. The flowers are individually
1 inch across and completely cover the shoots
made the preceding year, which are frenuently
•I feet long. The petals in one form (alba) are of
a pure snow-white ; in the other (rubra) they are
pink, but not so freely borne. The species was

originally described by Carritre in 1S72, and has
been cultivated in the Jardin des Plantes at Paris
for over thirty years, but it has only been in com-
mercs during the last decade. It is thought by
some authorities to be the wild type of the com-
mon Peach.

P. INCANA. — An interesting and pretty shrub
nearly allied to P. nana (the dwarf Almond).
From this, however, it is very readily distin-
guished by its leaves, which are shorter and

broader and covered beneath

ith a conspicuous

white tomentum. It is of dwarf habit, reaching
a height of 2 fees to 4 feet. It flowers in March
and April, its blossoms being of a deeper rosy red
than those of P. nana, but scarcely so large. A
native of Asia Minor, introduced about 1815.

P. NANA (the dwarf Russian Almond). — This, a
native of Southern Russia, is one of the dwarfest
of the Almonds, being from 2 feet to 5 feet high.
It flowers during March and April when the leaf-
buds are only beginning to burst, the flowers
being of a lively rose colour and about three-
quarters of an inch across. The leaves are nar-
row and Willow-like, smooth, dark green, and
glossy. It is a charming shrub, and can be easily
and quickly propagated by layering, in spite of
which it is more frequently grafted, and is short-
lived in consequence. Worked plants should
always be refused, unless they are needed for
layering. The species will thrive in a dry situa-
tion better than most Almonds, this, of course,
applying to those on their own roots.

P. ORiENTALis (Silver Almond).— Unlike the
great majority of this group, the Silver Almond
is grown more for the beauty of its foliage than
for its blossom? ; indeed, it rarely flowers with
any freedom in this country. Neither, unfortu-
nately, is it absolutely hardy, as the great frost of
February, 1895, proved, but it will stand our or-
dinary winters if the plants are not very young
and have been established for a couple of sexsons.
It is a bush or low tree, its leaves, which are
short and ovate, being covered with a beautiful
silvery tomentum, thus rendering it one of the
most striking of our hardy ornamental-foliaged
shrubs. It is a native of Western Asia and has
been in cultivation since 175(5.

P. PEhsicA (the PeachJ. — Although neither
so free growing nor so hardy as the Almond,
the Peach in all its forms is exceedingly
beautiful, and in positions sheltered from the
north and ea3t ought to ba planted freely. There
is now a goodly number of varieties at the service
of the planter, chiefly single and double forms
with white or red flowers. There is one also with
purple foliage known as foliis rubris, this colour
extending also to the fruit. Perhaps the loveliest
variety of all is a semi-double one with brilliant
carmine-crimson flowers which has been shown at
the spring meetings of the Royal Horticultural
Society for several years past by Messrs. Veitch.
It is named magnilica, and was awarded a first-
class certificate on February 13, 189i. There are
other varieties ranging in colour from pure white
to deep red which it is not necessary to specify ;
they are known by descriptive names like flore
albo pleno, &c. The Peach is in all probability a
native of China and has gradually spread thence
westward. It is known to have baen cultivated
in Britain for at lea-it 300 years. In England it
is not a very long-lived tree and is not often seen
more than 20 feet in height. Much premature
mortality is due to its being grafted on the Plum,
with which it does not seem able to form a perfect
union, for canker frequently starts where stock
and scion meet. It would be worth while trying
to obtain them on their own roots by means of
layers.

P. Si.MONi. — This is a comparatively recent
introduction to English gardens, although figured
in the /.'» vue Hortkole in 1872. It has leaves of
about the same size as the common Almond, but
the tree itself is of more erect habit. In the
United States— where it appears to succeed better
than it does here — it frequently resembles the
Lombardy Poplar in form of growth. The flowers
are white, and are produced in February and
March. As a fruit tree this species promises to be

166

THE GARDEN.

[August 29, 1896.

of value in California. Its fruit is deep purple
and ripens early. A native of China.

Section Armeniaca.
The Apricots, like the Almouds. are not re-
presented on the American continent. The
fruits are covered with a velvety skin, the stone
being pointed at one end, blunt at tlie other.
Tlie young leaves ditJer from those of the
Almonds in being rolled round instead of folded.
Prunus -Vrmeniaca (Armeniaca vulgaris).

,, Brigantiaca.

„ dasvcarpa.

„ Mume.

,, tomentosa.

,, triloba.
P. Armeni.\ca (common Apricot).— The wild
type of the cultivated Apricot is not much
grown as a flowering tree, although as a fruit tree
it has existed in this country for three and a half
centuries. The species flowers in February or
early March, its blossoms being usually of a
pinkish white, but there are varieties with deeper
coloured flowers and one in which they are double.
The handsome foliage is brcadly ovate, smooth,
and deep green. The species is found wild in
Northern China, having been raised at Kew from
seeds sent by I)r. Bretschneider. From thence
no doubt it gradually spread westward, and for
time immemorial has been cultivated in the Orient.
P. Bkii:antiaca (Brian.,on Apricot).— A small
tree with broadly ovate, irregularly toothed
leaves, thinly set with hairs on both sides. The
flowers are borne in March and April on short
stalks, and are white, more or less tinged with
pink. The yellowish fruit is shaped like a small
Apricot ; a tree at Kew is now bearing several.
It is a species of very limited distribution, and
Loudon states that it is found wild in only two
localities— one in Dauphim"', the other in Pied-
mont. From its seeds a substitute for olive oil is
obtained, called huile d(.^ marmottta.

P. i.ASYCARrA (Black Apricot).— The origin of
this Apricot is uncertain, but it is most probably a
hybrid produced in gardens. Loudon states that
it was introduced in 1800. It is a small tree, and
there is a specimen in the Kew Arboretum about
12 feet high which flowers profusely almost every
year early in April. Its leaves are dark glossy
green, glabrous, broadly ovate and toothed, the
petioles and young wood having a purplish tinge.
The flowers, which are pure white, are fully open
before any of the leaves appear and show up
vividly against the dark twigs on which they are
borne ; each one is half an inch to three-quarters
of an inch across. The fruit is purple or black,
but is rarely seen in this country.

P. MrME— Although one of the commonest of
cultivated trees in Japan, this Apricot is now
thought to be a native of Corea. Under the
hands of the Japanese cultivators it has developed
numerous forms, and there are now at Kew varie-
ties with flowers red and white, single and double,
as well as one of pendulous habit. The bush from
which the accompanying plate was prepared was
at its best towards the end of last March, flower-
ing in company with the Almonds and equalling
them in beauty. The wood resembles that of the
common Apricot. The leaves are broadly ovate
or cordate, serrated, and contracted at the apex
into a long tapering point, a character which dis-
tinguishes this species from the common Apricot.
The plant is leafless at the time of flowering.
Although it is only quite recently that this species
has come into notice, it has been in cultivation
for some years both here and on the Continent,
but disguised under other names, one of which is
Prunus Mjrobalana fl.-roseis. It is remarkable
that a plant possessing the beauty that this does,
and, as Professor Sargent pays, one of the com-
monest pot plants of the Japanese, should so long
have been overlooked.

P. TOMENTOSA.- A shrubby species, rarely more
than 8 feet high, and of quite a bushy habit. It is
well named, for the whole plant is more or less
covered with downy hairs. The leaf, especially
beneath, ie covered thickly with a soft velvety

pubescence ; its shape is obovate or oblong,
narrowing rapidly to a point from the middle. It
flowers in April and its blossoms are of a rosy
white, becoming more distinctly rose with age.
The Cherry-like fruits are borne on short stalks
and each one is about half an inch across. The
species, which is at present rare in Europe, is
quite hardy at Kew. It is very distinct and
appears to be a connecting link between the Cher-
ries and the Apricots. It is a native of North
China and perhaps Japan.

P. TRILOBA FL.-rL.— This is perhaps the most
ovely of all the dwarf Prunus. It is a native of
China and was introduced by Fortune, flowering
for the first time in this country in Glendinning's
nursery at Chiswick in 1857. It is of shrubby
habit, with leaves varying from cuneatc to lanceo-
late outline, and frequently obscurely three-
lobed ; they are from IJ inches to 4 inches long,
prettily and unevenly toothed, and covered with
short hairs on both sides. The flowers are at
their best in early April, and each one measures
Ij inches to 2 inches in diameter. On first open-
ing they are of a lovely shade of delicate rose,
changing with age to an almost pure white. This
species is perfectly hardy and will thrive as a bush
in the open. There is a large bed of it at Kew
which always flowers freely, although not with the
remarkable profusion of an old plant on the walls.
The latter is pruned back after flowering, the
shoots which then spring from the spurs flowering
the following spring. It is one of those plants
which every garden ought to possess. Lindley
described it under the name here given in 1857,
but it has since become invested with a stock of
useless synonyms, such as Amygdalopsis Lind-
leyi, Prunus Lindleyi, &c. The above remarks
refer to the double-flowered variety which for
forty years has been the representative of the
species in our gardens, and which is the cultivated
plant of the Chinese. Within the last year or
two, however, the single-flowered wild type has
been introduced. It has smaller rosy white
flowers and leaves of the same shape as Fortune's
plant, but smaller. It is not likely to possess the
value of the older double variety.

W. J. Bkan.

The Week's Work.

FRUIT UNDER GLASS.
Okiiiard ndcsE. — Where water has been scarce
— and this has been the general cry in the southern
districts of late — much difliiculty has been expe-
rienced in keeping down red spider, particularly
on those trees growing in pots whose shoots had
grown near to the glass in houses not sufficiently
ventilated, and those having poor, thin glass, for
in these the scorching rays of the sun had greater
effect. Where practicable, after the fruit has
been gathered, all such trees should be removed
to the open quarters and have their pots plunged
in beds where they may be conveniently attended
to. The foliage will then be washed by the
showers or moistened by the evening dew, or they
could be syringed with greater ease than when in-
teimixedwith trees still carrying fruit. If this
cannot be done, all the air possible should be
afl'orded them to keep their foliage fresh, as it is
only by doing so that satisfactory crops can be
grown another season. Those still carrying crops
must on no account be allowed to sufi'er from
want of moisture at the roots, as this would en-
courage the spread of insect pests. The best
way of keeping these in check is to see that root
action is in a healthy condition, that the foliage
and fruit may in no wise fail from want of nourish-
ment. Frequent syringing till the fruit shows
signs of ripening, with a free circulation of air on
all favourable occasions— that the plants may
breathe, as it were, with freedom — are the surest
antidotes against disease. If sj ringing is done in
the evening when the sun has lost its power, the
foliage will remain moist for a considerable time,
and so prevent the spread of these troublesome
creatures. There is not that fear now of causing

mildew by excess of moisture as there is in the
spring, the foliage being hard and fully developed.
The outside air, too, is less harsh and not so liable

adden changes. Trees on walls in cool houses
should receive every attention, particularly those
whose fruit will not be ripe till October. Earwigs
and woodlice will harbour more on the walls now
than the}' did in the heat of the summer ; traps
ust therefore be set for them if the fruit is to
ripen perfectly.

Melons. — The fruit on late plants should now
be setting freely, and if the present favourable
weather should continue for a little time longer,
there ought to be no diflBculty in ripening the
fruit while thtre is sufficient sun to give it flavour.
Pay attention to keeping the growths thinned out
as soon as a sufficient si-t has been obtained. It
is better not to overload plants with fruit at this
season ; better have two or three good ones than
half a dozen of inferior quality. W here hot-water
pipes are used for bottom-heat there will be no
"fficulty in keeping the temperature of the soil
at the proper heat, but where stable manure has
■ e depended upon for maintaining the requi-
site degree of warmth, great care must be exer-
cised in watering. As the nights get colder it
will be necessary to cover the glass with mats,
particularly in pits that ate not well heated ;
these, however, should be removed early in the

ning, that the foliage may have the benefit of
all the light possible. Plants growing in pots or
tubs will need every care in the way of watering,
for on no account should they be allowed to be-
come dry. Those swelling their fruit should be
assisted by a top-dressing and manure water; the
foliage must also be kept clean either by spong-
ing or syringing. It is, however, not well to use
the latter too freely, as the water is apt to run
down the stems and rot the plants at the collar.
If aphides are troubh some to the points of the
young shoots, dip them in quassia water ; the
loliage may also be damped with the same if
these pests are troublesome. Melons in frames on
hotbeds should be raised oflf the soil, but do not
expose them to the sun. The watering of these
must be very carefully done, that, the beds may
not become soddened. If the heat is likely to de-
cline too much before the fruit is ripe, add a fresh
lining ; at the same time do not cause it to rise
too violently, or serious injury may be done in
the way of scalding. If steam from this should
get inside the frame, put air on early in the
morning that the ammonia therein may not injure
the foliage.

Orance houses. — There must be a constant
watch kept in these structures for mealy bug and
scale, for, owing to the bright sunshine, these pests
increase rapidly if left to themselves for a short
time. Where the syringe is used freely and a little
insecticide added to the water on each occasion,
the former does not make much headway, for if
not killed they will be dislodged. They, more-
over, do not thrive so well in a moist atmosphere
as they do in a warm, dry one ; therefore, if both
wocd and foliage are thoroughly moistened with
the syringe each time the house is closed, they
will not make much headway. With scale, how-
ever, destruction is more difficult, as it will
stick so close to the branches, but if taken in
hand while young it is much more easily de-
stroyed. The foliage should be sponged with
some insecticide and the wood cleaned by the use
of a paintbrush. Take particular care that the
plants do not suffer from want of water at the
roots, especially where they are potbound and are
carrying heavy crops of fruit, as this will throw
them into an unhealthy condition, when they will
be the more subject to the attacks of the pests
before-mentioned. Do not reduce the amount of
shade at present, for though the foliage may be
getting firm, these plants do not like the bright
sunshine, and are sure to suffer if exposed to its
direct influence.

Pines.— Though there is still sufficient warmth
from the sun to maintain the neceesary heat in the
Pine stove, the nights are occasionally somewhit
cold. With me the other night the thermometer in
theopenfelltowithinrof freezing. It will therefore

August 2[

5-]

THE GARDEN.

167

be necessary to look to the fires and see that there
are no such sudden changes in the temperature
of the houses. Plants swelling their fruit should
be afforded liberal waterings with liquid manure,
as the sun-heat is still sufficiently powerful to
cause quick evaporation. If the ventilators are
closed sufficiently early to raise the thermometer
to 90°, and to maintain it at that for some time
af :erwards, this will avoid the necessity of too
much fire-heat. It i& always good policy to hus-
band the natural heat as much as possible, as by
so doing fuel is not only saved, but the plants
make a more robust growth. Pines that are colour-
ing are greatly benefited by being allowed more
air and kept rather drier at the roots, but as this
would necessitate keeping those in this stage
in a group by themselves, it is not always practic-
able, unless they are moved to another house,
which is most desirable when they have to be kept
some time afterwards. The young stock should
be well looked to now, and where the bottom-heat
depends on fermenting material, a quantity of
this should be got in readiness for renewing the
beds. Those well rooted will be benefited by appli-
cations of soot water,a3 these will supply ammonia,
and so improve the colour of the foliage. Suckers
should be kept rather dry till rooted, when more
water may be afforded them, but as the days get
shorter, evaporation will not be so great ; therefore
less will suffice. Be careful to keep the plants
free from insects while they are young.

B-iN'ANAS. — Suckers that were taken off some
time ago and potted as previously advised ought
to be well rooted by this. Where this is the case
they should be at once put into their fruiting pots
or planted out in a bed, for whichever mode of
culture is followed, they ought to be established
before the cold weather sets in. Fruiting plants
should be liberally supplied with water till the
fruit shows signs of ripening, when less will
suffice. Any suckers required for keeping up a
succession of fruiting plants should be potted as
soon as large enough, that they may be well
rooted before winter. These plants pay for
liberal treatment from the first ; therefore a rich
compound should be used for potting, allowing
them a fair amount of root room.

H. C. Prinsei'.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
Cauliflowers. — Many of the failures with
autumn-sown Cauliflowers are distinctly traceable
to the initial mistake of sowing at too early a date.
Plants which get into a forward state before
winter sets in are decidedly prone to buttoning —
a condition which may also be induced bj' checks
of any kind, but which is a certain sequence to
early sowing. Given mild and open weather up
to Christmas, it will be more than probable that
plants sown much before the end of August will
give cause for complaint during the early spring
months, while those sown after that time will
come safely through the winter and render a good
account of themselves at the proper season. It
should be well known that small plants withstand
frost equally as well, if not better than big ones,
so there is no necessity on that score to overgrow
them at the end of the year. I grant that in large
gardens, where both room and labour are plenti-
ful, it may be wise to make an early as well as a
late sowing, with the object of getting a few early
dishes, should all go well with the plants ; but for
the main autumn sowing I contend that the last
week in August or the first week in September is
soon enough. My own practice is to sow some-
where about September 4, and I rarely have cause
to complain of the crop or of its lateness. From
a sowing made on that date I began cutting early
in May, and continued to do so for a period of
two months, though this succession was not ob-
tained from one variety alone. It has been held
by some growers that the advent of early-forcing
varieties does away with the necessity for autumn
sowing, but my experience does not bear this
out, and I find the produce from autumn-sown
seed superior in every way ; besides which, we are
relieved of the labour of raising and hardening the

plants at a time when the forcing quarters are in
a greatly congested state, this relief being a boon
where accommodation under glass is limited. For
sowing at the present time i choose a warm and
slightly raised border in a sunny position where the
p ants will get a full share of sunlight. I prefer
a well broken and fairly rich soil, and sow thinly
in drills drawn 1 foot apart, as the less crowding
the plants get the better for their future welfare.
Protection from birds should be afforded directly
after sowing, for I find that newly-sown seeds are
germinating very quickly now that we have been
favoured by rain, and it is an unwise policy to
leave the protection of young plants until many
of them have been pulled up or otherwise injured.
Dustings of lime, soot, or wood ashes must be
frequent while the plants are young, as these will
prevent in a measure the attacks of slugs and
other insects. To form a sucoession I advise sow-
ing the Dwarf Erfurt Mammoth, Early London,
and Walcheren, which will turn in in the order
given. The merits and demerits of the various
Cauliflowers have been so recently discussed, that
I need give no further particulars of varieties,
but I may add that The Pearl is an excellent se-
lection which may without fear be added to the
above, also that I do not advise sowing now any
of the larger varieties, such as Eclipse or Autumn
Giant.

Celery. — Except to keep up a sufficient sup-
ply of Celery as the demand arises, earthing up
may be postponed for a time with advantage to
the crop, my experience being that the best
Celery is obtained from rows that have only been
earthed sufficiently long to induce perfect blanch-
ing, and the later it can be left the more likely to
resist effectually frost or wet will the crop be. At
the same time it is well to go over all rows the
plants in which are in a sufficiently advanced
stage to show signs of spreading themselves
abroad, and to close the spreading leaves up into
an upright position by chopping down from the
sides of the ridges, and into a fine state, sufficient
soil to retain the plants in that form. The quan-
tity of soil needed will vary in accordance with
the habit of the variety which is being dealt
with, but in no case will more than 4 inches
of the new soil be wanted, and this should
be pressed closely around the plants after
the leaves have been tied together, the latter pro-
cess being to prevent loose soil from falling inside
the leaf stems. No row should be treated in this
way until it has had sufficient water, naturally or
artificially applied, to keep the plants growing,
and dry weather should be chosen, but it is best
done when the soil on the ridges is as moist as it
can be without losing its crumbling nature, as I
am convinced that putting dry soil around the
plants and leaving it so is responsible for the poor
quality of much of the Celery which is seen, and I
avoid the use of such soil from first to last.
Where watering is still necessary, occasional
doses of liquid manure may be given, but I only
advise its free use where the supply of manure at
the time of preparing the trenches was short, as
the sweetest and hardiest Celery is grown without
much help in this way. A slight sprinkling of
salt in the trench on each side the row will be
useful in attracting moisture and in keeping
worms at bay. Late rows should be looked over
and divested of any side growths or puny leaves
that may be found round the base of the plants.

Lettuces. — A further and final sowing of Let-
tuces of both sections should now be made, the
selection being of the hardiest varieties, such as
the Brown Cos and Paris Market Cabbage. Sow
broadcast on a warm border, but far enough away
from the wall to escape the influence of radiation
of sun-heat in bright frosty weather. Cos varie-
ties sown now will come in for spring planting,
and the Cabbage varieties will, if sufficiently
thinned, turn in for use where sown. Avoid thick
sowing, as sturdy plants are much hardier than
those which are drawn through being too thick.

Radishes. — Yet another sowing of both winter
and summer Radishes should be made to succeed
those advised to be sown a fortnight ago. French
Breakfast sown now will remain good until spoiled

by frost, and I find it very acceptable so lata
in the season. The winter varieties proper will
need thinning out freely before they become
crowded, so that each root left will have plenty of
room to expand.

General work.— Continue to clear off all spent
crops directly they are past bearing, and dig or
otherwise treat the ground so that it shall be in
readiness for Endive, Lettuces, and other things
before these have begun to spoil in the seed beds.
These should be planted freely, as there is no fear
of a glut of such things where they are in demand.
Turnip-rooted Beet should be pulled and relaid in
soil in a cool place. This will keep the roots solid
and prevent them from getting coarse and over-
grown. Sow a small plot with Chervil seed,

position under a fruit tree or
such sheltered spot. Cut out all old stems from
the main plants of Cilobe Artichokes and feed
with liquid manure water young plants set out
last spring. With me these promise to take up
the running and to continue giving a full supply
of heads till stopped by frost, but this should not
be attempted unless the plants are well fed in the
meanwhile. It is early yet to write about frost,
but a morning nip is not uncommon in gardens
near water at this time of the year, so it is well to
be prepared with some covering material for the
protection of Vegetable Marrows, Tomatoes, late
French Beans, and the like, in case the necessity
for using it arise.«. It is time well spent to fix
at least the supports on which such coverings are
intended to rest, as this will simplify matters in
case of emergency. J. C. Tallack.

Stove and Greenhouse.

FUCHSIAS.
Anyone who may chance to visit Trowbridge
show will soon become convinced that enthu-
siasm for this old, but graceful and glorious
plant has not yet died out — at least, so far as
that neighbourhood is concerned — the magni-
ficent specimens there displayed being perhaps
the chief attraction of the show. At other
shows, notably Norwich and Ipswich, evidence
of attachment to the Fuchsia may still be seen,
the gangway opposite the staging place being
often blocked by admiring visitors. The cus-
tom practised by old exhibitors of retaining old
plants year after year has, in spite of the very
creditable show these veterans made, died out,
it having been proved that, by an express mode
of culture, plants fit to face the most formidable
competition can be produced in two years from
the cutting. Cuttings strike readily in a gentle
moist bottom-heat if secured with a heel from
old plants placed in heat in early spring and in-
duced to break. When rooted, pot into small
pots and grow them on in an intermediate house
until, say, the middle of May, when they may be
placed in an ordinary greenhouse near the glass
and kept free from draught. The house must
be closed early to husband sun-heat, a shift into
larger pots being given as soon as the small
ones are tolerably well furnished with roots. A
compost of good yellow fibrous loam, well de-
composed cow manure and leaf mould, adding
suflicient road grit or coarse sand to keep the
whole open, suits Fuchsias well. To form good
pyramidal-shaped specimens, the leading shoots
should be secured to a neat stick, and the side
growths pinched regularly in order to secure a
well-furnished plant. The syringe may be
used over the foliage on fine afternoons, and al-
though Fuchsias delight in abundance of light
and sunshine, a slight shade of milk and whit-
ing over the roof glass during very hot
weather will prevent the leaves from being
blistered, which sometimes happens when the
sun shines suddenly upon them in the morning.

1G8

THE GAEDEN.

[August 29, 1896.

Old Fuchsia growers used to feed their plants
with liquid manure manufactured by casting a
bag tilled with she»p manure into a large tub
of water. No doubt this suits them better than
all the artificial manures in the world. Dilute
it to the colour of pale ale, giving it at first
twice a week, afterwards thrice, and finally each
day in the week. Blooming over, place the
plants out of doors, giving them a sunny posi-
tion in order to ripen up the wood, and in
October remove them to perfectly cool quarters
and give only sufficient water to prevent shrivel-
ing. I do not approve of the plan of storing
them away on their sides beneath stages or in
sheds and entirely withholding water, as in
such cases shrivelling beyond recovery often
takes place, and some of the plants even die
outright, la spring reduce the balls, giving
smaller pots, place in a comfortable temperature
and pot on as before. J. C.

Begonia martiana gracilis. — This is one
of the most distinct Btgoniae we have seen,
habit tall and erect, usually producing only a
single stem to nearly '2 feet high, and furnished
at intervale with leaves of medium size. The
pretty salmon-pink flowers appear on short pedun-
cles from the leaf axils— a very distinct charac-
teristic. In this species bulbils that may be
sown after the manner of those on the stems
of some Lilies are produced from the axils of the
leaves. The above species is both distinct and
ornamental, and is now flowering in No. 7 house
at Kew.

Cassia corymbosa.— I was pleased to see a
note on this useful and free-flowering old green-
house plant, for with me it has always been a
favourite. The culture is remarkably easy and
the plants are very seldom attacked by any msect
pest. Formerly I grew several very large old
plants that had a fine appearance when in bloom,
but were too bulky for winter. Chrysanthemums
and other things all coming into the houses about
the same time. I strike a few plants now every
season, and at present have several 3 feet 6 inches
across in flower about thirty months old. They
will be cut back as soon as the flowers are over
and kept quiet during winter, repotting in spring
and again growing on. It is a very gross-feeding
plant, and if well fed at the roots— so as to get a
vigorous growth into the plant — the foliage attains
a deep shining green that shows up the golden
yellow blossoms to perfection. — H.

Swainsonia galegifolia alba. — I find this is
a general favourite with the American florists,
and I think it is well worth attention here, either
as a pot plant or for cutting from. There are few
subjects which keep up such a succession of
bloom, and little cultural skill is required to have
it in good condition provided it is kept free from
red spider, which is its greatest enemy. Cuttings
taken from cutback plants when they begin to
start into new growth will root freely in an ordi-
nary hotbed or the stove propagating pit. I pre-
fer the former, as it ensures a good start without
being troubled with spider. Plants succeed best
when potted in a good loamy compost, and should
be grown in a cool greenhouse. It may be treated
as a climber. Planted out against a wall it will
give an abundance of bloom nearly throughout the
year. I remember some years ago it was grown
as a specimen greenhouse plant. The same plant
did service for <iuite a number of years, being
simply cut back and repotted in the spring. I
was reminded of this useful old plant by seeing it
in Mr. Thoday's nursery at Willingham, where it
is grown for cutting. — A. H.

Vallota purpurea. — It would be hard to name
a more beautiful plant for the decoration of the
greeribout-e or conservatory during the autumn
months than this. It is equally valuable when
grown in small pots either for the sitting room or
lor the decoration of the dinner table associated
with Maiden-hair or any light, graceful Ferns.
A mistake is scmetimes made in drying cfl the

bulbs in winter, a practice productive of much
harm and an almost certain preventive of the
plant blooming the following year. Potting
should take place as soon as the flowering is past,
giving a compost of three parts rich loam and one
part well decomposed cow manure, leaf-mould and
coarse sand. The plants should be given a light
place in a warm greenhouse and kept steadily
growing, but until February very little water will
be required. As the days grow longer more root
moisture will be required, and from June till they
throw up their flower-stems a cool pit facing
south will grow them well. The flowers remain
in good condition for a considerable time if shaded
from strong sunshine ; indeed, old exhibitors of
stove and greenhouse plants— who always included
a large specimen of this telling subject in their
autumn collections — by retarding them in a north
aspect house, made the same plants do duty at
several shows. If a few plants are reserved for
successional work, and are kept in a north or very
cool house until veil into the spring and after-
wards urged on in a more genial temperature, a
supply of bloom may be had for several months.

has a diameter of just upon U feet. A. princeps
is a native of New Grenada. Those who like
good collections of fine plants in their glass-
houses should certainly include this species,
whilst a few other noble Maiden-hairs include
A. Farleyense, certainly queen of the family ;
A. aneitense, A. digitatum, A. formosum, A.
peruvianum, A. trapeziforme, A. Veitchianum,
and A. velutinum. A. Herkikgton.

Madison, N..T.

Flower Garden.

NOTES FROM EDGE HALL.
Thk summer has been exceedingly good for most
flowers ; the high average temperature and
unusual (for Cheshire) amount of sunshine were
especially favourable for the cold soil of this
garden. One need not repeat the praises of
flowers which every gardener knows and ad-

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IP

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iteM

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Adiantum princeps. From a photograph by Mr. J. C. AUii
Madison, New Jersey, U.S.A.

When the plants are in free growth and ha'
plenty of roots, occasional diluted doses of farr
yard liquid manure help them much. — J. C.

Ferns.

ADIANTUM PRINCEPS.
There are several noble species of Maiden-hair
Fern rarely seen in cultivation, yet worthy of
the best attention. The subject of this note is
indeed a fine species, and one easily grown into
a fine specimen if given proper treatment in a
warm greenhouse or stove. The illustration
shows a plant of A. princeps growing in a broad
pan about C inches deep, and this luxuriant
mass of graceful fronds represents the growth
of three months only, as the plant was cut
down to the soil last winter whilst the photo
was taken during the month of June. Tha il-
lustration fails to do full justice to this fine
piece, as the fronds drooping admirably hide
the pan the plant is growing in. If the fronds
are lifted up into a horizontal position the plant

mires, but I will note a few which are not in
universal cultivation. It would be thought
tedious if I wrote much about North American
yellow comptsites. Mr. Gumbleton lately sent
me a specimen of a new departure in these, the
first double Rudbeckia I have seen. The spe-
cies is R. laciniata, and the tall branching
habit of that plant is very distinct fiom the
upright stalks of Helianthns multifiorus, which
it resembles in flower. With regard to the other
plant mentioned by Mr. Gumbleton on p. 134,
a variety of Helenium autumnale culled super-
bum, for which 1 am indebted to him, I think
the epithet tuperbum misused, unless it denotes
commanding height, for the plant has grown 7
feet high and the stalks are densely branched
and densely packed with flowers at the summit,
but the inoividual flowers are such as the bearer
has no leascn to be pioud of, being inferior to
those of H. a. var. pumilum, and to the ordinary
type of the species as sold in Ware's nursery.
It is true, however, that very inferior forms are
often sold in nurseries. Next I recommend
to every gardener a plant I obtained some years

■August 29, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

1G9

ago at Ware's nursery under the very unbo-
tanical name of Helenium grandicephalum
striatum. It grows 5 feet or 0 feet high,
flowers very freely from July to the end of
September, the flowers being dark orange, irre-
gularly mixed with yellow, and having a very
distinct and bright appearance, so as to be
always the first flower which attracts the notice
of visitors to the border where it grows. I
apply to it the botanical name of H. nudiflorum
(Nuttall), because it seems to answer to the
description of that species in Asa Gray's
" North American Flora," but Asa Gray tells us
that it forms hybrids with H. autumnale, and
possibly this may be one of them. Then there is
another conspicuous late composite which ought
to be in every garden, a thing 1 should not say if
there were any difliculty about its cultivation,
but there is none. It is a tall, free-flowering
Rudbeckia with broad falling rays of very
bright yellow. It is variously called R. laavi-
gata and R. nitida, but it certainly does not
answer to Asa Gray's description of either, and
I believe it to be a hybrid. Mr. Barr, adopting
this view, calls it in his catalogue, I think,
Autumn Glory, or some such safe name.

Now I want to call attention to the Sidalceas,
of which I cultivate four namely ; S. Candida,
about which I say nothing, and three forms all
referred to S. malvseflora, but difi'ering widely
from one another. The old type (No. 1) is a
leafy herb, with small close spikes of small
mauve flowers, and is of little merit. No.
not leafy, but makes spreading stalks 2 feet
high from a small base. The flowers are large,
pale clear rose in colour, and produced all up the
stalk from within a few inches of the ground.
The stem leaves are digitate, with very narrow
fingers. If I mistake not, this variety
lately certificated under the name var. Listeri
by the R.H.S., but I have cultivated it for
twenty years. No. 3 is nearly identical in habit
with No. 2, but has dark mauve flowers, and
the best of all. It flowers a month later than
No. 2, lasting all August. I first saw it in
Dicksons' nursery at Chester two years ago. I
have raised both 2 and 3 from seed, and
found them come quite true to colour ; both are
valuable additions to the hardy border, as they
stand violent wind and rain without artificial
support. They are perennial, but flower the
first year from seed and last four or five years.
At two or three years old each plant makes
twenty or thirty stalks, springing from a very
small base.

A few days since a lady was in my garden
who had lately been on a visit to her son at
his ranche in Wyoming, 8000 feet above the
sea level, on the Rockies. She was much pleased
to see two flowers in my garden which she had
lately seen in conspicuous abundance close to
her son's house, but she did not know that the}'
were in cultivation. One of these I have gene-
rally called Zygadenua glaucus. I believe the
more correct name is Z. elegans, and it well de-
.serves the name, for h is a bulb with a tall,
branching and graceful panicle of flowers of an
indescribable colour, which I will call pale
yeUow-green. It came to me several years ago,
having been collected by my son in North-west
Canada, with another species less tall and flower-
ing much earlier. Four species are recorded as
found in the Rocky Mountains, and they all
have a strong family likeness ; but this late kind
is well worth cultivation, and is contented any-
where it is puf.. The other flower is now named
Sphseralcea Munroana. Fifty years ago it was
Malva, then Malvastrum, and next year it will
perhap-? be something else ; but, whatever its
name, it will always be beautiful and in gardens
rare, for though, of course, very hardy and

perennial, it never in my garden survives a
winter out of doors, so 1 grow it every year
from cuttings. These must be planted out on
the edge of a rock or raised bed, so that the
plant may fall, or all its beauty is lost. It
grows fast, and by the end of July makes a
broad mass of pretty foliage, thickly set with
dark red cups of a very uncommon shade, and
it keeps growing and flowering till late in
autumn. Mixed with the bright blue Gera-
nium Wallichianum it is very effective. Four
or five Cimicifugas — all of them ornamental
both in flower and leaf — are grown in
this garden. There is the well-known C.
racemosa, a grand plant when it grows well,
and it is here 0 feet high, but it need not be
described. Soon after it comes C. dahurica,
equally tall, but with a more branched panicle,
the secondary branches crossing one another at
a slope after the manner of a complicated piece
of flreworks, and quite distinct in its habit.
Next, at the end of July, comes C. cordifolia
with creamy, compact spikes of very great sub-
stance and 4 feet high, and stalks easily self-
supporting — a fine ornamental plant. There
flowers at the same time another, very like C
racemosa, but not nearly so tall ; whether dis
tinct or not, I am not sure. The latest, which
seldom begins to flower till September, is C
japonica. This has numerous slender, upright
spikes 2 feet long, pure white, with flowers
having the appearance of those of the double
dropwort Spirtea. It requires a shaded position
and moist soil, or, like several other late-flower-
ing Japanese plants, it withers prematurely. I
may mention its synonym, Pityrosperma aceri
uum, Siebold's name for it, by which it is still
catalogued in some nurseries, but which under-
goes such variations of spelling that it cannot
always be identified.

A few words about some very beautiful bulbs
flowering in late summer will bring these notes
to an end. I mean Lemoine's hybrid Montbretias
When first I tried these I made the mistake of
putting them in full sun, supposing that
English sun heat could be unwelcome to them,
but year after year the leaves turned brown
and withered almost before the flowers opened.
I now find tha"-, by planting them in moist,
peaty soil amongst such shrubs as Azaleas,
through which they can grow without having
their base exposed to the sun, much better re
suits are obtained, and the green of the leaves
continues to the end of flowering. The clumps
if allowed to remain undivided for more th n
two years seem to exhaust the soil and produce
few or no flowers, and those stunted, so fre-
quent division and transplanting are necessary.
As to hardiness, I left many varieties out dur-
ing the winter of 1894 littered with 4 inches of
Pine needles, and lost none. Some varieties are
far more vigorous than others. My favourite,
perhaps the hardiest, is Etoile de Feu. Bou
quet Parfait and Drap d'Or are also ver5' good,
but perhaps their habit may vary in diflerent
soils. Now, in the middle of August, they are
all in full flower. C. AVolley-Dod

Edge Hall, Malpn,.

Phlox Drummondi as an exhibition

flower. — At some of the west of England shows the
varieties of Phlox Drummondi have quite taken
the place of the Verbena as an exhibition flower.
When well grown and arranged in neat bunches
of several trusses they are most efiective, and the
blossoms do not fade when placed on the exhibi-
tion table nearly so quickly as do those of Ver-
benas. In times past dozens of certificates of
merit were awarded to Verbenas, but it is doubt-
ful if even that honour was done to a variety of
Phlox Drummondi— even D. splendens grandi-
flora, which in form, substance and colour excels

any Verbena ever raised. The striped varieties
cannot compare with the self-coloured types for
effect, but they are useful in beds of mixed varie-
ties aa affording diversity, but they need improve-
ment, which will probably come in due course.
The Star Phloxes, as they are termed— that is,
the forms of cuspidata which originated in Ger-
many some ten years or so ago— curious though
they are in the formation of their corollas, yet
cannot compare with the grandiflora section for
decoration. It is curious to see an accidental and
abnormal form fixed and perpetuated. The seg-
ments of the corollas are irregular and break out
into sharp spines, which impart to them a gro-
tesque appearance ; and lovers of the curious in
flowers find them decidedly attractive, and they
seem to afford tints and combinations of colours
not found in the more perfectly formed types.
They sometimes put in an appearance at exhibi-
tions, but at their best they cannot be put before
the large rounded blossoms of the older type, nor
are they nearly so effective in beds. Beds of the
latter are now in their best character, and when
the leading shoots have been pegged down a little
the surface is a symmetrical mass of blossom.
As the Drummond Phlox seeds pretty freely, the
effect of a bed can be maintained and prolonged
by picking off the trusses as soon as the blossoms
fade, for if the plants are allowed to mature their
seeds there will be a corresponding dearth of
flowers. This useful type of Phlox is also per-
sistent in flowering, the younger growths main-
taining the supply of blossom until quite late in
the season.— R. D.

Pansies for spring flowering. — I was much
surprised to read the other day a remark by a
well-known Gardi n contributor, that Pansies and
Violas should not be propagated by using rooted
pieces, but only by means of cuttings. 'That was
a surprising dictum in face of the fact that literally
millions of these plants are propagated by divi-
sion, not only in private places and in nurseries, but
especially in market plant establishments where
hundreds of thousands are so produced every

year.

I know one grower for market who turns

out in the spring fully lOO.iXlO, and he divides his
plants twice in the year. After the spring sale is
over all that are left are lifted, pulled to pieces
and replanted in fresh soil and in proper order,
and if needed they are well watered. During
August these plants are all cut over rather hard,
then they are allowed to form new growths. To-
wards the end of September the work of lifting,
dividing, and replanting goes on, and really first-
rate rooted plants in myriads blooming early are
turned out for sale. The method of treatment
enables them to be sold very cheaply, very large
quantities being bought up by the trade for spring
bedding. I feel very strongly that whilst raisers
of these plants, and especially of the Tufted sec-
tion, have been flooding us with fancy varieties, the
bulk of which have no value whatever for bedding
out, great need exists for a race towards the
production of which little attention has been di-
rected. We want very early bloomers, varieties
that will flower with the Aubrietias, Primroses,
and other early hardy flowers in March and
April. There are plenty that will flower in May,
but they are not of a sufficiently early race. The
well-known Blue King is naturally the very
earliest to flower of any, yet it has no compeer in
other colours. Every season demonstrates the
value of these plants for both spring and summer
bedding. — A. D.

Notes from Abbotsbnry, Dorsetshire.-
In these gardens, to which I drew attention on p.
383, vol. 49, there are at present several note-
worthy plants in bloom. Perhaps the most strik-
ing is a large bush, or rather tree, of Clerodendron
trichotomum about 8 feet high by as much through,
covered with clusters of its sweetly-scented blos-
soms. It is in the best of health and evidently,
in its sheltered site, stands in no need of protec-
tion. Many great bushes of Hibiscus syriacus
and its white variety, studded with countless
large blooms, are exquisite pictures, and many
large plants of Fuchsia corymbiflora are carrying
large tassels of brilliant crimson flowers. Diplacus

170

THE GAEDEK

[August 29, 1896.

irlutinosus, which has occupied its present position
ifor three years, is in tine bloom apainst a wall, as
is the lovely Plumbajjo cnpensis, whose light blue
tint is even more attractive in the open air than
under glass. Clematis coccinea is also in flo
and the stem of a tall Talm (Chamarops Martiana)
a native of Nepaul, which has reached a height of
about IS feet, is wreathed with the showy blos-
soms of Rhodochiton volubile, a Mexican climber
which seeds freely in the open air at Abbotsbury.
Crinum longifolium is in bloom in the border, as
are Datura chlorantha, Centropogon Lucyanus,
Cerinthe major and Stachys coccinea, while some
tine hybrid Verbascums, both white and yellow,
are exceedingly handsome. By the waterside the
vivid scarlet of Mimulus cardinahs makes a high
note of colour, and the Bamboos, with slender
arching canes and finely-cut leafage, create a
background beautiful alike in form and hue.
Bambusa quadrangularis, a little-known variety,
is growing strongly and throwing up numerous
shoots, some of the stems already showing their
four-sided characteristics from which this Bamboo
takes its name. Little sign of the drought is ex-
hibited by the Bamboos, many of which, planted
as late as last March year, are now tine clumps.
The gardens contain a large selection which,
when suflicient time has elapsed to allow the
different varieties to exhibit their permanent
form, will constitute a feature of exceeding in-
terest. Colutea arborescens (the Bladder Senna),
with its branches thickly hung with large seed-
pods, is a remarkable sight, and Staphyleacolchica
(Bladder-nut), with its bunches of round pods, is
almost equally noticeable. Cratwgus glandulosa
and C. tanacetifolia are both fruiting heavily. —
S. W. F.

P.E0NIE3 AS CUT FLOWERS.
P-KONIA ALBIFLORA, when cut with long stems,
makes a most satisfying table decoration. The
accompanying illustration, which is taken from
a photograph by Miss Mabel Smythe, shows how
well the single white Pieony, with its tassel of
goldenanthers, tillsatall silver vase. CutPieonies
look best when arranged in separate colours. A
large vase filled with blooms, shading from
delicate pink to cherry-red, was exquisite.
Large vases and bowls display the beautiful
sprays of flowers and foliage to the greatest ad-
vantage. The first flowers that open are the
largest, and sprays can be cut with one large
open flower, and two or even three smaller ones
also open, and surrounded with buds. The
blooms in the illustration were almost the last
of the season and not nearly so fine as many
that were cut earlier from the same plants.
St. Anne:<:, Lares. M. Monk.

Koadside flower borders.— In many Dortet-
shire villages the cottages abut on the road, and
at the present time brilliant colour effects are
often observable in narrow borders of soil, mostly
but a foot or so in width, at the roadside. An-
nuals are naturally the chief occupants of these
scant slips, although not seldom tall Hollyhocks
rear their stately heads close to the latticed win-
dows. Tiger Lilies glow against the whitewashed
walls, or a strong-growing Carnation spreads, a
goodly clump, into the dusty road. Scarlet Zin-
nias and yellow French Marigolds appear to be
the most general favourites, and certainly their
decided colours have the merit of being unequalled
for distant effect. Petunias, Asters and Stocks
run them hard, while Phlox iJrummondi and blue
Lobelia are also not uncommon. Sunflowers are
sometimes seen, but their gigantic heads are
rather overpowering in such straitened quarters,
and they are therefore, with good taste, relegated
to more spacious plots. It is pleasant to think of
the love of flowers that has prompted the labour
necessary to skirt the cottages with a floral hem,
and thus render lovely a position which, untended,
becomes a receptacle for waifs of straw, sticks,
rage or other garbage. Nothing can exceed the

healthful look of these roadside flowers, careful
watering and unremitting attention being re-
sponsible for their welldoing. In some cases the
effect of the border i.i heightened by Canary
Creeper or scarlet Nasturtium trained on strings
up the wall, the Convolvulus also being treated m
the same manner.— S. W. F.

FLOWER GARDEN NOTES.
WiiEX the experience for 1896 in connection with
hardy flowers has to be recorded, I take it in the
majority of cases we shall find that old-established
stuff came through the ordeal considerably better
than young plants that were put out early in the
present year or even late in 1S8.>, so f.ir at any
rate as high, dry soils are concerned. Not that
the usual vigour is seen in any herbaceous plants.
Whether old or young, all are much below the
average height, so much so in fact that a friend
looking through the other day wanted to know
whether our Starworts, Helianthuses, Chrysan-
themum maximum and C. uliginosum had been

old-established clumps being much the earlier.
This characteristic, so far as this family is con-
cerned is, however, very acceptable, and it is
matter for future consideration whether beds de-
voted entirely to them might not have equal por-
tions of old and young plants, so that the flower-
ing season might be prolonged. I find if the
centres of the older plants are nipped out as soon
as the beauty of the flower is on the wane, the
side growths will come along and succeed the
! bloom on the younger plants. With other things
I the season has been answerable not so much for
checking the development of flower as in arrest-
ing the vigour of the plants. The prover-
bial advantage on the side of youth is the ex-
ception instead of the rule. In connection with
these hardy flowers it is well to give the reminder
that if notes have not been taken of those things
of special value it is not too late to do so, with
the view to strengthen their numbers for another
year. I'yrethrums Aphrodite, Celia, and Melton,
Carnations Hayes' Scarlet, The Pasha, Uriah
Pike, and White Clove, Phlox Snowdon, Hemero-
callis Middendorfi and H. Thunbergi, Achillea The

Single Pceonies in a bowl. Engraved for The Garden from a photogrwph
sent by Mrs. Monk, St. Anne's, Lexoes.

stopped or pegged, or both. All these are dwarf
in comparison with their usual form, but their
health and flowering properties do not seem to
have suffered, except that individual blooms are
smaller than usual. Having planted out a con-
siderable number of young plants early in the
present year, I have had an opportunity of com
paring their behaviour with that of older stuff
and record the experience gained. Herbaceous
Lobelias, young plants, came away very slowly,
and it was some time before I could get them to
make any kindly growth ; buds of both cardinalis
and fulgens are only just (August 10) showing
their colour. Older plants, on the other hand,
that were left in the ground all through the
winter and received first a heavy mulching and
then a dose of rough coal ashes have been in flower
some time. This dose of coal ashes is, by the
way, an essential feature in the case of all her-
baceous things left in the ground through the
winter whose foliage in the early spring is apt to
be riddled by slugs. Platycodon Mariesi planted
in the early spring was late, and although it after-
wards flowered freely, there w.as a lack of vigour
in the stems, and the blooms were not thrown
well above the foliage. The difference both in
the early and late-flowering Phloxes is marked,

Pearl, and Helianthus l.ttiflorus are a few really
good things.

Sdmmfr pRorAGATiNc. — Where gardens are
naturally dry and facilities for watering are very
scanty, there has been very little growth in sum-
mer bedding plants, and in many cases cuttings
will be scarce. Given a fairly gcod soil, strong
plants to start with and one thorough soaking,
Pelargoniums are close and compact : there has
been no strong growth, but, on the other hand,
plenty of flower. For the last few years I have
relied mainly for scarlets on Raspail and Turtle's
Surprise respectively for medium-sized and small
beds ; they are nearly as bright as the best singles,
and there is the additional merit that if one wants
a big handful ot scarlet flowers they can always be
culled from the beds. Henri Jacoby is still the
best dark scarlet, Surprise the best salmon, and
Amaranth and Constance the most reliable dark
and light pinks. There may be a better single
Pelargonium than Constance, but I have yet to
find it. Alike for bedding or for summer and
winter flowering in pots it is first class. Such fine
strains of Verbena and Petunia are now obtain-
able from seed, that one can dispense with the
trouble of a lot of cutting pots through the
winter, unless it be some exceptionally good thing

August 29, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

171

it is desirable to perpetuate. The difficulty in keep-
ing a stock of silvery Centaureas is also at an end.
Excellent plants are secured by sowing in January.
Lobelias I have very nearly discarded in favour of
the different shades of Tufted Pansies and Can-
nell's dwarf Ageratum. The latter has been a
mass of flower for the last month and will continue
in good form till the frost nips it. Cuttings will
not be easily obtained, and we shall have to cut
over and pot up a batch of old plants which, if
kept growing along gently through the winter,
will furnish a plentiful supply in early spring.
Calceolarias were a failure with me for several
seasons, and were accordingly shelved for Mrs.
Clibran TropKolum, which does remarkably well
in our light dry soil. Begonias of the eemper-
florens type are very fair alike in flower and foli-
age. They are seen to the best advantage on a
carpet of Manglesi Geranium or Mesembryanthe-
mum. The above comprise nearly all the bedding
plants I find it necessary to grow. Hardy plants
and enduring March-sown annuals have largely
taken the places they formerly occupied through
the summer months.

Scented floweks.— With the prospect of a
hot, dry summer before us a good breadth of W
nonette was sown on a north-east border. In a
damp, sunless year such a site is practically
worthless, but this season it has proved the best
place. The plants have thoroughly enjoyed their
quarters and furnished an unlimited supply. The
annual Wallflower is not much to look at, but the
scent is all that can be desired, especially fragrant
in early morning and evening. The first blooms
having been removed, the plants are branching
out and flowering well from the side shoots. Th;
is a good time to sow East Lothian Stocks for an
early display next season. They should be sown
thinly in separate colours and pricked out into
boxes or a cold frame to stand through the winter.
If a sowing of Margarita Carnations was made in
February,as previously advised, and the plants put
out early in a well-prepared border, they will
commence flowering early in August and just hit
the season nicely after the ordinary border sorts
are over. Eucalyptus citriodora is growing away
strongly, and its side growths aresufiiciently long
to use occasionally in vases with other flowers
where the strong lemon perfume is appreciated.
The finely-cut foliage of the scented Pelargoniums
can be utilised for a similar purpose.
Claremont. E. Bubrell.

At

DRYING LILY BULBS.
107 Mr. T. Smith remarks that

well known that Lily bulbs should never be
dried— in fact, it is often disastrous so to do."
In closely following this piece of advice we can-
not always boast of anything like a full measure
of success in the cultivation of many beautiful
species. I learnt this many years ago, and, in-
deed, possessing a full knowledge of the sup-
posed disaster that should, according to some
growers, ensue, I experimented on a few cheap
kinds in exactly the opposite way. The result
of this experiment has caused me to recom-
mend others to do the same, for I have never in
one single instance had to record disaster of
any kind. I take it that Mr. Smith, not having
himself practised the drying oflf, can scarcely be
giving his own experience when he speaks of
the "disastrous" results of such experiment.
I can, however, distinctly state that no one
need fear any ill effect of drying certain
species of Lilies in the way suggested recently
at p. 67 of The Garden, as the bulbs in ques-
tion were taken from a lot that two years pre-
viously were wrecked by disease. For this
reason I purposely subjected them to a longer
term of drying than usual, with the results as
stated in my previous note. And not only to
the ISIadonna Lily (L. candidum) has the drying
been applied with every success, but also to .such
as teataceum and chalcedonicum, the flowering

that succeeded the compulsory rest forming the
most conclusive evidence that the bulbs hither-
to sickly had greatly benefited by the change.
In a genus of such an extensive range as
Lilium, containing species that inhabit all parts
of the habitable globe almost, it is hardly pos-
sible that all shall be governed by this every-
day rule of-thumb. Rather, I think, one's ex-
periences and failures with certain species point
distinctly to the need of full and complete ex-
periment on opposite grounds. There is one
thing, I imagine, that Mr. T. Smith has lost
sight of, and this is that so long as any Lily
remained in health and vigour I would be the
last to interfere with that frequently absent
condition for the sake of experiment alone.
On the other hand, when a plant is smitten by
disease or from other causes is obviously not
contented with its lot, I do not hesitate to
adopt other means when the orthodox methods
are a failure. Year by year we get consign-
ments of Lilies both from America and Japan
that are in the latter instance three months at
the least in the dry state. Not that they all
survive the journey by any means, yet numbers
of them do, and others eventually make tine
fpecimens. I am not referring so much to L.
auratum in this case, because the great bulk of
this rarely survives the flowering, and many
others arrive in a state of rotten pulp. This is
however, due to peculiarities apart from thi
subject of this note. On the other hand, many
thousands of L. speciosum varieties really n
fine specimens and continue healthy jear by
year. And here is a problem worthy of solu
tion. We get in bulk auratum and speciosum
from the same source, subject to the same
system of packing and long-protracted journey,
yet L. auratum rarely survives the first flower-
ing here, and L. speciosum can in a large de-
gree be established and flowered for several
years in succession. Can any grower of Liliums
suggest a reason for the difference '.

Mr. Smith speaks of drying as "disastrous,''
but this is not my experience ; indeed, I have
recorded instances quite the opposite in years
past, and some of the very finest bulbs of L
Humboldti I ever saw I received in a much
shrivelled condition from their native home.
Why they should have been so much shrivelled
1 was at the time at a loss to understand, as it
was quite disproportionate with so compara-
tively short a journey. So I concluded the
bulbs must have been out of the soil some time
prior to being packed. At any rate, there was
neither disaster nor loss, for the whole batch
developed fine bulbs, and some that were sent
away a short time after being received were
quite fresh and plump. And is not this rather
consistent with the soft succulent nature of the
scales of these bulbs, and is it not possible that
the great amount of stored-up energy in these
big outer scales had gone to support the central
and, for the time bemg, the most vital part of
the bulb ! I think so. For some years I had
to plant at varying unseasonable moments the
residue of these bulbs after the sale for the sea
son was completed, and from bulbs lifted it
October and merely kept in cocoa-nut fibre, more
or less dry, in the bulb shop. I have had some
returned, maybe after three months or more,
little better than half the size of their former
selves. This is the kind of drying that may prove
disastrous, particularly when it is kept up far
beyond any reasonable limits, and yet the
growth that ensued in some instances was often
a matter for surprise. '1 he variety that was
generally most reduced was the French im-
ported candidum, while home-grown bulbs of
the same variety remained much more firm and
plump, and particularly so the heart of the

bulb. In all cases the old outer scales supply
the centre with its stored-up sap and energy.
I also note that Mr. Smith is opposed to the
idea of the disease germs being present, yet the
evidence he gives at page 107 appears to point
rather to this end. But " because the summer
was dry " there is not " a solitary trace of
disease." Yet one might reasonably suppose
the disease to be there in plenty in the bulk of
old stems, &a. Doubtless this was the case,
but the one essential, viz., moisture, was, as
Mr. Smith says, absent in that year, and with-
out the warmth and moisture the germs of the
disease could not vegetate. I am fully con-
vinced that the disease is either present or
carried down by the rains, by reason of the
rapid development and destructive character of
the disease at such a time. Indeed, the rapidity
of the attack favours the notion that the disease
is present and merely waiting the conditions
essential to activity. E. J.

NOTES ON HARDY PLANTS.
Actaea spicata. — This, the wild Baneberry or
Herb Christopher, is one of those instances of a
vastly improved habit and beauty when given the
benefits of garden culture. In bloom in May, the
spikes of white flowers on a good-sized bush are
no mean object, but when the big berries assume
their deepest colour, as they do now, few plants
are more showy. The spikes of fruit are .3 inches
to 4 inches long and well held up above the big
leaves. The variation of fruit colour is also a fea-
ture which enhances the worth of the species for
decoration. At present I have the black, scarlet
and ruby-crimson fruited sorts in good form. I
need to grow the white fruited kind, but lost it. I
have had the coloured kinds several times sent me
for the white. I have an idea that this berry-
bearing Ranunculad formed in groups of the dif-
ferent colours would give rich effects in openings
of the wild or woodland garden, say groups 10
feet or 12 feet in diameter and at distances far
enough apart to distinctly maintain their indi-
viduality and yet not too far to allow all to be
visible from several points of view.

Lithyrus maritimus is another British plant
well \vorth the extra trouble of culture from the
ready way in which it responds by a bright and
showy florescence, coupled with a neat prostrate
habit. The thick leaves, of a blue-green and
somewhat symmetrically lobed, at once indicate a
species of the Pea tribe, well fitted for many posi-
tions, especially the wall or rock garden. The
numerous flowers are of a rich crimson-purple.

(Enothera proBtrata. — This slender and
prostrate Evening Primrose has, compared with its
other parts, good-sized yellow flowers and plenty
of them, and also affords a long succession. Just
now, however, the plants have another pleasing
feature, the leaves being a warm brick-red and in
some cases almost scarlet. It is truesuchleaf colour-
ing cannot be relied upon, but still, to those who
value leaf tints, it may be well to note the plants
with a tendency thereto. I have had more than
one, and very dissimilar, plant sent to me under
this name. The true plant quite justifies its name
and never grows higher than 9 inches here.

Campanula soldanellsefl^ora x carpatica. —
I have just seen sprays of bloom of a plant got
from this cross. It may be described as a
glorified soldanell«flora in its double form, but
the colour is more refined and of a porcelain tint.
I hope it may prove constant. In the meantime
it is one of the loveliest of the Bellflowers I have
seen, and the double feature in this case does not
extinguish the bell form. The flowers are the siza
of a shilling across the bells, and last a long time
when cut.

Primula Busbyi. — This is now in flower
with, at this late season, for companions only
sikkimensis and capitata of the better-known
hardy species. The flowers are large, with thin
and delicate calyces covered with farina ; colour

172

THE CxAEDEK

[August 29, 1896.

deep carmine-purple, with a fragrance resemblinp
that of our common Primrose. In every way it is
in form a distinct species, and grown in compara-
tively few collections. There cannot bo any
doubt as to its hardiness, for I have kept it going
with little or no care under hardy conditions for
at least ten years. It is net, however, a fast
grower, and though increased by root divisions
easily enough, these may not be taken success-
fully unless they have a bit of root-stock and
some roots.

Rhexla virginica. — A good piece of this is
most attractive just now. The whole plant is
suffused with red, more especially the stems.
The bright rosy purple cruciform flowers are
numerous and lasting ; hence the suitableness of
ite common name— Meadow Beauty. Why is it so
seldom seen ? It is not only hardy, but in the
bog garden in spongy peat it simply revels.

Primula capitata is now in good form, and
has long kept up a succession of its violet-purple
flowers : these are set ofl" by the white scapes and
white under surfaces of the wrinkled leaves. The
perfume is delightful. It is easily raised from
seed and not soon lost. I find half-starved plants
of previous years, such as have not bloomed, very
useful for either early or late flowering as the case
may be. In August this species is a worthy re-
presentative of the earlier Indian species, and one
of the few that help to keep the genus in evidence
in late summer.

Aster Thomsoni.— A good form of this is
worth half a score of the Starworts ccmmcnly
found in gardens. The drawback is that it begins
to bloom too early as a Michaelmas Daisy, and can
only be so classed because of another good propert y ,
e.g., flowering for three months in succession, as
strong plants do. Already I have had it three
weeks in bloom.

Prunella Webbiana.— Plants I have under
this name grow to, and flower at, a stature of
9 inches and lt> inches. The flowers equal in size
those of grandiflora, but are of velvety texture
and very bright carmine rose. I have also seen
the same plant under the name of P. rosea, and,
to make a guess, I should not be surprised if it
were the same plant as P. grandiflora rubra of
the"Kew Handlist." Anyhow, it is quite the
plant to note for half-shady places, where it flowers
for many weeks in succession.

Origanum Dictamnus and O. hjbridum.
— These are winsome things just now. The Hop-
like arrangement of the flowers and their elegant
pose, together with the bright red, give them
that distinct eflfect which is almost unique. These
plants should only be grown in warm, dry soils,
and, once established, left alone.

Bosa Wichuriana.— This is a creeper to
arrest the notice of the most casual observer just
now. The profuse foliage fairly glistens, and the
deep green foil close to the ground shows up the
clusters cf ivory vihite, small single flowers of
surpassing sweetness. When the flowers are
plucked, the reddish stems add to the efi^ect of
the bouquet. There are many uses for a free
creeping Rose of this class, but nothing is likely
to profit more by its introduction than the rock
garden. Rock gardens where deep seams of good
rich soil have been provided, and which are ex-
posed to plenty of sunshine, are just the places
for this ground rambler. To tie up the growths
at all wou!d be wrong, I think. The shoots strike
out at right angles frcm the upright part of the
collar, and the spaces between big stones toon
become clothed in foliage and flower.

WoodcUh, KirhitaU. J. Wood.

Tufted Pansy Ethel Hancock. — This
beautiful variety I saw in perfection lately in
heavy soil in a Sussex garden. A mass of plants
is growing luxuriantly and flowering most freel}'
under a wall with a southwestern aspect, having
been removed to that position early in May last.
The chaste character of the blossoms, which are
of the purest white, with a rich orange eye, and
pOEseseing much substance, should ensure for this

variety extended cultivation. Being quite a new
sort — in fact it was only distributed last spring —
the sterling cjualities are sure to become known in
a short time. In those gardens where a first-class
white Tufted Pansy is wanted and one of dwarf
habit no better variety could be grown. — D. B. C.

PUJRPLE CLAKY.

(S.\LVIA IIORMINIM.)

The garden is beginning to look weary. On
light warm soils Rhododendrons are drooping,
the leaves of some of the deciduous trees in the
shrubbery are yellow and withered, and under
foot as one treads the paths there is a rustle of
dead leaves. Despondently wemurmur,"Summer
has passed." In northern and western counties
perhaps she lingers still, but in eastern and
south eastern districts drought has driven her
from her haunts. Leaves are brown, shrubs
shrinking as if from autumn's breezes, distant
yet, still on their way. But what a blossoming
spring and early-flower-teeming summer we
have had ! While dwelling on the memory of
those faded blossoms, a bee hums busily to the
Mignonette, a dragon-fly in green and golden
scale armour flits over the shallow fountain,
and a blue heath butterfly alights on the im-
perial purple of the very plant I have selected
to write about. Let me recommend the sweet
old-fashioned Salvia Hoiuiinum, familiarly the
purple Clary. The moment is () iirojios for
lovers of garden flowers and gardeners to
look round at the results of the summer bed-
ding ; to mark borders which have proved
most brilliant, which groupings most eflective,
and which colours have toned in or contrasted
most harmoniously. To these fellow labourers
in pursuit of the earliest of arts, may I suggest
the merits of the purple Clary. (There is also,
I know, a red Clary, but cannot speak person-
ally as to its colouring.) The Salvia Horminum,
then, is a humble member of a very showy and
distinguished family. The lovely Salvia patens
and many other favourites, hardy and half
hardy, are its congeners, but in habit it most
resembles its relative the brilliant Salvia splen-
dens. It is in the bracts of the Salvia Horminum
that the beautiful purple of Tyrian dye dis-
plays itself. The flower is small, inconspicuous,
but the richly hued bracts crown the plant with
a rare beauty of colour seldom seen in the par-
terre, unless in the Clematis Jackmani. The
growth of the plant is neat and pretty, in height
about 12 inches or 18 inches, branching from
base ; the young shoots surround the centre in
candelabrum form, and each young shoot carries
its purple canopy, or rather flies its purple pen-
nants. During the drought, when so many
frailer beauties of the garden succumbed, when
dark Roses scorched and pale ones refused
to open their petals to the sun, when Calceo-
larias drooped and Verbenas quickly lost bril-
liancy, Salvia Horminum stood bright and erect
with Pelargoniums and Marguerites revelling
in the sunshine. This Salvia, a hardy annual,
is capital as a summer bedding plant, eflective
grown alone or mixed with yellow and white
Daisies, Calceolarias, scarlet, crimson or pink
zonal Pelargoniums. The little blue butterfly
loses no beauty as it rests on the purple bracts ;
indeed, 1 have seen a charming arrangement of
Plumbago capensis and light blue Delphiniums
well thrown up by sprays of purple Clary, inter-
mixed with these shades of blue ; the sprays,
being of light and graceful form, give a finish to
vase or basket of flowers as fronds of Fern or
coloured foliage.

Seed should be sown early in March, prefer-
ably under glass, the young plants pricked out
and planted in rows C inches apart in bed or
border exposed to the full sunshine or partly

sheltered. Although, as before said, this Salvia
withstands drought, it is worth watering, na-
turally retaining its beauty and freshness longer
under more favourable conditions. Two borders
of purple t 'lary this year attracted more notice
and admiration than any of those designed
and filled with the ordinary recognised favour-
ites. Novelty may have had something to say
in the matter, but elegance and beauty more. I
would suggest to gardeners who wish to try a
similar effect and to plan some new or unusual
arrangement to bestow next year a thought on
the fair and hardy Salvia Horminum.

SurroLKiAN.

Societies and Exhibitions.

ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Ari;rsT io.
There was another magnificent display on Tues-
day last. We never remember to have seen a
better during August, the one regrettable fea-
ture being the poor attendance of visitors. Such a
show was well worthy of the attendance of hun-
dreds of Fellows and others interested in horticul-
ture. The only explanation that can be given is
that people are now out of town. That such a
fine show as this last should be so thinly attended
is a pity. Even the committee tables were com-
paratively thin. It would be worthy of con-
sideration, we think, another year whether it
would not be advisable to hold the August and
September meetings at Chiswick. It is a season
when a visit to the gardens by anyone interested
in horticulture would be most instructive and in-
teresting, and the large conservatory would be
quite large enough to hold all the exhibits. All
the tables on Tuesday last were well filled. Or-
chids were abundant for the season, some really
first-class things being shown by the usual well-
known contributors. Fruit, too, was most abun-
dant, amongst which a few of the best exhibits
were the large collection of first-class Peaches,
Nectarines and Plums from Windsor, apparently
all from the open walls, and the very represen-
tative collection of all kinds of outdoor fruits in
excellent variety and condition from Syon House.
Some finely-coloured Peaches and Nectarines were
sent from Eastwell Park, Ashford, Kent. A
grand assortment of Plums in the best kinds and
of high-class quality was staged by Messrs.
Veitch and Sons, forming a most instructive ex-
hibit. Of Grapes, which are not often shown in
quantity, there was an excellent display, the
chief of which, well ripened ard finished fruit,
came from the Chiswick gardens. Three other
exhibits of Grapes deserve special note, viz , the
huge clusters of Muscat Hamburgh from Cook-
ham, the Madresfield Court and Gros Maroc from
East Molesey, and the singularly, but highly
flavoured Ferdinand de Lesseps from Osberton.
Prominent amongst those sent from Chiswick
were Muscat Hamburgh, Madresfield Court,
Muscat of Alexandria and the seldom seen, but
none the less excellent, Black Monukka, of which
huge clusters were shown.

The floral committee exhibits claimed by far
the greater space. The Messrs. Veitch and Sons
had a grand display of Nepenthes arranged in
excellent taste with light Palms, Ac, the gold
medal being most deservedly awarded. Messrs.
H. Cannell and Sons had a grand bank of Asters
in great variety, both as regards colour, form,
and habit : several bunches of a sort were shown,
the whole forming one of the best exhibits of Asters
ever staged. Another lot, arranged informally,
came from Messrs. Dobbieand Co , these, too, con-
sisting of good selections. Lilies in the best late
kinds came from Messrs. R. Wallace and Co., and
Dahlias from a few well known growers.
Orchid Committee.
A first-class certificate was awarded to —
L.i;lio-Cattli:ya Bkvmeriana.— The result of
crossing the natural hybrid L.-C. amanda witli

AuGOfcr 29, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

173

the pollen of Cattleya Warscewiczi (gigas). The
plant carried a raceme of five flowers, which bore
a striking resemblance to those of a fine form of
the tall-growing variety of Cattleya maxima.
The sepals and petals are rose, veined with a
darker shade ; the lip rose, veined and suffused
with crimson purple, the throat lined and suff'used
with yellow, shading to a deep pink at the top.
It is a lovely Orchid, and worth a place amongst
our finest hybrid Cattleyas. From Col. Brymer,
Dorchester.

Awards of merit were given to the following:—

MiLTONiA ScHRCEDERiANA. — A distinct and
beautiful species, the sepals and petals greenish
yellow, thickly spotted with brown ; lip white in
front, shading to a bright purple on the basal
half. The bulbs and habit of the plant resemble
those of Odontoglossum Harryanum. From the
Hon. Walter Rothschild, Tring Park.

Cycnoches MAcnLATUM. — A variety somewhat
resembhng C. pentadactylon. The petals are
green, thickly spotted with dark brown, the
upper sepal similar in colour to the petals, the
two lower sepals green, tinted on the lower sides
and heavily spotted with brown ; lip white, with
several prominent bristle-like processes in the
centre. From the Hon. W. Rothschild.

Dendrubium LONciicoRNU. — An old and well-
known species with white sepals and petals ; lip
white, lined with orange-yellow. The specimen
exhibited carried upwards of sixty flowers. From
Mr. W. Thomson, Walton Grange, Staff'ord.

MiLTONIA CANDIDA GRANDIFLORA. — This is alsO

a well-known species which had not previously
been certificated. The plant exhibited waa re-
markable for good culture and bore three spikes
of flowers. The sepals and petals are deep brown,
margined and mottled with yellow ; lip white,
with a violet centre shading to white at the base.
From Major Joicey, Sunningdale Park.

Stanhopea eburnea.— a fine species, with
broad creamy white sepals and petals ; lip ivory-
white, spotted and shaded with brown in the
centre and at the sides. The plant carried two
flowers. From Major Joicey.

L^LiA Moxoj-HYLLA. — A Well - known, dwarf
growing, cool house species with brilliant orange-
scarlet flowers. It had previously received a
botanical certificate. From Major Joicey.

Botanical certificates were given to Cu-logyne
Micholitzi, a distinct species introduced some
years ago by Messrs. Sander : sepals and petals
creamy white, lip white in front, the side lobes
and remaining portions being of a bright reddish
brown (from Mr. T. B. Haywood, Reigate) ;
and Catasetum callosum, a distinct small-flowered
species, with dark brown sepals and petals ; lip
bright green, shading to yellow in the centre, and
having a bright yellow disc. From Messrs. H.
Low and Co.

Messrs. Hugh Low and Co., Clapton, were
awarded a silver Banksian medal for a varied
and interesting group, prominent in this being
some finely flowered plants of Saccolabium cteleste,
with its pale blue-tinted sepals and petals and
deep violet coloured lip, several fine plants of
Cycnoches chloroohilon, some finely flowered
specimens of Miltonia Morreliana, a fine variety
of LiKlio-Cattleya elegans Schilleriana, a fine
Cattleya Luddemanniana, with deep rose sepals
and petals, lip crimson, veined with white in the
throat, and several plants of the lovely Dendro-
bium formosum giganteum. Messrs. B. S. Wil-
liams and Son sent Brassia braciata, with cream
coloured flowers spotted with dark brown.
Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons sent Lielio-Cattleya
Clonia, the result of crossing Cattleya Warsce-
wiczi and La?lio-Cattleya elegans Turneri ; sepals
deep rose, petals rose, veined and splashed with
purple at the tips, the lip purple in front shading
to crimson in the centre, the side lobes purple
shading to white, having a slight indication of
yellow in front of the throat. Messrs. F. Sander
and Co. sent Lielio-Cattleya Gottoiana, a supposed
natural hybrid imported with La^lia tenebrosa ;
sepals and petals rose, lip crimson-purple, with
two white blotches in the throat. Mr. J. Gurney
Fowler, South Woodford, was awarded a silver

Flora medal for a group, prominent in which
were several fine plants of the lo^'ely Dendrobium
Phalajnopsis in a variety of colours, Catasetum
Bungerothi with three flowers, several well-
flowered plants of Dendrobium formosum, a fine
plant of Cattleya Harrison.-e with four spikes of
flower, Stanhopea Calceolus, a distinct small
yellow-flowered variety with two flowers, and a
plant of the lovely Cyripedium Lawrenceanum
Hyeanum. Pachystoma Thomsoni was represented
by one of the finest flowered plants we have seen of
this rare Orchid. It bore four spikes of flower,
the sepals and petals white, lip violet-purple,
striped with white ; the side lobes green, heavily
spotted with brown. Several plants of Cattleja
Dowiana aurea, a fine-flowered dark form of Mil-
tonia Roezli, Cattleya Fowleriana, certificated last
year, and a fine plant of the beautiful Aerides
Lawrenceanum with two fine spikes completed
this collection. Sir T. Lawrence sent a small
group, prominent amongst which were some re-
markably well-grown plants of Habenaria carnea
and its variety nivosa. Epidendrum Fournier-
ianum, with pale yellow sepals and petals, lip
white with violet markings on the centre, Epi-
dendrum alatum, and cut flowers of Maxillaria
furcata and Saccolabium Blumei majus were also
shown here. Mr. W. Thomson sent a fine plant
of Lfelio-Cattleya elegans Cawenbergiana, ceitifi-
cated and described in our report of the last meet-
ing. The plant carried two spikes of flower and
was remarkably well grown. Odontoglossum
crispum Annie is a fine form, sepals white, tinted
rose and spotted with brown ; petals pure
white ; lip white with a large brown blotch in the
centre. Major Joicey sent Stanhopea Amesiana,
a fine plant of the white Anguloa eburnea, and a
well-flowered plant of Odontoglossum aspidor-
henum. Mr. T. Statter sent Lfelio-Cattleya ele-
gans Johnsoni, a broad-lipped form of the Turneri
section ; L.-C. e. Statteriana, with white-rose
tinted sepals and petals similar to the variety
Schilleriana, and a two-flowered spike of Cypri-
pedium excelsius, one of the Rothschildianum
crosses certificated last year.

Floral Committee.

Awards of merit were adjudged to the follow-
ing : —

Begonia Louise Closon Improved (Rex sec-
tion).— A decided advance upon the type, with
much bolder foliage of a greenish purple, with
zone of rich rose pink, the reverse being of a
bronzy red. A fine decorative plant. From
Messrs. Laing and Sons, Forest Hill, S.E.

Cai.adium Donna Carjien Mackdo. — A very
distinct variety in every respect, with a sturdy
habit of growth, the foliage being of a brick-red
colour, with deep green veins throughout to the
margins of the leaves — very novel. From Messr."-,
Laing and Sons.

CACTrs Dahlia Miss Webster.— The best
white Cactus Dahlia yet shown with large flowers
of good form, a useful garden plant and a goo '
exhibition flower. From Messrs. Dobbie and Co,
Rothesay.

Rose Mrs. Rfm.sey (H.P. ).— A beautiful bright
pink, the flowers full and of good size, with im
JDricated petals. On the best authority this Rose
is stated to be proof against mildew ; its foliage
is certainly very leathery and the habit extra
sturdy. From Mr. Rumsey, Waltham Cross, N.

GLADIOLI'S Atlas.— A light mauve with purple
veins on the lower lobes, the individual flowers of
extra size and the spikes of unusual length ; very
distinct and fine. From Sir Trevor Lawrence,
Burford Lodge.

Gladiolus Fustell de CorLANi;ER (Lemoinei
section). — A rosy salmon of very fine form, with
the lobes of great breadth, the lower ones having
a distirC^, blotch of creamy white. From Sir
Trevor '..iwrence.

LOBEI 1.4 CARDINALIS CaRMINE GeM.— A Soft

carmine form of this well-known plant, with its
other good qualities. From Sir Trevor Lawrence.
Campanula Propusion (C. carpatiea alba x
C. isophylla alba).— The name given to this
hybrid well defines its freedom of flowering, the

example shown being one mass of bloom. The
colour is a pale blue, which is singular, consider-
ing that both its parents have white blossoms. As
a rock plant or for massing it will no doubt prove
to be a decided acquisition. The growth is very
dwarf and compact. From Mr. E. H. Jenkins,
florist, Hampton.

A very noteworthy exhibit was a fine collection
of Nepenthes shown by Messrs. Veitch and Sons.
The plants were of good size, in splendid con-
dition, and bearing their beautiful and curious
pitchers in great profusion. Among the many
species and hybrids were excellent examples of
X. Amesiana, a very handsome plant ; N. Chel-
soni, N. Curtisi, the pretty globular N. Hookeri-
ana, N. mixta, and N. mixta sanguinea, both fine
plants, brilliant in colour ; N. formosa, and N.
Mastersiana, also finely coloured. The staging of
the collection was admirable, a light and effective
background of Palms and Maples, with a ground-
work of Maiden-hair Fern and light Dracienas
giving a very beautiful setting to the handsome
pitchers (gold medal). A small collection of fine-
foliaged plants was shown by Messrs. Laing and
Sons, and included some richly coloured new
Begonias, among them Alba magnifica, a variety
with huge leaves of dull pale green colour, and
Attraction, a very beautiful plant, a mixture of
bronze, bright green, and silver. A large group
of herbaceous flowers and Dahlias came from Mr.
T. S. Ware, of Tottenham. Among the Dahlias
were one or two very beautiful blooms of Bertha
Mawley, some good flowers of Gloriosaand Purple
Prince, with Arthur West, Crimson Kin?, Phiebe,
and Eurydice among the pompons. Conspicuous
among the herbaceous flowers were Echinacea
purpurea, Centaurea macrocephala, and some
beautifully tinted bunches of Eryngium
Oliverianum (silver Flora medal). A similar
exhibit of hardy herbaceous stuff and Dahlias
came from Messrs. John Peed and Sons,
Roupell Park Nurseries, Norwood. The best of
the Dahlias were Bertha Mawley, Mrs. Barnes,
Professor Baldwin, Baron Schrceder, Countess of
Radnor, and Matchless. The bunches of cut
flowers comprised good examples of Francoa ra-
mosa, Helianthus rigidus, Veronica longifolia,
and Aconitum pyramidale (silver Banksian medal).
A group of cut flowers, comprising many very
lovely varieties of Liliums and Gladioli, came from
Messrs. Wallace and Co., of Colchester, and made
a very brave show. Lilium speciosum macran-
thum was very fine, while L. tigrinum splendens,
L. Leichtlini, a very charming yellow variety,
L. auratum rubro-vittatum, the richly colourid
L. speciosum Melpomene, and L. Henryi were all
well represented. The best of the Gladioli were
George Paul, a shapely flower of dull crimson ;
Mrs. Beecher, a vivid scarlet ; and Victor Hugo,
a rich, but delicate salmon-pink (silver Banksian
medal). From Messrs. Dobbie and Co. , Rothesay,
came a fine collection of Asters, arranged in
loose, unconventional handfuls, and forming a
very eflfective bank of colour. The following va-
rieties were well shown : Victoria, a lovely pink
flower of splendid form and good habit, and
Princess Rosalind, a new variety, bright pink in
colour. A very delightful strain is Debbie's
Pa-ony-flowered, very useful for cutting. The
colours are rich, pure, and varied. Another
strain of great beauty is the (liant Comet,
comprising white or light pink flowers, which
somewhat resemble Japanese Chrysanthemums in
form and petal. From the same firm came an
exhibit of their new white Cactus Dahlia Miss Web-
ster. This flower is certainly the finest white yet
in cultivation, and is of fairly good Cactus form
(silver Flora medal). A magnificent exhibit of
Asters came from Messrs. Cannell and Sons. The
flowers were primly staged in triangular bunches,
every bloom being thus distinctly displayed.
Among the many superb varieties the following
may be noted : Bismarck, brown, a very pleasing
pinkish terracotta colour ; Princess of Wales, a
pink and white quilled variety ; Eynsford Yel-
low ; and Mignon, a truly lovely pale azure-blue.
A fine collection of the lovely Comet strain and
an equally good selection of Victoria completed

174

THE GAEDEK.

[August 29, 1896.

the collection (silver gilt Flora). Sir Trevo;
Lawrence sent a group of remark.iblv fine Pent
stemons and a few Gladioli. The blooms of tbt
Pentstemons were of great si/e and beautifully
coloured. The best Gladioli were Fustelle de
Coulanger, Rosa Bonheur, Atlas, a delicate 1
flower, and General Duchesne. A group of cut
flowers comprising Stocks. Pansies, and Begonias,
was shown by Messrs. Young and Dobinson,
Stevenage, Herts. The Pansies included some
very bfautiful varieties (bronze Banksian). From
Mr. Walters, Eastwood Park, Ashford, Kent, came
a few pretty varieties of Gloxinias. The blooms
were of good size and substance and well
coloured. A pretty new Coleus, Golden Feather,
wa? shown by Mr. A. Marcham, Springfield
Nursery, Isleworth. This plant is of a delicate
golden yellow colour, dnarf in habit, and bushy.
From Mr. Becker, Jersey, came a new giant typs
of the .Jersey Lily, a very tall flower-spike, bea
ing good, nice pink flowers, A new single Comet
Aster, named Marguerite, pure white, was shown
by the same grower. This flower would
pretty for vases. Mr. T. W. Girdlest
Sunningdale, Berks, sent six new single Dahlias
all good varieties. Gecko, a vivid crimson of good
form : Xaomi Tighe, dull yellow with crimson at
the base of the ray florets ; Polly Eccles, butl
»"a yellow ; Splosh, yellow and crimson : and
Trilby, maroon shading to carmine, were the
best.

Frait Committee.
Some very fine collections of fruit were staged
before this committee, those from Chelsea, Frog-
more, and Syon occupying much space. In the
two las:, Peaches and Nectarines were largely
shown. Grapes were also very fine, and the com-
petition for Messrs. Veitch's prizes for Apples and
Pears was very strong.
An award of merit was given to—
Fea Gladstone. — A wrinkled variety, much
like Supreme, but larger. There were from eight
to ten peas in a pod, the last slightly curved.
This has been on trial at Chiswick, and was given
three marks in July. From Mr. W. G. Holmes,
seed merchant. Tain, N.B.

Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons, Royal E.xolio
Xursery, Chelsea, staged 100 dishes of fruit,
consisting of Plums, Pears, Apples, Cherries,
with a dozen Fig trees in pots well covered with
fruit. Of the Plums, some fine fruits were staged,
the most notable being Kirke's, Jefferson, OuUins
and Transparent Gages, McLaughlin's and Green
Gages. Goliath, and Sultan, with very fine Ange-
lina Burdett and Magnum Bonum. There were
oyer thirty varieties of Apples, mostly early
kinds, the best dessert kinds being Golden Pip-
pin, Irish Peach, Quarrenden, Duchess Favourite,
and Oslin. Cooking kinds were very good. Lord
Suffield, Cellini, Grenadier, Lord Grosvenor,
Wealthy, and other of the Codlin type being
the best. The best Pears were Williams',
Clapp's Favourite. Louise Bonne, Gratioli of
Jersey, and Dr. Hogg. The Figs were Xegro
Largo, Osborne's Prolific, Bourjassotte Grise, and
Marseilles (silver-gilt Knightian medal). Frcm
Her Majesty's Gardens, Frogmore, Mr. Thomas
sent some fifty dishes of indoor and hardy fruits.
The best Peaches were Violette H;"itive, Dymond,
Barrington, Bellegarde, Goshawk, Xoblesee, and
Royal George. The beet Nectarines were Hum-
boldt, Elruge, Spenser, Hardwick, and Advance
Plums comprised most of the varieties in season,
Kirke's, Jefferson, Belle de Louvain, Washing-
ton, and Goliath being very fine (silver-gilt
Knightian medal). From Earl Percy's gardens,
Syon House, Brentford, Mr. Wythes sent fifty
dishes of hardy fruits from open walls, a doz'n
varieties of Peaches, ten vars. of Nectarines, with
Plums, Pears, Figs, and early Apples. The best
Peaches were Dymond, Barrington, Bellegarde,
Gros?e Mignonne. Royal tieorge, and Falcon.
The Nectarines Humboldt, Pine-apple, Dryden,
Lord Napier, Rivers' Early Orange, Spenser and
Elruge were well coloured. The Fig (Nebian) was
good. Apples Lady Sudeley, Duchess, Worcester
Pearmain, Quarrenden, Wealthy, Lord Suffield,
Manks and Keswick Codlins were fine. There were

also good Morelloand Kentish Cherries, Mulberries
and Apricots (silver Knightian medal). Some re-
markable bunches of Grapes came from Mr.
Elliot. Hurst Side Gardens, West Molesey, the
varieties being GrosMarocand Mad resfield Court.
It is pleasing to see such fine examples, which
well deserved the silver Knightian medal awarded.
From the society's gardens came a very interesting
collection of Grapes, Pears and Plums. The Grapes
comprised Madresfield Court, RTuscat of Alexan
dria. Black Prince, Mrs. Pince, Golden Hamburgh
Foster's Seedling, Gros Maroc, Muscat Ham
burgh. Black Muscat and Monukka. There were
also some very good Souvenir du Congr6s Pears.
Gladstone Peach was also very fine. From East-
well Park Mr. Walters sent fifteen dishes of
Peaches and Nectarines, excellent samples of Sea
Eagle, Princess of Wales, Grosse Mignonne and
Noblesse Peaches being staged, with large fruits
of Elruge, Pine-apple, Humboldt and Galopin
Nectarines (bronze Knightian medal). From Mr.
Day, Galloway House, Garliestown, N.B., were
sent eighteen dishes of Plums and some Peaches
(Grosse Mienoni e being good), with several
rieties of Plums and Lord Napier Nectarines
(bronze Knightian medal). Messrs. Spooner,
Hounslow, sent thirty-six dishes of Apples, some
Plums and Pears. There wore excellent Duchess
Apples, Worcester Pearmain and Cellini, but we
fail to see what use it is to show such fruits
as Alfriston and late-keeping Apples at this
season (bronze Banksian medal). Mr. Dennis,
Bracknell, sent excellent Muscat Hamburgh
Grapes, good in berrv, bunch and colour, well
meriting the bronze Knightian medal awarded.
From the society's garden came tJrape Antonia,
a black variety similar to Alicante, but not of
first-class flavour. Mr. Becker, Jersey, sent a
very fine dish of his Currant, the Comet. This is
a very fine red and received an award recently.
From the same source were sent Pear Dr. .Jules
Guyot, an early fruit like Bon Chretien, and a
new Apple, Jersey Beauty, somewhat like Manks
Codlin. From Mr. Thomas, Frogmore, came a
new Plum, Windsor Early, after Jefferson in
colour and shape, but lacking in flavour. From
Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons came a new Plum,
Webster's Gage. Mr. McTndoe, Hutton Hall,
Guisborough, sent his new Plum, Burbank, which
was shown in a green or growing state a month
ago. Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons had a new
Apple, Antonifhe, probably a Japanese kind,
and though of nice appearance, not considered
worthy of an award. From Messrs. Johnson,
Dritfield, came a seedling Apple somewhat like
Blenheim Orange, but not ripe. Melons were
shown in (|uantity, but none were considered
worthy of an award. Mr. Findlay, Maresfield
Court Gardens, Uckfield, sent Peach Maresfield
Park Seedling, very much like Barrington in
shape and colour, but not considered to be any
improvement on som.e of the older kinds.

Vegetables were not largely shown. Messrs.
Harrison, Leicester, sent two dozen varieties of
Beans. Canadian Wonder and Long - podded
Negro were fine, the best of the others being
Mohawk, Pale Dun, Sir J. Paxton, Ne Plus Ultra,
Best of All, and Harrison's Dwarf. Messrs.
Veitch, Exeter, sent a new intermediate Carrot,
a very fine selection, and Mr. J. Clark, Abbey
Wood, Kent, tent Tomato Abbey Wood Crimson.
Mr. Young also sent Tomato Eclipse, a fine
variety which recently received an award in the
Chiswick trials.

Dr Messrs. Veitch's prizes no less than nineteen
competitors staged Pears. Mr. G. Norman, Hat-
field House, was first with superb Beurre de
"Assomption ; second, Mr. Geo. Wythes, Syon,
vith very fine Williams' Bon Chretien. For
Apples, Mr. Colville Brown was first with grand
Worcester Pearmain : second, Mr. Wythes with
Duchess Favourite, fourteen competitors staging
in this class. Staging these exhibits and the fruit
for certificates on a separate table is a step in the
right direction.

The lecture on "Forcing Lily of the Valley,"
by Mr. Jannoch, the well-known cultivator of

this flower, was read by the assistant secretary.
The paper was an exceedingly valuable epitome
of the methods of culture requisite for success.
In speaking cf the preparation of crowns for forc-
ing, Mr. Jannoch said that they will not do well
iri cold and heavy soil. The ground must be pre-
viously well prepared by being deeply dug and
well manured, and autumn planting is to be pre-
ferred. The crowns should be planted in rows
7 inches or 8 inches apart, the tops level with the
surface of the ground. It is three seasons before
the crowns will be fit for forcing, though by gocd
cultivation many can be used after two years. If
the crowns are three years old when first flowered
they will bloom every other year, but they must
have had a period of rest before being started.
Those that have leen grown in light and sandy
toil are the best. When planted, plunge theii
into a bed of, say, cocoa-nut fibre. Keep them
quite in the dark. At starting the temperature
should be 80° ; after a few days this can be in-
creased to 95°, but it should never fall below 80°
or exceed 10O°. An even, constant temperature
is most important. The actual period of flowering
can be retarded by removing to a lower tempera-
ture, which must be steady and constant. If
temporary frames are placed over Lilyof the Valley
out of doors, the flowering period will be hastened
by two weeks. In planting for forcing the flowe i s
cannot be improved by using good soil or giving
manure water, &c., as all the required nourish-
ment is in the roots and has been obtained before-
hand. Thus disturbance at the roots or exceed-
ingly poor soil will scarcely affect the quality of
the blooms. Flowers may in the growing stage be
sent long distances by post simply packed in
damp Moss without being damaged. For forcing,
the Berlin form is best, especially before Chris-t-
mas. The Hamburgh and Dutch forms are also
good. Retarding and delaying the period of
flowering have now been very success ful'y
adopted, but the movement is still in its infancy.
Mr. Weathers said that early this year he saw
Lily of the Valley grown in an ordinary tin
cistern. The crowns were placed in the bottom
with some water. Complete darkness was secured
to them. They were heated from below by an
oil lamp or stove, and flourished very well.

NATIONAL CO-OPERATIVE FLOWER
SHOW.

The eleventh annual meeting of this flourishirg
institution was held, as on former occasions, at
the Crystal Palace on August 21 and '22. Taken
as a whole, it was a most remarkable exhibition of
horticultural produce, the quality of the pro-
ductions being of unusual excellence, whilst the
competition was exceedingly keen in the majority
of the classes. The arrangement, too, was all that

could wish, the usual tables in use at the
Crystal P.-ilace being employed. Some idea of tte
extent of this exhibition may be gleaned from the
fact that, in order to inspect all of the exhibits,
more than a mile would have to be walked along-

of the tables. The entries continue to in-
crease year by year ; this year the number nearly
reaches 42.")0. Over 1000 of these were for flowers
and the rest for fruits and vegetables. A new
feature — introduced by Mr. Edward O. Greening
(the energetic secretary) for the first time this
year— was classes for photographs of gardens as
follows : viz., for the best workman's town garden,
the best cottager's country garden, the best work-
man's or cottager's window garden or floral porch,
and the best background or corner rendered beau-
tiful by floral adornment. Over these fourclasses
the sum of £10 was distributed as prizes. Such a

as this deserves every possible commenda-
tion and encouragement. It is in the right
direction, being not only instructive and interest-
ing, but at the same time suggestive of future
advances. The competition, it is a pleasure to
note, was very keen, there being no less than 2(i0
entries in these classes alone, many of those net
receiving any prize being well worthy of recog-
nition.

August 29, 1896.]

THE GARDElSi.

175

The flower classes were well filled throughout,
hardy flowers being a great feature. Of these,
hardy annuals are in considerable favour. Stocks,
Aster;', Marigolds, Mignonette, &c., being shown
in profusion both as pot plants and in a cut state.
The table decorations displayed considerable skill
and taste, a decided improvement being manifest.
In the fruit classes there were several good col-
lections of fruit chiefly from gentlemen's gardens,
some good stands of Grapes coming from the same
sources, whilst such as Plums and Apples were
most plentiful throughout the exhibition.

The competition was keenest in the vegetable
classes, wherein the best of the amateur growers
held their own well against the gentlemen's gar
doners, even those of exhibition fame. These
classes betokened most praiseworthy excellence,
quality being a notable feature. The size was
perhaps in excess of what is usually seen in
gardens, but it must be borne in micd that it is
excusable in such a show as this. The Scarlet
Runner and French Beans, the Onions, the
Potatoes, the Tomatoes and the Carrots were all
worthy of the best gardens in the country.

NATIONAL VIOLA SOCIETY.
A GENERAL meeting of the members of this
society was held in the Guildhall Tavern, Gresham
Street, E.G., on Wednesday evening last to con-
eider a communication received from the secretary
of the Viola conference executive relative to the
amalgamation of the two bodies. Dr. Shackleton
occupied the chair. The secretary (Mr. A. J.
Rowberry) then read the minutes of the first
general meeting of the society, which were con-
firmed. A letter was then read which the secre-
tary had received from Mr. J. B. Riding, the
recently appointed secretary of the Viola con-
ference executive, which was as follows : —

At a meeting of the executive of the Viola confer-
ence, held at 37, Southampton Street, Strand, on
August 19, I was instructed to communicate the fol-
lowitig resolution to you as hon. sec. of the Xational
Viola Society. I trust you will endeavour to bring
the matter before your committee at an early date.
" The executive of the Viola confereace begs to sug-
gest to the National Viola Society that the latter body
should carry on the work of the conference in f ature,
and that they be requested to eettle the matter as
sODn as possible, so that the work of issuing the repoit
of confereace and other matters be taken in hand at
once."

Several of the members present expressed their
opinion with reference to the desirabilit}- of an
amalgamation of the two bodies, surprise being
generally manifested at the news of the two bodies
being independent one of the other. It was ulti-
mately resolved, on the motion of Mr. D. B. Crane,
seconded by Mr. Leonard Brown, " That after
hearing read the contents of the letter from the
secretary of the Viola conference executive, this
meeting of the members of the National Viola
Society hereby declares its willingness to amalga-
mate with that body, and to carry out in addition
to its own objects the work hitherto recognised
by the Viola conference executive." Upon this
being put to the meeting the resolution was carried
unanimously. The question of a trial in the Royal
Botanic Garden next year was touched upon, and
a sub-committee appointed to carry out their cul-
tivation, to consist of Messrs. A. J. Rowberry,
H. A. Needs, D. B. Crane, Geo. Moorman, C.
Jordan, C. E. Diggle, and Dr. Shackleton, and
arrangements will be made out at the earliest
opportunity to carry out the propagation and re -
arrangement of the plants for next season, with a
view t ) testing their hardy character, and also
noting the varieties best suited for an early dis-
play in the spring.

secretary briefly reported on the annual excursion
of the members to Lord Aldenham's in July last,
and stated that it was successful from a financial
as well as from a numerical point of view. Mr.
Hicks having resigned his seat on the general
committee, Mr. Ingamells was elected to fill the
vacancy. Forty-two new members were elected
and five societies admitted into aflnliation, includ-
ing one in Germany, viz., the Hamburg Chrysan-
themum Society. The secretary submitted a
rough financial statement, which was considered
to be of a satisfactory and encouraging nature.

Notes of the Week.

Liatris spicata is one of the most distinct
border flowers at the present time, its dense,
columnar spikes of rosy mauve flowers in a cluster
being sure to attract attention.

Carnation King Arthur. — One of the
grandest of all the self scarlet Carnations of the
border class is this one, a bold and striking flower
of a crimson-scarlet hue. Though large in size
the calyx is all one could desire.

Lobelia Carmine Gem.— This is a very dis-
tinct shade in the syphilitica section of these
flowers, and, as shown on Tuesday last at the
Drill Hall by Sir Trevor Lawrence, marked a de-
cided gain in these useful border plants.

DaMia Hiss "Webster is a Cactus Dahlia of
a very fine type, with flowers of large size and
snowy purity. It was shown at the Drill Hall on
Tuesday in a natural manner with buds, a notice-
able feature being the stiflf stems that supported
the blooms.

Senecio Galpini is a very distinct species re-
cently seen in flower at Kew, with flower-heads of
a rich orange and tufts of glaucous and almost
succulent leaves. The plant was flowering near
No. 4 greenhouse in one of the narrow borders
adjacent thereto.

Helenium grandicephalum striatum. —
This is at least a distinct form, though, consider-
ing its colour and the comparatively small size of
the flowers, it is not a very showy plant. It

however, a strong grower and

forms a

ibject

National Cbrysanthemum Society.— The
general committee of this society held a meeting at
Anderton's Hotel on Monday evening last, when
Mr. B. Wynne presided. The minutes of the
previous meeting having been read and confirmed,
and routine matters, principally arising out of
correspondence, having been disposed of, the

bush 5 feet high that makes it a telling
among shrubs.

Echinacea purpurea.— At the Drill Hall on
Tuesday Mr. T. S. Ware had a fine group of cut
flowers of this showy perennial. The individual
flower-heads, too, were very large, indicating gooc
culture, for which this handsome border peren
nial amply repays. At this season it is certainly
amongst the very finest of border flowers.

Aster longifolius formosus.- The masses of
bright rosy lilac flowers produced by this plant
make it worthy of attention from tho§e who
group such things freely in the garden. The
dense compact bushes are less than 2 feet high
when the plant is moved annually, and at this
height are simply covered with pleasing masses
of flowers.

Tufted Pansy Archie Grant.— For late
summer display this is perhaps the .showiest as
well as the boldest of these bedding Pansies. It
is taller and stronger growing than many and
much less tufted. Its bold and showy blossoms
are produced on very strong, stout stems about 6
inches high, and the intense almost indigo-blue of
its flowers is very effective.

Seedling Pentstemons. — Some very fine
forms of this valuable border flower were shown
by Mr. Bain (gardener to Sir Trevor Lawrence) at
the last Drill Hall meeting. Both the spikes and
the flowers were very remarkable for vigour and
size, whilst the colours were distinct and varied.
These were all raised from seed sown on
February 10 of the present year.

Erigercn mucronatus.— This is almost per-
petual flowering. I have a specimen in a pot and
stood in a vase outdoors, where it has been a sheet
of bloom the whole summer through, and even

now shows no sign of exhaustion. It has been
occasionally fed with a little weak manure water.
For this purpose it is most useful. It seeds freely,
coming up in the pots and sometimes on the bor-
ders.-J. M., Charmouth.

Eucryphia pinnatifolia.— Near the large
succulent house at Kew is a small bed of this
valuable summer - flowering shrub. It is just
possible thai; in a season more genially moist
and favourable to growth such things, even at
Kew, would present a far better front than is now
the case. The large snowy blossoms and distinct
foliage render it one of the best of shrubs flower-
ing at this season of the year when the majority
of such things are past.

ftuilled Aster Yellow King.— Messrs. Kel-
way and Son, Langport, send us some fine flowers
of this new form ot Quilled Aster, the flowers pale
yellow, full, and beautifully quilled. Many years
ago these quilled Asters used to be largely grown,
but of late years we have not seen them so often.
Of Betteridge's strain, which at one time used to
be very largely grown, there were many beautiful
varieties, and no doubt in some gardens some of
these are still to be found.

Aster Amellus bessarabicus.— Among the
early Asters now in flower, and therefore too early
to properly be grouped among the so-called
popular Michaelmas Daisies, this is one of the
best and most serviceable, and, whether associated
with other things or in beds nearly or wholly de-
voted to it, is very pleasing. A good bed may be
made with this plant and Anemone japonica alba
as a centre, the two placts flowering together and
profusely for a long time. Scarcely more than 2
feet high in ordinary seasons, the Aster with its
much branched habit of growth makes a capital
display.

Thunbergias.-I quite agree with all "R. D."
says of these pretty and useful plants. I am
never without a few of the orange with dark
eye variety— my favourite. I have never seen
the blue kind he speaks of. He calls them an-
nuals, but they are really perennials. If gradually
dried off in the autumn sufficiently to cast their
foliage and wintered in an intermediate tempera-
ture, not allowing them to get dust- dry, on the
return of spring, by a little heat and moisture,
they break strongly and bloom long before seed-
lings. I have kept them thus three years, but it
is as well perhaps to discard them after the second
year. — J. M., Charmouth.

Senecio pulcher is one of the handsomest of
all summer and autumn perennials, producing
freely its large rich- coloured blossoms of a
magenta- purple hue. These are so rich and tell-
ing in the garden as to make it desirable to ex-
tend the season of flowering to its utmost extent.
This is best done perhaps by raising a few plants
each year from root cuttings, and by potting them
into 5-inch pots they may be grown in frames till
the following February, and then planted out in
good ground. Treated in this way the old plants
in the border would bloom first, and the spring-
planted ones give a succession of their handsome
and distinct flowers. The plant is well worth the
trouble this involves to secure an extended season
of bloom.

Asclepias tuberosa.- Far too rarely seen is
this brilliant autumn flowering perennial, yet it
is certainly one of the most striking of autumn
flowers. Though not a difficult plant to grow, it
is by no means an easy matter to secure large
men plants. Lack of knowledge possibly as
to its exact requirements may to some extent ac-
count for this, for the plant appears to be only
well suited to very warm sandy soil. Quite near
the sea-coast in spots where the soil is very sandy
the plant is more happy, and in such places is
worth growing freely. On clay soils the plant is
rarely satisfactory, and usually becomes a victim
to slugs in winter. The plant grows about 2 feet
when well established, and produces ter-
minal corymbs of a bright orange hue.

Amaryllis belladonna gigantea.— Under
this name a couple of monster bulbs— each bear-

176

THE CAI^DEN.

[August 20, 1896.

ing two fine scapes, with many flowers of a rosy
pink hue— were exhibited at the Drill Hall on
Tuesday. The only distinction noticeable to
justify the varietal name employed above was a
rather taller growth, as wo have seen many varie-
ties with flowers more than t«ice as large, of
exactly the same colour as those shown. By way
of justifying the name "g)gantea,"a wretched
little plant with onlj one flower was exhibited as
the tjpe for comparison— by no means a repre-
fenta'tive flowering example of this Hne hardy
bulbous plant. For years past there has been a
truly sumptuous display of this Amaryllis in many
beautiful varieties, scarcely any two being alike,
while all were charming in the extreme.

Tigridiss are now among the showiest

bulbous plants, and though all too evanescent
there is a rich profusion of buds that makes up
for this Fully expanded in the midday sun,
some of the varieties are gorgeous in their mark-
ings, while others are equally noteworthy for
their chaste and in some instances almost delicate
shades. Given a rich soil these things always
please, and they take up so little room that a few
clumps should always be planted each year. By
inserting them amongst the spring flowering
subjects they presently fill what otherwise would
have been a gap in the border. They are also
very charming for association withOaltoniacandi-
can's. A mixed bed of Tigridias planted rather
thinly is very beautiful springing from a bed of
mossy Saxifr.ige.

The blue Didiscua (Didiscuscuruleus).— We
have just received from Mr. Ernest Bound, Straw-
berry Hill, some flowers of this uncommon, but
pretty half hardy annual, a nativeof Xew Holland.
It grows to a height of from IS inches to 2 fett,
the stems erect and much branched, each termi-
nated by a flat umbel of small, pleasing blue
flowers produced plentifully from August to
Octoler. Being half-hardy " it rei(uires rather
careful treatment, as it is when joung rather
impatient of moisture. The seed should be raised
in a gentle hotbed, transplanting the seedlings in
May to a warm, well-drained position. This plant
will" also be found useful for the greenhouse or
conservatory, sowing the seeds two or three in
pot and transferring the seedlings to pots a size
or two larger, in which they may be allowed to
flower. It is also known as Trachymene c

Wild flowers in decoration. —At the Reading
flower show on August '20 a set of standi
arranged with wild flowers and foliage was shown,
and possessed quite unusual merit, both from the
point of view of arrangement and of the selection
of material. The arrangement was admirable,
light, graceful, well-balanced, and not over-
crowded. But the principal charm lay in the ex-
quisite harmony of the colours used. The princi-
pal flowers chosen were the pretty deep lilac heads
of the Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa)
and an effective variety of the yellow Hawkweed
(Hieracium). A quantity of very beautiful wild
grasses was used, and splendid results were ob-
tained by richly tinted foliage. The best things
here were brightly coloured young Oak shoots,
golden fronds ot the common Brackt-n Fern
(Pteris aquilina), red Bramble leaves, and long
trails of Convolvulus with their leaves turning
yellow and reddish-brown. These stands were a
good example of what can be done with the com-
monest and most easily obtainable materials at
the expenditure of a little trouble and thought. —
L. H.

Oncidium Lanceanum for cutting. — This
in my opinion is one of the finest autumn-flower-
ing species we have, and one of the easiest to
cultivate, if care be taken not to allow the tern
perature of the house in which the plants arc
growing to fall too low in winter. With me the
plants increase in size each season and flower most
profusely at this time of the year, as you will see
by the spike accompanying this note. The plants
are grown in baskets which are suspended from the
roof, in which position they seem to be at home.
Thej' re<|uire plenty of water during the growing
season and to be shaded from the sun. After the

flower-spikes are developed much less water will
suffice, but at no time are the plants allowed to be-
come dry. During winter the temperature ranges
from (iO^ to Ua", while in summer the Dendrobium
house suits it well.— H. C. P., Bii.rled Park;
rd:r!eld.

"f* Accompanying this note were two hand-
some spikes of a richly, coloured variety of this
beautiful Orchid, the flowers of which have a rich
spicy odour, reminding one of that of Vanilla.
If kept free from damp the flowers will last for
four or five weeks in good condition. — En.

Erythrina crista-galli.— Very few plants
can eijual this when seen in fine condition. Some
of the very finest groups I have ever reen occu-
pied a permanent position at the end of a green-
house, where near the entrance right and left
were some extraordinary examples that each year
grew 5 feet or 6 feet high, and furnished with
abundance of shoots and fine terminal racemes of
their blood-crimson flowers. These plants were
growing in Messrs. Cranston's nursery at Here-
ford, and, judging by the size of the base of the
plants, as also their extended spread of stems,
were of considerable age. The only protection
alTorded these fine examples in winter was a
covering of old mats or the like, though it is
quite possible that the roots in this case had de-
scended to a good depth. Yet there must be many
places far more sheltered than the position these
occupied in gardens where this important peren-
nial would each year make a fine display. At any
rate, if hardy at Hereford in the position indicated,
it is worth frequent trial to secure success. Just
now a number of old plants at Kew near No. 4
house are producing many of the fine and richly
coloured spikes of bloom that give a capital idea
of its worth.— E. J.

Lilium speciosum.- Some groups of this fine
hardy Lily are now commencing to flower at Kew.
Of this kind alone there are two large oblong
groups, and, judging by the numerous stems, the
plants are old-established clump?. Moreover, they
occupy a position in the open and, save for a
groundwork of white Heath, have no protection
whatever. It is true the plants are not so vigorous
as when planted in shady places with a fair
amount of moisture, ytt, notwithstanding, they
afford a capital idfca of what anyone may accom-
plish with tuch things in similar place?. Shade is
frequently, though often quite erroneously, made
inseparable with Lilies, but at Kew the heads of
bloom of a large majority appear in the fullest
sunshine, while the ba^e and of course the roots
io are shaded with plants of shrubby habit.
By a happy choice of suitable shrubs, one spot
ny garden may to made, as is roticeable in
many instances at Kew, doubly interesting. Of
the above Lily only the earliest blossoms were ex
panded on the Sth inst., so that a profusion of
flowers will be forthcoming for some time to come.
The above species has flowers heavily stained with
rose and is among the most satisfactory Lilies for
the garden. In positions well suited to it, the
plants often attain 7 feet or s feet high.— E. J.

Watsonia iridifolia Ardernei.— Atthe Drill
Hall on Tuesday last the Messrs. Wallace, of
Colchester, had a capital group of a very beauti-
ful pure white Watsonia under the above name.
We are, however, strongly of opinion that it is
identical with Watsonia alba, of which an illustra-
tion was given in TnK Garden March 2'>, 1S93,
and again in August 10 of the same year with
particulars of the plant by Mr. H. M. Arderne,
of the Cape. It is at present claimed that the
above is a much superior plant to W. alba (syn.,
W. O'Brieni), and indeed in i communication Mr.
Arderne says he has discarded the latter in favour
of the former. The plants exhibited by the
Messrs. Wallace on Tuesday were grown from im-
ported roots, which in a measure may account for
their fine stature and free and abundant flower-
ing. It would be interesting to see these same
plants exhibited again next year after being
matured in this country. Of its beauty and its
worth there can be no two opinions ; the plants
were fully 4 feet high, and their pure white

blossoms are produced in great profusion many
weeks in succession. A soil of peat, loam and
leaves in equal parts with sand added, free drain-
age and abundant moisture during growth are
he chief points to be observed in its culture, and
after flowering a decided season of complete rest
equally beneficial.

A note from New Jersey. —I am wonderlhg
where we shall be as regards outside flowers
when the autumn comes. Already Gladioli,
Tiger Lilies, and Hyacinthus candicans are past
their best, and Lilium speciosum is opening its
flowers fast. The feature of the present, how-,
ever, is the Rose of Sharon. I have seen quite
trees of it 20 feet high with wide-spreading heads
laden with thousands of blooms, the single forms
juite 4 inches across and the doubles nearly as
large, and handsome too, though rarely so in
England. Here they have flowers as finely de-
eloped and perfect as good double Hollyhocks,
and the effect of the white-flowered kinds is
grand. All these flowering trees and shrubs ap-
pear to make about as much growth in one season
as they do in three in England. I have just seen
a meadow full of Lilium canadense and Meadow
Rue flowering together, and Lilium philadelphi-
on poor, stony slopes where grass would not
grow with its rich crimson erect flowers wide
open to the sun. At Lake Hopatcong, 25 miles
up country, I found arid hillsides and stony woods
ered completely with an undergrowth of
Comptonia asplenifolia, clothing the poorest
spots as does the Heather on the English hills.
Within 2 miles of here the other day, driving
along a road through rich boggy woods, I caught
glint of scarlet among the underbrush and
stopped to find, as I anticipated, the Cardinal
Lobelia. Going to Philadelphia I saw Lilium super-
bum in the woods, and lovely in the extreme was
a great marsh full of the Rose Mallow (Hibiscus)
with thousands of flowers wide open in tha morn-
ing sun. — A. H., Madison, X.J.

Cork for paving. — This has been tried as a
paving material in Vienna and London with much
success It is granulated, mixed with mineral
asphalte and other cohesive materials, and com-
pressed into blocks of suitable size, which are
embedded in tar and rest upon a concrete founda-
tion 6 inches in thickness. The advantages
claimed for cork pavements are cleanliners, noise-
lessness, elasticity, durability, moderate cost and
freedom from the slipperiness which, in wet
weather, makes asphalte pavements undesirable.
Moreover, unlike wood pavements, they are
non-absorbent, and therefore inodorous. Sampler
taken Irom a street near the Great Eastern Rail-
way station, where traffic is very heavy, had been
reduce! in thickness by less than one-eighth of an
inch after being in use almost two years.

The weather in West Herts.— On the 23rd
the temperature in shade rose to 7-t", and during
the following night never fell lower than 59°, but
throughout the rest of the week the readings were
mostly below the average both during the daytime
and at night. At both 2 feet and 1 foot deep the
temperature of the soil now stands at 62 , the read-
ing at 2 feet being still slightly above, but that at
1 foot 1" below the August mean. Rain fell on
all but two days of the week, and to the total
depth of \\ inches. Of this amount, one-half has
come through the heavy, and about one-third
through the light soil percolation gauge. Previous
to this no rain-water at all had come through
either gauge for over five weeks, and no measure-
able (juantity since the middle of June. The winds
were, as a rule, light, and came almost exclusively
from some westerly point of the compass, while
the record of bright sunshine proved low for the
time of year— the 24th being altogether sunless.
—E. M., BerlchamsUd.

Names of plants.— AVnesf £oi(nrf.— Didiscus

cteruleus. A. Uomshy.—l, Adiantum conciunum ;

2, Pteris cretica; 3, Adiantum concinnum ; 4, Adian-
tum conciunum latum. R. Shaw. — Please send

better specimen.

THE GARDEN.

177

No. 1294. SATURDAY, September 5,

" This Is an Art
Which does mend Nature : change It rather ; but
The Art itself is Nature."— SAoifapeari!.

Orchids.

RBSTREPIAS.
Tbouch net appealing to those who like large
and showy flowers, the (juaint forms and deli-
cately beautiful features of these little Orchids
have a charm of their own, and so fascinating
are they, that no one taking up their culture is
likely to willingly relinquish it. They are
allied to Pleurothallis and Masdevallia, and,
like these, have a dwarf, tufted habit. The
flowers occur usually on single-flowered scapes
at the base of the leaf, where the latter joins
the stem. They are not diflicult to grow,
and thiy bloom profusely when well established
and in good health, being on this account suit-
able for inexperienced cultivators. One essen-
tial point must not, however, be overlooked,
and that is a regularly cool and moist tempera-
ture all the year round. In summer the house
wherein they are grown must be very heavily
shaded, kept fairly close by day in order to con-
serve the moisture, and freely ventilated at
night. On dull, damp mornings, too, the ven-
tilators and doors may be thrown open, this
preventing any upward rush, the temperature
rising slowly and naturally. As the season ad-
vances—say at the end of July— a little more
light may be allowed, the blinds being let down
a little later in the morning and drawn up earlier
in the afternoon, damping freely and often, not
only by day, but also in the evening, this,
with the liberal ventOation, causing a fresh,
buoyant atmosphere, pleasant on entering. In
the dark winter days it is imperative that the
plants receive all the Ught available, and this
reminds me of a common mistake made in
staging the plants in small, narrow houses such
as these Orchids thrive best in. The stage
being often flat, the plants nearest the glass are
elevated on pots, those nearest the path being
below them, in order to show a sloping bank
and to facilitate examination of the plants.
This is just the opposite of what is needed, for
the inner rows of plants arc farthest from the
glass ; they are also partly shaded by the others,
and, taken altogether, get but a poor share of
the light, while those at the back get all the
light in winter, and are apt to be too close to
the glass during the summer. The proper way
is to elevate those nearest the path, and al-
though a little more trouble is given in watering
and examining the plants, it is more than com-
pensated for by the improved health of the
latter. If space can be found to suspend them
from the roof, Restrepias do well in small
baskets, chiefly on account of their having full
advantage of all the air currents without any
likelihood of chilling draughts in winter. At
this latter season a minimum temperature of
50° (except on the coldest nights) will suit the
plants admirably ; and although plenty of
instances of successful cultivation at a lower
temperature may be adduced, the figure given
cannot, I think, be improved upon. Restrepias
grow naturally on the lichened and mossy
trunks and arms of trees, where, although
the roots are nearly always moist, there is
but little accummulation of vegetable or other
dfebris. This should be kept in mind in potting
or basketing, and also in preparing a compost
for them. The drainage must come nearly to
the rim or the top rods respectively, and the
base of the plant be kept above it to throw ofl'

superfluous moisture. Sphagnum Moss will be
the chief ingredient in the compost, using only
a little peat fibre, and that of the best quality
obtainable. Plenty cf crocks may also be in-
troduced, but they must be finely broken, and
may for preference be run through a J-mch mesh
sieve before use. Many cultivators use sharp
sand, but the crocks are much better, as they
are not so liable to get swilled down among the
drainage by continued waterings, and by its
weight the sand is apt to run closely together.
A blunt dibber should be used to fix the com-
post, and the surface must be clipped m neatly
both for appearance sake and also m order that
the state of the compost for moisture may be
more readily determined. When estabhshed in
the pots the roots must be kept moist all
through the year, but owing to the reduced
supply of air during winter less frequent water-
ings wUl be necessary to do this. If careful
attention to the details of culture is given, in-
sects will not usually be troublesome, but yel-
low and black thrips sometimes put in an ap-
pearance. At the first sign of these the plants
should be cleaned carefully and separately by
dipping in a solution of tobacco water and
soft soap, afterwards going over them leaf by
leaf with the sponge" A little tobacco powder
or sulphur may also be dusted about the young
growths, and sprinkling with clean soft water is
I capital deterrent to these active little pests.
There are some dozen or more species known,
including R. antennifera, R. elegans, R. leopar-
dina R pandurata, R. striata, and others, but
the two first are the most generally grown.

Restrepia ANTENNiFEK.. is a very beautiful
little species of peculiar habit. It bears a hearty
shaped leaf at the top of a very fine stem about 6
nchesin length,' and from this proceed severa.
flower-scapes, each bearing a single blossom. The
sepals are joined together at the base, and in colour
are yellow with lines of bright purple-a very pleas-
ing combination. The other segments are as fine as
thread, and from this circumstance the plant
takes its specific name. It is a native of New
Grenada, where it grows at considerable elevations
and was introduced in 1809.

R ELErAN" is even more beautiful than the
preceding, but smaller in all its parts. It grows
only about 4 inches or .". inches high and the
flow-ers have a white upper f P=t\, «l°"g'^*^'^ ^' .'"i^
top and striped with purple, the petals smaller
but similar in colour, the lower sepal yellow
spotted with purple. This charming little Orchid
is now in bloom, and is a native of Caraccas,
whence it was introduced in 18o0.

Bodriguezia seconda.-This is making a
bright and pretty show, the flowers, although
smill, being produced in great abundance and
bright rose in colour, glistening as though covered
with hoar-frost. In habit and manner of flower-
ing this Orchid much resembles a Burlmgtonia.
It used to be the custom to grow it on almost bare
blocks hung up in a warm, moist house. Here
the plants were a source of considerable trouble,
for they needed constant dipping and syringing
to keep the roots moist. Nor is this bare system
at all necessary, for the roots, if small, are very
abundantly produced, and will push easily
through a little nice light compost in a basket or
suspended pan. Usually the plants push abund-
ance of aerial roots in addition to those in the
compost, and these give the species a very quamt
appearance when in flower. An important point
in Its culture is not to let the pseudo-bulbs get
too far from the compost, so that it becomes
nece«=ary to repot about every third year, cutting
away each time some of the older pseudo-bulbs
and all decayed roots. Fresh Sphagnum Moss
and a little good peat fibre make a good compost
for it, adding plenty of rather large l«mP« °f
charcoal as it is placed round the roots. Though
a native of New Grenada, it must have more heat
than many plants found in the neighbourhood, so

that probably it grows at no great elevation.
While making its growth in summer, it may be
placed in the Cattleya house and abundantly
watered. The flowers will be produced in autumn,
and the plants may then be removed to a cooler
and drier house. The winter temperature should
never fall below 52', and enough water rnust be
given to keep the pseudo-bulbs in good order.

Oncidium undulatum.— In habit of growth
and manner of flowering this much resembles O.
macranthum, but the flowers are different m
colour. The sepals are large and pure white at
the tips, the lower portion being shaded with
purple: The petals are white and the lip bright
deep purple. O. undulatum comes from New
Grenada, and thrives in a cool, moist house.
Considerable care is necessary in pottmg, as the
roots are large and easily injured this weaken-
ing the plant. The compost may be of the usual
description for cool Oncidiums, but plenty of
large lumps of hard material, as crocks or char-
coal must be introduced, this forming a capital
holding for the roots and serving to aerate the
compost. Like most in this section, it pushes its
roots in many cases above the line of compost,
and these roots must be carefully protected from
slugs and other insects. A httle Moss placed
over them is sufficient if the insects are not plenti-
ful in the house, but if they are the plants may
be placed on inverted pots stood in saucers ot
water Free ventilation must be given all the
year round and the roots must never be dried
but watered at all times according to the state ot
growth.

Dendrobium I.owi.-This is quite distinct
from the rest of the nigro hirsute section and a
pretty autumn-flowering species. Grown on a
block or in a small pan and kept close to the
glass in the warmest house it will usually be satis-
factory. It grows nearly all the year round, and
consequently does not relish the cool, dry system
practised with some of the deciduous kmds, but
if the plants can be induced to rest awhile after
flowering, it will be to their advantage The
flowers are pale yellow in ground colour, the lip
having a red blotch in the centre. D. Lowi is a
native of Borneo, whence it was introduced in
1861.

Cypripedium Sanderianum.-This is a fine
species when well grown, and it dehghts in a
moist tropical temperature, coming as it does
from the Malav Archipelago. It prodiioes long,
vigorous flower-spikes, each bearing about four
flowers, that have long drooping petals like those
of G. caudatum. The dorsal sepal is very pale
green, fading to white, with lines of reddish
brown, and this colour is repeated on the pouch
No dilflculty will be found in its culture if potted
and treated like tropical Cjpripediums genera ly,
and its utility is enhanced by the fact that the
blossoms last a very long time in good condition.

Cypripedium purpuratum.-This is not, I
thinkTa very plentiful species, and it is not un-
usual to see various forms of C. barbatum doing
duty for it. It must be very nearly related, but
is nevertheless quite distinct from it, one point of
difference being the long fine hairs on the petals
and the almost entire absence of tlie warty pro-
tuberances as seen in barbatum. The foliage is
very light green, and, being marbled with a
deeper tint than usual, gives it a very striking
appearance. The dorsal sepal bemg reflexed
grv^es this organ a rather narrow appearance and
the upper part is nearly pure white, the base
being striped with green and P^^-ple-.The cul-
ture is exactly the same as for C. barbatum It
is an old species, having been introduced from
Chinaasfar back as 1836.

Ccella macrostachya.-This Orchid is sel-
dom seen in collections, which is rather a pity, as
?he blossoms are very distinct and pretty In
habit a large plant of this Calia may almost be
taken fo zf gopetalum Mackayi, but the pseudo-
bulbs are rounder, quite green, and bear ^bout
three or four long, narrow leaves. The bloom-
sp kes are producid from the base of the bulbs
Ind consist of many bright red flowers, rather

THE GARDEN.

[September 5, 1896.

small, but very attractive. C. macrostachja may
be given a fairlj large pot if in good health, as it
is a free rooting species and requires a rough
oyien compost. Good peat tibre, three parts to
one of Sphagnum Moss, with abundance of char-
coal—broken in lumps as big as a pigeon's egg
for large plants— will suit it admirably, and the
drainage must occupy quite half the depth of the
pot, a layer of rough Moss succeeding this before
the compost is put in. Spread the old roots out
cirefuUy and work the compost well between
them, and finish off the eurface to a ne.it cone
above the rim of the pot. The plants take a
good deal of water while growing freely, and,
being a native of Mexico, the Cattleya house will
be warm enough, the foliage being shadtd from
bright sunshine, and kept free from w hite scale,
which frci|uently attacks it. Wh le at rest the
roots must be kept well on the dry side, yet not
sutticiontly so to ciuse shrivelling ; if kept wet
and growing but few flowers will be produced.

Cattleya bicolor marginata.— A large plant
that was purchased under this name isin flower with
me, but there is apparently nodifterence between it
and C. b. Measuresiana, nor can I And any au-
thority for the name. It dilfers from the typical
form, as I have it, in producing more flowers on a
spike and in having a broad marginal band of
white to the lip, which makes the specific name
somewhat inapplicable. Itiscertainlyamoreshowy
plant than the type and worthy of a place in the
best collections, one great point in its favour beicg
the length of time it lasts in bloom. It is an ex-
tremely easy plant to cultivate, thriving well in
the usual Cattleya house temperature, and keep-
ing ea.'ily to its natural routine of growth and
rest.— H. R.

MILTOXIA SPECTABILIS.
Thkrk is hardly a more variable Orchid in e.xist
ence than this Miltonia, but fortunately there
are none of the varieties but that may be classed
as really good and use'.: garden plants, free
blooming if properly treated, and very beautiful
when seen in good condition. A peculiarity about
the plant is that both foliage and pseudo-bulbs
are uniformly of a pale yellowish tint that is occa
sionally mistaken by beginners in its culture ae s
sign of ill-health. This is not so, for the healthiest
plants possess it in the most marked degree. The
pseudo-bulbs are tapering, upwards of 3 inches in
length, and each bears a pair of leaves on top and
others at the base. The blossoms occur singly on
long scapes and in the typical form are creamy-
white on the sepals and petals, the lip broad and
spreading, rich purplish crimson. The roots are
rather small, but freely produced when the plants
are healthy and strong. It is evident from this
circumstance that plenty of water is recjuired, but
it must not on that account be thought that a
heavy or close compost, or even a great thickness
of a lighter class of material is needed. As a
matter of fact about an inch is ample, and this
must be of the best quality obtainable, and may
consist of the usual peat and Moss mixture. If pots
are used they must be filled nearly to the rims
with drainage, this being kept rather higher in
the middle, the compost following the same line.
The rhizome should just rest on the surface, then
if the roots are plentiful the plant may easily be
fixed by firming the peat and Moss with the
dibber, while when they are scarce it is a simple
matter to run a wire round under the rim, and
from this over the rhizomes, placing thin strips
of cork under the wires to prevent cutting. This
plan is also suitable if the plants are grown on
trellised rafts, which are suitable for small or
medium-sized specimens, but for large specimens
pans are to be preferred. In whichever way it is
grown, a light position where it obtains abundance
of air ia necessary, but it must not be exposed to
bright sunshine. An intermediate temperature,
such as suite Brazilian plants generally, will grow
it well, and while the growth is active it will, if
potted as described, take water almost daily when
the weather is fine. In winter careful treatment
must be pursued ; on the one hand to keep the

plants from growing out of season, on the other
to keep them no drier or cooler than is necessary
for this, for in either of these cases the plants
will not flower freely. It is one of those plants, in
short, with which a medium course must be pur-
sued, and no extremes of heat or cold, moisture
or drought must be allowed. It is an old plant,
and many fine specimens of it exist, these when
well flowered having a magnificent appearance.
It was the first Miltonia introduced to collections,
having been sent home from Brazil in 1S37.

THUNIA ALBA.
We have received some flowers of this Orchid
from " P. C," who also wants to know the best
way of growing it.

*,* Thunia alba is a native of some of the
warmer parts of India, and therefore requires a
strongmoistheat whilegrowing. As " P. C 'h'' plants
have flowered, they have of course reached the end
of the season's growth, and all that remains now
is to get the long cylindrical stems well ripened
by exposure to sin and air. As soon as the foli-
age shows signs of falling reduce the water supply
considerably, and by the time the last leaf drops
the plant will not require any more until the
spring. During the winter months stand the
plants in any light warm house and never allow
the temperature to go below 55" if it can be
avoided. This will induce a long and complete
rest, and in early spring as the sun begins to gain
power you will see the young shoots issuing from
the base of the apparently dead stems. Lose
no time when this occurs in getting them repotted,
placing each stem in a 5 inch pot and giving a
compost of equal parts of peat fibre, loam and
chopped Sphagnum Moss, with abundance of
crocks and charcoal broken up finely. The base
of the stems must not be buried, but should just
rest on the surface of the compost, a few of the
old roots having been retained to steady them.
Place a stake to each stem and tie it securely ;
then when the young shoots commence to root
they will enter the compost easily. The compost
should be kept just below the rim, as in
ordinary potting. Place at once in a light
sunny position in the warmest house at command,
still keeping the plants quite dry at the roots, but
lightly dewing the stems over twice daily. In
about a fortnight the shoots at the base will have
lengthened considerably and will probably be
pushing young roots. When this is the case give
one good soaking of water and let them get f.airly
on tho dry side before giving any more. After
this time the supply must be gradually increased.
The roots will grow rapidly and soon till the pots,
and the top growth will also be very free. If the
plants become pot-bound in advance of flowering,
occasional watering with weak liquid manure will
be helpful, that made from cow manure and old
soot being very suitable. Continue the syringing
and keep the atmosphere moist until the white
flower-sheaths appear, when syringing must be
difcontinued, and if the atmosphere can be kept a
little drier, so much the better, as no flowers are
more liable to be spotted by damp than those of
Thunias. Constant heat, moisture and light then
while growing, a long, dry rest and careful treat-
ment of the roots are the chief points to be studied,
and, given attention to these details, the Orchid
named is very easily grown. — Ed.

Calanthe masuca.- The evergreen section of
Calanthes may be said to have been nearly
eclipsed by the many hybrids and fine varieties
now included in the deciduous group. Still there
is room for both, and either in the Orchid house
proper, the ordinary stove or a warm greenhouse
this plant is worth a place. The foliage is hand-
some when the plants are in good condition, and
in addition it is one of the most free-blooming
Orchids in existence, as for many months in the
year the strong erect spikes continue to produce
their pretty lilac and purple flowers. This
Calanthe is of easy culture and may be grown in
large pots, filled to one-third of their depth with
crocks, placing a layer of rough Sphagnum over

this and planting the roots in a compost consist-
ing of e<jual parts of peat, loam fibre, leaf mould,
and chopped Sphagnum, a little decayed cow
manure and plenty of crocks and charcoal being
added to this. Though the plants do not need |
elevating on mounds, as is usual with epiphytal |
kinds, the base must not be kept much below the
pot's rim, as if deeply buried the young shoots are j
apt to damp off. The water supply must be care- i
fully managed at this time, but when growing |
freely a liberal supply is needed. Occasional ',
doses of manure water made from cow manure
and soot highly diluted are helpful when the
spikes are pushing up, and at this time the roots
should never become really dry. In winter very
little water is needed, but no drying off is neces-
sary. C. masuca is a native of India and was in-
troduced in 1842.

Pescatorea Backhousiana.— Though very
little grown, this is one of the prettiest Orchids
in the genus and requires careful treatment to
grow it well. The blossoms are pure white in
ground colour, the outer segments being faintly
tipped with purple, the lip creamy white, tho
centre yellow and lined with red. A Cattleya
house temperature suits this plant, but the foliage
will not stand sunlight, so the plants should bo
grouped in a shady corner. The roots, though
large and strong looking, are easily damaged by
excess of moisture or a too close or heavy compost.
Sphagnum with a very little peat fibre may be
used for it, plenty of small crocks or charcoal
being added, and a thin layer only is needed over
abundant drainage.

Aerides japonicum. — This requires less heat
than any other in the genus, and may be grown in
the cool house provided it is carefully attended to
at the roots and the plants well ripened in au-
tumn. The best way to grow it is in small pans
of Sphagnum Moss suspended from the roof, and
it should have the lightest position at command.
It has the same habit as the larger growing kinds,
but the leaves are only a few inches in length.
The flower-spikej are, however, fairly large, the
individual blossoms being dull white, with bars
and stripes of purple. With regard to watering
at the root, the supply must be ample during the
growing season, but while at rest only sufficient
to keep the foliage in good condition is necessary.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

KOTES ON PEACHES.
Fro:\i close observation I have noted that the
very early and late varieties are the most profit-
able from a market point of view. When the
August varieties are in season there is less de-
mand. My note is not intended to touch upon
Peaches for market, but those for home use.
Before I note a few of my favourite varieties as
regards cropping I would add I am greatly in
favour of young trees, or what may be termed
healthy trees, as those which make little wood,
get less in proportion yearly, and bear a poor
crop, cannot be termed healthy or profitable.
By this latter assertion I know I am liable to
severe criticism, as many value such trees,
being old favourites, but so far I have never
been able to class them as j)rotitable. Those
who grow young trees, allow lateral growth,
free extension, and give ample attention will,
I am sure, bear me out that these are the most
profitable. They are grown with less trouble,
and I never found any difficulty in getting a
heavy crop ; indeed, too heavy, as at times one
does not thin nearly enough to get fine fruit.

Some of the early Peaches, notably those of
American introduction, were ripe this season
much earlier than usual. I have had some ripe
this season quite three weeks earlier than usual.
At this date (third week in August) I am gather-

September 5, 1896.]

THE GARDElf.

179

ing Barrington, a mid-September Peach, from
youEg trees in a very favourable position. This
shows the value of a hot summer, and the trees
revel in it when due attention is paid to mois-
ture. Unfortunately, there is a difficulty in
always getting Barrington true. I have an in-
ferior variety, but few can mistake the true kind,
the fruits when ripe having such a fine colour.
Alexander, a fine varieiy for open air, was
ripe before June was out, the crop good,
and the fruit of better flavour this year, doubt-
less owing to the favourable weather. I class
it as a profitable Peach, as it is of great value
to those who require fruits in quantity at
the season named. I am not fond of it
under glass, on account of its bud dropping.
Amsden June with me is a favourite, good
when forced or on the open wall, and a
reliable cropper. Of course, I do not put
it in the front rank for flavour, but it is
certainly most profitable, as it commands a
ready sale on account of its earliness. This
ripens quite a fortnight in advance of Hale's
Early, and this summer it was as early as Early
Alexander, being ripe at the end of June and of
good size and grandly coloured. Waterloo,
another of the American varieties, ripens much
about the same time as those named above,
and in a private garden so many may not be
required. Waterloo is valuable on account of
its size and earliness and its good forcing quali-
ties. A favourite with me is Hale's Early, a
good August fruit, not extra large, but one of
the best, I consider, on a light soil. It finishes
grandly, and I class it as first-rate in quality
and of good constitution. This season my fruit
was ripe by the middle of July. I have seen
diverse opinions respecting the quality and
growth of this variety, but in the midland
counties and here I have always had excellent
crops and of good quality. I am very pleased
with Rivers' Early York. This season it was
ripe on August 10 on a west wall. It is a good
Peach in light soils. Condor, a variety not so
much grown as it deserves, is a free grower,
good bearer, and reliable. It was ripe this
season in the middle of August. With me this
variety does not make the wood some of the
older kinds do, but it is deserving of good cul-
ture, as its bright crimson fruits and good
quality make it valuable.

Of what may be termed mid-season fruits
there is no lack. Early Alfred is one of my
favourites. It is a good quality Peach, hardy
and productive. Much the same remarks apply
to Early Silver, a good Peach in every way.
Dr. Hogg is one of the most prolific kinds I
grow ; its fault (if it be a fault) is that it is too
productive. A very good Peach is the Early
Grosse Mignonne, ripe this year the first week
in August. This must not be confounded with
the older Grosse Mignonne, a later fruit, though
excellent. The true early kind, which is some-
what scarce, ripens early in August, and is in
my opinion one of the finest Peaches grown,
the fruits large and of excellent flavour. The
old, but good Noblesse is too well known to
need describing. It is very good in most soils.
Royal George is the same as regards quality,
but 80 liable to the attacks of mildew that it
cannot be considered a profitable Peach. Few
who plant Dymond wOl regret doing so. It is
excellent in most soils, of first-clafs quality, very
hardy and prolific. Stirling Castle is a grand
Peach, and one of the best as regards crop and
quality. The same remarks apply to Crimson
Galande, an excellent early September fruit.
Barrington I have noted as first-rate, and it is
one of the most profitable open-air Peaches 1
grow. The Nectarine Peach is worth room on
account of its good quality ; it does well on a

light soil. Sea Eagle mutt not be omitted ;
this is a favourite market fruit.

As to the latest Peaches, a few words will
suffice. In a favourable season they are much
more profitable than the mid-season kinds.
There is a demand for late large fruits, but the
quality is not always of the best. Such kinds
as Princess of Wales, Walburton Admirable,
Thames Bank, Golden Eagle and Gladstone
may be termed the best of the late kinds.
Salway (the latest of all) I do not recommend.
G. Withes.

Nectarine Humboldt.— This this season is
very fine, the hot summer having been favour-
able. The above variety is, I consider, one of the
best of the yellow-fleshed section, and is now
(August 22) fully ripe on a south-west wall,
though its season is September. There is no
cracking such as one often fees in bad seasons. I
have this as a rider to fill up the space on a high
wall, and the fruits in that position are much
earlier and superior in flavour to those on fan-
trained trees at the lower part of the wall. The
trees make a splendid growth in what may be
termed a poor soil. Some persons do not like the
yellow-fleshed kinds, but I find these are the best
croppers, this and Pine-apple never failing to
finish a good crop. I consider Humboldt superior
to Pine-apple.— S. M.

Nectarine Early Rivers on walls.— Of
course, with such good weather the date at which
this new Nectarine ripened cannot be relied upon
in future with less favourable weather, but as the
seasons afl'ect the other kinds similarly, the date
is worth recording. My first fruits in the open
on a south-west wall were gathered on July 30,
quite a fortnight in advance of Lord Napier ; in-
deed, to show its earliness I have Lord Napier on
the trees at this date (August 22), the newer one
having been over for nearly two weeks. The fruit
is not only early, but it is large, beautifully col-
oured, and of good quality. Its value as a forcer
is well known. It will, I feel sure, become a
favourite for wall culture and a valuable addition
to our choice hardy fruits.— G. Wythes.

The Nectarine Peach. — This may be termed
a record season in the southern parts of the coun-
try as regards the Peach and Nectarine. One of
the beet of the late kinds is the above. In a cool
house it has been all one may desire, and the most
fastidious will not complain as regards flavour.
This variety is not grown so much as it deserves.
I do not advise its culture on a heavy clay soil,
but in a warm soil it may be termed of good con-
stitution and a luscious fruit, large, with a brisk
vinous flavour. On the open wall this season it is
cropping grandly and promises to be much ear-
lier than usual, its teason being the latter part of
September. From the size of fruit and finish it
will be ripe by the middle of the month. Those
who study high quality in Peaches would do well
to give this variety a trial. For market I do not
advise it, as Barrington and Bellegarde are
heavier croppers and not so particular as to soil
and position. In my opinion few varieties are
superior in flavour to the Nectarine Peach, which
is quite distinct from other varieties in that it has
a smooth skin.— S. M.

Maturing Peach wood. — The importance
of using the knife at this season and ripening up
the wood is great. I consider the maturing of the
wood at this season of more importance than winter
pruning, as it does away with protection to a cer-
tain extent when the trees are in bloom, as if the
wood is hard and well ripened the bloom is stronger,
sets better, and the fruit is finer. I am aware in
cases where the trees have ample space and the
next season's bearing wood is given room there
is less need of advice as to ripening the wood ;
but I have observed in gardens where food and
moisture have been liberally given there is a strong
top growth, and such growth left to ramble at
will will prevent the wood required for next
season's growth getting full exposure. Most kinds
' are earlier than usual this season, and as soon as

the fruit is cleared it greatly assists the trees to
cut out this year's fruiting wood, as in most cases
it is now of little use. With young trees this is
more necessary than with older ones, which do
not make such gross growth. I am not in favour
of using the knife too severely on young trees, and
often a young tree may be made to cover a good
space and mature the wood if not crowded.
Healthy wood now will give less trouble with fly
and red spider next seaeon, as it is the poor, weak
wood which is first attacked. By thinning now
there is little pruning at the pruning season, and
in most cases there need be no fear of loss of wood
by severe weather. During the hard weather of
February, 1895, I had no losses whatever, though
the pruning or thinning was done at this season.
With free extension there need be no fear of
canker or loss of wood. — S. H. B.

Peach Hale's Early.— I regret the delay in
replying to Mr. Day (p. 94) with reepect to his
opinion of Hale's Early Peach as a forcing variety.
Respecting the flavour when forced, I do not class
it as one of the best, but as regards size and col-
our it is a very fine Peach, and a desirable kind
where early Peaches are required in quantity. My
experience is the reverse of Mr. Day's as regards
the tree casting its buds. So far it has given me
no trouble and I always have to thin severely ;
whereas Alexander and Grosse Mignonne, which
he notes as so superior, do not force so well, the
trees dropping their buds wholesale. I first saw
Hale's Early grown for an early crop by a large
grower who had some hundreds of trees, and he
induced me to plant it for forcing. It ahi'ays
bears a heavy crop, thus showing how soil and
climate alter the character of fruits. I have no
fault to find with Hale's Early as regards crack-
ing. For open air it is a very fine variety. This
season I had it ripe at the end of July and in
quantity. — S. M.

Planting Strawberries.- With genial rains
there should be no delay in planting Strawberries,
even when the plants are small. A few varieties
produce runners so late and sparingly, that early
planting is out of the question. The ground at
this season is in such a favourable condition, being
warm and moist, that growth will be rapid and
much time gained. If the plants are purchased
it is well to well manure the land if at all poor,
as the plants are often given richer soil in the
small pots than when homegrown, and if planted
in poor soil they receive a check. In light soils
firm planting or treading of the land is impor-
tant, as this causes a sturdy growth and the
formation of strong crowns. It also prevents the
splitting up of the plants or crowns.— S. H. B.

Apple Lady Sudeley.— Like most of the
early Apples, the season of this is short and the
flavour is not improved by keeping ; indeed, to
get the true flavour the fruits should be eaten
direct from the tree, as when stored it becomes
soft and mealy. It is an excellent cropper and
does well in any form. 1 have young standards
bearing heavy crops, and on bush or cordon trees
the crop is all one may desire. For pot culture
for early dishes few kinds give a better return,
and if used just as the fruits are finishing they
are much liked. I should say this would make a
good market fruit for August supplies, its colour,
shape, and size recommending it. The variety
should be in all gardens where good dessert
Apples are required at this season. — S. H. B.

Early versus late Apples.— Certainly it is
absurd to put early and late Apples into competi-
tion, seeing that for all ordinary purposes both
are essential in fruit culture. Whether the earliest
may be the more profitable to grow is of course
another thing, but referring to bush trees, I
cannot but think that were Lane's Prince Albert
pitted against, say. Lord SufEeld, Duchess of
Oldenburg, or other well-known first earlies, it
would be found that, seeing the splendid crops
the first gives eo regularly, as also the tine
sample and the enhanced price found at Christ-
mas, the later ones are quite as profitable
as the early ones. Of larger trees. Mere de
I Menage is also a fine late variety and usually

180

THE GAEDEN-.

[September 5, 1896.

fruits regularly and abundantly. But a corre-
s^xjndent assumes that the common free-fruiting
nature of early varieties ie largely due to the fact
that they are early relieved of their fruits, and
have before them etill some time the same season
in which to recoup. But then how many of the
very early sorts are there that are invariably not
at all free croppers, and yet by parity of reasoning
every one should be so. " Lord Suffield, Duchess of
Oldenburg, Stirling Castle, Manks Codlin, &c.,
are generally good croppers. In the same way
Lane's Prince Albert is a heavy and constant
cropper, and by the same reasoning, because it
carries it* produce so much later into the autumn,
should not be capable of reproducing crops yearly.
It seems to be overlooked that cropping tends
with many varieties to recropping, because it
checks undue wood development. Where then
large wood development is the rule, then unless
root-pruning is adopted, no relief of produce, let
it be ever so early, will promote free, constant
cropping. Because of this desire to have early
crops and no trouble, we usually see Apples very
plentiful in the earlv autumn and scarce at
Christmas.— A. D.

La Versaillaise Currant.— I observe Mr
Crook, in commending this undoubtedly fine Cur-
rant, refers to its tendency to break down be-
cause, it is believtd, the wood is more brittle
than is the case with other varieties. But that
a trouble which can easily be obviated by hard
pruning, as I have seen at Clandon Park, where
bushes eight years planted and on clean stems
have dense heads, yet nearly close to the ground,
for the simple reason that extension does not any
where exceed a few leaf-buds at any time. The
result is, that whilst the crops relative to the
of the bushes are very heavy and the sample a
splendid one, the bushes never break down. Still
more, they are easily netted up from birds. The
Bummer shoots are shortened back fully one half
as the fruit ripens to enable the nets to fit close.
A little long manure placed about each bush
Ber\-es to keep the soil from splashing when heavy
rain falls. For such treatment bushes may be
planted 3 feet apart.— D.

The Japanese "Wineberry. — This Bramble
was placed before the fruit committee at the Drill
Hall on the 11th ult., but finding that the floral
committee had previously certificated it as a de-
corative fhrub it was passed. As a fruit it has
little merit. I might say fearlessly that in re-
spect of flavour it is below the average of that
found in wild Blackberries. That the clusters of
red berries as well as the foliage are pretty there
can be no doubt, as compared with clusters from
any good Raspberry the fruits are poor. Why it
should be assumed that so poor a berry and so full
of seed should be good for jam-making, I cannot
imagine.— A. D.

Gaps in Peach houses.- It often happens
when the trees have borne a heavy crop or been
hard forced that they fail to respond to the hard
forcing, and one or more collapses at an awkward
moment, leaving a bare space. Much of the evil
is caused by the roots not being numerous enough
to support the top growth, or, to speak more cor-
rectly, the root growth does not keep pace with
the top, and at the point where the trees are
budded, being the weakest place, there is loss of
vigour and decay follows. I have noticed that
trees forced gently are less subject to this
premature decay, and that some kinds are very
much subject to it, the early American kinds
often collapsing after a few seasons' hard forcing
just at a time they have become profitable. Of
course, it is impossible to give remedies, as most
growers treat their trees as well as their knowledge
will admit, and one is pained to see fine trees go
wTong. Fortunately, there are some indications
of something wrong, the branches or shoots having
a faded appearance, the leaves are whitish, and
though the tree often opens its flowers, the
critical moment is at the setting, as at that time
the tree entirely collapses and at a season it is
difficult to make good the Ices. There need be
no delay now in making good such losses, and by

doing the work at this season there will be a
great gain and less hindrance to forcing if the
work is done when the new trees are in full leaf. I
find that by lifting in September, getting a fair ball
of earth and plenty of fibrous roots, and in bright
weather shading and well syringing, such trees
may be forced the following season with every
success. In many gardens one can often get
suitable wall trees to make good bare places, and
if the trees are dug round at this date, making a
good trench a yard from the stem, filling this with
water and leaving open for a few days, the tree will
lift well and soon take to its altered conditions.
The principal work is to prevent flagging, to get
the roots in motion and plump up the buds. A
small portion of late lateral growth may shrivel,
but as this is not needed it is of little consequence.

— G. WVTHES.

Flower Garden.

PENTSTEMONS AS ANNUALS.
In the Chiswick gardens of the Royal Horticul
tural Society at the present time are to be seen
some excellent flowering examples of hybrid
Pentstemons at once noteworthy for the size of
the individual blossoms, the great variety and
peculiar markings of the flowers, a<i also the
robust character of the growth and the great
strength of the spike. They come as a surprise
to those who, like myself, have been for years
past accustomed to raise such things from au-
tumn cuttings for the express purpose of secur-
ing the best possible flowers as well as the ear-
liest display these beautiful jilants could pro-
vide. Now and again for some years past have
I given suggestions for putting in the cuttings
of these Pentstemons in September and Octo-
ber as a means of securing early flowering,
and I did it in the belief that it was at once the
safest and best way of securing the end in view.
But a visit to Chiswick the other day has
revealed a new state of things such as is likely
to prove of considerable worth to a large number
of gardeners. Here are beds each devoted to
the various strains of these flowers, and side by
side are the cuttings of nearly a year ago
flowering in company and in competition with
seedlings the seed of which was only sown in
the early days of February of the present year.
Instead of the cuttings taking the lead and
being in all respects superior, so far as size of
plant and freedom and size of blossom are con-
cerned, which might reasonably have been ex-
pected by reason of their age, the whole thing
is reversed, and the seedlings are in every respect
infinitely superior all round. Nor is it a minor
difference or such an one as might easily receive
varying opinions from difTerent judges, for the
case is at once most decided and emphatically
in favour of the seedlings, and apart altogether
from the superior strain of these flowers to which
the present remarks apply. I have been a grower
and propagator of the best strains of these flowers
in commerce during nearly twenty years, and I
have seen nothing to e<iual or even to approach
these now flowering at Chiswick, which may
deservedly be described as a vastly improved
strain of a very high order.

Doubtless a good deal of the robustness that
characterises the plants in the Chiswick gardens
is due to the fact that they are seedlings, and
that, like many other things in the yearling
stage, possess a vigour that is not retained by
the older examples. Whether this is so or not
matters very little, for the plants in the beds
beside the seedlings are weakly in their growth,
while the flowers and flower-spikes are small by
comparison. In saying so much for the .seed-
lings— which are only at the outside six months
old from the seed sowing— I am bound to say

that the plants from cuttings as seen at Chia-
ick are by no means representative of what
may be done with these plants when grown from
autumn cuttings, and their puny growth would
rather favour the idea that the available mate-
rial for cuttings last year was thin and poor, or
if of good ordinary character, that the plants
had sufl'ered in the matter of wintering them.
Indeed, to do these plants justice, and thereby
conduce to an early display of flowers, the
cuttings should be potted into 4-inch pots soon
after they are well rooted. Of course such
methods always entail greater labour as well as
the occupying of valuable space all the winter,
and unless results justify all this extra cost pf
production the loss is considerable all round.

Whatever may be the ultimate verdict with
regard to cuttings or seedlings of these plants,
one thing remains obvious, that it is possible to
raise these beautiful Pentstemons from seeds
in the opening days of the year, and by a quick
method of culture produce flowering plants of
considerable merit during the same summer.
This is amply demonstrated by the plants at
Chiswick, and the lesson we thus learn is one
of considerable import in flower gardening,
particularly from an economic point of view.
I have said the flowers are also remarkable for
their variety, which is undoubtedly the case,
for there are flowers of almost all shades of
rose and pink, others there are of salmony hue
and scarlet, and from these the .shades pass to
crimson, cardinal, and lake. Many of the
flowers of scarlet and white throat are very
striking, the white being very clear in some
instances. Others, again, are distinctly lined
or veined, whUe the majority are notable for
the large size of their blossoms individually.
Indeed, in this respect they partake more of
the size of those of P. Coba;a by being more
gaping at the mouth, while in aspect they in-
cline to horizontal and are much less drooping
than are those of many of the older types.
While by reason of the drought of the year
many things are less attractive, the spikes of
these beautiful and varied Pentstemons above
their compact bushes of shining leaves provide
an unusually brilliant display that for late
summer can scarcely be surpassed. E. J.

Isotoma axillaris.- It was pleasant to meet
with some plants of this old Australian greenhouse
perennial in the flower garden at Dropmore on
the occasion of a recent visit, and it was all the
more interesting because so rarely met with now.
Mr. Herrin had filled some small beds with it and
he treats it as an annual, as it is generally con-
sidered in this country, sowing the seeds as one
would those of the bedding Lobelias and planting
out in the same way. No doubt a hot, dry season
like the past summer suits it best. It is a charm-
ing dwarf growing subject. — R. D.

The African Marigold as a bedding
plant. —Some striking beds of the orange African
Marigold can be seen in the flower garden at
Dropmore. Mr. Herrin speaks in the highest
terms of this Marigold as a wet weather plant,
and states that heavy rain disfigures the flowers
very slightly, as their fully double character and
the peculiar arrangement of their flat petals ap-
pear to throw the raindrops off. The beds are
masses of brilliant orange, so numerous are the
blooms that they form sheets of flower. It simply
suflices to pick oft' the blooms as they decay, and
then the lateral shoots so freely put forth by the
plants produce plenty of others to take the place
of those removed. These Marigolds should not
be in too rich soil ; it should be good enough to
keep the plants healthy and growing, but not over-
rich, so as to encourage an undue luxuriance of
growth early in the season, or they are then late
in getting into bloom. The birds, which are some-
times very troublesome to these Marigolds, do not
appear to attack the flowers at Dropmore. — R. D.

Sbptember 5, 1896.]

THE GAEDEK

181

A FINE HERBACEOUS BORDER.

The illustration, from a photo by Lady Nina
Balfour, shows one of the herbaceous borders
here. The group consists mostly of Larkspurs,
Campanulas, and Foxgloves. When in full
bloom, as they were a few weeks ago, the effect
was very striking. The border has a southern
exposure and has been made recently. To pro-
tect it from the north, hardy shrubs were
planted, and amongst these the Foxgloves ap-
peared as if by magic. They were allowed to
grow in all the open spaces and they flowered
splendidly, most of them having four to five
spikes and some of them over 7 feet in height.
The Larkspurs which form the centre of the
group are in the border proper, and were
mostly light blue and dark blue. The Canter-
bury Bells growing alongside were a mixture of
semi-double and single pink, blue, and white.

in the flower border. I saw it recently at Swanley.
— D.

Carnation Raby Castle.— This fine free-
flowering border variety has done remarkably
well this season. With me it has been in flower
since early in June, and at the present time is
showing a quantity of buds, which to all appear-
ance will continue to expand till cut down by the
frost. The plants in question were raised from
layers early last August. These when rooted
were transferred to a cold frame, where they re-
mained till the first week in April. They were
then transplanted to a piece of ground that had
been specially prepared for them. Here they
grew most luxuriantly, and at the present time
are quite as full of bloom as at any time during
the summer. I have never before seen Carnations
grow so robustly and send up such a quantity of
flowers so late in the season, and can only account
for it by the mildness of last winter, for when
planted out they had good balls of earth attached

type. Lovers of these sweet-scented climbing
plants should lose no time in planting one as a
companion to the old white variety.

LILIUM CANDIDUM.

A herbaceous border at Newton Don, Kelso. From a photograph by Lady Nina Balfour,

A softness to the whole was given by the lawn to their roots, which prevented any check at the

in front, and the effect, especially as seen from i time of planting. A second batch that was not

a distance, was very fine . W.Wood. layered till the latter end of the month, and,

m n J AT J r. 7' 7 therefore, not so well rooted, has not done any-

The Gardens, Newton Don, Kelso. thing like so well as those before mentioned, as

J ,-• ..» •. ''"'' very few of them are sending up a second

A good wliite Dahlia.— A good pure white lot of flowers, neither is the growth so robust.

Cactus Dahha has yet to be found. We have From this it would appear that this variety, if

other colours m profusion Those who grow layered early and well looked after through the

for church or harvest festival deco- summer in the way of watering, might be had in

valuable is a good white va- bioom till late in the autumn, particularly if pro-

these flo

ration know how

riety that has not the stiff formality of the ordi- tected with spare lights to ward off the heavy

nary show or pompon forms. This need, so far as rains, when the flowers would be as fresh as dur-

I have seen yet, is found in the French variety ing the summer months. I intend another season

named Perle de la Tete d'Or. The plant is a , to have a patch planted where a frame can be

strong grower and a free bloomer, the

put round them for that purpose. — H. C. P.

large, solid, and the petals of semi-Cactus or

pointed and fluted form. They would not do to Clematis flammula rubra marginata.-

include in a collection of true Cactus flowers, but This is a beautiful novelty that will surely be

for decoration would prove remarkably useful, welcome. The flowers of this variety are prettily

The flowers have the merit of being well thrown margined and, as it were, suffused with a ruby

up, and the plant, when in bloom, is very effective colour, and it is as free and sweetly-scented as the

In answer to Mr. Burrell (p. 149) concerning
the drying of the bulbs of this Lily, I can only
offer the following explanation, viz., that the en-
forced rest produced by the drying appears both
by its concentrative and retarding influences to
endow the plant with greater powers of resisting
the attacks of the disease, assisted no doubt in a
very great degree by the fact that the bulbs when
again planted are rooting into fresh soil. More-
over, after such complete drying off and rest as I
have recommended, the roots of this Lily come
away spontaneously, the undoubted awakening
after a long— and in this case enforced— sleep. In
instances where this Lily remains undisturbed,
the roots, judging by many
I have lifted at varying
seasons, are produced at in-
tervals quite distinct from
those dried.

The fact, however, remains
that in some wav or other
the bulbs are influenced for
good. This I have proved
repeatedly during the past
eight years. Mr. Burrell
argues that the bulb has
nothing to do with the dis-
ease as a flrst cau?e. Very
true. But who will gainsay
that a feebly rooted bulb is
capable of enduring with
impunity vicissitudes as
great as a bulb with a full
complement of roots and in
gooi health? I am also
further convinced that many
things that we have learned
to regard as evergreen bul-
bous plants are frequently
brought into a debilitated
state simply because we rest
them insufficiently and in
improper ways — in ways,
moreover, we should be
quite opposed to were we
more familiar with the con-
ditions under which they
grow in their native habi-
tats. Not that we should
always imitate such condi-
tions, but rather, with a full
knowledge of them, modify
our past practice in culti-
vating them. Mr. Burrell
states that " the stem of this
Lily is not touched in any
way " (with disease), yet I
have seen hundreds as badly
affected in the stem as in
the foliage, and completely ruined in a very short
time. Iliave also heard of the bulbs being irre-
trievably ruined by disease, though I have never
lost one from among considerable quantities.

It would be very interesting and instructive to
readers of The Garden if both Mr. Burrell and
Mr. Smith in their widely separated localities, and
with their opposition to the drying theory, would
each try a couple of dozen bulbs, and give the
readers the benefit of the trial, for I am sanguine

of the result if faithfully carried out.

E. Jenkins.

Propagating Saxifraga pyramidalis. —

May I add to what is already stated in The
Garden at page 154, in answer to " Scalpel" con-
cerning the above, that I have found loam, sand,
and pounded brick-rubbish, the two former in
equal parts and the latter one-fourth, an excellent
mixture in which to root the offsets of this plant.
Not that they are particularly fastidious in this
respect, as one often finds them rooting beneath

18:

THE GATJDEN.

[September 5,

the large leaves of the old flowering rosettes, the
roots doubtless being induced by moisture alone.
But whatever the material employed it should be
such as to admit of free drainage in winter, as not
unfreciuently the centre of the cutting is injured
and sometimes lost by over moist conditions. For
these reasons the usual damping overhead for
cuttings should not be indulged in, and even in
the cutting state it is well not to keep them quite
close. Where only a few dozen are needed, well
drained pots tilled with the above will be found
exo-Uent.— E. J.

FLOWER GARDEN NOTES.
Mixed beds.— Now that mixtures of every con-
ceivable kind are so much in vogue in summer
flower beds, it may not be out of place at this
season to offer a few remarks on the best styles of
planting with the view to the propagation of those
things likely to be required for another season.
A point in connection with such mixtures that is
often overlooked is the advisability of making
them as natural as possible, and one can in this
take a lesson from Nature both in the contrasts of
colour and in the manner of distribution. Want
of harmony in the association of colour is very
seldom, if ever, to be found naturally. From the
early masses of Primrose and Daffodil with their
grassv carpet, the blue of the Violet and the wild
Hyacinth respectively, with Wood Anemones and
huge clumps of wild Parsley down to the present
time, when the widely stretching carpet of Heath
is dotted here and there with irregular masses of
Bracken just putting on its golden tinge, the con-
trasts one sees are always perfect, and the distri-
bution of the different subjects in their relation-
ship to each other invariably quite in keeping
with the true shadings. There are two or three
distinct forms of flower garden planting in con-
nection with the above subject that are hardly
to be recommended ; first, the severely regular,
that is, taking scarlet-crimson or pink shades in
Pelargoniums or Begonias, and planting them al-
ternately with Koniga,Gnaphalium, or variegated
Pelargoniums, as the height may be recjuired.
The contrast in colour in such arrangements may
be pleasing enough, but the style of planting
patchy and artificial : not at all, to follow the
thought raised earlier in these notes, like the happy
mixtures of Nature. Again, a combination of
plants of formal habit is not advisable, no matter
whether the plants are large or small. I saw an
instance of this the other day in which bold
clumps of Echeveria glauca had been used to
relieve CannelVs dwarf Ageratum. All the
flowers had been removed from the Echeveria and
the beds were flat and formal. I could not help
thinking that if the flowers had been left they
would have shown to great advantage against the
Ageratum, and given just that bit of graceful in-
equality that is one of the best features in summer
bedding. The same stiffness on a larger scale is
painfully evident in the association of Aster bess-
arabicus or A. acris with Desgrange Chrysanthe-
mum. Here, again, the contrast in colour is pleas-
ing enough, but the bed as a whole has a table-
like formality. Contrast such a bed with one in
which bold clumps of scarlet Lobelia are springing
from a carpet of either Pinks or a good white-
flowered Tufted Pansy, and the advantage in
effect is altogether on the side of the last named.
Seedling plants of Pentstemon gloxinioides
relieved by Acacia lophantha are looking re-
markably well, and this mixture may be recom-
mended for large beds. Pentstemons and An-
tirrhinums do well with Tufted Pansies, and the
larger plants can be planted in large or small
clumps, as the size of the bed requires,
paint in the planting of mixed beds, whether the
materials used are only hardy plants or with other
things used in connection with them, is to avoid
the employment of anything that is not seen to
advantage in company, but is much better alone.
Beds that are a veritable " oUa podrida" of all
the odds and ends are never satisfactory. Moet
of the above remarks are quite as applicable to
carpet bedding. Although this is gradually dying

out, there are still places where a few beds are
annually required. There is a wonderful differ-
ence displayed in such planting, and it is hardly
too much to say that if the work in this direction
had always been performed in good taste, the
objection to this particular style of flower garden-
ing would hardly have been so violent. The
objectionable features were the various little
mounds built up in different forms, the plastered
sides, and the intricate and formal patterns, the
latter severely regular, like the scjuares of a chess-
board, and the former often so very minute that
the proper development of individual varieties
was quite impossible. There is a wide difference
between this style of planting and the more
natural style that provides a broad carpet of the
best dwarf plants in variety, to be in their turn
thinly planted with some nicely contrasting sub-
jects of taller growth, either single or in small,
graceful patterns, as the size of the bed may re-
juire.

Hardy plants. — It is a good plan to note down
n early autumn any alterations that are contem-
plated with hardy plants either on the mixed
border or in separate beds. In the former case
especially alterations are often necessary. The
acquisition of superior varieties to those already
in hand will lead to the removal of the one in
favour of the other, whilst with new species mis-
takes are occasionally made in the positions ori-
ginally assigned them both in the matter of
situation, in their relative heights in connection
with other things, and the vigour of growth.
The height can in many cases be regulated by
stopping or pegging, but vigour is not to be
denied, and strong-growing plants, if planted too
closely to weaker brethren, are apt to seriously
interfere with the well-being of the latter. The
question of increased propagation and planting of
the many different things to be found in hardy
borders will rest with the demand. There are
special favourites in most places both for the
border display and for cutting, and these should
be strengthened accordingly. If bulbs are grown
on the general border, it is not too late to suggest
that their whereabouts should be marked with
durable pegs before the autumnal alterations

way handfome single types — large, symmetrical,
handsome and brilliant or soft in colour — might
be obtained, which, he thought, would be warmly
welcomed as an acceptable set off to the more
formal double flowers. One cannot but admire
the courage shown by Professor Hillhouse in
pressing this work upon an audience decidedly in
opposition to him, and to the great majority of
whom his recommendations appeared to be of the
rankest floral heresy. But that something of the
kind will be attempted is probable. At one time
the culture of the Carnation was almost entirely
in the hands of the florists who grow solely
for exhibition. Since then the flower has be-
come extensively grown for decoration, and as
Fashion takes charge of flowers and proves at
times notoriously tickle in her attachments, the
single Carnation may yet come to the fore. There
need be no diminution of the area of the culture
of the double Carnation for decoration, nor is
there of necessity anything like antagonism to
the double form if some should give the prefer-
ence to the single one. There is room for both,
and we cannot well have too much diverse ma-
terial to select from when partialities are as wide
as the breadth of variety found in the Carnation.
-R. D.

Helianthus Miss Mellish. — I am growing
this for the first time this year. The plants are
7 feet high and form big, strong bushes ; the
blooms are large and semi double, and for cutting
they are most useful, seeing they have such long
footstalks. It is a vigorous grower. My two
plants were only single shoots when planted out
in the spring from 3-inch pots. When in West
Norfolk last autumn I noted a large, strong kind
growing in farmhouse and cottage gardens. Can
any reader say if this
Crook.

the same kind? -John

put in hand. With the great wealth of hardy
plants at our disposal I do not think, however,
it is advisable to put bulbs on the ordinary border,
especially as there are few places where they
cannot be naturalised on grass either on a large
or small scale. Where the natural soil on lawn or
park is not adapted to them— and here, for in-
stance, in such sites Daffodils and Snowdrops make
a very indifferent display— there are often odd
corners or borders in the garden where the soil
is improved by cu'tivation where they will do
well— small borders devoted to bush Apples and
Pears, poitions of slip gardens where Gooseberries
and Currants are growing, &c. A step in prepara-
tion for autumn is always the securing of a bit of
better soil to work around newly-planted things ;
and, bearing in mind the fact that the borders are
decidedly on the light side, I always provide a
mixture of stiff road sidings and cow manure in
the proportion of four to one to incorporate with
the natural soil. E. Burrell.
Claremont.

Single Carnations.- When on the two last oc-
casions of the Carnation exhibition at the Botanic
(iardens, Edgbaston, Birmingham, Professor
Hillhouse strongly recommended the taking up of
the single form of the Carnation and efforts put
forth to improve it, he appeared, to the great
body of the florists present, who regard the fully
double type as illustrating perfection in improve-
ment, as one who beateth the air ; and yet Pro-
fessor Hillhouse had some force of reasoning on
his fide. He held that the single Carnation
should be put through the same course of im-
jjrovement as the double ; that the best types
of the single kinds should be selected, flowers
with broad, stout petals and rounded or fim-
briated edges, as the case may be ; that these
should be cross-fertilised and carefully seeded ;
that the seedlings should be selected, and in this

CARNATION URIAH PIKE.
The only conclusion that growers of this excel-
lent Carnation can arrive at after readinj^ the
verdict of Mr. T. Smith at p. 154 of The Garden
is that he cannot possibly have the above variety
at all. As a matter of fact Uriah Pike is as dis-
tinct in a variety of ways from the old Crimson
Clove as is Germania from the earlier yellow Pride
of Penshurst. Indeed, Uriah Pike and Pride of
Penshurst are perpetual flowering varieties of the
same distinct type, always characterised by slow-
ness of growth to maturity when both kinds are
most profuse in their flowering. In just the same
way the old Crimson Clove and Germania are
types of dwarf border kinds as strictly " border''
as it is possible for them to be. As pointed out
in the editorial foot-note, the two crimsons are
" distinct both in growth and flower." There is
a red glow in the old Clove, with its fuller, more
confused flowers, much corrugated petals, and
shorter and invariably bursting calyx, that enable
most people to separate them at a glance from
flowers alone. At night under artificial light the
two may be separated by the red glow in the old
Crimson that Uriah Pike lacks. In Uriah Pike
the calyx is of the same size, or nearly so, through-
out its length, but never so in the old Clove ;
hence the reason for splitting. Grown iri pots for
four years in succession, Uriah Pike will attain
4 feet to 5 feet high, flowering abundantly, but
no culture will tempt the old Clove into this
tree-like perpetual flowering form. Again, Uriah
Pike has a smoother petal and is more rounded in
form, less in size than the old variety, while
among its other distinctive features it is a most
prolific seed- bearer, which the other is not. As
also pointed out in the editor's foot-note, the new
variety will strike freely from cuttings that are
freely produced on the stems after flowering.
These cuttings if grown in pots without stopping
will quickly demonstrate a type that cannot be
confused with the old kind at all. The old Clove
was one of the parents of the new variety, and,
accepting the theory of the pre-potency of the
male, would in this instance have been the pollen
parent. Be this as it may, there is a future and
a reputation in store for the new-comer as an excel-

September 5, 1896.]

THE GAEDEK

183

lent kind for the flower garden, which with its fine
constitution it will doubtless maintain. And
after growing and selling many thousands of the
old variety for years, all the leading growers of
Covent Garden clamoured for the new variety the
moment it was set free, and this after a four
years' experience of its flowers, many thousands
daily being sometimes distributed in Covent Gar-
den alone. E. J.

Trees and Shrubs.

WISTARIA SINENSIS.
At The Hall, Ealing, the residence of the Rt.
Hon. S. H. Walpole, there is a fine example of
this Wistaria. It was planted in 1844 by the
present owner at the south end of the mansion.
The trunk, which has grown to an enormous
size, has a girth of 5 feet at about 2 feet from
the ground, and rises to a height of some 14
feet before there are any very large branches,
the stem at that height being quite 4 feet from
the wall. Commencing, no doubt, with the
ordinary shreds, which in time had to give way
to something stronger to secure it to the wall,
iron holdfasts 5 inches or 6 inches long were
brought into use. These in turn have been
drawn from their hold, and may be seen em-
bedded in the stems quite a foot from the wall.
Since I took charge of the tree, about five years
ago, strong young shoots from the base of the
stem have been trained right and left, thus fill-
ing up the intervening space. The whole of the
south wall, 30 feet wide and about GO feet high,
is completely covered. It has not extended far
on the east side of the house, but the west side
is covered to an extent of about 26 feet.

It is pruned annually back to spurs, which
have lengthened out to a great extent. The
long racemes of pale blue flowers hang in
huge clusters, in some places 5 feet or 6 feet
from the wall, and may be counted by thou-
sands. I think this year has been an exception-
ally good one for Wistarias generally. This
tree always has a second crop of flowers to-
wards the autumn. Intermixed then with the
foliage the efi'ect is very pleasing.

W. T. RiGDEN.

A golden Oak.— In the article that recently
appeared in The Garden on the different varieties
of the Oak I did not see any notice of a golden
form of the English Oak. A golden-leaved variety
that stands in the park attached to Cothelstone
House, near Taunton, is in form of growth the
handsomest of any on the estate, the bole straight
and clean, the head perfectly symmetrical, and the
foliage a light golden colour. The drier and
hotter the summer the deeper the tone of colour.
Altogether it is a remarkable tree in my estima-
tion, as it stood out in strong contrast in the
colour of its foliage against the others with which
it was associated. — J. C. C.

The Venetian Sumach.— This shrub, Rhus
Cotinus, also known as the Smoke Plant, is at
present very beautiful, the rosy purple feather
clusters with which its shoots are smothered
being most eff'ective. The great recommenda-
tion is tbu lasting qualities of its display, which
continues attractive for nearly two months.
Large bushes are very handsomu. An open
situation where the plant has space to exhibit its
characteristics to the best advantage is desirable
a site in a thickly-planted shrubbery being th
worst that could be selected, as the plant, though
perfectly hardy, is soon crowded by its neigh-
bours and thus shorn of half its beauty and
strength. Fine specimens of Rhus Cotinus are
not so common as its good qualities would lead
one to expect.— S. W. F.

Desfontainea spinosa.— We have here a
dozen large plants of this very pretty flowering

shrub. It has proved quite hardy, having been
planted out ten years. It always attracts atten-
tion when in flower, and the length of time it
continues to bloom ought to make it a favourite
dwarf growing shrub for planting in choice shrub-
bery borders. Ours are planted round the edge
of a large Camellia bed in a mixture of leaf soil
and sand, which suits them admirably. For de-
coration in the house nothing can look better
than a few large branches cut and put into vases.
— T. T., Creech Grange Gardens, Wareham.

LATE-FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS.
UxFOKTUSATELV there are not many of these
sufBciently hardy to withstand the severity of our
winters ; there are, however, a few favoured
places where some succeed fairly well, and where

as they are then of a much deeper colour. With
me it grows uncommonly well, not suflfering in the
least from the winter's blasts. Rhus typhina and
some other specier also make a good show, par-
ticularly when allowed sufficient room to develop,
their large foliage contrasting well with the
flowers. Pavia macrostachya is also very showy,
as its long spikes of white flowers, which are pro-
duced on the points of the growths, standing
erect, form a peculiar feature just now, as mo5t
trees around are void of flowers. This grows well
in some places and flowers freely. Catalpa bignon-
I ioides is not perfectly hardy in .ill places. With
I me it has grown to the height of 20 feet or more
and usually blooms freelj , but often in severe
t winters the points of the young shoots are de-
I stroyed by frost. Where the tree does well the large
j foliage is attractive even when it is not in flower,
and is deserving of a place in our gardens on
that account. There are a few sheltei ed places
in the south where Mjrtles grow most luxuri-
antly, and when in bloom they are very at-
tractive. Some plants growing against a wall
at Arundel Castle are flowering most profusely
this season, likewise the Punica granatum and
Solanum jasminoides. It is, however, only in
such favoured spots they are to be found grow-
ing in the open. The Magnolia trees growing
in the open at this place were cut back by the
severe frost in 1895 ; they are, however, re-
covering and many of them flowered freely.
Desfontainea spinosa for some years grew and
flowered most profusely in the gardens here,
having withstood several severe winters, but
it succumbed a few years ago. Where this does
well it is a most interesting plant, flowering at
a time when few outdoor shrubs do. In some
places Escallonia montevidensis flourishes ad-
mirably, and where this is the case there are
but few autumn-flowering shrubs that make
such a display, the large trusses of bloom being
produced in such profusion on the joung
shoots. With me the plants, though grown
to a goodly size, perished by the late frost
two seasons ago. Dimorphanthus mandschuri-
cus is also a free autumnal-flowering plant,
and, like the Sumach, has large foliage. For
making a bold display, few things are more
useful when planted in groups alongside the
woodland walks ; being quite hardy, they
might be planted in such places more gener-
all}', particularly on sloping banks not far
from the margins of lakes. Olearia Haasti is
also a free-flowering plant that might be more
extensively grown, for, being of compact habit,
it might be used where others of more robust
growth could not be employed. Abelia rupes-
tris is also a plant well worthy of notice, parti-
cul.irly where it does well, as it continues to
bloom till cut down by the frost in autumn.
Sometimes Christmas is with us before its last
flowers disappear. H. C. P.

Buxted Parle, Sussex.

Wistaria sineijsis at The Hall, Ealinc;. From o
photograph sent iy Mr. W. T. Bigden.

this is so, they deserve to be planted more exten-
sively. What could look more beautiful than a
good clump of Clethra ainifolia? When well
grown, at this season of the year it is covered
with slender spikes of white flowers. Here it has
grown to a good-sizsd bush, is perfectly hardy,
and flowers freely every year. Again, the Rhus
Cotinus, or Venetian Sumach, is a most interesting
plant at this time of the year, yet how little of it
is to be found ! One may go to a score of places
and not see a plant, although it is so hardy and
will grow almost anywhere. Planted alongside
our woodland walks or in clumps on the lawn it
is quite at home. When grown in the full sun
and sheltered from the north and north-east its
peculiar flowers make a fine show for a long time.

Viburnum cassinoides (says Garden and
Forest) is a common inhabitant of northern
swamps, and is distributed from Newfound-
land to the Saskatchewan and southward to
New Jersey. In its native swamps this Vibur-
num is a straggling shrub sometimes 12 feet in
height, but in cultivation it makes a very
compact, symmetrical bush, 5 feet or 6 feet
tall and broad. The leaves are thick, leathery,
and rather dull green, and the flowers, which
are of a pale straw colour or nearly white, are
produced in compact cymes 4 inches or 5 inches
in diameter. They are succeeded by abun-
dant fruit, which is pale green at first, then of
a bright rose colour, and finally dark blue-black,
berries of the three colours often appearing
together in the same cluster. It has been
used in great quantities to decorate the mar-
gins of the roads through the Arnold Arbore-
tum, and seedling plants show a decided tendency
to vary both in the size and form of the leaves, in
the size of the flower-clusters, which are flat or
rounded above, and in the colour of the flowers.
This tendency indicates that if large numbers of

184

THE GARDEN.

[September 5, 1896.

plant* are raised from seeds, individual plants may
surpass in some particular of foliage, habit or
flower any of the plants of the normal type, and
a desirable variety may be established. Among
the hardy shrubs of all countries there are very
few which surpass Viburnum cassinoides in beauty
and in all those qualities which make a shrub de-
sirable.

SHORT SOTES.-TREES AX£> SHRUBS.

Quercus pectinata. — This beautiful Oak makes
a fine tree to grow in pyramidal form. It is rather
slow in growth, so could bo planted on a lawn or some
spot where a verj- vieorons tree would be out of place.
Its handsome Fem-like leaves, also its pretty acorns,
are very attractive just now.

IBulalia zebrina is a very distinct and ornamental
grass that deserves more ertended cultivation. It
grows to a height of about 5 feet and has a Bamboo-
like appearance The leaves, which are grass-green in
colour, are each about 2 feet long, and beautifully
blotched at interrals of 1 inch to 3 inches with almost
square patches of gold, giving the plant the unique
appearance that suggests its varietal name.

Kitchen Garden.

SELECT BEET.
IsoTwiTHST.\>Di>-o the increased demand for
Beet of good ijuality, few new varieties of ster-
ling merit have been introduced during the last
twenty years. Those which have appeared
have proved, with one or two exceptions, to be
more conspicuous for their large size, coarse
grain, bad colour, and inferior flavour than
anything else, having in many instances been
discarded after the first trial. In many private
establishments it is the custom to send Beet to
the lunch table separately, being merely cut
into slices and steeped in salad oil, and in this
way its quality can be more correctly judged than
when cut up and partially hidden amongst
Lettuces, Cucumbers, and other things. The
large Beets find the least favour with gardeners
generally, and many varieties which are cata-
logued as small or medium-sized will, if sown
even on moderately rich ground and freely
thinnet; ou^, grow far too large, exhibiting
when cut white woolly rings, and cooking a
sickly pale colour. Of course, much may be
done to avoid grossness by giving a suitable
soil, sowing tolerably late, and avoiding over-
thinning, but gardeners sometimes err in select-
ing a too shallow, hungry plot with a view to
securing medium-sized roots, thereby sacrificing
both colour and quality. Ground in good heart
from which a fairly impoverishing crop has been
cleared should, without any additional nianur
ing, grow good roots if the variety is a good one
not sowing the seed till say the end of April
for the main crop. Early Beet is not required
here. If it were, I should perhap.s be compelled
to grow the Turnip-rooted, although from
quality point of view I never thought the original
Egyptian or the so-called improved strains of
that variety equal in quality to some of the ear-
liest long varietie.", such as Nutting's Dwarf
Red and Chelsea Selected Red, which can
had almost the whole year round by storing
the latest-sown batch in cool quarters facing
north, occasionally sorting them over and re-
moving all spring growth, and by sowing the
same sorts on a sheltered border in March. I
have several times sown these Beets in a spare
cool pit in February and had useful roots in
June, and although not, I think, generally
known, Beet raised under glass and duly hard
ened transplants very well if attended to for th(
first fortnight in the matter of shading and
watering. In this way the favourite long

rooted sorts may be early secured where the
Turnip-rooted varieties are objected to.

After trying many sorts, 1 give a decided
preference to the two medium-sized varieties
mentioned above. The former is a very old
Beet, but for general usefulness it is far
in advance of such much-belauded sorts as
Pragnell's Exhibition, Pineapple, or even Dell's
Crimson. Of these three, Dell's is by far the
best, its colour being good, but with the least
encouragement it grows too coarse. Pragnell's
may be all very well for exhibition, but those
white rings which are visible on its being cut
will not do for first-class cooks. I have seen
Pine-apple quite as large as an ordinary Man-
gold and nearly as coarse, but I do not think
it is much grown now-a-days. Cheltenham
Green-top is a popular Beet, having medium-
sized roots of a bright red colour. Middleton
Park Favourite is an improved strain of Dell's
and is said to be reliable, but I have never
grown it. One of the very best medium-sized,
high quality Beets in cultivation is Dewar's
Northumberland. It favours Veitch's Selected
Red, but does not, in my estimation, quite
equal that variety. All Beets, even of the
medium type, must, if high <iuality is to be
secured, be grown with care and judgment.
A large coarse variety is about the worst thing
a gardener can have, as while being of little or
no use either in pantry or kitchen, it deprives
the soU in which it grows of an immense
amount of nourishment. J. Crawford.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS.
This vegetable seems inclined to make a rampant
growth this season, and with early sown batches
there is fear of the sprouts becoming abnormally
large and bursting open. For my own part I do
not see the advantage of sowing Brussels Sprouts
so early as some advocate, even where they are
wanted in autumn, as when they arrive at plant-
ing out size, out they must go, let the weather be
ever so inclement, or otherwise a stunted growth
ensues and they soon become useless. More than
once have I known early batches to be planted out
on permanent quarters at the end of March or first
week in April, and although they were supposed
to have been well hardened off, they presented a
sorry appearance after a week had elapf cd, March
sown lots eventually beating them in every way.
I always make a sowing about the third week in
February in the second early Carrot frame for
producing sprouts for use earlj' in October, and
although this locality is by no means an early one,
the plants have in some seasons completed their
growth, and are furnished with sprouts from top
to bottom by the end of August. This is the case
this year. For main winter and successional
spring supplies I find it best to sow from the
middle to the end of March and again in April ;
the plants from the latter sowing if at all back-
ward will grow slowly all through the winter if
not too severe, and will even during February
materially increase the size of their sprouts and
prove most useful. I havesometimes been astonished
at the progress made by these late batches during
this month, and the sprouts are always bullet-
like and have very little waste about them. A
correspondent some time since condemned the
practice of growing Brusfels Sprouts on undug
ground that had previously carried a winter or
spring crop, but I find the practice a good one,
and that if some of the dwarfer varieties are thus
treated, a steady growth and a stem covered from
summit to base are the result. Previous to plant-
ing I give a moderate broadcast sprinkling of
artificial manure, and merely break the surface
with a fork the better to ensure its being washed
in by rain. I have noticed that the dwarfer
strains are not nearly fo apt to produce abnormal
sized sprouts, which so often give annoyance by
bursting open and present the appearance of
small Cabbages. Reference has sometimes been

made to the hardy frost enduring character of
this vegetable as grown in fields for market com-
pared with those grown in ordinary gardens.
While recognising the truth of this, I would re-
mark that although this extra hardiness can only
be produced by exposure, yet garden batches
would stand the winter better were more room
allowed the plants, and in small gardens where
crowding is practieed, allowing more f pace would
result in a greater aggregate weight of produce.
J. C.

CABBAGE LETTUCES.
ALTiiorcH for eating separately most people pre-
fer Cos to Cabbage Lettuces, yet the latter are
indispensable in all gardens where salad is a spe-
cial feature, and at certain seasons and for certain
purposes are even of more value than the Cos
section. Many prefer them for the salad-bowl,
and really some of the more recently-introduced
varieties have such solid, crisp hearts when
quickly grown on good soil that there is little to
choose in this respect between them and the best,
of the Cos varieties. Moreover, the smaller sortH
may be planted so thickly that a great number-
may be had on a limited piece of ground, and
they are not so particular as to position as are the
Cos varieties, doing very well in partially shaded
places, as, for instance, alongside espalier fruit
trees. Then, again, most of them come to per
fection more quickly than the Cos, which fact
alone makes them valuable ; and several of the
very newest sorts, if sown in January and prickf d
out into frames or pits facing south, will heart in
sufficiently for use in March. As in the case of
most vegetables, a few of the oldest varieties of
Cos Lettuce are still very hard to beat for general
purposes, and amongst them must be mentioned
Hardy Hammersmith and All the Year Rounri.
The latter is most reliable for sowing either in
spring or autumn, having beautifully white, firn ,
well-Havoured hearts. Hardy Hammersmith i<
not so good in quality as the preceding variet\,
but then it is so very hardy that for autumn sow-
ing to stand the winter, it cannot easily be beaten.
It is seldom that this Lettuce succumbs, even dui-
ing the sharpest winter, if protected by frames or
pits.

Two of the best varieties for summer use, and
for remaining in use a long time, are Perfect Gem
and Continuity. Both are of medium size and
exceedingly well hearted, withstanding drought
better than any others I am acquainted with.
Continuity is very distinct in its outward appear-
ance, being of <iuite a bronzy hue. This Lettuc"
has found great favour with gardeners since ii."
introduction a few years ago. The old Drumhead
or Malta is a very good Lettuce for ordinary
summer use, although not so compact and closely-
hearted as some of the smaller newer sorts. Early
Paris Market must be named as being indis-
pensable for sowing on warm borders early in
spring, where it will form good heads quicker
than most sorts. The quickest-growing Cabbage
Lettuce, however, I know of is Golden Queen. It
is simply astonishing how short a time it takes to
arrive at maturity, and is quite unrivalled for
sowing in January and February, with a view to
bring the plants on in pits and frames.

J. Cr.vwford.

Failures with Spinach.— Last autumn was
one of tbi- driest we had for many years, and the
autumn sowings suffered badly through bad ger-
mination. Of course, the seed may have been
wanting in vigour, but I noted plants in a low,
damp situation suffered much less than those in
a high or exposed position. This points out the
advisability of not sowing all in one place, and the
value of various kinds of soil for certain crops. In
soil affected with wireworm the good old remedy
of soot and wood ash.-s used freely in the drills
when sowing is ditiicult to beat, and in heavy
clay land old mortar rubble is a splendid addi-
tion. The crop is so useful during thr winter
and for March and April supplies that a little extra
rouble is well repaid in preparation of soil and ■

attention to crop. This

of

importance

September 5, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

185

than mere variety, as both the prickly and emooth
kinda given good culture are equally good for au
tumn sowing. — S. H.

Ornamental Gourds.— It seeme a pity that
these really very interesting things should not be
grown in a more decorative fashion than is usually
the case. To *how theta otf to full advantage it
is needful to construct a rough sort of pergola
over which the plants can be trained, or else have
them run over upright and cross poles fixed
to each other at intervals, either over kitchen
garden paths or in some other places. I saw the
other day a very fine and exceedingly interesting
collection of these gourds. They were partially
on the ground and partially running over stakes,
fixed along on either side, bub whilst fruiting
well, yet did not show off the fruits to advantage.
There were the Pear-shaped, green-pointed with
orange towards the stem, the yellow oval with
protruding warts, and the bottle-shaped — indeed,
80 many, that I noted but a few. Still, all were
as pleasing as they were varied. — A. D.

Earthing up Celery.— I am never in a great
hurry to earth up the Celery, more so after a hot,
dry summer, as, no matter how well the plants
are moulded up, it must check growth. Of course
with early supplies it is necessary to mould up
to blanch the stalks, but with these very early
crops this does less injury, as the plants are lifted
EC soon. I have found the beads go bad much
worse by heaping up large masses of soil before
the plants have perfected their growth than from
any other cause. For years I have left my late
and mid-season plants to the last moment before
earthing up. In cool weather the blanching takes
80 short a time that there is no need to hurry and
cripple the growths. The best way is to do the
work gradually, giving a little soil at tho base
fortnightly ; this allows of free growth and alFO
permits the moisture to reach the roots. By th
late earthing up advised, the tissue of the stalk is
more hardened, and the plants for late supplies
are in better condition to stand severe weather. —
G. W.

MANURING GROUND FOR SPRING
VEGETABLES.
The advice often given to manure freely for such
plants as spring Cabbage and similar vegetables
is good where the land is poor and the previous
crop an exhausting one. In many gardens, and
in old ones especially, one may overdo the feed-
ing and in a measure prevent the plants being
strong enough to stand our variable winters with-
out injury. A soft plant with unusual length of
stem is the one to succumb to severe weather.
I am not in favour of starving by any means
— quite the reverse— but I have noted the last
few years the plants not manured at the time of
planting, or, say during August for autumn
planting, have never failed to give a good re-
turn and have been free from running. I notice
Mr. Tallack (p. 14.')), in the excellent advice he
gives on Cabbage ground, touches upon this <[ue?-
tion, and though he does not go so far as I do, he
notes the value of the ground which has borne a
shallow- rooting crop, and which was heavily
dressed, as suitable for the Cabbage. I agree
with him, and not only do I plant as advised, but
do not dig, merely cleanse, and then draw drills.
The ground being very firm, a very sturdy
growth follows and there is no fear of bolting.
For some years I have planted Broccoli after
early Strawberries, which are treated as annuals,
and it is soon seen at a glance how fit such plants
are to battle against our east wind?, which do so
much harm after prolonged frost, the plants
being much shorter of stem and hardier. In this
case manures are not given with excellent results.
I admit the heads may not be so large as on
plants in newly dug and manured land, but they
are very compact and there are fewer losses.
Cabbage follows Onions with little preparation,
only just cleansing the surface, and it is a great
saving of labour, the drawing of drills taking
little time, and in light soils the advantage of a

hard, firm bed is very great. I pay more atten-
tion to feeding just as growth is active, liciuid
manure or a quick acting fertiliser being then of
great value. G. Wythes.

Chrysanthemums.

NEW EAELY CHRYSANTHEMUMS.
It is a matter for congratulation that among the
newer sorts there are Chrysanthemums which
must presently become popular. Not only are
the Continental raisers obtaining for us greater
variety in colour and form, but growers in our
own country are giving greater attention to
them ; so much so, in fact, that it is now possible
to obtain quite a nice selection of first-class
sorts, in which the colour, form and habit of
growth should meet the requirements of all.
Whether intended for open border cultiva-
tion or for growing in pots with which to em-
bellish the conservatory, or for securing a
batch of plants for providing cut flowers dur-
ing the early autumn season, the early Chry-
santhemums are invaluable. Especially are they
appreciated when the early frosts mar the
beauty nf the Dahlia and other tender subjects.
Some of the more noteworthy sorts which have
already developed their blossoms, and also give
promise of a continuous display for some time to
come, are —

Fb.an-qois Vuillermet.— A useful little .Japan
ese flower, with short florets of medium width en
footstalks of a convenient length ; colour lilac-
rose, with silvery reverse, nice spreading habit.
Height about 2J feet.

Mme. Ca^i.mir Perier. — This variety, like
the previous one, is of Continental origin, and was
sent out last year. Of the whole of those dis-
tributed last season, this variety deserves a high
position. It is a large .Japanese flower, with long
florets of medium width, colour white, tinted and
iffused pink. It is seen to greatest advantage
hen grown without disbudding. Each blossom,
measuring quite 4 inches across, has a nice long
footstalk. Height about 3 feet 6 inches.

Madame Carmiaux.— Another chaste Japanese
flower with long drooping florets, colour pure white
on early buds, those secured later being tinted
rosy mauve. It is a useful sort for cutting, each
flower being borne on a long footstalk. The habit is
not quite so good as one would desire, the growth
being rather weak. Essentiallj- a pot plant.
Height about 2^ feet.

Mons. LEVEyUE Pere. — In this variety we have
a distioct acquisition to the earlier sorts. The
blossoms are of Japanese form, measuring from 4
inches to 5 inches across ; florets long, of good
width, colour light chestnut-red, suffut^ed bronze
with golden reverse. In the Ryecroft collection
the plants are about a foot in height, each carry-
ing eight to ten large flowers. As a sort for the
hardy border this variety promises very well, the
flowers retaining their colour during the hot and
tr%ing weather.

(j»PEEN OF THE Earlies Is a welcome addition
to the early white varieties ; florets of medium
width, incurving sUghtly at the tips. Grown
without disbudding, blossoms 4 inches in diameter
are easily obtainable. Height about 4 feet. Nice
free habit of growth.

Harvest Home. — Although this variety is two
or three years old, little of it has yet been seen.
As an early sort for the open border or for pot
culture it is equally well adapted, and grown
without disbudding is indeed valuable. The
flower is of true Japanese form, with slightly
twisted florets of medium length, colour crimson,
tipped and flushed with golden-yellow, a distinct
break in colour. Another good point is its free-
flowering qualities combined with a most desir-
able habit of growth. Height about 3 feet or a
little more.

Madame Marie Masse. — No garden should be
without a few plants if cut flowers of its colour

are in demand. It is a Japanese flower of good
form and large size, with florets of medium width,
colour, a pleasing shade of lilac-mauve. It is a
most protuse bloomer, grand sprays with large
individual flowers on useful footstalks being
obtainable without disbudding. Plants in the
open, each measuring 3 feet or more through, will
carry 150 to 2(J0 useful blossoms. It has a nice
spreading habit of growth. Height about 2J
feet.

Edie Wright. - This is an English seedling,
raised at Ryecroft Nursery. It is a large incurved
Japanese flower with broad florets of good length,
blossoms each 4 inches in diameter, being perfected
without disbudding. The colour is a pleasing
shade of pink, tipped gold in centre, passing with
age to a pinkish white ; nice bushy habit ; height
about 3 feet.

Mme. Eulalie Morel.— A very pretty Japanese
flower with florets of medium width, colour lovely
deep cerise, shaded golden in centre ; a striking
flower. The habit of growth of the plant is not
ao bushy as one would Hke. Height about 2^ feet.
Yellow l'Ami Conderchet. — This is a rich
golden yellow sport from the cream-white L'Ami
Conderchet, and for the hardy border (especially
planted in masses) is very telling. It is of a beau-
tiful compact habit ; height 15 inches to 18 inches.
White Lady.— This is not a new sort, but as
the flo«er is so little known, and as it also pos-
sesses so many good points, it merits more atten-
tion than it has hitherto received. This is pro-
bably one of the most free-flowering pompons
grown, the blossoms being of exiiuisite form and
extremely chaste in appearance ; colour a pleasing
light shade of blush ; height about 18 inches to
' feet. This variety was raised from seed saved
from Salter's Early Blnsh.

RUNZE Bride. — A rich reddish bronze sport
from the well-known Blushing Bride, one of the
best early pompons, (irown in open borders this
variety produces a rich piece of colour when
planted in masses. It is very free-flowering and
most continuous bloomer ; height slightly over
2 feet. D. B. Crane.

Popular Chrysanthemums in Australia. —

Mr. S. W. Levick, who annually tabulates the
varieties most frequently shown at the Australian
shows, gives the following results f®r the past
season : Kate Mursell, shown 13 times ; Mrs.
S. H. Horton and Viviand Morel, 12 times ; Miss
Dorothea Shea and Golden Gate, 11 times;
Mile. ThSrese Rey, Col. W. B. Smith and Pride
of Madford, S times; Good Gracious, Golden
Wedding, International, Miss Annie Hartshorn,
Mrs. C. HarmanPayne and Mrs. E. D. Adams,
7 times ; Robt. Williams, Charles Davis, Director
Kowallec, Lady Lawrence and Pelican, 6 times ;
EdaPrass and Mile. Marie Recoura, 5 times ; E. J.
Jamieson, G. W. Childs, Gloire du Rocher,
T. Wickham Jones, Sunflower and W. Tricker,
4 times ; Mme. Carnot, Princess May, Regularity,
Rose Wynne, Abbie Mendenhall, Lucrece, Master
Bates Spaulding, Mrs. Jerome Jones and Mrs. S.
Purchase, 3 times. All these are of the Japanese
section ; the audit of the incurved varieties is of
but little interest.— C. H. P.

Chrysanthemums. — Very many complaints
have been heard this season of troubles to Chry-
santhemums, arising from aphis, earwigs, curl,
blindness, mildew, Ac, for it would seem as if
pot-grown plants were more susceptible to ills
than even the human family. Probably it would
be found that the bulk of these troubles come
from some cultural defect?, especially in relation
to watering. Garden help is, as a rule, none too
considerable, and as the growing of a few hundreds
of pot Chrysanthemums, especially to produce ex-
hibition blooms, entails great additional labour on
a garden staff, which has no corresponding in-
crease, no wonder if during such an exacting
season as the past has been many plants have
from time to time become too dry, and have
suffered in consequence. But there are collections,
and large onea too, which, well looked after, are
now in fine condition, and notable is the very ex-
tensive one in the gardens at Woodhatch, Reigate,

18G

THE GARDEN.

[Sei'tembeu 5, 1896.

under Mr. Salter's charge. There, beyond a com-
plaint that some varieties seem taller than usual,
the plants look in perfect condition. Mildew-
seems lo have };iven some trouble, but that has
been satisfactorily combated by giving the foliage
one or two light syringings with the Bordeaux
mixture. It is the rule here to keep all the plants
in none larger than 9-inch pots. The result seems
everything that can be desired. The collection
comprises all sections of the show Chrysanthemum.
It stands on a south slope, a very hot position.
The chief effect of such exceeding exposure to the
sun seems to be perfect ripening of the wood, yet
the terminal growths indicate the final production
of grand flowers later. There are few collections
in the south better worth seeing at the end of
October than is Mr. Havnood's at Reigate. —
A. D.

Chrysanthemums coming single.— "Hi-
hernia "' (p. U-2) asks why some well-known varie-
ties develop blooms which have the appearance
of being single. Many kinds produce double
flowers under any conditions of growth, but
must be cultivated well to obtain them of a large
size, whilst others will not develop double blooms
unless their culture is of the best, fo that I should
say the sorts complained of belong to the htter
category. Another cause is late bud formation.
The variety E. Molyneux is a striking instance.
On weakly plants or from buds set later than the
second week in August the blossoms rarely pro-
duce more than one or two rows of florets, but
when in good form they are seen fully double and
exceptionally large and deep. Others that come
readily to mind are G. C. Schwabe, Lord Brooke,
Boule dOr (old variety), Miss D. Shea, Mrs.
C. H. Wheeler, and sometimes Avalanche and
Elaine.— H. S.

A Chrysanthemum journal.— The secretary
of the French National Chrysanthemum Society
at Lyons, in a circular dated August 10 addressed
tn the members, calls attention to the fact that
the society intends to issue a quarterly publica-
tion devoted exclusively to that flower. Efforts
will pubsei luently be made to issue it as a monthly.
The Xorthern Chrysanthemum Society of France
has for its original organ the new monthly gar-
dening magazine called the Xord HortkoU, and
the Paris Chrysanthemum committee of the
National Horticultural Society of France have
already issued the first number of a new publica-
tion to be supplied to its members. It is expected
that the first number of the French N.C.S.
■inarterly will appear in September.- C. H. P.

New Australian Chrysacthemume. — T/ie
AmtraUan Fkld, in referring to the latest novel-
tics raised in the colony, says one of the finest is
Mrs. J. H. Horton, now well known. Others are
Minembah, raised in l,s95 by Mr. S. B. Levick, of
Longueville, the colour of the petals being a deep
yellow, lined reddish brown ; R. Forsyth, a closely
incurved Japanese of a dark lilac colour ; Wal-
laroo, a Japanese variety raised by Mr. Levick, of
very large size and depth, the colour of which is a
rosy pink, the petals having a silvery reverse.
The finest seedling of the year was J. R. Upton,
a bright yellow .Japanese. Others of special merit
were Mavana, Mrs. R. Forsyth, Minnie May and
Mrs. J. Upton. It seems to me to be useful to
place these names on record, as the varieties may
probably be imported here in the course of next
season. We have several very promising varieties
of Australian origin.— C. H. P.

SHORT XOTES.-CHRTSANTHEMUMS.

Chrysanthemum Flora.— This bright yellow
small flower is one of tlie most effective of c;irly "kinds.
It has a_fir3t-rate bushy growth, and does not grow
tall. It is in flower now, early August.

Chrysanthemum Mme. Marie Masse —
This is an excellent early flowering variety. The
blooms, which are borne very freely, are eacli about
1 inches across, colour mauve and white. In height
the plant scarcely reaches 2 feet, and it has a naturally
bushy habit.

Chrysanthemums Blushing Bride and
Bronze Uride.— These two varieties, the latter a sport

from the former, are capital early sorts. The blooms
are each 2 inches across, quite double, and richly col-
oured. Their growth is of a dwarf branching nature.
They should be grown in nuantily for an early supply
of Chrysanthemum flowers.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1082.

BEARDLESS IRISES.

(l. APOGON.)
(with a I'OLOl'RED PLATE OF I. MISSOURIEKSIS.*)

Fur gardening purposes and irrespective alto-
gether of scientific classification, Irises may be
roughly divided into live heads. These are (1)

bulbous Irises, (2) dwarf Irises, (3) broad-leaved
or Flag Irises, (4) narrower Rush- leaved Irises,
and (5) the Asiatic species, mostly of recent
introduction, to which the uncouth name of
Oncocyclus has been as.signed. The cultivation
of this last is at present confined, and is, I fear,
likely to continue to be confined, to specialists,

* Dra\™ for The Garden by H. G. Moon from
flowers sent by Mr. J. Carrington Ley, St. Helens,
East Farleigh. Lithographed and printed by J. L.
Goffart, successor to GnUlaume Severeyas.

while of the four remaining divisions, the
fourth, to which the Iris figured in the accom-
panying plate belongs, is unquestionably the
least generally known and popular in English
gardens. The world is understood, I believe,
to know nothing of its greatest men, but the
world, which is also understood to have taken
to gardening soon after its creation, probably
knows what is best for itself in the matter of
furnishing its flower borders, and I, at any rate,
do not propose to write a special eulogium on
these Irises with a view of suggesting that they
should be admitted into small gardens to the
exclusion of more showy things. Anyone, how-
ever, who looks at the plate can see that one of the
species, at any rate, is beautiful and distinct.
And there is this further to be said about these
Beardless Irises as a class, viz., that they have
not — with one notable exception, I. IfBvigata,
the ancestor of all the countless varieties of I.
Kajmpferi — been largely taken up by the hy-
bridiser, and consequently they have the in-
terest, such as it is (and it i.s a good deal to
some of us) of being known to be " wild some-
where."

To attempt an estimate from a gardener's
point of view of all the known species of Iris
Apogon would probably be impossible to any-
one, and such a thing is certainly entirely
beyond the range of my own knowledge. But
as I have been asked to furnish a few notes on
some of them, I propose to indicate some among
those that I possess that I consider the most
desirable, some few more that seem to me to be
more or less inferior or worthless as garden
plants, and to end this paper with some obser-
vations on three or four others which have
always interested me, which I have from time
to time attempted to grow, but which I have
failed with myself, and which, as far as I can
ascertain, have never yet been successfully
established in European (and it may be not in
American) gardens. Among the best are : —

Ims missouriensis (syn., I. Tolmeana) (figured
herewith) is one of the earliest to flower, with
light green linear leaves and light lilac flowers, a
lovely plant. Native of Rocky Mountains and
California.

I. TRIDKNTATA (syn., I. tripstala). — One of the
most distinct of the whole group and unlike any
other Iris. It has dark lilac flowers, with very
short standard. I am disposed to think that this
plant does better in moist situations, it certainly
tails somewhat here in dry years. Native of
Southern United States.

I. .siiiiKicA. — The common I. sibirica with blue
and white veined flowers is common enough in
gardens, but certain others, botanically classed
as varieties of this species, are altogether distinct
for garden purposes. I have here two varieties,
which, although much alike in bloom, are distinct
in habit of growth and time of flowerin;^. One of
them is no doubt I. sibirica var. orientalie. The
other (which reached me as I. prismatica) may be
the plant known as I. htvmatophylla. They have
rich blue (almost true blue) falls, with brown
markings at the claw, and are well worth growing.
Native of E. Siberia.

I. Hl'Mins AND I. GRAMINEA. — I Cannot Satis-
factorily distinguish these, and they are prac-
tically the same for gardening purposes, but in
spite of their bad habit of flowering below the
leaves, one or the other is worth giving a place
to. The flowers are good for cutting, and they are
distinct in marking from those of other Irises.
The former is native of the Caucasus, the latter
extends from France, through Europe, to the same
mountainous region.

I. LONciPETALA has light lilac, copiously-veined
flowers. Native of California, but easy to grow.

I. VERSR'oi.oR. —There appear to be at least two
varieties of this, one with dark claret-purple and
white markings, the other (often sold as I. vir-

♦

IRIS MISSOURIENSIS.

SErTEMBER 5, 1896.J

THE GARDEK

187

ginica) with the same white markings, but having i I.Grant-Duffi. — This grows slowly here, though
the falls of a lighter bluish lilac. They will grow apparently healthily, but has not yet flowered. It
anywhere, but appear to prefer moisture. Widely I has pale yellow blooms. Native of Palestme.
distributed over North America, from Hudson's , I. ensata.— I have two varieties of this plant
Bay, southwards. bought (and I regret to say paid for) under the re-

I. CDFREA (syn., I. fulva).— Flowers of a bright spective names of I. Albert! and I. hexagona. They
coppery brown, distinct from those of any other I are different in habit, one of them producing

flowers on dwarf pedicels much below
the foliage lika I. humilis, but the
blooms are the same pale blue with
white veins, and both are practically
worthless as garden plants. Native of
temperate Asia.

I. STYLOSA 1 cannot bloom satis-
factorily here under any conditions
that I can devise for it. It grows and
flowers freely in a friend's garden a few
miles away, which is on or near the
greensand. Native of Algiers.

I. RUTiiENiCA. — This is one of the
very few dwarf Irises belonging pro-
perly to the Apogon section. It grows
strongly in this garden and forms a
dense grassy tuft, but here, at any rate,
it is worthless as a garden plant, for it
seldom or never flowers, nor can I form
any opinion as to change of conditions
likely to make it do so. It is a pretty
small Iris. Native of Russia and
Siberia.

I come now to the consideration
of three or four Californian species,
which (partly, perhaps, from the difS-
culty which appears to surround their
successful cultivation) have always
greatly interested me. These are
I. tenax, I. Hartwegi, I. bracteata
and I. macrosiphon.

I. TENAX. — I have, I believe, on one
or two occasions in notes on flowers
which have been published in this
jjurnal alluded to this species; but,
apart from my own remarks, I do not
rjmember ever to have seen a notice
of it in this or any other gardening
piper. Many years ago I saw in one
of the houses at Mr. Ware's nursery
a", Tottenham a plant in bloom pur-
porting to be this speoie=, and I re
Iris ruthenica. =°"e'=t thinking it very de.<...ible, fo>

there is a red m the lilac which renders
it distinct from any other Apogon
Iris in cultivation. It flowers now regularly in that I can call to mind. Its
my garden, planted in a sand bed with a cemented name appears now and again
bottom, but it is certainly a capricious bloomer, in the catalogues of the dealers
I have had it for fifteen or twenty years, and in in such things, sometimes at
many parts of my garden it has failed to bloom at a price that leads one to doubt
all. Nativeof United States, principally southern, its authenticity, and I have
but quite hardy. \ sometimes bought it. The last

I. DuriiLASiANA. — One of the most distinct : time, I think, was two years
Irises that I know. It has long, dark green, ago, when I got a plant from
dinear, evergreen leaves. Native of California, ' Mr. Smith, of Newry. I grew
but not difficult to grow. i this successfully in a pot until

I. ocHROLEUcA (syn., I. orientalis). — The latter ! April of the present year, when
has the right of priority over that given by I made an attempt to establish
Linna-us. There is a note on the point in a recent it by sinking the pot into the
number of The Garden (vol. xlix., p. 478). The ground and trying to induce
name I. gigantea is entirely superfluous, but the roots to take hold after
although ochroleuca is not a good name — for it removing some of the crocks,
means yellowish white, and not yellow and white. The plant, however, imme-
which are the distinct component colours of this diately began to fail and
handsome plant— it is, I think, better than very soon died away, as have
orientalis, for the number of Irises from the East its many predecessors that I
must by this time equal, if not exceed, the number have tried to coax into staying
of wise men hailing from the same quarter. \ with me. So far as I can

I. AUREA AND I. MoNNiERi. — For an account of j learn from correspondents and
these ; see The Garden (vol. xxxviii., p. 46.'J), | friends interested in these
where they are fully described and the doubtful ! sorts of things, this has never
origin of the latter discussed. I may add, with been successfully established in
regard to these tall, handsome Irises, that they English gardens as an outof-
are plants worth growing in any garden ; and door plant. Native of Oregon
with regard to the hybrid I. Monspur— figured at and B. Columbia,
the same page to which the reference is given— I. IIart\vei:i. — This is
that this is the finest purple Iris of the same another Californian Iris of
character, i e., it is richer and better in colour which I have from time to time bought im-
than I. spuria or any of its varieties with which , ported plants (and one can buy nothing else), but
I am acquainted. 1 these, although they appear to be making growth

for a few weeks, soon succumb, having evidently
insufficient vitality to enable them to make root
growth. There is in The Garden (vol. xlvi., p.
30) an exceptionally valuable and instructive
note on these Irises by Mr. J. N. Gerard, of
Elizabeth, N.J., and as I inferred from it that
my friend Mr. Ewbank was one of the very few
who had ever successfully grown it in Europe, I
wrote and asked him about it, and I give here
the substance of his answer. He says that some
fourteen or fifteen years ago he received a good
piece from America in early spring which he
planted with special care, and which increased in
size and flowered splendidly. Subsequently he
divided this plant in the autumn into several
pieces, not one of which lived. He adds that he
has bought it (often getting the wrong thing)
and obtained it by gift often since, but that he
has never again succeeded in establishing it. Mr.
Ewbank's view is, that if there is any secret in its
culture, it resides in planting at "the psycho-
logical moment," and that that moment is to be
found (if at all) in the spring.

I. DRACTEATA and I. MAOROSirHON VAR. FLAVA.

— These have been bloomed (and the latter at any
rate has, I beheve, been distributed) by Herr
Max Leichtlin at Baden-Baden. They are de-
scribed by him in The Garden (vol. xlv., p. 428),
and apparently the same description applies
equally to both species. I bought I. macrosi-
phon var. flava last year, and have it growing ap-
parently healthily, though not vigorously, in an
artificial bog, but as it has not bloomed it is im-
possible for me even to guess whether I have got
hold of the right thing. In Mr. Gerard's note
quoted above it is stated that the yellow var. of
this species is the commoner, though this does not
appear from Mr. Baker's " Iridete,"who describes
the plant as having " bright lilac" blooms, and
makes no mention either of yellow or white
varieties.

lu conclusion, I may express a hope that
some of the enterprising purveyors of these
things will consider the possibility of importing
seed and endeavouring to raise growable plants
of these choice Californian Irises by that
means. They may not be as desirable as Lord
Anson i Blue Pea, but they possess, neverthe-
less, a ^ord deal of interest to many of ua, and
("again leferiiug to Mr. Gerard's note) I see it

I stated that they, together with I. tenuis, have
I proved untransferable as plants even to Cali-
I fomian gardens. J. C. L.

THE GARDEN.

September 5, 1896.

The Week's Work.

KITCHEN GARDEN.

SriXArH.^It is a good plan to sow early in Sep-
tember n pcKKl breadth of Spinach, which will
come in for the pprins pickings earlier than any
sown on the warm borders early in the year. By
choosing and pnparing now some ground that
will not be wanted for a succeeding crop until
late next spring, we can lea>'e the wall borders
for the many other things which require such
positions and still get a supply of Spinach that
will come in as a good succession to the August-
sown crop, which will by that time, if the demand
has been constant, be getting past. I do not re-
commend any addition of manure to the soil for
present sowing, but prefer Spinach to follow some
crop for which the ground was well manured, as I
find that the young plants come best through the
winter on ground that has not been recently ma-
nured, and as this is something in the nature of a
catch crop to till a possible gap, I do not look
for the very large fleshy leaves which are produced
at other seasons, and am well content if those
produced are of fair size and good colour. I still
advise that a light dressing of well pulverised gas-
lime be given, and that where the soil is heavy
and the situation low, ridged beds bo formrl as
described by mo some weeks back. Where
Onions or Strawberries have been the previous
occupants of the ground, they will have left the
surface too bard for Spinach to follow without
some breaking up, and my practice is to rrark out
the site of each bed, then to break the -urfaco
with a fork to a depth of about fi inches. Sii • w over
this a sprinkling of the gas-lime and then throw
the soil from the alloys on to the surface, making
the alleys more or less deep, according to the na-
ture of the soil and position of the plot. Drills
are then drawn, the seed sown, covered, and again
a sprinkling of lime is given. Where this sowing
follows Potatoes or any crop which has had to be
dug out of the ground, no further digging will bo
necessary, a fairly firm root-run being best suited
to growth of a hardy nature. Main-crop Spinach
will now be ready for thinning. It has had
a floe growing time, as rain has fallen in plenty
at last. Oi the two varieties chosen, viz., Long-
standing Prickly and Victoria Round, the former
appears at present to be a little in advance of and
deeper in colour than the Victoria, but it is too
early to judge of their mirits. Thin at first to
about .'{ inches apart and then postpone further
thinning until the plants are well into the broad
leaves. The thinnings will then be big enough
for cooking, and the best and healthiest-looking
plants can be easily seen and left, regularity in
distances apart not being nearly so important as
healthy and vigorous plants, Spinach being a crop
in which individual plants vary greatly.

Tomatoes. — Every available means of hastening
the development and ripening of outdoor Toma-
toes should now bo brought into use, ar,d nothing
is more likely to bring about the desired elloct
than to cover the plants with any spare lights
that may be available, and which may be stood on
end in an almost perpendicular position, so as to
bring the glass as close as may be to the fruit,
fa-rening them in some way to prevent their being
blown over and emathed in case of wind. Previous
to covering them in such fashion the plants should
be closely looked over for lateral growth, which
must be removed, and the points of any leaves
may also be judiciously cut away to expose
bunches of fruit to full 'light. This defoliation
must not be done in a careless or a wholesale
manner, as in this case it would only check the
development we wish to encourage ; and though
fruits not yet commencing to colour may do so
under the influence of extra sunshine which thev
get by cutting away the foliage, they will bo
found both hollow and badly flavoured and more
like the cheap imported fruits we see. In cases
where it is possible to udmit light to the bunches
by tying back the foliage and leaving it intact,
I much prefer serving it in this way, more especi-
ally in a season like the present one when growth

has not been gross. Olazed lights are preferable
to any other form of covering at present, as they
add to the ripening powers of the sun and keep
the fruits dry and free from splitting, and conse-
(|uent decay in showery weather, but in places
where they aie not available, some covering
material must bo brought into reijuisition for use
at night until the plants or the fruits are cleared
from the walls, which should only bo done when
the nights get too cold to allow the fruits to swell
any more on the plants, for those that reach full
size before being plucked will with care ripen up
later on and extend the season well into late
autumn. Fruiting plants under glass which are
still unstopped should be encouragtd to get some
further bunches of fruit if they are undiminished in
vigour and show signs of ability to continue fruit-
ing. Such plants if in a cold houi-o and in pots
may be removed to warmer <iuartcis on the ap-
proach of frost, where they will still further extend
the season. Those plantsgrown specially for winter
fruiting will now have received thtir final shift
into S inch or 9 inch pots, and the sooner they are
got into their fruiting c|uarters the better they
will be, as it will be possible to acclimatise them
to the closer atmosphere of the pit or house moie
gradually now than later. All the surroundings
should be kept perfectly sweet and as airy as may
be, while watering will need to be done with
caution, an overdose from now onward being
fatal.

Blamiiing salads. — Some of the earliest
Celery if treated as previously advised will now
be ready for salad or for cooking, but as it will
not all be required at once, it will be advisable to
add more soil to the ridges at the end of the row
or rows which will come in last for use. This will
give an increased length of blanched heart and
add to the crispness of that already in an
advanced stage of blanching. Cos I^ottuces can
no longer be depended upon to blanch their hearts
thoroughly without assistance, even though they
belong to the self-folding section, but if they are
tied up while in a dry state some ten days or a
fortnight before being wanted, a perfectly blanched
heart will be the result, that is if the plants were
well grown and forward enough before being tied.
The Broad-leaved Batavian Endive may be
served in the same same way if cared for thus
early and if full-grown plants are already avail-
able, as the broad outside leaves can bo arranged
to form a perfect cover for the hearts, and can
then bo titd in position. Curled Endive is not
suitable for this method of treatment and must be
covered, a few at a time according to re(iuire-
ments, with inverted flower-pots, pans or similar
covering, and any holes in the same must be
closed to prevent access of light. It is not wise
to cover many at once, as they soon spoil after
blanching.

Mi'siiKiio.MS.— Continue to collect manure for
Mushroom beds, as it does not pay to allow too
long an interval to elapse between making up the
beds if a constant supply is important. 1 should
like hero to give a note of warning concerning the
manure dropped after the horses have received the
weekly bran mash which they get in some places.
This manure should bo discarded, as it will, if
used, turn the whole bulk sour and unwholesome,
and I look on it with e()ual suspicion to that I
have for manure drop|ied after tho horses have
received phjsic in any other form. It may not
actually destroy the producing powers ot the
beds, but I am convinced that it goes a long way
in that direction.

(iK.NKKAL \v(jkk.— Continue to hoe and weed
amongst all young crops, as the rains and heat
combined have given a considerable impetus to
the weed crop, and the growing weather is also
telling on cultivated plan's, which are being
rushed along quickly, but which are none the less
liable to be choked by the Kjually rapid weed
growth. Although the planting of early Cabbages
will soon bo in vogue, it will pay to go over tho
seedbed and thin down the young plants to such
a number of the best as will cover the rtijuire-
ments, it being a shortsighted policy for tho
private grower to leave (as is sometimes done to

the detriment of the crop) three or four times tho
number of young plants that will be needed. A
certain surplus should be left to allow for con-
tingencies that may arise, but these do not warrant
the excessively thick seed-beds so often seen. Pick
all Tomatoes from outside before they are fully
ripe, as they will finish equally well and more
safely in dry quarters under glass. Fruit allowed
to ripen on the plants soon spoils in showery
weather. J. C. Tallack.

FRUIT UNDER GLASS.
Latk vinekie.s.— Careful attention will now be
needed with all Grapes that are completing their
ripening. In the case of Muscats, which refjuire
more heat to finish them well than most other
varieties, a steady circulation should be main-
tained in the hot-water pipes during the day when-
ever the weather is dull, but they should not on
any account be hurried by too much fire-heat,
especially if a free circulation of air cannot be
admitted, or shanking will follow. With bright
sunshine the ventilators ought to be opened
as wide as possible, but on cold, damp days
a slight current passing through will be suffi-
cient. It is a mistake to get the pipes over-
heated oven in cold, dull weather, as by so
doing far more harm than good is the result.
With proper attention Muscats may be got to
ripen well in October if due attention be paid to
the regulation of tho foliage, so that all the light
possible may be admitted. It is, however, well
not to stop the laterals on the spurs carrying the
bunches too closely, as these will assist in keeping
up a better flow ot sap till the fruit has coloured ;
at the same time, overcrowding of tho foliage
ought to be carefully avoided.

Late hoi'sks consisting of mixed varieties of
Grapes are diiiicult to deal with, as some require
more heat than others to bring tho fruit to per-
fection. Madresfield Court, for instance, will
colour well in a temperature of 50° by night, but
there must always be a free circulation of air
with a rather dry atmosphere. It does not
do to allow any sudden changes in the tempera-
ture where this (irape is ripening, and no
moisture should be allowed to settle on the
berries, or cracking will be sure to follow. Tho
bunches should be carefully shaded from the
bright sunshine, or they will not colour satisfac-
torily. Mrs. I'lnce's Black Muscat is another
variety seldom seen finished to perfection. To do
this well a long season should be allowed for its
ripening, and, like the Muscat of Alexandria, it
requires a brisk heat, with a free circulation of air,
or the flavour will bo dtlicient. There are many
good-flavoured Grapes that are but little culti-
vated, except in establishments where quality has
the first place. Such, for example, are Royal
Muscadine, Muscat Hamburgh, West's St. Peter's,
Alnwick Seedling, and Ferdinand de Lesseps.
With these, very careful treatment must be
given after the berries have commenced to colour,
for the skins being thin, thty suffer more from
damp than other kinds. Where Grapes are grown
for hanging till late in the se■^Fon, a steady heat
must be maintained in the hot-water pipes till
they have finished colouring, with a free circula-
tion of air both night and day. Strict attention
must be pakl to the borders, for on no account
must they be allowed to uet dry, or the berries
will not finish properly. Water should alwajs be
given in the morning when there is an appearance
of a hot day, that the superfluous moisture may
pass oil before nightfall.

Rii'K (iKAi'Ks.— A sharp look-out must be kept
in houses where these are hanging, both for wasps,
mice, and damping. To guard aguinst the first,
bags should boused to put the bunches into as soon
as ripe : they should, however, be of sufficient
size to hang clear of tho bunches that a circula-
tion of air may pass through them. Mice should
be trapped on their first appearance, and to avoid
damping, take off the bags occasionally and re-
move any berries that may be the least afl'ected.

Eaki.v housks -The foliage will now bo fall-
ing from Vines that were forced early, but it

September 5, 189G.]

THE GARDEN.

189

should by no means be hurried down till quite
ready. In such houssB where the lights are fix-
tures, admit all the air possible by leaving the
ventilators fully open both night and day. The
borders should not be allowed to become too dry,
or the roots w ill sutler, but as there is less activity,
it will not be neceaeary to water very often.
Where there is any doubt about the roots of Vines
being in an unsatisfactory condition, the present
is a good time to lift them. It is important to
get such work done while there is still sufficient
warmth in the soil and before the leaves have all
fallen. Lifting Vine roots is no easy task, as it is
an operation requiring much care, and, therefore,
takes up a considerable amount of time. In most
instances it would be far better to lift them out
wholesale and plant afresh than to attempt reno
vation. I will as an example take an old Vin«
that has done service, fay, for twenty years or
more, and whose roots were not confined by a
brick wall. If the soil twenty or even thirt\
yards away be examined, it will be found thai
most of the roots have extended to that distance.
If this be so, what is the use of cutting them off
at 15 feet or 18 feet from the house ? I remember
an instance where an old vinery stood against a
kitchen garden wall, the Vines having done duty
for upwards of fifty years, and finished their crop
remarkably well each season, the roots having
taken possession of the kitchen garden, some SO
yards away. They were particularly active in a
piece that had been dug an extra depth and
liberally manured for Onions. Had any attempt
been made to lift them, failure would have I
inevitable. I have seen Vines hfted which have
taken two years to recover, the rods all that time
occupying thevaluableroof space that might have
been devoted to another crop. If an attempt be
made to lift Vines, it should first be ascertained
if the work can be done profitably ; if not, then
it would be far better not to attempt it. Gar-
deners, as a rule, usually have to look a long way
ahead, and those who are unable to sacrifice a
crop would do well to start the Vines intended
to be destroyed early, so that the crop may
be ripe during the month of May. Prepara-
tions can then be made for planting young
Vines in the manner before described. The culti-
vator need then have no cause to worry about
not being able to keep up a supply, for if healthy
young canes are ready for planting by the time
the crop is cut, rods may be had from 6 feet to
8 feet in length, well set with plump buds that
will produce fine bunches. It is, however, not well
to overcrop at a start, or the Vines will be ex-
hausted too soon. Where such is intended, pre-
parations should now be made by getting the mate
rials ready for new borders. Let me not be mis-
understood about lifting, for often where the roots
are confined in a narrow border they get down into
the subeoil, and when such is the case it is seldom
the Grapes colour well. If a trench be opened out
close to the wall on the outside of the border and
the roots gradually worked out of the soil, taking
care not to injure them more than can be avoided,
they may be brought nearer to the surface where
the soil is warmed by the action of the sun.
Before filling in with fresh compost see that the
drainage is perfect and that there is ample outlet
for the water to get away (]uickly. Should the
weather be warm at the time of lifting, the syringe
must be freely used to keep the roots moist, and
damp mats ought to be in readiness for covering
them with. It is preferable to choose a dull day
if possible, as then the roots are not so liable to
suffer from the drying influence of the sun. The
soil should also be close at hand, that as little
time as possible may be spent in completing the
work.

Pot Vines.— Those intended for early forcing
will by this be shedding their foliage. The U aves
should not, however, in any case be hurrieil off,
for as long as there is any green in them they
have a work to do in plumping up the buds.
Take care that the soil in the pots does not be-
come dry, for though root action is not very
active, it is necessary that sufficient moisture be
afforded to keep them plump and ready to start

afresh as soon as the plants are placed in heat.
When all the leaves have fallen, the lateral growths
should be cut off close to the rod, the latter being
shortened to the desired length, that the wound
may heal over before the Vines are introduced
into heat. H. C. Prinsep.

Fruit and Vegetable Crops.

EASTERN.

Shadwell Court, near Thetford, Norfolk
— Apples under average. Pears, Williams
and early sorts, average; late, much under.
Plums average on walls, standards nearly £
failure. Cherriescanker and dieoff. Peaches and
Nectarines average. Apricots much under. Cur
rants under, small, blighted. Gooseberries abun
dant. Strawberries average. Nuts average. Figs
under average.

After a favourable winter spring vegetabl
very good ; since then, from the long-continued
drought, all crops have sufi'ered. We lie high and
dry. — J. Clarke.

Barkby Hall, near Leicester.— The fruit
crop in this neighbourhood, with few exceptions if
a failure. We had 9' of frost the last day of March,
which destroyed most of the blossom ; winter
moth and Apple blossom weevil were also very
destructive. In our own garden we fight against
these foes, and protect against frosts as much as
possible, and we have good crops of nearly all
kinds of fruit. Apples good, Pears moderate,
Plums fair, Apricots good. Peaches good, Cherries
good. Currants of both kinds and Gooseberries
good, Raspberries good. Strawberries light, owing
to frost killing blossom.

Vegetables are looking well in this neighbour-
hood. Potatoes especially. Onion grub very de
structive in the neighbourhood, but therearegood
crops where the Onions were transplanted early.
Peas are good, although the dry weather is tellini
on them now. — .J. Lansdell.

GrimBthorpe, Bourne, Lincolnshire. -
Considering the hot, dry weather we have had the
fruit crops in this district are looking well. Straw
berries have suffered most; the early kinds have
done best. We had a very good crop of Royal
Sovereign, Noble, Vicomtesse H. de Thury, and
Keens' Seedling. The later kinds did not swell
their fruit owing to dry weather. Apples and
Pears promise very well. Plums have fallen dur-
ing the past fortnight, more especially from the
trees on the walls. Peaches and Apricots were
never better. There is abundance of Nuts.

The Potato crops both in the fields and gardens
are looking well, and good sound tubers are now
being lifted of the early kinds; the later sorts
would further improve with a good moistening of
the soil. The Peas have not done very well ; being
so dry, it is difficult for them to fill and mildew is
very bad. The season for early and second earlies
has been short.— H. Naylor.

Scawby Hall, Lincoln.— The fruit and vege-
table crops in this district are, with few excep-
tions, good. Gooseberries, Red and White Cur-
rants, Strawberries, and Raspberries are heavy
crops. Black Currants are only moderate. Apples
are medium. Pears, Pliims, and Cherries are
rather thin, so many having fallen oft' as soon as
they had got nicely formed, which, I think, was
the effect of some very cold nights the last week
in May. Damsons are good, but the trees have
suffered a good deal from green fly. Apricots are
good. Figs and Peaches on outside walls good.
Medlars good. Walnuts the heaviest crop I have
known.

All vegetables, except Onions, which are
patchy, partially owing to the dry state of the
soil during germination and a most persistent
attack of maggot, are good. Carrots, Beet, Par-
snips, Leeks, Potatoes, and all salading have
greatly improved since the late rains.— E. Semi'ER.

"Wilbraham Temple, Cambs.- 1 am .sorry
to have to inform you that our fruit and vege-

table crops are very poor indeed. Peas nearly a
failure, the worst I ever knew ; half a crop of
early ones, and, 1 may say, not so many of later
sowmgs. American Wonder did fairly well, also
Sangster's No. 1, but all the others are
very bad up to the time of writing, Ne Plus
Ultra, Veitch's Perfection, Sharpe's Queen, Duke
of Albany, and several others not worth looking
at. Red Currants, rather thin crop ; Black, very
good. Half a crop of Strawberries and Rasp-
berries. Not many Apples, falling off owing to
the want of rain. We have also a half crop of Pears.
Dwarf Beans look like being a very short supply,
also Runners.— C. Potter.

Babraham, Cambridge.— The prospect for
fruit this year was very good, but the season has
not been favourable. Apples, Pears, and Plums
are not a good crop. Some sorts of Apples are
carrying good crops, most noticeable being Prince
Albert, Dumelow's, Grenadier, Tower of Glamie,
Mere de Manage, Peasgood's, Annie Elizabeth,
Red Junoating, Brabant Bellefleur, Lady Sudeley,
Mr. Gladstone, Hoary Morning, Ribston, Bis-
marck, and Gascoigne's Scarlet. These are all good,
and some trees of Cox's Orange are good. Lord
Suffield is best among Codlins. Ecklinville is a
fair crop, not so free as usual. The Plums were
in full blossom at the time we had a sharp frost,
and being wet it spoilt them. Victoria, Black
Imperial and Dymond are the best. Wall trees
are carrying full crops. All the best sorts of
Pears are a failure. 1 have not seen the insect
pest so troublesome before, especially on Plums.
Cherries are a good crop, and Apricots, Peaches,
and Nectarines are good even on a north aspect,
but they have taken a lot of trouble to keep clean
by watering and syringing, the drought being
very bad here. Red and Black Currants are a
good crop, and Raspberries fair, but small.
Strawberries were very good at first, but later
sorts have been spoilt by drought. Nuts,
Quinces, and Medlars are full crops.

The earliest vegetables have done well. Peas,
Cauliflower, and Cabbage were very good, but
since the drought set in it has been most difficult/
to keepup asuccession. Cabbages were early and
good; EUam's Dwarf and Veitch's Rtain-crop being
the best. I have had no bolting with these two,
but of Enfield and Nonpareil growing under same
conditions 80 per cent bolted. Sutton's Little Gem
is very useful for spring sowing. Among Cauli-
flowers, Early Forcing and Walcheren are the
best. Potatoes are turning out well and free from
disease, but no doubt when rain comes they will
grow out if not lifted. — J. Hill.

MIDLAND.
Madresfleld Court, Great Malvern.—

Apples are a light crop, partly owing to weakness
caused from overcropping last year and partly
due to a bad attack of Apple blossom weevils and
caterpillars. The old Keswick Codlin is the best
cropper in this neighbourhood, good dessert kinds
being least abundant. Pears are much better,
trees clean and good, althcjugh the Pear midge
gave some trouble ; the fruit will evidently be
small. Peaches and Nectarines are very good ;
thinning has been a heavy business ; aphides were
very persistent in the early stages and attacked
the trees again and again in the most determined
manner. Plums and Cherries suffered somewhat
from their depredations, but crops were saved.
Strawberries were a light crop and soon over,
owing to the extreme drought. Gooseberries,
Raspberries, and Currants were average crops,
individual fruit being below average size. All
kinds of fruit, without exception, were of the
fullest flavour. Apricot.s were a full crop, which
ripened very early, and of delicious flavour. The

sason altogether has been a very precocious one,

ith the smallest rainfall on record to date. — W.
Crumi'.

Coddington Hall, Newark.— The fruit crops
in this district are under the average. There was

great promise in spring, but just when the fruit
was setting, cold, cutting winds came, and Apple,

190

THE CxARBEN.

[September 5, 1896,

Pear, and Plum trees were suddenly changed
from snowy whiteness to a dingy brown, the foli-
age also suflering proportionately. Plums in or-
chards and open gardens are yielding barely half
a crop, Victoria, as usual, havini; stood the
ordeal best. On walls the crop is better, Trans-
parent t^age, Denniston's Superb, Oullin's (Jolden
Gage, and the never failing Pershore Yellow Egg
having good crops. Damsons are a very thin
crop. Pears on walls hereabouts are much under
average and the thinnest crop I have had for the
past thirteen jears. On espaliers, however, Pit-
maston Duchess, Beurr<- de Capiaumont, .largo
nelle. Doyenne du Comice, Flemish Beauty, Sou-
venir du Congres, and Beurro d'Aremburg are
well cropped with good clean fruit. Apricots are
plentiful, although on trees well mulched and
watered many of the fruit cracks, owing, I think,
to sudden and extreme atmospheric changes.
The Apple crop will not be so good as was at one
time expected, great quantities of the fruit hav-
ing fallen in a maggoty condition. Sorts that are
bearing well here are Duchess of Oldenburg,
Bramley's Seedling, Tower of Glamis, Lord Suf-
field, Devonshire Quarrenden, Cox's Orange Pip-
pin, King of Pippins, and Sturmer Pippin. On
espaliers, Stirling Castle, Lady Sudeley, Alexan-
der, Cox's Orange, Irish Peach, Team's Pippin,
King of Pippins, and Cox's Pomona are very
satisfactory. Peaches and Nectarines on open
walls are excellent, thanks to repeated washings
in spring with quassia extract, the best and safest
fruit tree insecticide I know of, root mulch-

ings

nd liberal waterings, but the earwigs, of

which I have already trapped thousands, will
I fear, spoil many of the best fruits as soon
as they commence to soften. Cherries of
all sorts were a very good crop, but the
fruit was small, owing to lack of moisture.
Raspberries have been very poor both in quan-
tity and quality, the cutting winds early in
the season being responsible for this. Baum-
forth's Seedling has done the best in this garden.
Gooseberries were about half a crop, much havoc
being wrought by the dreaded caterpillar, which,
however, I always manage to stop by one or two
good dustings of lime and soot applied imme-
diately the pests commence at the base of the
trees. The few fruits which get soiled can easily
be washed before being used. Black Currants
were only half a crop, but Reds have been a full
crop and very fine. Strawberries were under the
average, late frosts having ruined many of the
earliest and best blooms. In midland and northern
districts Strawberries having abundance of foliage
to protect the blossom are invaluable.

Vegetables in this locality have done very well,
except early Potatoes, which were small, owing to
insufficient root moisture. Later crops and those
in fields are looking very well. The Pea season
has been short, successional sowings following
each other too quickly, especially on warm,
shallow soils. Winter greens of a)l kinds look
well so far. Tomatoes on open walls are doing
capitally both in this and neighbouring gardens,
Chemin and Regina being specially fine. — John
Crawford.

Ettinffton Park, Stratford - on - Avon. —
Apples, Pears, and all stone fruit under average.
The trees were severely taxed last year with such
heavy crops. They bloomed well, but with such
a dry winter and spring a great quantity of the
fruit fell off. Black Currants and Gooseberries
under the average. Strawberries, where well
watered, are abundant, also Raspberries and Red
Currants.

Respecting vegetables I cannot give a very
favourable account. Potatoes are small, owing to
the drought.— William Havlock.

Kirklevirgton Hall, Yarm, Yorke.— The
fruit crops in this district are not heavy, but, on
the whole, there is not much to complain of. The
trees in spring were very thickly covered with
bloom, but the dry weather throughout May was
not conducive to a good set. Apples are an
average crop on mcst trees, the best being
Thane's Prince Albert, Stirling Castle, Manks,
Keswick Ccdlin, and Cox's Pomona. Peare are an

average crop, some trees bearing heavy crops,
Winter Nelis, Beurr^ Clairgeau and Clapp's
Favourite being the best. Plums are up to the
average, Victoria and Jefferson bearing best.
Morello Cherries are a good crop, but small.
Strawberries have also had a heavy crop. Vicom-
tesse H. de Thury and President have been
splendid. Raspberries are a good crop. tJoose-
berries and Red and Black Currants are an enor-
mous crop, but small.

Vegetables of all sorts are good. Peas are
doing remarkably well, being all sown in trenche?,
Chelsea Gem, Dickson's First and Best and
Earliest of All being my best for early work,
Duke of Albany, Prizetaker, Prodigy, Sharpe's
Queen and Telephone for mid season, with Ne Plus
Ultra, British Queen and Omega for late crops. —
Alexander Cusmncilvm.

Warwick Caetle. — Apples and Pears are a
very irregular crop. In some gardens the trees
are loaded, in others the crop is a failure. Rain
is wanted very bac"ly, as the fruit is dropping fast,
and that remaining on the trees seems likely to
be undersized on account of the drought. Among
Apples the following varieties are carrying the
best crops ; Irish I'each, Duke of Devonshire, Red
Margaret, Lord Suttield, King of the Pippins,
Worcester Pearmain, New Hawthornden, Lane's
Prince Albeit, Lady Sudeley, and King of Tom-
kins County. The following varieties of Pears are
also carrying good crops: Doyenne Boussoch, Win-
ter Nelis, Beurre Bachelier, Durondeau, Williams'
Bon Chretien, and Flemish Beauty. Plums and
Damsons are scarce, with the exception of Vic-
toria, which is bearing good crops generally, and
in some instances very heavy ones. Strawberries
have given a heavy crop of fine quality, as colour
and flavour were good. Raspberries, Red Cur-
rants, and Gooseberries very abundant. Black
Currants average. Peaches and Nectarines about
an average crop. Where watering has been well
attended to the fruits promise to be good ; where,
however, watering has been neglected the trees
have sufi'ered badly from the attacks of black
aphides, and the fruit is in consequence email.
Apricots are a failure.

The Potato crop is an excellent one in every
way, for although the tubers are not large, they
are round and firm, and as yet I have neither
noticed nor heard of the slightest trace of disease.
Onions have sufl'ered but little this year from the
ravages of maggot ; consequently the beds in the
majority of gardens are even, although the bulbs
promise to be small on account of the recent
drought. Carrots and Beet look extremely well,
and being deep rooters do not seem to have
suffered greatly from want of rain. Runner Beans
seem to delight in the recent tropical weather ;
the crop is abundant. Recently planted Cole-
worts require rain badly ; in fact that is the one
thing which is so greatly needed at the present
time for vegetation of all descriptions. Where
heavy mulchings with manure and occasional
waterings were given. Peas have been good, but
without such necessary attention the results have
not been satisfactory.— H. Dunkin.

Hardwick Hall, Chesterfield. — Apples
very thin crop. Pears heavy crop. Plums very
heavy. Damsons fair crop. Nuts very thin, ex-
cept Walnuts, which are good. Gooseberries
heavy. Red Currants extra good ; Black Currants
good. Strawberries abundant and large. Rasp-
berries abundant.

Early Potatoes heavy and clean ; l.ate look pro-
mising. The best early is Ringleader, the best
late The Brinkworth, which is especially good and
flourv.— E. Wilson.

Hopton Hall, Wiiksworth, Derbyshire.—
Apples, Plums, Cherries, Currants of sorts. Goose-
berries of sorts and Paspberries exceed the crop
of last year. Gunton Park Strawberry is very fine
in colour, size and cropping. The old variety
President has done wonders. British Queen has also
been good.

Autumn and spring-sown Onions are very fine.
Potatoes are turning out clean and good. Peas
are always a success, though never watered or
mulched. Exonian has become a favourite.

Bliss's Abundance is a true amateur's Pea, early
and good, being dwarf. Empress is a good all-
round Pea. Alderman, now in full gathering, 8
feet, enormous crop and good. Alfred the Great,
sown with Aldtrman, is a week or more later, but
follows it closely in all other points. Duchess Pea
is an enormous cropper and does well for late sow-
ing. Ne Plus Ultra, when pinched in, nothing
can beat. Walker's Perpetual Bearer is also a
valuable Pea.— G. Bolas.

Knowsley Gardens, Prescot. — Apples here
are a very heavy crop, trees very clean and fruit
fine and large. Pears are only moderate. These
were a wonderful show and set, but owing to the
long and severe drought they nearly all dropped
off. Plums almost a failure. Peaches and Necta- •
rines under average, but good. Cherries good.
Bush fruit good. Raspberries good. Strawber-
ries very good, but soon over. "The best varieties
here have been Royal Sovereign, Leader, Monarch,
La Grosse Sucrt-e, James Veitch (extra), British
Queen and Latest of All.

Potatoes are a splendid crop, being of good size
and no diseased tubers. Peas, although it has
been such a dry, hot season, have been splendid
and are still doing well. The following varieties
I have found best: Early— Chelsea Gem, The
Stanley, Eureka, and Early Marrow; midseason —
Main-crop, Dwarf Mammoth, Peerless, Royal Gem,
and Stratagem; late— Windsor Castle, Autocrat,
Sturdy, Chelsonian, and Veitch's Perfection. —

RliI'.ERT DOK.

South Lodge, Leek Wootton, ■Warwick.—

Fruit and vegetable crops in this neighbourhood
are, on the whole, very good. We have had a
splendid crop of Strawberries. Raspberries,
Currants and Gooseberries abundant. Apricots,
Plums and Pears good crops. Apples rather thin
on light soil, on heavy very promising.

Vegetables on the whole very good. — J. W.
Hack vale.

Elvaston Castle Gardens, Derby.— The
fruit crop is remarkably good considering the
enormous burden of last year. Many of the best
sorts of Apples are bearing heavy crops, such as
Blenheim, Cox's Orange, Washington, Lady Sude-
ley, Northern Spy and Cornish Gilliflower.
Kitchen kinds are also good, amongst the best
being Lord Suffield, Domino, Peasgood's, Northern
Greening and Bymer's, but owing to the drought
they are undersized. Pears, which are deeper
rooting than Apples, are good ; such sorts as
Williams' Bon (Chretien, Louise Bonne, Beurre
Hardy, Beurre Diel and Bergamots are heavily
laden. I do not think we have a barren tree ;
some of the newer sorts premise well. Dr. Jules
Guyot, Rivers' Beacon, Magnate, and Triomphe
de Venice are bearing heavy and fine, clean
fruit. Strawberries were moderate in size and
quantity, but the quality very good. Royal
Sovereign promises to be a great acqui8itioi>
as an early forcer, setting freely and keeping
fairly well after being ripe. Apricots are a good
crop, also Plums on walls with west aspect. Both
sweet and Morello Cherries are excellent. Nuts
are plentiful. Walnut trees are breaking down
with their heavy burden. Gooseberries, Rasp-
berries and Currants are good.— J. H. Goodacrb.

Kingswood Grange, "Warwick. — Apples in
this district are generally light. A few standard
trees of Lord Suffield, Devonshire Quarrenden,
Blenheim Orange, and Wellington are carrying
average crops ; bush trees are in most cases very
light. Pears, as a rule, are clean and good ; the
best are Beurre d'Amanlis (good crop), Williams'
Bon Chretien, Jersey Gratioli, Louise Bonne of
Jersey, and Forelle, principally on standard
trees : wall trees and espaliers very poor, but the
fruit is fine and good. Plums have suffered very
much from aphis and red spider ; consequently
the fruit is very thin and of poor quality. A few
standard trees of Victoria and Magnum Bonum
are carrying a fair crop of clean fruits. On walls
Plums are much below the average crop. Damsons
in some instances are fair, but not a tilhe of last
season's crop. Cherries are not grown exten-
sively in this neighbourhood. May Duke was about

September 5, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

191

an average crop, other varieties almost a failure.
Strawberries a heavy crop, La Grosse Sucr^e,
Royal Sovereign, Sir J. Paxton, and President

t being very tine. Gooseberries a fair average crop,

I clean, and of good quality. Raspberries were
good the early part of the season, but the weather
being so dry they were soon over. Red Currant-
very light in these gardens this season ; the birds

; were very troublesome and destroyed most of the
buds. Black Currants rather small. The trees

■ are very much blighted and have also suffered

I from the prolonged drought.

i Vegetable crops in this locality are anything

but promising ; everything is suffering from want
of rain. All green vegetables have to be watered
to keep up the supply. Peas are going off pre-
maturely, also Broad Beans, and where not
watered French and Runner Beans are showing
signs of distress. Early Peas did fairly well. One
exception was Dickson's Harbinger; this sur-
passed all the other varieties I grow in every
point. It was tested side by side with two stan-
dard varieties sown at the same time. Early
Potatoes have turned out well considering the
dry season ; Sharpe's Victor and Early Ring
leader were ready early in .June and gave a fair
crop of good-sized tubers. — H. Slakk.

Alfreton Hall, Derbysliire. — The fruit crops
in these gardens are very good. Apples a very
good crop. Apricots a good crop. Peaches and
Nectarines good crop. Pears a very fair crop.
Plums half a crop. Damsons poor, owing to the
blight. Strawberries, Raspberries, Gooseberries,
and all small fruits an abundant crop. Fruit
trees of all sorts promised an abundant crop in
the spring, but the severe frost on the night of
May 20 destroyed a very great deal, especially
those in an exposed position. The crops in the
neighbourhood seem to be very good on the
whole. Apples in some places promise to be a
very heavy crop.

Vegetable crops look very promising, excepting
Cauliflowers, which have been attacked badly by
the grub. Early Potatoes are very small. Late
Potatoes promise well. Peas in this garden were
very early this year ; the earliest was Veitch's
Selected Early. I sowed inside on January 2,3,
planted out on a good south border on March 4,
and picked on May 21, which I consider very
early for Derbyshire. I had William the First
sown on March 4 and Veitch's Earliest Marrow
Pea sown on the same date, and the latter variety
was picked the same day as William the First.
So in future I intend to grow the Earliest Marrow
Pea for a first early ; it is a very good Pea. Dr.
Maclean is one I grow rather extensively. Sharpe's
Queen does well here also and looks very promis-
ing and very robust, but Ne Plus Ultra I grow
for the mid-season and late crops ; in fact, I can-
not find any Pea to surpass it in flavour. Duke
of Albany I find a good Pea, but not such a
cropper as many of the others. Sutton's Al does
very well, also Telegraph and Telephone. — G. M.
Knight.

Connington Castle, Peterborough.— We
have suffered very much here from the drought,
our total rainfall for six months ending June .'50
being only a trifle over 6 inches. I did very
well, however, with early Peas, the three varieties
chiefly used being American Wonder, which
cropped splendidly, Dickson's First and Best, also
a good cropper, and Exonian. The second crop
failed entirely, as through stress of other work
I was unable to give it the necessary assist-
ance. This consisted chiefly of Duke of Albany
and Sharpe's Queen. Fortunately, I had a good
bed of Canadian Wonder Kidney Beans, sown in
March under portable lights, which cropped
splendidly and just came in right to fill the gap.
The main crop of Peas certainly looks more pro-
mising, Autocrat, Ne Plus Ultra, and Dickson's
Champion Marrowfat growing very strongly.
For late sowing I have found nothing to equal
Dickson's First and Best, as it is a splendid
cropper and of good flavour. It has been a very
difficult matter to get Turnips at all up to the
present, but with the welcome showers we have
just had I hope soon to succeed. There have

been a good many complaints about Cabbages
bolting this year, but I have been very fortunate,
and out of a large bed only lost about a
dozen. I grew Dickson's First and Best, which
is a famous Cabbage, Ellam's Dwarf and Wheeler's
Cocoa-nut. The only fault to find was, the second-
named variety stood no time before it split.

There is a fair crop of fruit all round here. The
greatest diligence is required to keep the wall
fruit from being destroyed by earwigs.— Harvey
W. Dawe.

NORTHERN.

Eslington Park, Northumberland. — In
this immediate locality few Apricots and Peaches
are grown, but they are better than usual this
year. Apples and Plums are good. Pears are thin,
owing to much of the bloom being destroyed by
frost on the morning of April 15, when we had
11°. Cherries are abundant, but small.

Among vegetables, both Carrots and Onions
have suffered severely from the fly. Potatoes have
grown well, but the early varieties are suffering
from the effects of the long and continued drought.
Among early Peas, William the First is still a
popular sort, but Sutton's A 1 is my favourite
after trying several varieties. When more plenti
f ul I believe it will be much grown ; it is a strong,
healthy grower, capital cropper, and being a
wrinkled Marrow is superior in flavour to William
the First and is ready to gather at the same time
as that useful sort. For midseason, the old Forty-
fold is still my favourite. This variety is far too
little grown. Among late varieties, Ne Plus Ultra
has no rival ; I generally have it from 8 feet to
10 feet in height, crop heavy, and the flavour and
appearance when cooked are unapproached. — J
Oliver.

Woreley Hall, Manchester.— Bush fruits
are a good crop, of excellent quality. Strawberries
much injured by late frost, all best fruits de
stroyed. Apples under average, much fruithaving
fallen lately on account of the unusual drought.
Pears a very thin crop, partly in consequence of
the heavy crops last year, partly injured by spring
frosts.

Peas do unusually well. I always have
plenty till destroyed by frost. I attribute this
partly to our humid atmosphere and partly to the
absence of lime and the presence of iron in the soil.
I have discontinued growing many of the older
sorts, but still stick to Champion of England.
William the First is our best early ; Duke of Albany
next, in every way a grand Pea ; Gladiator is a
fine dwarf sort, a wonderful cropper, good quality
and flavour. I also think highly of Veitch's Main-
crop, better than Veitch's Perfection, which I
cannot now grow to my satisfaction. Chelsonian is
an improvement on Ne Plus Ultra (which I al-
ways considered one of our best varieties), a tall
grower, but a good bearer, fine in size and extra in
colour and flavour. Telephone crops freely, but
is soon exhausted. I always grow Peas in pre-
pared trenches 5 feet apart with Spinach between ;
this gets cleared off before gathering time and
does not interfere with the crop. I seldom use
any artificial manures, being satisfied with the re-
sults from a fairly liberal dose of farmyard manure
and an occasional watering with weak liciuid. —
W. B. Ufjohn.

Ho-wick Hall, Lesbury. — The fruit and
vegetable crops in this district present on the
whole a promising appearance, owing to the fine-
ness of the spring. Gardeners and farmers were
able to put the seed in the ground under the most
favourable conditions, but the drought this season
has been quite phenomenal. From January 1 to
June 30 the total rainfall was only 8-19 inches, or
about 6 inches short of our average. The effect
of the drought has been disastrous on the Straw-
berry crop on light ground, but on good retentive
soils the fruit is turning out well and prices very
remunerative. The following varieties do well
here : President, Keens' Seedling, Auguete Bois-
selot, Kitley's Goliath, Scarlet Queen, Noble, The
Captain, and Sensation. Red and Black Currants,
Gooseberries, and Raspberries are giving us very I

heavy crops. Raspberry Superlative is in every
way the best grower and cropper I have tried, and
quite outstrips other varieties for [either dessert
or preserving. Apples are a heavy crop here ;
some of our best are Hunthouse, Domino, Beauty
of Moray, FuUwood, Stirling Castle, Lane's Prince
Albert, Warner's King, Ecklinville, and Prince of
Wales. Pears ate also good. Plums a full crop —
better than we have had for years.

The outlook for farmers is at present very satis-
factory. Potatoes are healthy, and at this season
of the year never looked better. Early crops are
lifting well and good in quality. The hay crop
is a variable one. Turnips are likely to be an
abundant crop. The cereal crop is expected to be
a fair average, although straw may be a little
short.— D. Inglis.

Kimbclton Castle.— Apricots and Peaches
are an average crop. Apples a heavy crop, but
fruit small. Strawberries an average crop, but
owing to the dry season soon over. Cherries, with
the exception of Morellos, are under average.
Raspberries a fair crop. Plums scarcely any.
Black Currants very good, but Red and White
very poor crops. Gooseberries a middling crop.
Filberts an abundant crop and fine.

Potatoes are a fair crop, but deficient in size.
Peas in many instances have been a complete
failure owing to the dry season. Onions looked
well, but are now attacked with mildew and going
off. Scarlet Runner Beans promise to be a good
crop. Among early Peas I find Exonian a very good
one, with William the First for a second early.
Gradus is very good for general use, and Ne Plus
Ultra for late crop. — J. Hewitt.

Oawthorpe Gardens, Burnley, Lancashire.
— Crops on the whole here are not so good as last
year owing to the very long spell of dry, hot
weather. Peas look about the best of the
vegetable crops. For a mid-season Pea, Senator is
the best I have grown.

Apples, Pears and Plums are never good here,
but this year we have none, Morello Cherries
came off in the stoning, so we have just about half
a crop. Strawberries a good crop, also Red
Currants, but Black very thin. Gooseberries a
light crop. — S. McMasters.

Abney Hall, Cheadle.— We have just
finished the Strawberry crop. It has been an
average one and of good quality, as very few of
the fruit damped owing to the fine weather.
Gooseberries are our heaviest crop ; other small
fruits are about average. Cherries are very thin.
Plums are under average. The Czar and one or two
other kinds have a fair sprinkling of fruit. Pears
in the majority of cases are a complete failure, and
Apples are a very thin crop.— R. MacKellar.

Elmet Hall, Leeds.- Apples of the follow-
ing kinds have an average crop : Keswick Codlin,
Lord SufEeld, Potts' Seedling, Yorkshire Beauty,
Domino, Stirling Castle, Margil, and Ribston
Pippin. Pears and Plums are below the average.
Cherries average, Morello good. Strawberries
above average. Royal Sovereign, Auguste Nicaise,
President, and Vicomtesse H. de Thury especially
fine and good. I always mulch very early in
spring with manure, consequently the plants do
not suffer from drought, as no doubt they would
have done this year. Gooseberries and Currants
above average. Raspberries average, though
rather small.

Potatoes are exceptionally good, clean, and
good in quality, with fully average crops in the
early varieties ; later kinds look equally promising.
Scarlet Runners and French Beans early and
good. Cabbages good. Cauliflowers rather small.
Lettuce especially fine, both Cabbage and Cos.
Carrots and Turnips good. Spring Onions are
vet}' small, but autumn sown are up to the
average. Globe Artichokes are very abundant
and good this year. — Tiics. Bonsall.

Capesthorpe, Chelford. — The fruit crops in
the gardens here and district are very satisfactory.
Strawberries have been a very heavy crop and the
fruits finely coloured. Apples and Pears are a
heavy crop, (juite equal to last year, and the trees
look in splendid health. Black and Red Currants,

192

THE CAPvDEK

1896.

R;i?pberries and Gooseberries are very good. I
never before saw finer Red Currants than we have
at present. Damsons — a large quantity of which
is grown here — are under average crop and the
trees look very sickly, being very much blighted.
Other varieties of Plums are a very good crop.

Vegetables, despite the long succession of dry
weather, look very well. Early Potatoes are
turning out very well, with tine, clean tubers.
Late varieties look in capital health. Peas are
doing well. For early work I sow Dickson's First
and Best, Dickson's H.arbinger (a fine new wrinkled
variety), William I. and Exonian. The last I find
to be the earliest. For second early I sow Duke
of Albanv, Sharpe's Queen, Sharpe's Paragon,
Telephone, and The Duchess. These I find to be
very useful Peas. For late work, I grow Autocrat
(a splendid late wrinkled variety) and Ne Plus
Ultra.— Ai.EX. Df.wau.

Castlerigg Manor, Keswick. — Apples here
are a fair crop. Pears under average. Plume
good. Walnuts good. Strawberries light crop,
Vicomtesse H. de Thury having done best. Black
and Red Currants are very good. Cherries light.
Gooseberries good.

Potatoes, early sorts very good, late sorts looking
well ; no disease as yet. Peas, owing to dry
season, have not done well, mildew being very
troublesome. — M. Haktwell.

Lowther, Penrith.— Apples are a very thin
crop indeed, much below average. There was
abundance of bloom. Owing to the hot and very
dry weather we had here during May and the
early part of June, maggot was very bad on most
of the trees, in many instances quite destroying
the crop, and causing a great check to the present
year's growth of wood. Pears are below average.
Plums are above average. Apricots and Straw-
berries average crop. Cherries and Raspberries
above average. Gooseberries and Currants are
an excellent crop.

All vegetable crops, with the exception of Cauli-
flowers and Turnips, are turning out well. Wire-
worm has been very prevalent amongst the former
and fly amongst the latter, owing to the hot and
dry weather we had during May. Our best Peas
are : early, American Wonder, Kentish Invicta
and William I.; mid-season, Telephone, Tele-
graph, Gradus and Dr. Maclean ; late, Ne Plus
Ultra.— F. Clarke.

Eden Hall, Langwathby.— With this quite
unusual spring in the north all fruit and vegetable
crops here are early. Very heavy crops of fine
fruit are to be seen all round this neighbourhood.
Apples are a tremendous crop, as also are Plums.
Pears are a good crop. Gooseberries and Currants
are abundant, and Raspberries very heavy and
extra fine. Strawberries are a heavy crop of fine
fruit, the beet sorts here being Vicomtesse Heri-
cart de Thury, Sir Joseph Paxton, and President.
Apricots are a good crop of nice fruit. I mulched
the trees in the early spring, and have since
watered repeatedly with manure water. Cherries
are a good crop also.— Arthuk C. Smith.

Oakwood Grange, Botherham. — Pears
about here are a complete failure. Apples are
much better ; the drought does not seem to 1
affected them. Plums and Cherries are also very
scarce in this neighbourhood. Of Gooseberries,
Strawberries, and Currants there is a good crop.
I have myself a fine crop of Peaches ; colour and
quality both good.

Peas have suffered very much from the want of
rain.— ALfHED Carienter.

Howick Honae, Preston. — We have had
very heavy crops of email fruits, such as Straw-
berries, Raspberries, Gooseberries, and Red Cur-
rants. Black Currants poor. Early Apples fair
crop, late varieties heavy crop. Pears very good.
Victoria Plums very heavy crop, other varieties
fair. Damsons fair.

Vegetables are very good considering the dry
eeaeon. I have had a very good crop of early
Peas. American Wonder, Dickson's First and
Beet, and William I. are the beet. Of midseaeon
and late kinds, Dr. Maclean is very good.
DucbesB I do not care much for. Duke of Albany

I consider the best of all Peas, and no one should
be without it ; the flavour is excellent. I also
grow Maclean's Best of All, Sharpe's Invincible,
ind Veitch's Perfection. Potatoes are good. Onions
are a failure with me, but very fair round the
ghbourhood. Carrots fair. Beet very good.
French and Runner Beans very good. — W. N.

W0(,D.

Alnwick Castle. — The Apple crop in orchards
very light. Lord SuflSeld, Lord Grosvenor,
Grenadier, Ecklinville, Dumelow's Seedling,
Lane's Prince Albert, Duchess of Oldenburg, and
Domino are bearing well. Ribston and Cox's
Orange good on walls. Apricots are a full crop,
with trees very healthy. Moorpark, Large New
E.arly, and Shipley are a trio, I should say, diffi-
cult to equal ; the young trees fruit quickly and
regularly if not over-cropped. Breda is much
earlier than either of the above, fine for preserv-

the drought in spite of heavy mulchings and
waterings. Apricots good. Cherries, dessert
kinds, good average crop ; Morellos heavy crop.
Black Currants I have never known better, while
Red and White are very good. Raspberries are
exceedingly good ; the variety Superlative is a
grand cropper and the fruits of great size.
Strawberries set a heavy crop, but the fruits were
small. Gooseberries good. — C. Bailey.

Stove and Greenhouse.

INDIAN AZALEAS.
The illustration here depicted shows the value
of Azaleas for conservatory and greenhouse
decoration. The pUnt illustrated cannot be

A double-flowered Ind
Brought

Azalea. From a photograph by Mi.
Hall, Skipton-in-C raven, Yorks.

ing. Plums are average crop. Cherries on walls
are good. May Duke very good. The Morello
has cast a large quantity of fruit. The Pear
crop is very irregular. Gooseberries very heavy.
Whitesmith, Whinham's Industry, Keepsake, and
Early Kent are fine market varieties. Black
Currants, Raspberries, and Red Currants are
good crops. Strawberries in the fields are not so
heavy as last year. McMahon is the one kind to
be relied on for regular cropping. Vicomtesse
always crops and is of fine flavour here, good for
preserving. In gardens Royal Sovereign promises
to do well as first early.

Early Potatoes are rather small. Late crops are
looking well. I'uritan is a good second early. — G.
Harri.s.

"Windlestone Hall, Durham.— The fruit
crops here and in the neighbourhood are very
good. Apples and Pears a heavy crop. Plums a
good average crop, but many dropped owing to

leas than fifty years old and has flowered in the
same pot for fifteen years. The flowers are
semi-double, of a deep salmon colour, the foliage
entirely hidden with the masses of bloom.
Standing in a vase with a background of rich
green, it was greatly admired. Each year it
receives after flowering several dressings of arti-
ficial manure with occasional waterings of weak
manure water. Undoubtedly the failing with
the future growth of imported Azaleas is due
to several causes — first, in not giving imme-
diate attention to the plants after flowering,
viz., to i)ick ofl' the seed-pods, and place in a
warm, moist house— the north .side of a low
span-roofed is the best, as far from the hot-
water pipes as possible ; with abundance of mois-
ture by .syringing and damping down, watering
at the root will be reduced to a minimum. With

September 5, 1896.]

THE GAEDEK

193

several applications of some artiScial manure,
plants imported wiU in the first year have
doubled in size, a sharp look-out being kept
for the appearance of thrips, which must be
stopped at once. Last season's imported plants
thus treated will now be well set with plump
buds, and have vigorous healthy foliage. On
removal to cooler quarters the change must be
gradual both as regards air and moisture, other-
wise much loss of leaves will be the result. An-
other frequent cause of unhealthy plants is
overwatering, especially during the first year
after potting. From the time imported plants
are potted and until they get well established
the greatest care is needed in watering. Ko tyro
should ever be allowed to do this ; on the other
hand, extreme dryness must be guarded against.
Of the earlier kinds, candidissima. Duchess
of Edinburgh, narcissiflora fl.-pl. &c., kinds
that force so well, will have been removed to
cooler quarters weeks ago, there being no diffi-
culty in having them well in flower by the new
year. Large specimens will give a .supply of cut
bloom for fully three months. Added to their
value for cut bloom at a time when flowers are
none too abundant, the length of their flowering
season and their rich and varied colours render
them the most beautiful and desirable class of
plants for the embellishment of both conserva-
tory and greenhouse. J. E.
Brougliton Hall.

DracsenaSanderiana. — Although when grown
singly this does not spread sufficiently to make a
useful plant, when three or more are grown to
gether it is very effective, and being of easy cul
ture and not at all inclined to run out or lose the
pretty silvery white variegation, it should become
a popular plant. Many plants with white varie-
gation are much inclined to run out, but as far as
my experience goes this Draca-na is constant. I
find cuttings strike freely in the stove propagating
pit, and after the first tops have been taken from
the plants they soon break out again and give a
further supply, but it is not advisable to keep the
plants cut back too close. They should be allowed
to grow to a good height before taking the first
top, and when they start again the next cutting
may be taken off close to the old stem. After
the first few cuttings have been taken the plants
should be let make a good growth before cutting
again. By careful treatment the same stock
plants will last a long time. Potted in a light
compost and grown in a moderate stove tempera
ture they soon make nice plants. If rooted
singly in small pots they may be put together
when ready for potting on, or they may be grown
on singly until required for use, and then put
together. Six plants put together into a pan
when they are from 15 inches to 18 inches high
are very effective in groups of mixed fine-foliaged
plants, and will be found to stand well. Phry-
nium variegatum and Cyperus alternifolius varie-
gatus are both very pretty silver variegated plants
when in good condition, but, unlike the Dracana,
they are much inclined to run out, especially the
Phrynium, which I find many people fail to grow
satisfactorily. — A.

Nerine Fothergilli major.— Many culti-
vators of Nerines complain that they find it diffi-
cult to grow them. Some fifteen years ago I saw
the splendid lot in bloom at The Dell, and was so
charmed with them that I resolved to grow them,
and have done so ever since. When I took charge
here some eight years ago I found a 6-inch pot
with three bulbs in it. I took it in hand and now
I have four pots full, the largest an S-inch one.
This has twenty bulbs in it, and at the present
time these are in full bloom and are bearing thir-
teen spikes, which are each from 2 feet to 2^
feet long, the heads proportionately large. It is

wonderful how strong these stems

This

plant was taken to a flower show m an open cart
a distance of four miles, and it did not need stak-
ing. With this rough treatment not one of the

blooms was broken. I find no difficulty in its cul-
ture. When the blooming is over these bulbs are
placed on a cold vinery shelf close to the glass and
allowed to remain there during the winter, giving
abundance of water. When the growth is well
advanced, I give the plants sprinkling four or
five times during the growing period of artificial
manure. This greatly assists them to make good
leafage. In the spring, when the weather is
warm enough to allow it, the plants are placed in
the cold Peach house on a shelf which is near the
glass and close to the front Ughts. In this posi-
tion they remain, and as the foliage ripens, water
is withheld and they are allowed to be dust-dry
for several weeks. I never water them, however
dry, till they begin to show their flower- spikes,
and then only gradually. When coming into
bloom they are removed to the greenhouse. The
bulbs, when they get too crowded, are shaken out
as soon as the blooming is over, divided, and
potted again into whatever size pots they are
most useful in. The soil I use is a sandy loam
with a little peat added, according to the nature
of the loam. With this I mix a little fine charcoal
and some very fine bones, potting firmly and giving
good drainage.— J. Crook, Forde Abbey.

ACHIMENES.

Most gesneraceous plants are remarkable for
the great beauty of their blossoms, and some of
them, such as Gloxinias, Streptocarpuses and
Gesneras, are in many places grown in consider-
able numbers. The same may to a certain, but
more limited extent be said of the different
Achimenes, for while in some gardens they
form one of the showiest summer features to be
found therein, in many they are conspicuoi
only by their absence. Perhaps this is in son
instances owing to the fact that Achimenes a
considered to re(iuire a large amoimt of heat
for their successful culture, which is by
means the case, and also that they are not of
much value for cutting, which is by many
regarded as the one thing necessary, for the
majority of purchasers now-a-days, when any
plant is brought under their notice, inquire at
once, " Is it a good thing to cut from ? " Though
in the case of Achimenes, this can scarcely be
answered in the affirmative, yet they are very
beautiful when grown as large specimens, as
small bushy plants in pots 5 inches or 6 inches
in diameter, or more particularly in suspended
baskets, as in this way they are highly satisfac-
tory.

In commencing the culture of Achimenes the
better way is to purchase some of the small
scaly tubercles during the winter months when
dormant, as they can then be easily sent to any
distance by post, and so quickly reach their
destination. They may be laid in pots or pans
and just covered with soil, when on the
return of spring, if kept slightly moist
and in a warm greenhouse or intermediate
temperature, they will quickly start into growth.
When the young shoots are about an inch long
is a very suitable time to remove them to the
pots, pans, or baskets in which they are to
flower, as if it is done at first the soil is apt to
get sour before the roots take possession of it.
A light, open soil in which well-decayed leaf-
mould plays a conspicuous part is very essential
to the Achimenes, and it should also be borne
in mind that the young foliage is very sensitive,
especially when grown in heat, and is particu-
larly liable to the attacks of insects and also to
be injured by an excess of sunshine. Fumiga-
tion requires to be very carefully done, and I
have known many plants sufler in this way,
but the introduction of the XL All fumigator
has done away with all this risk, and when the
plants are in full flower the insects may be
destroyed without injuring even the delicate

blooms. Of course, where Achimenes are re-
quired to bloom as early as possible they must
be started in a stove temperature and hardened
off afterwards, but for summer bloomiug in the
greenhouse they may be grown comparatively
cool all the time. The drainage should bj
thorough and the watering carefully dons,
especially in the earlier stages, but as the pots
get full of roots weak liquid manure will ba of
service. The fact that many of the beautiful
Gesnerads may ba grown with little or no heat
is very apt to be overlooked, but such is the
case, and I recently saw a fine batch of Glox-
inias that had been wintered in company with
tuberous Begonias in a greenhouse, and when
started into growth they were potted and placed
in an ordinary cold frame, and in pots 5 inches
in diameter they were flowering beautifully.
Of course care was taken to shut them up early
and to maintain as far as possible a humid,
growing atmosphere. At the end of July many
of the plants were full of flower, and very valu-
able for the greenhouse. Seeds of these diffe-
rent gesneraceous plants are as a rule easy to
obtain, and in nearly every case the plants so
obtained will flower in a short time. Whether
it be Gloxinias, Achimenes, Tyd?eas, Gesneras,
or Streptocarpus, the seeds should if possible
be sown in February in a stove temperature,
and the young plants encouraged to grow away
quickly. The seed is so minute that a little
extra care in sowing it is necessary ; hence the
soil should be passed through a sieve with a
quarter of an inch mesh, and the rough portion
may be placed over the crocks in the bottom of
the pot or pan for drainage. The soil having
been levelled and pressed moderately firm the
seed should be sown thinly but regularly there-
on, and the whole covered with a pane of glass
tiU germination takes place. Care must be
taken that the sun does not shine on the glass,
otherwise the tender seedlings will be roasted.
This caution is particularly necessary, as I have
seen many young plants lost in this way. The
after-treatment consists in pricking off when
large enough and in potting when necessary,
the other details being mere matters of routine.
— H. P.

These used to be grown much more than

now. Some twenty-five to thirty years ago they
made quite a display at summer and autumn ex-
hibitions. Many people are under the impression
that they need a stove or very warm house to do
them we'll, but this is not so. Anyone who has
a garden frame may grow them quite well. Some
years ago when residing in Purbeck Isle I used
to grow them in this way and have never had
better success. I used to store them in a cold
greenhouse during the winter. In spring they
were shaken out and potted into their blooming
pots. When the corms were potted they were
placed in some garden frames that had been
placed on a hotbed for growing Melons. The
Melons were planted on a ridge at the back of the
frames and the Achimenes pots in front. In this
position they needed but little water and came up
strongly. When the Melons needed the room the
Achimenes were placed in a frame on an old
spent hotbed till they came into bloom, giving
them abundance of air at all times. When they
showed flower they were removed to a greenhouse,
and here they bloomed over a long period.
During the last seven years I have grown them
in a similar way, and now (end of August) have
some grand pans full in a cold greenhouse.—
Dorset.

Habrothamrms coccineus.— A short time
ago, when wiiting of the species of Habrothamnus
I grew, I mentioned lochroma coccinea or H. coc-
cineus, a kind I think seldom seen. I now send a
spray of bloom. The plant was raised from seed
some years ago and is now flowering for the first
time. The colour is generally described as scarlet.

194

THE GARDEN.

[Sei-temh:r T), 1896.

but it is leallv pink. The foliage i? laijre, and it
would, it appears, if allowed room, attain the
dimensions of a small tree. I send also a bloom
—a single specimen which happens to be the last
on the plant— of a kind whose name I do not
know. The flowers are light yellow with a green
mouth, and the foliage is smooth and j;laucous.
C«strum aurantiacum — a very old member of the
same family and now rarely grown— has also been
flowering here. — J. M., Charwoiilh, Vorstl.

Htppeastrum reticulatum.— The early part
of the year is the season at which the numerous
hybrid forms of Hippeastrum or Amaryllis, as they
are very generally called, produce their gorgeous
blossoms, but the above-named species is t|uit6
distinct from that section in several particulars,
more especially in the fact that the foliage is ever-
green and the flowers are borne at this time of the
year. As a fine-foliaged plant H. reticulatum is
very pretty, for the deep green leaves have each
a broad ivory-white midrib, while the flowers are
of a blush-white or soft pink, veined and reticu-
lated with red. It must not be dried off as the
other kinds are, owing to its evergreen character,
but needs to be treated much as the general run
of stove plants. H. reticulatum is a nativt- of
Brazil. Several hybrids have been obtained be-
tween H. reticulatum and other species, one of
which — Mrs. Garfield— was the subject of a
coloured plate in The Gakhen as long ago as
April 7, 1SS3. If H. reticulatu m could be induced
to flo«er more freely than is usually the case, its
value as a decorative plant would be greatly en-
hanced.—H. P.

Societies and Exhibitions,

NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY.

Roy.\L AyrARUM, Septesider 1, 2, 3.

The display made by the Chrysanthemums
about equal to that of most years, and the flowers
looked somewhat dingy and uninteresting when
contrasted with the vivid colours of the Dahlias
and Gladioli. Many of the exhibits were plants
and cut flowers which had been grown outdoors,
the damage to the flowers by the recent heavy
rains being very noticeable in the specimens
staged. The prizes in the Chrysanthemum classes
are offered by the National Chrysanthemum So-
ciety, who also contribute an additional sum of
£10 towards the Dahlia and Gladiolus classes. The
present exhibition has again emphasised the
necessity for fixing the date at least a week later ;
in fact, it would be far better for it to take place
nearer the middle of the month. The earliness
of the show causes a display of very indifferent
blossoms, a large number of growers being unable
to make an exhibit, owing to many of the best of
the early sorts being only partially developed.
Chrysanthemums are generally better appreciated
a week or two later, but, unfortunately, many of
the better sorts and those of good colour (also
possessing other good points) are rarely brought
into prominence, owing to want of a proper oppor-
tunity of exhibiting them. By fixing the date of
the September exhibition a week later, Dahlia
growers would surely find the time quite con-
venient, while the interests of the Chrysanthemum
growers would be better served and the prospect
of a better display probable.

CiraYSANTHEMUMS.

The class for twenty four bunches of Chrysan-
themums brought out two competitors, Mr. E. F.
Such, Maidenhead, being placed first for large
bunches of hardy outdoor sorts. The Japanese
varieties were reprefented by Mme. C. Desgrange,
Mone Gustave Cirunerwald, Harvest Home, Geo.
Wermig, Mme. Marie Masse and Mrs. J. R.
Pitcher. Of the pompons, the best were Golden
Fleece, Mme. .Tolivart, Blushing Bride, Mr.
Selby, Flora, Anastasia and Hippolyte Jamain,
which was in good form and useful for outdoor
work. Mr. Chas. Shaw, Hall Street, Sherwood

Notts, was a good second, having smaller bunches,
but cleaner and better coloured examples than
those staged in the first prize stand. In this ex-
hibit %'icomtesse d'Avene, M. Dupuis, Mme. Car-
miaux (white, slightly tinted mauve), and Nor-
bert Puvrez (a pretty golden salmon flower) were
amongst the best. Of the pompons were (iolden
Shah (rich golden yellow), Longfellow and Brorze
Bride (a light bronze sport from Blushing
Bride). For twelve bloom.s of Mme. C. Des-
grange there were five competitors. The first
prize was easily secured by Mr. B. Calvert,
gardener to Col. J. Archer Houblon, Halling-
bury Place, Bishops Stortford, with mag-
nificent examples, the flowers measuring about
7 inches in diameter and correspondingly deep,
Mr. J. Sandford, gardener to Mr. G. W. Wright,
Inglewood House, North Finchley, being
second with nice fresh blooms. The class for
twelve of a large-flowering variety, except Mme.
C. Desgrange, resulted In Mr. Calvert being
placed first with typical blooms of Geo. Wermig,
fresh, clean, and full, Mr. Sandford securing
second place with much smaller, though pretty
flowers. Only one competitor entered for twelve
bunches pompons, three blooms in each bunch,
Mr. C. Shaw being placed second for rather small
and indifferent specimens of Blushing Bride,
Mme. E. Lefort, dark yellow and red, Florrie
Parsons, Mme. Gabus, White Lady, Bronze Bride,
L'Ami de Conderchet, Piercy's Seedling, Duchess
of Fife, Rose Wells, Longfellow, and Jacintha.
Mr. Shaw secured second prize for three blooms
each of three large flowering varieties not men
tinned in any other class. This was a new class
this year, the object being to bring into promin
ence some of the new forms of the Japanese
kinds. Mme. M. Masse, Mons. Gustave Gruner
wald, and Norbert Puvrez were the three varie-
ties staged. Mr. James Watt, gardener to Mr.
Henry Bell, Fitzjohn's Avenue, Hampstead,
N. W., secured premier honours for six bunches of
any yellow variety of Mme. C. Desgrange, with
nice, freth and clean flowers of Golden Mme.
Desgrange, somewhat heavily grouped on a small
Chrysanthemum board. Six bunches large-
flowering varieties, excluding Mme. C. Des-
grange and its sports, were represented by one
exhibitor, Mr. .Shaw, who had nice - looking
bunches of good colour, but was only placed
second. Mr. D. B. Crane, Archway Road, High-
gate, N., was awarded first prize for a very hand-
some epergne arranged with Chrysanthemums
and foliage for table decoration. In this he had
used the rich yellow flowers of G. Wermig and
the little pompon Flora, and as a contrast the
crimson and gold Harvest Home was associated.
The stand was finished off with Asparagus,
Smilax, Croton leaves, (iolden Privet, and
grasses, producing a rich piece of colouring.

A silver gilt medal was awarded to Mr. J. H.
Witty, Nunhead Cemetery, S.E., for a fine group
of early Chrysanthemums, arranged in semi-
circular form and fringed with the little pompon
Petite Marie and Adiantum cuneatum. Inter-
spersed here and there were Palms and Ferns, the
whole space occupied being 80 feet to 100 feet.
Good blooms of Sam Henshaw, Mme. C. Des-
grange, G. Wermig, and Grace Attick (a narrow-
petalled white) were noticeable. An informal
group of plants " outdoor grown " was exhibited
by Mr. Shaw, and for this he was awarded a
silver medal. The flowers were of good colour,
but to properly appreciate them a larger proper
tion of lighter colours was wanted. Grand plants
of Norbert Puvrez, Bronze Bride, Mme. Mari(
Masse, and M. Gustave Grunerwald were con
spicuous. Mr. W. Wells, Earlswood, showed one
of his new Chrysanthemum boxes for carrying and
exhibiting the" blcoms. This is very simple and
convenrent, as by a little manipulation the boar
are fixed in the proper planting position, with an
upright stand at back to hold the show card,
while in front a series of holders for names of
flowers are secured, to be turned in when tr.avel
ling. The board is covered by a deep lid, which
forms a box to cover the blooms. The floral com
mittee commended this new invention.

Dahlias.
These were shown in very fine character. Mr.
J. Walker, nurseryman, Thame, was first with
forty-eight varieties, his leading blooms being
Duchess of Albany, Grand Sultan, J. Hicklirg,
Willie Garratt, Dorothy, Ethel Britton, Mabel
Stanton. Duke of Fife, Miss Cannell, Mrs. Glad-
stone, Geo. Rawlings, J. Walker, Perfection,
Queen of the Belgians, &c. ; second, Messrs.
Keynes, Williams and Co., Salisbury. With
thirty-six blooms, Mr. Walker was again first
with much the same varieties ; Mr. M. V. Sealr,
Sevenoaks, was second. With twenty four
blooms Mr. J. T. "West was first. His blooms,
which showed fine quality, were Duke of Fife,
John Walker, W. Powell, W. Rawlings, Mrs.
Morgan, Duchess of York, Sunbeam, Mrs. Glor".
stone, Virginale, James Huntley, Mrs. Jchn
Downie and Maud Fellowes. Mr. G. Humphrie' ,
nurseryman, Chippenham, was second. Mr. Weft
was also first with twelve blooms: Messrs. J.
Cheal and Sons second. With twenty-four
blooms in the amateurs' division, Mr. J. Stred-
wick, Silver Hill, St. Leonards, was first. He had
in fine character Mr. (Jlasscook, Colonist, Mrs.
Gladstone, Mrs. W. Slack, Maud Fellowes, John
Hickling, Jas. Huntley, M. Campbell and Mrs.
Largtry. Mr. T. Anstiss, Brill, Bucks, was
second. With eighteen blooms Mr. J. Stred
wick was again first ; his leading flowers, John
Hickling, Duchess of Albany, Frank Pearce,
Duchess of Y'^ork, Arthur Rawlings, Earl of
Ravensworth, Majestic, Dandy and Mrs. Glad-
stone. Mr. T. Anstiss was second. The best
twelve blooms were staged by Mr. A. Starling.
Havering, who had well-developed examples cf
Mrs. Gladstone, Duke of Fife, Mrs. Langtry, Miss
Cannell, Arthur Rawlings and John Hickliner.
Mr. R. Burgin, St. Neots, was second. Mr. R.
Burgin had the best six varieties, consisting cf
Mr. Glasscock, Matthew Campbell, Prince Bis-
marck, John Standish, Prince of Denmark and
R. F. Rawlings. Mr. A. Starling was second.
In the class for six blooms shown by bovi't fde
amateurs, Mr. T. Anstiss was first and Mr. R.
Burgin second.

Pompons in bunches of twenty-four distinct
were very fine, the first prize going to Messrs J.
Cheal and Sons, Lowfield Nurseries, Crawley, who
had very fine Boule d'Or, Phabe, Admiration, Capt.
Boyton. Hermia. Bacchus, Eve, E. F. Jungker,
Little Bobby, Douglas, Rosebud, and Emily
Hopper. Mr. M. V. Seale was second. With
twelve bunches Messrs. J. Burrell and Co. were
first : they had in excellent form Arthur West,
Bacchus, E. F. Jungker, Dandy, Eurydioe, Red
Indian, Rebecca, &c. ; second, Mr. J. T. West,
Tower Hill, Brentford ; third, Mr. G. Humphrier.
With six bunches Mr. J. Stredwick was first, hav-
ing Bacchus, H. Keith, Favourite, Eurydice, La
Duchesse, and one other. Mr. J. Hudson, Gunners-
bury House Gardens, Acton, was second. Single
Dahlias were very fine, and rivalled tho Cactus in
striking effect. Messrs. J. Cheal and Sons had
the bett twenty-four bunches, staging charming
fresh blooms of medium size, chief among them
Amos Perry, Demon, Formosa, Phyllis, Duchess
of Fife, &c. ; second, Mr. T. W. Girdlestone,
Sunningdale, Berks ; third, Mr. M. V. Seale.
With twelve bunches Mr. J. Hudson was first with
Miss Henshaw, Demon, James Scobie, &c. ; second,
Mr. C. Osman, South Metropolitan Schools,
Sutton. Equally fine were the Cactus Dahlias,
and probably better stands were never before seen,
their effectiveness being greatly enhanced that the
true Cactus type was almost entirely shown.
Messrs. Cheal and Sons were placed "first with
Mayor Haskins, Mrs. Gordon Sloane, Mrs. Wilson
Noble, Fusilier, Beatrice, Matchless, Earl of
Pembroke, &e , they being the only exhibitors.
There were several stancls of twelve bunches.
Messrs. J. Burrell and Co. were first with Mayor
Haskins, Matchless, Mrs. Wilson Noble, Regulus,
&c. Mr. M. V. Seale was second. Mr. J. Stred-
wick was first with six bunches and Mr. J. Hudson
second.

Gladioli were a very fine feature, and Messrs.
J. Burrell and Sons, nurserymen, Cambridge,

September 5, U

THE GARDEN.

195

character, chief among them Imperator, Rosalie,
and Zephyr, all very iine new varieties, and awarded
certificates of merit : Hetty Dean, Baroness Bur-
dett Coutts, Pyramide, Rayon d'Or, Sultane,
Grande Rouge, John Wills, Decima, lolanthe, and
Formosa.

Miscellaneous.
Under this heading a great variety of produce
was staged, each exhibit contributing in no small
degree to make the show a very attractive one.
A silver-gilt medal was awarded to Mr. H. J.
Jones, Ryecroft Nursery, Lewisham, S.E., for a
long table on which were grouped in undulating
form in the centre different types of the Dahlia,
backed by Lilium speciosum album. Palms, and
Ferns, while at either end, in semi-circular lines,
were arranged among Maiden-hair Ferns about
100 bunches of zonal Pelargoniums, with large
pips of grand colour. Chiefly noticeable were
Mrs. G. Brockman, Mrs. G. M. Ross (very fine),
Miss Ada Hayes, Mr. D. B. Crane, Star of Rye-
croft, Princess Alix, Mme. Jules Chretien, Mrs.
W. Wright, General Campbell, &o. Messrs. W.
Cutbush and Sons, Highgate, N., had a large
table filled with hardy herbaceous cut flowers,
making a fine effect. Several good Tritomas were
amongst the collection, and Lobelia cardinalis was
very striking. Montbretias in variety. Asters,
Rudbeckias, and Eryngiums were seen in good
form. A number of sprays of their new single
Dahlia, \\'atford Beauty, formed a fine group and
was much admired. A new show Dahlia, pure
white, nacned Mrs. Kidstone, is promising, judg
ing by the examples placed upon the table. A
silver medal was awarded this collection. A bright
lot of herbaceous flowers and Cactus Dahlias w as
put by Mr. E. F. Such, Maidenhead, for which
silver medal was awarded. Mrs. W. Green, Junior,
The Nurseries, Harold Wood, Essex, had a very
pretty table decoration, very lightly and
fully arranged. A charming effect was produced
by the association of yellow Chrysanthemums,
Francoa ramosa, Gypsophila, yellow Marguerites,
scarlet Nasturtiums, and a bright-coloured deco
rative Dahlia. This was a pretty blending of
colouring and well merited the award of a silver
medal. Mr. W. Iceton, Putney, was highly com
mended for six magnificent blooms of ChrysanthO'
mum W. H. Lincoln, these being quite equal to
anything shown in November. Mr. J. Williams,
Ealing, W., was highly commen
arrangement of his pretty table decorations, which
were simply and neatly put up. A silver medi
was awarded Mr. F. G. Foster, Brockhampto
Nurseries, Havant, Hants, for sixty-two lunchi
of Sweet Peas, which included all the best sort:
A collection of vegetables and fruit, staged by
Mr. A. Penton, The Gaidens, Worton Hall, Isle-
worth, gave evidence of good culture. This col-
lection secured a silver medal. Messrs. Spooner
and Sons, Hounslow, well merited the silver-gilt
medal which their collection of fruit received.
Pears, Apples, Plums, Peaches, Crabs, and Dam
sons were well shown, a basket of Duchess Fa
vourite Apple being very fine. Messrs. Carter, Page
and Co., London Wall, E.G., had a nice collection
of Cactus and show Dahlias, Sweet Peas, and
Fuchsia blooms, for which a silver medal was
awarded. Mr. J. Hudson sent a charming collec
tion of Water Lilies, which were much admired,
the floral committee unanimously granting him s
silver medal for them.

THE BERLIN INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION

OF 1896.
Owing to the fact that this exhibition is not of
an international character we hear very little
about it in this country. It is, however, of a
magnitude never exceeded by any previous
European exhibition, international or otherwise,
and covers considerably more ground than even
the last Paris exhibition. Having just spent
three very pleasant weeks in Berlin and having
paid frequent visits to the exhibition, I will give
a short description of it, especially of the portion

which is devoted to horticulture. The site is an
ideal one for such a purpose, namely the so-called
Treptower Park, designed by Germany's greatest
landscape gardener, viz,, Gustav Meyer, who at
the time of his death in 1877 was director-genei'al
of the public parks and gardens of Berlin. The
coat of laying out the grounds was £60,000. The
park, which is a harmonious mixture of the regu-
lar and the irregular style of landscape gardening,
abounds in broad and delightfully shady avenues,
as well as in open lawns and woods. Its area is
over 92 hectares (about 222 acres) and that of the
adjoining " Planterwald " 88 hectares (about
acres). The ground used for the purposes of the
exhibition comprises about 226 English acres, of
which about 195 acres are devoted to industria'
exhibits, including horticulture, 23 acres to a so
called pleasure park containing all sorts of recrea
tion, and about 8 acres for a reproduction of
Cairo. An electric railway within the
hibition grounds describes a circle of more than 2
miles in circumference, and all parts of this
gigantic show can be easily reached from one or
the other of the ten stations on this line. The
main entrances are on the north side, close to the
railway stations " Treptow " and " Austellung.'-
Immediately in front of the crescent formed by
the huge pile of buildings comprising the main
industrial exhibition are lovely flower beds on an
exceedingly well-kept sunk lawn. There are beds
of Cannas, Fuchsias, Roses, Begonias, &c., and
here and there carpet beds, which, owing to the
abundance of brilliant sunshine, have assumed
their brightest hues and seem quite in keeping
with their architectural surroundings. A broad
gravel walk 30 feet wide surrounds a basin some
120 yards in length, from which a huge fountain is
sending its refreshing spray. The recesses out-
side the basin are filled with handsome specimens
of a sub-tropical character, such as large Phionix
dactylifera, Phormium tenax. Bamboos, Dra-
ca-nas, &c., intermixed with suitable flowering
plants. Other large Palms and huge standard
Bay trees adorn the sides of the main walk,
which presently assumes a still broader character
and terminates in a treble avenue of Plane trees.
A very neatly kept flower garden surrounded by
a broad gravel walk, 50 feet or so in width, divides
the basin before mentioned from the larger lake,
about 500 yards long and 150 yards in width.
This was formerly a playground, but is now
transformed into a large sheet of water, which at
night reflects the fairy-like surroundings, and is
illuminated by thousands of lamps. It is also
used for picturesque gondolas and other craft,
which is a decided advantage, especially as the
water is connected with another large lake, the
so-called " Karpfenteich," which is laid out in the
irregular style and has "Old Berlin" on its
shore. The first-mentioned regular lake has a
cascade at one end, and is bordered on each side
by flowers and large open walks, grassy slopes,
and a very broad avenue consisting of four rows
of Plane trees. The visitor can thus promenade
on open or on shady walks as he pleases, and the
scene at night when all is beautifully illuminated
is one not easily to be forgotten. On the north-
east side of this lake in a shady recess is the
Meyer monument, a handsome bust, erected in
honour of the late designer of the park, and close
by is a large tract of land devoted to the horti-
cultural part of the exhibition. There are 130 ex-
hibitors in this department, all from the Berlin
district only, and the ground allotted to each
varies from a few perches to several acres. As
the exhibition is open from May to October, the
various nurserymen and landscape gardeners who
have taken part had to lay out and plant their
allotments mostly during the previous season.

By far the most important of the horticultural
exhibits is that of M. L. Spaeth, the well-known
proprietor of one of the finest and largest nur-
series in Europe. The area allotted to this firm
is 1(1,0(10 square metres (about 2^ statute acres),
and is laid out partly in the picturesque and
ly in the regular style. On an exceedingly
well-kept lawn are flower beds filled with the
bright crimson dwarf Rose Fellenberg, and choice

or rare conifers and various shrubs form very
artistic irregular groups. Among the conifers
are especially to be noticed handsome specimens
of the American kinds, Abies concolor and Picea
pungens argentea with beautiful silvery foliage,
suffused with blue. Pretty forms of our European
Spruce are Picea excelsa pyramidalis, Picea alba
Woerlitziensis,of peculiar irregular sty leof growth
and with glaucous foliage, Picea excelsa nana,
and Picea excelsa Remonti. Of other interesting
Firs I will mention only Pinus montana, Abies
sibirica, and Picea omorica. The total number of
conifers exhibited is about 700 specimens, which
include also several handsome Yews, such as
Taxus baccata Washingtoni, Taxus b. cuspidata,
and T. b. albo-variegata. Noteworthy, too, were
well grown specimens of Thuja occidentalis lutef ,
T. o. Hoveyi, and several choice Junipers. Intei-
mixed with the conifers are a few compact ever-
green shrubs, conspicuous among them Buxus
sempervirens suffruticosa aurea, B. s. arboresccns
fol. argenteo - marginatis, B. microphylla, B.
s. salicifolia elata, Ephedra monostachya and
others.

The central portion of M. Spaeth's exhibit forms
a fruit garden in the regular style with broad
walks arched over by espalier Pears in full fruit.
There are also espaliers of Peaches and Nectaiine--,
Cherries, pyramids of Pears and Apples trained
with faultless regularity and laden with fruit.
Standard Gooseberries and Currants were literally
covered with tempting clusters of fruit at the
time of my visit. The nu-nber of fruit trees or
fruit bushes exhibited is 1200. Adjoining the
fruit garden is a rosery containing an arbour of
Roses, and SOOO standards, half- standards, or
dwarfs grouped in various ornamental beds and
moat of them laden with blossoms. The fruit
garden also adjoins a piece of ground laid out in
the irregular style, and used for the display of
avenue trees, many kinds of flowering trees and
shrubs, climbers, &c. Conspicuous among the
avenue trees are fine specimens of Tilia dasyphylla,
Tilia americana var. Moltkei, Acar dasycarpum
pendulum, Ulmus campestris umbraculifera with
globular head of branches, Tilia mandschurica
and many more. Highly interesting trees and
shrubs are also Amygdalus orientalis with silvery
leaves ; Fraxinus aucubfefolia, beautifully varie-
gated ; Pyrus malus pendula Elise Rathke,
laden with clusters of fruit ; the yellow-leaved
Oak (Quercus pedunculata Concordia), Sorbus
Aria quercoides, Phellodendron amurenee, ash
foliage with golden margin ; also a golden variety
of Acer Negundo, Weeping Copper IJeech, Vibur-
num tomentosum, Prunus serotina cartilaginea,
golden and purple-leaved Filberts, -ilsculus macro-
stachya, Symphoricarpus occidentalis spreading
close to the ground and bearing clusters of white
flowers contrasted against dark foliage. I also
noticed Halimodendron argenteum with silvery
foliage and pink flowers, Eteagnus angustifolia
with Willow-like silvery leaves, Caragana Cham-
lagu. Viburnum tomentosum and many others.
Various climbers were trained into single pillars
about 10 feet high ; amongst them were Actinidia
polygama, with dark green leaves on red stems ;
Aristolochia Sipho, Periploca grsca, Menispermum
canadense with large Ivy -like leaves, Clemitis
cfprulea odorata, which has sweet scented blue
flowers and white anthers, Clematis kermesina,
Clematis coccinea and many others.

Messrs. Koch and Rohlfs exhibit a landscape
garden in the irregular style. In laying out their
plot they had the advaiitage of existing large
trees of Alders, Birch and Chestnut. Of ornamental
shrubs in bloom at the time of my visit I noticed

ira;a callosa atro- purpurea, Potentilla fruticosa,
Colutea arborescens purpurea and others. The
scarlet-berried Elder showed to great advantage,

did also many handsome specimens of conifers
and other trees, including Abies pungens argentea,
Pinus Cembra, Pyrus salicifolia and purple Birch.
Effective, too, are an archway covered with various
kinds of Clematis and a small pond, the shady
recesses of which are adorned with Ferns and other
shade-loving plants. The walks are irregular in
outline, but well kept, as is also the undulating

196

THE GARDEK

[Septembek 5, 1896.

piece of excellent lawn on which the principal
specimen trees are scattered and grouped with good
taste.

Korner and Broderson exhibit a full - sized
tennis-court, surrounded by regular walks and
borders of flowers, backed up by choice trees and
shrubs. The markings of the court consist of
wooden strips let into the ground, but the lawn
itself is exiiuisitely neat and velvety in appearance
in spite of the dry weather. The perennials used
in the flower borders are bright kinds of herba-
ceous Phlox, Spira-as, Funkias, &c., and among
the trees and shrubs I noted amongst others good
specimens of the Umbrella Pine (Sciadopitys ver-
ticillata). Weeping Beech, Cornus Spaethi and
many other good things. M. van der Smissen
shows a piece of lawn on which are grouped well-
arranged beds filled with Cactus Dahlias, good
Cannas, Gladioli, &c. The Nursery Lorberg has
a large piece of ground devoted to fruit trees of
all shapes and sizes, both planted out and in tubs
or pots, also conifers and ornamcnt.^1 trees and
shrubs. M. Carl Wredow shows an ideal villa
garden in the irregular style. The lawn is ex-
ceedingly well kept and of an undulating
character : on it are scattered artistic groups of
choice trees and shrubs, flower beds, carpet bed-
ding, a small pond and other attractions. The
grouping of the various trees and shrubs is very
efl'ective and hard outlines are carefully avoided.
M. J. C. Schmidt shows a very handsome pavilion
containing a large variety of choice floral designs,
which are daily renewed with fresh flowers. The
designs on the day of my visit included, among
others, ihe following combinations very artistically
arranged : A huge wreath of Clematis Jackmani,
displaying on one side a cluster of Lilies : a star,
of at least ;) feet diameter, made entirely of blue
Delphiniums and relieved with white flowers at
the points. Very effective were also a large wreath
of Iceland Moss, trimmed on one side with pink
Roses, and a good-sized painter's palette made of
fawn coloured plush trimmed with Roses, Dahlias,
&c. There are many other floral designs too numer-
ous to mention. The pavilion is surrounded on the
outside by tine Palms and other plants in tubs
suitable for decoration. Messrs. Daiker and Otto
show a bed carpeted with a new red-leaved bedding
Begonia, which is here only 3 inches high and bears
the name Teppichkoenigin (Queen of the Car-
peters). Close by is a flower bed exhibited by the
Horticultural College at Wildpark ; it consists of
thirty-six standard Heliotropes, varying from 2j
feet to 4 feet in height. The ground between the
standards is carpeted with dwarf Heliotrope, and
the bed is edged with scarlet Verbenas. The
effect is very striking. M. C. Gebbers shows beds
of Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Gladioli, and a whole
host of other exhibitors display large and small
arrangements of ornamental plants, some of them
of a very high standard, but it would be impos-
sible to specify them all, and I must be content
with mentioning those quoted above as represent-
ing the cream of what I have been able to see for
myself. Besides the open-air exhibits mentioned,
there are a great many exhibits under glass or
under a roof at the extreme end of the horticultural
department. These include collections of dried
plants, seeds, plans and drawings of parks and
gardens, gardening tools and apparatus, glass-
houses of all kinds, and a variety of other things
too numerous to mention. On the whole the ex
hibition is well worth a visit, and affords an excel-
lent opportunity for the study of every branch of
borticnltare. F. W. Meyer.

JUnrnde, Exeter.

Bidding la-wna of worms.— Worms are often
a plague upon lawns. One remedy consists in
sweeping the grass «ith a common birch broom
to destroy the casts, and then preparing a solu-
tion of common salt and corrosive sublimate, by
dissolving in hot water two bandfuls of salt and
1 oz. of corrosive sublimate ; mix in nine gallons
of water. Apply this preparation after rain and
sweep off the worms, taking care not to place
them near poultry. Another method is to apply
a good dressing of salt, then water with lime

water. Let the liquid stand until it is quite clear,
and then apply it to the lawn through a rosed
watering-pot. An old remedy is to place about a
peck of quicklime in 30 gallons of water, stir
up well, and allow it to stand until quite clear.
Then water the lawn carefully with the clear lime-
water. This brings the worms to the surface.

Notes of the Week.

Veronica spicata alba.— Though one of the
oldest varieties, it is not frequently seen, and cer-
tainly the dainty spikes of its pure white blossoms
are very pretty in a group.

StreptoBolen Jamesoni. — I noted this at
Cambridge, the bright orange blossoms being very
attractive. This may be propagated from cuttings
early in the year, and, grown on in a cool house,
nice plants may be had the same season. — A. H.

Helenium puniilum continues to give a rich
profusion of its golden blossoms, and for its dwarf,
compact stature is one of the most useful summer
and autumn flowers. Scarcely 2 feet high, it has
been yielding flowers for weeks past in the greatest
profusion.

Budbeckia Newmani is just now in the
finest possible condition, having greatly benefited
by the recent rain. Dwarf and compact in its
growth as well as free-flowering are points to re-
commend its abundant use for beds or masses,
where its black and gold flowers are always eflfec-
tive.

Tritcma Uvaria grandiflora, — This in a cut
state was one of the most striking objects in Mr.
Ware's group at the last meeting of the R.H.S.,
and arranged among the yellow composites its
massive spikes were seen to good advantage. At
Kew some imposing clumps have also been flower-
ing abundantly.

Cassia corymbosa. — A mass of this useful
plant is now flowering freely on the grass in the
gardens of the R.H.S., Chiswick. The plants are
not large, rather the reverse, being not more than
•20 inches high. A very pleasing result is secured
by the number of golden blossoms above the ample
and pleasing foliage.

Colchicums. — These are now fast pushing up
their pretty blossoms, and tell of the approach of
autumn. The other day we noted them at Chis-
wick and at Kew in patches in the rock garden,
and again in a pretty and natural manner at the
latter place, springing freely into flower in the
grass where at this season they are always beau-
tiful.

Saintpaulia ionantha.— This is now flower-
ing freely in No. 7 range at Kew, and apparently
quite happy in the treatment it is receiving. The
pans in which the plants are growing are about 6
inches across and scarcely more than 3 inches
deep. There is quite a profusion of the intense
blue flowers that make it a pretty object when in
bloom,

Statice latifolia is perhaps the showiest, as
it is also the most vigorous of the hardy kinds
now in flower, and at this season indispensable in
the herbaceous border or in groups. In deep soil
it <iuickly establishes itself, and the denee, bush-
like head formed by its flowering sprays renders
it one of the most attractive of border plants at
this time.

Sollya heterophylla. — I lately saw this
pretty Australian Bluebell in flower at the Cam-
bridge Botanic Gardens, and as grown there it
appeared to be superior to S. parviflora (Drum-
mondi), the flowers being of a deeper blue and in
greater profusion. Although an old introduction,
this pretty climber does not seem to be much
grown. — A. H.

Celtia cretica.— This makes a very pretty pot
plant for the cool greenhouse. I am reminded of
this old favourite by seeing some nice iilants in
the greenhouse at the Cambridge Botanic (iardens.
It may be raised from seed during the summer for

flowering the following year. If grown on in a
cool pit and kept from frost during the winter, the
plants will come in very useful.— A. H.

Lilium auratum rubro-vittatum. — Near
the main entrance at Kew in a bed chiefly de-
voted to Azaleas and such like plants are several
clumps of this crimson-banded Lily, which are
most effective, particularly in the earlier stages of
development. The flowers, too, are of large
size, and with the heads of bloom appearing above
the shrubs the richly banded blossoms attract the
attention of the visitors.

Helianthus multifloius giganteos.— This
well-marked variety is among the boldest and
most imposing of the perennial Sunflowers ; in-
deed, the largest of them all. It is distinct, too,
in the clear light yellow of its handsome blooms,
that are each often 6 inches across, while the disc
is a comparatively small one. At home in any good
soil, it makes a handsome and striking object in
any position where room can be afl'orded it.

Pentstemon barbatus Torreyi.— Though
somewhat later in flowering than the type, it is still
as useful in beds on the grass, where the vivid glow
of its salmon-scarlet flowers is very striking. Such
things are most helpful by their elegant habit of
growth that permit of free grouping without in
the least crowding or destroying their natural
charms. The plant is easily increased by division
or by cuttings produced from the base of the
plant.

Cimicifuga cordifolia is a very neat and
highly desirable perennial of erect habit, with
panicled racemes of white flowers. The latter are
very closely and densely arranged, and on first
opening are of a creamy shade, which eventually
whitens with age. In its erect spicate racemes it
is very distinct, and in a group forms a very
pleasing subject at a time when the major portion
of flowering things are composites. It is a native
of North America and attains about 3 feet high.

Lilium philippinense.- At the Drill Hall on
Tuesday Mr. T. S. Ware had some forty or fifty
plants of this unique Lily, evidently very strong
and in excellent condition. The large pure white
trumpet flowers are noticeable by their great
length as well as the permanent imbrication of
the divisions of the perianth, while the slightly
ascending aspect of the blossoms gives it an ad-
vantage over some of the more drooping kinds.
Its graceful, elegant growth and narrow linear
leaves are also characteristic.

Lilium BatemannisB. — Some beautiful
sprays of this chaste Lily were included in Messrs.
Wallace's group on Tuesday at Westminster, and
in their clear rich tint of apricot were very pleas-
ing. It is a beautiful Lily, of comparatively easy
culture in a well-drained soil of loam and peat
made very sandy, and rarely more than 3 feet
high even from quite strong bulbs. This Lily
should never be planted in soil of a clayey nature,
but where such exists a special bed of good soil
should be given with ample drainage.

Lilium speeiosum macranthum. — This
distinct variety was freely shown by the Messrs.
Wallace at the R.H.S. meeting on Tuesday, and
is among the ehowiest of these speeiosum varie-
ties. The flowers, in themselves large, possess
also the peculiarity of remaining more or less flat,
as in speeiosum album, and not revolute, as in
Krajtzeri, so that in large or small groups a few
expanded flowers produce a goodly display The
flowers of the above variety are heavdy suffused
with reddish crimson, and are decidedly effective
either in pots or in a cut state in large vases and
the like.

Tritoma Nelsoni.— Whether this plant will
prove as hardy as the average members of this
race is perhaps open to doubt, but, even if some-
what tender, it merits the requisite protection on
account of its exquisite colour. There are one or
two small plants of it now in flower at Chiswick,
the scapes barely 2 feet high, while in the clear
apricot coloured flowers there are considerable
beauty and refintment. Even as a pot plant in
the cool conseivatory this would be delightful.

Septimber 5, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

197

In general aspect it is somewhat in the way of
T. Macowani, the leaves rather narrower perhaps
than in this kind.

Iiilium Henryi. — As showing the extended
season of Bowering of this handsome species, the
Messrs. Wallace had flowers at Westminster on
Tuesday. These were of course from the topmost
buds, and therefore only about half the size of
many that have preceded them. Ample proof,
however, remained of the clear rich orange-yellow
of its flowers, while on all sides its vigorous con-
stitution is a subject of comment, a fact that can-
not be too widely known, as from ill standpoints
it is undoubtedly an acquisition that will figure
largely in the future in choice collections of this
remarkably varied group.

Lapageria rosea. — I am sending you a spray
of Lapageria rosea, which I think is an extra good
variety. One meets with a good many inferior
varieties of this popular and useful flower, the re-
sult probably of raising plants from seed instead
of layering. The plant from which the enclosed
flowers were cut is growing in a small conserva-
tory facing north, the roots being confined in an
Oak box and the growth trained up the wall and
over a trellis beneath the roof-glass. Although
ample room is generally considered necessary for
Lapageria roots, the plant under notice is con-
fined to a space not exceeding that of a large pot,
and it has grown and flowered well for the last
ten years. — J. Crawkord.

*,* Superb. --Ed.

Bocconia microcarpa is a new and beautifu'
species from Northern China that surpasses the
old form (B. cordata) for its beauty and decora-
tive character generally. The new-comer attains
to fully 9 feet high, and in its leafage and growth
is not widely diflferent from the old kind, its chief
distinction being in the inflorescence. This at a
little distance is of the nature of a plume like
panicle and of a warm bronzy tint, not unlike the
Venetian Sumach in the early summer. In this
respect the terminal panicles are very pleasing
and distinct and in the shrubbery would create a
very pretty eflfect. As implied in the specific
name, it is quite distinct when in fruit. At Kew
the two species are growing near each other in
the herbaceous ground, thus afl'ording good op-
portunity for comparison.

Calceolaria alba. — Though a descriptive
specific title, it is certainly a modest sounding one
for the beautiful species to which it refers, and of
which a large plant has been flowering abun-
dantly in the hardy plant department at Kew.
Trained fan-shape to a wall with a sunny aspect is
a large plant covering a space of nearly 3 feet, and
which for weeks past has been literally loaded with
countless sprays of its snowy blossoms. These
very pure flowers are produced on rather long
peduncles that should render it a valuable plant
for cutting. The neat suEfruticose habit of the
plant is also veiy pleasing, and one wonders why
such beautiful subjects are not more freely grown
in the open in summertime. By selecting warm
sunny positions as that at Kew this pretty Chilian
sub-shrub would certainly find many admirers
during its long season of flowering. — E. J.

Polygonum baldschuanicum. — This is the
distinctive specific name of what is undoubtedly
one of the most charming members of this remark-
ably varied group of plants. The above species is
a native of Eastern Bucharia, and possesses a
climbing habit of growth. The rather woody
stem at the bate may for its substance be com-
pared with that of the Virginian Creeper, and it
IS probable that the above will prove a deciduous
climbing plant of this character. But in the
peculiar beauty of its sprays of delicately coloured
blossoms it is obviously unique. A fine example
now flowering at Kew in the herbaceous ground is
trained to tall stakes about 7 feet high It is
quite clear, however, that the plant will easily at-
tain 20 feet high, and, freely furnished with its
white, pink tinged sprays of blossom, it is charming
in the extreme. Essentially of climbing habit,
this plant will make one of the most delightful
for furnishing tall trees, and so beautiful are its

sprays of blossom that it is scarcely less desirable
for cutting.

Flowers from 'Winchmore Hill.— I sent you
a few flowers yesterday for your inspection.
Pennisetum Rupellianum is a most elegant grass,
foliage remarkably fine and gracefully arching.
It is very free-flowering and one of the most
distinct grasses I grow. Echinacea sub-tomentosa
is remarkably bright and exceptionally free, and
of quite a distinct shade of yellow from any of the
Helianthuses that are flowering now. Helenium
striatum is exceptionally fine this season. Some
of the flowers are almost crimson, no doubt owing
to the very dry season. It is certainly one of the
prettiest plants in flower just now. I have also
sent two varieties of Echinacea intermedia
This is quite distinct from E. purpurea and
angustifolia ; the latter is a splendid plant where
it does well, but it is remarkably scarce. The
Dianthus I send is a sport from D. Maria Pere.
It is constant and quite as free-flowering as the
old variety. Linaria repens alba is lovely, clumps
a yard through bearing thousands of flowers. It
has been in flower here since May. — Amos Perry,

JU^R.

Lilium anratum macranthum.— Stately
and imposing in its every aspect, with giant bulbs
and scales that are known at a glance, it is equally
distinct above ground in its bold stems and leaf-
age, and last, though certainly not least, in its
massive widely expanded flowers. The substance
of the broad imbricated segments is also remark-
able, and in this respect is only approached by
that of the nearly pure white form known as vir-
ginale, an exquisite Lily in every respect. L. a.
macranthum, however, is quite unique in point
of vigour from all. A splendid group of it may
now be seen flowering in the open at Kew, where
in a large bed devoted to Azaleas it is expanding
its giant flowers day by day. Happily, it is no
more difiicult of cultivation than ordinary aura-
tum ; indeed, sound bulbs of it will produce a
giant stem 5 feet or G feet high, and from six
to ten noble flowers. This entirely depends,
however, on the strength of the bulbs. Those
now flowering at Kew are between 4 feet and 5
feet high and constitute a very imposing and
handsome group.

Amaryllis Belladonna.— There is now a
beautiful display of this fine hardy bulbous plant
beneath the wall of No. 1 house at Kew, quite
near the main entrance on the green. Here in
all stages of development are many beautiful
flowers in several forms, and, judging by the nu-
merous buds that are yet to expand, there will
be a nice show for some days to come. Some of
the scapes are of large size and contain as many
as eighteen buds ; indeed, we noted some having
nine fully expanded blossoms of large size and an
equal number of buds still to open. This means
a lengthy display of flowers, and when the fact
is added that most of the bulbs are producing tw o
and three scapes each, it will be seen at a glance
that the number of spikes is considerable. It is
also an easy plant to cultivate, the chief items
being a warm sunny spot and bulbs that are well
established. When the bulbs, attain to large
size they flower regularly each year. A depth of
good soil below the bulbs, so that the roots may
descend deeply, will be productive of much good,
and the bulbs, if planted 6 inches below the sur-
face, will be quite safe. Small bulbs often take a
couple or three years to become fully established,
and if such are planted a little patience will be
needed.

Notes fiom Baden - Baden. — The first
autumnal flowers have made their appearance— a
new deep blue Crocus from Armenia and a big
Persian Colchicum^ Kniphofia citrina, quite
hardy here, is flowering freely now ; the spikes
small, but very pretty, of a fresh citron colour.
Among many thousands of another new species
a handsome variegated one has turned up.
Richardia Nelsoni has shown its spathes in suc-
cession since June ; they are creamy white with a
tinge of sulphur, and have a large violet blotch at
the bottom. It seems a very robust plant and a

good acquisition. Among Gladioli, beautiful new
colours hitherto not seen have made the borders
gay— white, as well as very deep violet, crimson
and blackish shades. It will not be long before
we shall have ultramarine blues as well. Lobelias
enjoy the cool, moist weather, and especially
among the fulgens group splendid varieties are in
full bloom. Coriaria nepalensis has been in
striking beauty since July, and is likely to be so
until frost sets in. Every visitor admires the
crystalline, deep yellow fruit. It is a native
of the Himalayas, a perennial root having
shrubby twigs, the ends of which are adorned by
the numerous fruits. It is quite hardy here. —
Max LEiCHTLiy, Baden-Baden.

Campanula pyramidalis (the Chimney Cam-
panula).— When well grown this species, together
with its pure white form and the more recent va-
riety called compacta, is amongst the finest of
all the Campanulas. In the greenhouse or in the
open beds or borders its towering spikes of blue
and white are most efiective, and good plants are
so easily secured, that gaps in the shrubbery may
always bo filled with such bold and telling subjects.
But too frequently we see this fine plant only half
developed, and the somewhat stunted growth, as a
rule, indicates where the error was made. Like
many other plants that are best treated as bien-
nials, this should be grown freely from the start,
in soil both deep and rich. When kept too long
in pots at the start the plants soon become
stunted, and these rarely recover sufEciently to
make fine plants. A good way is to sow seeds in
a shady place in the open, thinning the seedlings
out early and planting in groups of a dozen or more
when quite young in very rich soil. These may
need thinning again perhaps later, as they maj- be
too crowded. Again, where seeds are plentiful,
a few may be scattered about the shrubberies
broadcast, for they are always effective in the gar-
den in this way. Particularly fine results may be
secured from the white kind by having bold
groups in proximity to dark-leaved shrubs, such
as Hollies and the like. At Kew just now there
are many fine plants in pots in the greenhouse.

Obituary.

M. ELIE ABEL CAEEIERE.
We regret to have to announce the death of
this well-known writer on horticulture. He was
for many years in a high position in the Garden
of Plants, and a man who did much for gar-
dening from his great knowledge of the art and
also from the attention he paid to certain
families of trees and shrubs, like the conifers.
Apples and many others. From a very sym-
pathetic notice by M. Andre, his co-editor of
the Eevue Uuitkok, we have the following par-
ticulars of his principal garden work ; he aJso
wrote much on other matters.

During 1851 he wrote the history of new
H.P. Roses, which was a forerunner to his
studies on hard- wooded plants, to which he spe-
cially devoted himself in 1862, as head of
the Museum nursery grounds. During three
years he confined himself to various works on
propagation, began his studies on conifers,
edited a good "Revision of the Genus Dier-
villa" (1854), and in 1855 published the first
edition of his " General Treatise on Conifers."
This work at once brought him into notoriety.
It showed him to be a botanist as well as a
gardener. Described and written with perfect
clearness, correct in being systematic and de-
scriptive, full of good advice on the propaga-
tion and habits of conifers of all countries,
and an indispensable guide to foresters, this
beautiful treatise was received as supplying
a horticultural want. It was revised in 18C7,
and a second edition treated of the works of

198

THE GARDEN,

[September 5, 1896.

Gordon, Hochstetter aud Kelson, which were
severely criticised by au author who showed him-
self an authority. The " Treatise on Conifers ''
remained the authentic work on tliis family of
plants until the publication of the " Monograph,"
edited by Parlatore, for the "Prodromus," and
it is only in Veitch's " Manual of Conifers?,"
and even more so in the far more recent work
by Beissner (" Handbuch des Nadelholz-
kunde ') that descriptions and observations
subsequent to those in Carriero's work can be
found. Mens. Decaisne was then engaged on
his work entitled " Le Jardin Fruitier du
Museum." His relations with Carriere were
most friendly, and he engaged him to study
and write on Peaches. Everyone knows with
what exactitude these descriptions were made,
added to the admirable water-colour illustra-
tions by the great painter Riocreux. The
notes on Yuccas, Peaches, and Walnuts were
published in the i?tiHc Uorticole in 1860. The
following year he commenced publishing his
" General Considerations on the Species,''
which later on he published in pamphlet form.
In 1802 he brought out "Nomenclature of
Peaches and Nectarines," and in 1803 and 1804
he described the new Peaches of China. In 1805
he published his genealogical tree of the Peach
family. Continuing his studies, he published in
the Bt tve Horiicoh in 1858 his researches on the
germination of seeds ; in 1859, a continuation
of his study on conifers, on grafting, and com-
menced a revision of the genus Yucca, which
he followed up during many years. It was at
this time I had the good fortune to make his
acquaintance, and begin the friendly relation-
ship which death alone ended after thirty years.
At this time a serious incident occurred in the
life of Carriere. I have already stated how cor-
dial the relationship was between his chief, M.
Decaisne, professor at the Museum, and himself,
based on mutual recognition of each other's
worth. In 1809 Carriere had studied in this
establishment the varieties of Diospyros, which
were cultivated for the first time in Europe.
M. Decaisne believed he recognised the I)io.s-
pjros Schi Tse, of Bunge, in the plant which
the head of the nursery grounds described under
the name of Diospyros costata. Vexed at see-
ing his chief using the columns of a foreign
journal (the Gttrdeners' Chronicle) to criticise
his manner of thinking, Carriere replied in the
L'uHe Jloiiicote, and protested against the
conduct of M. Decaisne towards his sub-
ordinates. Life became unbearable at the
Museum between these two clever men
and everyone regretted to see them dis
united for such a trumpery cause as a question
of nomenclature. From this time M. Carriere
devoted himself to the Berue ITorticoh and his
other publications, always on the look-out
and searching for anything new or of interest,
visiting horticultural establishments, exhibi
tions, taking part on juries for examination —
sparing neither trouble nor time so long as he
could be of use — until his strength became ex-
hausted. Early in 1856hebrought out his "Gar-
dener's Guide for Propagation "—a perfect guide
for every practical gardener. Of this a second
edition was published ten years later. In 1802,
under the title of " The Horticultural Encyclo-
paedia," Carriere continued his work on the
principles of horticulture, and thus rendered
new service to the cause he loved. Enthusiastic
on the culture of Grapes for table and making
wine, he wrote in 1805 a good book, entitled
"The Vine." He then worked on the Vines of
the Soudan, those of China and Japan, and the
Apples with ornamental fruit, of which he pub-
lished in 1883 a monograph under the title of
" Small- fruited Apples."

Public Gardens.

New recreation ground for Barking.— The
Barking District Council have arranged for the
'lying out of 11 acres of land as a recreation
ground for the district. It is proposed to form a
lake and to provide athletic grounds, ornamental
gardens and walks, at an estimated cost of be-

•een .f6u00 and £70011

Proposed new open space for Hampstead.

An appeal has been issued for public subscrip-
tions to raise the sum of £80(iO needed for the
purchase of Fortune Creen, West Hampstead, as
an open space. The London County Council and
the local vestry have each voted the sum of £3000
for this purpose, and the total amount promised
■ upwards of £6500.

A new recreation ground for London.—
The authorities of S'.. Bartholomew's Hospital, as
freeholders of the Oval, Windsor Terrace, City
Road, from which the public have hitherto been
excluded, write to the St. Luke's Vestry, intimat-
ing that if that body will undertake to lay out the
space as a recreation ground, the governors of the
hospital will grant a leafe for a long term at a
nominal rent. The Oval is situated in the midst
of a densely crowded population, and there is
reason to believe that the vestry will readily com-
ply with the conditions imposed.

public park for Dorking.— The urban
council were memorialised lately as to the pro-

ision of a public park or gardens for the use of

isitors to and residents of Dorking and the dis-
trict. The memorial, which suggested that the
expense might be met wholly or in part by public
subscription, came at an opportune time. Several
councillors have had the subject under considera-
tion, and the chairman, Mr. H. J. Chaldecott,
had given notice to move that " in the opinion of
the council it is desirable to provide a email
public park to be used as pleasure grounds and a
place of public resort." Mr. Chaldecott believed
there was a very strong feeling in the town in
favour of such a park, and felt that they could
rely upon public subscription for a part of the
expense. He remarked that the opening of such
a place next year would be an appropriate way of
signalising in Dorking the completion of the 00th
year of the Queen's reign. Mr. Chaldecott, in
the course of the discussion, referred to a meadow
in the Westcott Road, which he said commanded
splendid views and was accessible. The owner of
this is to be approached.

The dangers of barbed wire fencing. —
Mr. Baxter held an ircjuiiy lately at the Lon-
don Hospital respecting the death of Robert
Birt, aged 70 years, a labourer in the employ of
the London County Council, and lately residing
at Brickfield House, Lea Fields, Clapton. The
evidence showed that a fortnight ago he was em-
ployed putting up a fence along the bank of the
East Ham main sewer. Some market gardens
adjoin, and round these the owners had placed
rows of barbed fencing. As the man was dig-
ging a hole for a post he pricked his hand and
scratched his arm. He complained the next day
of pains up his arm. A doctor was called in, and
ordered him to the hospital, where he died on
Sunday. Dr. Harold Basden, house surgeon, de-
posed thao death was due to septicemia set up by
the scratch. The coroner said there had betn a
great agitation against barbed fencing, and a
special Act of Parliament was |)3.esed that a public
body could give notice to the owner of a barbed
fence to remove the same within six months. The
jury returned a verdict of accidental death, and
desired the coroner to write to the Essex County
Council requesting them, in the public interest, to
give notice to the owner to remove the fencing,
which appeared to them to be unnecessary.

The weather in 'West Herts. — Another cool
and wet week. The shade temperature at no
time rose above 00'^, and on one night the exposed
tkcimomcter fell to within 5' of the f:
point. The wettest day was the Itt inst.

nearly half an inch of rain fell. The past month
proved cold— in fact, there were only four days
when the mean temperature rose above the
August average. It was also rather wet, rain
falling on sixteen days, to the aggregate depth of
2 J inches, nearly the whole of which was deposited
during the latter part of the month. With the
exception of March and August, all the months
have been dry this year, and the total rainfall at
the beginning of September fell short of the
average for the same eight months in the previous
forty years by as much as Oi inches. The record
of sunshine was likewise a poor one. As com-
pared with the same month last year, the defi-
ciency amounted to more than two hours of bright
sunshine a day. The w ind throughout the month
proved light, while the highest velocity recorded
at 30 feet above the ground was only 18 miles an
hour. No rain water at all came through either
percolation gauge before August 19, but since
then about seven gallons have come through the
heavy soil percolation gauge and about six gallons
of water through the light soil gauge. Both
gauges are a yard square. — E. M., Berkhanuted.

Plants in tubs in the open air.— In large
gardens in Austria we have still the old ways of
growing Yucca, Aucuba, Pittosporum, Euonymus,
Aralia, Dracana, Phormium, Agapanthus,
Myrtus, Eugenia, Rhododendron, and Camellia
in pots and tubs for the embellishment of
balconies, loggias, 4c. Many private gardens
and great restaurants have now Sweet Bajs,
which are mostly imported from Belgium.
Oranges and Pomegranates are seldom found
except in places like Schunbrunn. In towns,
a small space before the public-houses or coilee
shops is generally decorated with a row of Nerium
Oleander and Biota orientalis in tubs. Boxes
with Ivy trained to a framework at a height from
1 to 2 metres are used to a large extent. The
whole summer has been very rainy and stormy ;
the grass, shrubs, and trees are as green as in
spring, but field crops are not so good. — Louis
KR(.)rATSt'n, Imperial Gardens, Prater, Vienna.

Carnation 'Uriah Pike.- As one of the
original introducers of this crimson perpetual
Carnation, and a holder of at least five medals, to-
gether with numerous certificates, I cannot but
challenge the remarks of Mr. T. Smith, of Newry,
which occur in The Garden of August 22, 1S9G.
I will undertake to exhibit at the forthcoming
meeting of the R H.S. on September 8 two dozen
plants of the above Carnation, i.e., one dozen of
two to three years old, and another dozen young
plants, cuttings of the present year. And I will
further undertake to forward a cheque of £10 to
the Gardeners' Orphan Fund if the floral com-
mittee declare these to be identical with the old
crimson variety as stated by Mr. Smith, provided
that Mr. Smith will exhibit an equal number of
plants of the Old Crimson for comparison, and
undertake to forward £5, i.e., half the above
amount, to the institution named in the event of
the judges deciding against him. Failing to do
this, I ask Mr. Smith to unconditionally withdraw
the imputation he has made.— George Mat, The
Nurseries, Upper Teddimjton, Middlesex.

Nymphsea Mailiecea chromatelle. — I have

a good plant of Nymphaa Marliacea chromatella.
It has thrown up five tine buds, but they go off
without opening. It is its second ytar, but it has
not shown flower before. Has anyone else had
this trouble with it '; — Medwav.

lirtea Lind-

Liriodendron tulipi
1 ; .">, Taxodium dis

Names of plants.-

leyana ; 2, Pteris longifo

terum ; 4, send better specimen;

ticlinm ; 6, Prunus Pissardi ; 7, send better specimen ;

8, CratKgDB Pyracantba. R. C. Coorfe.— Purple

Clary (Salvia Horminum). W. Gutferidge.—Gom-

phrena globosa.
Names of fruit. — Newcastle. — Calville Eonge

d'Hiver. W. D. Horsley.—l, Peach Early York;

2, Crimson Galande ; 3, Alexandra Noblesse.

Constant Reader. — Pear Souvenir da CongrSs.

'-ing I ,;. E. Paries.— 1 and 2, Pear Williams' Bon Chretien;
hen I 3, Peach Barrington; 4, Peach Cirosse Migiionne.

THE GARDEN.

199

No. 1295. SATURDAY, September 12, 1896. Vol. L

"This Is an Art
Which does mend Nature: change It rather; btt
The Art itself is Natore."— S*al«psar^.

Chrysanthemums.

CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES.
A FKEQUFNT cause of failure in Chrysanthemum
culture is over-feeding. The desire to obtain
plants of gigantic proportioDS in the matter of
leaves and stems is so widespread that in very
many cases feeding is overdone. I have during
the past dozen years noted a goodly number of
instances where the coveted big blooms did not
follow the fat growth so taking to the eye of
the inexperienced. 1 remember one enthu-
siastic grower, whose object was to win piizes
at exhibitions, taking the trouble to bring
samples of foliage a considerable distance that
I might see them, so proud was he of the extra
dimensions the leaves had attained to. At the
proper time I was anxious to see the blooms
that were to develop in equal proportion. But
he was not so sanguine on the day of competi-
tion. This, however, is not an isolated case.
The keener competition of to-day, whfn so
many more take part in exhibiting than even a
few years back, makes mistakes more noticeable
if not more easy. Frequently all will go well
with the plants up to the time of their final
potting, then a too free use of highly concen-
trated manures in the soil causes the check.
The roots refuse to run freely with the good
things prepared for tbera, and the successful be-
ginning is thereby spoiled. But more often the
breakdown occurs in regard to over-fed plants
at the tiir.e the blossoms are opening ; pithy,
soft growth being unable to build up flowers of
good substance. I fancy there is very little
produce of the garden, be it flower, fruit, or
vegetable, brought to perfection, when the con-
ditions are such that a sappy form of growth is
secured. Who expects Grapes to perfect well
when the leaves remind one of Rhubarb, Toma-
toes to finish a good crop with stems as thick as
an ordinary broom-handle, or Roses to bloom
well on stems as large as one's finger ? And so
with the Chrysanthemum. Give the plants a
long season of growth, a compost that will
allow of free rooting, ample pot-room, and
steady feeding when the soil has become ex-
hausted, then a good flowering season is sure to
follow. Of course attention to moisture at the
roots must never be neglected, and I ought to
add plenty of space in the open quarters.

In a season like this there has not been much
difficulty up to the present in obtaining growth
of a ripened character, and it is plants which
have not been unduly fed with manures which
will make excellent progress from the change to
showery weather. The buds will swell freely
and grow well away from the foliage, a sure sign
of nicely developing blooms. Anything that is
done in the way of feeding should be to aid the
formation of surface roots. These tiny feeders
keep the plants in perfect health if kept going
up to the last. Some growers of distinction
have great faith in top-dressing, and it is no
doubt beneficial. Only one must afterwards be
particularly careful in the matter of watering,
or the soil at the bottom of the pot may beconte
dry, whilst that newly placed on the surface is
quite moist. I would not like to say that any
one particular manure is necessary for the pur-
pose. There are plenty of good fertilisintr
compounds in the market, but care should be
exercised in their use. Not more than 2 lbs.

to a bushel of earth would be a safe cjuantity.
I would prefer the loam of a fibrous nattjre.
This and bone-meal make a perfect top-dressing.
I do not like the mode sometimes seen, of put-
ting on the surface a thickness of animal
manures, such as that of horse or cow ; nor is
such strong burning material as fowl manure
safe unless mixed in a small proportion with the
loam. Soot again, if used too freely, would burn
what roots there are on the surface of the soil in-
stead of assisting their increase. Fertilisers
have great eflect in showery weather ; it is then
surface roots run most freely, and again after
the plants are placed under glass. Meanwhile,
when the weather is brighter and the calls for
root moisture are great we may use manures in a
liquid form. These are various and well
known. The rule which cannot be too often
mentioned regarding their use is that they be
applied very weak and often rather than in
strong doses occasional'y. A day or two back
I was asked to advise an amateur who had up
to then a capital lot of Chrysanthemum plants.
The grower was anticipating some fine heads of
blossom later, but could not account for the
leaves turning yellow from bottom to top of
the plants all at once. The tender roots had
evidently been killed, and I asked if they had
had a strong dose of liquid manure. "No,"
it was said. But a cesspool close by made me
suspect the cause, and it turned out that the
handy man had watered the plants, pumping its
contents into a can and giving the liquid neat.
Just a few very strong-growing kinds like Etoile
de Lyon and Sunflower were in no way affected.
The tender-rooting whites, as Mme. Carnot,
however, and such delicate beauties as Hairy
Wonder, looked anything but happy. It is im-
portant, then, in feeding Chrysanthemums, that
we should note those of more weakly growth
and feed them less.

Although these notes refer principally to the
culture of the Chrysanthemum for large blooms,
good cultivation is desirable all the same for
whatever purpose the plants are intended.
They all need what is known as feeding to main-
tain a healthy vigour just now when the abun-
dant leafage and swelling flower-buds are
causing such a strain on the sap-giving powers
of the roots. I have noticed the appearance
of mildew more or less in all collections I have
seen, and curiously, on the leaves of yellow^ va-
rieties mostly. It is desirable to apply sulphur
at the first signs of this fungus, otherwise it
.'preads with great rapidity and makes the
plants unsightly. Insect pests are generally
most troublesome where the plants are growing
near large trees, therefore one must be always
on the alert-, or blind buds and deformed
blossoms will be only too prevalent. The only
insect I would allow to remain on the plants is
the harmless ladybird. H. S.

Chrysanthemum Mrs. H. Weeks. — This

variety appears to be unusually late in producing
its flower buds, and I fear this will prevent its
being seen during the coming autumn in that
magniticent form noted last year. A sort eo large
and grand must necessarily require a considerable
time to develop. I may of course be wrong, but
fhould say the plant will be found to need topping
in the early months of the year for the purpose of
obtaining flower buds some time in August.— S.
Dwarfness in Chrysanthemuics.— This de-
sirable character is gladly welcomed among many
of the newer varieties, and it would be well if when
awards are made to novelties, habit of growth were
taken into account. Too often, however, one is
carried away by the beauty of a new flower, and
after purchasmg a plant of the same is dis-
appointed to see its slender shoots run up to a
height of S feet or more before the time comes for
bloseoming. Not only is the e.xpense of sticks and

other supports considerable, but such tall speci-
mens are anything but beautiful. Cutting down
the plants may be adopted. This will lessen the
height finally reached, but this is always at the
expense of the blcom. That is to say, compara-
tively finer blooms will be grown from the natural
habit ct each variety with few exceptions. I
would like every Chrysanthemum plant to grow
not over a yard high. That fine sort Mme.
Carnot has a particularly loose and rather tall
growth. Edith Tabor is also ungainly ; the va-
riety Reine d'Angleterre possesses a valuable
dwarfness : short, too, is the growth of that grand
novelty M. Chenon de Leche ; Phabus and Mutual
Friend are both of excellent growth ; Pallauza
again has a habit not at all taking : Calvat's
Australian Gold, which will very likely be the
variety of the year, is a capital doer and does not
run up tall ; Beauty cf Teignmouth has perfect
growth. One requires a ladder to reach the top
of plants of Eva Knowles. But as I have noted
we are gradually going in the right direction,
for there are no sorts cultivated now that run
to the extreme height of that famous old variety
Mme. C. Audiguier, which has been known to
grow 12 feet high above the pot before blooms
appeared. — H.

WHITE CHRYSANTHEMUMS.
Theke is a goodly number of excellent varie-
ties of the most favoured of all Chrysanthe-
mums. As an early-flowering white Mme.
Desorange is the best. Out of doors the flowers
have a 'yellow tint, which detracts from its
merits, but if placed under glass before the
blooms open they come snowy white. This is
a first-rate sort to grow in the open garden,
lifting the plants just before the buds show
colour. It has a way of making a bushy lot of
roots, so that one may take up a nice ball of
earth as well. The leaves and blooms, there-
fore, do not sufler to any extent from removal.
I pot some, which are kept shaded and
sprinkled for a few days, and they readily re-
cover the check of shifting. The bulk are
bedded in the soil where Cucumbers have been
growing. Here the light, rich soil aids a quick
root action, and the plants quickly become
furnished with a quantity of blooms of a
useful size. I thought at one time the above-
named would be supeiseded as an early white
by the newer Lady Fitzwygram. The latter is
equally dwarf and free, and probably of a, purer
white, but the shape does not commend itself
generally. Its flowers, especially when dis-
budded, fold in at the centre of the bloom, this
incurving, to my mind, making it less useful
for general purposes than a variety which
reflexes its petals in a graceful manner.
Good white sorts to follow the early ones are
Elaine, Lady Selborne, Mile. Lacroix and tsou-
venir de Petite Amie. The three first-named
are all well known and first-rate for the
supply of a quantity of cut bloom. Elaine has
flowers of strikingpurity, those of Lady Selborne
of a slightly le-ss snowy character. Mile. Lacroix
bears flowers the perfection of graceful form,
although a little fault may be found with the
purity of the white. The last named is com-
paratively new. It is a very fine kind for Octo-
ber flowering. The habit of growth is especially
dwarf and branching. It has nice foliage and is
very free-flowering. No fault can be found with
the blooms, and when better known I should
say it will be the most esteemed among Eemi-
early white Chrysanthemums. 1 he old variety
Avalanche is a first-class white which should not
be altogether discarded. Where pure white in-
curved sorts are valued, Mrs. G. Bundle should
take the leading place ; this, however, grows
rather tall Mme. Carnot is a magnihcent
white kind for any purpose. It bhoms
naturally in November. For the supply of cut

200

THE GARDEN.

[September 12, 1896.

flowers the plants are generally stopped, in
which case a somewhat long growth is remedied.
This sort is especially handsome in form and the
white is good. Everybloom comes double, whilst
the long tlorets give it graceful form. Mile. A. de
Galbert should be tried as a free-flow ering kind.
It has mostly been seen as a large exhibition
bloom, but it has qualities to make it popular
for general purposes. This flowers in November.
Mile. ThOrise Rey is a pure white ; it has a
weakly tlower-stem, which would not be liked
by some. A white bloom of extra purity is
JIutual Friend. I have not fried it otlierwise
than for large blooms, and I am afraid that
without being freely disbudded the flowers
will not come double. Its dwarf habit is com-
mendable. Following the above-named in time
of flowering is Niveum, a kind possessing every
good quality for general culture. Then for very
late supplies there is no sort to equal L. Can-
ning. This does very well planted out, because
it lifts w-ell and makes a capital bushy specimen.
The white of its flowers is very pure. Princess
Victoria is a good late white too. It is a
stronger grower than L. Canning, flowers as
late, and is easy to cultivate. The two last-
named may be had in perfection at Christmas,
and they can be kept in good condition till even
a month later. H. S.

EARLY-FLOWERING CHRYSANTHEMUMS

AT THE AgUARIUM.
Foe several seasons past the show of Chrysanthe-
mum blooms got t0;;ether at the first of the series
of exhibitions held yearly under the auspices of
the Xational Chrysanthemum Society has been
scanty and not over-interesting, that of the 1st
inst. being no exception. It may be the prizes
are not sutficiently inviting to induce a great
number of persons to pay that extra attention
needed in the cafc of producing flowers for show.
But another cause appears to me to be this. The
Chrysanthemum is so much associated with au-
tumn and winter, that many shudder at the sight
of such emblems in their greenhouses so early as
August and September. The colours of most of
the sorts, too, are dull and dead among the bril-
liancy of such flowers as the increasingly popular
Cactus Dahlias. In the outside garden, however,
Chrysanthemums that bloom early give variety
and the flowers last a long time in a cut state.
Here the whites, yellows and bronzes do indeed
make a bright display, but, unfortunately, highly
coloured kinds are not forthcoming. Yet it can-
not be said that raisers neglect them when one
enthusiast in France sends to this country over
In; I reputed new kinds in a single season.
Curiously, the early sorts generally do not lend
themselves to the production of big bloom», hence
aaother reason of their failing to attract atten
ticn. Notable exceptions are Mme. C. Des-
grange, white, and G. Wermig, a yellow sport
from the former. Two stands of a dozen of each
were exceedingly pure and beautiful at the exhi-
bition mentioned. Apart, however, from these
and a nice group, principally composed of the two
varieties named, there was very little worth com
ment.

A recent inspection of some acres of these
early-flowering Chrysanthemums in full bloom has
not ahered my opinion that there are only a select
few sorts worth growing. Desgrange as a white
18 not e(|ualled by either Lady Fitzwygram or La
V lerge, although the two latter are nice, bushy
free blooming kinds. G. Wermig is the best yellow';
M. G. Grunerwald is a favourite blush-pink. This
sort does not always grow well, and I noted Mme.
Marie Masse a better kind in every way for out-
door flowering. It is dwarf, bushy and very free-
blooming. M. Dupuis and Mme Z. Lionnet,
both bronze-coloured, are useful. Roi des Pn^coces
is about the best of a dark red colour. Harvest
Home is also good, but somewhat tall in growth.
Arthur Crepey is a nice primrose kind with a

bushy habit. Bronze Bride and Blushing Bride
are two capital sorts, which bear rather small
blooms in great profusion. Flora is a bright
yellow with small flowers. A capital variety of
the Japanese type is Mme. Foucher de Cariel, col-
our deep orange. Coral Queen has blooms of a
nice tint, but the habit is rather tall. H.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

FIGS IN AUTUMN.
Fics are often fruited late even when grown
for early supplies, and the importance of get-
ting the wood of forced trees well matured can-
not be over-estimated. The Fig produces fruit
so freely, that one is apt to take advantage and
get fruit for a long season. I am aware all
kinds do not give a second crop so freely as
others. For instance, the Ischias and Brown
Turkey will give three crops if allowed ; hence
the importance of reducing the late growths to
ripen up the wood for next season. At this
date (the end of August) Fig trees in the open
are at their best, and how well thiy do in cer-
tain localities may be seen from the fruits
staged at this season at the Brighton and other
shows in Sussex. I am a great believer in
firm wood, early ripening, and early potting if
necessary. The pot culture of Figs may with
advantage be largely extended when early fruits
are wanted, as after a season or two they force
so readily that there is no difficulty in getting
good fruit as early as required. With forced
trees if regular potting is carried out, the crop
is more irregular, as the trees grow so much to
wood if not cramped at the root. By this
latter remark I do not mean that pot Figs niu.st
be starved to produce fruit. With plenty of
roots rich food may be given, as strong trees
will take food freely either in a liquid state or
in the shape of a good fertiliser. The dilHculty
with pot trees is that they get too large for
forcing. It is advisable to have a relay of
young trees to form a succession, and by this
method there is less labour, and the trees can
be forced in small pits, which is a great gain.
Trees that have been forced for years may be
in very large pots or in a confined space, and
after a certain time they become so stunted
that measures have to be adopted to get new
wood, and in nine cases out of ten young trees
would give a better return. I am aware
the first season the crop would be scanty and
the cultivator would need to pay more attention
to stopping to get well-balanced heads and form
wood for next season's forcing. I do not care
for sucker growth from the base to renew fail-
ing pot trees as they rarely look well and are
ditticult to check, as such growth is more barren
than when it proceeds from the main shoots. I
am aware there is no limit to age as regards figs,
but from careful observation I find unless the
trees make a free growth yearly, stunted trees
or those with poor wood do not produce the fine
fruit that is expected. So much depends upon
culture that any neglect means years of careful
stopping and feeding to build up good wood.
As regards potting of forced trees, I prefer the
late summer, before the embryo fruits show, and
as noted previously would not pot at all if the
trees are large, preferring to top dress and feed
liberally. 1 recently saw a number of trees
quite barren. These had been treated too well.
A few fruits set, but when nearly full grown they
turned yellow and dropped, the growth being
too vigorous. My advice was to well ripen the
wood and not to pot for three or four years, and
by starving the trees there will be less gross
growth. Here the starving, if it can be properly

termed starving, is advised, as few fruit trees
go wrong sooner than Figs if the roots are not
checked. In potting, a tree use of burnt refuse
or wood ashes and old mortar rubble is of great
value in building up short-jointed wood. It is
the gross shoots which cast their fruits most.
Hard or firm potting is of great importance,
and it is well not to give too much moisture
after potting. Free exposure is required up to
the time the trees are started, and I need
scarcely add there is no better time to cleanse
them than at the season of potting, growth then
being at a standstill. Few fruit trees are so
subject to the attacks of scale as the Fig. The
same remarks apply to small trees to be grown
on for future forcing. Early potting is con-
ducive to early ripening of wood, thus prepar-
ing the trees for future work, and as young
trees soon make large heads, avoid large shifts
and get short-jointed wood. We now come to

Planted-out
trees. Here the culture is difl'erent. In their
case it is essential to get new wood or leaders
occasionally and to remove barren or naked
wood. The work should be piecemeal, as the
same evil results follow if gross sappy wood is
laid in ; a shoot or two every season is prefer-
able to severe cutting down. Crowding is a
great evil with Figs, and few trees sooner cease
to give a heavy crop if stopping and thinning
are neglected. There should be no delay in re-
ducing gross wood at this date with barren trees,
and in doing so select soft wood, not the short
tirm shoots which proceed from the leaders.
The fruit is produced on the points of the shoots,
and if these are shortened — only leaving a few
gross leaders— the first crop will be a failure.
This advice is only intended for those who may
have had poor crops. Some of the less known
varieties fruit so sparingly it at all neglected
that it is well to get a good first crop. The
most prolific forcing Fig I have grown is the
St. John's. It is a white Fig and lacks the
good quality of the dark kinds, but it is valuable
for hard forcing if the top growth is kept well
in hand, as, like most kinds, it soon runs to
wood if left alone. The best of all Figs is
doubtless the Brown Turkey. Negro Largo may
be liked by some, but there is no doubt that
Brown Turkey is far better when crop and all
points are considered, and if only one variety
is grown I would advise it. As regards

Opex-air Fics
the culture is much the same, as, unless there
is good wood, there is a mass of gross, barren,
sappy growth, of no value to the grower. My
plan, when I had a good wall of trees in the
west of England, was to train thinly and re-
new a portion of the wood yearly, cutting out
long, bare wood, laying in new, and getting the
fruiting wood for the next season well matured.
Sucker growths are not required. I admit at
times one is obliged to resort to suckers after
severe weather, but in favourable seasons one
can usually get good wood in abundance from
the leading branches. Endeavour to preserve
a good portion of wood with firm points, which
are produced from the side of the main stems,
and if stopped early these will have formed
embryo fruits for next season. Stopping through
June and .July is important, as then the fruit is
being matured for next season, and by this
early stopping, the fruit which is swelling gets
more freedom to ripen and colour. It is im-
possible to get good fruit in abundance from
trees allowed to carry gross wood and fruit.
With wall trees much finer fruits may be had
by attention to details, and not only better,
but earlier fruits. From close observation [I
note the Fig, where it succeeds, rarely fails to

September 12, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

201

crop if due attention ia paid to stopping. Get
a fair amount of new wood well matured and
laid in, with room to develop, and fruit in quan-
tity and of the best quality will be obtained.
There are many more failures to produce Figs
by inattention in the summer than by severe
winter losses of fruit, and barren trees are put
down to our bad winters, but in many cases the
wood is not ripened sufficiently to stand severe
weather. G. Wythes.

Pear Beurre de I'Assoinptioii.— This is one

of the 6nest early Pears grown, coming into use
as it does before Williams' Bon Chretien and
Souvenir du Congr^s. It is large, of very hand-
some appearance, and in flavour and texture of
flesh much resembles that magnificent Tear
DoyennS du Cornice. 1 have seen it stated that it
is equally as good a grower on the (^luince as on
the Pear stock, but my experience is quite the
contrary, as I am unable to get it to succeed at all
on the Quince, and no amount of coaxing would
induce the trees to make healthy growths. 1 have
rooted them out, but intend starting afresh with
trees on the Pear and hope then to succeed, as I
have such a high opinion of this variety that I
do not Uke to be without it. No doubt in many
places a warm position on a wall would have to be
accorded to it. — S. E. W.

Pear Clapp's Favourite. — A good Septem-
ber Pear introduced from America. It is of hand-
some appearance growing to a large size on cor
don trees on the Quince. On the Pear stock it
is very prohfic, but the fruits do not attain to so
large a size, otherwise as regards appearance and
flavour they are about equal. The skin of this
Pear takes on a grand colour when thoroughly ex-
posed to the sun, and it then much resembles
Louise Bonne. Like the latter kind, the skin is
freely dotted over with russet brown spots, which
greatly add to the appearance of well-developed
fruits, and it also possesses a perfumed flavour
when fully matured. It is not a long-keeping
Pear, but with me it remains in good condition
for a longer period than Souvenir du Congre?, and
it makes a valuable addition to the dessert. —
A. W.

Peach Esquisite.— This fine Peach belongs
to the yellow skinned section, and is deserving of
extended cultivation, its large size, handsome
appearance, and exquisite flavour rendering it a
desirable variety for midseason and late house
culture. I am now gathering fine fruits from a
t.-ee on the back wall of a Peach house, and they
are really all one could wish for as regards size
and quality, but are rather deficient in colour
owing to the position the tree occupies. In a
better position the colour would be much im-
proved. The fruits at first glance might be mis-
taken for those of Walburton Admirable, but on
comparing the two together the difl'erence is at
once apparent. Exquisite being rather elongated,
while Walburton Admirable is a roundish fruit.
The tree is a good grower and makes plenty of
wood. The flowers are large and do not set freely
unless fertilised with pollen from a small-flowered
variety. This is its only drawback, and that is
easily overcome by artificial impregnation in the
manner indicated. — S. E. P.

Pear Colmar d'Ete.— This useful early Pear,
which is in season at the present time, is superior
both in point of flavour and productiveness to
Beurr^ Giffard, which it greatly resembles. The
tree is also much more hardy, and may be grown
either as a bush or pyramid in the open without
any misgivings as to its succeeding. Grown in
this form it crops freely, but the fruit must be
thinned if good examples are required. Although
of no use for storing, this Pear is valuable, and
when gathered before the fruit assumes a deep
yellow colour it is excellent. Unless well thinned
the fruits are medium-sized to small, roundish-
obovate in shape, with a shining smooth skin,
freckled with russet dote, deep yellow in colour
when ripe, with a scarlet flush on the side where
fully exposed to the sun. The flesh ia very juicy,

half melting, and the flavour, as before stated, is
excellent if the fruits are gathered before they
are over-ripe. The tree is a good healthy grower
and succeeds well on the Quince.— A. W.

Peach, Bsymacker's.— I have a young tree
of this distinct variety carrying at the present
time a crop of twelve dozen fruits, all of which are
of good size and highly coloured. Raymacker's
Peach is somewhat hke the old Walburton, but
far superior to it in every way, and it colours
grandly. It is a vigorous-growing variety and
also crops very freely. The tree in question,
which is on a wall facing due west, has failed to
fruit but once since planted in its present posi-
tion. A tree of the same variety planted against
a south wall is also equally fruitful and satisfac-
tory. In an ordinary season its fruits do not
ripen until the first or second week in September,
but the hot summer weather has made a difl'er
ence of a fortnight this season, and the fiavour is
delicious. — S. E. H.

Australian Oranges in London. — The
Orange groves of New South Wales are famous
throughout Australia, and the British pubhc will
soon be afforded an opportunity of testing the
quality of the fruit. The knowledge that the
Tasmanian growers have established a flourishing
export trade in fruit with London, sending as
many as 250,000 cases in a season, has induced
the New South Wales Government to forward an
experimental shipment of Oranges to England
this autumn. The fruit has just been despatched
in the steamship 0^-A(V— 1700 cases in all— and
should be on sale early in October. The Govern-
ment are prepared to" spend £1(100 on the experi-
ment, but they are confident that the consigii-
ment will more than cover the cost. The fruit
will come in the cold-storage chamber.

GOOD FRAME MELONS.
While the majority of Melons will grow and
crop well enough under Melon house treatment,
many of them are anything but certain, grown
in pits and frames, especially if the summer
happens to turn out wet and sunless and labour
cannot be aflforded for the building up of linings
to preserve both the top and bottom-heat.
More often than not when once the bed is made
up and planting completed, no after additions
of fermenting material are made, the crop of
fruit having to contend with sudden and often
crreat fluctuations of temperature and ripen off
as best it can, although considering that a
maximum of heat is absolutely necessary to en-
sure perfect flavour in Melons, the renewal of
linings should be attended to, even if other
work°is suspended for the time being. Yet
there are Melons which on account of their free
settinw qualities and hardy constitutions gene-
rally, will submit to rough-and-ready treatment
with impunity. Perhaps the variety which
does the best of any in a cool temperature is
Little Heath, a large scarlet-fleshed variety,
but then its quality is so inferior, except m
extra hot summers, that few care to grow it.
Probably for all- round excellence no Melon is
suited for the purpose so well as that good old
crreen-fleshed variety Broniham Hall. It is
still to be had true from several firms, and even
for ordinary house culture is worthy of being
included in the most select list. I have seen
this Melon planted in pits facing south from
which successional lots of forced Potatoes had
been lifted, and from which most of the bottom-
heat had departed. Yet they made wonderful
and .speedy headway and ripened off good
well-flavoured crops of fruit. Of course, m
this case they were not planted till June.
Gunton Orange, though worthy of the best
cultivation possible, is a capital sort for frame
culture, setting most freely in a comparatively
low temperature, and swelUng ofi far quicker
than most varieties. A correspondent last sea-

son noted this fact in The Gaki>en. Thii
doubtless one of the very best scarlet-i
varieties in cultivation, its useful medium size
being a great point in its favour. Another
good scarlet is Scarlet Premier, one of Mr.
Maclndoe's Melons, and hard to beat at any
time. It is of oval shape and well netted.
Heckfield Hybrid may well be included.
Having an exceptionally good constitution, it
is well suited for the purpose named, and
although, as a rule, frame- grown Melons do
not reach their normal size, they are quite
large enough, and the flavour, even in a mini-
mum amount of heat, fairly good. Lastly, a
INIelon of recent introduction and very suitable
for this kind of culture is Hero of Isleworth.
This medium- sized fruited variety possesses a
wonderfully hardy constitution, produces short-
jointed wood, and often bears fruit on the first
formed laterals. Few sorts arrive at maturity
so soon as this. Notwithstanding the extra
hardy characters of these Melons, success can-
not be expected unless ordinary attention is
given in the matter of duly thinning and regu-
fating growth, supplying the roots with tepid
water, and closing early in the afternoon, so as
to husband sun-heat. J- C.

CULTIVATION OF PEIRS UNDER GLASS.
Peaks are such a fickle crop in some parts of the
country, even when afforded the protection of
walls having warm aspects, that it is almost sheer
waste of time to attempt their cultivation at all
outdoors. It is then that their culture should be
tried under glass, for timber and glass are now so
cheap that the building of a suitable house which
need not be either elaborate or costly, can be done
so cheaply that owners of gardens can hardly put
forward the question of expense as a plea for not
doing so. With a good-sized house such as will
be presently described, all who appreciate well
grown and superior Pears, and who are at the
same time debarred from cultivating them out-
doors through adverse climatal conditions, may
secure a good supply of fine fruit if strict atten-
tion to details of management is paid. Pears are
by no means difficult subjects to manage under
glass if anything approaching to forcing ia
avoided; in fact the more naturally they are
grown the better they will succeed. High tem-
peratures and a close stuffy atmosphere they can-
not endure, and this important fact should be
taken into consideration when designing a Pear
house, pro\iding ample ventilation on this
account. ^, f- ^

With these few introductory remarks, the first
thine to consider is the most suitable kind of
house. On the whole I think that generally de-
signated a lean-to is the best, and it should have
a back wall of good height. The front of the
house should also be sufficiently high to allow of
the front ventilators being of a good width, and
these and the top ventilators also should be con-
structed to open simultaneously. The width of
the house may be from 15 feet to 2.5 feet, but this,
as also the length, must be governed entirely by
the number of trees it is intended to grow in it.
The doorways should not be less than 3 feet 6
inches wide to admit of the water-barrow or
garden engine passing through easily, and a good
stout gangway should be constructed for walking
and wheeling upon. With respect to hot-water
pipes, only sufficient are re<iuired to keep the in-
side temperature above the freezing point while
the trees are in flower, and it is only on rare occa-
sions that they will be employed afterwards, un-
less it should be to assist the ripening during un-
toward weather in the autumn. In such a house
as has been briefly sketched, Pear trees may be
grown in a variety of forms. For instance, the
back wall may be devoted to cordons cr diagonal
trained trees, preferably the former, as more
varieties can then be accommodated with a greater
certainty of continuity of succession in the crops.

202

THE GAEDEK

[September 12, 1 J

If tUo house IS of good wuUh, necesfitating the
emp oyment of iron standards as roof supports,
single cordons may be planted and trained to
them also. Again, if there is head room in the front
ot the house, a hori/3nt,al wire trellis mav be con-
structed reaching from end to end, and on this
diagonally trained trees may be grown. The
body of the house may then be filled with either
bush or pyramid trees. I prefer the former form
cl tree, and they may be grown in large pot? or
tubs or be planted out. If the latter method ie
adopted a properly constructed border will be re
quired throughout the house, while if it is de
cided the bush trees are to be in pots it will be
only necessary to make borders in those parts of
the house where the cordons and trees at the fiont
of the house will be planted. In the latter case
borders 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep will be
suthcient, and this depth will also include the
drainage. When this question has been decided
the

Formation ck the Borders
must be taken in hand and the staple excavated
to the required depth. Whether or not any of
the excavated soil is to be retained or not will de-
pend entirely on its character. If fairly good,
part may be reserved for mi.xing with the new
and should be placed on one side for that purpose.
The 1 ear succeeds best in a rich loamy soil%ot
too heavy nor too light, and loams and'soils that
do not come up to this standard should be cor-
rected by adding whatever may be deficient.
Light loams may have road sidings or some marl
mixed with them, with an addition of half-inch
bones and bone-meal, and heavy loams cannot
uu,^ i'®"" <^°"ective than old piaster, or lime
rubble and wood ashes, with the same quantity of
bones and bone-meal added. The two latter in-
gredients should be used in the proportion of a half
cwt. of each to every ton of soil, and all should
be well mixed together and thrown into a large
heap a few days before it is required, covering
the heap with a tarpaulin should rainy weather
intervene After the whole of the soil has been
excavated a drain should be laid for carrying off
the water, and then get in the drainage, which
may ccnsist of stones or brickbats, with a layer
of chnkers or smaller metal placed on the top
making a depth of 6 inches when completed. On
this lay whole turves, grassside downwards, or
failing these, long manuie, to prevent the finer
particles of soil from choking the drainage, and
then wheel in the prepared soil. Level it down
and make hrm by treading, and allow it to re-
main as it is until the time comes for planting
w^en it will be found to have settled down col!
siderably and after another good treading the
border will be in good condition for getting the
trees set out. b r c

Plaxtin-g
would of necessity have to be deferred until the
time arrives for lifting fruit trees, but this will
not interfere m any way with the "selection of
the trees, which may be done at any time now
f / u P^PO^e a fruit tree nursery of good repu-
ation had best be visited and a selection made on
the spot, and whether the trees are bushes or
cordons they should as far as is practicable be
worked on the Quince stock. Trees on the Pear
stock make stronger growth and require liftine
tD keep them fertile when planted out. Choosf
nice symmetrical bushes, and the cordons should
have clean, healthy stems from 5 feet to 6 feet
long, and diagonal-trained trees should have
h?T,K "T '2 three tiers of branches, with a good
healthy leader. W hen the trees come to hand in
tae autumn, planting and potting, as the case
may be. should be undertaken 2t once The
planting should be carefully done, and work fine
soil down among the roots, making doubly sure

^Zt'^ f'°^1- '°T'^ ''y ^^^^""f^ them home
afterwards, and tie the trees provisionally to the

,ht l^.°.""P^"'\-'f ■■? '''°"''* ^^ exercised in
the potting-for which the same kind of soil as rfi-
commended for borders will suffice-to see that all
the interstices between the roots get filled in,
and make all firm by ramming. Fourteen-inch
poU IS a good size to use for this purpose ; drain

them well, and sprinkle soot over the crocks to
keep worms out. Before either potting or plant-
ing trim off all injured roots, and it may be found
necessary to shorten back some of the stronger
ones to enable them being got into the pots, and
if at all dry, soak them for a few minutes in a
bucket of water. The pot trees may be stood on
the floor of the house during the winter, but to
economise labour while the tree.s are in active
growth the pots may be plunged to the rim,
placing them a sufficient distance apart to enable
the attendants moving amongst them without
damaging them. The next consideration is

Selection ok Varieties,
and in the following list will be found Pears pos-
sessing excellent qualifications as regards flavour
and productiveness, and nearly all are good
growers. Beurre de I'Assomption, Williams,
Souvenir du Congr.s, Duchesse d'Orleans, Jersey
Gratioli, Thompson's, Beurre d'Amanlis, Pitmaston
Duchess, Marie Louise, Louise Bonne, Doyenne
du Comice, Chaumontel, Marechal de la Cour,
Glou Morceau. Beurre d'Aremberg, Winter Nelis,
Bergamote d'Esperen, Olivier de Serres, and
Beurr6 Perran may also be included as an experi-
ment, although I have had no experience with it
myself. Beurre Hardy, Althorpe Crassane, and
Beurrt? Superfin may also be added to the above
by those who wish for a more extended list of
varieties. The

After Manaoement
will consist of admitting plenty of air while the
trees are in bloom during favourable weather, and
even if it should be unfavourable a little air is
always beneficial. Here the hot-water pipes will
come into play, and they should be heated just
sufficiently to enable air being kept on night and
day. On bright mornings the temperature will
run up quickly, but no harm will result providing
the ventilators are opened by degrees to allow of
a free circulation of air, and the doors may also
be stood open so long as the sun continues tos" '
on the roof. As a matter of course, the fire-heat
should be turned off first thing when the day pro-
mises to be tine and bright, and it should not be
turned on again until nightfall, unless a fall in
temperature or change in the weather should
warrant its being done. The maximum day tem-
perature without sun -heat while the trees "are in
bloom should be 45°, and 40' as a minimum tem-
perature for the night. During the flowering of
the trees they should be gently shaken several
times a day, or be run over with a camel's-hair
brush or Pampas plume. The introduction of a
hive of bees would also ensure fertilisation. The
pot trees must be kept properly moist at the roots
while they are in bloom, otherwise they will fail to
set. Once the fruit is set and the trees are
well clothed with foliage they will require water
frequently, especially pot trees. During hot
summer weather the latter frequently require
watering two and three times a day. Planted out
trees do not want watering so often, and a mulch
of short manure laid over the borders will prevent
them drying up so quickly, and the same remark
applies in an equal degree to pot trees when
plunged. For pot trees stimulants are an almost
absolute necessity if fine fruits are looked for, and
this may consist of diluted farmyard liquid, home-
made hquid or guano water, changing it about
every other week. If the borders are fairly rich
in which the permanent trees are planted, they
will not need stimulants for the first season or two,
but when they do require it, that recommended
for pot trees is equally good for them also. When
summer weather sets in the trees should have all
the air that it is possible to afford them, and to
this end the ventilators should be stood open to
their fullest extent and the doors also. Damping
of the pathways and borders would also be of great
benefit, practised two or three times a day, and
syringe the trees thoroughly every afternoon. All
side growths on the bush trees and the breast-
wood on cordons must be pinched and repinched
as often as necessary, but leave the leaders intact.
These should be tipped at the winter pruning and
allowed to grow on again next season, repeating

the operation every year until the trees have filled
their allotted space, when they should be pinched
to three or four buds. As the fruits approach
maturity the syringing must be discontinued and
a drier atmosphere maintained in the house, but
the roots must not be allowed to want for water.
After the Pears are gathered give the trees a good
washing and crowd on all the air possible, and
when the leaves fall the trees may be pruned and
put in order ready for the following season.

A. W.

Yellows in Peach trees.— I am obliged by
your answer to my inquiry in a recent issue, and
now enclose some leaves of the trees to aid you in
discovering the cause of the yellowness of the
leaves.-D. R. S.

*,* As anticipated, this is a bad Ci>se of the
"yellows," and it is at the roots where the
remedy, as advised, must be applied. In all pro-
bability the trees were planted much too deeply
at the outset, and bringing the roots up to nearer
the surface and relaying in quite fresh soil will soon
restore the trees to a much more healthy state.—

Melon Royal Favourite.— Thishandsomeand
highly flavoured green-fleshed Melon is sure to be-
come very popular. It is both an exhibitor's and a
connoisseur's Melon, combining size, symmetry,
and handsome netting with a thick, rich melting
flesh. All Melon growers like a handsome
variety, but few care to sacrifice quality for ap-
pearance. Gardeners cannot make a mistake in
giving Royal Favourite a trial. Last year I sent
a few notes in praise of this new Melon as grown
at Hillside, Newark, and this season the crop was
even better than last. By feeding, fruit may be
produced up to 6 lbs. in weight, but the usual
weight under ordinary cultivation averages from
.'i lbs. to .'U lbs., a most convenient one for general
purposes.— J. 0.

Local Apples.— A short time ago there were
some interesting notes in The Garden under this
heading showing that in most localities there are
some good Apples known only under local names.
In proof of this I may add an illustration that
occurred recently when I was judging at a cottage
show near Axminster. There were several dishes
staged both for dessert and cooking ; but one
dish in the former class stood out conspicuous.
My colleague singled this out, and when we
cut the fruit it was found to be the best dish
out of upwards of a dozen. It was something in
the way of Irish Peach, but larger and longer,
and more blunt at the footstalk. It is known in
Exeter as Louisa Pippin. A few days after this
the same kind was placed first in the dessert
class at Axminster, one of the judges being Mr.
Garland. I consider it a very fine early kind and
one that should be better known. Can any reader
of The Garden give any information as to the
origin of this and where it can be obtained, and if
it is a Devonshire Apple ; also whether it is a
good bearer and grower, and if known under any
other name?— John Crook.

SHORT NOTES.— FRUIT.

Plum Victoria.- In this garden I have of this
a very old tree— at least fifty years old — still in the
best of health. The fruit from this ie in every way
exactly like that from three other young trees, except
in colonr. The fruit from this old tree is much darker,
almost black on one side, and is a better keeper. In
growth, foliage, Ac, both kinds are alike. — John
Crook, Forde Ahbey.

Apricots. — I agree with Mr. Crawford in the main
in his useful note on these (p. 156), especially where
he points out that branch-withering (according to his
observation) is like shanking in Grapes. Eeg.irding
soil for Apricots, I cannot agree that very light soil is
good. When I lived for eleven years in North Hants,
on a light, hot soil Apricots were not a success. I find
in this garden chalk is most helpful in a strong soil.
No fruit tree needs more water iu the growing season
than the Apricot. Moor Park I cannot give up ; it is
now (end of August) giving good fruit.— Jobn Crook,
Forde Abbey.

September 12, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

203

Trees and Shrubs.

CHOISYA TERN ATA IN CORNWALL.
The Mexican Orange is, in my estimation one,
of the most beautiful plants introduced during
the present century, but it does not appear to
be so well known as it deserves, for it is seldom
met with out of Devon and Cornwall and the
Isle of Wight except as a pot plant under glass.
I see in some gardening books it is described as
a stove evergreen shrub, but in this county it
has proved as hardy as the much-grown Esoal-
lonia macrantha. It grows, blooms, and can be
propagated (juite as freely as that favourite

The bush measures 15 feet by 8 feet by 8 feet
high. W. Sang WIN.

Trelissick, Truro.

year. The age is unknown, but locally it
posed to be 2000 years old.— C. Reeves

The forests of Russia.— These, exclusive of
those of Central Asia, Caucasia, and Finland, ex-
tend over a space of 478,000,000 acres, or about
40 per cent, of the total area of the empire in
Europe. This amounts to about 5 acres to each
inhabitant, which might suffice to meet the re-
quirements of the country in this respect if the
ratio of the forest to the population were uniform.
But in reality in the densely-populated regions of
Southern Russia woodlands are scarce, while in
the four most northern provinces there are nearly
70 acres of forest to each inhabitant. The disad-
vantages of this unequal disposition of the forest
are aggravated by the immense distances which
separate the thinly- wooded districts of the south

1 eup-

Orchids.

CATTLEYA HARRISONIANA.
This is a very old species, it having been in
cultivation upwards of sixty years. A good
variety of it may even now be reckoned as one
of the finest Cattleyas in existence. The plants
usually attain a height of about 18 inches, the
cylindrical pseudo-bulbs bearing each a pair of
leaves at the apex. From between these issues
the flower-spike, each blossom measuring from
4 inches to 5 inches over ; the colour is a pretty
rosy suffusion over a white ground, re-ninding

Orange Flower {Choisya ternata) at Trelissick, Truro. From a photograph sent by Mr. W. Sangu

shrub, while its pure white, exquisitely scented
flowers form a lovely contrast to the glossy
green foliage and pink flowers of the Escallonia.
It flowers here twice and sometimes thrice a '
year, and I think is much hardier than most |
people imagine, for I have known it to stand [
17° of frost without the least injury. It can
be propagated freely from cuttings in a cold ,
frame, or even in the open border, roots
as freely as the common Laurel, and is certainly
as hardy as the Sweet Bay. It is not at all par-
ticular as to soil or situation, but a sheltered
sunny corner in deep loamy soil suits it best.

The plant figured is now (August 21) flower-
ing for the second time quite as well as when I
the photo was taken — in the first week of April. I

from the rich forests of the north, by the lack of
water communication and the cost of carriage by
rail. Plans for reforesting parts of the denuded
area are therefore under consideration by the
Government, and since private owners cannot be
trusted to look forward to future supplies, there is
no doubt that the empire will assume the guardian-
ship and administration of these forests.

An old Yew. — I send you a photo of the old
Yew tree which stands in the churchyard at
Darley Dale. It is o.3 feet in girth 5 feet from the
ground, and is one of the finest old Yews in the
kingdom. The top has been broken off, likewise
some of the largest branches, and those that re-
main are supported by iron rods to the trunk
of the tree, which is quite hollow throughout, but
still continues to send out young growth every

one somewhat of Miltonia vexillaria. Coming
from Brazil, C. Harrisoniana thrives in the
ordinary Cattleya house temperature, and likes
the lightest position where plenty of air is
afforded it. Only enough shading to keep the
foliage from being scorched is necessary even
in the hottest weather, and in winter the plants
must be kept well up to the glass. The plants
usually commence to grow in early spring, and
the compost should at this time be put in order.
It is not wise to disturb the roots more than is
really necessary, but when the old soil about
them is seen to be in poor condition there
is nothing gained by leaving them ; in fact, the
reverse. The roots of this Cattleya grow very
closely together, and unless the old compost is

204

THE GARDEN.

[September 12, 1896,

well worked out from among them at potting
time, this soon forms a hard mass iu the centre
of the pot that is quite impermeable to water
and which the new roots cannot enter. To
prevent this forming, have a pointed stick,
and as soon as the plants are turned out, work
this well between the old, healthy roots, and i
cut away the decayed ones. This makes room
for new material, so that should back-breaks
appear on the old rhizome they have nice sweet
material to push into, this materially strengthen-
ing the growths. The habit of this Cattleya
is to produce bnlbs at some little distance apart
on a semi-creeping rhizome, and this tends to
bring the new growths to the rim of the pot
more quickly than some others. At potting
time arrange the bulbs to prevent this as far as
possible, bending the rhizomes and afterwards
pegging them in the required position, or in
some cases making an incision partly through,
with a view to inducing back-breaks, though
this latter is best done in autumn after the
plants have finished growing. The pots may
be broad rather than deep, quite clean and well
drained, with clean crocks covered with a layer
of rough Moss. The usual compost of peat and
!Moss used in a rough and open condition will
be most suitable. The base of the plants should
be kept up a little above the rim of the pot, and
a neat stake placed to each leading growth to
keep it steady until new roots are forming.
For plants in better order at the roots
it would not, of course, be necessary, as they
would not be so much disturbed, but taken
all round it is not wise to be over-punctilious
about this matter, for although at the time of
repotting some of the older material seems fairly
good, it will probably soon sour when growth
recommences and water is more freely given.
The time of flowering varies according to the
time the plants begin to grow, and to a certain
extent, of course, to the rapidity of pro-
gress, according as the season is propitious or
the reverse. From the end of July to October
is, however, its usual flowering season, and from
the time that roots are emitted from the base of
the new bulbs until the flowers are past and the
new growths fully matured the water supply
must be very good. After this less will be re-
quired, and if by exposure to sun heat and air
the pseudo-bulbs have been thoroughly hardened
and ripened, but little water wUl be needed in
winter to prevent these shrivelling.

In early spring care is necessary not to wet
the young growths, especially with cold water,
this causing the outer sheaths to turn black and
bind the young growth, preventing it swelling
freely and making it very liable to damp ofl'.
The troublesome soft white scale that infests all
Cattleyas more or less seems especially partial
to C. Harriaoniana, and care should be taken
that it does not get a hold or it will be
difficult to get rid of it. It afi"ects the undersid
of the scalea on the bulbs and the rhizomes
where it is difficult of removal. As soon as
it appears the plants should be thoroughly
sponged, every leaf and bulb being done with
soft soap well dUuted. There are several
varieties of this Cattleya, some of them of a
very deep shade of rose, others nearly white,
but one and all useful Orchids worthy of
every care.

Cypripedium Electra. — This g a beautiful
hybrid Cypripedium raided by Mefsr?. Veitch. It
is a free-growing and free-flowering plant, the
blossoms occurring on tall scapes. The dorsal
sepal tomewhat refembles that of a good C in-
eigcf-, the upper portion and the margin at each fide
being pure white : telow it is green with purple
PDOts. The petals and pooch are brown. C.
Electra does «eil in a shady position in the Cat-

tleya house and may be allowed a tolerably heavy
compost. Two parts of good fibrous loam to one
each of peat fibre and chopped Sphagnum will
grow it well, plenty of crocks being mixed as pot-
ting proceeds. Good drainage is necessary, as
abundance of water must be given while the
plants are in active growth. The parentage of
this fine hybrid is not known with any certainty,
but C. insigne was doubtless one of the parents.
In the glossy appearance of the petals it resembles
C. villo8um,'so this or one of the hybrids raised
from it may be the other.

Dendrcbium mutabile.— This is an old spe-
cies and by no means common in cultivation.
The stems are cylindrical and erect, bearing a
large number of rather fmall light green leaves,
and at the apex a ten or twelve-flowered panicle.
As the specific name implies, these are changeable
in colour, sometimes white with yellow markings,
at others the petals and eepals are flushed with
rose, the lip tinted ^ith a deeper yellow. It is
best grown in the East India house in a rough
open compost, and when the plants are strong
enough to throw up growths upwards of a yard
in length, fairly large pots and a good thickness
of material will be needed. It is an evergreen
species and must be treated accordingly. It is a
native of India and was introduced in 1844.

Lycaste Barringtonise. — This is an interest-
ing species, with large flef-hy pseudo- bulbs,
from the base of which the flower-scapes are
produced. The flowers are greenish white, with
pointed sepals and petals and a small pure
white lip. Grown at the cool end of the Cattleya
house in pots in a compost of equal parts of peat
fibre. Sphagnum Moss and loam, it will usually be
satisfactory. The pots must be large enough to
take the plants easily and plenty of water is
needed all the year round, especially when growth
is most active. It is a native of .Jamaica, and was
introduced in IVilO, so is one of the oldest Orchids
in cultivation.

Acropera Loddigesi.— Though hardly to be
classed as a showy plant, the blossoms of this
Acropera are quaint and interesting, and to lovers
of this class of plant will be welcome. The habit
is rather dwarf and the pseudo-bulbs grow closely
together like those of Gongora, to which genus
the plant is assigned by some botanists. From
the base of the bulbs the flower-spikes issue, and
they take a semi-pendent direction, each produc-
ing a number of the red and yellow blossoms. The
Cattleya house suits it best, and for preference
the plants may be suspended from the roof in
baskets, though they will thrive in pots on the
stage. The spikes occur at various times in the
year, and the whole plant is in fact irregular in
growth and rest. The roots are plentiful on
healthy specimens, and conse«|uently a liberal
supply of water is needed when growing freely,
this being greatly curtailed, but not entirely with-
held, when at rest. The compost may consist of
the usual mixture of peat and Moss, and in
potting or basketing it it is unwise to elevate the
plants much, though they may with advant.agebe
kept slightly above the rim of the pot. Fix the
material firmly with the dibber and water care-
fully for a time after disturbing them. Insects
are not often troublesome, and should red spider
or scale put in an appearance they may easily be
got rid of by the usual means.

Scuticaria Hadweni. — This is quite distinct
from the Whip Orchid (S. Steeli), and a handsome
plant if well grown and flowered. In habit it
resembles the terete-leaved Brassavolas, and was,
I believe, known as Bifrenaria Hadweni on its
introduction. The flower^ are each about 4
inches across, much like thou.- of S. Steeli in
shape, yellowish, with blotches of bright red on
the sepals, the lip white, with lighter spots.
The plants do best in a light, but not too sunny
position, whiTe there is plenty of atmospheric
moisture. The temperature of the Cattleya
house is high enough for it, the flowers being
more freely produced on plants that are not kept
too hot or unduly shaded. While growing, care
is necessary not to touch the points of the leaves.

as this makes them turn brown and often checks
their growth. It dislikes a large body of material
about its roots, and thrives well in shallow baskets
or pans nearly filled with drainage, or it may be
grown on blocks if these are well dressed with
Moss, but it requires close attention to water-
ing if cultivated in this way. The compost for
baskets may consist of three parts of Moss to one
of peat fibre, without any sand or earthy particles,
but plenty of crocks broken finely. The best
time to repot is the early spring, and watering
must be done carefully for a time afterwards. S.
Hadweni is a native of Brazil, and has been in
cultivation since 1S51.-H. R.

Cypripedium irsigne.— This old and useful
species I have met with in flower this week, and
I never remember seeing it so earlj- before. The
plants were old specimens and grown in a stove
temperature, and this had doubtless something to
do with their precocity. While not agreeing with
this mode of culture it is •■suggestive of what may
be done to prolong the blooming season of this old
species, for plants grown cooler would of course
follow them and keep up a long succession of
blooms. The flowers are useful for table decora-
tion, for they may be used a couple of night.s, then
put in water for a week or even longer and used
again as fresh as ever. Neglected as the plant is,
one at all events never seems to have too many of
its quaint and pretty flowers. — R.

Cypripedium chloroneurum. — This belongs
to the same set of hybrids as C. calophyllum and
C. politum, and is one of a batch of seedlings
raised by Mr. R. Warner, of Chelmsford. Its
parentage is doubtful, but C. barbatum and C.
venustum have been suggested as the species from
which they were raised. The dorsal sepal is yel-
lowish green, edged with white and veined with
dark green and purple. The pouch is like that
of C. venustum in shape, but larger and brighter
in colour, the petals green and purple. It is a
very free blooming and easily grown plant, with
very ornamental foliage. A shady, moist position
in a warm or intermediate house suits it well,
and it will thrive if treated as advised for C. bar-

DENDROBIUM BIGIBBUM.

Althouch not so large and showy as the nearly-
related D. Phalanopsis, this is a charming Den-
drobe and distinct from anything else in the
genus. It is usually under 1 foot in height, the
pseudo-bulbs, thickened in the centre, tapering
to each end and bearing a few leaves only towards
the top. Like D. I'halanopsis, the flower-spikes
isssue from both old and young bulbs, and these
contain from ten to fourteen blossoms. The sepals
and petals are rich magenta, the lip maroon, with
a white centre D. bigibbum requires plenty of
heat to grow it well, and should be suspended
from the roof of the East India house, where it can
obtain plenty of light. The most critical time in
the year is the winter, for often the plants at this
time are full of young growths. They start early,
and it is important that they be not checked on
the one hand from a dry atmosphere, or grown too
weakly owing to superabundant moisture. In the
latter case they will usuallj be soft and of a pale
green tint ; consequently in spring, when bright
bursts of sunshine alternate with cold and dull
periods, these weakly shoots damp oft' wholesale.
They must then be kept gently moving, giving
air on all possible occasions and allowing nothing
to come between them and the light, thus making
the best of unsuitable climatic conditions. When
once they become inured to the altered state of
affairs in spring the trouble may be said to have
passed, and it becomes much easier to keep up
the brisk temperature and well-balanced atmo-
sphere that all tropical Dendrobes delight in. At
this time it will be found necessary to water
freely, for root action will be rapid, and the sun
and abundant air currents soon absorb the mois-
ture from about the plants.

I), bigibbum may be described as rather a rest-
less species, but still, when the bulbs are quite
mature it is all the better for a steadying mode

September 12, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

205

of culture. It must not be kept absolutely dry
at any time, but may with advantage be placed
out of the heat and moisture of the East India
summer temperature to where rather cooler and
drier conditions prevail, still keeping the plants
in full light. It will thrive either in baskets or
small pans, the few details noted above being of
much more import than the receptacle in which
it is grown. The roots, however, dislike a large
body of material, they also abhor frequent and
untimely disturbance. Seize the opportunity
when it is seen that new roots are being freely
emitted from the young growths, as this will pre-
vent anything in the way of a check, and give the
plants a good hold in their new home. The roots,
though small, are persistent, and the compost
may on this account be somewhat firmly pressed
into position, trimming off all ragged ends neatly,
and watering very carefully until the roots are
well on the move. D. bigibbum is one of the few
Dendrobes inhabiting the Australian continent,
and has been in cultivation since 1824.

Rose Garden.

ROSE A. K. WILLIAMS.
When this Rose was sent out in 1877 by
Monsieur J. Schwartz it was considered too
delicate a grower to rank among any but those

great merit of seldom producing any but per-
fectly finished blooms. Deep carmine - red
when first opening, changing to a more or less
magenta hue with age, every flower bold and
upright, with good lasting flowers and exquisite
fraorance, it is indeed diflicult to select a more
deserving favourite among dark red Roses than
the one under notice. In all Rose elections
since this variety has become known it stands
very close to, if not absolutely at the top of its
class. Among mixed classes it is generally in
the first three or four. It is not so long-lived
as many when grown upon the Manetti, but its
earliness when grown upon that stock, especially
as a maiden, makes it well worth cultivating in
this form. The Brier stock gives a more lasting
bloom, and is much the best for autumnal
flowering. A. K. Williams is useful for forcing,
making a neat, compact plant, and carrying
from three to twelve blooms at one time in a
C-inch or 8-inch pot. S.

Rose Homere.— "Dorset's" just and well-de-
served estimate of the many merits of this Rose (p.
155) was specially welcome to me. He is quite right
about its forming a fine bush or mass anywhere.
But as to Homere covering low walls, it will speedily
do that and ask for more, and I have not yet met
with any wall too lofty for Homere to climb and
clothe with beauty to its highest summit. As to

Rose A. K. Williams.

grown purely for exhibition. I well remember
how my first half a dozen plants dwindled away
during the winter of 1878-79. However, now
it has got over the strain of excessive propaga-
tion, I find it is a fairly good grower and hardy.
It speaks much in favour of this variety that it
has probably won the medal as being the best
Hybrid Perpetual in the show oftener than any
other Rose. To win this coveted honour only
once among the galaxy of Roses brouoht to-
gether at the Crystal Palace exhibitions is no
mean feat, but when we remember the occasions
on which A. K. Williams has been to the
front, there is liitle need to say it is one of the
most perfect Roses of its type— imbricated. So
much is this recognised, that when the National
Rose Society wished to figure a variety as an
example of the imbricated form, they chose
this, at that time a comparatively new Rose.
One of the earliest and certainly one of the
very best late-flowering varieties m this exten-
sive class, A. K. Williams also possesses the

its perfect autumn buds, they are admirable for
buttonholes or any other purpoee. It is also re-
fiefhing to find such testimony as "Dorset's" as to
Homere being seldom out of bloom under glass,
and that no kind gives more satisfaction for cut-
ting. Moft of us are familiar with its profuse
blooming in the autumn in the open, but few
seem to have had sense to give Homyre a glass-
house to itself, like the Marechal, Perle dcs Jar-
dins, Perle de Lyr-, Mme. Hoste, Marie Van
Houtte, Niphetos, &c. Of very few of these, un-
less the last and Smith's yellow China, now almost
out of cultivation, can it be truly said that they
are seldom out of bloom.— D. T. F.

Table and button hole plants.— On page
134 a correspondent (T. Roach) inquires for
suitable things for above, of which there is quite
a large variety. Of the table plants some of the
best and most popular are small well-coloured
plants of Pandanus Veitchi, Aralia elegantissima,
Aralia Veitchi, Dracaina Lindeni, D. rubra (con-
gesta), I), marginata, Cocos Weddelliana, &

gracilis, Areca Verschaffelti, A. rubra, A. lutes-
cens, Kentia australis, and dwarf Caladiums in
variety. To these, however, may be added the
following flowering plants in season : Acacia
Drummondi, Gloxinias in variety, Solanums with
coloured berries, Poinsettias, Cyclamen, Erica
hyemalis, E. gracilis autumnalis, E. Cavendishi,,
Cytisus racemosus. Fuchsias, Pelargoniums of
several sections. Mignonette, Begonias, and such,
things. Then of plants suited to producing
" button-hole" flowers, such things as a selection
of Tea and other Roses. Next to Roses in im-
portance are Carnations, both border and winter
flowering kinds. Add to these such things as
Epiphyllums, Bouvardias in variety, double
Primulas, Lily of the Valley, Tuberoses, Agathfea
cielestis, Gardenias, Euphorbia fulgens, Stephano-
tis, and you will have an assortment of the
best and most useful (though by no means all) for
the purpose named. Apart from a host of pleas-
ing and beautiful Ferns, also Asparagus in one or
two varieties, there are not many things that can
endure cutting and which at the same time are so
useful as Smilax. The foliage of many of the
Japanese Maples is very beautiful, and for pen-
dent sprays some bits of Virginian Creeper are at
times pleasing, while for small work some of the
Selaginellas or Panicum variegatum are useful. —

J.

Fruit and Vegetable Crops.

NORTHERN.

Haughton Hall, Tarponey.— Some Apples,
such as Keswick Codlin, Lord Sutiield, Warner's
King, Ecklinville, Lane's Prince Albert and
Wealthy among cooking kinds, and Irish Peach
and Cox's Orange Pippin among dessert kinds,
may be said to be carrying fair crops, but in a
general way Apples will yield at most but half a
crop. Pears, too, are generally thin ; to credit
them with half a crop would, I think, do them
ample justice. Apricots are carrying light crops ;
perhaps this is owing, in the case of trees in their
prime, to the heavy crops produced last year.
I'eaches and Nectarines on outside walls are on
the whole fair and the trees have made clean and
healthy growth. The commoner kinds of Plums
are bearing pretty well on walls, but not so well
as standards in the open, while the finer kinds are
very thin in all positions. Damsons are plentiful,
but owing to the long spell of dry weather the
trees are infested wiih red spider, especially
where planted in hedge banks, as is often done in
this part of the country. Morello Cherries are
well cropped and the fruit is very fine. Sweet
Cherries were not so abundant, but our trees are
young. Bush fruit and Strawberries have been
exceedingly plentiful and very fine. This is partly
owing to a good mulching of manure the bushes
and Strawberry plants got before the dry weather
adversely afl'ected them. I find Raspberry Super-
lative a grand variety ; the fruit is not only freely
produced, but of extra large size. The variety
seems a good grower.

Vegetables on the whole have done well. Car-
rots are the only crop which may be said to be a
failure. Many of our autumn-sown Onions showed
for seed, but by taking oft' the bud as soon as ob-
servable they have swelled to a fair size. Spring-
sown ones will be small. Peas, Beans, Beet,
Cauliflowers and Potatoes have done and are doing
well. Celery and winter stutt'of all kinds promise
to be up to the average. Our soil is somewhat
heavy and rests on clay.— T. Winkworth,

XJnderley, Kirkby Lonaaale. — Wo had a
comparatively sunless autumn last year, which
was the cause of fruit tree blossom being thin and
weakly. Cherries flowered abundantly, also
Strawberries, but a sharp frost on May 21 de-
stroyed the promise of an abundant crop. Owing
to a dry spring and summer, insect pests have
been troublesome, and dropping of fruit has taken
place. Among new StrawDerries Royal Sovereign
does well, but I cannot say the same concerning
the Gunton Park varieties. In the average ol

:oG

THE GARDEN.

[SfirTrMIrER 12, li

season? amongst Apples we are sure to get a good
crop from Stirling Castle, Annie Elizabeth,
Xew and Old Is'orthem Greening. Pears are thin,
but good, especially M. Louise, Louise Bonne,
and Bon Chretien.

Vegetables have done well, and ai'tumn and
winter crops are promising. I wish allotment
holders would lay to heart the great benefits of
deep cultivation and the constant stirring of the
surface, so that they could tide over a time of
drought. I have tried many of the new Peas,
but always rely on William L Improved for early,
Duke of Albany second, and Ne Plus Ultra late.
Senator and Eureka are the best out of a number
of ofeet Peas I have tried.— W. A. Miller.

Bolton Hall, ley burn.— Apples in this dis-
trict are under average. Pears are also much
under average, as although the fruit set very
freely, a large i|uantity faded to swell owing to
the drought. Plums are an immense crop on
walls. Apricots are over average. Strawberries
have been an immense crop of splendid fruit, the
rains of June benefiting them. All small fruits
on bushes are a heavy crop.

Early Potatoes are good crops ; the later varie-
ties are looking well throughout, no sign of any
disease whatever. Early Peas have been very
good : latsr varieties are doing well. — F.

SCRIVENER.

Birdsall Gardens. York.— In this district,
with the exception of Strawberries, the fruit crops
are on the whole satisfactory. Apples average ;
Pears average : Plums average ; Peaches, Nec-
tarines, and Cherries abundant and good ; Apri-
cots in glass shed good. Raspberries and bush
fruits plentiful and good, and have been gathered
in good condition. Strawberries that have been
grown on good deep, well-manured soil and given
abundance of water during the flowering season
have done very well : those grown on light soils
have been very poor crops. Sweet Cherries
should be planted in greater quantities all over
the country districts where they have not hitherto
been grown. They are a very useful fruit and
require very little attention when once established.
One of the principal things to be observed is to
let them grow as they like without pruning in
any way when the trees are young. A little
shelter by wall or shrubbery will help them con-
siderably. I think if they do well on these York-
shire wolds they should do anywhere. This sea-
son they are excellent.

Vegetables are very good up to the present time.
Potatoes have been good in quality, plentiful, and
free from disease. Rivers' Royal Ashleaf is still
one of the best of early varieties. I find there is
3 sensible growing demand for Broad Beans, one of
the most w holesome and beet of vegetables. Dur-
ing the past winter and spring I have grown
Beck's Dwarf Green in heated span-roof pits.
My employer, who is a good judge of vegetables,
pronounced them excellent. They have the ap-
pearance of large Marrowfat Peas when dished up.
— Bailev W.vdds.

Caetle Howard.- Apples and Pears are an
average crop this year. Apricots, Plums, and
Peaches have and still are bearing exceptionally
heavy jields of fruit. Cherries are rather thin,
and Damsons in some cases not too abundant.
Strawberries, Raspberries, Gooseberries, and Red
and White Currants have been very plentiful, but
Black Currants dropped about two-thirds of their
fruit at the beginning of June, owing to an attack
of fly. At some places, where the plants were old
and in feeble health, the whole crop was lost. All
crops have sufiered severely from want of moisture
and from insect attacks.

Potatoes are free from disease ; earlies a good
crop, but rather small ; later varieties look most
promising. Cabbage and Cauliflower very poor,
many deformed through the absence of rain and
destroysd by caterpillars; in fact, all the Cabbage
tribe are rather poor. All other vegetable crops
are doing well. — J. Riudell.

Tranby Crcft, Hull.— Although the season
opened with every profpect of an abundant fruit
crop, the realisation in most cases has fallen short of

expectation, the principal cause being the long-
continued dry and hot weather. Apples bloomed
well, but, failing to swell, the fruits have fallen off
and are now barely an average crop. Pears are
only average, the prospects of a good crop being
at no time very assuring. Plums showed well
and have maintained the prospect, but Cherries
have dropped quite a third or more of their fruits.
Apiicote, too, have maintained the promise, but
the fruits will be small. Small fruits, such as
Gooseberries, Currants and Raspberries, are an
abundant crop, the dry weather, however, prov-
ing much too severe upon Strawberries, which
showed well, but proved only a moderate and
short-lived crop.

Vegetables of all kinds have suffered from
drought. Peas fill slowly and are soon over.
Veitch's Early (km, Exonian, with William I.
proved the best early varieties, whilst Telephone,
\'eitch'8 Perfection and Ne Plus Ultra will stand
the test against all comers for affording mid^eason
and late supplies. The dry weather does not
appear to have suited the crop of Broad Beans,
but dwarf Beans, although late, are doing very
well. Early Potatoes are small and not plentiful.
Later kinds look well, but are suffering from the
want of moisture. Cauliflowers have proved a
failure and Cabbages a poor crop, and unless we
have rain soon the entire family of winter Brassicaa
is likely to sutler severely. Onions, where they
have had good attention, are a fair crop, so are
Beetroot, Parsnips and Carrots, but Garlic and
Shallots are not very good. Seakale is not likely
to develop very strong crowns through lack of
moisture, and although Globe Artichokes are in
great abundance, they are likely, owing to the
drought, to be only shortlived. Atmospheric
conditions are far from being favourable to the
growth of Celery, and Rhubarb, unless a change
takes place, is not likely to do much more good.
Lettuces have required good attention, as unless
frequent sowings and plantings have been carried
out, the supplies of these would soon run short.
Turnips have been difficult to deal with, the flies
troubling them terribly when young and the hot,
dry weather, running them up to flower in very
quick time, necessitating frequent sowings of
those varieties that are least likely to run.— J. P.
Leadbetter.

Preston Tower.- The fruit crops are heavy,
with the exception of Pears, Apricots and
Cherries, which are rather light, although I find
a neighbouring gardener has good crops of Apri-
cots, Currants, Plums, Gooseberries, Peaches on
walls and Raspberries. Strawberries have also
been good.

Vegetables are very good. I dug the first
Potatoes on May .30, Sharpe's Victor being the
variety. Potatoes on the whole are lather small,
though of good quality. I planted some young
Cauliflowers outside last year. They stood all
winter, and I cut nice heads at the end of May.
Spring Onions are looking best. Tripoli sutt'ered
somewhat from the drought. Peas have done well.
William Hurst was the best early dwarf. Gradus
did well as an early, though not quite so early as
William Hurst. I find the following varieties
do well as mid-season Peas : Dr. McLean, Ad-
vancer, Duke of Albany and Huntsman. Veitch's
Perfection and Walker's Perpetual I find good late
kinds.— W. Richardson.

Allerton Priory, Liverpool.— Small fruits
this season are abundant, but Apples, Pears and
Plums are on the whole but moderate crops. The
trees gave great promifcj in the way of flowers,
but the dry, unfavourable season interfered with
perfect fertilisation, consequently a large quantity
of fruit fell. Exceptions to this state of things
in Apples are King of Pippins, Cox's Orange,
Cellini, Lane's Prince Albert, Lord Suffield, Potts'
Seedling and Alfriston. The best crops amongst
the Pears are borne by Clapp's Favourite,
Williams' Bon Chretien, Louise Bonne of Jersey
and Beurre d'Amanlis. Plums are thin, although
Dymond, Pond's Seedling and a local variety named
Halewood (a small red Plum) are fair. On the
walls Bryanston Gage and Coe's (iolden Drop are
• the best. Cherries made a beautiful show when

in bloom, but only two kinds came out well— viz.,
Bedford's Prolific and Governor Wood, which
never fails me. Strawberries have been all I
could desire, notably Royal Sovereign and Water-
loo. Latest of All does not finish up well, thus
spoiling its appearance when dished. All bush
fruit and Raspberries are carrying enormous ci ops
of well developed fruit despite the dry weather.
I never saw the trees so badly infested with red
spider before, which is finding its way into the
vineries and other houses in large numbers.
Gooseberries have been alive with caterpillars,
which have been very troublesome to keep in
check.

Vegetables have felt the drought very much,
early Peas and the Brassica tribe especially.
Brussels Sprouts had a difficult matter to get a
start, numbers dying oft'. Onions, too, have been
severely attacked by the fly, and now, with the
continued dry weather, crops for the winter need
sharp attention. — J. J. Craven.

SCOTLAND.

Galloway House, Gailiestown.- The fruii
crops in this district are very satisfactory as to
quantity, and owing to the earliness of the season
and the abundant rains at the end of June, which
cleansed the foliage of the early autumn and
winter varieties from insects, these promise to
finish off much finer fruit than usual. Apples are
very plentiful, and although great numbers have
fallen prematurely from large standard trees,
there are sufficient left to form heavy crops.
Young trees from which the fruit was thinned to
the desired number early in the season have large
fruit, and are making clean, healthy growth.
With the exception of a few varieties that were
overcropped last year, all sorts are bearing well.
Pears of the choicer varieties are good average
crops ; orchard standards of Hessle, Crawfoid,
Swan's Egg, Williams' Bon Chretien, and Berga-
mots are mostly loaded with fruit. Plums are
very good even crops, the better sorts grown
against walls, as Jefferson, Kirke's, Lawson's
(iolden Gage, Coe's Golden Drop, Denniston's
Superb, Orleans, Czar, Sultan, Monarch, Pond's
Seedling, and some others set their fruit very
thickly, and much thinning has been neces-
sary. Victoria, Belle de Septembre, and other
orchard varieties are abundant. Damsons were
also very plentiful, but the trees were badly
affected with aphis, which checked their growth
for a time and caused some of the fruit to fall.
Good growth has now been made and fair crops
are anticipated. Peaches and Nectarines are
about an average. Grosse Mignonne, Dymond,
Crimson Galande, and Royal George are the best
Peaches, and Lord Napier, Elruge, and Newton
the best Nectarines. Figs are very good, and
being early should ripen well. Castle Kennedy
and Brown Turkey are the sorts grown. Apricots
are above the average, the fruit larger and
better coloured than usual. Moorpark, Large
Early, and Royal are giown, the last the surest
cropper. Cherries of dessert sorts were very
good crops, the fruit large and well flavoured.
Morellos are heavy crops. Strawberries were
abundant, and have seldom been finer either in
size or quality. The best early sorts are Noble,
King of the Earlies, John Ruskin, and La Grosse
SucrOa. Royal Sovereign promises to be a good
early variety. Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury and
President are the favourite main-crop varieties,
with Elton Pine and Latest of All for late use.
Raspberries and Currants of sorts were heavy
crops. Goofeberries generally are average crops,
but slightly below here owing to an attack of
caterpillars last year which damaged the trees
very much. — Jas. Day.

Gordon Cattle, N.B.— With the fine ripening
weather of la^t autumn and an exceptionally fine
open spring nearly all sorts of fruit are heavy.
Apricots are over an average and swelling up to a
fine size. Apples are also over an average crop,
and promise at present to swell to a good tize.
Cherries are under average, except Morellos.

Pears are also under on walls, but an i

verage crop

Seftembee 12, 1896.

THE GARDEK

207

on standards. Plums are also very much over an
average crop, especially Victoria, Mitchelson's,
Czar, Pond's, Gisborne's and Early Prolific.
Peaches are also a good average crop. Small fruits
are a good average crop, especially Black Currants,
but the wood pigeons the lest two seasons have
been very destructive.

All vegetable crops are looking very healthy and
promise an abundant yield. All over the north
of Scotland the cereal crops are in the same for-
ward and healthy condition, and harvest will be
fully a fortnight earlier than usual.— C. Wer!,ter.

The Glen, N.B.— The fruit crops in this dis-
trict lock lemarkably well. Apples above the
average and tine. Plums very heavy. Cherries
the best we have had for years. Strawberries a
very tine crop, but of short duration owing to the
dry weather. Gooseberries and Currants of all
kinds an enormous crop. Raspberries very fine.

Our earliest Pea here is Dickson's First and
Best. A grand early Marrow is Veitch's Earliest
Marrow. Another little dwarf one and a good-
flavoured Pea is Chelsea Gem. I do not find any
of the new varieties for main crop equal Veitch s
Perfection and other older sorts. — M. McIntvre.

Tyninghame, East Lothian.— The fruit
crops have over all been a good average, and are
characterised by good quality and early ripening.
Currants and Gooseberries have been practically
failures, possibly brought about by the intense
heat and drought in May. Strawberries were
good, but soon over, so "were Raspberries and
Blackberries, and Japanese Wineberries both
look well and are bearing freely. Morello
Cherries are a fair crop. Pears are below aver-
age. Apples above average and of extra good
quality. Plums are very tine and early, the sea-
son beginning with Rivers' Early Prolific on July
1.3, The Czar coming in a week later. Figs are a
heavy crop and the first ready on July 20. I had
one or two Peaches July 17, but they were from a
young tree, and perhaps the ripen ng was more
a result of drought than of maturity. Lord
Napier Nectarine was ready on the 30th of July.
Apricots set a very large crop, and gathering
commenced July 20. All these dates are abnorm-
ally early, and perhaps indicate that a mild winter
followed by a spring of the same nature is a thing
not at all undesirable.

Potatoes are wonderfully good, and the same
may be said of most vegetables, though the devas-
tation by grubs on Brassicas and Carrots was de-
plorable.—R. P. Bkothekston.

Dunkeld, N.B.— Apples are very fine, a
splendid crop of first size. Pears are also very
good, large crops and of first size. Plums are a
splendid crop. I have thinned them on walls
to the very place I wish fruit to be, and the
beauty of it is I can say the same about every
variety. Peaches are the finest lot I have had
for twenty years. I gathered Alexander in the
second week in July in grand condition. All
the Peaches are very satisfactory. Apricots, in
size, quality and quantity, are all that can be
desired. Cherries heavy crops. Small fruit
plentiful, but not of usual size. — P. \V. Faik

GRIEVE.

Dunecht, Aberdeen.— This season has from
early spring up to the present been an e.xception-
ally fine one. Fruit trees and bushes of every
description presented one mass of blossom, and in
the absence of frost there was a splendid set. The
rainfall being over the average, fruit of every de-
scription swelled rapidly, and was quite three
weeks earlier than last season. Apples average.
Plums and Cherries over average. Raspberries
and small fruits extra heavy.

The vegetable crops have generally done well.
Potatoes are looking healthy. Early varieties are
a good crop and of excellent quality. Peas,
Cabbage, and Cauliflower have done remarkably
well, and there has neen little trouble with the
maggot so destructive to Onion and Carrot crops
last season. Having to supply a large demand
for Peas, I do not go in much for novelties. I find
for early use Earliest of All suits me well. Lax-
ton's Alpha and Fillbasket do well for midseason

work, with Telephone. Ne Plus Ultra, Duke of
Albany, and Beck's I'rizetaker for later use. —
F:^.\N-cis Du-NC.\N.

Glenormiston, Innerleithen.- Fruit crops
here and in the neighbourhood are generally good
and early, about a fortnight, on the whole, I
should say. Some have suffered somewhat from
want of rain. Such as Black Currants have
dropped off badly in some places. We suffer very
little in that way here. The soil of Glenormiston
is much heavier tl...n the staple soil of Peebles-
shire. Some Plums, such as Jefferson, have
suffered from want of moisture at the root about
the time the fruit set. When fruited in pots
alongside other sorts it usually requires more
water than the ethers. Strawberries and Goose-
berries, also Red and White Currants, are heavy
CI ops, but mildew has been appearing towards
the close of the season on Strawberries. Apples
are good also and well coloured.

The vegetable crops are all good, as a rule,
with the exception of some that have bten at-
tacked by insects. The worm has been trouble-
some on Carrots, also maggot on the Cabbage
tribe that was planted out during April. All
main crops planted later on have done well.
Some people complain of maggot on the Onion
crop I have none of this, as I have given up
sowing in the open, not so much on account of
the maggot as owing to the more profitable way
of raising a few boxfuls inside and planting them
out. Potatoes are good and early. On the whole,
fruit and vegetables are very good for Peebles-
shire considering the amount of dry weather
we have had. Crops generally have stood the
drought better than they have done for eighteen
years, not a dried up field of grass to be seen.
As to the Peas, I cannot say very much on that
subject, as I am not in the way of testing new
sorts. I generally hold to sorts that suit the soil,
now and then making a change when I see a good
one. Exonian I think the earliest I have tried.
Sharpe's Queen is without a doubt the best second
early I have ever had, all things considered. If I
were bound to grow one sort, without hesitation
Sharpe's Queen would be the one. I place G. F.
Wilson as a good late. For some years past I
have ceated growing the taller sorts, although
some of them are very fine, but grow far too rank
on our heavy soil. The middle heights give the
best return, all things considered. Alderman I
think a good Pea. I tried it last year. — A. DicK-
sox.

Haddo House, Aberdeen. — The fruit crops
in this neighbourhood are generally good. Straw-
berries in some cases are rather poor. Goose-
ben ies. Raspberries and Black and Red Currants
are extra good. Apples are very irregular ; some
trees a heavy crop, others almost none. They all
had a great abundance of blossom, but during the
hot, dry weather in May they got overrun with
insects and great quantities of the fruit dropped
off. Pears are rather a poor crop, but, as a rule,
they do not bear well in this part of the country.
Plums (which are all on walls) are an extra crop,
and have all had to be thinned ; the trees are un-
usually free of insects. Cherries are a light crop
except MorelloB, which are good. Peaches and
Apricots are not grown out of doors.

Vegetable crops have done well and are gene-
rally good, except spring-sown Onions, which are
very much injured by maggot ; autumn-sown are
good. Early-planted Potatoes did not come up
well, but what came are a good crop and of good
quality. Later sorts have done well, and as yet
there is no appearance of disease. Peas have done
well, but owing to the dull, damp, showery
weather we have had lately they are not filling
very well. Cabbage, Cauliflower and other
Brassica crops are all good, fair crops. The fol-
lowing Peas do very well here : Early sorts,
Earliest of All and William I. : general crop,
Princess Royal, Stratagem, The Duchess, Duke of
Albany, Telephone, Maclean's Best of All, Dr.
Maclean, Maclean's Premier and Veitch's Per-
fection.—John Forrest.

Cullen House Gardens, Bar ff.— The fruit
crops in this neighbourhood are a fair average, as

a rule. The mild winter and fine spring gave us
an abundant show of blossom, but in some cases
the fruit did not set so well, especially Pears and
Strawberries, and in some cases Apples dropped
a good deal. Other small fruits are abundant.
Peaches outside are thin, but extra early. I had
Early Alexander Peach ripe on the open wall the
first days of July. Figs outside are a grand crop
and swelling well.

Potatoes on the whole look very promising and
are comparatively free from disease. Sharpe's
Victor still holds its own as the earliest. Auto-
crat and Satisfaction are both good new Peas, but
old favourites are Ne Plus Ultra, Veitch's Per-
fection and Criterion ; the last the finest Pea I
know.— J. Fr.\ser Smith.

Balcarres, Colinsburgh, Fife. — The fruit
crops in this district are above the average and
three weeks earlier. Apples are a heavy crop,
trees clean and free from red spider. Pears half a
crop. Plums average. Apricots and Peaches
above average. Cherries very heavy. All bush
fruits above average and very good in cjuality.
Strawberries very good where two and three years
planted, but older plantations in some places an
entire failure. Late varieties, Elton and Aber-
deen Favourite, very good.

Last year I tested eight early varieties of Peas
and found Exonian the earliest ; of midseason
varieties I find Senator, Duke of Albany, Tele-
phone, Telegraph, and Autocrat the best, the last a
grand cropper and not too tall. I have not found a
better or more prolific variety than Ne Plus Ultra.
— E. Tate.

Drumlanrig. — The fruit crops here, with the
exception of Apples, never were better. All
small fruits. Cherries and Plums are good and
quite fourteen days earlier than the average of

Vegetable crops have done and are doing re-
markably well. As to Peas, which you specially
ask about, we do not require early Peas, so do not
grow any of the very earliest. Gradus and Duke
of York are very fine second earlies. Boston Un-
rivalled is a marvellous cropper as a midseason
variety. Duchess and Duke of Albany are always
very tine. For late crops Ne Plus Ultra holds its
own. Peas vary much in different localities.
Veitch's Perfection, now superseded, was very
fine in East Lothian, but here it was worthless.
— D. Thomson-.

Taymount, Brcughty Ferry.— The fruit
crops in this district are this season most satis-
factory. Small fruits have been abundant and
good. Strawberries and Raspberries have not been
so plentiful for some years, notwithstanding the
long spell of dry weather. The copious rains we
had throughout June, with fine genial weather,
have caused all sorts of fruits to swell splendidly.
Apples and Pears in general are heavy, and in
many cases require thinning.

The vegetable crops are also looking well.
Early Potatoes are good and no sign whatever
of disease. Sharpe's Victor is our best early ; it
comes in early, and the quality is invariably good ;
I only wish it were a heavier cropper. Peas have
been excellent. William the First I grow for our
earliest. Although an old variety it is yet hard
to beat. Gradus, a new variety I have grown
this year, promises to be one of the best early Peas
in cultivation ; it is of medium height, with
massive pods well filled with Peas of the real
Ne Plus Ultra flavour. Sown at the same time as
William the First, with me it came in eight or ten
days later. Duke of Albany and Telephone I grow
as midseason varieties, with Ne Plus Ultra and
Walker's Perpetual Bearer for late crops. The
height of the former variety is against it, more
especially in exposed situations. Walker's Per-
petual Bearer is much dwarfer, and with me it is
what its name implies. — Andrew Smith.

Moy Hall, Inverness. — Apples are good on
walls, but indifferent on standards. Pears and
Plums never fruit satisfactorily in this district.
Cherries a very heavy crop, (iooseberries. Cur-
rants, Raspberries, and Strawberries are very
abundant. The mild spring, succeeded by copious

208

THE GARDEN.

[September 12, 1896

rain, swelleH the fruir. to quiie an unusual size,
and it was fully three weeks earlier than last year.
Potatoes are a hea' y crop and of good ijuality,
with no signs nf di=ea!-e. Carrots and Onions are
exceptionally healthy and free from disease. Peas
are good, but growing rather tall : the heavy rain-
fall of June accounts for this. The best early
variety I find is Carters Lightning, succeeded by
Sangster's No. 1. For mid 'eason, Exonian is
an excellent kind, with well-filled pods. For late
n.'e I find no Pea tniual to Ne Plus Ultra.— D.
Rhim..

Belmont Castle. Megle.— The fruit crops in
this district are very good this season, except
Pears. Peaches, Apricot!', and Plums on walls are
gcod. Apples on standards a full crop. All small
fruits, such as Currants and Gocseberries, a fine
crop, liooseberries the be=t crop I have ever seen.
Strawberries were good, but soon over owing to
the heat we had.

All sorts of vegetables have done well, but on
some soils all the late-planted Cauliflowers and
Brussels Sprouts are bad with grubs at the roots
and going off The varieties of Peas 1 grow here
are Dickson's Earliest of All, Dickson's Favourite
Laxton's Supreme, Dr. McLean, Duke of Albany,
Sharpe's Invincible, and The Duchess. I tind
these come in in the order I have put them down
in, and give a very good supply.— (i. Di:i(.w.'iLL.

Bowhill. Selkirk.— All small fruits are a very
heavy crop and of good quality. Apples are an
average crop in the garden, but'in the neighbou
hood there is a very heavy crop. Pears a very
poor crop. Plums a" very heavy crop and of good
quality. Morello Cherries a splendid crop and of
fine quality.

Potatoes in the garden and neighbourhood are
a very tine crop and no signs of any disease. All
vegetable crops are ver}' good, except Carrots. I
consider Chelsea Gem and Exonian the best Peas
for early crop ; and for mid-season. The Duchess,
Telegraph, Autocrat, Duke of Albany, and Duke
of York, with Veitch's Perfection, and Walker's
Perpetual Bearer for late crops.— John C. Smith.

Fjvie Castle.— Wall fruit, such as Apricots,
Apples, Cherries, Plums and Pears, are this year
above the average and very promising. Black
and Red Currants, Gooseberries and Strawberries
are also a splendid crop.

Peas and Potatoes are fully a month earlier than
usual. William I. I find is the earliest and yields
by far the best crop of the early sorts, and for
main crop, Duke of Albany, Telephone, Telegraph
and Webb's Senator are worth growing. My
best early Potatoes are Duke of York and Sharpe's
Victor. This year has been very mild, and fiower-
ing shrubs of all sorts have been very fine. We
had very little rain during April and May. —
S. Campbell.

Ferguslie Gardeig, Paisley.- The fruit
crops in and around Paisley have been very
satisfactory this year. The Gooseberries in the
gardens here are a splendid crop and have
been so for a number of years. They get a good
top-dressing of manure every two or' three years,
which helps to keep them going, and we have
been very fortunate in escaping the late spring
frosts. The Apples are looking very well, some
better than others : but on the whole I consider
we have a fair crop. Raspberries are a first-rate
crop and the fruit of good size. These are also
mulched in the winter-time and the manure
elightly forked in during spring, as I do not con-
sider it good practice to dig much among Rasp-
berries. Black Currants have always been a suc-
cess here. At present there is a good crop, but I
fee beginning amongst them the dreadful disease.
Strawberries have been poor. Garibaldi and Pre-
sident are the best for this district.

1 have not tried any of the new Peas this year.
The first I had was Earliest of All, sown en
February IT ; first dish gathered on June 12.
Dickson's First and Best was next, and came in a
few days later. Veitch's Earliest Marrow is a
splendid Pea. Duchess. Dr. Maclean, Maclean's
Premier and Maclean's Best of All are all favour-
ites. Veitch's Perfection and Duke of Albany

are doing well. The lines are all specially pre-
pared, a trench taken out and filled in with a good
layer of manure and then covered up, and the
Peas are sown along the top. In dry weather the
manure retains the moisture, and the Peas
ceive all the benefit by getting the manure all to
themselves. Cabbage is doing well. Little Pixie
is our earliest, and then Early York. Cauliflower
is good now, but a lot went off with the maggot.
Walcheren, Eclipse, Knight's Protecting iind
Autumn Giant are the varieties mostly grown here.
Turnips are fine now, but troubled with the fly
earlier. American Red Stone is the principal.
Onions are difficult to grow here.— D. McDonald.
Cxenford Castle, Dalkeith.- 1 may say the
season is a good average one, taking it all round.
Strawberries are much below the average in this
garden and neighbourhood. The ground was too
dry through the flowering period, consequently
they did not set. Gooseberries are an abundant
crop. The same can be said of Raspberries.
Black and Red Currants are a little nearer the
average. Cherries have been a poor crop ; too
much caterpillar early in the season. Plums are
a heavy crop, especially the common sorts, such as
Victoria, Goliath, Kirke's Seedling, and Jefferson.
Pears are to be the poorest crop in this garden I
have seen for some years. Apricots are an excel-
lent crop and very healthy all through. Apples
are to be a better crop in this garden than has
been the case for some years. No Peaches grown
outside.

Vegetable crops look well on the whole. Onions
are an excellent crop, healthy and early. Peas
have suffered a little from being too dry. Gradus
I have found a capital big podded, early Pea,
quite as early as the early rounds such as Dickson's
First and Best and others usually grown as early.
Duke of York grown beside it is a week later, but
a good Pea. I only grow Duke of Albany, Strata
gem and Dr. Maclean Peas for succession : these
are three I find reliable when true to name.
Cauliflower is doing well now, but it was a little
too dry for the early crop, and many of the plants
went off with the maggot. Cabbages have done
splendidly from early spring onwards.— W.S.MiTii.
Marchmount Gardens, Dumfries. — Small
fruit plentiful except Strawberries, which are
poor. Apples and Pears a fair crop. Some kinds
of Plums a heavy crop, especially Victoria and
Jefferson. O.i the whole it is the best fruit year
since 1887.— Rop.ert Bkvdex.

Glainis Castle, Glamis, N.B.— The fruit
crop this year is an abundant one in this district,
with the exception perhaps of Strawberries on thin
and light soils. All other small fruits are plentiful
and of fine quality. Apples, Plums, Peaches and
Apricots are exceptionally good. Pears may be
called a thin crop. The season is early and the
different fruits are ripening well in their turn.
Wall trees were somewhat infested with aphis
during the protracted drought, but lately they
have been much benefited by copious rains.

Vegetables are also looking well. Quantities of
early Cabbages and Cauliflowers bolted, but later
batches are doing well. Early Potatoes are a
good crop and of fine quality. Late varieties are
making rapid progress and give promise of a
heavy crop, and no disease has as yet been noticed.
I have found the following Peas the best, viz.,
first early, Chelsea Gem, Exonian and Dickson's
First and Best ; midseason, Laxton's Fillbasket,
Duke of Albany and The Duchess : late crop, Ne
Plus Ultra, Autocrat and Veitch's Perfection.— T.
Wilson.

season. They will be fine in colour. Pears are
somewhat thin. Cherries on walls are heavily
laden ; so are Apricots and Peaches. Plums on
Willis and standards are a full crop. Not in my ex-
perience has so much hand-thinning been reijuired.

Vegetables were all very early, and since the
rain are growing luxuriantly, and there is no ap-
pearance of I'otato disease. Exonian Pea sown
here out-of-doors last week of February was ready
to gather June 1 —a fine crop, followed a week
later by William I. Chelsea Gem has also done
well. The varieties of Peas generally grown here
are Dr. McLean, Duke of Albany, Fortyfold,
Laxton's Supreme, Ne Plus Ultra, and Veitch's
Perfection.— Jame.s Brown.

Cawdor Castle.— There is a good average
crop of fruit, especially Gooseberries, Raspberries
and Victoria Plums. The only exceptions are
Pears and Cherries, which are lightly cropped.
Apples are a good average, especially Blenheim.
Old trees which had not borne for years are
loaded.

Vegetables are very luxuriant owing to the
amount of r.ain we had. Potatoes are a good
crop. I grow for early use William I. : for main
crop. Telephone, Duke of Albany and Ne Plus
Ultra. I have tried some of the new sorts, but
found them inferior to the above.— James Mait-

.AND.

ing to the heavy
here and in

Abeicairney, Crieff.— O

crops of all sorts of fruit last

this neighbourhood, a good crop this year was
scarcely expected. The autumn, however, being
extremely favourable for maturing fruit trees and
bushes and the spring free from damaging frosts,
we are now gathering a good crop of fruit.
Strawberries and all other fruit are good in crop
and quality. These suffered in the early part of the
season from want of sufficient moisture. Apples
have dropped considerably, but

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1083.

GRIFFINIAS.

(with A COLOUKED I>L.\TE OF G. BLVMENAVIA.*)

The genus Griffinia was created by Ker, and
it contains about half-a-dozen .species, all of
which have been in cultivation at some time or
other Heibert ,ippeara to ha\e known three

Griffi

of them over fifty years ago. Mr. Baker, in
excellent handbook of Amaryllideaii, de-
scribes seven species. They are all natives of
Brazil, and they are nearly allied to Cyrtanthus,
Gastronema and Lycoris. Tliey are distin-
guished botanically by their wide, stalked, re-
ticulated leaves, their many-flowered umbels
and free flower-segments, the three upper of
hich are broader than the three lower. The
structure of the flowers suggests the possibility
of a cross between them rnd Nerine rather than
with the Hippeastrums, as some appear to think.

especially those varieties not over-burdened last ' Severeyns.

Drawn for The Gakden by H. G. Moon from
flowers sent liy Mr. Balchin, Hassocks. Lithographed
a good crofi, ^nd printed by J. L. Gotfart, successor to Guillanme
urdened last, ' Ravo-r^-ima

IE!* !2 t896

■%.

V

/V

^^t

GPJFFINIA BLUMENAVrA

Septembee 12, 1896.

THE GARDEN.

209

Culture. mirably suited for edgings and carpets for Ivy-

Griffinias are called stove plants. They do ! leaved'Pelargoniums, dwarf or bush Fuchsias, and
not always thrive under cultivation, but where those who have not Etoile de Marseilles should
they do they are strikingly ornamental. Her- | secure it, as it is certain to be a valuable addition
bert states that in BrazU they are buried j *° ^^^ flower garden.— A. D.
8 inches deep in strong loam, the scape and ^=^5!!^!^^=!=?^=^

leaves rising to the height of 2 feet, whereas
in our stoves they rot when potted in strong
He rerommenda light peat and sand for

The Week's Work.

soil.

them. But they thrive when planted in fibrous
loam three parts, leaf-mould one part, and a
good sprinkling of silver sand. The bulbs
should be partly buried and the pots carefully

^

HARDY FRUITS.
Orchard fruits. — The gatherine; and storing of
some varieties of Apples and Pears will now be

drained. 'i^^H^^gTinTerTheJlftr ^eirin^ ' "rtZl^in^faUon "r^.ulrin^^L^mucT^c^^e^as
require no water. They should be placed on a I ^^^ growing of them, great care should be exer-
dry shelf in a warm or intermediate house and ■ ^jg^,! ^j. ^^^y of the best specimens will be
kept there until about March, when growth re- i spoiled either from being gathered too soon or
commences and the flower-spikes push up. The , from carelessness in handUng. Some people are
plants ought to be at their best in May, though apt to think that because fruit is hard at the time
they do not appear to flower at any definite of gathering, it will stand knocking about. Such,
time under cultivation. They may be ^,_

made to flower in winter by forcing,
but the probable result of this is the
sickening of the bulbs. The leaves
are deciduous, new ones being de-
veloped along with the flower-spikes,
as in the Hippeastrums. The plants
require moderate supplies of moisture,
both at the root and overhead, and a
light position. They do not ripen
seeds under cultivation, but may be
propagated by means of ofisets from
the bulbs.

G. HYAciSTHiN.\. — Bulb round. 2
inches to 3 inches in diameter, with a
short neck : leaves 6 inches to 9 inches ' ,

long, about one-third as broad, with ^ /
a channelled stalk and an acute apex. ^^^^
Flower-spike from 1 foot to 2 feet high,
slightly flattened, and bearing an umbel
of from six to ten flowers, which last
about a week.

G. Bi.DMEXAViA, of which a coloured
plate is given, has bulbs similar to
those of G. hyacinthina, but leaves only
half as long. The flower-spike is less
than a foot in length and is usually
eight-flowered, the flowers being 2 inches
long and pale lilac, sometimes almost
white. This plant was introduced by
Dr. Blumenau in 1876 from Santa
Gatherina. It sometimes flowers in
April, or even earlier.

G. ORNATA has large bulb.s each 4 V\

inches in diameter, with a thick up-
right neck 4 inches long. The leaves
are arching, 9 inches long, and the
erect flower-scape is about IS inches
long. The umbel sometimes contains as many
as twenty-four flowers, forming a head S inches
through : each flower is about .3 inches long, and
is coloured a delicate purplish lilac, fading off to
nearly white.

G. DRYADES is distinguished by its firm
leathery leaves, which are each a foot long,
about half as broad, and bright green. The
scape is 2 feet high and bears a head of about
ten flowers, each of which is 4 inches long and
coloured purplish lilac. W. W.

Heliotropes.— The sweet perfume of these
plants is, perhaps, more marked in the garden
when there grown than when the flowers are cut.
1 observed recently that at Strathfieldsaye the
strong - growing and highly -scented Florence
Nightingale is greatly used and liked. At
Maiden Erieigh Mr. Turton uses only the dwarf
Etoile de Marseilles. This does not e.xceed 10
inches in height and produces bloom in great
abundance, of a hue that is more nearly blue than
I have yet seen on the Heliotrope. The tall- grow-
ing Florence Nightingale makes a fine base for
standard white Fuchsias or tall golden Abutilons
and similar top plants. The dwarfer form is ad-

however, is a great mistake, for the more gently
gathering is done the better chances there are of
Its keeping. Then again, many varieties of
Apples are gathered before they are ready and
are stored in places most unsuited for them. A
dry, airy loft is by no means the best place to
store them in, but how often do we find that such
is the only accommodation provided. There is
also frequently much valuable space wasted, for
do we not see Apples and Pears of all sizes heaped
together as if they were so many Turnips, a good
portion of them being of no value whatever except
for grinding down for cider. Apples as a rule
are not a heavy crop this season, though in some
places there is a fair quantity, and where this is
so, special care should be taken to preserve them
as long as possible. It is the rule rather than
otherwise to gather late Apples too soon — in fact,
all kinds ought to be allowed to remain on the
trees as long as possible, for with the shortening
of days the temperature becomes cooler ; there-
fore, the fruit does not ripen go fast. Most people
know that towards the end of this month and early
in the next we are subject to gales which often
spoil many, either by bruising them against each
other or bringing them to the ground, but where
orchards are sheltered— and all fruit plantations

should be — no great quantity of the long-keeping
varieties will suffer, and what are left will more
than compensate for the loss of those injured by the
wind. It is recommended by some to empty the
fruitout of the baskets in which it has been gathered
and grade it before storing, but in my opinion too
much handling should be avoided. Where the
trees were duly thinned as previously advised,
there will be but few worthless ones to remove.
Where this has been neglected the sorting should
be done, not by emptying the fruit out, but by
carefully taking it out by hand and putting the
finest specimens thinly on the fruit- room shelves,
where they may be frequently looked over, the
others being disposed of at once. In this way
much valuable space will be economised, and
those stored will in all probability keep much
longer. The baskets used should be shallow, and
ought to be lined with some soft material to pre-
vent the twigs from bruising the fruit. We too
often see Apples emptied into hampers, where
they remain for several days pressing against each
other, causing a bruise which in time ends in de-
cay ; thus many of the best specimens are spoilt.
Fruit for keeping ought to be handled as care-
fully as though it were intended for exhibition.
If the store room has been made ready, as pre-
viously advised, by whitewashing the walls where
they require it, the fruit should be taken straight
to it in the baskets used for gathering ; this
will do away with the necessity of too much
handling. Early varieties are apt to sweat when
taken to the fruit room ; ventilation should there-
fore be provided nevr the apex to carry off the
moisture. The room, however, should be kept as
cool as possible in the daytime by having the
windows covered with mats on the outside where
such are at all exposed to the sun. Pears in most
private gardens are not grown in such quantities as
Apples, for, as a rule, a few trees of each variety are
sufficient to supply the requirements of the place ;
and as there are but few that keep in good con-
dition when ripe, only a portion of the fruit should
be gathered at a time. With pyramids, espaliers,
cordons and trees on walls this is no difficult task,
but with large standards in orchards it would ba
much more serious. As a rule, if a fruit be lifted
to the horizontal it will part from the tree if
ready to gather, but if any pulling is needed to
cause it to separate, better leave it a little longer.
By so doing, the season of ripaning will be con-
siderably prolonged. Brockworth Park with me
is very fine this season, particularly fruit grown
against a wall with an eastern aspect, being a
long way ahead of Williams' Bon Chretien in
point of flavour. To prolong the season of Marie
Louise, a tree or two should be grown on a north
wall, allowing the fruit to hang as long as pos-
sible. Doyenne du Cornice when grown on an
eastern aspect should also be allowed to hang as
long as possible. White Doyenne with me is
always good when allowed to hang till it parts
freely from the tree ; the same may be said of
Seckle, but when these are gathered too soon
they lose much of that briskness of flavour so
desirable.

Plums— In damp situations the fruit of these
does not hang well on the trees. It is not alto-
gether the rain, but the close, moist atmosphere
that causes the fruit to split before being well
ripe. In some places Damsons will hang till
November ; whereas in others they split before
In low situations where the fruit
this cause, it is always well to
north wall such late Plums as
Blue Imperatrice, Coe's Golden Drop, Monarch,
(irand Duke, Coe's Late Red, Imperial de Milan,
and Nouvelle de Dorelle. With me Late Rivers
does not ripen in the open, but against a wall it
is a grand variety. On bushes it splits long
before being ripe. Where Plums are required to
hang for some time, boards placed under the
coping will help to ward off the wet. Nets should
also be hung in front of the trees to protect the
fruit from birds.

Straweekries — Pay special attention to the
early batch in pots, for as the soil becomes filled
with roots the plants will need assisting with

being ripe
suffers fro
grow on

I

210

THE GARDEK

[Septemeer 12,

manure water to plump up the crowns. Pinch all
runners off as they appear, and should there be
any signs of the foliage overcrowding the plants, it
ought to be thinned out so as to allow the air to
circulate more freely amongst them. Late batches
should by this be getting well rooted, and will
therefore need stimulants to help them along. In
some places the frequent showers are almost
sufficient to keep the soil in the pots moist, but as
yet it would seem they are very partial, for in one
place a eood quantity may have fallen while only
a short distance away the ground is still very dry.
Particul.'ir care must therefore be exercised in
watering, for though the soil may appear moist
on the surface it will be dry underneath. See
that the pots are kept free from weeds which if
allowed to remain would rob the plants of much
nourishment. Newly-planted beds should also be
looked over, as it is important that all runners
should be pinched off ss they appear. The hoe
ought to be freely used in tine weather to keep
down small weeds, which at this time of the year
are very troublesome, particularly where it has
been showery. Any planting that has still to be
done ought to be brought to a close without delay,
for unless the plants are well rooted before frost
sets in they will be sure to suffer should the
winter be severe. Remove all runners from older
plantations and keep them free from weeds by
timely hoeing. H. C. Prinsep.

KITCHEN GARDEN.

CAr.B.\nE. — The Cabbage ground having been pre-
pared as advised in an earlier calendar note, it
will now be advisable to plant a portion of it with
the forwardest plants in the seed-bed, such plants
being carefully drawn out so as to hii e the re-
mainder as little disturbed at the root a.- iiiay be ;
the latter will then profit by the increate of room
they get, and make good plants for putting out
a week or two hence. I prefer not to plant a
large bed at once, as it sometimes happens that
all plantings do not do alike well, even if drawn
from the same seed-bed and planted side by side.
Look the plants carefully over as they are drawn
out and discard any that are defective in any
way, especially those which show the least
signs of blindness, as such will never make good
heads. If clubbing is at all prevalent in the gar-
den it will be advisable to puddle the roots in a
mixture which I have before recommended — viz.,
equal proportions of clay, soot and lime, mixed to
such a consistency that it will not readily drop
away from the roots. It is a good plan to take a
portion of this mixture in a pail to the seed-bed,
and put the roots in it as the plants are drawn,
letting them remain so until brought to the plant-
ing ground, taking each plant direct from the
puddle as wanted for planting, for the larger the
quantity of mixture that clings to the roots, the
greater will be its effects as a remedy against
clubbing ; .so that by this means, and by the aid
of the gaslime I have recommended for digging
into the ground, a thoroughly healthy growth
should be promoted. I advise deep planting on
light soils and that the soil shall be well closed
in around each plant, firmness on such soils being
a great help to growth and hardiness of the plants.
Much room is frequently wasted on the Cabbage
ground in private gardens, for there isno necessity
to give such small-growing Cabbages as EUam's
and the others which I recommend for eaily sow-
ing anything like so great a distance from plant
to plant, as one freijuently sees given to them.
Fifteen inches from plant to plant in rows 18 inches
apart is ample room in which to grow Cabbages
big enough for table use, and «here room is at
all scarce I would not hesitate to put the rows
cloftr even than this ; but I recommend such a
distance, as it gi\ep a good chance of bringing
plenty of soil up to the stems when these are being
moulded up— a precaution which is necessary in
all gardens liable to very severe frosts. Where
slugs are abundant, means must be taken
to prevent them from worrying the plants,
but they will not be likely to do much damage
on ground already prepared as I suggested, gas-

lime being distasteful to them. Other enemies
such as game of various kinds and pigeons, have
to be guarded against, and for this purpose I find
nothing better than enclosing the plot with a
width of galvanised netting fastened to stakes.
This should be seen to directly planting is com-
pleted for the time, as it will then prevent both
pheasants and partridges making a raid on the
crop, for these latter do not readily fly over even
such a slight obstacle unless they have had a pre-
vious taste of the plants. No matter how many
varieties of Cabbages may be tried, EUam's Early
should have pride of place, it being so useful and
such a good doer. Most of my Cabbage ground
was devoted last year to this variety, and from
the same plants planted at the distances given
above I have been cutting constantly throughout
the summer nice hearts, the second crop being but
little inferior in size and equal in quality to the
first, and there is still plenty in all stages up to
the completely formed heart.

Frexch Beans — It is well to make a further
sowing of French Beans in pots about this time,
and as it will be no longer safe to have such tender
things in a cold structure, I prefer from the first
to grow them where they may have the advantage
of a little heat ; not so much as may be safely
given when forcing in spiing, but enough to
acclimatise the plants, as it were, to the still more
artificial conditions they will need when flowering
and fruiting. The crop is a precarious one during
the dull days of early winter, and the plants will
need all the assistance they can get from light
surroundings and sweetness of soil, no crowding
must be allowed, as this would lead to attenuated
growth and a failure in setting the pods. Very
little manure should be used in the soil at this
time of the year, about one-sixth part of decayed
horse manure will be sufficient to use with the
fibrous loam which forms the staple of the mix-
ture. Should the loam have a tendency towards
sourness, as some soils have, a little finely- broken
lime rubble added will counteract this. The ear-
lier batch of pot plants which I recommended to
be sown should from this time be gradually
inured to having less exposure, as many failures
are, I believe, due to the too sudden change en-
forced on them on the appearance of frosty
weather, such changes arresting root action for a
few days or long enough to do irretrievable
damage, which would not occur under more care-
ful management. Having now had suflScient rain
for present needs, but little further can be done
to assist French Beans growing outdoors, ex-
cept to be careful to protect the plants in case
of frost. Late-sown plants are commencing to
pod and have made excellent growth, so that the
crop will probably be good if the weather is kind.
The more I see of the climbing French Bean the
better I like it, as there seems no limit to its crop-
ping powers, and the Beans if picked before they
get large are of excellent (juality and colour. In
sowing the second batch of this Bean I chose a
spot on the west side of a thick Beech hedge,
sowing parallel to and about 4 feet from the
hedge, towards which the stakes used were in-
clined at the top ; protection in this position will
be easy, a few poles sloped to the hedge and mats
stretched along these being all that will be needed.

Cardoons. — Where these are required early it
will be necessary now to commence blanching.
Growth has been rapid of late and the hearts are
well advanced. Cardoons are gluttons for water,
and if this is not supplied in sufficient quantities
the quality will be poor. It does rot pay to de-
pend entirely on the rainfall even if this is plentiful
enough for most things, and I always like to give
the plants a thorough good soaking just before
earthing them up. The method 1 practise for
blanching is that usually recommended, viz., to
wind hay-bands round the plants, so that the
stems are completely hidden up to the height at
which they are to be covered with soil, which is
then banked up round the plants in a similar way,
but in larger (|uantitie8 than for earthing Celery.
It, is not advisable to bind the plants very tightly
or to cover them with soil above the point where
the hearts cease to feel solid when tested by the

hand, as the non-observance of this precaution
would tend to cripple the further progress of the
most important parts of the plant. It hay-bands
are not to be had, some other covering for the
stems may be substituted, strips of Russian mats
in too bad a condition to be used for their more
legitimate purposes, or stout pieces of paper may
be tied round and will answer equally as well as
the hay-bands. Only a sufficient number of
plants for the earliest use should be taken in hand
just yet, as Cardoons, like Celery, are improved
by being left as long as possible uncovered. Many
people blanch the hearts of any spare Globe Arti-
choke plants that they may have, as a substitute
for Cardoons grown from seed, but I cannot say
that I like the makeshift, as the growth from old
Artichoke stools is never so fine as that of well-
grown seedling plants. If, however, it is intended
to use the substitute, further thinning of the
stools should take place, so that all the energies
of each stool are concentrated on the production
of one or two strong growths, these to be treated
later to the methods of blanching described above.
Sundries. — Frame Carrots should have all
weeds pulled from among them and be thinned
to about 2 inches apart if nice sized roots are re-
quired. This will be a sufficient distance for the
plants if weeds are rigorou.sly kept down to give
them all the room. Sweet Basil cut back, as I
advised, will now have formed bushy little plants
which may be potted up and stood under cover of
a cold frame, where they will soon establish them-
selves ready for removal to warmer quarters later
en, as a supply of green shoots is needed. Angelica
is not now very much grown, but it is useful in
many ways, ard should not be allowed to go out
of cultivation. Being a biennial it should be
sown now in good soil where it will make strong
stems. Onions though they ceased growing early
have had a bad time for finishing the ripening
process and all not yet stored should be removed
under cover, where they will be free from
rain and dew, and should get an occasional
stirring over until the skins feel crisp and dry,
when they may be heaped up in a dry shed until
a wet day occurs and time can be spared for
stringing or bunching. J. C. Tallack.

Kitchen Garden.

OPEN-AIR TCljMATOES.
Theke is every prospect of the present season
being one of the best on record for open-air
Tomatoes. Not only have those plants receiv-
ing the benefit of shelter and warmth afforded
by walls and fences produced both exception-
ally heavy and early maturing crops, but those
grown quite in the open are in an equally satis-
factory condition. All that is wanted is another
month of comparatively warm, dry weather to
complete the ripening of the bulk of the fruit,
and we shall then be able to speak of results
unsurpassed even in America. Compared with
what is going on among market growers, the
efforts of private gardeners are most insignifi-
cant, and it is to the doings of one among the
many growers for sale that I propose to confine
my remarks at the present time. In the neigh-
bourhood of Bexley Heath there is much
to be seen and learned by all classes of gar-
deners, and I only regret not having arranged
to spend much more time among the practical
and genial market growers to be found there.
Most of them cultivate Tomatoes under glass,
in some instances extensively, but, so far as I
could learn, it is reserved to Mr. R. Gulzow
to grow them in the open in extra large quanti-
ties. In company with this gentleman I visited
his Melbourne Nurseries and inspected the To-
matoes. There are fully four acres of ground
devoted to them, and it is estimated that no
less than eighty tons of fruit will be marketed

September 12, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

211

from these plants. This at about 2d. per lb.
clear, that is to say after the expenses of
marketing have been deducted, leaves a very
respectable balance on the right side, or, say,
something near to £1500, and stamps Tomato
growing in the open as the most profitable
open-air crop known. At least it would
be so if the crops were equally satisfactory every
season. Most growers regard open-air Tomato
culture as a lottery, in which there are far more
blanks than prizes, but Mr. Gulzow seems well
content to risk it. He has a site sheltered
from cold winds, and a soil which, though free-
working, retains moisture surprisingly well. It
is full of large pebbles, and these on the surface
are effective conservers of moisture without
keeping the ground unduly cold. In my case
open-air plants had to be watered several times
to keep them alive, but if I remember rightly,
at the Melbourne Nurseries they have only
watered twice this season, yet the rainfall was
exceptionally light and the heat great. Plant-
ing 4 acres with Tomatoes is no light under-
taking. Either digging or ploughing in a dress-
ing of solid manure is a tiifling detail compared
with the raising of some 58,000 plants, for that
is about the number, if my calculations are
correct, required to plant 4 acres of ground, 15
inches asunder in rows 30 inches apart. The
seed is sown at the end of March, the plants are
duly placed singly in 2i-inch pots, and are
hardened off in time to plant out by the middle
of May. A moderately strong stake is placed
to each plant. The plants are confined to a single
stem, are kept closely denuded of side shoots,
and stopped beyond the third cluster of fruit.
When 1 saw them late in August the plants had
been partially cleared of old leaves, or suffi-
ciently so to expose the great clusters of fruit
hanging on them to all the sunshine possible.

Only iho;e who have had some experience
of growing Tomatoes on a large scale have
any conception of the amount of labour neces-
sarily expended on 4 acres of plants, but it is
possible to largely utilise women and boys for
this work, and expenses are kept down accord-
ingly. It is not a farmer's crop, for the simple
reason that a considerable area of heated, glazed
structures is needed, first to prepare the plants
under, and later on to utilise for the ripenin
of the crops. At times the fruit ripens very
slowly in the open air, and Mr. Gulzow adopts
the plan of gathering directly colouring com
mences, finishing the ripening under glass.
There are tons of Tomatoes thus treated to be
seen at one time in the houses, and it is only by
assisting Nature in this way that the crop can
be made to pay. No doubt quite the latest
fruits are gathered when comparatively green,
and sold after being kept under glass long
enough to become red.

One of the great drawbacks to the open-air
culture of Tomatoes is the liability of the friiits
to crack badly, this rendering them of little or
no value for marketing. Mr. Gulzow depends
upon a variety that does not crack. It bears a
resemblance to the old Keyes' Prolific, and very
probably was selected from that heavy cropping
variety. The fruit (produced in great clusters)
is of medium size, slightly ribbed, and bright
red when ripe. None that I saw of this variety
had cracked, and a few rows of smooth round
sorts on trial only served to bring out the value
of the selection, as these were cracking badly.
So far as I could learn, disease is not often
troublesome at the Melbourne Nurseries, and it
would therefore appear that Mr. Gulzow grows
a disease-resisting as well as a non-cracking
variety. W. Ioguldex.

Planting Asparagus in autumr. — To those
disposed to try this as recommended by "C. C. H."

(p. 157) I would emphatically say "Do not,"
unless on the smallest scale. Virtually Asparaeue,
root and top, is dormant through the late autumn
and winter. In this state the roots are almost
wholly isolated from the earth. In such
condition they are very easily injured through
cold or other evils. To avoid the risks
or dangers of dry sites it is better to sow the
seed on the growing sites, and so avoid all the
sks and checks of transplanting. Many years'
sporience has caused a general consensus of
opinion in favour of spring planting — that is in
Rlarch or April — the exact time for every locality
being determined by the condition of the plants
rather than by calendar. That condition is exactly
^^ hen top growth is about to start or has grown
an inch or so. Planted then with a minimum
of root exposure, the roots grip the ground at
once, and over 90 per cent, of the plants thrive
well. A good deal, however, depends on the
period chosen for autumn planting. According
to " C. C. H.'s" instructions about staking and
his statement that the plants, though of fair size,
soon took hold and grew freely through the re-
mainder of the season, starting well the following
pring, this points rather to summer than autumn

planting, and may be less objectionable to those
who can give the extra labour of staking, watering,
&c., to keep the growing plants going in dry
weather. This seems the more likely, as the
riter recommends the choice of seedlings
bearing a few large berries in preference tc
those bearing a lot of small ones. This, however,
is rather puzzling, as seedling Asparagus seldom
has any berries at all the first year and seems to
point to grass of more mature age and size for
autumn planting. Or can it be that berry here
is inadvertently written for shoot or stem ? Most
growers agree that the fewer the shoots and
the stronger the Asparagus planted at any
season, the greater the certainty of fine edible
grass. In saving seed from older plants most
growers agree as to the wisdom of selecting the
finest berries for the renewal and improvement of
their stock. -D. T. F.

The advice given by "C. C. H." is particu-
larly opportune this autumn, for so little progress
was made in spring sown beds, and not a few
failures, that there aie blanks to be made good.
Now we are favoured with copious rains on an
already warm soil, everything is apparently
making determined efforts to recoup lost time.
In established beds I find quantities of young
plants spring up, and these, if occasion require it,
may be lifted to repair broken lines, or planted in
temporary beds for forcing later on. The roots
now are very active, and in the course of a short
time would be quite established and necessarily be
in an advanced condition for spring growth next
year. Except in good land, plants of these in
common with other vegetables have had a hard
struggle for existence in districts where the rain-
tall has been so short. In such instances every
possible encouragement should be given the plants
to assist the growth now so active, and certainl
where there are young beds not well furnished,
and there are plants to spare, I should strongly
advocate, with "C. C. H.," autumn planting,
feeling sure there will be, more particularly in
such an exceptional season as the present
one has been, decided advantages in so doing.
Some young plants lifted quite recently to ascer-
tain their condition at the root and crown were
found quite active, and if planted quickly would
scarcely feel the removal. — W. S., Il'ill-^.

The growing out of late Potatoes. — I
specially note "A. D.'s"very practical remarks
on this subject, which is one of growing import-
ance, especially since the experience of last season
with most of the longer kidneys. The Champion
and the Magnum Bonum were perhaps the
greatest sinners in this matter. The worst of it
is, the longer the kidney, as a rule, the more com-
pletely the supertuberation takes place at the
growing end of it. The tendency of this is to
lower the quality of the entire tuber. So general
and severe was this depreciation of quality last
year, that numerous families gave up the use of

kidney Potatoes. Virtually the major portion
of them became uneatable. Round Potatoes
from their form supertuberate in a different way
and with much less deterioration to the ripe
tubers. The eyes break from the surface and
form fresh tubers at the expense of and injury to
the tubers, it is true, but nothing like to the same
ruinous extent. The evil will have to be modified
and subdued, if not arrested, through growing
more round and fewer kidney varieties. When
rains come late in the season, premature lifting is
far better than second growths, that mostly also
bring disease in their train. It carefully lifted
and stored in the earth on the spot, the evils of
early storing become blessings in disguise com-
pared with those of supertuberation.— D. T. F.

Leeks and moisture. — Leeks are now making
rapid growth where the necessary supplies of
food and moisture can be given them. For home
consumption I am not an advocate of the large
Leeks so often seen on the exhibition boards. I
like the thick, short plants. These are the best
as regards home supplies, as there are less waste,
less trouble during growth, and they are much
sooner prepared for use. Plants which are grown
as long as possible without the earthing up to get
a large portion of stem blanched are more useful,
as they swell more freely when nob moulded up
too early, and it is much easier to give food and
moisture. Now is the time to feed freely, and if
the rows can be flooded, the plants soon make
headway. Fish manure is excellent at this season
if it is given in showery weather or well washed
down to the roots. Soot is equally good, as it

keeps worms and slugs away. No matter how
"arge the plants, it is not well to hurry the mould-
ng unless the Leeks are required for exhibition.
Far better let the plants swell freely, as they then
winter well, there being less decay and few run-
ning to seed. — S. H. B.

EARLY MUSHROOMS.

In some places where early Mushrooms are neces-
sary, a bed will by this time have been made up.
As a rule, beds do better made up in October
than earlier, as there is then less evaporation in
Mushroom houses, owing to less sun heat and a
moister atmosphere externally. My earliest-
formed bed is always a small one, good droppings
from corn-fed horses being none too plentiful,
but if it succeeds it supplies sufficient Mush-
rooms until the second and larger bed comes in.
Forming a small bed comparatively early where
droppings are scarce is decidedly an advantage,
as, if postponed until a large bed can be formed,
and this should prove a failure, a considerable
interval occurs before the second comes into bear-
ing, and this in many instances would be con-
sidered a seiious matter. I am now collecting
from stables where peat moss is used for bedding,
as I have proved that this material does not inter-
fere with the productiveness of the droppings.
The late Mr. (Gilbert, of Burghley, once assured
gardeners of this fact in The G.\rde», after
which I saw no fear. By the time, however, my
first bed is made up the horses are put on to
straw, which enables me to mix with the peat
moss droppings about a fourth part of those of a
better character. Abundance of short pieces of
straw keeps the mass from going too closely to-
gether. 1 believe many failures are due to the
use of droppings from horses which are being
constantly physicked with drugs. Some years
ago a friend of mine was compelled to use such
material, and although he had had great experi-
ence in Mushroom growing and great success
previously, failure for several seasons stared him
in the face. Happily for him, a change i" the
management of the stables occurred, after which
he again produced Mushrooms in plenty. I
have known cases where the droppings were
thrown from the stable behind some wall or
fence, and quite exposed to the weather. This
is an evil, as an hour's heavy ram will
saturate them, and they never seem to dry and

mix so well after ; some covering,

of the

212

THE GARDEN.

[September 12, 1896.

most temporary nature, should be given, and the
droppings brought to the garden at short inter-
vals belore violent fermentation tikes place,
spreading them out not too thickly in an open, airy
shed, and moving them every few days till sutti-
cient has been collected for throwing together.
No fear need be entertained if the material be-
comes partially dried, better this than waste the
ammoniacal properties prematurely, as, if the dry
portion is thrown into the middle of the heap and
even a little water used, thorough moistness will
be secured. If not already done let the Mush-
room house be dressed thoroughly with lime-
waih, previously using boiling water to the wood-
work it any fear of woodlice exists. J. C.

TOMATOES THAT PLEASE.

ALTnorou large fruits, if fairly well formed,
hold their own at the majority of exhibitions,
the demand for them is rapidly waning. What
please.s best are medium-sized to small fruit, or
of a size say that go from six to eight to the
pound. Fruit larger than that is tolerated, but
those who supply the markets find to their cost
that Tomatoes half-a-pound and upwards in
weight are not wanted, and frecjuently have to
be classed as " seconds " in the grading. Cor-
rugated or ribbed fruits are also objected to and
if sent to the market are thought to be Jersey
fruit. Unfortunately, the larger fruited varieties
possess the best constitutions, while those that
are corrugated are usually the freest setters.
These must, however, be discarded in favour of
the handsome, medium-sized, smooth round
varieties by all who wish to please their em-
ployers, or if they are market growers, are
anxious to obtain the best prices. Novelties
among Tomatoes are as plentilul as new varieties
of Melons, and what to grow is a problem by no
means easily solved. I had seed given me of
four model varieties all believed to be distinct,
and whether they are so or not no mistake will
be made in growing all of them extensively.
Among them is a vigorous growing heavy crop-
ping improvement on Conterence, and in this
instance the advance is in the direction of in-
creasing the size of the fruit, more especially
that produced on the later clusters. This sort
is grown for the markets in the neighbourhood
of Bath, and is much liked on account of the
uniformity as well as the superior quality of
the fruit. Another grower in the Taunton dis-
trict has an equally pretty variety, the plants
producing no large fruit nor any very small,
while the quality is good enough for the fruit
to be used for dessert. A Cheltenham grower
has also selected a model variety, this taking
the place of all others tried against it.

When, therefore, Mr. Jones (of Chrysanthe-
mum fame), Lewisham, told me he had something
very special to show me in the way of Toma-
toes for market and other purposes, 1 was fully
prepared to be very critical. As it happened,
I was obliged to confess that be has raised
or selected a variety that ought to become
popular. He has hundreds of plants growing
market grower's fashion across the border of a
large span- roofed house, and also up the roofs
in smaller structures. In every instance they
are, or were when I saw them, carrying heavy
crops of fruit from near the ground up to the
top of the stakes or ridge ot the roof, as the
case may be. It appears that nearly every-
body (myself included) who has seen these
plants for the first time exclaims, "Oh, what
a cropper '. " and this suggested a name for the
variety — The Cropper. The largest fruit would
not weigh half-a-pound, aLd the smallest would
not be Jess than 2 ounces. They are borne on
racemes, nine fruits being the most 1 counted

on one of them. Not a single fruit had a scarred
or ugly centre ; the colour is a deep red and the
flavour excellent. There was no cracking of
fruit to complain of, and if the crops were sent
to the market they would invariably fetch
the best prices. The Cropper is moderately
robust, and there was not a trace of
disease either in the plants or fruit. Next
season readers of The Garden will have an
opportunity of judging for themselves whether
it deserves all I have said in its favour or not.

Ham Green Favourite, to which The Cropper
bears a resemblance, is a good market variety,
and so also is Challenger. Both are extensively
grown for the provincial markets, but I looked
in vain for many of them in Covent Garden and
the leading London fruiterers' windows. The
best of everything is supposed to go to London,
but what becomes of it after it arrives there I
Rough, badly assorted and poorly packed Toma-
toes are plentiful enough, but really attractive
samples, such as we see in the best shops at
Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Gloucester and Chelten-
ham, are conspicuous by their absence. Bexley

when quite tirm. Kept till they are quite soft
they not only travel badly, but also lose much
of their acidity, and are less pleasing accord-
ingly. W. loGlLDEN.

Stove and Greenhouse.

THE SWEET-SCENTED TOBACCO.
(nicotiana affinis. )
The accompanying illustration shows the beauty
of the flowers of this Tobacco when arranged in'
a bowl. One does not often see them used for
this purpose, but the ivory-white colour and
their sweet scent, especially in the evening,
should make them popular for cutting for the
house. Few plants are more u.seful to the
amateur than this. The seed may be sown in
gentle heat, and the young plants when large
enough pricked off, or potted singly into small
pots, using a light, thoroughly well-drained
soil. Pot them on as the pots get fiUed with

Flowers of Nicotian

Heath and otlier growers within carting distance
of London rely principally upon the heavy
cropping, somewhat coarse, solid-fruited Bash-
ford, doubtless because it pays best, but
this class of fruit does not please connoisseurs,
and the time will come when the Ham Green
type will be in the ascendant everywhere. Each
year the number of those who eat Tomatoes as
freely as or more so than Apples, and in the
same manner, is added to by thousands, and
this class of customers ought to be catered for.
Most of the small-fruited varieties have tough
skins and are poor in quality. These I would
not grow, preferring rather to pat, or to
offer for dessert, medium-sized fruit of either
Ham Green, Challenger or A 1. Leave
them on the plants till they are nearly red and
afterwards keep them one or two days longer
in a warm, light place to bring up their full
colour and to develop their rich flavour.
They are at their btst when moderately soft,
but if they are to travel, they ought to be packed

a affinis in a boivl.

roots until they are in 41 -inch or 5- inch
ones, which will be quite large enough for the
ordinary greenhouse. This Tobacco may also
be planted out in the garden, the end of May-
being the best time to do this. Put the plants
in a bold clump if the garden is large enough,
as then one gets the rich mass of bloom, so
fragrant and beautiful in the evening. T.

Cassia corymbosa. — This fine old greenhouse
plant, which was introduced from Buenos Ayrea
just two centuries ago, can be seen in fine charac-
ter in one of the sheltered spots in the pleasure
grounds at Dropmore, Maidenhead. It occupies
the centre of a tmall bed, and being permitted to
spread in an unrestricted manner it is seen
to be flowering gloriously, disposing its bright
jellow blossoms in numerous corymbs. Classed
among the half-hardy greenhouse plants, it is
easily cultivated. Kept in pots through the
winter and then planted out when all danger
from frost has passed, it appears to revel in
the liberty it enjoys and blooms profusely. Mr.

September 12, 189 G.J

THE GARDEN.

213

Herrin is careful not to allow its foliage to be
touched by frost, and as soon as frosty signals are
hung out the plants are lifted, cut back, potted,
and kept comfortable during the winter, and in
June placed in the open again. It makes a
charming object as a foreground to the sombre
hues of the foliage of shrubs at the back. It
deserves to be largely used for the summer dis-
play.—R. D.

Tuberoses. — The latest batches of the-o in-
dispensable flowers that are intended for supply-
ing the winter months with their exquisitely fra-
grant flowers should now receive close attention.
Very soon the nights will be cold, and where the
plants have been fully exposed these will be
benefited by being placed in cold frames, so that
the lights may be put on each night when the
temperature is expected to fall lower than usual.
On warm nights and with a heavy dew expected,
the plants will be benefited by being left un-
covered, as the moisture will tend in a degree to
keep down the attacks of red spider. Where this
is troublesome, and in many instances on account
of the great heat it has been so, it will be found
beneficial to frequently pyringe the plants with
eoot water. This may be kept up so long as the
plants remain in the frames outside or so long as
no flowers are opening. In those instances where
the spikes are pushing freely liquid manure may
be given at least twice a week, and where the
plants are yet in full growth they may be watered
overhead with a clean, weak solution of the same
when the frames are closed each evening. The
fumes rising from this are also serviceable in
checking the spread of red spider often so abun-
dant after a year of heat and drought. — E. J.

VALLOTA PURPUREA.
Each season various notes on this beautiful bul-
bous plant appear, but it cannot be overpraised
when the beauty of its blossoms and its simple
cultural requirements are taken into considera-
tion. This latter remark applies to the old-
fashioned Vallota of our gardens, for of late years
immense numbers are sent to this country from
South Africa, and they frequently fail to become
established in a satisfactory manner. These im-
ported bulbs usually reach here in a dormant state
in July or August, when they should be at once
potted and kept cool and fairly dry during the
winter. Then, owing to the change of seasons,
many of them will push up flower-spikes about
the month of May following. A year or two ago
at the Temple show there were some well-flowered
examples of Vallota. These imported bulbs fre-
quently decay from what appears to be an excess
of moisture, however dry they may be kept. Per-
haps this tendency is to a certain extent generated
by being confined in a close box during the
journey to this country. Imported bulbs should
when received be cleaned over and potted in a
soil consisting of good sandy loam, which will
remain sweet and fresh for years. The pots em-
ployed should be small and well drained, as the
object is to obtain plenty of good healthy roots,
and this will not be where large pots are used.
The Vallota very much resents being disturbed
at the roots, as many a one has found to his
cost, for if large entangled masses are broken
up and repotted, it is generally done at the ex-
pense of many blooms. Vallotas, like their near
allies, the Nerines, flower best when the bulbs are
so closely packed together that they almost lift
each other out of the soil. Both the foliage and
flower spikes of these imported bulbs are in many
cases tall and weak. The flowers of these im-
ported bulbs show a considerable variation in
colour, and to a less extent in the shape of the
flower, some having much broader segments than
others, and consequently a far rounder flower is
the result. Some, too, are very rich in colour ;
others have rather a conspicuous" white or whitieh
centre, while blossoms of a pink or salmon-pink
tint often crop up among them, while one occa-
sionally hears of a pure white variety. Vallotas
are easily raised from seed, and if the young
plants are dibbled into a bed of prepared soil and

covered with a frame, they will make more pro-
gress than if confined in pots during their early
stages. H. P.

BOUVARDIAS.
HuMBOLDTi has been flowering since early in June
and will go on for some time yet. For cut bloom
it is very useful. Complaint is sometimes made
that the flowers soon drop, but if the trusses are
cut as soon as the first bloom or so is out, they
will last fairly well and the other buds will open.
One important point is to put the flowers into
water as soon as cut, or if the stems get dry they
should be cut again just before putting them into
water. Among other varieties which are just
coming into bloom are whites : jasminoides,
Vreelandi, candidissima, and alba odorata jas-
miniflora : the last named is a fine variety, the
flowers being of good substance ; the tube and
underside of the lobes have a slight shading of
rose, but the upper su iace is pure white, a great
improvement on the older variety Bridal Wreath.
Of scarlets there i3 none better than President
Cleveland. Dazzler when first sent out was very
bright, but with me it has not kept up its char-
acter, plants flowering now being much paler in
colour than when I first knew it. Mrs. R. Green,
though a little inclined to sport, may by careful
selection of stock be kept up to its best form, and
is undoubtedly the best pink, though Priory
Beauty is still a favourite. The double varieties
worth growing are still confined to three sorts,
viz., A. Neuner, white ; President Garfield, pink ;
and Hogarth flore-pleno, scarlet. In referring to
whites I omitted to mention Purity, which has
done better this season than I have seen it since I
first grew it.

To succeed well with Bouvardias there are three
essential points to be observed : first to keep them
potted on and feed them liberally ; second, keep
them free from all insects ; and thirdly, to fully
expose them to the sun. The time of flowering
may be regulated by stopping at different inter-
vals. I have previously referred to Humboldti as
requiring different treatment, but I may again
mention that it will not flower satisfactorily if
stopped late in the season. A. H.

Abutilons for roofs. — The value of Abutilons
for clothing greenhouse roofs is well exemphfied
in No. 4 greenhouse at Kew, where there are two
plants, one of Boule de Neige, and the other
Golden Fleece, with white and yellow flowers
respectively, that cover a portion of the roof, and
their pendulous bell-shaped blossoms hang there-
from in great profusion. The choice is by no
means limited to these two, as there are many
varieties, but some are rather too dwarf for such
a purpose, while many of the so-called reds are
too much of a brick colour to be effective. One
of the original species, viz., A. striatum, whose
blossoms are yellow veined with crimson, is also
particularly effective when trained to a roof, and
it may be used for larger structures than the
varieties above mentioned, as it is altogether of a
more vigorous loose style of growth. Quite dis-
tinct from any of these is the small- leaved A.
vexillarium, or A. megapotamicum, as it is often
called, whose blossoms are also very distinct. —
H. P.

Costus igrnens. — This has been many times
noted in Thk Garden, and in one of the stoves at
Kew it is at diti'erent periods of the year very
conspicuous. The flowers, of an intense deep
orange tint, and each a couple of inches or so in
diameter, are borne in terminal cone-like heads,
and though they are thin in texture and do not
last long, a succession is kept up from one cluster
for a considerable time. This Costus flowers in a
smaller state than many other Ginger-worts, as
it blooms profusely when not more than 18 inches
high ; that is, when grown in pots, for if planted
out in rich moist soil it attains a greater height.
It is a native of Bahia, whence it was introduced
by M. Linden in 1SS2. Besides Thk Garden", it
has been frequently noted in various other publi-
cations, and in December, 1893, it was, when

shown by Sir Trevor Lawrence at a meeting of
the R.H.S., awarded a first-class certificate. One
species of Costus has been figured in The Gar-
den on March 9, 1895. This was C. speciosua,
a more vigorous grower than C. igneus, while the
large white flowers are borne in succession from
a crowded head of reddish bracts. The flowers of
this are of about the same delicate texture as
those of the preceding, and ;> inches or so in
diameter. It is a plant of easy culture, but in a
general way more satisfactory if planted out than
when grown in pots. — H. P.

Senecio Galpini.— This Senecio which was
noted in a recent number of The Gai;den as
flowering in a narrow border near No. 4 green-
house at Kew, would appear to bloom at widely
different periods of the year, for last Christmas its
brilliant orange-coloured flowers were particularly
attractive in the Heath house there, and sug-
gested it as likely to become popular for its
winter- blooming qualities. This Senecio is a
distinct member of an extremely variable genus,
as it forms a sturdy, partially succulent- like
stem, clothed with fleshy leaves which are of a
very glaucous hue. The stem branches freely
and reaches a height of a foot to 18 inches, the
blossoms being borne on the apex of each shoot.
They are arranged in a closely- packed head a
couple of inches or so across, and, as above noted,
their brilliant colour causes them to stand out
very conspicuously. It was introduced from
South Africa about half a dozen years ago, but,
despite its undoubted merit and apparently easy
culture, I have not met with it outside of Kew,
nor seen it mentioned in any trade catalogue. —
H.P.

Plumbago capensis.— The true beauty of this
fine old climbing plant is very rarely seen, for in
most instances it is trained to a wall or trellis
often near a walk, so that it has to be closely
clipped in about every other season. While look-
ing through the gardens at Ickworth Park, Bury
St. Edmunds, recently I was driven by an almost
tropical downpour of rain to seek shelter in the
conservatory. Here this plant is grown as it
should be ; the structure is lofty, and the Plum-
bago is trained right across it at intervals, the
long shoots wreathed with the beautiful pale blue
flowers to a length of 6 feet or 8 feet, and forming
a most impressive sight hanging from the tie bars
of the roof. In a cool house where atmospheric
moisture is fairly abundant this Plumbago
revels, and to anyone having a suitable situation
at command I would say, grow it in this way.
Plant it out, let it find its own way to the roof,
and only do what thinning is necessary to keep it
within bounds. The result is sure to be satis-
factory, and those who only know it trained
round balloon-shaped or circuLar trellises or tied
in close to a back wall can hardly realise what a
magnificent plant it is when allowed to have its
own way. Any good ordinary soil will grow it,
and with care insects will not be troublesome.
The best time to do what little pruning is required
is soon after the flowers are over, this allowing
the young shoots that are left to get thoroughly
ripened, so that they bloom not only on the end,
but at almost every joint.— R.

Bougainvillea glabra.— A fine old plant of
this climber may be seen at Ickworth Park in one
of the greenhouses. Just now it is a mass of
bloom, and as it covers a space of about 2i i feet
on the roof, the efl'ect is very beautiful. Though
a native of Brazil, this Bougainvillea does much
better in a greenhouse than in the stove, and if
planted in a light, sunny position where the wood
gets well ripened is extremely free-flowering. Pot
culture under the same conditions is suitable for
it. The growth must be allowed as much free-
dom as possible, cutting the plants into shape a
little during early winter. They start more freely
with a little heat in early spring, but when grow-
ing freely may be placed in a cool greenhouse,
where a plentiful supply of flower will be pro-
duced over a long season. Cuttings may be
taken as soon as the wood is getting a little firm
in early autumn, and they will strike freely if
dibbled into a sandy compost and placed under

•214

THE GARDEN.

[September 12, 1896.

a bell-glass or in a propagating case. Pot up as
joon s J rooted and get all the growth possible into
them the first season or two, fine plants being the
result of about four or five years' growth. If seen
to be necessary, frequent applications of liquid
manure must be given, that made from soot
water, alternating with any good concentrated
manure, being suitable. — R.

Flower Garden.

WALL GARDENING.
The best methods of wall gardening very often
suggest themselves in places where old masonry
or V>riekwork has long been left to Nature, and
especially to the action of the wind and weather.
It is difficult to visit any really old ruin,
be it abbey, priory, church, or castle, without
finding it more or less clothed with vegetation.
At Ro'chester the wild Carnation of Normandy
is quite at home, and on nearly all old castles
the golden Wallflower is luxuriant, and very
often, as on the great bastions at Conway, the
red Valerian is also quite at home. The old
walls at Oxford are noted for their vege-
tation, such as the Cheddar Pink, the
purple Toadflax, and many other pretty
thin^,s. Snapdragons and all kinds of dwarf
Pinks, Eschscholtzias, and many of the
Campanulas are as happy on old damp walls
as anywhere, and the same is true of the
Indian Androsaces, such as A. lanuginosa
and A. sarmentosa. I have had Ramondia
pyrenaica strong and healthy on a shady
wall for ten or twelve years, and Arenaria
grandiflora forms fleecy carpets of its white
flowers as it hangs from the stone pockets
on the face of the brick walls. Erinus
alpinus and the alpine Linaria nestle in
the old mortar joints everywhere, and as
so situated they often escape our hardest
winters unscathed, while those in the
borders are often killed oflF by frost and
damp combined.

Wherever old walls already exist, one of
the best ways of covering them with vege-
tation is to sow them at once with fresh
seeds. One of my methods is to sow the
wall tops every year during a rainy period
if possible. To this end I save or obtain
seeds of Erinus, all kinds of Dianthus,
Linaria, Antirrhinum, Trachelium, Wall-
flower, Draba, strong - growing Saxifrages of i
the rosette or encrusted section, and other
suitable things. These seeds are all well
mixed together in a basket or box of dry soil
finely sifted, and then the whole mixture, seeds
and soil together, are sown on the wall tops or
in the made pockets wherever such exi.st. If
the weather is dry, the whole surface is watered
after sowing with a fine rose so as to settle the
seed and soil well down into the cracks and
crevices of the wall. Wherever retaining walls
have to be made against sloping banks of earth,
it is often easy to form them of rough stones
and good loamy sods, and in some cases it is
best to plant such walls as they are being made.

In some cases walls may be specially con-
structed and made either hollow or pigeon-
holed, or both, so as to afford root-hold when
the interstices are filled with good .soil. Or
flat stones may be fixed to the existing faces of
blank walls, so as to form chinks, pockets, and
crannies, into which seeds may be sown or
plants inserted, as the ca.se may be. It is not
difficult to fix stones to wall surfaces with large
nails and a little cement. Two large nails
are driven into the wall joints so as to support
the stone temporarily in its position, and then

the cement is used to fix it permanently in
its place, after which the nails may be with-
drawn if necessary.

One of the handsomest of all our wall plants
now in flower is Campanula isophylla alba,
hanging down in flowery masses, 2 feet or more,
in front of a shady wall. All the dwarf Bell-
flowers, Ramondia, and small-growing Ferns
are happiest on the damp and shady side
of walls, but Erinus, Linaria, Dianthus,
Onosma tauricum, Androsace lanuginosa, and
various kinds of dwarf Cistus and Helianthe-
mum enjoy the sunny side best. Onosma,
which often fails to grow satisfactorily on an
ordinary rockery, and often gets killed by frost
and damp at ground level, does perfectly in a
wall pocket and flowers most profusely every
year. The tops of large, broad walls and arches
over gates or doorways may often be adapted
for the growth of German Iris with very good
effect, or the Flag Iris and Carnation may be
planted together, by which a good evergreen
efl'ect is produced all the year round and two
flowering periods are obtained. Very pretty
etTects may be also obtained by layering
shoots or branches of the best flowering wall

fresh and beautiful. Polypodium trichoman-
oides, Osmunda regalis, and several Poly-
j stichums were exquisitely green and luxuriant.
I There is really no limit to the plants that
lend themselves to wall gardening in all sorti
of aspects and situations. Even some of the
choicer kinds of alpines may be grown on walls
j by the aid of a copious water supply, and a
I hose pipe connection with the water main is
' often a great advantage, as there is naturally a
[ considerable amount of evaporation from all
I exposed wall surfaces. — F. W. B.

Mrs. Horace St. Paul, The Willows, Ripon,
who kindly sent us the photo from which the
illustration was engraved, says : —

The illustration of an old wall in a garden
shows how pretty one can be made if covered with
creeping plants, alpine and other small varieties,
such as different sorts of Pinks, which grow in
masses and seem to revel in a hot, dry tituation.
Yellow Alyssum, jurpli Aubrietia, gajtniiia
ocymoides, Ermus alpiijus, fc'axifiages ot many
sorts, and the old-fashioned Snspdragnns and
I Wallflowers al! add to the beauty of the wall
at their different seasons ; while at the foot of it
in a border about 14 mches wHe the Rock Cistus

A gat den

shrubs on to the tops of broad garden walls.
Thus where Wistaria, Forsythia, and various
kinds of Ampelopsis, or Vitis, Ceanothus, or
Passion Flowers overtop a broad wall it is easy
to bend down and layer some of their shoots
under large sods and a heavy flat stone or two. In
this way many a straight and stiiT wall-top may
be naturally diversified in outline and rendered
far more beautiful in the garden landscape.
But the methods of wall gardening may be
varied at will, and will at once suggest them- \
selves to those fond of flowers. I visited a town 1

of all colours, blue Veronicas, and many small
rook plants too numerous to mention find a happy
home, and are a c nstant source of interest and
pleasure to their owner.

garden the other day which simply consists of a
flagged and walled-in space of 30 x 15 feet.
At first sight to an ordinary observer there
seemed no chance of planting anything what-
ever, but the owner happened to be fond of
flowers, and was determined to have them. In
some places the walls were covered with Ampe-
lopsis of difli'erent kinds planted in boxes and
tubs in the corners, while the bare walls had
been roughly shelved, and plants are grown in
boxes of earth so as to hide both walls and
shelves. A combination of Creeping .Jenny
(Lysimachia) and Campanula isophylla alba was
very fine, and on the shady side of the little
yard some of the rarer British Ferns were very

Marigold Legion of Honour.— Although
the old Tagetes patula nana is still employed, and
with good efl'ect, in gardens, the dwarfer, single-
flowered variety Legion of Honour is now far more
largely employed. I saw recently both at Strath-
fieldsaye and Heckfield the variety used with
striking effect. It comes very true from seed. — D.

The Mallow-like Lavatera.— The variety
known as Lavatera rosea splendens is largely used
at Strathfieldsaye, not only for giving a lively rose
hue in mixed beds, but a!so in beds in the reserve
ground to furnish flowers for cutting. The
flowers will keep fresh for a week. The white va-
riety is also most useful. Two or three sowings are
made during the spring to give a long succession.
— D.

Carnation Uriah Pike.— I was astonished to-
see in a recent is.sue of The Garden a note
suggesting that the above named Carnation had
1 settled Jown into nothing more nor less than the
old Crimson Clove. Up to the present I can dis-
cern no points of similarity but those of colour
and scent, as, independent of the non-bursting

September 12, 1896.]

THE TxARDE^.

215

properties of the newer variety, it has smooth
edged petals and fewer of them, it is much taller in
habit and the grass is not nearly so stout, though
on the plants which have been grown outside the
latter difference is not so marked as it is on pot
plants. A large number of Uriah Pike planted last
September came through almost without a blemish
and in strong contrast to the old Clove, which is
one of the worst of sinners with regard to the Car-
nation spot. I do not want to over-praise the
newer variety or to give it a character which will
not be sustained, as I know from bitter experience
that many varieties which come safely through
their first winter in the open are not to be de-
pended on to always succeed ; so it is only fair to
add that the plants I put out were layered from
pot plants which had been flowered under glass,
and I am sorry to note thus early the spot on
many leaves. Be the future career of Uriah Pike
what it may, it is most certainly distinct from and
unlikely ever to merge into the old Crimson Clove.
—J. C. Tallack.

FLOWER GARDEN NOTES.
Starworts. — Of these a judicious selection will
prove very eflfective. The combination in the
case of Starworts should be regulated with due
regard to the time of flowering and to the habit of
difi'erent varieties. It is, for instance, not advis-
able to put sorts together that are very formal
alike in growth and in their manner of flowering.
The flat heads of bloom should rather be varied
with those sorts that are of branching habit,
throwing up graceful stems either tall or of medium
height, and if there is likely to be a large demand
for flowers for cutting, varieties can be chosen
most suitable for the purpose. The selection may
include the best in different sections, that the
seison may be prolonged. Te select varieties from
the sorts now catalogued is rather a difficult
matter. If the intending planter can make a
personal inspection at the time of flowering, this
is decidedly the best plan, as the most suitable
sorts can then be chosen. So far as those avail-
able for cutting are concerned, Purity, Coombe-
fishacre, cordifolius albus, Diana and major, the
varieties of vimineus and dift'usus, with Trad
canti are all good in their respective seasons. No
hardy plants are more easily cultivated. Some of
the varieties, it is true, make headway more slowly
than others, but all are easily propagated, per-
fectly hardy, and will grow in almost any descrip-
tion of soil, although they are seen at their best
in a rather retentive loam. They vary cons-der-
ably in height as the soil is good or indifferent, and
also with different seasons, although atmospheric
influences have not so much to do with the varia-
tions as the soil, especially in the case of old-
established clumps. Close attention must be paid
to respective heights in all mixed planting. They
are of all sizes, from the dwarf dumosus, no higher
than an ordinary Geranium, to the 6 feet of Purity,
one of the strongest and most vigorous of the
family.

MoNTBRETiAS.— The relative displays of 1895
and 1S9G, so far as these flowers are concerned, are
altogether in favour of the latter year. In the
February of lS9o they were cut down just below
the ground line, and were never so strong as
usual. I anticipated a late flowering, but, on
the contrary, this was earlier, (luiokly over,
however, spikes and flowers being alike small.
This year there was not the slightest check and
the foUage has been tall and strong, but all varie-
ties were later in flowering. When we did get
the flowers they were very fine, and the season
has been a lengthy one ; indeed, from one particular
border I have cut a good supply ever since the
third week in July, and there is still (September
2) a very fair show. I find they flower rather
more freely in a sunny position, and the best re-
sults are obtained from a dry, well-drained border
facing south-east. It is carpeted with alpine
Phloxes, and these naturally have a tendency both
for shelter in winter and to prevent a succession
of very hot days drying up the border. This
latter may sound somewhat contradictory, but the

Montbretia corms were planted 6 inches deep, and
the shallow-rooting Phloxes do not get down more
than half that depth.

Spanlsh Iris. — Accepting the statement that
the Iris family as a whole may be justly termed
the Orchids of the flower garden, I often think
that whilst the large-flowered families will bear
comparison with Cattleyas and L»lias, the Spanish
section may challenge in the beauty of their in-
dividual flowers some of the smaller but not less
beautiful inmates of the Orchid houses. A bouquet
composed of some of the choicer kinds well set up
with some graceful foliage can hardly be beaten
by any flower either tender or hardy. Perhaps a
border of moderate size that is partially devoted
to some of the choicer herbaceous plants of medium
size is the best place for them, and, bearing in
mind the fact that they are of erect habit and
with only a trifling amount of foliage, they should
be planted close enough and in sufficient quantity
to give a good display. The fact that they are
somewhat (_[uickly over and that the foliage is
not long retained necessitates filling up the space
they have occupied, and this may be eSected by
planting or sowing and thinning out some free-
flowering shallow-rooting annual.

Claremonl. E. Burrell.

Societies and Exhibitions.

THE NATIONAL DAHLIA SOCIETY.

Crystal Palace, September 4 and 5.
All types of the Dahlia were well represented at
the exhibition of the National Dahlia Society on
September 4 and .5 at the Crystal Palace. The
superb quality which characterised the show and
fancy varieties in 1895 was wanting, but it was
much better than might have beea expected. All
the other types were seen in the best character.
Show reformers may protest energetically against
the present method of exhibiting the large, deep,
round flowers, but until some other better method
is put forward the custom will go on. The fine
bold bunches of the Cactus, the pompon and the
single types now afford relief to the monotony of
Dahlia exhibitions of twenty years ago, and the
old methods of placing the big blooms on show
boards are more tolerated than formerly. But the
public appreciate large blooms as evidence of high
development, and so we may reasonably expect
that it will be long before the old method, so dis-
tinctly favoured by those who grow for exhibition,
will be altogether abandoned. As is usual, the
flowers were arranged in the eastern portion of
the nave, and being flanked by miscellaneous
collections of cut flowers, &c. at the sides, an
effective display was made. The arrangements
made by Mr. T. W. Girdlestone and Mr. W. G.
Head were excellent. Judging commenced
early and was got through in comfort, the show
being thrown open to the public at an early hour.
It was to be noticed that here, as at the Aquarium,
Mr. Charles Turner, of the Royal Nursery,
Slough, was unable to exhibit in any of the classes
for show and fancy Dahlias.

Five classes for show and fancy Dahlias (inter-
mixed) were open to the large dealers. The dif-
ference between a show and a fancy Dahlia— so
clearly understood by experts and often so be-
wildering to the public— is a purely arbitrary one.
It became necessary some years ago that some
distinction be made, as the farcy type was later
in development than what is known as the show
type, and consequently was for many years below
it m the matter of improvement and quality ; but
of late years the latter has come more abreast of
the former, and that is the main reason why in
most of the classes show and fancy Dahlias are
now shown intermixed. The amateurs now show
fancy Dahlias by themselves, not wishing to
abolish the custom altogether. But it muse be
admitted that the presence of the fancy varieties
in a large stand of show Dahhas does add life and
vivacity to it, as it affords a large mixture of
showy combinations of colours. Let us say before

leaving this point that fancy Dahlia Peacock la
classed among the fancies because the crimson-
purple florets are tippad with white, but if the
disposition of these two colours was reversed and
the white took the place of tha crimson-purple at
the base of the patals, and thase were tipped with
colour, the flower would cease to be a fancy and be
classed among the show varieties.

Messrs. Keynes, Williams, and Co., nursery-
men, of Salisbury, came to the fore on this occa-
sion, and were awarded the first prize in the class
for sixty varieties. Despite the generally lower
average of quality, there were some blooms of fine
character in this collection, such as Mr. Chamber-
lain, a deep crimson self, new this season ;
Dandy, orange-butf, striped with red ; William
Rawlings, Duchess of Albany, a charming fancy ;
8. Mtrtimer, a fancy which had sported to a
crimson self, as fancy flowers are apt to do ; John
Hickling, yellow self ; Richard Dean, which per-
haps surpasses all other varieties of the same
character in its rich purple glow ; Dr. Keynes, a
distinct new variety, rich buff, with a reddish
tint at the back of the petals : Alice Emily, butt'-
yellow ; John Walker, the best white self ; Wil-
liam Powell, yellow ; William Jackson, a rosy
purple self ; Golden Fleece, yellow ground,
splashed with crimson ; Miss Cannell, an excel-
lent purple-edged variety ; Henry Bond, a very
pleasing rosy lilac self ; Matthew Campbell, apri-
cot, striped with crimson ; Gaiety, a very pleas-
ing, but changeable fancy ; R. T. Rawlings, yel-
low ; T. S. Ware, a fine crimson self ; Eclipse,
brilliant scarlet ; Crimson (ilobe, bright crimson;
Kathleen, a charming blush and delicate lilac
flower ; and Frank Pearce, rose, striped with
crimson, one of the best fancy varieties in cultiva-
tion. Mr. John Walker, Thame, took the second
prize, and his stand contained Mrs. S. Walker, a
charming delicate flower ; Mrs. Gladstone, not so
good this season as usual : Ethel Britton, blush-
white and purple ; Mrs. J. Downie, a finely-
formed fancy ; Earl of Ravensworth, bright; lilac;
and Geo. Rawlings, carmine, tipped with crimson.
Jlr. Mortimer came in first with forty-eight varie-
ties, chief among them Shottesham Hero, blush,
tipped with rose ; John Hickling, Frank Pearce,
Queen of the Belgians, a beautiful delicate va-
riety, and well adapted for garden decoration
because it throws its flowers eo well above the
foliageon erect stems; Glowworm, very bright, and
Mrs. Saunders, a charming fancy, yellow, tipped
with white. Mr. Scale was second. He had in
fine character Pleasance, bright crimson-scarlet ;
John Walker, Glowworm, a bright orange-scarlet
self ; Peacock, &c. With thirty-six varieties,
Mr. J. T. West, Tower Hill, Brentwood, was
placed first with some excellent blooms, chief
among them Mrs. Gladstone, R. T. Rawlings,
John Walker, Frank Pearce, Matthew Campbell,
Kathleen, John Rawlings, E. Spurman, Robert
Fyfe, old gold, with reddish reverse ; Henriette,
delicate blush-pink ; Hero, crimson, shaded with
deep maroon ; Warrior, bright crimson ; and Mis3
Fox, pale ground, tipped with purple. Messrs.
C. Kimberley and Son, nurserymen, Coventry,
were second. Mr. West was also first with
twenty-four blooms, having Victor, a fine dark
variety ; J. Wright, Wm. Rawlings, and Her-
cules (fancy). With twelve blooms, Mr. H.
Harris, Writtle, Chelmsford, was placed first ;
Mr. J. R. Tranter, nurseryman, Henley-on-
Thames, was second.

In the amateurs' division for twenty four blooms,
show and fancy, Mr. R. Burgin, St. Neots, an
enthusiastic working-man cultivator, was first, his
leading blooms being Vice-President, an old but
useful variety : R. T. Rawlings, Mrs. Saunders,
John Walker, Gloirede Lvon, a white self ; Prince
of Denmark, and Burgundy ; second, Mr. F. W.
Felbwes, Putteridge, Luton. With twelve
blooms of show Dahlias only, Mr. A. Starling,
gardener to Mr. H. H. Raphael, Havering, Rom-
tord, was first with a veiy good stand, chief
among the varieties being Prince of Denmark,
Miss Cannell, Willie Garrett, R. T. Rawlings, and
W. Rawlings ; Mr. S. Cooper, Chippenham, was
second. Mr. E. Jefferies, Langley Burrell, Chip-

216

THE GARDEN.

[September 12, 1896.

penham, was first with six blooms ; Mr. C. F.
Keep, Sunny Hill Road, Streatham, was second :
and Mr. A. Mount, Slough, third. The fancy
Dahlias are always bright and effective, and the
best stand of twelve blooms came from Mr. S.
Cooper, he having in good ch.<iracter Dazzler,
yellow striped with scarlet ; Matlhew Campbell,
"Mrs. Saunders, alwnvs a great favourite ; the Rev.
J. B. M. Camm, yellow flaked with red : Frank
Pearce, Duchess of Albany, orange, striped with
crimson : Lottie Eckford, blush, spotted and
striped with crimson ; and Comedian, one tifth
of the flower yellow, striped with crimson, the re-
mainder self crimson. Mr. T. Anstiss, Brill,
Bucks, was second. Mr. W. Wheeler, Henley-
on-Thames, had the best six blooms, including
Mrs. F. Xlortimer, yellow, tinted with fawn ;
Grand Sultan, buft, "striped with red ; Dandy,
orange, striped with crimson, &c. Mr. A. Starling
was second.

Show and fancy Dahlias in sixes of one variety
are alsvays intere-sting : thus the best dark Dahlia
wag James Cocker, shown by Mr. J. Walker: Mr.
West came second with William Rawlings. The
best light not yellow was John Walker, shown by
Mr. J. Walker : Mr. Geo. Humphries was second
with the same. The best yellow was John Hick-
ling, also from Mr. Walker ; Mr. Scale was
second. Mrs. Saunders gained all the prizes as
the b3st tipped Dahlia for Messrs. Seale, Cheal and
Walker in the order named. The best striped
was Frank Pearce, from Mr. G. Humphries ; Mr.
Walker came second with Hercules. The best
edged was Miss Cannell, from Mr. Walker.

The Cactus and decorative Dahlias made a
superb display, especially in the nurserymen's
classes. In that for eighteen varieties in bunches
of six blooms, which is quite large enough, Messrs.
J. Cheal and Sons were the only exhibitors, ard
were placed first with superb illustrations of
Matchless, the finest dark ; Harry Stredwick, very
effective ; J. Frewer, bright vermilion ; and Mrs.
Wilson Noble, a beautiful Cactus of a pleasing
pinkish salmon tint. Mrs. Gordon Sloane, also a
true Cactus, colour pinkish terracotta, very fine ;
Mrs. Beck, pucy salmon-red ; Earl of Pembroke,
purple ; Beatrice, pale rose, a very distinct va-
riety, and Delicata were among the most striking.
With twelve varieties, six blooms of each, Mr.
J. T. West was first, his most striking bunches
being Matchless, Miss Annie Jones, scarlet,
shaded with crimson, very effective ; Mrs. F. Fell,
Earl of Pembroke and Lady Penzance. With
twelve bunches of decorative Dahlias, from which
the true Cactus type is omitted, Mr. Seale was
first, the best in this section being Mrs. Turner,
yellow : Ernest (Uafse, purplish magenta : Harry
Freeman, white : Countess of Pembroke, delicate
purplish lilac, and St. Catherine, deep yellow.
Messrs. J. Cheal and Sons were second, they
having Maid of Kent, crimson, tipped with white;
James Hudson, buff, flaked with dull red ; Canary,
yellow, and Chancellor Swayne, purple. In the
amateurs' division for twelve Cactus and decora-
tive varieties, Mr. J. Stredwick was first, having
good bunches of six blooms each of Gloriosa, Earl
of Pembroke, Countess of Radnor, Lord I'erzince,
and Matchless among others. Mr. W. Mist was
second. With six varieties, three blooms of rach,
Mr. S. Cooper was first, Beatrice being one of the
most prominent.

Messrs. J. Cheal acd Sons' special prizes for
nine bunches of C-^ctus varieties, three blooms of
each, brought a spirited competition, the varieties
already mentioned being shown. Mr. J. Strcd
wick was first. Mr. J. Hudson was awarded the
gold medal offered by Mr. Thomas Ware for
twelve blooms of Cactus Dahlia Mrs. FranriB Fell.
Most striking were the trade collections of
twenty-four varieties of pompon Dahlias set up in
bunches of ten blooms. Here Mr. M. V. Scale
was first, the leading varieties Eva, salmon-rose ;
Whisper, yellow, edged with bronze : Captain
Boyton, very dark maroon : Little Duchess, pale,
tipped with cinnamon ; Xerissa, delicate rosy
pink, very pretty- : Douglas, dark, almost black ;
Spitfire, bright "red; and Phobe, pale ground,
tipped with deep reddish orange. Mr. C. Turner,

Royal Nursery, Slough, was second. With twelve
bunches Mr. J. T. West was first ; he had Abund-
ance, white ; Mary Kirk, primrose : Sunshine,
bright red ; Donovan, blush, tipped with rosy
lac ; Doctor Jim, heavily tipped with purplish
maroon. In the amateurs' division for six
bunches, ten blooms in each, Mr. W. Mist was
first. With six bunches of six blooms Mr. G.
Wyatt, Twickenham, was first. Not less striking
were the single Dahlias in effective bunches. In
the class for twenty-four varieties Messrs. J.
Cheal and Sons were placed first, the most attrac-
tive varieties being Beauty's Eye, delicate pinkish
lilac, with crimfon ring round the eye ; Victoria,
maroon ; Hood, pale ground, broadly edged with
pink ; Miss Roberts, clear yellow ; Eclipse, rosy
mauve and salmon ; Duke of Vork, bright scarlet ;
Miss Glasscock, The Bride, white: and The Demon,
shining maroon.

In the amateurs' division the best six bunches
me from Mr. T. W. Girdlestone, who had charm-
ing vflrieties in Orange Girl, Mary Netley, Sven-
gali, Naomi Tighe, Donna Casilda, and Polly
Eccles— all new varieties of his own raising. Mr.
W. Mist was second, and Mr. C. O.-man, Sutton,
third. With six bunches, six blooms of each, Mr.
E. Mawley, Rosebank, Berkhamsted, was first
with Beauty's Eye and others. One of the most
delightful features of the exhibition was the class
for twelve varieties of fancy single Dahlias, the
flowers tipped, striped, or edged. But one com-
petitor entered, viz , Mr. T. W. Girdlestone, the
secretary of the society, who staged bunches of
charming varieties, such as Jack Daw, yellow,
freely striped with red ; Phyllis, pale ground,
flaked and suffused with pale lilac, purple, and
dark crimson ; Hazel Kirke, orange-red, tipped
h white; M. CO., yellow, flaked with orange-
red ; Nan, bright red, tipped with white ; Jean-
netta, white, with side margins of orange crim-
son ; Splosh, yellow, striped and flaked with
crimson ; Cinderella, white, with side edgings of
reddish orange ; Emmie, white, with side edgings
of rosy crimson ; Trilby, maroon, tipped with
white, very fine and distinct ; Folly, pale ground,
suffused with pink, and side margins of crimson ;
and Dearest, yellow, tipped with white. There
was a class also for six varieties of single Cactus
Dahlias, the prizes presented by Messrs. Dobbie
and Co., of Rothesay. Mr. J. Hudson was first.
The best vase or epergne of Dahlia blooms with
foliage of any kind came from Mr. J. Hudson, a
charming arrangement, set up in excellent taste.

A large number of certificates of merit were
given to new varieties of show and fancy Dahlias —
Queen of Autumn, crange-buff or deep apricot,
tine in outline and petal, a very acceptable
blending of colours ; and to Mabel, delicate
pinkish lilac, flaked with crimson. From Mr.
Geo. St. Pierre Harris, Orpington. To the fol-
lowing Cactus varieties : Aurora, bright orange-
salmon, small, very pleasing, and likely to make
an excellent garden variety ; from Mr. H. Green,
Dereham. Fantasy, pale orange-red, the florets
incurving to the centre ; from Messrs. J. Burrell
and Co. Miss Webster, a pure white decorative
variety lacking the true Cactus form ; from
Messrs. Dobbie and Co., Orpington. Mrs.
Gordon Sloane and Mrs. Leopold Seymour, jellow,
the petals tipped with bright lilac ; from Messrs.
J. Cheal and Sons. lona, a fine Cactus variety,
of a reddish salmon tint, from Mr. C. Turner ;
Cycle, crimson, tipped with lilac, fine shape ;
Kevnes' White, a very promising white variety ;
and Starfish, pale orange red, very fine ; all from
Messrs. Keynes and Co, Salisbuiy. Charles
Woodbridge, bright crimson, slightly shaded, a
true Cactus lype. To the following pompon
Dahlias: Dr. Jim, pale ground, heavily tipped
with wine-purple ; from Mr. J. T. Wesr. Spit-
fire, glowirg red, flowers of fine shape ; from Mr.
Seale. Guinivere, yellow, edged with deep red,
and Ganymede, tipped with silvery mauve and
bright buff; from Mr. C. Turner. To single
Dahhas : Polly Eccles, Naomi Tighe, Trilby,
Emmie and Folly, described in report, from Mr.
T. W. Girdlestone; and to China Rose (Jueen
Mab, buff, with darker centre, the foliage dark

bronze ; from Messrs. W. Paul and Son, nursery-
men, Waltham Cross.

Of miscellaneous exhibits, Messrs. H. Cannell
and Sons had a rare collection of Cactus and
decorative Dahlias : Messrs. Peed and Sons, cut
flowers; Messrs. J. Laing and Sons, a large group
of plants, cut flowers and fruits ; Messrs. W.
Cutbush and Son, a large collection of cut flowers,
and the same from Mr. T. S. Ware ; and from
Messrs. W. Paul and Son, fruit trees in pots,
Roses, fruit, &o.

A full prize list will be found in our advertise-
ment columns.

ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

SeI'TE.MBKR ,S.

It would appear as if all of the exhibitors on this
occasion were fully cognizant of the fact that no
other opportunity would be afforded them of dis-
playing their various productions, either for cer-
tificates or medals, until October 1.3 next, there
leing no other meeting (for some unexplained
cause) during September ; whilst the great fruit
show which opens on October 1 at the Crystal
Palace is apparently available in the competitive
classes for fruits only. If, as at the last fruit
show, no awards or recognition of any kind be
given to noncompetitive exhibits of fruit, or any
notice of or encouragement given to floral pro-
ductions at the Crystal Palace, the purposes and
objects of the various committees are for the time
being neutralised. Notes have appeared lately in
the various horticultural weeklies with reference
to the blank that now occurs in the meetings for
the ensuing five weeks, and it is hoped the same
will have the desired effect before or when another
year's arrangements are drafted. The show of
Tuesday last was a most noteworthy one in every
respect, and well sustained the prestige of the
society. Autumnal flowers were grand, making a
most imposing display. Gladioli — notably those
from Cambridge — were specially fine : a finer ex-
hibit than this one has not been seen for a long
time. The varieties were of the best and the
spikes were in the pink of condition. Dahlias
came from the best known growers and raisers,
these alone making a show of themselves. Here
the most noteworthy exhibit of all was,
beyond any doubt, that of Mr. Girdlestone,
who has done so much to popularise the
single Dahlias by raising so many unic^ue and
distinct varieties. On this occasion this gentle-
man exhibited forty-eight varieties, all standard
kinds, of his own raising. These were tastefully
set up in bunches of ten blooms each. Of other
exhibits, that of the Messrs. Cheal and Sons was
perhaps the most extensive. It embraced the
best of the Cactus, pompon, and single sections,
several promising new ones of the first being
shown. From Mr. Chas. Turner came a very
choice set of pompons, which included some new
and quite distinct kinds. Messrs. Keynes, Wil-
liams, and Co. had new Cactus varieties of great
promise, whilst a large display was made by Mr.
T. S. Ware. Mes.srs. Jones and Son, of Shrews-
bury, had a decorative display, a part of which
was done in a tasteful manner. Both Mr. Morti-
mer and Mr. West showed Cactus and show Dahlias
of the best quality. Late Lilies and kindred
plants were again" shown by Messrs. Wallace
and Co. , whilst early Chrysanthemums made their
appearance.

Of the groups, by far the best, both from a cul-
tur.d point of view and for taste in arrangement,
came from Syon House Gardens, whence Mr.
Wythes on this occasion made a beautiful dis-
play. The Nepenthes were specially noteworthy,
the examples of N. mixta, N. Mastersiana, and N.
RafHesiana being very fine. The award made to
this exhibit was quite out of keeping with its
merits. An attractive group of well-coloured
Crotons, chiefly small plants, came from a com-
paratively fresh exhibitor, Mr. Darnell. Orchids
were excellent, being present in good numbers,
both Messrs. Veitch and Sons and Messrs. Sander
and Co. being well represented ; several choice

September 12, 1896.]

THE GAPvDEK

217

things from both of these and other sources were
to be seen.

Fruit, too, was staged in considerable quan-
tity, Apples and Pears being the most prominent,
as a matter of course. Of these, the continued
interest shown in the prizes offered by Messrs. J.
Veitch and Sons for the best flavoured varieties
in season shows that a right chord was struck,
and one which will prove of good service. Singu-
lar to say, on this occasion all of the prizes were
taken by what are only, as a rule, deemed to be
second-class kinds as regards flavour, climatic
conditions and localities having a great influence
beyond any doubt, for what in one district is of
good quality may not always be so in another.

Orchid Committee.

First-class certificates were given to the fol-
lowing : —

Aeachxantiik (Rknantheka) Lowi.— This is
an old and well-known species, which was dis
covered and introduced by Sir H. Low from Sara
wak about the year 1S45. There is no record of
its ever having been certificated previously, a'
though we have seen the racemes much longer
and the flowers finer. The flowers are produced
on racemes from 6 feet to 12 feet long at short
intervals along the entire length. The sepals and
petals are brown, mottled with yellow in front,
yellow at the back ; the lip yellow at the ape-x,
shading to rose at the base ; the two lowest flowers
bright vellow. From Messrs. B. S. Williams and
Son.

L.elio-Cattlkya Cltve — A lovely hybrid, the
result of crossing La4ia prajstans and Cattleya
Dowiana. The sepals and petals are deep rose,
the broad front and side lobes of the lip crimson
purple, the throat showing the influence of Catt
leya Dowiana by the yellow longitudinal linei
intermixed with the crimson. A plant from the
same cross was certificated as L. -Cattleya broom
fieldiensis in August, 1894. Both were raised by
Mr. Cookson, to whom the certificate was awarded
on the present occasion.

L.ELio Catti.eva Chaki.es Darwin-.— This va
riety was exhibited in August last year, when it
received an award of merit, the plant on that occa
sion only having one flower. It had now two
flowers, and with increased strength has made
wonderful improvement. It is the result of
cross between L.-C. elegans var. Turneri and
Cattleya maxima ; the flower has the general
appearance of L.-C. elegans, but the sepals and
petals are rounder and broader, in colour light
rose-purple. The broad, undulated front lobe of
the lip is brilliant amethyst-purple, the side lobes
lighter, tipped with purple, with a suffusion of
yellow towards the centre of the throat. It is
very distinct and a fine addition to this class of
plants. From Mr. C. J. Ingram, Godalming.

MiLTONiA Moreliana (Dulcote var.). — An
extra fine form of the atro-rubens type, the broad
sepals and petals deep in colour, while the lip is
upwards of 3 inches across, rose-purple in colour,
veined and sufl'used at the base with deep
crimson-purple. From Mr. W. Cobb, Dulcote,
Tunbridge Wells.

Awards of merit were given to the following :—

Maxillaria striata crandiflcira. — A curious
variety with greenish yellow petals, lined with
brown. The sepals have a darker ground colour
and lines than the petals, lip white in front, lined
at the tip with purple, the side lobes having the
lines more prominent and extending further to-
wards the base. From Messrs. F. Sander and Co.

Cattleya Euphrasia.— Raised by Mr. Seden
between C. gigas and C. superba, sepals and
pgtals deep rose, lip crimson-purple, shading to
yellow at the base. On the sides of the throat
are two prominent yellow blotches, shading to
white at the base, the centre being lined with
purple- The plant bore a spike of three flowers.
From Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons.

Cattleya r.iioi.dR v \r. Lewisi.— A distinct
variety with pale green sepals and petals, front
half of the lip white, the basal part rose-purple.
From Mr. E. Ashworth, Harefield Hall.

L.elio-Cattleya Bryan. — The result of cross-
ing Cattloya Gaskelliana and La;lia crispa. The
sepals and petals were broad and of good sub
stance, rosy lilac in colour. The front portion of
the lip is purple, margined with rose, the upper
lobes rose, shading to yellow in the centre, with
numerous purple lines at the base. The plant
bore two flowers. From Mr. N. Cookson.

Ljxio-C.^ttleya elegaxs Oweni-E. — a fine
form belonging to the Turneri section. It has a
somewhat narrow, finely coloured lip, crimson-
purple in front, shading to white at the base.
The sepals and petals are rosy purple, of good form
and substance. The cut raceme bore eight flowers.
From Mr. T. Statter, Stand Hall, Manchester.

Mr. H. Ballantine, gardener to Baron Schneder,
had a beautifully grown plant of Sophro-Cattleya
Veitchi, a distinct and beautiful hybrid, the result
of crossing Sophronitis grandiflora and L.-elio-
Cattleya elegans. The sepals and petals and
front of the lip are bright cerise, in the centre of
the lip is a small disc of crimson, which shades off
into the throat to bright lemon-yellow. Mes
J. Veitch and Sons were given a silver Flora
medal for a fine group, prominent in this being a
fine plant of Lielio-Cattleya Nysa with four
flowers, and a pieca of L.-C. callistoglossa ignes-
cens, superior to the type in its richly-coloured
lip (certificated last year). Cypripedium a;nan-
thum superbum was well represented by a plant
with five flowers. C. Brysa candidulum (C. Bos-
sierianum crossed with Sedeni candidulum) has
white sepals and petils, shaded with pale green;
lip white, spotted on the inside with brown.
Two fine plants of Odontoglossum bictonense
album, with twelve and fourteen flowers respec-
tively ; La'lia monophylla, with upwards of
twenty flowers, and a fine plant of the lovely
Sobralia Veitchi were also shown here. Messrs.

B. S. Williams and Son were awarded a silver
Banksian medal for a small group consisting of
several forms of hybrid Cypripediums, Angra;cum
citratum, with two spikes of its creamy white
flowers ; Pescatorea Klabochorum, P. Lehmani,
one of the most distinct of the genus ; s
fine plant of Oncidium dasystyle, with three
spikes of bloom, and a healthy plant with
three flowers of Pachystoma Thomsonianum.
Messrs. F. Sander and Co. sent a small group, in
the centre of which was a finely flowered speci-
men of Zygopetalum Gautieri, with upw.ards of
thirty flowers. A fine plant of Cattleya granulosa,
Habenaria militaris, with six spikes ; Culogyne
Macrolitzi (certificated last meeting), two finely-
flowered masses of sweet-scented Burlingtonia
fragrans, and a new hybrid Cypripedium named

C. Rothwellianum, the result of a cross between
C. Argus and C. Stonei were also included in this
group. Mr. Cookson sent two plants of Cattleya
Hardyana to confirm the parentage of the im-
ported natural hybrid. Mr. Welbore Ellis,
Dorking, sent Stanhopea oculata and a fine plant
of the new Oncidium panduratum, sepals and
petals brown, margined and marbled with yellow,
lip yellow at the tip and on the side lobes, with a
large brown blotch in the centre. Mr. E. Ash-
worth showed cut flowers of some fine forms
of Cattleya Gaskelliana, Cattleya Hardyana var.
marmorata, a fine flower of the original type of
Cattleya calistoglossa, a spike of the ordinary
type of Cattleya bicolor, Cypripedium insigne
Balls?, one of the yellow section in the way of
C. insigne Ernesti and a grand spike of the natural
hybrid Dendrobium Leeanum, a distinct and
lovely addition supposed to be a cross between D.
Phala'nopsis and D. superbens. Mr. W. Cobb
sent a finely flowered plant of Odontoglossum
Oersted! majus, the flowers large and of good
substance.

Floral Committee.
First-class certificates were awarded to —
AdDANTHERA i!i( ■(]L(]R.— A bulbous plant With
some slight resemblance to a Gladiolus, but yet
([uite distinct. The growth is from 2 feet to .3 feet
in height, the leafage pale green, and the flowers,
which are singularly distinct and handsome, are
creamy white, with touches of chocolate-red at

the base of each lobe, running upwards nearly
half of, the length through the centre of each; the
lobes are broad and the contour of the flower
good, each blossom being supported on foot-stalks
fully 6 inches in length, and in spikes of two or
more expanded flowers. From Messrs. J. Veitch
and Sons.

Aralia triloba. — A very promising fine-
foliaged plant and one quite distinct in character.
The leaves are each from 1 foot to 18 inches in
length, the sub-division being quite at the base,
each lobe being an inch or more in width. The
plant is of an erect and short-jointed habit, the
colour of a light green throughout. From Mr.
William Bull.

Lobelia Carmine Gem, to which when shown
in a cut state at the previous meeting an award
of merit was voted, and now shown as plants, by
which it can at once be seen that the habit is a
great improvement on the old L. cardinalis, being
much more branching and compact. The foliage
is of a bronzy green tint, with reddish veins ; the
spikes are of good length, and the individual
flowers large also, whilst the colour, well defined
by its name, is a decided acquisition. From Sir
Trevor Lawrence's collection (Mr. Bain, gardener).

PoLY-pODIUM NERIIFOLIUM CEISTATUM. — A dis-
tinctly crested form of somewhat large growth,
with long arching fronds from 2 feet to 3 feet in
length, with the pinn:e not too densely set thereon
and an inch or so in width and crested at the
points. The growth appears to be hard and wiry
looking. From Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons.

Awards of merit were voted to—

Campanula Balchinensis. — A hybrid Bell-
flower (raised by the exhibitors) between C. fra-
gilis and C. isophylla alba. It is a beautiful and
quite unique plant, its chief characteristic being
the profuse variegation, which is of a creamy
white and pale green, the former greatly pre-
dominating. The habit if left to itself would
assume a drooping form, thus enhancing its value
as a basket plant. The three plants shown were
lightly trained. The colour of the flowers is of
a soft tint of pale blue, these being from 1 inch
to IJ inches across. A first-class certificate might
have been awarded. From Messrs. W. Balchin
and Sons, Hassocks and Brighton.

Drac-Ena Warkeni. —A hybrid variety of
sturdy growth, and the best beyond a doubt
of the narrow-leaved section, as represented by
D. elegantissima. The leaf-growth is longer than
in that named, also more graceful and droop-
ing in habit ; the colour is of a bronzy red, with
the petioles of a lighter or brighter colour. The
examples shown were well-grown compact plants
in small pots, but the artificial polishing of the
foliage with oil was not at all commendable.
From Mr. Offer, The Gardens, Handcross Park,
Sussex.

Adiantum capillus-Veneris cun.eforme.— a
very distinct and graceful Fern beyond any ques-
tion, but of a somewhat fragile appearance, this
being possibly due to having been grown in too
much heat. The fronds are fully '2 feet long in
some instances and narrow in proportion ; the
pinna> are smaller than in A. capillus-Veneris and
partially sub-divided. It should prove an excel-
lent basket Fern. From Lady E. Foley, Stoke
Edith (gardener, Mr. A. Ward).

Becoxia odorata rosea fl -PL.— Quite a gem
in its section, tuberous, but quite distinct. The
growth has a suspicion of aflinity with B. soco-
trana, but is more ereot and the foliage of greater
substance. The flowers — borne on stout, erect
spikes well above the branching growth and
foliage— are each quite 5 inches across, of a soft
rosy pink, and very double, as well as of good
form. Bv its name fragrance is denoted, and it
is clearly detected, the odour not unlike that of
the Balsam. From Sir Trevor Lawrence.

Helianthds annuus Wantage St.ar. — The
result of crossing the ordinary Sunflower with
Sutton's Dwarf Miniature. The flowers, which
are well formed, are each about 7 inches across, a
double row of guard petals prevailing ; the colour
is a pale golden yellow, with a dark disc of me-
dium size. The habit is branching and the height

118

THE GATJDEK

[September 12, 189G.

approaching S feet. From Lord Lockinge, Wantage
(arardener, Mr. Fyfe).

C.i.ADioLrs Aroixo. — A pale terra-cottapink,
of large size and the finest form, with crimson
markings at the base. From Messrs. Burrell and
Co., Cambridge.

Gi. AKioLrs Painted Lapy.— A bizarre-coloured
variety, the ground colour of a creaniv tint, with
pink and crimson spLishes, both flowers and
spike being large. From Messrs. Burrell and
Co.

OL,\iiioi.rs Alicia.— A clear French white,
with pencillings of lake at the base, the flowers of
large size and the spike extra fine. From Messrs.
Burrell and Co.

Dahlia (CvrTis) h>yx.-A bright shade of
terra-cotta, of good form and full. From Mr. C.
Turner.

D.\HLIA (Cactis) Harry Stredwkk.— A dark
vinous crimson, very rich, the petals long, curled
or twisted : a distinct and true Cactus variety
From Messrs. .T. Cheal and Sons.

Dahlia (C.vcxrs) Mrs. Gordox Sloa.ne.— i
deep reddish carmine, a novel colour, and an ac
quisition to its class. From Messrs. J. Cheal and
Sons.

Dahlia (CACTr.s) Mrs. Leopold Sevmour.— A
marked improvement on Mrs. Barnes, the pink
shading being brighter and the yellow at base of
a deeper tint. From Messrs. J. Cheal and Sons.

Dahlia (Cactls) Starfi,^u._A very bright
orange-scarlet of true Cactus character, the
flowers of full size and the petals narrow, being
produced well above the foliage. From Messrs
Keynes, Williams and Co.

Dahlia (CACTrs) Cindkrelh.— A violet-purple,
very marked in colour, and a great advance on
Purple Prince or Earl of Pembroke ; quite dis-
tinct. From Messrs. Keynes, Williams and Co.

Dahlia (Cvotus) Flossie.— A combination of
orange and salmon shades, very bright and dis-
tinct. Messrs. Keynes, Williams and Co.

Dahlia (Cactus) Cycle.— A bright rosy scarlet,
of medium size, and true Cactus form. Messrs
Keynes, Williams and Co.

Dahlia (CArrrs) Fantasy.— A decidedly dis-
tinct and very useful decorative variety, with
narrow curled florets, the flowers being more erect
than usual and the stems stout, the colour a pale
scarlet. Messrs. Burrell and Co.

Dahlia (show) Daniel Curnish.-A reddish
shade of terra cotta, very full and of fine form.
Mr. West, Brentwood, Esse-K.

Dahlia (i'ompon) D.v:mar. — A crimson-
maroon, rich in colour, the form good. Mr. C
Turner.

Dahlia (pompon) Phryne. —Golden yellow,
tipped with bronzy red, good form. Mr. Charles
Turner.

Dahlia (pompon) Guinevere.- Deep orange,
tipped somewhat heavily with scarlet, a fine and
distinct variety. Mr. C. Turner.

Dahlia (pompon) Adrienne.— A clouded red,
with golden tips, the petals reflexed when fully
developed. Mr. C. Turner.

Dahlia (sincle) Trilby.— A dark velvety
crimson, tipped with white, very novel and dis-
tinct ; quite an acquisition. Mr. T. W. Girdle-
stone.

Dahlia (single) Jeannette— With reddish
orange margins and white towards centre of
petals, flowers large and showy, fine in form also.
Mr. T. W. Girdlestone.

Dahli.v (sin(;le) Polly Eccles.— A pale terra-
cotta, with crimson base, very choice and quite
distinct, a lustrous sheen 8ufi"u8ing the flowers.
Mr. T. W. Girdlestone.

Dahlia (mn(;le) Folly.— Carmine-rose, white
tips, deeper colour at edge, very bright and effec-
tive. Mr. T. W. GiKllestone.

Dahlia (single) Xa.,mi Tk.he.— A deep golden
yellow, with or.mge at base, the best of its colour
and fine in form. Mr. T. W. f;irdlestone.

Dahlias in great variety were the principal
flowers shown, and these were staged both in the
exhibition style, and in vases and bouquets and
trophies, to show their value in decoration. Of
the former order, a magnificent exhibit came

from Messrs. Cheal and Sons, Crawley, compris
ing perfect examples of all the best varieties of
pompon, single, Cactus, and the charming single
Cactus kinds. The staging was throughout
admirable, and the condition of the blooms excel-
lent. Among the pompons were fine bunches of
Little Darkie, Geo. Brinckman, Phabe, Janet, an
old, but very lovely terracotta variety ; Fabio,
with yellow petals tipped with crimson, very
striking; and Sunny Daybreak, a pretty yellow
and chocolate flower of good form. The singles
included Eclipse, a fine metallic-mauve : M
Coninck, white and lilac ; Phyllis, white, striped
with purplish crimson ; and Miss Roberts, a very
fine yellow, of good form. The Cactus varieties
were exceptionally finp, the bunches being re
markably even, and all of fine quality. The fol
lowing may be specially noted : Miss Kingsley
Foster, a beautiful new bronze-yellow ; Mrs
Beck, salmon-pink ; Mrs. Leopold Seymour, yel
low and rose, very fine petals ; Mrs. Wilsci
Noble, rich rosy salmon ; and Harmony, a verj
fine bunch (silver-gilt Banksian). A large collec
tion of single Dahlias, perfect in condition,
splendid in colour, and comprising the most
beautiful varieties, was shown by Mr. T. W.
Girdlestone, Sunningdale, Berks. The follow-
ing were remarkably good : Svingali, a splen-
didly - formed velvety maroon ; Trilby, a
strikingly beautiful variety of the deepest
crimson, shading through carmine to white
at the tips of the ray florets; Orange Girl,
a dazzling flower, shaded orange, scarlet and
softest primrose ; Mauve Satin, a flower of great
delicacy ; Donna Casilda, a splendid dull mauve
and terra-cotta, with crimson ring ; Naomi Tighe,
rich deep yellow with chocolate ring ; Folly, a
ery brilliant rose colour shading almost to white ;
'oily Eccles, a superbly-formed bronza-yellow,
and Jeannette, white, bordered with orange-scarlet
(silver Banksian). Another collection of Dahlias
(Cactus, pompon and show varieties) came from
Mr. J. T. West, Tower Hill, Brentwood. The
last-named section was the most numerously re-
presented, and included Robert Fyfe, a shapely
flower with a good centre, petals yellow, with
brownish tinted reverse : Sunbeam, a pretty rosy
lac ; Victor, a fine dark ruddy purple ; Daniel
Cornish, John Hickling, Gloire de Lvon, Nellie
Cramond, and the ever-popular Mrs. Gladstone.
Amongst the pompons were good bunches of
Erica, a nice yellow ; a very attractive seedling
somewhat resembling Lilian, but deeper in colour ;
Mary Kirk, Donovan, a charming lilac and white;
and Sunshine, a well-formed scarlet. The best
of the Cactus section were Fusilier, Lady Pen-
lince, Gloriosa, Matchless and Miss A. Night-
ngale (silver Flora). Yet another excellent
collection of Dahlias— this time only Cactus
and show varieties — was shown by Mr. 8. Mor-
timer, Farnham. The best Cactus flowers were
the showy Miss Nightingale, Harmony, Match-
less, Fusilier, Gloriosa, Mayor Haskins, very
well coloured ; and Mrs. Barnes. The show
arieties were particularly good, all being in ex-
cellent form, with every petal intact and with
"ose, hard centres (silver-gilt Banksian). A
large group of cut Dahlias arranged in bouquets,
stands, pyramids, and screens was shown by
Messrs. H. Jones and Son, Shrewsbury. The
exhibit was effective and very showy, but gave
evidence of great hurry in construction ; lack of
finish being a very patent fault in the designs.
The bouquets were slightly unbalanced and over-
crowded, but useful, as showing that Dahlias are
uite possible for this purpose if skilfully handled.
The best was one composed of Harmony. The
pyramidal arrangements of mixed Cactus blooms
;, perhaps, the most successful items (silver
Banksian medal). Messrs. Keynes, Williams and
Co., Salisbury, sent a box of new Cactus Dahlias.
The best were Starfish, a really fine variety,
orange-scarlet in colour, with very narrow,
pointed petals, and growing on long, stiff stems ;
Flossie, a pretty deep salmon and yellow, of good
;us form ; Cycle, a superb flower of the colour
of Bertha Mawley. A few varieties of Dahlias
were shown by Mr. Chas. Turner, The Nurseries,

Slough. The following pompons were good :
Ganymede, Guinevere, Orpheus, Purity, and
Phryne.

A magnificent collection of Gladioli was staged
by Messrs. Burrell and Co., Cambridge. The
spikes were splendidly flowered and perfectly fresh.
Good varieties were : Painted Lady, soft lilac, with
deeper coloured spikes ; AHcia, white, with purple
in the throat ; Victor, a grand variety, large
salmon flowers, shading to scarlet ; Apollo, a very
charming flesh coloured flower ; and (Sarmen, soft
pink and primrose (silver-gilt Fora). A nice
group of cut flowers including some very good
Marigolds came from Mr. Walter Salmon, Elder
Road, West Norwood (bronze Flora). Messrs.
R. Wallace and Co., Colchester, sent a large and •
very fragrant group of Gladioli and Lilies. Among
the latter were good examples of L. specio,=um
Melpomene and L. Henryi (silver Floia medal).
Messrs. Young and Dobinson, Stevenage, Herts,
sent a group of miscellaneous cut flowers. Messrs.
Dobbie and Co., Rothesay, sent a large collection
of Asters and Marigolds, the former including
Dobbie's Giant Comet, Victoria, and the Quilled
(ilobe sections, each lot containing excellent
flowers. The Marigolds were large, and brilliant in
colour (silver Banksian). Messrs. Laing and Sons,
Forest Hill, staged an effective group of fine
foliaged plants with some very good Streptocarpi,
and two beautiful plants of Odontoglossum
grande. The group included well coloured speci-
mens of Croton Gold Mine, ( '. Coimtess, C. Evan-
sianus, Caladium Jules Picot, C. Illustrious,
Begonia Attraction, and B. Arthur Malet.
The group was well staged (silver Flora). A
handsome group, the best in the show, was
that staged by Mr. Wythes of Syon House.
The arrangement was carried out with excellent
judgment, and in perfect taste. The material
was all of first-class quality, and comprised mag-
nificent Nepenthes, splendidly coloured Crotons,
Dracanas, and Caladiums, lightened with various
kinds of Ferns and Panicums. The best of the
Nepenthes were N. mixta, bearing some superb
pitchers ; N. Morganis-, very highly coloured ; a
grand plant of N. Masteriana, N. Curtisi superba,
N. Hookeriana elongata, and N. Raltiesiana. A
silver Flora medal was given — an award totally
inadequate to the merits of the group. A silver
gilt Banksian medal was given to Mr. Darnell,
Stamford Hill, for a group of Crotons, all healthy,
well-grown plants, beautifully coloured. Mr. T. S.
Ware, of Tottenham, gained a silver Banksian
medal for a pretty group of early Chrysanthe-
mums ; Herbert Barnes, and the white Mme. Des-
grange were in good condition. Mr. J. K. Witty,
Nunhead Cemetery, also staged a group of Chry-
santhemums, many of the blooms being remark-
ably good considering the time of the year (silver
Banksian medal). Mr. C. Holden, of Hinckley,
showed several varieties of Ivy-leaved Pelar-
oniums. A small group of stove plants was sent
y Mr. F. Beckett, Caen W^ood Towers, Highgate
(silver Banksian medal). A large and effective
group of Cactus and decorative Dahlias was
shown by Mr. T. S. Ware, Tottenham. The
flowers were fresh and in good condition (silver
Flora). Messrs. Veitch and Sons sent some
heavily berried branches of Cratttgus Pyracantha
La-landi, a highly effective shrub. Mrs. W. Sal-
mon, of Norwood, gained a silver Banksian medal
for some prettily arranged epergnes, the princi-
pal flowers used being yellow Marguerites.

Fruit Committee.

There was a fair iiuantity of fruit before this
committee. Vegetables were scarce, but a repre-
sentative collection of well grown Cabbage came
from Messrs. Carter, and certainly deserved an
awatd. Mr. Miller, gardener to Lord Foley,
Ruxley Lodge, Esher, sent forty eight dishes cf
fruit. The Peaches and Nectarines were spe-
cially fine. Princess of Wales, Late .\dmirable,
Teton de Venus, Royal George and Violette
Hative Peaches were grandly coloured, the best
Nectarines being Pine apple. Rivers' Orange and
Victoria. Pears were mostly good, the most
noticeable being Brockworth Park, Josephine de

September 12, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

219

Maline3, Vicar of Winkfield and Glou Morceau.
Some excellent Cellini, Ribston, Golden Reinette,
Bsauty of Hants, and Yorkshire Beauty Apples,
with Plums, were also staged. We fail to see
what good results from showing very late Pears
and Apples so early in the season (silver Knightian
medal). Messrs. Laing and Sons, Forest Hill,
staged lOil dishes of Apples and Pears, and
here the sime remarks apply with regard to fruit
ia season. There were some thirty dishes of
Pears, Napoleon, BeurrS Bachelier, Beurre Capiau-
mont, Beurre Clairgeau, Beurr^ Diel and Beurre
d'Amanlis being very fine. The Apples were
good, such kinds as Bismarck, Cellini and Grena-
dier being large, whilst good dessert kinds were
Ribston, King of the Pippins, Worcester Pear-
main, Yellow Ingestre and Duchess Favourite
(silver Knightian medal). The chairman sent a
seedling Orange raised from a fruit produced on
the oldest tree in France from Mr. Hanbury's
celebrated gardens. A new seedling Grape,
contributed by Mr. Shingler, gardener to Lord
Hastings, and n.amed Lady Hastings, appeared to
be quite distinct in character. It was said to be
a sport from Madresfield Court, but with a
roundish berry, more like Black Muscat, with a
thicker skin, but of true Muscat flavour. It is
evidently a good keeper. The committee re-
quested that it be sent again to the next meeting
with more particulars as to parentage and
cropping qualities. A seedling Apple was sent
by Mr. Partridge, Seeham Toney, Norfolk. It
is a pretty fruit, buo of poor flavour.
Mr. Crasp, Osberton Gardens, Worksop, Mr.
R. Ashton, Lathom House, Ormskirk, and Mr.
Wj-thes, Syon House, Brentford, sent seedling
Melons, which were passed.

Messrs. Laing and Sons also staged a good dish
of Glenhurst Favourite Tomato. The Messrs. E. J.
Sargeant and Co., Worthing, staged a collection
of Aubergines in some half-dozsn varieties ; one,
a fine dark black-red fruit, being sent for certifi
cate. Rijih, Long Purple and Purple-Striped
were also good. Messrs. Carter and Co., Holborn.
staged thirty varieties of Cabbage and Coleworts,
making an interesting exhibit. The heads were
well grown and showed the various types as now
grown. The Dwarf Nonpareil and Cocoa-nut were
very good, also Mein's No. 1. Such kinds as
Barly Riinham, Winnigstadt, Early York, Prize-
taker and Sugarloaf were of compact growth.
Various kinds of Kohl Rabi were also staged.
Messrs. Young and Dobinson staged their new
Eclipse Tomato in quantity ; this received an
award in July. A new Tomato (Ronalds' Golden
Queen) was sent by Mr. Ronalds, North Gate
Nurseries, Chichester. Messrs. Cannelland Sons,
Swanley, sent a Parsley named Eynsford Beauty,
a nicely curled variety.

The classes for Apples and Pears— one dish of
each, flavour being the chief point — were well
filled. This competition shows how soils alter
the character of fruits, as Worcester Pearmain
was placed before Kerry Pippin, and Souvenir du
Congres before Beurre d'Amanlis. The award
for Apples went to Mr. J. Powell, Ilsington House
Gardens, Dorchester, for a fine dish of Benoni, an
American variety of nice appearance ; and to Mr.
Herrin, Dropmore, for Worcester Pearmain. For
Pears, Mr. Herrin was first with fine examples
of Souvenir du Congrfes, and Mr. Powell second
with Beurr^ d'Amanlis.

The lecture on Gladioli, by Mr. Burrell, Cam-
bridge, was read by the assistant secretary. The
cultural portion was most interesting, more so on
account of the noble bank of flowers staged by
the lecturer. At the start Mr. Burrell stated
that three papers had in a short time been given
on this flower. He did not intend to go over the
same ground. He would go first into the (luestion
of soil, and here he was at variance with many
growers of Gladioli who advised a light or sandy
soil ; indeed, many thought these bulbs always
required light soils. He had grown them in all
kinds of soil, but preferred a somewhat heavy
loam without sand, in which he obtained finer

blooms and with less disease ; indeed, he main-
tained a much healthier stock than on light soils.
He referred to the gandavensis section, as he
found soil which suited these suited most kinds.
Doubtless he would be told excellent flowers had
been produced in light soil, and he would agree
that they could be produced in all kinds, but he
had obtained the greatest success in a holding,
well-drained soil in a warm situation. In the
north where the rainfall was excassive a lighter
soil might be necessary, and in all cases he was
an advocate of free drainage. In comparing the
various kinds of soil, he referred to Mr. Standish,
who grew these bulbs largely at Bagshot, in Surrey,
but with less success than M. Lemoine, at Nancy,
the latter having a heavy soil. Another point
closely connected with soil was manure. This,
he considered, most harmful. He preferred
ground that had been manured for a previous
crop. For Gladioli, he found ordinary stable
manure alone or with an addition of a little bone-
meal the best. He had used fish manure, but did
not recommend it or liquid manure. He had
mulched with strawy manure, but could not say
it was beneficial. He never watered in the hot
summer of 1893, and this was the best season "
ever had. The great heat and drought this year
caused the plants to suffer. Up to the end of
July they did grandly, but later on felt the
drought, as at the finish they required more mois-
ture. The Gladiolus requires much less moisture
at the start, and suffers much from heavy rains at
certain seasons ; hence the value of well-drained
soil. Some growers advocated the raising of new
types annually to check disease, and this point
he went into, advising the growth of the hybrids,
as these are less subject to disease than others.
The early forms of Gladioli and the Nanceianus
section were also referred to.

Mr. DOmbrain expressed his pleasure in listen-
ing to the lecture, which was full of useful hints.
He thoroughly agreed with the ideas as to soils
and manures. New corms or bulbs yearly were
equally as important as the soil.

Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institation.

— It is gratifying to learn that the kindne.ss of
Sir Greville Smyth, Bart., and Mr. Francis Tagart,
who threw open to the public their respective
gardens and grounds at Ashton Court and Old
Sneed Park a few days ago, has resulted in the
substantial addition of £-l'J to the funds of the
Bristol and Bath Auxiliary of the Gardeners'
Royal Benevolent Institution. This institution,
which was founded as long ago as 1838, is in-
tended to relieve aged and infirm gardeners and
their widows. It grants substantial pensions to
such persons. The local auxiliary was formed as
recently as 1893 in order to promote a knowledge
of the institution's work in this district, and de-
[jends largely upon collections and subscriptions
for funds. The collections at the various flower
shows this year have been fairly successful, but
the number of pensions granted by the institution
is such that the coffers are never very full, or even
as full as might be wished.

The weather in West Herts. — Since the
beginning of the month the day temperatures
have been, as a rule, low, while the nights, on the
other hand, have proved warm for the time of
year, the lowest reading registered by the thei
mometer exposed on the lawn being 48°. At 2
feet deep the ground is now about -2', and at 1
foot deep 3", warmer than is seasonable. During
the last eleven days there has been only one day
without rain, the total fall for this period amount-
ing to 2i inches, which :s little short of ths

for the whole month. The wettest day

the 4th inst., but the heaviest downpour
occurred during a thunderstorm on the night of
the 8th, when the rain fell for five minutes at the
rate of "2 inches an hour, and for ten minutes at
the average rate of H inches an hour. The winds
have been light, and principally from some point
between north and east. There has been little
sunshine as yet this month, the mean record being
less than U hours a day. — E. M., Berkhaymted.

Notes of the Week.

Jacobinia magnifica var. Pohllana . — < Juite
recently at Kew we noted a nice group of flowering
plants of this handsome Brazilian shrub in pots.
The large heads of pleasing pink flowers formed a
great attraction.

Gladiolus Victor. — This was very fine at the
Drill Hall on Tuesday, the flowers of intense
salmon -scarlet and delicately flaked white. The
individual blossoms are of immense size, tl e
spike massive and compact.

Zinnias.— Some large beds devoted to these at
Chiswick were very showy recently, the flowers
varied in colour and Urge. Benefited, too, by
the abundant rains, they were as fresh and bright
as it is possible for such things to be.

Asparagus sarmentosus.— This very distinct
species from South Africa is now flowering in the
Begonia house at Kew. The growth is erect, the
leaves small and numerous, the plant producing
endless clusters of miniature white blossoms.

Lilium speciosum Opal.— This is an American
novelty of a year or two ago, which received more
praise than it deserved. Indeed, it is so closely
akin to the Dutch L. s. punctatum, that, so far as
its flowers alone are concerned, it may be regarded
as almost identical. A coloured plate of this Lily
was given in The Garden of February 3, 1894
(p. 9U).— E. J.

Badbeckia maxima.— This is very distinct
both in the manner of growth as also the ovate
glaucous, stem-clasping leaves. The plant attains
to some 8 feet high, the ray florets yellow and
drooping. It is in foliage alone an effective
species, and would make a handsome group among
shrubs or similar plants. A typical example ia
now flowering at Kew.

Cotoneaster horizontalis. — Spreading right
and left to the extent of several feet each way and
loaded with its scarlet berries, large examples of
this species present an exceptional appearance.
It is too flat and stiff to be beautiful unless asso-
ciated with large flat surfaces of rock. Again
where the rock possesses a slightly ascending
form such a plant may be used with success.

Acidanthera bicolor. — Messrs. Veitch and
Sons were the exhibitors on Tuesday last of a
number of cut spikes of this rare plant, the flowers
of which by their shap3 bear some resemblance to
those of a small Tigridia. The flowers, apparently
produced somewhat freely on slightly arching
spikes, are in colour creamy white with a purple-
blue base — altogether a very striking combination.
Nerine Fothergilli major.— A number of
cut spikes of these little grown plants was shown
on Tuesday at the Drill Hall by Mr. John
Crook, Forde Abbey. When one considers the
brilliant effect of a few masses of these at this
season and the ease with which they are grown
and flowered, it is really a wonder thev are not
universally cultivated wherever a greenhouse
exists.

Corydalis claviculata. — An excellent idea of
what may be done even with a British annual has
been fully illustrated by this plant at the museum
end of the rock garden at Kew. Here rambling
of its own will, and by means of its tendrils cling-
ing to the purple Heather among which it is
growing, the above is decidedly neat and pleas-
ing, with its elegant pinnate Isives and pale straw
coloured blossoms.

Sanecio Galpini.— Without the intense deep,
rich orange flower-heads, one could be par-
doned for regarding this remarkable plant as
allied to that section of Echeverias with
pulverulent leaves; but a closer inspection, as
well as the large buds and distinct; heads of
bloom, all tend to render this plant of somewhat
remarkable habit. Several plants of it have been
flowering of late in the No. 7 range at Kew,
where it is certainly among the most striking
objects in flower.

Campanula Balchinensis.— An award of
merit was granted to a Campanula on Tuesday

■20

THE GARDEN.

SEPTEMtER 12, 1896.

bearing the above name from Messrs. Balchin, of
Hasrocks. The feature of the plant is its pretty
variegated foliage that renders it at once attrac-
tive, though this was probably heightened by
the plants having been grown under glass.
It may be best described as a bright silver
variegated form of Campanula garganica hirsuta.
As a greenhouse plant or for hanging baskets it
will prove valuable.

Erodium guttatam. — This is a pretty as well
as veiy distinct species that is scarcely possibU to
become confused with any other. The clear white
of the petals is so very marked in this kind as well
as the large tlotch on two of the upper petals
that it is at once recognised. In most of the dwarf
species there is a suflusion of colour, while in this
one the petals are quite pure save the blotch al-
ready noted and light pink veins. In its habit of
growth it is much like several others.

Sli^gafea cordifolia purpurea.— From som^
unexplained cause a large established clump o'
this handsome flowering plant that failed to
bloom in the spring of the present year is now
flowering beautifully. Its richly coloured cymes
at the present time are strikingly etfective in the
garden. It is strange, too, that the plant
so mysteriously affected in the past spring-
though perfectly healthy— should have produced
its flowers at this time, and we shall watch with
interest its behaviour in the coming year.

Lobelia Garardi. —Among the herbaceous
Lobel.as this is a very showy and attractive plant
with its erect spikes somewhat densely set with
flowers of a clear azjre blae shade. The plant is
probably a hybrid of the syphilitica strain which
delights in plenty of moisture while growing. L.
syphilitica is of mo e vigorous constitution ani
hardier than the Cardinal Lobelia, and in some
l;calities will stand out all the winter near the
margin of a pond or similar plice. It is in these
mois'j positions that such things are so pleasing
and effective when in bloom.

Hybrid Sunflowers.— A series of these, the
result of crossing Helianthus annuus and H.
cucumerifolius, were exhibited at the Drill Hall
on Tuesday last, one or two of the forms being de
cided gains for the garden. One named Wantage
Star was especially good, the flowers having more
the form of H. cucumerifolius with greater size of
floret. Another called Lockinge Favourite, a
more rounded flower, was excellent in colour and
good in form. In the latter the disc was somewhat
larger though by no means disproportionate. By
still farther crossing the two forms named some
beautiful and useful varieties would doubtless
result.

Bidbackia laciniata fl. -pi.— Under this
name at the Drill Hall on Tuesday the Messrs.
Wallace had cut flowers of this novelty among
perennials. At first sight the flowers may easily
be mistaken for a miniature double Sunflower of
the Bouquet d'Or type, but the deeply cut foliage
renders it at once quite distinct. From quite
puny little bits put out in the spring of the pre
sent year a growth of about 7 feet has been made,
the plant flowering profusely for some time.
Judging by the description given by " W. E. G.,"
p. 1.34 of The (I.ardex, the above appears to be
identical with Rudbeckia Golden Glow. As the
plant grows freely from the base in Messrs.
Wallace's case, it wouU be interesting to learn
whether the new-oomer is a double form of Rud-
beckia triloba.

The Japanese Wineberry.- The fruits pro-
ducad during the present year by this Bramble
are no criterion of their usual siza and value in an
ordinary year. The drought has had such an
effect on the plants that the berries, though nu-
merous, have been less than half the siza of those
borne by the same bushes in the summer of ISQ.'i.
Those that I tasted last year were palatable, both
in their natural state and when cooked, and I see
no reason why, as " G. P.'' (p. 140) suggests, thev
should not be used for jam-making. Personally,
I prefer the flavour of the Wineberry to that of
the Raspberry. As a decorative plant there can

be no question as to its value, and its absolute
hardiness is a great point in its favour.— S. W. F.
Browallia speciosa major. — This is a really
beautiful and most valuable plant for the decora-
tion of the greenhouse in summer and autumn,
and has been much admired by all who have seen
it here in full and continuous bloom for the last
two months with every likelihood of its continu-
ing to produce its conspicuously handsome flowers
for some weeks to come. Its flowers when they
open are of a lovely deep shade of blue, and as
the flower ages it increases greatly in size and
pales much in colour, so that on the same plant you
may see several shades of colour as well as several
sizes of flower. It is easily increased from seed,
which it sets freely. Its name among French
growers is the Myosotis of the Antilles. — W. E.

GUMBLETON.

Lobelia Carmine Gem.— This was exhibited
at the Drill Hall oi. Tuesday by Sir Trevor Law-
rence, who brought in full bloom three grand
plants of it lifted from the open ground. It was
pleasing to note that the plants had not in the
least suffered by the lifting, as the brilliant
spikes of bloom stood perfectly fresh and erect
without support of any kind. The plant possesses
a bushy and freely branched habit, and clearly
belongs to the L cardinalis section of these beau-
tiful autumn flowers, and not to the syphilitica
group, as we imagined, when a fortnight ago
a spike or two only was shown. The full height
of the plants in their pots is less than 3 feet, and,
judging by the numerous buds yet to open, they
will be gay for weeks to come.

Double Begonias in Sussex.- We have
received from Air. Gaeson, of Cowdrjy Park
(iardens, a superb series of double Begonias,
which are very beautiful, and some soft in colour.
They are certainly wonderful results of raising
these flowers. Occasionally the form is good,
something like the French Hollyhock with the
guard petals, and some of the yellows are distinct
in colour, with salmon-coloured outer parts. Ona
is a very pretty delicate rose, with I'each-like
petals ; the salmon colours are perhaps the most
distinct and striking of all. The very we*; and
warm September suits these flowers well, but we
doubt if they in the average of years are as pre-
cious for our gardens as really hardy plants like
Roses and Lilies, which are not so apt to be affected
by the season.

Iris tenax. — In the article on " Beardless
Irises'' by "J. C. L." in a recent issue, I was
surprised to see that Iris tenax is so seldom found
established in English gardens. I have had two
of these plants, which I believe to bs true, though
I may be mistaken, for years past, and they have
flowered with me abundantly for several years,
and are now seeding. For some years I could not
get them to flower at all, though they managed
to exist, but on putting them in a sheltered posi-
tion at the back of a rockery in rich free soil — soil
that Primula cashmeriana delights in, they have
done well, and are now quite (for them) large
plants. I am also surprised to hear that Iris
cuprea flowers at all in a sand bed with a cemented
bottom. Mine, planted in a bed with Iris K.-emp-
feri, where water reaches the roots from a Lily
tank, bloom well every year, and until I moved
them there they never showed a sign of flower.
Iris stylosa with me likes a sunny border and good
drainage with moisture. — F. M. Burton, Hiijh-
field, Oaindiorourjh.

Double-flowered tuberous Begonias.- 1

see from your paper that you sometimes keep a
corner for Begonias. I send you a few blooms by
to-night's post, and I hope they will reach you in
good order. My house plants are now past therr
blooming time, but out of doors I have thousands
of seedlings, which are now in tine bloom. I
grow about l.''i,iiuij seedlings annually. All the
flowers sent are from plants which bear their
blooms on upright flower-stems. Droopers have a
short life here. Some of the plants from which the
named sorts have been cut have been blooming in
the houses since the end of May. The flowers

from the seedlings were gathered in a few minutes
without anything like an organised search for the
best things ; indeed, the mass of bloom is so great
that it 18 no easy task to pick out the finest
examples. Everything tent was raised here —
those from the houses last year, and those frcm
the beds this year — from seed sown in January. —
Rkv. Edwin L.\srELi,ES, Xtwion St. Loe, Bristol.

*f* Flowers very double, and the colours ex-
ceedingly rich and varied.— Ed.

Campanula Profusion. — At theR.H.S. meet-
ing on the -5th ult. a charming hybrid Campanula
exhibited by Mr. E. H. Jenkins, unanimously
gained an award of merit. Growing in a 6-inch
pot, the plant in t|ue3tion, only 6 inches high and
about 15 inches across, was simply a dense mass of
its pretty pale blue flowers. Curiously enough, it is
one of several seedlings, all of which have come blue
from a cross between C. isophylla alba and C. oar-
pat ica alba. That both the seed and pollen
parents should have white flowers and the offspring
all have blue flowers and of smaller size was a sub-
ject of comment by the floral committee when the
plant was exhibited ; the fact, however, has been
previously explained in The Garden (p. 91,
August 1, 189G). Apart, however, from its
parentage, this beautiful hybrid will prove an
acquisition for both border and rock garden,
coming, aa it does, when almost all else have
finished their flowering. For August and Sep-
tember it forms one of the brightest pictures
imaginable, and, continuing for weeks to produce
an almost endless supply of ita flowers, suggested
the above descriptive name.

TropsBolum speciosum.- It is a curious fact
that this beautiful climber in some soils and
localities will grow with the greatest ease, while
in others no treatment will induce it to grow
freely. Many people have gone to considerable
trouble and expense in the endeavour to esta-
blish it without success, while with others it
grows like a weed. A case in point occurs at
Kew, where, after several unsuccessful attempts,
it has been established in the rock garden, on the
upper part and at the base of a shrub. A few
weeks ago we noted that some 9 feet of growth
had been made, and by its freedom it promises to
become established, as it was then freely showing
its richly coloured buds. So desirable a plant is
worth much in the garden or among shrubs, and
by reason of its attractive flowers that come so
freely in autumn, no pains should be spared to
make it a success. Those who have absolutely
failed to establish this plant in the past may ba
glad to know that if its roots are laid on an inch
or so of cocoa-nut fibre and covered with the
same to an equal depth before putting in the soil
the plant will often start into growth.

Names of plants.— ff. P. Jl/.— Heliantbemum

rosmarinifolium. .1. E. T. — The Sea Aster ( \sier

Tripolium). J. Nixen. — 1, send in flower; H. Hy-
pericum oblongifolium ; 3, Acilypha musaion ; 4,
Begonia fp. ; 5, Coronilla glauca; 6, Selaginel!:! sp. ;

7, the Artillery Plant (Pilea serpyllifolia). Kuft,,,;-

F. Ciark.—l, Lilium nepalense ; 2, a poor form of
Oncidiura bifolium ; 3, Streptocarpus, not equal to

many now in cultivation. John Mathison. — Cr.ita^-

gua pinuafifolia. W. A. G. — The 'Wayfaring Tree

(Viburunm Lantira). Pat. — 1, Eulalia jspouica

variegata ; 2, Centranthus ruber ; 3, Ei-igerou specie
sus; 4, Kerria japonica fl.-pl. ; 5, Crataegus Pjra-

cantba ; 0, Selasinella japonica. Rex.—l to '.K v.i-

lieties of Alteruanthera; 10, Dactylis glomerata ;
1], Campanula isophylla alba;_ 12, Fittonia argjo-
neura; 13, Fittonia A^erschaffelti ; 14 and 15, seud in
flower ; 16, Deudrobium cbrysanthura ; 17, Lyme

grass (Elymusarenarius). G. B. Anderson. — Popu-

lu3 nigra. Evel.in. — Reseda lutcola.

Names of fruit.— Wm. CJarie.- Pear Uvedale's
St. Germain.

■n.h,. l.-r,vli>„lh, ilhistrated

The E( Siish Flower

/ ' , i Dcscrip-

i: ■■ I ■. -heir Cttl-

l.vn^l^n : .l-i:,, Murray, and

THE garde:n'.

221

SATURDAY, Septembtrl

"This Is an Art
Which does mend Nature; change It rather; but
The Art itself is Nature. " — Shakitpiart.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

ORCHARD CHERRIES.

Given a suitable soil and site, care also being
taken to prevent birds from taking the fruit,
orchard-grown Cherries are a very remunerative
crop for the farmer or small holder. In this
district large quantities are grown, and are
likely to be more so in the future. For instance,
this season the returns to the grower were from
£1 to 263. for a basket of 62 lbs., these prices be-
ing quite high enough to encourage the growers to
plant more trees. Of course the prices are not
80 good every season, but, taking one season
with another, orchard Cherry-growing will pay
its way. For one thing, there is not much ex-
pense attached to it, for, excepting manuring,
little else is needed. In this district the
Cherry orchard is generally in close proximity
to the house or homestead, being mostly used
as a run for poultry and pigs. The orchards
are always laid down to grass, as the Cherry as
a standard will not thrive nearly so well if the
ground is cultivated. The roots like to ramify
near the surface, and the firm grass surface
favours this. They are also more under the in-
fluence of the warmth from the sun's rays, conse-
quently the trees are not likely to be afieoted with
gumming. The best site for a Cherry orchard
is comparatively high and dry ground. The
one bugbear of the Cherry grower is the crack-
ing of the fruit, close, muggy or showtry
weather very often causing the fruit to burst
wholesale. By selecting an open airy site the
fruits are not so apt to become so affected.
Some varieties again, are more addicted to this
evil than others. Governor Wood being one of
them. For this reason it is not a favourite
with growers in this district. The method
adopted by local growers in selecting their va-
rieties is very commendable. If any varieties
are known to produce good fruit and are suited
to the district, then these are the ones selected.
It is part of my duty to raise and train up
thousands of fruit trees for the use of tenants
on the estate, and one has to take great care
in selecting the Cherries which they like. This
season I have budded between 300 and 400
stocks. Some kinds have local names. For
instance, there is a very fine dark late Cherry
known as Smoky Duno, and which always sells
well. As yet I have not been able to identify
it with our named varieties, but evidently it is
a variety well worth extended culture. Early
Rivers of course is well known, so also are
Elton and Bigarreau ; also Bigarreau Napoleon
and Florence.

In planting standard Cherries it does not pay
to plant merely two or three trees, for directly
the fruits change colour birds commence to be
troublesome, and someone must be continually
on the look out from daybreak till dark to scare
them away, consequently enough trees should
be planted to pay for this trouble being under-
taken. It is not at all wise to gather the fruits
just as they change colour, for like Grapes they
swell up considerably during the colouring pro-
cess, so in addition to the quality and appear-
ance being improved, the additional weight
gained is no small consideration. There is one
important point which must be considered
when selecting a site for planting, and that
perfect drainage. The soil must be open for

the roots to ramify, the soil being considerably
warmer where there is an efficient natural
drainage. Some of our best orchards are
planted on soils of quite a brashy nature. lu
planting, prepare good stations quite 6 feet
over, the soil being worked to the depth of
2 feet, the top turf being cut up and placed in
the bottom. Some dry and gritty road
scrapings added will also assist in giving the
trees a start. Plant carefully, keeping the
collar well up, and stake firmly, the pruning
back of the heads being left till the following
season. Afterwards very little pruning is neces-
sary, strong shoots whilst the trees are yet
young being checked by shortening, so as to
secure well-balanced heads. Afterwards let
them have their way, when the free growth
will insure increased fertility and also add to
longevity. It is the continued cutting in of
the branches which leads to the early decay of
the trees. A. Young.

Withy Court, Stoui-port.

MUSA GAVENDISHI FAILING TO FRUIT.
The notes by " E. J." (p. 161) on the above were
interesting and of great value to intending
growers. Doubtless the plant illustrated (p. 161)
shows the value of heat and moisture given at the
right moment. All, however, cannot get tihe
proper heat and have to make various shifts, with
the result that the plants do not fruit so regularly
as one would wish. Another point worth atten-
tion is that there are distinct varieties of Musa
Cavendishi, some being much more prolific than
others. The best form I have found to be one with
distinct bars or dark markings in the leaves. This
is seen most in young plants. Some few years
ago I noticed a superior type of Musa Cavendishi
at Dalkeith, Mr. Dunn growing this variety
grandly in a mixed plant house with less heat
thaa is usually advised. Some kinds, too, are
much hardier than others. Failing to fruit is an
important question, but to my way of thinking
is partly solved by " E. J.'s" note, as he dees not
give the plants any resting season. Here is the
point. All cannot devote a house as Mr. Last
does to the plants, and I question if the check to
growth at certain seasons does not interfere with
their fruiting. Practically I am an advocate for
the heat and moisture advised, but have been
obliged to grow my plants cool at certain seasons
of the year— from October to March, and I have
found that in the case of strong plants em-
bryo fruits formed in the stem either failed
to push out, or if they did they were much
weakened. One cannot give the beet treatment
in mixed houses and conservatories. In all cases
where heat is limited, pot or tub culture is pre-
ferable to planting out. With ample warmth
there is no difficulty whatever in having ripe
fruits in twelve months from time of planting. I
am sure " E. J.'s" advice as to giving the plants
a restricted root space will be approved of by
most growers, and I fully agree with it after
thirty years' experience in the culture of Musas.
It is most important to curb the roots, at
the same time encouraging surface roots. It
is also advisable to get the plants to throw up
the fruit before winter. W. I. M.

Notes on Apricots.— By allowing too free
growth of the shoots during the early summer
months the growth made is very strong, and
when this is shortened back the result is ugly
spurs, from which it is impossible to secure fruit.
The best and strongest blossom buds are ob-
tained from short spurs, which are produced
naturally along the shoots on growths which have
been thinly laid in. Shoots which are allowed to
grow ahead act as robbers, and add to the gross-
ness of the tree, drawing away the support from
the weaker branches. The knife should hardly be
allowed on an Apricot tree, the finger and thumb
whilst yet the shoots are young and tender being

the best pruners. Directly these side shoots com-
mence to lengthen then thoas growths which are
not required for branch extension should be
pinched back. It is not disbudding so much as
pinching which an Apricot tree requires, this
equalising the sap evenly throughout the whole
of the tree.— A. Young.

Pot Strawberries.— These are looking un-
commonly well this season, having grown away
without a check since layering, and fine plump
crowns are the result. The pots are also packed
full of roots and need moving freciuently to pre-
vent them from laying hold of the ground they
are standing upon. Watering with weak guano
water for two or three weeks will now do much
good by helping to build up sound crowns, after
which it should be withheld in order that they
may ripen up thoroughly before storing them
away for the winter. The above remarks refer
to the varieties for early forcing. The plants for
main crop and late work must be kept growing
for some time yet, and when the pots become
well filled with roots the plants may have a
stimulant in the shape of guano water or diluted
liquid. To the former I give the preference,
as its action on the plants is to produce good
solid crowns. Keep all runners picked off and
pinch out duplicate crowns. Should wet weather
prevail, and if the pots are not standing on a
good firm base, remove them to another site
having a hard bottom, and where they will ex-
perience full sunshine, that best of all mediums
for ripening up the crowns. Watering must have
careful attention, and see that none of the plants
get abnormally dry before giving them water.
W^atering in an indiscriminate manner is to be
deprecated, and it is therefore best to look the
plants over twice daily. Where many plants are
grown they are best given into the charge of one
person, who should be made responsible for them,
and then the watering and other incidental
matters will be properly attended to. Should a
spell of bright, hot weather occur, as sometimes
happens during this and part of the succeedmg
month, a syringing about mid-day will do much
good, but if the weather keeps dull and cool the
syringing should be omitted.— A. W.

NOTES ON PEACHES.
Thk notes on Peaches which are now appearing
in The Gakden are valuable, as growers are
beginning to find out which are the most desirable
varieties to cultivate. It is pleasing to find that
Peaches are not so variable in quahty when grown
in different districts as the majority of other
fruits. The only difference is in the later varie-
ties, as a favourable climate is necessary for the
development of their good qualities. Some of t;he
varieties have an admirable constitution for outside
culture, and these are the ones to depend upon.
Of course, even with these, good culture is neces-
sarv, for if insects are allowed to have full swing,
either when growth is just commencing, or later
on red spider or lack of water at the roots, the
best of Peaches which are udvieed for outside cul-
ture will fail. Those two fine early leaches,
Alexander and Hale's Early, have been excellent
this season in this garden, equally as good a^s
those which are produced under g^^^^- ^s Mr^
Wythes observes at p. 179, the Peach simply
revels in brilliant sunshine such as has been ex-
perienced this season if sufficient P^oisture is
applied to the roots. Fortunately, I have plenty
of water and have been able to water the Peach
trees freely. I certainly advise a tree of each
of the above-named varieties being added to the
Peach collection in any garderi. Then again,
what grand Peaches Crimson Galande and Belle-
earde have been. This latter variety has been farst-
fate the fruits all being of the first size and very
eveu in shape. Then we have Dr Hogg, another
very fertile and hardy Peach. As Mr. Wythes
savs if it has a fault it is in being over-pro-
du'ctive, but this is easily rectified by thinmng
with a free hand during the early stages. How
slow some people are to thin; they appear to be
afrlid to thin out the young fruit, with the result

THE CxAPvDEN.

September 19, 1896.

that the trees are taxed above their strength,
the fruits individually being undersized and poor
in qjality. If all varieties were thinned out to
about I'J inches apart the crop would bo vastly
improved in every respect. Overcropping if
very exhausting to the tree?' energies, more so by
far ihan the lajing on of pulp at the second ewell-
ine ; yet we find some people very much afraid to
thin with a liberal hand until this process is passed
I: IS a i|uestion, when they have allowed the trees
to wait thus far, whether "they do even then thin
liberally. Dymond is a beautiful Teach, the tree
being hardy and prolific. This I find is becoming
a general favourite — good evidence that the high
praises that used to be passed on this variety a few
years ago in the pases of The (iARiiEx have borne
good fruit. Stirling Castle is excellent and pre-
ferable to Royal tieorge ; in fact, it is an excel-
lent substitute for this latter, which is so addicted
to mildew, except under very favourable conditions
as regards climate. Alexandra Noblesse in the
same way takes the place of the old Noblesse.
Late Peaches should be of exceptional quality
this season, Walburton Admirable, Princess of
Wales and Sea Eagle being all that can be desired
Sea Eagle is not equal to the two former as regardi
high-class quality, but it has size, colour, is both
hardy and prolific, and takes well in the market.

Willty Court.

A. Y(

POT VINES.
The importance of early selection of pot Vines
cannot be over-estimated, as the forcer well
knows those canes which are at all soft are not
desirable. It is not the grossest canes which
produce the best fruit, as frequently those with
long joints and much lateral growth at thi
season have the weakest buds. Few in privat
places are able to grow their own Vines, and
indeed, with the multiplicity of subjects
quiiing attention, it is out of the question to do
80, as houses to grow the same and the necessaiy
labour involved take up much time at a season
it cannot be given. I have noted the importance
of early selection, and the purchaser by so do-
ing can see at a glance the condition of the
canes. There need be no fear of collapse if the
foliage made early in the year is strong and
the wood short-jointed ; this is a point de-
serving attention. By early selection the pur-
chaser may have the canes pruned to the de-
sired height, a,s, if pruning or shortening of
canes is necessary after the Vines are put into
their forcing quarters, it causes bleeding when
the sap is rising. I have found all the pre
ventives applied when the Vine is growing fail
to check the evil, and the Vine often loses much
of its power. It frequently happens pot Vines
for very early supplies are forced in small pots.
They are not required so long as when sent
home from the grower ; indeed, the latter often
errs on the side of length. One cannot give
the canes the whole length (often 8 feet or
more;, and when only six bunches are grown
quite enough in most cases for hard-forced Vines
to bear— it is not necessary to have canes over
0 feet in length. Of course, when pot Vines
are used as extras to give a crop between newly
planted Vines in permanent houses, the.se re
marks as to shortening of canes do not apply
if the roots are strong and root space larger
accordingly. I have seen serious losses by late
pruning. There is no necessity to wait tDl th*
foliage is decayed if the wood is thoroughly ma
tured. Of course, after the pruning it is w'efl to
limit the supplies of moisture, as excess will
cause the buds to start at the base of the lateral
growth. There need be no fear of this, ho
ever, if the wood Ls hard and moisture sparingly
given. With home-grown canes it is neces,sary
to underUke the above work at the earliest date
possible, and all lateral growth may now be cut

close home and the canes shortened to the length
required. The same remarks hold good as to
moisture. Though advising watering sparingly,
it must not be thought my meaning is to keep
the plants dust-dry ; indeed, I do not think
Vine roots, like those of most fruit trees, should
ever be dust-dry. A season of rest is necessary,
and as with pot Vines the season is very short,
every endeavour .should be made to hasten
growth and rest as long as possible. When pot
Vines are wintered in the open, it is important
to plunge them, as the frost injures the soft
white roots bristling round the pots, and a severe
check is experienced when new growth com-
mences, as the Vine for a considerable time is
dependent on the roots made for the start.
The Vine in most cases will have made several
inches of growth before root action is fairly
active, and if the plants are short of roots at the
start, there will be bad colour, flagging and
poor fruit. Few nave bottom-heat or can give
the Vines the best treatment, and are obliged
to rely upon good canes to produce a full crop.
Growers in some cases favour the Madresfield
Court, but 1 find it cannot be pushed en so hard
as the Hamburgh and Foster's, and with these
latter grown specially for pot work, one is not
fastidious as to a few degrees of extra warmth if
Grapes have to be ripe at a certain date. The
two kinds named can be grown with little
trouble. It is worth while devoting a small
hovise to the excellent Madresfield, planting it
out for early supplies. Treated thus it gives
excellent return. G. Wythes

LIFTING OLD VINES.
I SHALL be glad of your advice respecting some
Vines which I lifted last year. They were
planted inside the house, aud being a greenhouse
as well. I thought if planted outside they would
produce better results. This was carefully done
in October, the roots being laid into a good and
well prepared border. The dry and hot summer
has, perhaps, been against their success, and the
supply of water having run out they have had no
chance to recover. The Vines are all alive,
though miserable to look at in their present con
dition. Shall I let them go on and chance the
breaking in the spring V or would you cut them
down in the winter to the bottom of the rafters
as to cause them to throw up new canes? The
Vines are twelve years old. — P. M. M.

*„* Wholly lifting and transplanting twelve
year-old Vines was a risky undertaking, which in
this instance might easily have been avoided. If
the front walls below the level of inside border
had been pigeon-holed and the roots given free
egress to a new border formed on the outside, they
would have soon found their way out, and in the
course of a year the Vines would have been nearly
independent of the support hitherto derived from
the roots inside. The Vines are said to be in a
miserable plight [now, but it would have been
more to the purpose if "P. M. M." had given
some idea of the thickness of the laterals, and also
whether the Vines had broken regularly or only
at irregular intervals. If the young wool is evenly
distributed and of the thickness of a quill pen, it
would probably be advisable to lightly shorten
this now, and at the winter pruning to cut to
good plump bud in the usual way. Comparatively
small wood, if well ripened, will sometimes pro-
duce a few small bunches, and in any case the
resulting laterals will thicken eutiiciently to give
good results the following year. Should the
growth be either irregular or very spindly the
plan of cutting down this winter to the bottom of
the rafters would, probably enough result satis-
factorily. Only one leading growth should be
laid in, trained up the roof and 8tO|>ped in due
course, thinning out the rest and stopping those
reserved beyond the fifth jomt. Both plans might
well be tried, cutting down those that have

broken the most irregularly this season. Larger
tanks ought also to be provided for the storage of
rain water, outside borders, though requiring less
water than those under glass, yet needmg heavy
supplies in a dry, hot summer. — I.

PEACH TREE BORDERS.

ArraN(;ej[Ent.s for the planting of the trees
in newly-erected Peach houses, and for supply-
ing deficiencies in early houses, caused either
by death or through the cutting away of unsuit-
able varieties, should be made, so that the soil
in the new borders will have time to settle down
before the trees are ready for lifting. In the
latter case it may not be considered necessary
to renew the soil at all, or perhaps only a por-
tion of it, but whether it be retained wholly or
in part, it should be thrown out, and every par-
ticle of roots carefully picked out of it, and the
drainage cleaned and rearranged before planting
again. Personally I do not care to use the
whole of the soil again, however good it may
be, as the trees always appreciate fresh soil
being placed about their roots. With respect
to new houses it is a different matter, and entire
new borders will have to be constructed unless
the staple should be unusually good ; but it is
seldom that soil of such a character is met with,
and the general rule is to make the borders of
a prepared compost. The first thing to be done
will be to excavate the soil in the interior of
the house if the borders are to be inside, or at
the front if the border is to be outside. A
border 2 feet C inches in depth is sufficient for
Peach trees, and this, with 0 inches of drainage,
will make the necessary excavations 3 feet in
depth. A drain with a good outfall should be
laid along the front of the borders to carry off
the water, as Peach trees require a great deal
of moisture during the growing season, and
amjile means should be provided for it to pass
away. If the subsoil is cold or wet or consists
of clay or marl, it is good policy to concrete the
bottom to prevent the roots finding their way
into it. On gravelly soils this precaution is not
necessary. The bed of concrete should be laid
in a sloping direction that the water may pass
quickly away. This done, the next thing to
consider will be the

Prepakation of the Compost,

and as soon as this is decided upon, the various
ingredients should be got together, mixed, and
the border constructed with all expedition.
The Peach succeeds best in a rather heavy cal-
careous loam, and loams that do not come up
to this standard should be rectified as far as
circumstances will allow by the addition of
whatever constituents may be absent. Light
and sandy loams, which in themselves have no
lasting properties, may have road sidings and
scrapings, dried pulverised marl, bone-meal and
half-inch bones added to make them more fer-
tile. Heavy retentive loams require something
to render them more porous, therefore, old
plaster, lime rubble, wood ashes, charcoal broken
fairly small or pounded brickbats may be added
in varying quantities, according to the character
of the soil to be dealt with. If poor, bone-meal
and half-inch bones should always be employed
to enrich the soU, but I do not advocate the
use of animal manure in any shape or form for
making borders, as it encourages nothing but
rank growth, and its lasting properties are but
fleeting. The bone-meal and half-inch bones
may be used in the proportion of one hundred-
weight of each to each load of soil.

When the soil has been mixed and thrown
into a heap to induce slight fermentation, the
drainage should be got in. This may consist of

September 19,

THE GARDEN.

223

Etones or brickbats, and tbey should be properly
arranged on the concrete or bottom of the border
to the depth of 4 inches. On this place small
material, such as clinkers broken up, surpli
crocks from the potting shed, or brickbats
broken small, 2 inches deep, and over all place
a layer of turves, grass side downwards. The
width of border will be determined by the kind
of trees it is intended to plant. If young trees
from a nurseiy are to be used, the border need
not be made full width at the start, and it
can be added to afterwards as required, the
same as with Vine borders. On the other hand,
if full-sized trees lifted from outdoors are to be
planted, then the border must bemade sufficiently
wide to accommodate the roots, with a little to
spare.

This matter having been decided upon, the
soil should be wheeled in and spread evenly,
taking care to firm it well by treading, and, in
some cases, it may be absolutely necessary to
make use of a rammer for that purpose, and
when all is completed the border may be left to
tettle down until the time arrives for planting.
A. W.

WASPS AND THE FRUIT.
The attack on ripe and even green fruit is an annual
evil most growers have to reckon with, more or
less, according to the nature of the season. Evi-
dently wasps are experts in the art of finding out
the best varieties, whether it be Apples, Pears,
Plums, Peaches, Nectarines, or Grapes. Plums
and Pears they are particularlydestruetiveamonget
this year. The Seckle Pear is a great favourite
both with wasps and hornets, and I shall have
to gather it before it is ready to save a por-
tion of the crop. Doyenn^ du Comice, Louise
Bonne of Jersey, and Marie Louise are other
good Pears they attack ; indeed, where the crop is
small they soon monopolise the whole. Beurrfi
Clairgeau they seldom touch, and I have several
other sorts which they do not appear to notice. In
Apples, Cox's Orange Pippin is the greatest
sufferer, and a neighbouring gardener tells me he
has had to gather his Ribston to save what few
the wasps had not already spoilt. Coe's Golden
Drop, Bryanston Gage, and Reine Claude de
Bavay are Plums they choose in preference to
others available ; such sorts as Pond's Seedling,
Victoria and Belgian Purple do not attract them.
It is not quite so marked perhaps in Peaches and
Nectarines, but seldom do the late sorts like
Princess of Wales and Lord Palmerston get eaten
if others of the Bellegarde type are within reach.
Muscat Grapes they appreciate more than Ali-
cantes, as they do not touch the latter growing in
the same houee. I was obliged to cut the
Muscats and bottle them to save them from the
wasps. I have never known hornets attack in-
door Grapes, nor do wasps attack indoor Peaches
and Nectarines here, although on the open wall
they are very troublesome. I have destroyed all
the nests of these pests that could be found within
a half-mile radius, but still they come in goodly
numbers. Two hornets' nests, too, have been de-
stroyed, one in a bank close to a small stream,
which I think is an unusual place, the other in
the hollow garden wall. One was destroyed with
cyanide of potassium, the other by flames from
straw on which was sprinkled some sulphur.
This, with the openings in the wall closed with
wet clay, soon made a complete clearance.

n'iits. w. s.

Forced Strawberry plants.— Owing to want
of room in many gardens these plants are often
crowded together. This is a serious drawback,
more especially in a season like the one we
are now experiencing, as the plants do not dry
freely, make an elongated growth, the crowns
split, and when forced there is a mats of flower
fcapes instead of one or two strong ones. No
time should be lost in giving forced plants
atriple room to allow them to make a sturdy

growth. Another point often overlooked is
change of position, as by turning the plants
about. Not only is this necessary, but it pre-
vents the plants getting waterlogged, as the
roots soon grow through and choke the drainage.
It is well to prevent rooting through. The roots
are of great importance to plants when forced.
Runners should be kept ofi', and in case of very
heavy rains it is well to observe there are no
waterlogged plants. If so, these should be
placed on their sides for a few days. I now come
to an important detail, viz , restriction of crown
growths. It is useless to remove the crowns
when growth is complete. If the work is done
now the crown left has time to build up
strong flower spikes. I notice this splitting up
of crowns is worse this season than usual, doubt-
less owing to the heat during the summer. Such
kinds as Vicomtesse H. de Thury are the worst as
regards splitting of crowns, and President is
more inclined to do so this season. The newer
Royal Sovereign is very strong. Most kinds are
making a splendid growth, and will need atten-
tion on that account. — G. W.

Plum Jefferson. — This Plum stands unri-
valled for all-round purposes, its flavour, being so
good that the most fastidious can hardly find
fault with it. For bottling whole it is equal to
Golden Drop, and a fine sweetmeat the fruits be-
come when properly preserved in this way. It is
a most prolific variety, bearing equally as well as
a standard, bush, or a trained tree on walls. The
fruits on the bush trees are extra well coloured
this season, the sunny side being mottled and
flushed with dull crimson, and the flavour is ex-
quisite.—A. W.

Pear Brockworth Park or Bonne d'Ezee
is an excellent October Pear. Grown either as a
bush tree in the open or as a cordon against a
wall it is equally good and prolific, the fruits at-
taining a large size if well looked after. In ap-
pearance they are quite distinct, the colour being
a pale green, turning to yellow when ripe, the
surface very evenly dotted with light brown
specks. On the side facing the sun the fruits
become flushed with crimson, which renders them
very handsome. The flesh is white, tender, juicy,
and the flavour first-rate. — S. E. H.

Apple Bismarck.— The great amount of sun-
shine experienced during this season has caused all
outdoor fruits to colour grandly. Apples are no
exception to the rule, and the variety quoted
above is a notable example, as, in addition to
their fine size and clean, bright-looking appear-
ance, thefruits have coloured better than I haveever
seen them before. This is a grand Apple in every
respect, its size and colour stamping it as a valu-
able market kind, and in addition to this the trees
are marvellously fruitful and rarely fail to bear.
The tree is also a hardy, vigorous grower, and I
think intending planters need not hesitate about
planting it largely, and in private gardens a few
bush trees on the Paradise stock should htive
room found for them. One important matter I
find I have omitted mentioning, and that is the
fruits are very sound, solid, and heavy, a valuable
fact not to be lost sight of by those eontemplac-
ing growing Apples for market. The high opi-
nion of this Apple formed by experts when first
brought before the public notice has been fully
borne out by its behaviour since that time, and it
must have been very gratifying to the introducers
to see how it at once caught on and how largely
it has been cultivated since.— A. W.

The Violet, or Early Violet Plum.—
"J. C." (Notts), who inquires about this fine
Plum, may obtain it true from Messrs. Wood and
Ingram, of Huntingdon. It is grown extensively
throughout Cambs and Hunts, as well as in
Northampton. It is also one of the few Plums
that do best propagated from suckers. With all
our additions of late years, no Plum is more popular
in our markets or for jam than the Violet, while
we have neither Plum nor Damson so heavily
clothed with bloom. In markets so far north as
Manchester and Glasgow few Plums command
higher prices. Its absence from catalogues-

alluded to by "J. C," and also from Dr. Hogg's
" Fruit Manual " and other authorities— is one of
those things which those that have seen the
Violet Plum by scores and hundreds of bushels
are (juite unable to understand. True, the
authorities and catalogues give us Violet and
Violette Plums galore, but each with some
other name attached, as if Violet were too
short or weak to stand alone. This is very
far indeed from being the case, for it is one of the
handsomest and most prolific and constant bear-
ing of all our Plums. The bloom alone would sell
it in most markets, and there is quite a keen de-
mand for Violet Plums wherever they are known.
Large growers have assured me that there is more
money in Violet Plums than in any other sort, not
even excluding the best Green Gages. To those
applying for this fine Plum it is needful to give
the advice, to see that they get it on its own roots
and without any addition whatever to its name.
-D. T. F.

A variegated Vine.— In Mr. Dodd's Bexley
Heath plant and fruit growing establifhment
there is to be seen a variegated spott from the
Grape Gros Colman that is singularly beautiful
and well worth perpetuating if only it can be
fixed. It started from a spur not far from the
ground in 1S95, but was not propagated. This
season the same thing again ocourred, and at the
present time a branching growth to a length of
25 feet has been suspended under the fruiting
Vines in a large span roofed house. It is hardly
possible to conceive a more beautiful variegation
the leaves throughout being nearly white and
with only enough green to save them from damp-
ing ofi' prematurely. What the effect of full ex-
posure will be on tbis variegated growth has yet
to be proved. There is abundance of hard wood
for either layering or making into eyes, and next
season we shall learn whether or not the sport is
fixed in character and also if it ia capable of with-
standing little or much sunshine. — W. I.

APPLES AT ICK WORTH.
Some very fine young espalier trees of many
approved sorts of Apples may now be seen in
these gardens, Mr. H. Coster having wisely made
a good selection when planting a few years ago.
That the soil suits the Apple is apparent by the
thriving appearance of even very old trees, but
the promising appearance of the young ones points
also to well-considered culture. They are in two
long lines in the centre of the kitchen garden,
and some fine fruit of such varieties as Lord
Suffield has already been gathered. The useful
Eckhnville is represented by several trees, each
carrying a full crop of clean, large fruit. Pott's
Seedling— perhaps the very best cooking Apple
in existence — is also carrying a fine crop of
characteristic fruits. Lane's Prince Albeit is
found to bear much too freely for growth, and it
is necessary every year to thin the fruits some-
what heavily. This latter is a remarkably fine
Apple, keeping late into the season, and constant
in bearing the fruit, roundish yellow when ripe,
flushed with bright red. Warner's King is fruit-
ing with all its wonted freedom, and it would, I
think, be difficult to find finer fruit than at Ick-
worth, one specimen that I measured being over
17 inches in circumference. Alfriston does not
always bear so freely as is desirable, but here
there is no cause of complaint, a medium crop
being produced this year. The well-known
Bramley 's Seedling is fruiting freely, but according
to my own experience of this useful Apple, it does
much better as an open bush or pyramid than as
an espalier, the fruit being principally produced on
tb young sheets' It is certainly one of the best,
and keeps good over a very long season if suit-
ably stored. Sandringham is a beautiful Apple
in appearance and good in quality. The fruit is
of medium size, bright yellow when ripe, suffused
with crimson, and it also is good over a long
period. Mere de Menage, Stirling Castle, CelUni,
and many others are all doing well and bearing
reely, and the beautiful Tower of Glamis arrests
ttention by its fine appearance. Among dessert

224

THE GARDEN.

[September 19, 1896.

kinds the popular Cox's Orange Pippin is largely
represented both by young and old trees, and
this 18 unijuestionably the finest dessert Apple in
Its season. Peasgood's Nonsuch is a tine-looking
fruit, but lacks flavour, as also does Lady Hen-
niker, though the latter has a tine aromatic per-
fume when ripe. Fearns Pippin is useful for des-
sert lat« in the season, being of suitable size and
good flavour. At Ickworth it cankers badly, but
whether owing to prevailing circumstances or any
constitutional defect I am unable to say. Cox's
Pomona is grown freely and is a useful Apple, but
not of rirstrate flavour, nor is the Melon, a tree
of which is grown against a south wall. It is
pretty to look at, but useless to eat, and conse-
quently 18 not, I think, worth growing. Blen-
heim and Ribston are grown, but of neither of
these tine Apples was there a crop worth men-
tioning. The trees of these and all other kinds
are evidently in good hands, and there will be no
scarcity of Apples at Ickworth until well in the
new year.

FIGS IX A PLAXT HOUSE.
WorLi> Figs succeed planted underneath the
etaging of a lean-to house, the dimensions of which
are lo feet long, 12 feet wide, and 12 feet high at
the back, with path through the centre from end
to end and staging back and front. I propose
covering back wall with Figs, and have a mis-
cellaneous collection of greenhouse plants on the
eteges.— Amatecr.

•»• There is no doubt as to the Figs being a
success if you pay attention to cultural details.
Give the plants free exposure, as, if overshadowed
by other plants, you will fail. In the first place,
the border for the roots will claim attention.
This IS most important, as the Fig, given a free
root-run IS gross and barren, and in your case the
roots will require more care, being covered with
a stage. My advice would be to make a rough
pit or bed under the staging to hold the plants,
say 2 feet to '.i feet in width the whole length of
house and the same depth; that would allow of
b inches of brick rubble for drainage, leaving
spaces m the wall for the water to escape at thi
bottom, as it is advisable to concrete or cement
the bottom of the bed tj prevent the roots going
.Ti?' u ,°" ™?y f 'S °"' ^^^ «°i' in vour housi
at the back to the depth given, concrete and drain,
i our plants for a considerable distance would get
no light, the back stage and plants keeping awav
light and sun. Again, in such a position vou'r
plantswould get more moisture at certain seasons,
there would be continual growth when the trees
should be at rest. With a raised border you can
throw oS the drainings from the stage by a simple
contrivance of zinc or slate in a sloping position
Of course, if you had no plants on back stageyou
could give better treatment. By having a raised
bed you will only have 9 feet of back wall to
cover-quite enough if you grow your plants well
and get new wood yearly. Then as to soil. Get
a holding that is rather a heavy yellow loam if pos-
sible ; mix say one-quarter of old mortar rubble
with It, and, if obtainable, a portion of burnt wood
ashes and, say, 1 bushel of bone-meal to 2U bushels
ot soil. Ram the compcet firm, placing a
portion of the roughest on the drainage, or,
what IS better, sods of turf turned grais-side
down. Firm soil means fibrous roots-an essen-
tial condition, as that promotes sturdy growth
Plant any time early in the new x ear, sav from
Januaiy to first week in March ; 'obtain strong
plants-not old ones, but those in 6-inch or
8_inch pots with, say, two or more strong side
shoots to form leaders. Do not overwater till the
plants are growing freely, and do not attempt to
fruit the first year. Encourage the plants to run
up three to five leading shoots ; do not stop these
at thepomts, but stop the side orforeright shoots.
For your purpose Brown Turkey is the best va
nety, and during growth syringe the tops twice
daily. Scile is the Fig's worst enemy; if it
appears, syringe twice a week with some in-
secticide, and from August to October give the
trees free exposure.— G? W.

Orchids.

PROMEN.EAS.

TiiK half dozen or so of species contained in
this genua have been by some authorities merged
into Zygopetalum, but it is extremely unlikely
that except for botanical purposes they will ever
be known as anything but Piomen.-eas, the name
given by Liiidley. All are dwarf-growing, neat
habited plants of an epiphytal character, re-
quiring care to grow them well, though they can
hardly be placed in the category of difficult
plants to cultivate. Where many fail with
these, as with so many other small-growing
plants, is in not paying attention to small details.
It is not enough to keep a stated temperature
up, and shade, water and ventilate according to
a rule of thumb ; each species and in fact nearly
each plant must be separately catered for and
must come in for separate examination fre-
quently. For instance, two plants may be
potted at exactly the same time, and as much
care apparently taken with one as another; they
may be grown in the same house and under the
same conditions as nearly as possible, yet one
does well and the other makes but little pro-
gress. Here the cultivator who is interested in
his plants steps in and by examination of the
plant can usually see what is wrong. It may be
that the compost used for this particular plant
was not so good as that used for others, or the
pot may have been insufficiently drained ; in-
sects may have been at work at the roots, or any
other of the many ills that Orchids are heir to
may have happened. Whatever it is it must be
seen to and put to rights, or by degrees the
plant will get weaker until it ceases to be of any
value. Ihis is the case then with all Orchids,
and with these small growers more particularly.'
They are no more difficult to grow in a suitable
temperature and atmosphere than any of the
larger and more vigorous kinds, but these latter
by their nature will withstand with impunity
a check that would be serious if not fatal in
its consequences to these pigmy species. I
would advise all amateur cultivators of these
plants then to use every endeavour when they
have a healthy plant to keep it so by as constant
attention as they are able to give it, and not
to be misled by cultivators who go on the let-
well-alone principle until they find that by it
their plants are going back. Keep up the
initial vigour of the plants and they will </ive
little trouble, but when once a backward
tendency sets in it is most difficult to arrest,
and the grower finds out when too late that all
is not smooth in Orchid cultivation. There are
two cardinal points to be kept in mind in the
culture of Promen;eas ; they are a sweet root-
run, and a cool, well-balanced atmosphere.

All the species come from Brazil, but they
are for the most part found at considerable
elevations. Keep them closely shaded then, in
summer, and in winter only allow sufficient
fire-heat to keep the temperature at about .50° at
night. Load the atmosphere with moisture by
frequent damping and change the air in the
house as often as possible. They would one and
all be the better for being blown about by the
wind, the currents of air rustling the leaves
as they do in their native habitat, provided at
the same time the atmosphere could be kept
moist, but there conies the trouble. In the
low, narrow span of a cool Orchid house a
current of air like this licks up every particle
of moisture from about the plants, and, damp
as freely as one may, it is all swept away as
fast as it rises. All that we can do then, is to
balance the temperature as well as we can and not
allow so much air on the one hand as will cause

a dry atmosphere, or so little as to make it
stagnant.

In preparing a compost for these Orchids it
is necessary to select the best of the material,
for the roots, though fairly large, are easily
surfeited and hampered by closeness of the
soil. Pans just large enough to allow of a slight
margin of compost round the bulbs will suffice,
and these may be nearly filled with drainage.
Over this put a thin layer of rough Sphagnum
Moss, and set the plants a little higher in the
centre than at the edges. Lay a little compost
over the roots and mix in a quantity of small
crocks. The lighter all this is placed, provided
the plants cannot rock about, the better. Air -
will move about the roots more freely, and
these in their turn can push easily into the
material. Another good holding, when it can
be obtained, is found in pieces of Tree Fern
stems, the natural roughness of this material
suiting the roots admirably, and the plants
have, moreover, a very fine appearance when
growing upon them. Water must never be
withheld from the roots, summer or winter,
though, of course, owing to the outside con-
ditions, less is required during the latter sea-
son. Though it is not advisable to pull the
plants about when in active growth, they may,
if in bad condition, be repotted at any season,
but I prefer to repot or top-dress just be-
fore they begin to grow. Possibly the most
generally grown in the genus is

P. ciTRi.N'A. — A charming little plant and
worthy of greatly extended culture. It produces
its small yellow flowers during late summer and
early autumn, and lasts a considerable time in
full beauty. The sepals and petals are short and
incurving, paler yellow than the lip, which is also
more spreading and freckled about the base and
side lobes with bright crimson. This was intro-
duced in 1S38 with

P. RoLLissuNi, a somewhat similar kind, and
they may occasionally be seen growing together
in the same clump. The blossoms of the latter
are larger and rather dili'erently formed. In this
the lip is sometimes pure white, seldom so deep
in colour as the other segments, and the spots are
more freely distributed, of a magenta-purple tinge.

P. sTAi'ELioiDEs is not SO showy as the two last
named, the yellow in the sepals being of a green
and brown tint, and there are several maroon
bands across it at intervale. The lip is similar
in colour to the sepals, but the column is a bright;
golden yellow. This is an older plant in colkc-
tions, having been introduced in l!S30.

Cymbidium pendulum.— The long, pendu-
lous spikes of this Orchid have a fine appearance
on well grown plants and the blossoms last a long
time in perfection. It blooms at various seasons
of the year, and the flowers are large, bright
olive-green externally, marked inside with purple,
the lip white, marked with bright rose. C. pen-
dulum is a native of India, and does not relish
so cool treatment as C. Lowianum or gigan-
teum. It is a strong-growing plant and must ba
kept well watered during the time it is in active
growth, the foliage also being kept free of insects,
especially the small brown scale so troublesome to
these plants.

Miltonia Moreliana.— Whether classed as a
variety only of M. spectabilis or given specific
rank— to which it is more entitled than many so-
called species— this is an extremely beautiful
plant, and one worthy of every care. In habit it
closely resembles the typical form, and the same
treatment answers for both. The blossoms are
larger than those of the type, the ground colour
a deep purplish red ; on the lip this is overlaid
with bright rose. There are several sub- varieties,
one of the best of these being M. Moreliana
superba, the flowers having more substance and
width in the petals and being much deeper in
colour. M. Moreliana comes from Brazil, and was

troduced in 1847.

September 19, 1896.J

THE GARDEK

225

ARRANGEMENT OF ORCHIDS.
The annexed illustration shows what a beauti-
ful effect can be produced by the association of
Orchids in flower with suitably chosen fine-
foliaged plants. The plants, as will be noted,
are all thinly disposed, so that each one shows
its natural habit ; there are no crowding, no
straight sloping banks, and withal no bare
places, yet after all there are only a few
Orchids. Contrast this with some of the
crowded groups too often put up at our horti-
cultural shows by skilful growers, whose desire
apparently is not to produce a pretty floral
picture, but to make a very lavish display of the
best they have in flower— a stifi" bank of colour
not relieved by a single bit of green foliage, ex-
cept that of the Orchids themselves, which is
seldom of an ornamental character. In arranging

irregularly. Of course an idea as to the general
outline of the group must be previously formed
and kept in mind during the ^irrangmg, but this
is usually suggested more by the shape of the
house or stage that has to be dressed, and must
of necessity vary with the class of plants that
one has to use. Finishing the front, too, is an
important point, and one that reqviires consider-
able taste and skill. There are many plants,
such as dwarf Ferns, Fittonias, Caladiums
of the argyrites type, Panicunas, and Tra-
descantias that are well adapted for this,
but why these should be arranged in a regular
fringe-like border the same all round has
always been a mystery to me. All the plants
named are pretty, and may be made to look
pretty if allowed to show their individual
character, but arranged in straight lines or curves

plants are used with them. Ferns and Palms
seem to be the best associates for Orchids, and
nothing is more charming than a few well-
flowered specimens of Orchids placed about in a
planted-out fernery. Take a large specimen
say of Dendrobium Pierardi, with its long pen-
dulous pseudo-bulbs closely studded with the
pretty mauve blossoms. In the Orchid house it
looks incomplete, owing to the fact of the flowers
appearing after the foliage has fallen ; but hang
it up in the fernery, so that it is, so to speak,
surrounded by greenery, and no one will fall
out with you for calling it a thing of beauty.
The arching spikes of Odontoglossum crispum
never look so well as when rising from a ground-
work of one of the finer Adiantums ; the finely-
cut fronds of Gleichenias of the circinata
type make a remarkably good setting for the

A corner of an Orchid house. From a photograph sent by Mrs. Tolland, RoUiston House, Eorncastle.

groups of flowering and fine-foliaged plants some
of our best known exhibitors have quite ex-
celled themselves during the present season.
Such groups, of course, can only be put up by
those who have a large stock both of flowering
and fine-foliaged plants to draw upon, but
the charming little view shown may be copied
with variation according to individual circum-
stances by almost anyone who has a collection
of any size. Though the statement may meet
with opposition, I am convinced that many
decorators take too long over their floral
arrangements. They make up their minds that a
group shall be of a certain size, and such a plant
must of necessity be in the centre, another on
each side, and the result of all the trouble is a
formal arrangement not half so pleasing as it
would have been if the plants had been placed

they lose their individuality, and have only the
appearance of a paper dado around a room or
the border of a carpet. The colours may be har-
moniously blended, and there may not be any-
thing to oftend the most critical observer as to the
condition of the plants, but the arrangement is
flat and regular ; in a word, it is not natural.
The prettiest and most effective arrangements
are those that get furthest away from this prim
and proper style, and there is as much differ-
ence between the two as there is between some
fine old herbaceous border, rich with its tower-
ing spikes of Hollyhocks, Delphiniums and other
noble plants, and one planted with straight
rows of summer bedding plants.

Orchids of nearly every kind lend themselves
readily to effective grouping, and as a general
rule the effect is best when no other flowering

blossoms of 0. grande or any of its allies.
As single specimens to stand alone there is
nothing to compare with the better class of
distichous-leaved Orchids, such, for instance,
as the good old Aerides odoratum or A. Field-
ingi, the suavis and tricolor section of Vandas,
or some of the larger growing Moth Orchids,
A well-flowered specimen of P, SchiUeriana,
with a couple or three of its long, branching
spikes of lovely rose-pink blossoms hanging
loosely and elegantly from the centre of a large
Tree Fern or Palm, is a magnificent sight, and
many of the long-spiked Oncidiums in a similar
position are almost equally beautiful. In fact,
they must be so arranged to show their beauty,
for anything more ridiculous than these lovely
plants tied up to stakes and closely crowded to-
gether it would be difficult to imagine, Cypri-

THE GARDEN.

[September 19, 1896

pediunis, as a rule, are best arranged on a lower
level : they have not the lightuess and grace of
many other kinds, and, beautiful as they are
individually, they lack the elegant poise of
Dendrobes or the gorgeous beauty of Cattleyas.
^Yhat is known as the Selenipedium set of the
genus may be cited as exceptions to this, for
there are some lovely plants in this section —
the long-petalled C. caudatum, the small, b\it
exquisite C. Schlimi, and many of the hybrid
kinds related to C. longifolium and its allies as
instances. During the winter months bright
and telling effects may be produced by judicious
arranirement of the deciduous section of Calan-
thes, groups or moumls consisting of one colour,
flanked with dwarfer and more compact-habited
plants looking well and keeping up a continuous
display over a long season. Again, there are
few plants more cheerful and bright looking
during the dull, dark winter days than Sophro-
nitis, the warm crimson tint of the flowers
serving to brighten up a groiip of other Orchids
in a remarkable degree. " In fact, the striking
combinations and gradations of colouring, the
quaint forms and delightful features of the
flowers, and the marvellous variety make the
Orchid family second to none for the purpose
of artistic and telling arrangement. ( »ut of the
multitude of species, not one can be called
gaudy or common-looking, but every one has
its own special marks of interest. This latter
point makes the worst arranged group of Or-
chids interesting, but when they are tastefxilly
associated with suitable fine - foliaged plants,
nothing can be more attractive. — R.

Mrs. Talland, whom we have to thank for
the photo from which the illustration was pre-
pared, sends us the following notes : —

Planted out in the bed on the right are various
epecimens of Palm, Ficus, Musa, Euphorbia,
Draca?na?, and Crotons, with a border of Aspi-
distras, Ferns, and finefoliaged Begonias. Sus-
pended above are Culogyne cristata, Dendrobium
nobile, and D. Wardianum, all masses ot bloom. A
fine specimen plant of Antburium crystalliiiumfills
the left hand corner, with more Dendrobes, Culo-
gyne, and Cattleja Trian* in flower on the shelf
behind, whilst in the centre is a splendidly
flowered plant of double white Clematis, one
of the most beautiful plants for forcing, the
blossoms opening out the purest of white and
the petals light and delicate, rtsembling more
than anjthirg else bunches of ostrich feather
tii-i-. The whole of the wall of the house i.*
densely covered with an enormous plant of Ficu.«
repers, its dark green foliage making the be^t
possible background for the floweis and foliage in
front.

Cypripedi-om ArthTuianum. — This is a
choice and beautiful little hybrid, of which it is
said one plant only was grown to flowering size
from the first seed-pod. It is the progeny of C.
insigne crossed with pollen of C. Fairrieanum, and
was raised by Messrs. Veitch, of Chelsea. In
habit it resembles a small insigne ; the flowers
have a yellowish green dorsal sepal, tipped with
white and spotted with purple, resembling a good
form of C. insigne, the petals green, veined with
crimson, the pouch yellowish, overlaid with brown.
It grows freely in the intermediate house and first
flo»ered in 1874.

Epidendrum rhizophorum.— This is a pretty
yjlant when in flower, but one of the most strag-
gling of all Kpideridrums. The long leafy stems
look untidy if allowed to fall about the pot, so
they ought either to bang where there is ample
room for them, or be trained up under the glass
in an intermediate teccperature. The flowers are

consisting of good peat flbre and Sphagnum Moss
equal proportions. To induce it to flower
freely, the roots may be kept a little drier during
I'inter, and every precaution must be taken to
onsolidate the growth. When in full growth it
? benefited by a httle shade, the young foliage
being tender. At other times it requires almost
full exposure to the sun.

LycBBte lanipes.— Some of the forms of this
Orchid are among the best in the genus, the
pale green tint, as seen in seme others, almost
entirely disappearing and giving place to nearly
pure w"hite on the sepals, petals, and lip. It is
cue of the freest blocming kinds, small plants
even pushing up a great number of flowers from
the base of the last matured pseudo-bulb. L.
lanipes delights in a cool, moist house, and may
with advantage be placed in the lightest position.
It will not flower freely in a hot, shady tempera-
ture, although it will grow very freely and pro-
duce very large bulbs. It is best grown in pots
in a mixture of about ecjual parts of peat, loam
fibre, and chopped Moss, a good handful of finely
Broken crocks being thrown in as potting pro-
ceeds. During active growth it must be very
freely watered, and must never be really dry at
any time Still, a little check has to be given if
possible, as the growth is otherwise apt to start
out of season. Perhaps the safest way to steady
the plants, and at the same time avoid checking
them unduly, is to place them for a week or two
in a drier atmosphere as soon as the flowers are
over. The growths sometimes start with the
flowers, and when this is the case it is of course
useless to try and keep them back. The only
thing to be done is to grow them as stoutly as
possible, to keep them free of insects, and to
harden the young growths as well as possible by
allowing plenty of air.

Cjpripedium Chamberlainianum. —This
now well known and beautiful kind seems to be
in flower nearly half the year, no other species
producing so many blossoms upon the spike.
This rises from the centre of a tuft of green
leaves, and as fast as one flower drops there is
another to take its place. The dorsal sepal is
white, lined with rosy purple, the petals quaintly
twisted, hairy on the edges, greenish white
spotted with dark crimson, the lip spotted with
rose. It seems to delight in a warm moist house
and under the usual conditions as recommanded
for Cypripediums. It is worth while taking care
of this plant for few are so quaint and beautiful

Cattleya Eldorado superba.— This is
large and very superior form of the type, the
segments broad and of good substance. The
sepals and petals are bright rose, the lip has
a beautiful deep blotch of violet - purple in
front and a yellow throat. All the segments
are lightly serrated at the edges, giving the
flower a very dii-tinct appearance. Like the
type it flowers on the apex of the new growth and
is of fairly easy culture. It does well suspended
from the roof in the ordinary Cattleya house tem-
perature, and may be grown in baskets or email
pans in the usual compost.

Cypripcdium ct ricinum. — In habit and
general appearance this singular species is
entirely difierent from any other in the genus.
It produces at intervals upon a creeping rhizome
tufts of stiff narrow green leaves, each about a
foot high. The flower-scapes push above this
and carry from six to eight flowers, one appearing
after the others fall, as is usual with the Seleni-
pedium set. The blossoms are pale green with a
white maigin to the dorsal sepal, the petals being
tipped with rose, the lip spotted with dark purple.
C. caricinum does not always flower so freely as
desirable, but this is sometimes due to being
grown in too great heat and shade. It is almost
a cool house plant, in fact, a native of Peru, so
that in a temperature that suits Odontoglossum
ude it will thrive. In fact, as far as growth is

crocks and charcoal may be used as a compost.
It may be grown in large shallow pans or pots.
When repotting cut away all decayed portions of
root, and dispose the rhizomes so that the plants
are well furnished with growths in the centre. It
flowers at various times in the year, and at all
seasons must be kept well watered, though care is
needed that the compost does not get sour or
waterlogged.

Maxillaria luteo-alba.— This species comes
from Colombia, and though not a very showy
Orchid, nevertheless attracts attention on account
of its peculiar hue. The sepals and petals are
narrow, the former yellowish on the front portion
and purple brown behind, their semi-transparent
texture making them appear to be shaded with
brown inside. The petals are smaller, in some
plants pure white, in others similar to the sepals.
The lip is yellow in front with a white margin,
the side lobes striped with brownish crimson.
M. luteo alba may be grown in quite a cool house
in a mixture such as suits Lycastes. During the
growing season abundance ot water is needed, the
atmosphere being also kept very moist, but in
winter only enough to keep the bulbs from
shrivelling is necessary.

produced in loose panicles, the colour being a i concerned, it will grow in the ordinary green
bright orange-red, these occurring on the ends of j house, but in such a position is not likely to im-
the stems. It is a free growing plant, and may | prove much or to produce many flowrrs. Oood
be grown in large pots well drained, the compost fibrous peat and moss, a little loam and plenty of

ODONTOGLOSSUM HALLI.
Sever.\l plants of this fine species are now com-
mencing to bloom, a very useful time, seeing that
so few in the genus flower at this season. In
habit O. Halli is easily distinguished by its long,
thin pseudo-bulbs and light green foliage. It is
a free grower in a suitable atmosphere and tem-
perature, and soon makes nice neat specimens.
Out of a small consignment imported three years
ago I have flowered several nice varieties of the
golden-lipped xanthoglossum, and these make a
pleasing change from the light-lipped tjpical
form. This has pointed sepals and petals, buff-
yellow, marked with rather heavy blotches of
chocolate-brown, the lip white, with red spots
and prettily crimped edges. O. Halli is a very
restless plant and frequently grows out of sea-
son ; indeed, it can hardly be said to have any
season in particular either for growing or flower-
ing. On this account it is difHcuIt to say what is
the best time for repotting, but, as a rule, there
is a flush of young roots produced during the
early autumn months, and if this is taken advan-
tage of, the plants soon gain a hold in their new
home and grow away vigorously afterwards.
The roots are not large, but they are very per-
sistent and grow closely together, making it
difficult to clear them of the old compost. AH
that can be removed, however, must be, as old
stuff left soon becomes sour and impedes the pro-
gress of the new roots. Care is necessary not to
damage at potting time any of those that may be
starting, and a little Moss may with advantage
be wrapped around the base of the bulbs before
placing in the new pots. These should be just
large enough to allow of an inch or a little wider
margin, and be filled three parts full of crocks, a
layer of Moss being placed on this and the new
compost firmly bedded about the roots. This
will consist of equal parts of peat and Moss, a few
finely broken crocks being introduced as potting
proceeds in preference to mixing them with the
other material. Dibble a few points of Sphagnum
around the edge and clip off all neatly, returning
the plants to their growing ([uarters with as little
delay as possible. This should be the coolest
house at command, 0. Halli thriving well in com-
pany with O. triumphans, O. luteo purpureum,
and others of the coolest section. Although not
so fastidious as to moisture as some of the other
kinds grown in this house, the growth is always
finer and cleaner where shaded from bright
sunshine and the atmosphere kept thoroughly
moist. For a little [while after repotting water
must be very judiciously used about the roots,
but when they are running freely in the new com-
post they must not afterwards be stinted, only a
very little less being needed during the winter
months. 0. Halli is a native of Peru and Ecuador,
and was introduced in 1864.

September 19, 1896.

THE GARDEN.

227

Trees and Shrubs.

THE CHINESE CHESTNUT.

(XANTHOCEKAS SORBIFOLIA.)

After having been for many years a rare plant
in English gardens this really beautiful hardy
Chinese shrub is becoming more widely known
and cultivated, the result being that here and
there among the varied conditions of climate
and soil it has found a congenial home suitable
to what we must consider its peculiar consti-
tution. When a plant, shrub or tree grows
luxuriantly, flowers freely, and perfects its
fruit we may suppose that the species has found
the requisite conditions under which it
flourishes naturally, and this Chinese shrub has
evidently met with these conditions in various
parts of these islands, and among the gardens
where it succeeds well is that of Major Gaisford
at Offington, Worthing, where, as may be seen
from the illustration, the shrub has produced
and ripened its fruits, which recall to us in
form and size the fruits of its near relative the
Horse Chestnut (^Esculus). The seedlings
raised from English ripened fruits may possibly
result in some exceptionally fine varieties, as it
is a well-known fact that there is a great difl'er-
ence among individuals of this shrub as regards
the size of flower and cluster as well as in the
brilliancy of the colour of the flowers. Some
are poor and "washy," while in others the
zone of carmine at the base of the white
colour Is even more vi^-id than shown in
the plate of the shrub given in The Gak-
DEN so long ago as December, 1876, when it
was figured in colour for the first time in an
English publication.

To those who do not knovr this plant it may
best be described (as we see it in this country)
as a low shrub with spare branches, clothed
with pinnate foliage, not unlike that of the j
familiar Spiraea Lindleyana, whUe the flowers
most resemble a spike of the common Horse
Chestnut in a general way, but the flowers indi-
vidually are difl'erent. They are tjuite whitt ,
an inch or more across, with a zone of carmine
of varying depth of tone at the base. The
flowers in the best forms are gathered in rather
dense clusters terminating the young shoots,
and appear about June. It appears to be a
quite hardy shrub. At Kew it thrives but in-
clifierently compared with specimens 1 have
seen in mild coast gardens, but I imagine that
against a wall it succeeds better, for at Kew it
reaches the top of a 12-feet wall, while as an
open bush it is only half that height. I have
seen it in many places during the past few
years, and when in flower 1 always remark
what a beautiful shrub it is. It is, unfortu-
nately, one of the diflicult plants to propagate,
but I have heard that it can be increased by
root cuttings. But now that we can get it to
ripen perfect seed it is likely to become more
plentiful.

What a pity it is that this and other beauti-
ful hardy shrubs, Eucryphia pinnatifida and
Exochorda grandiflora to wit, are encumbered
with such clumsy botanical names. Few people
venture to pronounce them, and would rather
undertake a round-about description than at-
tempt it. Therefore I venture to suggest for
the Xanthoceras, in deference to the majority of
the gardening public, a common pronounceable
name, the Chinese Chestnut, though 1 know at
the risk of being called to book by my botani-
cal friends. But, notwithstanding, 1 think the
name appropriate, for seeing the shrub in
flower recalls at once the spikes of Horse
Chestnut, and, moreover, the shrub is such a
near relative of the true Horse Chestnut, that 1

should not be surprised to see the botanists
merge it some day with jEscuIus.

Kew. W. GOLDRING.

Choisya ternata. — Here in the southern part
of Hants the Mexican Orange Flower succeeds
admirably in the open. We have a magnificent
bush of it growing at the foot of a south wall, and
in April this gives us a wealth of blossom — in
fact, the trusses are so thick that the foliage can

York the following list of Rhododendrons which
are hardy about New York and Boston, and which
may be interesting to people in this country who
are determined to have kinds so frost-proof as
these my be : Rhododendron album elegans, R.
album grandiSorum, B. Alexander Dancer, R.
atro-sanguineum, R. Blandyanum, R. B. W.
Elliott, R. Caractacue, R. Charles Bagley, R.
Charles Dickens, R. congestum roseum, B. deli-
catissimum, R. Duke of Teck, R. Everestianum,

laci,, i,neuu«BBsai«sy uuiu.. ma. l,u« lu.iaso ua.. j^ giganteum, R. gloriosum, R. H. W. Sargent,
scarcely be seen. The spring is a capital time to ; ^ S^g^ g '^ ^ ;^^^^ ^^^^^ ^ Lady Arm-
root the cuttings. In a gentle bottom-heat they R. macranthum, R. Minnie. R. multimacu-

] latum, R. perepicuum, R. pictum, R. purpureum

strike readily in sandy soil.— E. M. ^

Mr. Sangwin must not suppose that I Jggan'g, R.* purpureum grandiflorum, 'R "roseum

Choisya ternata is not grown out of doors except | elegans, R. rbseum grandiflorum, R. roseum pic-
in Devon and Cornwall. Here, against the house, tunj_ r_ roseum superbum ; dwarfs : R. myrtifo-
there is a plant S feet 6 inches high and 6 feet ; ijym ^^d R. Wilsonianum.
wide which is covered with flowers every spring, i

thl\'.!:rnre^'eclVtweV"LL'rttlorbt:THE SPRUCES OF EASTERN AMERICA.
their coming to anything. It has stood out with- i The Black Speuce (Picea nigra) is an inhabi-
out any protection here for some years, and the tant of cold, wet Sphagnum swamps, where it

rarely grows 60 feet high or lives
100 years. It is a tree of open
habit, with branches which sweep
downward in slender, graceful
curves. The branchlets are covered
with rusty pubescence, the leaves
blue-green and very glaucous. The
cones are each from three-quarters-
of an inch to 1;^ inches in length,
strongly incurved at the base, dark
purple when fully grown, and remain
on the branches for many years,
stunted trees often producing cones
when 5 feet high. The Black Spruce
is common in Labrador and New-
foundland, and ranges to Hudson's
Bay and much further north-west-
ward. It is common in the mari-
time provinces of Canada, following
down the Atlantic coast to New
Jersey, although south of Cape Ann
it is not common in the coast region,
being confined to a few isolated
swamps ; it ranges westward to
Manitoba and Northern Minnesota,
and southward to Pennsylvania,
Michigan, and Wisconsin, and is
said to grow in elevated swamps on
some of the high mountains of Vir-
ginia. As a timber tree the Black
Spruce has little value, except, per-
haps, for local use. In cultivation
it loses its beauty early, growing
Fruit of Xanthoceras sorhifoUa. From a photograph sent by thin and straggling.

Miss Gaisford, Offington, Worthing

thermometer has more than once been below zero.
There is a larger specimen than this in Mr.
Wolley-Dod's garden at Edge, near Malpas. It
is one of the most beautiful plants in existence,
and grows fast when the position suits it.— Hexky
Howard, Wyijfair, Si. Amph, X. Wales.

Lonicera tiirsuta.— This native, twining, high-
climbing Honeysuckle, although now rarely seen
in cultivation, is well suited to enliven the gar-
den with its ample dark green foliage and ter-
minal and axillary clusters of bright orange-
coloured hirsute, fragrant flowers, which open in
June, and in fading turn to dull purple or brown.
It inhabits rocky banks or climbs over bushes
and fences, and is distributed from the province
of Ontario along the northern shores of Lake
Superior to the Saskatchewan, and southward to
Pennsylvania and Michigan. In gardens it may
be used to cover trellises and arbors, to grow over

coarse shrubs and to climb into small trees : and

as a garden plant it is superior to the much more | York, and Pennsylvania, nearly all the Spruce
commonly planted Lonicera Sulliyanti, which i^s I j^j^^^g^ ^f these States being obtained from

The Red SpRrcE is a tree often
100 feet and occasionally 120 feet
high, with a tall trunk 3 feet or -1 feet
in diameter ; slender, slightly pendulous
branches which form a narrow, pyramidal
head ; stout branchlets clothed with rusty
pubescence and dark green lustrous leaves. The
cones are oblong and each from 2 inches to
2J inches long, light green, sometimes slightly
tinged with purple, and fall within a year after
ripening. The Red Spruce grows in Labrador
and Newfoundland, the Canadian maritime pro-
vinces, and follows down the Atlantic coast to
the neighbourhood of Rockport, Massachusetts.
It is the common Spruce tree of all the interior
regions of New England, New York, and
Pennsylvania, and ranges south along the
Alleghany Mountains to the high peaks of
North Carolina and Tennessee. It is the up-
land Spruce of the Northern States and the
timber Spruce of New England, New

less vigorous plant and more frequc.itly dis
figured by insects and disense.— Garden und Forest

Rhododendrons hardy in New York and
Boston, U.S.A. — Mr. French sends us from New

this tree, which is the Black Spruce of lumber-
men and most botanists. In cultivation it is a
beautiful long-lived tree of excellent colour and

228

THE GAPxDEN.

[September 19, 1896.

habit, with the general appearance of the
Oriental Spruce (Picea orieutalis).

The White Si-rice (Picea canadensis) ditiers
from the Red and Black Spruces in its stouter,
pale and glabrous branchlets and larger buds, in
its bluer and more glaucous foliage, and in the
thin entire cone-scales, which are so flexible
that a dry cone is easily compressed between
the fingers, while the cones of the other species
break under slight pressure. The strong, dis-
agreeable wild-cat odour of the bruised leaves of
the White Spruce distinguishes it from all other
conifers, making it easy to recognise this tree
at all seasons of the year. The ^^'hite Spruce
is common in Labrador and Newfoundland. It
is the common Spruce of the St. Lawrence
valley, extending down the Atlantic coast at
least to the shores of Casco Bay, in Maine, and
in the interior it finds its southern home on the
high mountains of Northern New England and
New York, Northern Michigan, Wisconsin and
Minnesota and the Black Hills of Dakota, where,
a)iparently, it is the only Spruce tree. The
White Spruce is the principal timber Spruce in
New Brunswick and the maritime provinces,
and the wood of this tree is probably the onlj'
Spruce timber which has floated down the
St. Lawrence and reached Europe from Canada.

As an ornamental tree the White Spruce is
the best of the whole genus to plant in Canada
and our Northern States. Its value as an orna-
mental tree for the north is shown in Prince
Edward Island, where rows of this tree have
been planted by the roads crossing the island,
or have been left standing when the forest
covering made way for tillage. These trees,
which are often of great size, are perfect in form
and colour, with branches which often sweep
the ground, and compact, pyramidal heads.
Cultivated in the Northern States, the White
Spruce flourishes as far south as Southern New
England, growing to a large size, retaining its
lower branches and its dense habit for many
years, and displaying great variations of colour.
—lianlfii and Forest.

A COrNTRY ROAD IN THE NORTH
CAROLINA MOUNTAINS.
AVhile I have seen some very fine shows of
Rhododendrons along the Pennsylvania Rail-
road from Altoona to Pittsburg over the moun-
tain pass, still one does not see our American
Ericacere in their glory, I think, further north
than the mountains of Virginia and even there
they do not compare with the grand show made
by this order in the Carolina and Tennessee
Mountains. We have square miles of them,
veritable jungles where the Rhododendron
maximum and Kalmia latifolia entirely exclude
other undergrowths unless it be the graceful
Andromeda (Leucothoe) Catesbfei, which is of
course a much lower grower than the two
former, which attain a height of 20 feet to
30 feet, the stem 18 inches in diameter. The
purple Rhododendron catawbiense is generally
confined to the mountain tops and higher ele-
vations, usually .5<iOO feet to 0000 feet, and
rarely under 4000 feet above sea level. In its
rather local and isolated stations (none outside
of North Carolina) Rhododendron Vaseyi, the
beautiful recently discovered Azalea, is apt to
be crowded away from the streams where it de-
lights to make its habitat by the sturdier R.
maximum and Kalmia latifolia, and luxuriates
on the edges of the " Laurels" and the hillsides
above, even to the .summit. Under these cir-
cumstances I have found it growing at the low
elevation of 2.500 feet and again 0000 feet
up in the clouds capiiingthe extreme summit of

the dark Balsam-clothed Grandfather Moun-
tain, with its precocious masses of delicate white
and pink clusters on naked stems, to be followed
in order named by R. catawbiense, Kalmia
latifolia, R. maximum, and lower down Azalea
calendulacea and A. viscosa with R. punctatum,
the pretty i-niall pink sptcies having blossomed
before the cafawbiense on the wilder ledges and
in the crevices of bare cliffs.

Two thousand feet lower down A. nudiflora
has blossomed at the time of Vaseyi, and A.
viscosa is to be found everywhere, at home near
our sandy sea.shore and equally so on the
highest mountain tops, its time of blooming
depending, of course, on its elevation, with us
in July, lower down in May. The piik-sta-
mened A. arborescens inhabits the banks of
streams, and is again found on some of our
highest mountain tops ; the exquisite odour of
this Azalea alone places it among our most
desirable shrubs were it not for the foliage,
which is the finest of any cultivated Azalea,
native or exotic ; the beautiful large clusters of
white flowers are rather scantily disposed, un-
fortunately, beneath the new annual shoots and
foliage, a fault we can forgive inasmuch as it
blossoms after all the other Azaleas have formed
quite respectable-sized seed-pods. For fine
landscape work the value of this species cannot
be over estimated, and for this use I would
rank it with if not above the gorgeous-flowered
A. calendulacea. or Flame - coloured Azalea,
as it is justly called on account of its brilliantly
coloured flowers, which run the gamut of colour
from light orange to deep crims^on, making our
hillsides aflame during parts of June and July.

Among the ericaceous plants natural com-
panions of the Rhododendrons and Azaleas in
our Southern Blue Ridge Mountains the already
mentioned Andromeda Catesba^i perhaps heads
the list as the most graceful and adaptable low-
bush evergreen we have, its long curving
sprays contrasting splendidly with the stiller
growth and foliage of the higher growers.
Then there is the long list of deciduous An-
droniedas and Leucothoes, many especially fine,
including A. rtcurva and A. Mariana and our
American prototype of the Scotch Heath,
Leiophyllum buxifolium, which we find grow-
ing as contentedly in our high southern moun-
tains as among the Jersey Pines. Of all
plants suitable for borders and rockwork the
prostrate form of the latter, L. prostratum,
is the finest, at least among our Ameri-
can plants. On our highest mountain tops
it forms dense mats clinging to the barren
rocks and cliffs if it can get a crevice for a foot-
hold, one plant covering often a diameter of 5
feet to G feet with a height of only 2 inches to
.0 inches, so compact as to completely hide the
rock ; and when covered with its small white
flowers it is a sight well worth the climb it takes
to see it. One of our most remarkable plants
of this family is the Galax aphylla, whose leaves
rise from the ground on separate and very
graceful stems, the plants growing thickly and
literally forming a feature in the landscape for
many hundreds of square miles along our Alle-
ghany Mountain sides and summits ; for it is
found in the dense "Laurel" and on the sun-
niest southern exposures, where the alternating
frost by night and sun by day turn the leaves
a most beautiful brorze, while in the deeper
woods and thickets they remain perfectly green
until the new crop comes the following spring.
So popular have these leaves become for deco-
ration that nearly ten millions were used the
past season by the florist trade in this country.
What finer sight is there than the sunny bank
of a brook covered with amass of the'e brilliant
leaves in late autumn and winter ? For plant-

ing along streams and for covering the ground
in dense shade it is really a splendid plant. —
Harlan P. Kelsey, in Gardening.

THE ABUSE OF FLOWERLESS
CREEPERS.

To the Editor of The Garden.
Sir,- -I have lately been on an August tour in
Scotland and the North. I have seen several
of the really fine '' stately homes of England,''
and have been much struck by the prevalence of
the same fault there as in the south, namely,
ruining the walls and shapes of the houses by
allowing a rampant growth of coarse creepers,
such as Ivy, common Virginia Creeper and
Vitia inconstans. This last is perhaps a pecu-
liar favourite with gardeners, which is natural,
as it requires absolutely no training, no fixing
and no wiring. It is the most insidious and
destructive of all. The tiny, lovely, delicate
little branches that creep up the mullioned
windows turn in two or three years into huge
masses of green leaves of an even shape, which
smother any less strong-growing creeper and
destroy all outline of the house itself, its tiny
feet sticking so fast to the stone or brickwork,
that if }'ou try to pull them away small particles
of the very wall itself come with them. Besides
the temptation of its beautiful early growth,
one must admit that for ten days the red and
bronze and gold of its autumn tints go far to
compensate for its many defects during therfst
of the year. But this pleasure is easily retained
by allowing it to grow over some ugly barn or
northern wall which has no architecture to
injure or hide and where flowering creepers
would not bloom. No one who has ever been
to America and seen Boston can forget the
dreary efl'ect of house after house covered from
cellar to roof with this luxuriant "vine," as
every creeper is called in America. The Ame-
ricans, in memory of where it comes from, call
it Japanese Ivy. If anything could accentuate
the ugliness of the general effect it is the square
holes cut for windows in this evenly green
foliage. With this picture in my mind, may
1 make some protest against the fashion-
able use of this creeper which seems to pre-
vail from south to north of Great Britain i
Just before I left home I saw with consternation
that every delicate brick tower in Hampton
Court had been carefully planted with this
creeper. For the present it looks harmless
enough to all but the prophetic eye of a
gardener, but in a few years the sharp lines and
delicate masonry will be entirely veiled by its
luxuriant and monotonous growth. Surely fine
and historical buildings are very much better
left without any creepers. In the case of or-
dinary modern houses with bare walls it is
infinitely better to cover them with the endless
variety of shrubs, creepers and plants which
can be chosen to flower in succession through
the whole year, from the Chimonanthus fra-
grans, which pushes forth its sweet-scented
brown flowers in January to the bare branches
of the Jasminum nudiflorum, the yellow stars
of which light up a December day. Broadly
speaking, except in very unfavourable localities,
1 would never let Ivy grow on any east, west or
south walls. M. T. E.

Callas. — These are now making growth rapidly
and should receive assistance by occasional appli-
cations of manure water. Most gardeners now-a-
days plant the stools out after dividing them, al-
though they do very well the second year if kept
in the same pots and well fed, not drying them
off aa some gardeners did years ago, but treating
them similar to Chryeanthemums. In the draw-

September 19, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

229

ing-room there are several ornamental receptacles
standing on the iloor which will only admit of a
certain sized pot. Callas look as well in them
during winter as anything, and I use the same
plants for several years raoning, plunging the
pots in the open ground in the kitchen garden,
and watering them frequently with manure water.
By increasing the size of the hole in the bottom
of the pot the roots are able to go through and
enter the soil beneath, and thus to supply ad-
ditional nourishment to the plants. When the
plants are lifted at the end of September these
roots are cut off level with the pots. " Rough
treatment," some may say, but if a shady position
in a cool house free from draught is given and
the foliage syringed twice daily, it does not flag
and the plants do well. It is not safe to leave them
in the open ground after the end of September, as
only a very slight frost spoils them.— J. C.

Fruit and Vegetable Crops.

SCOTLAND.

Taymouth Castle Gardens, Aberfeldy. —
Apples and Cherries are a good average of good
quality. Plums and small fruits are very good and
over average crops. Pears are under, although the
trees were smothered in blossom. Strawberries
suffered from the drought ard were under the
average, but very good. Nuts of all kinds are
very heavy crops, but they seldom come to per-
fection here.

Early vegetables were not so good as usual
owing to want of rain, but all kinds are flourish-
ing since the rain and are much earlier than usual,
especially French Beans, Vegetable Marrows, &c.
Early Peas did not stand long, but I ha»e never
had finer mid season Peas than this year. Tele-
graph, Telephone, Duke of Albany, and the
Duchess are especially good. Potatoes are vigor-
ous and healthy, with no sign of disease in this
district as yet. — Wm. Wright.

Mauldslie Castle, Carluke. —The Apple
crop here is a very light one ; indeed, I may say
almost a failure. The same has to be said of
Pears. Cherries a poor crop. Plums on walls
scarcely half a crop. Those on standards, espe-
cially Victoria, are an immense crop, and, being
early, will swell up well. Another variety grown
here as Lawson's Golden Drop has a fair crop.
Gooseberries are a heavy crop with me : in some
gardens they are very thin : Raspberries a full
crop ; Black Currants fair ; Red and White
Currants very heavy in general. Strawberries
have been a heavy crop all over this district ;
Vicomtesse Hi'ricart de Thury is the one which
is generally grown here. Some call it Garibaldi.
If there is any difference between them I have
never seen it.

Vegetables have given us some little trouble
owing to maggot, and, what is new to my experi-
ence here, Brussels Sprouts have been crippled
by "club" at the root. Autumn-planted Cab-
bages I cut in this cold district in April, and
not one of the lot bolted ; variety McEwan's
Early, somewhat difficult to procure true. Cauli-
flowers have done well. Peas are the crop of the
season, being most abundant and early. My
garden is too small to risk growing many of the
new varieties, as I cannot afford to lose a sowing
if a new kind should not come up to what I desire :
consequently I grow more of the older varieties
which I can depend upon. I find Peas are like
other things ; some do better than others in
different gardens. — Wm. H. Gorrie.

Gattonside HouEe, Melrose.- Apples are a
heavy crop and of good quality. Trees that have
not borne anything for many years are bearing a
heavy crop this year. Pears also are a splendid
crop. Like Apples, they are greatly above the
average of former years both in (juantity and also
quality, and very early. Plums are a heavy crop,
but poor in quality. I expect the rain we
have had lately will improve them. Apricots,
Peaches, and Cherries are a splendid crop. Goose-

an enormous crop, of extra quality on
young bushes. Currants have been good, but
Black in the district are in general poor owing to
the mite. I rooted all mine out four years ago,
trenched andmanured theground well, and planted
young bushes. I have a splendid crop this year
and no sign of disease. Raspberries a good average
crop. Strawberries in some places here are almo-t
a failure, but failure can be traced to poorness of
ground and allowing the beds to remain too long.
J have had an enormous crop, and of splendid
quality.

Vegetables have been and are still very good,
although a dry season like what the present has
been is a good test. If a garden is deeply dug
and well manured, there would be less watering
required and fewer failures. Cauliflowers have
been very good. Dickson's White Gem is an
excellent Cauliflower ; it can be planted close,
and has large white heads and very early. The
early Peas were very good, but the midsummer
ones not so good owing to an attack of mildew.
I believe the cause of mildew is light soil and dry
weather. I have the late ones in deeper soil, and
they are doing well. I grow for early Peas May
^^lueen and William I., and for second and mid-
s-eason, Prizetaker, The Duchess, British Queen,
Telephone, Duke of Albany, Matchless Marrowfat,
and Emperor Marrowfat. For late I grow Lax-
ton's Fillbasket, which never fails, and Sutton's
Latest of All, a splendid Pea for a late crop. —

R(]BERT WeDDELL.

Coltness, Wisliaw.— Apples, with few excep-
tions, are bearing light crops. Pears much below
average. Plums very good, Victoria on standards
especially so. Peaches and Apricots not grown
out of doors, good under glass. Strawberries dis-
appointing in quantity, and also in market value.
Gooseberries good with us, but variable in the
district. Currants and Raspberries very good.
Cherries not much grown.

This season has been a trying one for vegetable
crops, and that notwithstanding our heavy soil
and moist climate. Brassicas and Onions have
suffered severely from maggot and caterpillar.
Peas are doing well, the well-known kinds being
mostly grown. I am trying Gradus this season,
but am not yet in a position to speak of its merits.
It seems a very early variety. The season has
been marked by great fluctuations in temperature
ranging from 84° in shade in early part of .Tune to
freezing point on morning ol July 2S. — J.
(Jraham.

Dochfour, Inverness. — Apples heavy crop.
Pears fair and of good size. Victoria Plums on
standards an enormous crop and of fair size.
Jefferson and others on walls very good and of
large size. Apricots and Peaches fair. Straw-
berries, Gooseberries, and Currants very heavy
and of fine quality.

Tomatoes almost a failure, those inside badly
diseased. Peas, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Carrots,
Onions, &c., very satisfactory indeed. — K.
Stewart.

Brechin Castle, Forfar.— The fruit crop in
the gardens here and neighbourhood is much
better than usual. Apples especially are plenti-
ful, the trees keeping very clean and healthy,
(iooseberries and all small fruits are above the
average, in most cases very heavy crops. Straw-
berries are a fair crop, and with the fine weather
quality has been good. This is my first season to
fruit Royal Sovereign ; it was the first kind ripe,
very large and of good quality.

Vegetables as a rule have done very well. Early
CaulitJower buttoned rather badly with the warm
weather, but late crops promise well. Peas are
yielding plenty of pods with shorter growth than
usual. I observed in The Garden in spring some
complaints of autumn-planted Cabbage bolting.
In our plantation from seed sown in the middle
of July scarcely any bolted. Sutton's Flower
of Spring and Ellam's Dwarf were the best.
Potatoes are a good crop with no signs of disease.
-William MoDowall.

Buchanan Gardens. — Apples above average.
Pears and Plums are under the average, the late

spring frosts here in April destroyed the blossom,
especially on the walls. Pears and Plums were
ten or twelve days earlier in bloom than usual.
Apricots on walls set well, and there is a good
crop of fruit. Cherries, especially Morellos, above
average. Gooseberries, Red Currants, and Straw-
berries very good. Black Currants much under
averasre, unless in a few cases where there is no
disease.

Vegetables of all sorts are doing very well.
Onions and Carrots were threatened with maggot
and wireworm, but owing to the late showers and
sprinklings of manure and guano they look strong,
green, and healthy now. Last year I lost a large
equare of spring-sown Onions by maggot in spite
ot all my efforts to save the crop. Carrots were
an extra crop. Potatoes look well and healthy as
jet. Peas are doing well. Peas, earliest. Im-
proved Invicta and William Hurst ; second early,
Hundredfold, Gladiator, Telegraph; general, Duke
of Albany, Stratagem, Champion of England ;
late, Ne Plus Ultra, Walker's Perpetual Bearer,
and British Queen.— A. Crosbie.

Cdstlewick Gardens, Dumfriesshire. —
Small fruits, as Strawberries, (iooseberries. Rasp-
berries, Currants of kinds, abundant and good.
American Brambles have set well. Japanese
Wineberry also shows well. Apples fairly good
crop, the usual standard varieties heavy. Pears,
early varieties, good ; later ones, as usual in this
district, poor. Plums heavy crop. Cherries of
kinds good. Morellos on north aspect very good.

Potatoes have done well. The grub has played
havoc among early Cauliflowers, Carrots, and
spring-sown Onions. Autumn-sown Onions good.
Beans of sorts and the later varieties of vege-
tables have done well. Of Peas, the earliest sowings
have not done well owing to the drought. — Wm.

KiNc:.

Dunrobin Castle.— The fruit crop here is
good as a whole, though some kinds have cropped
rather unequally. Apples notably being an un-
usually heavy crop on some trees, while on others
there are none. Pears are under average. Plums
are on some trees a heavy crop and required con-
siderable thinning. Small fruits are plentiful and
the quality will depend on the weather during the
next few weeks.

Vegetable crops are unusually good this year,
the frequent rains up to the present time having
been all in their favour. Onions and Carrots have
not suffered much from grub and should now be
safe from insect attacks. Peas are unusually
strong and healthy here, although in some gardens
in this neighbourhood they are almost a failure.
The sorts I prefer are : for earliest, Veitch's Ear-
liest Marrow, Veitch's Selected Early, Dickson's
First and Best and William 1. ; for second and
general crops, Veitch's Main-crop, Criterion,
Dickson's Favourite, Laxton's Supreme, Tele-
phone and Veitch's Perfection : for late crops,
Veitch's Perfection, Autocrat, Chelsonian and
Ne Plus Ultra. The difference in the weather
experienced in the northern and southern parts
of the British islands has this season been
remarkable. While a long-continued drought has
prevailed in the south, we in the north have had
too much rain. The rainfall for March was 2 82
inches, rain falling more or less on twenty-one
days ; April 2 00 inches, rain falling on fifteen
days ; May 1 '69 inches, rain falling on nine days ;
June 4-16 inches, rain falling on sixteen days.
July, up to the 14th, has had six wet days and
1 12 inches of rain. This season has been one of
the very few that we have not required to use the
hose in the flower garden to establish the plants
after bedding out.— D. Melville.

WALES.
Cardiff Castle.— Crops of all kinds have
suffered more or less in this district owing to the
long-continued drought. Apple and Pear trees
flowered abundantly and many of them set well,
but as the drought and hot weather increased the
Apple trees got badly infested with red spider,
and a great many of the fruits dropped after
growing to a good size. The following varieties

•230

THE GARDEK

[Feptember 19, 1896.

of Apples are bearing fair crops, but the fruits
are smaller than usual on fully-cropped trees :
Keauty of Hants. Rymer, lluchess of Oldenburg,
King of Pippins, Lord Grosvenor, Potts' Seedling,
Ecklinville" Seedling and Tom Putt. On trees of
Cox's Orange Pippin, Ribston Pippin, Blenheim
Orange, Lord Suflield and others bearing half a
crop the fruits are much larger and well coloured.
The leaves of many of the Pear trees in the gar-
dens here have suffered from the attack of the
slimy larva- of the slugworm (Selandria pyri), a
kind' of sawfly, which has eaten the epidermis on
both sides of the leaves and turned them quite
brown, with the result that the crop of fruit in some
cases is destroyed. Some varieties of Pears are
bearing good crops, while others are "i7. The
following varieties, where the trees are clean and
healthy, are bearing medium crops of good-sized,
highly coloured fruit on pyramid trees ; they are
not so good on the walls : Jargonelle, Beurre
d'Amanlis, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Williams' Bon
Chretien, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Beurre Super-
fin, Durondeau, Autumn Bergamot, Beurre Bosc
and ilarie Louise d'L'ccle. Duchess and several
others are a failure here this year. Strawberries
were a good crop this year, notwithstanding the
dry, hot weather during the time the plants were
fruiting. The vineyards at Castle Coch and
Swanbndge have produced excellent crops this
season, and the Vines on the castle wall here are
loaded with Grapes.

Potatoes are a good crop and fine in quality,
but the tubers are smaller than usual. Both late
and early kinds have been remarkably free from
disease up to the present time. Peais have not
been good here this season. They ripened otf too
fast on account of the hot, dry weather. Green
vegetables, with the exception of runner Beans,
are very scarce at present in this locality. —
A. Pettigkeu.

Gogerddan Hall, Aberystwith.— We have
had an abundant crop of Strawberries, Cherries
and Gooseberries. Raspberries and Currants a
fair crop. Plums, Apples and Pears below the
average.

Early Peas did very well. I consider Sutton's
A 1 a good Pea, and as early as any I have tried
and much the best in quality. Late Peas are
doing very badly owing to the hot, dry weather.
Onions, Carrots, dwarf and runner Beans are
doing well. Cabbage doing badly. — James
Ve.u;kv.

Coed Coch, Abergele. — Bush fruit has been
plentiful, but as a rule rather small. Strawberries
a good crop, fruit rather below ordinary size and
the season short. Pears are a thin crop both on
walls and standards. Apples poor. Apricots are
a fair crop. Plums very good. Xear the sea-
coast Apples are more plentiful, as the trees did
not suffer so much from the small caterpillars.

Considering the very dry season we had, vege-
tables have done very well, excepting Peas and
Cauliflowers. Peas have not grown to half their
usual height and been very bad with mildew. My
favourite Peas are William I., Duke of Albany
and Walker's Perpetual. I grow other varieties,
but the ones named I consider best. — Andrew

Ht-NTER.

Singleton, Swansea.— The Apple crop is very
poor, although the trees looked very promising
as regards blossom. I have got a fair crop of
Pears and Plums and a grand crop of Gooseber
ries. Red and Black Currants are poor. .Straw
berries looked very promising, but owing to the
drought they were very poor in this neighbour-
hood.

This has been a very unfavourable season to
test any vegetables whatever in this neighbour-
hood, as we have only had about ."i inches of rain
since March 2'. The earliest and best Potato
I have ever seen is Harris's Early Gem. Early
Potatoes have been very poor this season, and I
think the late varieties will be poor also. — F.

3rR.M.\N.

Slebech Park, Haverfordwest. — Apples are
a good crop in this district generally, except in
orchards where they bloomed early. We had flt^-'

of frost on May 1, which destroyed all the early
crops in the valleys. Pears are a fair crop and
the fruit clean, even those grafted on the free
stock, which as a rule are very much spotted and
cracked. I find that those grafted on the free
stock are generally good in a very dry season such
as the present, and useless if it is a wet year. On
the Quince they are always good. Cherries were
a good crop, but very little grown in this county.
Small fruits were a light crop. Strawberries were
good, but owing to the drought went ofl' soon.
Plums are a very light crop except Damsons,
which are a heavy crop. The frost of May 1 had
a rather singular etl'ect on the Plum crops : all
varieties had set a good crop of fruit, but the frost
destroyed all the green, white, red and yellow-
skinned sorts, but did very little injury to the
black-skinned varieties.

I'eaa were a very unsatisfactory crop this season,
owing to the drought, which has been very severe
in this district, so that it is diffioult to give
an opinion as to the relative merits of different
varieties. It was noticed that the high-class sorts
withstood the drought much the best, Exonian,
Huntingdonian and Autocrat being especially
good and far superior to many of the varieties
grown by the side of them. — G. (Jrifkin.

The Hendre, Monmouth.— All kinds of
hardy fruit trees flowered freely, and the blossoms
appeared to be strong and healthy. Apples and
Pears, however, probably owing to the cold spring
winds, have partial crops, some varieties being
heavily laden, while others are a failure. Of
cider Apples the late-flowering varieties are well
cropped. Apricots are good both in quantity and
quality, as are also Plums. Bush fruits are also
generally good in crop, particularly so Raspberries
and Gooseberries. Strawberries had average crops.
Of the newer varieties, I think very highly of
Royal Sovereign. Gunton Park is also a fine
variety and very distinct. The crops of Cherries
excepting Morellos are light, but the (luality is
good. Insect pests have been unusually trouble-
some, and in the case of Apples mildew also ; but
serious injury, by frequent sprayings of Bordeaux
mixture, Paris green, and quassia extract, has
been prevented.

Early varieties of Potatoes are good both in
crop and quality, and late ones look remarkably
well notwithstanding the dry weather. Peas have
been good, but late crops want rain. William the
First, Earliest Marrow, and Exonian as early
croppers were all that could be desired. Duke of
Albany is a grand main crop variety, as is like-
wise Main Crop, while nothing that I have grown
equals Autocrat as a late variety. Carrots,
Onions, and Parsnips look well, but would be im-
proved by rain. The same may be said of runner
Beans, Celery, Beet, and Lettuces. Early Cauli-
flowers were very good. Early Forcing, Early
London and Pearl are alike good in their way.
EUam's Dwarf Early Cabbage did remarkably
well, and out of a large plot but very few bolted.

— TlIO.M.iS COOMIIER.

Aberdunant, Tremadoc. — There is a very
fair crop of Pears. Gooseberries and Red Currants
are abundant. Black Currants failed owing to
the dry weather. Fair crop of Apples. Plums in
some places abundant.

Very fair crop of Potatoes, especially late ones,
of which I consider Magnum Bonum the best.
Scarlet Runners are doing wonderfully well, also
dwarfs.— J. PRiTrn,\RD.

Crosswood Park, Aberystwith.- The fruit
crops in this district are not nearly so promising
as they were earlier in the season, owing to the
long spell of dry weather which has been very
trying. Pears are much below the average and
will be small. They are dropping badly in many
instances. Apples are better than the Pears, but
will not be up to the average. Lord Suttield,
Hawthornden, Lord Derby, Alfriston, and Mere
de Menage seem to be the best. Cherries
good crop, especially on walls and where the
trees could be supitlied with water. Plums are
about an average. Apricots below. Peaches are
an average crop, but suffering from the drought,
Bush fruits, including Raspberries, have been a

good crop, although the birds are very troublesome
this season, owing doubtless to scarcity of other
food. Strawberries were very good at first,
but the season was a short one, as they were soon
over, later fruit not swelling. Nuts, especially
Walnuts, appear plentiful.— R. T. Williams.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1084.

TULIPA GREIGI.
(with a coloured plate.*)
It is now nearly twenty-five years since this
splendid Tulip first flowered in European gar-
dens, it having been sent to St. Petersburg by
Herr Albert Kegel, then travelling for the
Russian Government in Central Asia. The late
Dr. Edward Regel called it after Herr Greig,
the president of a Russian horticultural society.
To those of the readers of this paper who are
unacquainted with this queen of Tulips a

lV^

T,dipa

glance at the accompanying plate will suffice
to reveal the truly regal beauty of this
splendid child of the Turkestan wilds, although
no artificial colouring, however carefully and
artistically done, can in the least convey a
correct idea of the glowing, flame-like colour of
the grand blossoms of this Tulip. When one
sees a finely developed specimen of T. Greigi,
he feels a little discouraged at the thought that
the hand of man, who has carefully been work-
ing among Tulips for more than three cen-
turies, has as yet produced nothing which can
in the least match with this uncultivated, natural
beauty.

The other day my collector of this and
other Turkestan bulbs called on me, and gave
me the following par^culars about the natural
habitat of T. Greigi. It inhabits the hilly
steppes of the Sir Darja region, the bulbs
growing among the natural vegetation,
which consists of grass, plants indigenous
to the steppe, such as the low-growing Rosa

* Drawn for The Garden by H. G. Moon at
Gravetye Manor, Sussex. Lithographed and printed
by J. L. Goffart, successor to Guillaume Severeyns.

TULIPA GREIGI AND VAR

September 19, 1896.'

THE GARDEN.

berberidifolia, bulbs like Ixiolirion, Corydalis,
Eremurus, &c. In those regions no rain falls
for about five months during the summer,
and the steppe, which in spring looked gay
with flowers and verdure, becomes parched
and browned under the sun's burning rays.
It is then that the bulbs of Tulipa Greigi
are collected for sale. A small expedition
is formed, and a little army of workmen,
headed by the collector, encamps on the
steppe in places which in spring have been
marked as good hunting grounds for the bulbs.
According to my collector, one may in spring
ride for hours on the steppe without seeing
more than an isolated specimen here and there,
and then suddenly one comes on a slope which
is aglow with thousands of blossoms of this
Tulip. The dried-up flower-stems indicate in
summer the spots where the digging can com-
mence, but this is not easily done, as the bulbs
usually get down to the depth of a foot, and
the soil, being of a clayish nature, having got
baked as hard as brick, a strong man working
hard cannot dig more than about 300 bulbs
a day, as they have to be literally hacked out of
the soil by means of pick-axes. Most Tulips
produce young bulbs in abundance, but Tulipa
Greigi is exempt from this rule, as very seldom
are side bulbs formed. Seed is therefore the
only means of reproduction. Practically there
are two strains of this Tulip ; the one most
commonly met with is the orange-scarlet one,
the other being of a more or less pure yellow.
Intermediate shades are of course plentiful, but
it is no use giving all these separate names.
Tulipa Greigi will grow and flower anywhere
where the ordinary Tulips do well. In mild
winters it has the disadvantage of coming up
too soon and getting spoiled by cutting winds
or late night frosts, but it is easy to fin '
remedy for this by planting the bulbs late —
about the middle of November — and by giving
them a situation where they are sheltered from
the east and north. Now that plentiful im
portations have lowered its price to about a
third of what it formerly cost, no doubt Tulipa
Greigi will soon find its way into most gard
where its unique spotted foliage and grand
blooms will ensure it the admiration of every
lover of bulbs.

Haarlem. C. G. van Tubergen, Jun.

The Week's Work.

FRUIT HOUSES.
Early Peach house.— Where attention has been
paid to these trees in the way of free ventilation,
root-watering and syringing the foliage, the
flower-buds will now be plump and the leaves well
ripened, so that they are of no further service in
supplying nourishment to the young shoots, and
may therefore be dispensed with. To assist them
in falling give the trellis a sharp tap every morn-
ing ; this will bring many of them to the ground,
the sun will then soon ripen those that are left.
Do not, however, hurry them off by any undue
force, as this will only tend to weaken the buds.
When the leaves have all fallen, the ties, in the
•case of those on trellises, should be cut, while in
the case of trees nailed to the wall it is far better
where possible, to unloosen them, and then give
the wall a good washing with some strong insecti-
cide to destroy the eggs or larvse of any insect
pests, than to follow the practice, as some recom-
mend, of nailing the young shoots to the walls
while in leaf and allowing them to remain there
through the winter. It is a pleasure to see a Peach
tree nicely trained, where all the shoots are in
theirproper place and equi-distanb from each other.
To accomplish this the operator must be able to
see where each nail or tie is to be put, which
cannot be done when the leaves are on the trees.

SuccEssiox HOUSE — or that from which the fruit
was gatherea in June — should still have attention,
for unless the wood is properly matured the buds
will fail to expand when forcing commences. See
that the border is in a proper condition as regards
moisture, and that the foliage is kept clean till
the wood is matured. The majority of trees in
cool houses will now be cleared of their fruit in
the more northern parts of the kingdom, but
there will still be some that have not finished,
particularly such as Sea Eagle, Walburton Ad-
mirable, Princess of Wales and the like ; and
should bad weather set in, it will be found neces-
sary to maintain as dry an atmosphere as possible
to gire them flavour. When all the trees have
been cleared of their crop every possible care
should be taken to rid the foliage of any pests
that may be lurking amongst them. Much of the
fruit on open walls in the south will now be
gathered, but what still remains must be protected
from wasps, for these have been a terrible pest
these last few weeks, nothing seeming to come
amiss to them. Where the lifting or transplant-
ing of any large trees is contemplated, prepara-
tions should now be made for the operation, for
when left too long there is a possibility of the soil
getting too wet. It is, however, not advisable to
attempt lifting too soon, or before the foliage is
thoroughly matured, or aserious check will be given
to the trees. There is not the same risk in trans-
planting trees early in the autumn that are growing
against north walls as there is with those exposed
to the sun, there not being so much evaporation
by the foliage. When Peach trees have to be
lifted from the open walls and taken to the hou
to fill up blank spaces special preparation
needed, or they will fail to respond to the heat
when applied for forcing. All trees intended for
lifting with this view ought to have a trench
taken out the year previous about 6 feet or 8 feet
from the stem, according to the size and age of
the tree to be moved, and all roots should be
brought as near the surface as possible, that
there may be less check the following season
when they are transferred to the forcing house.
It is, however, of the utmost importance that
every care be exercised in the work, so as not to
mutilate the roots more than can be avoided.
Peach trees, as we all know, are late in shedding
their leaves naturally, particularly in a mild,
moist autumn ; therefore, it is not well to com-
mence the operation too soon.

Fics. — Trees in pots that were started into
growth early in the season will now be shedding
their leaves ; bo encourage them to do this more
readily the soil should be kept on the dry side,
but not to such an extent as to cause the plants
to suffer. When all have fallen, the pots, if
plunged, should be lifted, and should any require
fresh potting this should be done at once. They
should then be stood in a sunny position out of
doors till required for starting again. Those
planted in borders and trained to trellises should
have their ties loosened as soon as the leaves have
fallen, in order that they may be washed and got
ready for starting again as soon as retiuired.
Should any painting be required in such struc-
tures this ought to receive attention at the first
favourable opportunity, that the paint may get
thoroughly hard before too much moisture is ap-
plied. Trees in cool houses and those on walls
will still be ripening their fruit ; every precaution
should be taken to keep the fruit dry to pre-
vent it from splitting, for with the excessive
rains that fell, in this district at least, during the
early part of the month, there is not only a great
amount of moisture in the atmosphere, but the
soil round the roots will be getting soaked, which
will cause a freer circulation of sap. Here we
have had over 2 inches of rain in six days, which
is nearly equal to the amount of the two previous
months put together. From this it may be
gathered that the ground is now getting moist,
and being warm, the circulation of sap where
trees have not thoroughly matured will still be
kept up.

Nuts, Cobs, and Filberts in many places will
now be sufficiently ripe for gathering. The last,

especially the red-skinned variety, must not be
allowed to hang too long, or they will get loose in
the husk and fall out. Choose a fine day for gather-
ing, when the husks are quite dry. They should
be taken and spread out thinly for a few days to
allow the superfluous moisture to pass off, after
which they may be put into airtight vessels and
kept in a cool place. If the husks are intended
to be preserved on them, this addini; wonderfully
to their appearance when dished up, a sprinkling
of salt as the different layers are placed in the
vessel will greatly assist in preventing decompo-
sition. Those intended for use from Christmas
onward should be allowed to hang as long as
possible, at the same time they must be closely
watched to see that none fall to the ground.

Apricots. — In most gardens in the south the
fruit of even the latest varieties of these will now
have been gathered, though in places further
north some will still be hanging on the trees.
When such have been removed the pruning of the
trees may be taken in hand, in order that any
wounds caused by the knife may heal over before
winter sets in. No fruit tree more resents the
use of the pruning knife than the Apricot ; there-
fore every effort should be made to keep the trees
in hand by pinching during the summer months.
Where this was duly carried out, very little prun-
ing will be needed— in fact, none, with the excep-
tion of shortening any leading shoots that may
be too long, and removing any spurs that have
grown too far from the wall. I am not an advo-
cate of nailing till the leaves have fallen, as it is
impossible to examine all the shreds properly
while the foliage is on the trees, or to notice if
any nails are pressing against the shoots, but if
pruning is done now there will not be much diffi-
culty in getting the other done before severe
weather sets in. In pruning the leading shoots,
take care to cut to an under bud on all those that
are growing at an angle above 45°, and to an upper
bud on those below that degree, as this will have
a tendency to regulate the flow of sap ; be careful
also to make a clean cut towards the bud, that
the knife may leave the shoot just above the same.
H. C. Prinsep.

KITCHEN GARDEN.

Potatoes. — Heavy rains came in time to help the
late Potatoes as regards the weight of crop, but the
quality will, I fear, be very poor owing to super-
tuberation or growing out, which is very pre-
valent among the kidney shaped varieties, such as
Magnum Bonum, The Bruce, and The Gentle-
man, which are largely grown for their disease-
resisting qualities. This state of things could
not of course be avoided, as such late varieties
were not sufficiently forward to be lifted at the
time when I recommended lifting the second
early varieties, and as it has occurred frequently of
late years, I have almost determined to discard
from the garden all varieties that make Ute
growth, and to grow a greatly increased number
of Snowdrop, a variety which completes its growth
early, and yet remains of most excellent quality
as late as the latest of them all. The only really
good quality Magnums I have eaten for some
years were planted in May last year, consequently
they did not grow out, but such late planting is
a risky business and not to be recommended for
general adoption. After the present time but
little further growth will in any case be made,
and the crop should be lifted directly the weather
and the ground become fit. Lifting in wet
weather is unsatisfactory work, though it may
not be injurious to the tubers, and should be
avoided if possible. Extra care will be needed
this year in using the forks, as the tubers are much
spread about and the plants have become more
securely anchored than usual. Given favourable
weather I prefer to let storing follow close on the
heels of lifting, any lengthened exposure being
conducive to diseased tubers especially if disease
is already present in the haulm.

Sto^inc. — Various methods, some of them dis-
tinctly bad, obtain in the matter of storing Pota-
toes. Those who have ample room in cool, but

232

THE GARDEK

[September 19, 1896.

frost-proof cellars or sheds can do nothing better
than transfer the tubers to these at once, takinf
care that they are not placed in heaps sutfi
ciently big to set up heating, and also that
tht-y are not bruised by rough treatment in
transit, this being an especially necessary pre-
caution with tubers that have to be kept for
many months. Provided the cellars or sheds are
not cool, I strongly advise clamping in preference
to such storage, which would be productive of evil
in more than one form. Clamping is so simple an
operation that it would seem almost impossible to
make a mistake in it. Still, mistakes are some-
times made, and the w orst form of clamp is that
in which a large square pit is dug for the reception
of the tubers, as in such a place a large bulk of
tubers would be certain to become overheated,
while in wet weather they would get swamped.
The better way is to select a cool, shaded and well
drained position and to mark out here a portion
of ground some 3 feet or 4 feet in width and
long enough to hold the bulk of tubers when
heaped on it in ridge fashion, making the ridge as
high as possible without running beyond the
allotted width at the base, and when all are in
position a thickness of from ti inches to 12 inches
of dry Bracken should cover the heap, and on this
again some 6 inches of soil dug out from around
the heap, thus forming a trench which will keep
the clamp high and dry. It is well not to be too
sparing of the Bracken or any substitute which
may be used, as a good coating of this will keep
out frost in the severest of winters. I prefer mak-
ing one long clamp for the eating size rather than
several smaller ones, as each variety can be
separated from its neighbour by a division of
Bracken, and they may be so arranged as to come
in proper rotation for use, so that the clamp need
only be opened at one end when tubers are wanted
By making the clamps no wider than I have re
commended I find that the use of drain-pipes or
anj- other method of admitting air at intervals
along the heap may be dispensed with, no air being
required to prevent overheating.

Seed Potatoes.— These should be selected at
lifting time and placed by themselves at one end
of the clamp, taking care to prevent them from
getting mixed. I do not care for large seed
Potatoes, those of medium size give equally good
results, take less room in storing, and are more
sticcessfully and readily planted with a dibble.
While writing of seed Potatoes I may suggest
that the present is by far the best time to buy in
stock or to make exchanges of seed. Those who
leave this important matter until the usual time
for ordering other garden seeds will probably
have them come to hand with many of their best
shoots rubbed ofif, besides running the risk of
their being frozen on the journey. At this time
of the year there are no shoots to damage and but
little fear of anj- injury.

Pakslev.— Some time ago I advised the lifting
and transferring to frames of some early sown
Parsley plants to provide for the depth of winter.
Where this was done it will be found an excellent
plan to go over the plants now and pick off all but
the young fresh looking leaves which will soon
form a full crop, and be of great service when
most needed. Later sown plants, as recommended
by some growers to be used for frame cultivation,
do not bear this picking over nearly so well as the
earlier ones do, and it was for this reason that I
recommended planting the latter. Where none
have yet been planted in frames I still recommend
that it should be done, for the old adage of
" better late than never " holds good in this
matter.

Vecetaele Marrows. — The season for these is
fast drawing to a close, but fruits may be had for
some weeks yet if necessary precautions are taken
with them, tirst by having the plants, which I re-
commended to be planted late and in a sheltered
position, covered by night, and again, by cutting
all fruits up close as fast as they become big
enough for use, and standing these upright and
with their stems resting on some- wet Moss in a
cool shed, where they will remain fresh and plump
for a long time. Ripe fruits allowed to come to

their full size for any purpose should also be cut
whenever they can be caught in a dry state, and
either hung up or laid on their sides where they
can be kept dry and frost proof until wanted.
The season for Vegetable Marrows has been good
where the water supply was sutScient, and 1 have
not as yet seen any signs of mildew even on the
earliest plants which are still growing and fiuiting
freely, the heavy rain having given them a great
impetus, coming as it did when the warmth of soil
&c., were almost tropical.

Aur.ERiiiNKS. — The fruits of these are also very
susceptible to injury, and the plants outside
should be looked over at frequent intervals when
the weather is dry, and all fruits that have be-
come fully coloured must be picked and laid up
till wanted in a dry place. Of course, this advice
is not intended to apply to fruits grown under
glass, as the latter will ripen best on the plants,
which should still be fed liberally with manure
water. Outside the growth made has been almost
too vigorous. Of varieties, the New York Purple
has been most satisfactory.

Capsicums and Chilies.— Where these have
been grown in frames throughout the summer and
can have the advantage of covering by night, they
may be left growing a little longer, but those who
have tried outside culture will do well now to pull
the plants up by the roots and hang them in
small bunches, head downwards, close up to the
glass in a light, dry greenhouse. Plants left in-
tact and hung thus will ripen up many fruits
which are now green. Should green fruits be in
request, the plants may be relieved of a goodly
portion of the smallest for present use before
hanging them up, as this will give the more for-
ward ones a better chance of ripening.

General work.— Heavy rains have prevailed
pretty generally, and it will be found that the
surface soil has been beaten down into a firm
state and almost impervious to air. Such being
the case, it is an absolute necessity that this hard
casing on the surface shall be well broken up by
hoeing among all small growing crops directly
the soil is sufficiently dry to crumble under the
hoes. No opportunity of doing this should be
missed, for with alternate rains and heavy dews a
really dry surface may be difficult to find. Among
things that will need this surface stirring are
winter Spinach, Lettuces, and Endive intended
for lifting, and also any plants in seed beds.
Autumn-sown Onions scarcely need stirring
amongst for the same purpose, but it is well to
go through them with the hoe to check weeds.
Where it is customary to save seeds of kitchen
garden crops, these will need gathering when
they can be caught dry enough, that is if the
earliest pods, &c., are ripe. Quality is more im-
portant than quantity in a private garden, and
the first ripened seeds are generally the best, but
we often see these allowed to drop out before the
crop is gathered. Most seeds improve after
gathering if the plants are pulled up bodily and
hung in a dry, airy shed for a week or two before
shelling out the seeds. J. C. Taleack.

AMERICAN NOTES.
The SwAMi- Hibi.suus.— The Pines near the
coast are brilliant now with the Swamp Hibis-
cus. This magnificent plant, with large showy
flowers .5 inches and 0 inche.s, and some even 7
inches across, i.s thickly scattered over large
areas. Some of the plants bear pure white
flowers, others are white with a deep crimson
eye, while others have varying shades of rose
and peach-blossom colour. It grows fairly well
in the garden. Three or four summers ago I
planted a small seedling in the border ; to-day
it has six stout stems with numerous branches
laden with flowers, and is one of the moat con-
spicuous things in the garden. Some of the
flowers are each 7 inches in diameter, pure
white, with a crimson eye.

Kosteletzkia is a handsome plant, much
like the Hibiscus, only smaller in every

way ; the rose-purple flowers are each about 2
inches across and do not vary in colour like
those of the Hibiscus. It is quite common
near Wildwood, but not so abundant as the
Hibiscus.

Clethka is an unusually handsome shrub
just now, the long spikes of white fragrant
flowers almost completely enveloping the
bushes, which are very free from insect depre-
dators both on foliage and flower, are perfect.
This shrub merits a place in every flower gar-
den ; it is easy of culture ; in fact, it will grow
fairly well without any cultivation. I have a
dozen or more plants in my wild garden, which
receive no special care, and they are now full
of flowers.

Trumpet Honeysuckle is lovely, too, and
combines well with the Roses, while Hypericums
and Spirwas also add their charm to every mass
of shrubs.

Rhexias — The two species of Meadow
Beauty, Rhexia virginica and K. Mariana, are
both conspicuous among the grai-ses in the damp
Pines, along with Polygala lutea and P. san-
guinea, while the Lysimachias and Swamp
Loosestrife and the pretty Coreopsis rosea are
all here, and the flaming Cardinal Flower
stands above them all. The humming-birds
and brilliant butterflies collect about the flower,
seemingly attracted more by its brilliancy than
by the sweets it furnishes.

Lilies are very showy now, especially L.
superbum, with its great pyramid of nodding
deep orange flowers, spotted on the inside with
deep purple. Although it is called the Swamp
Lily and grows naturally in low, wet ground, it
thrives well in any position not too dry, and is
especially handsome when grown in peaty soil
like that usually furnished for Rhododendrons.
Apios tdrerosa is clambering among the
shrubs and plants, catching hold of whatever it
can reach, and often rising above its more showy
neighbours, laden with short dense racemes of
sweet-scented dull-purple flowers.

Mikania scAjiDEKs is also climbing among
the bushes with panicles of flesh-coloured
flowers. The Sabbatias are coming into bloom,
their dainty star like blossoms thickly scattered
among the feathery Grasses. They are among
our most graceful wild flowers. Several species
of

Geeardia are showy now. G. purpurea and
G. maritima, G. tenuifolia and G. auriculata are
here, and in the drier places are found the
yellow ones, G. flava and G. quercifolia.

Water plants. — All through August the
Ponds are more attractive than at any other
time. Pond Lilies are still blooming, together
with a host of other lovely flowers. The little
Lake flower is here, and so is the widely distri-
buted Water-shield, Bra.senia peltata. At least
four continents can claim this plant. It is
common in Japan, Australia and Africa, and I
have read that it had been found in South
America, but I believe this is not as yet well
authenticated. The curious Utricularias, purple
and yellow flowered, are abundant among the
Lilies, and the little sacks are well-laden with
the entrapped larvae of mosquito, and the
Droseras in the more shallow places are entrap-
ping the winged creatures, holding and folding
their leaves around them in such a way that
one seldom escapes.

Pear Clai'p's Favourite.— Mr. Joseph Mee-
han writes in The Country lienUeman that Clapp's
Favourite is esteemed about Philadelphia as the
very best of early Pears. This fruit should not
be condemned because it rots at the core when
over-ripe, as this can be avoided if one knows
how to ripen it properly. The first picking in
that part of Pennsylvania was made this year

SErTEMBER 19, 1896.J

THE UAROEK

233

before the end of July, and in late seasons it
should be picked before the middle of August.
The fruit is gathered in three instalments about
a week apart to have a succession, and if it is
put in a close closet it will be in fit condition to
eat in a week or ten days. Of course it does
not keep well, no early fruit does ; but when
ripened in this way it is a beautiful fruit, per-
fect, and throughout juicy and refreshing.

Pea New Life.— Mr. Carman speaks in high
praise of the Pea New Life, which he considers
the most productive and valuable of its season.
On July C the vines were 2 feet high, vigorous
and of uniform growth, and the straight, bright
green pods (3 inches to 4 inches long) each con-
tained from five to eight seeds of the largest
size. The Peas mature just before those of
Stratagem and Heroine.

Rhododendron m.\ximum in Connecticut. —
There are at least three stations in the state of
Connecticut where Rhododendron maximum
thrives near the town of Milton, Litchfield
County. A visit to this place when the plants
were in flower gave me an opportunity to ob-
serve a truly wonderful sight. The site is a
thickly-wooded swamp well up in the mountains,
where for ages, apparently, there has been
accumulating a peaty formation until the soil
is entirely of vegetable origin for a depth of at
least G feet to 8 feet, and so soft and yielding
that the larger growth of Hemlock, yellow
Birch and Black Birch, Black Ash, American
Elm, Red Maple, etc., find no sufficient support,
as is clearly shown by the many that have been
blown down and the others that do not stand
perpendicularly. I was informed that this
basin does not overflow, neither is there stand-
ing water in sight, but the soil has the appear-
ance of having grown above the water-level by
slow accumulations, and now acts like a sponge,
keeping moist continually by absorption.

A Peach orchard.— The great Hale Peach
orchard in Georgia covers 1078 acres, 000 of
which are in bearing trees, and the remainder
in nursery stock. There are avenues running
north and south through the orchard 500 feet
apart, with a cross road every 1000 feet. There
are two large packing-houses 100 feet long and
40 feet wide and two stories high, and a lodging-
house or hotel has just been built for the
helpers. Last year 400 helpers camped in barns,
wagons, tents, i^c. At picking time about 500
men and women, chiefly coloured, and seventy-
five horses and mules are employed, while fifty
men and thirty mules are employed the year
round. At the lodging-house rooms and beds
are free, and board costs 2 dollars 50 cents a
week, while families and parties can furnish
their own food and have it cooked for them-
selves if they choose. This year the curculio
attacked the Peaches, and Mr. Hale waged
prompt war upon the insect?, jarring the trees
and catching the insects in sheets tacked to light
semi-circular hoop frames. Two of these were
brought together about a tree which was struck
by a rubber-padded club, and the insects which
dropped were then thrown into buckets and
carried by boys to barrels in wagons and drawn
away to be burned with the stung fruit which
dropped with them. Fifty men were busy for
nearly two months, from early April onward, at
this work.

Two Water Lilies. — We have received from
Mr. William Tricker flowers of Nymphasa Stur-
tevanti, which was figured in this journal, vol.
vii., page 354, and also of N. O'Marana, which
we described in our last volume, page 95. The
latter flowers are considerably larger, being
nearly a foot across, with heavier stems and of
a pink so deep as to be almost red, but since
the petals of this flower grow darker with age

they may have been originally of no richer
colour than those of N. Sturtevanti. Alto-
gether the new Lily seems an improvement
upon its parents — it is a cross between N. den-
tata and N. Sturtevanti— especially since Mr.
Tricker says that it is more free- flowering, that
it grows more freely, and, in fact, quite as freely
as any other plant of its class. — Garden and
Forest.

Kitchen Garden.

WINTER CUCUMBERS.
Growino Cucumbers in winter is no mere
child's play, and very many lacking the need-
ful convenience have been sorely disappointed
at the results of their first attempt, imagining
that such a rampant subject, which in summer
makes far more growth than is desirable, can
during the short days of December and January,
and under the influence of a leaden sky, be in-
duced to make satisfactory progress, and that,
too, under ordinary treatment. Leaky, draughty,
badly-heated houses are utterly useless for the
purpose, and from such I have seen more than
once plants pulled out by Christmas and con-
signed to the rubbish heap. The plants, if the
weather has been very severe, have had a
struggle for existence in spite of hard firing,
covering the roof glass with litter every even-
ing to save the expense of blinds, and blocking
the doors up with garden mats, the hot-water
pipes, far too few in number, being heated to
an injurious degree in order to maintain a
night temperature of 60', the combined labour
and worry being a hundred-fold greater than the
value of the few inferior fruits which were pro-
duced. I quite agree with "A. W." that for
winter Cucumbers a pit is preferable to an ordi-
nary elevated structure, as being not only a
heat economiser, but also a moisture retainer,
escaping in a great degree draughts and un-
favourable climatic influences generally. The
roof should consist of fairly large squares of
glass, so as to admit all the light possible
to the plants during the dull, dark days
through which they have to pass. Then as
to heating, the penny-wise-and-pound-foolish
policy adopted by so many, of furnishing the
house with only half as many pipes as are re-
quired, and which, perhaps, might answer very
well if the house were started in March, is
disastrous for mid-winter forcing, the burning
pitch at which the pipes have to be kept
on extra cold nights depriving the house of
every bit of moisture and encouraging thrips
and red spider, to say nothing of the wholesale
and extravagant waste of fuel which such an
arrangement incurs. I prefer leaves for placing
next the slabs covering the pipes in the bed to
squares of turf which some employ, a depth of
9 inches or a foot answering well. They retain
the moisture well, and the lower roots which
enter them are not so liable to injury during
times of extra sharp firing should an insuffi-
ciency of water by chance be given. The mix-
iijg of the compost also requires more care at
this season, a rough, porous one being necessary,
so as to allow of a free escape of superfluous
water and prevent a compressed condition,
which is more liable to occur in winter than in
summer, when owing to a more vigorous growth
roots are produced in far greater abundance. A
good fibrous loam cut in pieces the size of hen's
eggs, pieces of sandstone, charcoal or old mortar
rubble in the proportion of three parts of the
former to one ( f the latter, adding no animal
manure, is the best. The practice of planting,
that is, with tie base or collar of the plant

higher than the ordinary level of the bed, is
likewise commendable, as if occasional top-
dressings are given later on and watering is not
very carefully carried out basal rot or canker is
very liable to occur. Where there is convenience
it is well to have two lots of plants, one f oryielding
fruit say during December and January, and the
other sowing say three weeks later for continu-
ing the supply through February and early part
of March, or until the spring-sown lot comes
into bearing. Let the plants come on very
gradually, ignoring the idea entertained by some
that a night heat of 70^ during winter is
imperative if success is to be achieved ; 65°
on very mild nights, when the pipes have not to
be heated beyond lukewarmness, and 60° when
by reason of frost more pressure is necessary, is
ample. A higher standard than this as a rule
will soon bring a colony of insects. To water
with accuracy during winter, the soil of the bed
should be examined, and when necessary-
moisten thoroughly from summit to base, and
not by driblets. Air cautiously, but do not
scruple to admit a chink on sunny days even in
midwinter, as its efi'ects on a debilitated growth
are wonderful. Syringe only on fine days and
then at 1 p.m. to let the foliage dry before
night, a little clarified sulphur water applied
once a fortnight will greatly aid in keeping away
spider. The great thing, where there is only
one winter batch, is to grow the plants gently
through December and January, taking from
them only just as many fruits as are required for
use, then with brighter days and increased sun-
heat an improvement will soon be visible. I
have sometimes during February layered the
lower stems of Cucumbers which had done duty
through the two preceding months into the
soil and secured them with small wooden pegs,
when a colony of new roots emanated from the
joints, and the plants took a new lease of life.
Roof blinds for night covering should always be
used, in fact are almost indispensable. "A.W."
mentions the advantage of pot culture over the
planting-out system for winter batches, which I
also have proved, but where, as is often the case,
through an insufficiency of labour, things can-
not always be attended to at the right moment,
the planting-out system is, I think, the safer.
As to varieties, Sion House and Telegraph are as
good as any. J. Crawford.

Pea Autocrat. — I think it was "J. C." who

at dififerent times in these pages advised the ex-
tended culture of the above Pea, and I am pleased
to be able to verify his opinion of its merits, as
this season, one of the worst on record in my case
as regards main-crop and late Peas, Autocrat has
been most satisfactory. There are now so many
excellent Peas, that one is chary of bringing a
variety prominently into notice unless it is extra
good. When cooked it is of a bright green. It
is a 4-feet Pea, of exceedingly robust habit and
much branched. This latter adds to its long bear-
ing qualities. As regards flavour, I do not know
of any better variety. For July and later sup-
plies I would strongly advise its culture, but it
should be given ample space. I hope such a good
main-crop variety will be kept pure.— G. W.

Harvesting Onions. — On expressing surprise
at the advanced state of ripeness of a large bed of
spring-sown Onions at Leadenham Hall, and ask-
ing Mr. Mackelvie to account for it, he replied that
the secret lay to a very great extent in the varie-
ties that are grown, although general management
of course had something to do with it. He believes
in such sorts as Nuneham Park, James's Keeping,
Veitch's Main -crop, and Bedfordshire Champion.
These naturally thin-necked sorts, if grown in
a not too stimulating medium and only mode-
rately thinned out, will, as a rule, be ready for
pulling early in September at the latest, while
many of the later introduced varieties, which grow

234

THE GARDEK

[September 19,

much larger and have thicker, sappier necks,
grow on even into October, unless forced as it
were into premature ripeness by artificial means.
With these old reliable sorts the best use may be

the Cactus section.

much, as it leaves
grotmd between each pla
quite bare for some con-
siderable time.

Dahlia {Cactus) F,

Humphr

made of the ground at command, 12 inches ]
between the rows being quite sufficient. A mode- |
rately, but not excessively heavy dose of manure, i
firm ground, shallow sowing and no after feeding !
are Mr. Mackelvie's principal points of culture.
A cool dry storage is also given, the cooler the
better, a few degrees of frost occasionally not
being injurious, decay in winter and starting into
growth m January being almost unknown, good
sound bulbs being often forthcoming when the
spring-sown Onions are fit for drawing. To |
further show the wisdom of the above selection of \
sorts, and of the treatment given I may mention j
that the soil of Leadenham Gardens is anything !
but a light one.— J. U.

Flower Garden.

CACTUS DAHLIAS.
Since the advent of the Cactus Dahlia -as
represented by D. Juarezi from Mexico— there
have been most distinct advances from point of
colour, and also in the habit of growth.
Juarezi, which is the undoubted type of a good
Cactus Dahlia as a flower, is not of itself a good
habited plant by reason of its excessive growth,
this predisposing it to hide its flowers in the
dense array of foliage ; thus when grown under
the ordinary condition of Dahlias it does not
produce a good display, hence an unfavourable
impression has often been made beyond any (jues-
tion. Juarezi is still grown by those who ex-
hibit, and also by others who have succeeded in
overcoming in some measure its mode of growth.
To succeed well with Cactus Dahlias the soil
should not be heavily manured. Too much
manure will be conducive to a rank growth,
such as wUI not in most cases result in a pro-
fusion of flowers. A moderate amount of
manure only should be used, and this had better
be well incorporated with the soil during the
w inter or early spring months. It is possible

to manure too heavily in the cultivation of both of saving in watering. When the first flowers

show aud fancy Dahlias, but it will not often re- begin to show colour a moderate application

suit in such excessive growth as in the case of of fish guano will be a great assistance— not
Full exposure to the sun too strong a dose, or its efi'ects will tend to-
ts a decided advantage in wards too leafy a growth. Thinning the shoots,
securing a sturdy habit, more especially superfluous shoots, from the
whilst at the same time the base or centre of each plant should be carried
plants should be grown at ■ out freely and without fear, whilst the lateral
a good distance apart. If buds should also be removed when extra large
grown in lines and staked flowers are needed, as for exhibition,
in the usual manner, .-. feet , Propagation is the same as for other Dahlias,
4 - m from plant to plant IS quite cuttings being preferable to the old stools in

A M 0 ose enough ; this will nearly every instance (Mrs. Peart is an excep-

:^- y^ allow of none too much | tjon, in which old stools yield the best blooms).

room for proper develop- As in all other Dahlias, the earwig is the most

ment. Those who grow troublesome insect to contend with, the usual

for exhibition allow as i ^odes of capture being adopted. I have noted

much as 0 feet apart each , j^ th^ ^fter treatment that when well rooted

way when in beds. For , i^ ^^^11 pots (singly, of course), a shift into

ordinary uses this is too (j-inch pots is a decided boon, so as to secure a

^tie I strong plant by the end of May, when planting

""'' I out is usually safe after gradually hardening

" the plants oS' in cold frames.

I alluded at the commencement of this
Personally I much prefer ' article to the improvement efl'ected both in the
to grow these and the de- ' habit of growth and in the varied colours now
corative Dahlias, which , to be seen. The habit of growth is a decided
must not be confounded improvement upon that of the old Juarezi, and
with the true Cactus varie- it is earnestly hoped that we shall soon have all
ties, as fence plants, or by ! shades of colours represented by the splendid
training the growth flat- ; habit of Matchless and of Mrs. Barnes, both
wise, as with Raspberry . of which throw their flowers well above their
canes in rows. I find this ' foliage. In point of colour nothing better as a
is a much better plan for | pure soft yellow could be desired than as it is
displaying the flowers, as j seen in Lady Penzance, or the beautiful combi-

'^'" it is also for thinning out i nation of light pink and white as in Delicata.

any superfluous shoots. A The man}' pleasing shades now to be found

temporary fence for the plants can be easily leave scarcely anything to be desired. Growers

provided by allowing one stake to each plant as should now direct their attention towards se-

a start, afterwards inserting four more between ; curing the better habit rather than anything

each one in either one or the other direction, else. Before passing away from the Cactus

preferably so as to allow

the intervening alleys to

run as nearly as possible

north and south. Tarred

string fixed throughout in

sufficient quantity to allow

the tying to be done easily

should be provided, after

which the tying is an easy

operation, the fan shape of

training being adopted so

as to cover all possible

space. Wire fences ha\e,

however, all in their favour

for this method of cultiva-
tion, no provision in the

wayof stakes being needed,

whilst in such positions

there will be an abundance

of light and air playing

on the plants from both

sides to their distinct ad-
vantage. Thus secured,

too, there is no danger, or

but little injury from high

winds to either foliage or

flowers. An excellent eflect

is produced by training in

this way ; even Juarezi

itself is seen to much better

advantage.

Until well establish€d

and growing freely watering must be closely Dahlia in its now accepted form as distinct from

attended to, and afterwards, even when the the decorative Dalilia, with flat petals or florets,

weather is dry, as during the summer now it should be noted that there are several of the

drawing to a close. To starve the plants latter that are well worth growing, and for

in withholding water will not give good which the same cultivation is applicable. The

results. A mulching is beneficial, most de- most recent addition to Dahlias as a distinct

cidedly, upon light soils, being, too, a means type is the single Cactus, the value of which

:^^'i^

s-

Dahlia {Cactii

et Ooldney.

September 19, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

235

for decoration in a cut state is only just being
appreciated. They are quite unique in their
way as cut flowers, whilst the great freedom
with which the blooms are produced makes all
amends for their somewhat fugitive character.
As in the case of the ordinary race of single
Dahlias, the seed-pods should be persistently
picked off so as not to exhaust the plants in that
direction.' The single Cactus Dahlias, strange
to say, have in nearly every case the excellent
habit of producing their flowers well above the
foliage. The past few meetings of the R.H.S.,
the N.C.S. and the N.D.S. have been prolific
in new varieties of true Cactus form, whilst of
the decorative Dahlias, a,% known by their flat
petals, but few have been shown. This is a
step in the right direction, for the former are
certainly of the two much the better.

V.A.LrE FOR Cutting.

For use in decoration Cactus Dahlias
require somewhat careful selection, and, still
more, careful manipulation. Undoubtedly
the most successful and the most effective
method of using them is in large vases suit-
able for corners of rooms or for hall tables.
No other style is so well adapted to the display
of these handsome and showy blooms, which
may easily become heavy and clumsy if arranged
in small receptacles. This does not apply of
course to the single Cactus varieties. For bold
and free arrangements it is absohitely essential
that the flowers should have long stalks, and
if, as in the case of Mrs. F. Fell and frequently
of Robert Cannell, the stalks droop too much,
they should be neatly wired. These heavy
drooping blooms last longer if so treated, and
are much easier to handle. Tinted foliage and
ornamental grasses are particularly well suited
for use with Cactus Dahlias. Bronze tips of
Berberis Aquifolium, trails of variegated Honey-
suckle, young Oak shoots, the golden Euony-
mus and almost innumerable other kinds of
leaves and shoots will at once suggest them-
selves. Any kind of grass is at once suitable
and beautiful, and greatly adds to the eftect.
Poa aquatica is excellent for large vases. For
smaller vases and for bowls it is by far the best
plan to gather small or only partly developed
blooms, and to avoid such varieties as Gloriosa,
Mayor Haskins, Fusilier and others, which
always bear such huge flowers. For ordinary
use in house decoration my favourite varieties
are Harmony, Countess of Gosford, Countess of
Radnor, Lady Penzance, Bertha Mawley, and
small blooms of Matchless, Robert Cannell and
Mrs. Barnes. Plenty of others could be men-
tioned, but these few will suffice as examples.
I have just arranged in a small bowl some
young blooms of Matchless with others of the
beautiful Harmony, the whole duly finished
with Asparagus plumosus and several different
ornamental grasses. The effect is strikingly
rich, yet very graceful. Perhaps no two
kinds blend more perfectly than those just
mentioned. Robert Cannell and Lady Pen-
zance also make an effective group. Now
we must consider the single Cactus Dah-
lias—by far the most beautiful of all Dahlias
for decoraf ion. They are charming if used alone ,
and equally so if mixed with the single kinds
or with the ordinary Cactus varieties. They
are most graceful ; their colours are pure and
lovely, and they have almost without ex-
ception long, stiff' stalks. If care is taken to
select very young flowers they will last in water
for days. Brenda, the best yellow, and Queen
Mary, a pure white, make a very delicate-look-
ing arrangement, and for an epergne they com-
bine admirably with the Cactus forms Harmony
and Mrs. Barnes. Novar, a lovely ruby-col-

oured flower, is effective, and looks parti-
cularly well mingled with Evelyn, a pretty
rosy lilac single. Sir Walter is also good for
cutting, and is best arranged alone. The same
may be said of Ivanhoe. All these varieties
are greatly improved by the addition of grasses.

Perhaps at this time of the year 1 may men-
tion the great value of Dahlias of all kinds, but
especially the large Cactus varieties, in church
decoration. Arranged on frames in exhibition
style they are most useful, especially in a build-
ing that is somewhat diiticult to decorate effec-
tively. They are excellent, too, for devices in
ecclesiastical work, as they do not fade quickly
when not placed in water, and they are bold
enough in character to look well at a consider-
able distance.

Vakieties.

The following will be found to be a fairly
complete list of the best Cactus Dahlias. It
includes none which are not recognised by the
National Dahlia Society as being of the true
Cactus type. I wUl not describe those which have
been exhibited for the first time during the pre-
sent season and which will be distributed next
spring, as they have recently been described in
the columns of The Garden. These latter in-
clude some of the very finest yet sent out, c.ff.,
Starfish, Cycle, Keynes' White, Mrs. Leopold
Seymour, lona, Chas. Woodbridge, and Fantasy.

Matchless. — The appropriateness of the name
of this variety is well merited. The colour is rich
velvety maroon. The flowers, which are borne
in the greatest profusion, are usually of a nice
medium size. Height about .3 feet.

Apollo. — Colour rich crimson-scarlet. The
flower is an improvement on Juarezi, but it does
not laet sufficiently long in perfection. The plant
might well be more free-flowering. Height 3 feet.

Harmony. — Colour reddish bronze, shading to
yellow. Petals well pointed and long. Flowers
of medium size and produced in fair quantity,
but not always out of the foliage. Height 3 feet.

CorxTESS OF Gosford. — Similar to preceding.
Flowers smaller and paler ; growth also strontrer.
Height 4 feet.

Lady Penzance.— One of the finest yet raised.
It is without question the best yellow, but, unfor-
tunately, the flowers hide themselves in the
foliage. Height i feet.

Gloriosa.— This variety is rather too tall,
attaining even to S feet. The colour is
crimson-scarlet. The petals are long and ex-
quisitely twisted. A splendid exhibition variety.

Robert Cannell.— This variety is still one of
the best. Colour magenta. Petals well pointed.
Flower of medium size. Height 4 feet. The only
points which can be urged against this first-rate
variety are that the flowers are not borne upright
on the stems and that the colour is somewhat
bleached by the sun.

Juarezi.— This favourite old variety is too well
known to need detcription.

Purple Prince. — A neat variety, dark purple
in colour, the small flowers produced in great
numbers.

CocNTEss OF Radnor. — Aledium flowers of a
lovely and distinct shade of colour, salmon, rose,
and pink being well blended. Flowers produced
in large quantity on short stems beneath foliage.
Height 4 feet.

Mrs. Barnes. — A desirable variety, free-
flowering, and of good habit. Height 3 feet to 4
feet. The flowers, perhaps a little large in size, are
of a pale primrose colour, shading to pale pink at
the tips of the petals.

Miss V. Moroan. — The flowers of this variety
are small, orange shading to pink at tips of petals
and produced too frequently beneath the foliage,
though not on very short stems. Height 4 feet.

Delicata. — One of the prettiest and most dis-
tinct varieties, and one of the greatest favourites
on the exhibition stand, almost white at base of
petals, shading off to a most beautiful pink at the
points. The petals are long and narrow. Un-

fortunately, the blooms are rather hidden by the
foliage. It is somewhat ditiicult to propagate from
cuttings. Height about 3 feet.

Mayor Haskins.— This variety is somewhat
similar to Gloriosa as regards the flower, but the
habit of growth is quite different and not alto-
gether desirable. Height about 3 feet. Colour
bright crimson -scarlet, about two or three shades
deeper than Gloriosa. The Cactus form of the
flower is not so constant, and sometimes inclines to
become coarse.

Kynerith was one of the earliest introductions
amongst the modern Cactus type, and it still re-
tains its place in the select list. It is very free-
flowering and scarcely ever shows a green eye.
It may be considered as an improvement on
Juarezi. The colour is vermilion, darker and
richer than that of Juarezi, the habit good. Height
about 3 feet.

Ernest Cannell.— Flowers orange-red, thrown
right above the foliage on long, stiff stems. The
form is somewhat coarse and unreliable. Not free
flowering.

Bertha Mawley. — A lovely variety. Flowers
produced in great quantity. Height about 3 feet.
Colour cochineal. Flowers of medium size.

Beauty of Arundel is a sport from Juarezi,
which it exactly resembles in every particular ex-
cept colour, which is crimson, shaded with purple.

Mrs. a. Peart. — This was introduced as the
first white Cactus ; it is, however, not pure white ;
the creamy tinge is quite unmistakable. The
first flowers of the season usually come good, but
the later ones have yellow eyes. The height is
from 3 feet to 4 feet, the habit fairly good.

Mrs. F. Fell.— This variety also is a white
Cactus, but it often has a decided lilac tinge, par-
ticularly on the reverse of the petals. It; is ob-
tained white by heavy shading, when the centre
may appear greenish. It is free-flowering, but
the flowers droop over and hang towards the
ground.

Mrs. Montefiore. — A magnificent fiery crim-
son-scarlet flower of splendid shape and of me-
dium size : good for exhibition. The plant is of
fairly good habit. Height about 4 feet.

Mrs Wilson Nop.le. — This is a new variety,
very free flowering and distinct. Flowers of good
shape, pinkish-salmon in colour, and of medium
size. Height from 3 feet to 4 feet.

Beatrice is another distinct variety, the colour
pale rose. The centre of the flower tends to
show a green eye and the central petals are too
flat.

Earl of Pembroke.- This seems to be a
favourite variety. The florets, very long and
peculiarly arranged, are of a plum colour, deeper
towards the centre. The habit is good and
height about 4 feet. I cannot understand the
popularity of this variety : its colour is most
unattractive.

Henry Stredwick is a new variety of distinct
merit, the colour deeper than that of Mrs. Monte-
fiore. The petals are twisted in a peculiar
manner.

The following is a select list of the best single
Cactus varieties. Each of those mentioned can
be relied upon for quality. The height is about
3 feet in each case, except Brenda, which is not
much more than 2 feet. The race as a whole is
very free-flowering, and one or two dozen
flowers can almost always be gathered from a
single plant. Meg Merrilies, however, is an
exception in this respect.

Brenda. — Yellow, petals of splendid shape.

Queen Mary. — White, with pale yellow disc.

NovAR. — Purple and magenta ; large bold
flower.

IvANHOE. — Colour rose-lilac, with dark crimson
band round centre, very pretty and distinct.

Sir Walter. — Colour bright rosy mauve, with
red ring round centre.

Meg Merrilies.— Clear yellow, a pretty flower
quite distinct from Brenda.

Akgyle is a good crimson variety.

J. H.

236

THE GAEDEK

[September 19, 1896.

DRYING LILY BULBS.
Beino anxious to find a cure for the Lilium can-
didum disease I last year treated some bulbs after
the manner advocated by " E. J." (p. 67). The
baking process, although it certainly shrivelled
the bulbs, did not apparently affect their bloom-
ing, as they flowered well, though the stems were
shorter and the tlowers rather smaller than usual,
owing to the drought. There was no fign of
disease, but this has been held in abeyance during
the present season to such an extent by the e.x-
treme dryness of the atmosphere and absence of
rain, that it may be well not to attribute their
ioimunity to the sun-drying without further trial.
No one would, I imagine, take up bulbs that
were in robust health and satisfactory in every
way for the purpose of subjecting them to treat-
ment presumably fatal to their well-being, but
should the plants become an eyesore on account
of their diseased condition, he is the wisest man
who tries every remedy, however contrary to
nature some of them may appear, that in one of
them he may find the cure which has hitherto
eluded him and others. I have used Paris green,
sulphide of potassium, and permanganate of
potash, sprayed on to the plants with a fine
syringe, but without effect, though I have been
told by others that they have been able to cheek
the disease by these fungicides. Where Lilium
candidum is grown to any extent a bad attack of
the disease is disastrous, since, at the time when
the flower garden should be at its loveliest, it is
rendered unsiehtly by the evidences of wholesale
death and decay. Unfortunately, my experiences
and those of several acquaintances have been
opposed to Mr. Burrell's (p. 149), in that I have
again and again seen every stem in a large plan-
tation levelled by the disease. I have observed
that in a wet spring the Lilies look particularly
healthy until the buds are well formed, then the
wellknoNvn browning and curling at the tips of
the stem-leaves commence ; then, about a third
or half way up the stem, a dark blotch appears,
which rapidly spreads until the stem tissues rot
and the flower-head falls prone. In dry seasons
like the present, the disease seems chiefly confined
to the leaves. I am certainly of opinion, from
reasons that I have given from time to time in
The Garden, that the foliage of imported bulbs
is more easily affected by the disease than is that
of those that have been grown on from year to
year in English gardens. Why this should be I
cannot say, for, as far as I can learn, this Lily in
the south of France, from whence the majority of
our importations come, is remarkably healthy.
I can bear out " E. J.'s" statement (p. 171) that
the drying up of Lily roots does not necessarily
lessen their flowering powers, for one of the best
batches of L. speciosum that I h.ave ever seen in
pots was produced from bulbs that had remained
unsold in a shop till the early spring. They were
then placed five in a 9|-inch pot, the bulbs at the
time being much shrivelled, threw up eight to
ten stems in each pot, many of which stems
reached a height of 4 feet and flowered very
freely. As there were a dozen pots in all, and
all were equally satisfactory, this instance seems
conclusive evidence that, in some cases at all
events, drying does not entail loss of vitality.

S. W. F.

Salpiglossis in the flower grarden.— How

beautiful this lovely annual is this season, the
varied colours reminding one of (iloxinias. The
dry season has not affected it in the least.
The soil, however, is deep, rich, and sandy, and
this, I think, is one of the secrets of 8ucce=s in
producing the Salpiglossis to perfection, as I have
noticed on heavy soils the plants die oflf and the
colours are not very bright. In the flower garden
I have a bed quite 12 feet over, with two outer
bands of Iresine Lindeni and Veronica Andersoni
variegata, and the effect is beautiful. The seeds
are best sown early in March, in a box which is
placed in gentle warmth, the seedlings being
pricked out into other boxes directly they are
large enough to handle. This latter is very
essential, as the Salpiglossis is very tender in its

earlier stages of growth, quickly damping off.
The plants should be lifted carefully with a
ball and planted out at the latter end of May or
early in June, when they will grow away without
a check and branch freely. — A. YorNc. i

Nymphsea Marliacea chromatella. —
" Medway " does not say in what sort of water
his Nympha>a is growing. With me this sort is
very free flowering. The first year I had it, it
began to flower soon after it was planted and kept
on till frost stopped its growth. This year it
began to bloom at the end of May, and is still
flowering well, although the flowers now are not
so large as a month ago. Perhaps " Medway's"
plant is in very cold water or where it gets too
much shade. All the Nympha>as like the full
sun. — Wii.Li.\M TowNSEND, Sand/mrsi Lodge,
Wokingham, Jlerk-x.

Carnation Baby Castle. — My experience
this season with this Carnation is directly opposite
to that of your correspondent, "H.C. P." (p. 181).
It. has failed utterly,.- ome do/ens not producing one

duration, as it proved such a bad and persistent
pod burster. It used to do remarkably well in
the neighbourhood of Great Yarmouth, the moist
sea air seemingly suiting it, as indeed it does
Carnations generally, in spite of the soil being
rather sandy. Gloire de Nancy is less liable to
pod-splitting in a cool, moist, well-drained soil. —
J. Crawford.

Coleus Distinction.— This is a very striking
variety, and is used with fine effect at Strath-
fieldsaye. Single plants bearing not only large, but
intensely deep maroon-coloured leafage, stand out
with marked effect amongst plants that give pale
hues. It may not be suitable for massing, as it
would hardly stand pinching, but for dot plants
it is very fine and well worthy of wide cultivation.
-D.

Fuchsias outdoors. — These arc very orna-
mental in vases outdoors, flowering from the time
they are put out in June till the end of Septem-
ber. I have had them a mass of bloom as late as
the middle of October. Another wny to show

Flowers of Dahlia Juarez

good or even decent bloom, though it was layered i
early in August, grew away freely into nice
strong plants, and looke i as well as any in my
collection, which extends to about 2(M} plants.
Had it not been known, it would have been con-
signed to the ruljljish heap after its behaviour
this season, which has made me rather hesitate
before sending to the same place one or two pro- {
raising seedlings of "unfulfilled renown," for it
shows how wrong we may be in condemning a
flower on the evidence of a single season. Some
few other Carnations known to be good ones also
failed in a great measure this year, among them
Crimson Clove, though none so utterly as Raby
Castle. --R. P. S., South J/amjKhire.

Carnation Gloire de Nancy.— Reference
was made in the issue of August 27 to this large
free-flowering, white Clove-scented Carnation. I
remember its first being sent out and the praises
which greeted it, it being found to possess a very
vigorous constitution, and not liable to die off like
the old crimson clove. Market growers also grew
it by the thousand, but its popularity was of short

; in a jar. {See p. 234.)

these beautiful plants off is to plunge" them ir>
groups on the lawn, letting the grass just hide
the rim of the pot, and putting them sufhciently
wide apart that each plant may show itself to ad-
vantage. In this way, with a background of
green trees or shrubs, they look well. Unlike
Geraniums, they are not easily spoilt by rain,
neither are they so easily broken by wind as some
people imagine if properly secured to a good
stake. I also use a great many in beds, but I do
not much care for them in a mass, as they do
not show off their flowers nicely. I grow them
with a straight stem, 3 feet high, and then form a
small head. These I plant 2 feet to .3 feet apart,
filling up the bed with other plants which keep
just below the heads of the Fuchsias. In this
way they look charming the whole summer.
Many a time I have seen them one mass of bloom
when all the Geraniums have been spoilt by rain.
The single sorts, as a rule, flower best outdoors.
A few of the sorts that do well here are Charm-
ing, Blushing Bride, Rose of Denmark, Countess
of Aberdeen, Mr. King, Display, Rose of Castile,

September 19, 1896.]

THE GARDEI^,

'237

Alba coccinea, Erecta Novelty, Aurora superba,
Dr. Matthew?, (xeneral Roberts, Dr. Lancaster,
and Cannell's Gem. Amongst doubles are Ed-
mond About, Lothair, Berliner Kind, Mme. Jules
Chretien, and Frau Emma Topfer. Thase now,
after a week of very heavy rains, are looking
quite gay, very different from the Geraniums,
which are very shabby, and will scarcely recover
again this season.— William Townsend, Sand-
hurst Lodije, ^yokingham, Berks.

Ageratums.— Of no value for the production
of cut flowers, not an undesirable feature some-
times in flower garden plants, there is no Agera-
tum that can compare with Perle Bleu for carpets
or lines, so far as my experience of these plants
goes. The variety blooms so profusely and is so
dwarf-habited, that it seems to make little or no
cuttings ; hence it is needful to lift and pot up a
number of the plants in the autumn, cutting them
back, and housing in gentle warmth, and thus in-
ducing them to break freely in the spring. Then
plenty of cuttings may be obtained through which
to secure a good stock of plants.— A. D.

"White Everlasting Pea.— Like Mr. Crook, I
find this a most useful plant. I have it growing
in a semi-shaded position in the kitchen garden
supported by tall branching Pea rods, which are
placed to it each season as soon as growth is 6
inches high. Here it succeeds well, producing its
chaste white flowers in abundance, and, coming in
after the Sweet Peas are past, fills their place
admirably. A tall vase furnished with flowers
and having a few pieces of the growth intermingled
and loosely hanging down over the edges of the
vase are hard to beat for delicacy at this season of
the year. The roots should be mulched in spring
with some good rich semi-decayed manure. — J. C.

ASTERS.
These showy annuals have done very indifferently
in many places this season, the dry, arid atmo-
sphere which prevailed during the early stages of
their growth having been anything but favour-
able to them. In seasons like these careless cul-
ture soon tells its own tale. Amateurs often err
in sowing their Asters too soon and in coddling the
young plants, thereby weakening their constitu-
tion in their very infancy and exposing them to
the attacks of aphis. The middle of April is soon
enough to put in the seed, and nothing is better
than a small frame placed on a flat bed of soil.
Much sloping beds used by some, in order, as they
think, to catch the sun's rays better, are by no
means the best for the small seeds of annuals, as
they dry too quickly, rendering frequent watering
necessary, many of the seedlings when in quite a
young, tender state, and before being thinned
out, damping off. Damping also is greatly en-
couraged by sowing too thickly, as the seedlings
cannot be thinned out till a certain stage of
growth is reached. When in a frame they should
be slightly fumigated as eoon as they make the
first pair of rough leaves, as it is astonishing how
soon green or black fly— the latter the greatest
enemy of Asters— attacks them, and prevention is
better than cure. Plenty of air is necessary,
avoiding, however, total exposure until May
comes in, when the lights should be entirely re-
moved during the daytime, being careful to draw
the lights over in case of heavy rains or thunder-
storms. Thm out freely and press the young
plants gently into the soil with the finger and
thumb to firm them and encourage a dwarf, stocky
growth. Planting into their permanent positions
should not be unduly postponed if the weather is
tolerably fine, as the plants soon become drawn
and weakly, and take to the borders or beds
badly. If cutting winds or cold nights prevail,
afford a temporary shelter by a rough framework
and the use of mats or canvas for a time, and take
care not to water the plants late in the day. The
ground for Asters is best prepared some time be-
forehand, and although a rich root-run is needed
strong manure must not be dug in just before
planting, or the plants may go off wholesale.
January or February is the best time for the
work, the manure being well buried and a little

friable loamy soil stirred in a few inches deep to
give the roots a chance of a good start. A
moderate fumigation with tobacco smoke should
be given a few days previous to planting out, soak-
ing the soil of the frame well at the same time
to ensure lifting with a good ball. The beds or
borders which are to receive the plants should, if
not moist enough with rain, be artificially watered.
A proof of the necessity of plenty of moisture for
Asters is afforded by the fact that they always do
best in dull, showery springs and summers. A
dry time is, however, requisite when the plants
are in bloom. J. C.

FLOWER GARDEN NOTES.
Ix view of the fact that there are many annuals
that have come well through the present season,
and are even now flowering freely when the glory
of many bedding plants is departed, it may be
well to draw attention to a few more of the most
serviceable, in addition to those mentioned in pre-
vious notes. To the bond fide annuals may be
added the names of several perennials that are
now often treated as annuals, and the opportunity
thereby afforded of varying the display with each
succeeding year, without the necessity of lifting,
dividing and replanting will doubtless have a ten-
dency to bring this mode of cultivation more into
favour. Many of the plants thus available are
remarkable for very bright or gorgeously coloured
flowers, and as they also possess great powers of
endurance they will doubtless, together with
hardy perennials, gradually oust the more tender
bedding plants that one has to keep under glass
for some eight months of the year. Most of the
undermentioned annuals want early sowing in a
little gentle warmth about the beginning of
March, pricking out into frames, pits or boxes as
soon as they are ready, and gradually hardening
off to be ready by the middle of May. Possibly
one of the most striking plants that can be
utilised in this way is the (iaillardia, and from a
good strain of seed one gets excellent flowers,
very nearly as good as though an investment is
made in named varieties. Seedlings of the cur-
rent J ear are not quite so early, but there is not
much to complain of in this respect, and they
keep flowering until the advent of frost. The
most gorgeous of bond fide annuals are probably
the large-flowered varieties of Salpiglossis, and
from several gardens comes the report that they
have made the best beds of the year. Being
rather late flowering, they should be sown at the
same time and treated as recommended for Gail-
lardias— a remark that also applies to Petunias,
the large flowering varieties of which, with their
brilliant colours and peculiar >'einings, are second
only to the Salpiglossis. To be sown with the
Petunia and grown along with it may be added
Phlox Drummondi and Nemesia strumosa. A
varied and beautiful display has been furnished
for some time by Pentstemon gloxinioides, sown
in warmth at the end of February. The display
is all the more creditable from the fact that the
plants are growing in the driest corner of the
garden, and, beyond one good soaking at plant-
ing time, they have had to shift for themselves.
The quality is all one could desire ; a score might
easily be picked out that would hold their own
with named varieties. Two very bright things
are available in Linum and Coreopsis grandillora ;
the latter, especially for bright colouring and
endurance, must take rank with the best. What
can we have for a dry aspect and rather poor soil
is a question not easily answered. If the beds
are small there is nothing better than Portulaca,
and very beautiful strains are now to be had.
The individual flowers are much improved in size,
and some eight or ten different shades are avail-
able, all of which are bright and striking.

PREPAR.iTiONS FOR SPRING. — Where a display
of spring flowers is required it will soon be a busy
time, planting following ^close on the heels of
the tender stuff'. So far as a geometrical garden
is concerned, it is better to avoid mixtures, espe-
cially in the case of small beds, both in the matter
of alternate dotting, or two kinds respectively

central and as an edging, uoless it ba with
families supplying many varieties that can be
used effectively in contrasts, as Wallflowers and
Polyanthuses ; the latter family espacially pre-
sents a charming effect when the diffarent shades
are thoroughly mixed together, and they, fortu-
nately, possess the merit of blending together
finely. There is no danger of an effect that is
jarring and repulsive. The fashion of dotting
Tulips and Daffodils among the Polyanthuses
I do not admire, as such a stylo seems un-
natural and opposed to the best principles of
planting. There can, however, be no objection
to such bulbs rising out of a dwarf carpet such aa
could be formed by Aubrietias in variety, Arabis
albida, or the variegated forms of the Utter
flower. Bold blocks of Polyanthus in separate
colours will look well in large beds or massas of
Myosotis or Silene, the two latter broken by
occasional plants of a conifer of graceful habio.
If Tufted Pansies are to be planted now, they
may safely be placed where they can remiin
right away through another summer. If any-
thing is wanted to associate with them, it can bo
found in Pyrethrums, Antirrhinums, or scarlet
Lobelia ; no better combinations can possibly be
desired. In connection with the propagation of
Tufted Pansies, or, more correctly, Pansies used
for bedding, "A. D." must remember that his
system of cutting the plants over in August to
produce the tufted growth would necessitate a
stock of all kinds in nursery beds. One does not
want to cut over a portion of the flower beds
while the plants are yet full of flower. Also
taking the hundred varieties catalogued (I fancy
this would be about the number), what proportion
of these in a season like the present would give
one as a result of the cutting over the myriads of
divisible pieces each with its own rootlets ? Not
any more than 20 per cent. But take the true
tufted type. I want to plant in October, and
by this time my July cuttings are nice strong
plants with plenty of roots that will furnish the
beds fairly well. "Could the September divisions
be utilised in a similar way? Hardly, unless one
simply broke the plant into some five or six
pieces" ; if into a hundred or more, the tiny things
would cut a sorry figure in the open ground, and
they will move very slowly after the end of Sep-
tember.

Good thin(:s in fi,"\ver.— Helenium autumr.ale
var. striatum, or rather grandicephalum striatum,
is unique among Sunflowers on account of the
striped or blotched flowers. The latter are small,
but are produced in great profusion, and the
plant as a whole shows a head of rich bronze
which contrasts very effectively with several of
the Starworts now in flower. Helianthus maxi-
mus is a very vigorous variety, attaining in fairly
good soil a height of between 7 feet and 8 feet, a
grand plant for the extreme back of large borders,
and very effective if grouped in connection with
Corylus purpurea or Prunus Pissardi. Other two
plants equally good at this season in contrast
with these dark-foliaged shrubs are Asters Purity
and Shorti.

Lobelias.— Considerable difference has been
apparent this year between clumps left in the
ground through the winter and others that had
to be taken up and were not planted until early
in the spring of the present year, the advantage
both in the matter of early flowering and vigour
being altogether on the side of the undisturbed
plants. The others are not yet at their best— in
fact, given a September frost rather more severe
than the average, many of the flowers are hardly
likely to develop. Where a bit of foliage like
that of the herbaceous Lobelias is required, they
should be used wherever practicable in lieu of
such things as Perilla and Beet, and if circum-
stances permit, should be planted in autumn. A
good thick mulch will keep them safely. The
spaces between the plants can be dotted with
Forget-me-not or anything of similar habit.

PvKETHRms.— It seems a strange time to write
of Pyrethrums, but so far as foliage is concerned
they are quite the best things in the garden at
the present time. Although trimmed over rather

2Pii

THE GAT^DEK

[September 19, 1896.

hard at the end of the flowering season, they
were in consequence of the drought a long time
in making a fresh start. The rain came and
gave them the required stsrt ; the foliage is now
beautifully fresh, healthy, and vigorous, and the
beds in which clumps of the Pyrethrum alternate
with Lilias and William Xiel Pansies areas bright
and fresh as anything we have.

Claremojit. E. BrRRELL.

NEW CACTI'S DAHLIAS.
TiiK raifers of Dahlias are producing Cactus
forms in fairly large numbers, and thus they seem
determined to ktep pace with their increasing
popularity. The taste for blooms not unduly
laige appears to be thought of too. for the best of
the new sorts are medium in size. Narrow- pointed
florets are noticeable and colours varied. I do not
doubt but that in a few jears the Cactus forms
will, like the Japanese Chrysanthemums, for in-
stance, almost drive other types of the same
species out of cultivation. Nor should I be sur-
prised to see Dahlias equally ragged in form as
the famous autumn flower. Fantasy, a well-
named red shaded bloom, is especially light in
form and pretty. Chas. Woodbridge (dark crim-
son) appears to be among the handsomest of
Cactus varieties. Very little of it has been seen,
but one striking bloom at the Aquarium the other
day was much admired. Miss Webster was noted
a short time back as a true white Cactus form,
but later flowers run too much on the lines of the
heavypetalled type, named decorative Dahlias.
These so-called white Cactus Dahlias have been
too numerous and have led to no end of dis-
appointment. Mrs. Francis Fell and Mahala
Sheriff, for instance, which came with a great
flourish, turn out to be heavy, dull - coloured
types of the worst class. Keynes' White is by
far the best that has yet appeared. This is
an improvement on Mrs Peart, a true Cactus
form occasionally, but uncertain. Bridesmaid is
a light-coloured variety of charming form, and if
it will throw its blooms well out of the foliage it
will prove a greater favourite than Delicata. A
long flower stem was to have been a leading point
with Dahlia experts in giving awards to new sorts,
and as most of these I shall name which struck me
as good at the exhibitions received certificates of
merit, I should imagine that in each case a long
stem is not wanting. Starfish is a pretty salmon-
red flower. Harry Streadwick, a very dark
maroon flower, is particularly handsome. Fusilier
is a decided gain. I have this in flower ; the
colour (salmon-red) and form are all that could be
desired. Mrs. Wilson Noble, pink with salmon
shade, is among the most charming of all.
Beatrice, a rose-coloured bloom, is very distinct
and telling. I like the colours of Miss A. Nightin-
gale (yellow and scarlet), which is a striking
combination, but the flower is somewhat heavy.
Princess Ena has blooms with shades of red and
yellow which make up a pretty contrast. Earl of
Pembroke is quite the best of a plum or purple
shade, and the sort is extra free blooming.

S.

Aster Eynsford Yellow.— Last spring a
packet of seed of this Aster was sent me. The
seed was sown with other varieties at the end of
March, and subsequently treated in the usual
way as regards pricking out and hardening off.
Being a new variety, I had the plants put out on
a piece of ground by themselves, so that they
might be under daily observation. Like all other
bedding plants, they made but little headway for
some time, owing to the heat and drought, but by
watering them occasionally they were kept going
until rain fell in sufficient quantity to benefit
them. They have grown freely since and are at
the present time in full bloom. The flowers are
very freely produced, and I counted as many as
thirty open on one plant. The flowers are of good
size and of perfect globular form, the colour being
a pleasing creamy yellow. The habit of growth
is also good and not so tall as in Betteridge's
Quilled Aster, of which Eynsford Yellow teems to

be a variety. The plants are also busby and branch
freely.— A. W.

Iris stylosa. — This blooms sparingly with me
each year in a frame. I am told that it ought to
be in very poor soil. At Cannes, where it grows
and flowers well, it is in simple decomposed
granite soil. At no greater dist.ance than Nice it
does not grow so freely nor flower so well. There
the soil is much richer— a limestone (the same
is the case with Acacia dealbata). The finest
plants and flowers of this species which I have
ever seen were at Cintra, Portugal, where the soil
also is granitic. What soil does Zauschneriacali-
fornica require ? I cannot get it to bloom here even
in a warm, sunny situation. I never saw it do
well in England, except in Mr. Thompson's most
interesting gaiden at Ipswich, — R. Milne Red-
head, Iloldcn C/oiKjIi, C'litheroe.

Japanese Anemones.— The three varieties of
these useful and beautiful border perennials are
now among the gayest of early autumn flowers,
with a profusion of buds also that will render
them attractive till far away into late autumn.
Like the Eucharis among stove plants, the white
variety is exceedingly chaste and beautiful with
its snow-white flowers, that render it (juite uni(|ue;
and still very helpful, by the warm, ruddy glow
of their flowers, are the coloured varieties.
Planted freely among shrubs and in the border,
they are very attractive at this season.

Zepidotriclium TJechtritzianum.— This is
the unwieldy name given to a pretty and innocent
little crucifer with small white flowers that is now
flowering in the herbaceous department at Kew.
Fortunately, perhaps, it has a greater interest
botanically than otherwise, so that gardeners may
not shrink from its ponderous title. The plant
comes from Bulgaria, and forms a somewhat thin
pyramid of its inflorescence, which in part issues
almost horizontally from the stem and lies pros-
trate or nearly so on the surface.

LILIUM CANDIDUM.

That drying off the bulbs of this Lily does arrest
or lessen the disease to which the plant is subject
I am convinced, although I am just as certain
that there is no direct connection between the
bulbs and the disease. The advantage of lifting
and keeping the bulbs out of the ground until
autumn is that they are kept dormant during a
dangerous period, while if left in the ground
growth is made very soon after the flowering
season has passed, and here this late summer
growth soon becomes affected with the disease,
which is thus carried over to the spring in a con-
ditic n ready to attack the spring growth directly
it appears. By lifting and storing the bulbs in a
dry place for some weeks before replanting new
growth does not appear till spring, and then it
comes up clean and gets well forward before an
attack commences. Not knowing the life history
of this particular fungoid, the above is only a
theory of my own, but one which has worked out
well in practice, and, I take it, there is nothing ex-
traordinary in the cjuicker spreading of such a
disease to new growth from growth on the same
plants already affected than would bo possible
from spores deposited in autumn and lying on
the cold ground all winter. Rightly or wrongly,
I attribute much of the loss of flower to the
autumn growth becoming affected. Lifting cer-
tainly leads to heads of diminished size, but
these are better than the total absence of every-
thing but diseased flower-stems in July, which
has been my lot in some seasons, a thing that
stUl happens to unlifted clumps.

I see that a correspondent advances the theory
that disease only occurs on growth from imported
bulbs. This is certainly not borne out by facts
here or elsewhere within my ken. The many
hundreds of bulbs here have been grown from
time immemorial, and no importations have
taken pl;ice, so that with this as a safeguard we
should expect perfect immunity. To those whose
plants suffer from the disease, but who discredit

the lifting theory without trial, I say try it. Of
course, it is too late for this year, as lifting must
be done directly after the flowering period.

J. C. Tall.vck.

Violets.— Considerable difficulty has been ex-
perienced in a season like the present in keeping
the Violets destined for removal to pits at the end
of the present month at once growing freely and
comparatively free of red spider. I have been
glad that they were put out on a north-west bor-
der where they were not so much affected by the
prolonged drought. The cultural note to be re-
membered in connection with spider (and where
it is locally troublesome Violets are one of the
first things to be attacked) is to prevent it getting
the upper hand, and I find one of the best
remedies is a good mulching of fresh horse drop-
pings followed by a thorough soaking of water ;
the fumes of ammonia thereby generated are very
distasteful to the pest, and a healthy, vigorous
growth is promoted. Early in the month the
spade may be inserted round two sides of the
plants, and the operation repeated in a fortnight
from the first cutting. If a heap of rather stiff
road sidings that has been turned once or twice
is to hand, there is no better compost for filling in
around the lifted plants. Well packed in with a
good soaking of water to follow, and a little shade
for a few days, given a spell of bright sunshine,
will be all that are necessary to ensure the well-
being of the plants. — E. Burrele.

Societies and Exhibitions.

MESSRS. BUNYARD'S CENTENARY
SHOW.

This show was held in the Corn Exchange, Maid-
stone, and was a great success in every way, as the
competition for the prizes was very spirited, and in
few centres could such a wonderful show of fruit and
vegetables have been seen. The vegetables were
shown in immense quantities, many of them of
fine quality, allotment ■ holders and cottage
garden societies combining together in most
cases and sending a very fine exhibit. Fruit, as
may be expected, was very fine. The collections
of twelve dishes of hardy and indoor fruits were
very fine, and the same remark applies to the
Grapes and forced fruits. The only weak class in
the show was the cut flowers, and the heavy rain-
fall of late had spoiled these. We have never seen
such a lot of vegetables, much space being
taken up in the competition for the prizes offered
for the firm's specialities. The fruit was
staged in the larue hall, the second hall, the
corridors and the smaller rooms taking the
vegetables. The Messrs. Bunyard filled the
centre of the larger room with a splendid exhibit.
The fruit trophy car which was a leadinu feature
of the Lord Mayor's Show in 1893 was the central
object, and was worthy of the place of honour, as
here were seen some of the very best fruits ever
stafied : the base was built up of pyramids of the
best kinds of fruit, the centre Pears and Apples,
the ends Peaches, Grapes, Figs. The whole was
relieved with small plants of various kinds, the
Pernettyas and various berried plants being most
effective. The whole was festooned with Grapes
and wreathed with small fruits in variety. Men-
tion must be made of the grand dishes of fruit,
the Pears most noticeable being Dr. Jules Guyot,
Beurrc Mortillet, Doyenne Boussoch, Clapp's
Favourite, and Pitmaston Duchess. Apples
made a grand show and were superb as regards
colour. Duchess of Oldenburg, Duchess, Cox's
Orange, Bibston, and other dessert kinds were
very fine, and the cooking varieties were extra
large and in ureat quantities, many of them seed-
lings not in commerce. At each end of the
trophy were hwso collections of plants from the
firm, with a fine group of fruit trees in pots, the
colour of the fruit being noticeable. '(Ve have
seldom seen such Mere de Menage, Emperor

SBPTBJ5BKR 19,-1896.]

THE GAEDEK

239

Alexander and Cox's Pomona Apples as seen on
pot trees here. Cordon Pears, a fine collection
of small Fif; trees in lOinch pots, excellent pot
Vines (Hamburgh and Foster's Seedling), with
baskets of small fruits were also included.

The classes open to those in Kent and elsewhere
who at any time had had trees from the firm were a
distinct feature of the thow. The collection of
fruit (twelve dishes) was a fine exhibit here. Mr.
W. Jarman, gardener to Mr. H. A. Brassey, was
an easy first, his twelve dishes being very fine ex-
amples. Muscat of Alexandria Grapes were large
in bunch and berry, Alicante very fine. Princess
of Wales and Sea Eagle Peaches, Victoria and
Lord Napier Nectarines al?o good, with splendid
Pears, A[)ples. Melons and Plums. Mr. C. Earl,
gardener to Mr. E. dAvington Goldsmith, Somer-
bill, Tonbridge, was second with specially fine
Grapes and Peaches, but other dishes lacked size.
For collections of indoor or outdoor fruits, eight
(iches, Mr. Robinson, gardener to Mr. W. Law-
rence, HoUingbourne, was first with very fine
Buckland Sweetwater and Alicante Grapes, Sea
Eagle Peaches, and a superb dish of Mme. Trejve
Pear, and Plums. White Grapes were shown in
quantity, and a few very fine dishes were staged,
Messrs. Robinson and Kennard taking the leading
prizes. The be-t black of any variety came from
the Hon. R. Neville, Birling Manor (gardener,
Mr. Rabjohn). These were specially fine in berry,
bunch, and colour, Gros Maroc being staged.
Peaches were very fine, some grand fruits being
staged, Mr. Woodward, Barham Court Gardens,
being a good first, having Lord Palmerston, Sea
Eaprle, Dymond, Princess of Wales, a grand dish
of Nectarine Ptach and Late Admirable. Second,
Mr. A. Browing. Nectarines were neither so good
nor so numerous. Plums were excellent, both
dessert and cooking. Mr. H. Relf, gardener to
Mr. A. T. Killick, Maidstone, was first with three
dishes. Melons were a poor class as far as Cjuality
was concerned, only a few good fruits being
staged, Messrs. Earl and Robinson having the
best fruits in the different kinds. Pears were
good and numerous. Mr. Lewis, East Sutton
Park, had grand fruits of Souvenir du Congres,
Beurre dAmanlis, Clapp's Favourite, Doyenne
Boussoch, Triomphe de Vienne, and Williams' Bon
Chretien. In the smaller classes Mr. Rabjohn was
most successful. For twelve dishes of Apples, Mr.
Lewis had both cooking and dessert kinds of fine
quality. The Queen, Peasgood's Nonsuch, Warner's
King, and Golden Noble being most noticeable.
For dessert varieties, Mr. Browing had very fine
examples, Ribston, Col. Vaughan, Mother Apple,
Mabbott's Pearmain, Cox's and King of Pippins
being all good.

Brief mention must be made of the superb col-
lections of vegetables in the gardeners' class for
eighteen varieties. Mr. Snow, Wadhurst Park,
was a good first. Windsor Castle Potato, Cauli-
flowers, Onions, Parsnips, Beans, and Peas were
very good, Mr. E. Clements, gardener to Rev. H.
d'Ombrain, Westwell, being second with smaller
examples. For nine dishes Mr. Kennard was a
good first. There were ten collections for the
valuable prizes offered to cottage garden societies
and allotment -holders. This was a distinct
feature of the show. Here there was no re-
striction of kind and members were allowed to
combine together to make one exhibit, but
coarseness and undersize were taken into account ;
the whole had to be judged for usefulness for
cottagers' tables. These exhibits occupied much
space and were very good, being artistically set
up. The Milton Horticultural Society was first,
Ightham Horticultural being a good second.
Doubtless the Higham Horticultural Society had
the best and choicest dishes, but not quantity or
usefulness ; this was awarded the third prize. Cut
flowers and plants call for little notice, but the
vegetables in the single dish classes were numerous.
Carrots especially good, Cabbages also. Salads
were poor and Tomatoes not what one would ex-
pect ; Barham Court was the best type. Pota-
toes were good in every class and largely shown.

Messrs. Bunyard entertained a large number to
lunch, and complimentary speeches were made

congratulating the firm upon the happy way of
celebrating their centenary and the splendid ex-
hibits staged. The chairman, Mr. G. Bunyard,
replied. He said that day he had taken his son
into the business, and he thanked the judges for
their attention, the exhibitors for making so fine
a show, and last, his employes for their good
feeling and ready assistance at all times, and to
them he owed much of his

Crystal Palace fruit show. — On Thursday
October 1, and the two following days the Roy a
Horticultural Society's great show ot British fruit
will be held at the Crystal Palace. It promises to
be quite up to the usual standard of excellence.
Entries for competition will be received up to
Saturday, September 26, and schedules of prizes
may be obtained from the R.H.S. otiice, 117, Vic-
toria Street. A lecture will be given each day on
the following subjects : October 1, " The Import-
ance of British Fruit Growing from a Food Point
of View," by Mr. Edmund J. Baillie, F.L.S. ;
October 2, "The Cider and Perry Industry," by
Mr. C. W. RadcliEfe Cooke, M.P. ; October 3,
"Gathering, Storing, and Profitable Utilisation
of Apples and Pears," by Mr. John Watkins,
F. R.H.S. It is hoped that practical fruit growers
who attend the conference will join in the di
cussion.

Notes of the Week.

Aster ptarmicoides superbus. — This is a
very useful variety for August and early Septem-
ber, and forms a neat, compact, bushy plant that
is literally smothered with its white flowers.

Aster niveus. —An excellent variety with fair
sized blossoms of t;ood size and nearly pure white.
The plant is very free-flowerincr, commencing; in
September and continuing through October.
Height 24 feet.

Dactylis elegantissima atirea.— This is the
broad, golden-leaved form of D. glomerata. It is
certainly one of the most beautiful of variegated
gras-es, and singularly well adapted for hanging
baskets by reason of its long, gracefully drooping
foliage that completely hides pot or basket.

Hippeastrum stylosum is a beautiful species
from Brazil with flowers of a delicate yellowish
salmon-pink (an unusual mixture of colours that
may be seen by closely viewing the flowers),
veined and spotted with a deeper hue. The above
was recently in flower in No. 7 house at Kew.

Dahlia Gloriosa.— Those who require a Dah-
lia with large, distinct, informal flowers should
note this. The blooms over all are quite 6 inches,
the centre of the flower conical, the petals thinly
disposed, revolute and ascending at the point,
forming a sort of crescent, the colour a fiery crim-
son-scarlet.

Cyrtanthus hybridus. — There is something
exceptionally distinct in the apricot-salmon hue
of the flowers of this plant not usually met with
among the Amaryllidacea-, therefore the more
interesting. A plant in flower at Kew recently
had a scape bearing five of its beautiful and
striking flowers.

Aster Amellus elegans. — Like all the varie-
ties of the Amellus section, this possesses a dwarf
hal>it of growth and a freedom of flowering not
comparable with any other. This variety is al lOut
2 feet high, the ray florets of a rich indii;o-blue
with yellow centre. A distinct and pleasing va-
riety and a capital companion to the better-known
forms of this group.

CratSBgus Pyracantha Lselandi.— The
Messrs. Veitch, of Chelsea, had a most beautiful
lot of plants of this at the Drill Hall on Tuesday,
September 1, the plants being simply loaded with
large bunches of their richly coloured berries.
The abundance of its fruit appears to be charac-
teristic of the kind, as it was equally so in all the
plants shown, which were most attractive.

Wall gardening. — In the interesting article
by " F. W. B."in last issue, in which numerous

plants suitable for wall gardening are recom-
mended, it may be of interest to observe that
Erigeron mucronatus is naturalised on walls in four
or five places in Guernsey. It is a charming
plant, which grows quite easily from seed, and
ought, therefore, to be worth trying. — R. I. L.

Funkia grandiflira. — A most valuable
species for flowering in pots in the greenhouse,
where it produces in succession for a very long
time its snow - white and fragrant blossoms.
These latter are at least 5 inches long and dis-
tinct from those of the majority of this genus.
In strong plants the flowers are very numerous
and with several scapes, developing floweis simul-
taneously. It forms a very attractive plant during
late summer and early autumn.

ALterlinearifolius. — There are very fewof the
early-flowering Asters that can compare with
this in its wondrous masses of starry blossoms. A
single growth if cut 6 inches above ground and
assuming the plant had not been grown in an
overrun border, or such as had been too thickly
planted, would in itself be a perfect bush of its
pleasing blue flowers. Its compact and dwarf
habit not requiring staking of any kind, fits it in
an especial manner for the flower garden.

Campanula fragilis. — Though often com-
mended as a good plant for the rock garden, it is,
perhaps, far more frequently seen as a w indow
plant. The specific name is here very appropriate,
as the fragile nature of the stems, together with
their short and brittle character, requires that it
receive careful handling. When fully expanded,
its clear lilac-purple flowers are nearly or (juite
flat and very showy. The true plant has a short,
sturdy, stem-like trunk, and is quite distinct in
this respect. It may be raised quite freely from
seed.

Double Begonias.— I am sending you a box
of double Begonias from seed of my own saving ;
they are seedlings of this year growing in a larga
bed outside. You will notice many ot the stalks
of the very largest blooms are quite upright,
a point I have been trying to obtain for
some years. Last night's thunderstorm spoiled
some of the largest blooms I had open. I have
some hundreds in one bed, and they are very
showy indeed. The rain we have had lately has
left us without a perfect Pelargonium bloom, and
has st-emed to add to the beauty of the Begonias.
— T. Gkesun.

Campanula garganica hirsuta. — This va-
riety is not nearly so often seen as it should b?,
for it possesses many points of merit which render
it a most useful and showy plant for rockwork
for window boxes, or the like. The downy nature
of its stems and leaves is at once a distinct cha-
racteristic of the plant, and when well covered
with its lilac-blue flowers is very showy. Grown
as a window plant in a pot it forms a raised
mound-like central tuft, and from this the sprays
of blossom furnish the pot completely when well
estalilished, the flowering often lasting from Juno
to September with careful treatment.

Cyananthus lobatus.— This is one of the most
charming of seasonable hardy flowers at present
in the garden. As a choice flowering plant,
too, in the rock garden, which is the position best
suited to it at all times, it has few rivals at its
time of flowering. The flowers are of a bright
purple-blue, funnel-shaped, with fine much-re-
flexed tongue-shaped segments, while in the
throat are many soft whitish hairs. It should
receive a warm sheltered spot, but such an one
that a good watering may be given in dry seasons.
Such bright telling bits of colour are rare, and
the plants producing them are worth special
care.

Heliopsis scabra B. Ladhams.— Judged
by a bunch of its flowers alone and as seen re-
cently at the Drill Hall, this would appear a much
improved form of the original species. A better
idea of the true worth of such things would of
course be forthcoming by cutting a full head of
bloom from a plant, and as the original is such

abundant bloomer there should be little difti-

240

THE GAEDEK

[September 19, If

culty in securing this. The above variety, how-
ever, as shown, displayed flowersi of larper size —
'2 inches to 3 inches across, and of a deep ricli
golden hue. If as free-flowering as the type, it
would make a most useful plant in large borders
or the like.

The Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas). — I
forward you hy post a small branch taken from
a s^)eeimen i:rowinir at The Styche (Lady Mar-
iraret Herbert's seat near Market Drayton), cover-
ing a space of S yards by ."i.i yards and 12 feet
high, the garden walk passing under it. It is
literally covered with ite large oval berries, of
a beautiful cornelian-red colour. Its berries
when fully ripe arc used for makin;^ marmalade
and jelly, but, beyond any useful purpose it may
have, it well deserves to be more extensively
planted for its ornamental character in our wood-
land walks and gardens, giving such a glow of
colour in the lor<.' shadows of our autumnal days.
-T.^R. Cr.KSEv.

*,* Brilliant scarlet fruit thick on the branches,
and one of the handsomest things in fruits ever
seen.-ED.

A fine Lilium auratum.— I purchased an im-
ported bulb of Lilium auratum some months ago,
selecting it from a large number of others. The
bloom sent is from that bulb. Will you kindly
say what it is? The accompanying bloom is the
second which has opened. There are ten still to
open.— Alfred EEr;.\R Tri-ckell, Maxwelltoirn,

*«* The flower sent is a wonderful variety of L.
auratum, evidently a form of L. a. rubro-vittatum
where the colour has not been confined to the
central streak, but has overspread the whole
flower, particularly the sepals, which are wholly
covered. It does not show any trace of L. I'ark-
maniii or affinity to L. speciosum. It is the most
highly. coloured form of L. auratum I have ever
seen.— R. W. W.u.i.v e.

Helianthus orgyalis.— This is the tallest
and certainly the most graceful of all the Sun-
flowers. It is also the smallest flowered species.
In the garden at this season of the year, however,
this plant can hold its own by reason of the dis-
tinct grace which characterises it. L.T,rge esta-
blished clumps of it will attain fully 10 feet high,
the neat and slender stems being well furnished
with numerous linear, recurving leaves and ter-
minating in a large panicle composed of numer-
ous small yellow blossoms. Where space on the
la«n can be given to isolated examples of this
plant it forms one of the most useful and beauti-
ful as well as graceful of autumn flowering peren-
nials. A large stool will produce twenty to
thirty of its graceful stems, and these fully de-
veloped make quite a unique feature in the gar-
den. Once well planted it should be left alone
for several years.

Hippeastrum reticulatum.— This shy. flower-
ing species was noted a few days since in bloom
in the No. 7 range at Kew, and I was at once
struck with its delicate beauty and distinctness.
Notwithstanding that I grew several plants of it
some few years back in the usually prescribed
method, and though they were always healthy
and vigorous, I was never fortunate in obtaining
a Eolitiry flower. The pots were full of bulbs
and roots and the little growth made each
year was very slow. The plant— judging by the
remarks of " H. P." recently in The Gakde.n— is
not free flowering, but the reverse ; and the same
correspondent adds that it should not be dried, as
are the other members of the race, or, at least,
the numerous fine h3brids. There is something
very pleasing in the beautiful soft rosy pink of
its flowers that is only enhanced by its veins of
darker hue, that give to the flower the netted
appearance signified in the specific name.— E. J.

Scrophularia nodosa fol. var. — Among
hardy perennials worthy of special attention by
reason of the brightness of their foliage alone, the
above plant is one of the best. Indeed, there are
many place.- in the garden, particularly on the
grass where beds are wont to be seen, in which
this plant would prove of great value. So far as

its flowers are concerned, these are practically
valueless, but its bright silvery variegated leaves
render it very conspicuous. It is a plant of very
free growth, and may be freely propagated from
cuttings of the soft, young wood either in spring
or in autumn. For small beds the plants may be
pinched to induce dwarfness, or where larger beds
occur and a taller growth is more desirable, the
plants may grow unchecked. Like some others
near akin, the above is fond of moist
and in such positions makes a fine companion
plant as well as a striking contrast to such things
as Lobelia fulgens Queen Victoria or other of the
cardinalis section.

Campanula Balchinensis. — Some two years
ago a green-leaved seedling Campanula was given
to me when visiting the Hassocks Nursery of
Messis. Balchin and Sons, under the name of C.
fragilis grandiflora, and a more desirable plant to
cultivate in a pot for flowering in the greenhouse
during the summer is scarcely to be named. I
have quite a large specimen in an 8-inch pot
literally covered with its pale blue blossoms, and
it forms an excellent companion to C. isophylla
alba. This may perhaps be regarded as a green-
leaved form of C. Balchinensis, the latter being
prubably a seedling from it and persistent in its
variegation. In the spring I saw young plants of
it at the Hassocks Nursery exquisitely variegated,
and it is satisfactory to see that it retains its per-
fect variegation when grown into a large speci-
men. When young it makes a charming table
plant, and it will be useful in many w-ays for
decoration. The green-leaved plant in my pos-
session appears to be perfectly hardy, and pro-
bably the variegated form has the same character.
Under glass it will always be seen to great advan-
tage.—R. D.

The weather in West Herts.— The most
noteworthy features of the past fortnight have
been the unbroken warmth of the nights, the per-
sistent and heavy rains and the paucity of bright
sunshine. Since the beginning of the month all
the nights have been unseasonably warm ; indeed,
on nine nights the exposed thermometer has in-
dicated minimum readings above 5o'. Although
there has been so little sunshine, the soil both at
1 foot and 2 feet deep is still about 1° warmer than
is seasonable. Rain has fallen on all but two days,
the total measurement being ,3j: inches, which is
1 inch in excess of the average for the whole
month. No sunshine at all was recorded on five
days, and on seven others the sun was shining for
less than three hours.— E. M., Berkhamsted.

Clematis Sieboldi and Phlox Van Houttei.

I should like to know if Clematis Sieboldi
{Botanical Jief/ister, xxix., 25, and The Garden,
August, 1882) and Phlox Van Houttei {Botanical
Ber/ister, xxix., 5) are now in ^cultivation. I used
to grow both, but have not seen either of them for
many years and should like to get them again.
— E.

Hardiness of Choisya ternata.- In refer-
ence to Mr. W. Sangwin's article which appeared
in a recent issue regarding the hardiness of
Choisya ternata in Cornwall, I should like to bear
out his statement, as we have a bush here measur-
ing 13 feet by S feet, which has been planted out
several years and does well with only wall protec-
tion. It is in flower now (September 15) for the
second time this season. All through the severe
weather of January and February, 1895, when our
thermometer registered 4" below zero on one oc-
casion, and Laurustinus, Escallonia macrantha,
Sweet Bay, and Roses Bouquet d'Or and Reve
d'Or were killed to the ground, the Choisya sur-
vived without the least protection. Some cut-
tings I struck two seasons ago and planted out in
different aspects against walls have also made
good growths. One of these measures 5 feet by
5 feet, and is flowering beautifully.— G. J.
Sgniiiw, Llanycdiiyn Ottrdfnx, N. Wrdm.

Grub in ^ress land. — I am sending a grub
which for the past two or three years has ap-
peared in my grass land. The rooks in search of

this insect tore up the grass of my park by the
roots and damaged the hay crop to the amount of
several acres. I am anxious to know what the
grub is and how to get rid of it, as the rooks have
begun again to feed on it, tearing up the grass as
they did last year.- C. E. J. Esdait.e.

*,* In reply to the enclosed from C. E. J.
Esdaile, your grass is badly infested by the
grubs of one of the chafers, very probably by
those of the common cockchafer ; but from the
specimen you sent it was impossible to say to
which species it really belongs. In getting rid of
the grubs the rooks are your best friends, and
they will not tear up grass which has not these
grubs at the roots, and though they may seem
to be doing harm they are not doing so really, as
the grubs feeding on the roots kill the grass.
Try frequent rolling and watering with litjuid
manure. Folding sheep would do good.— G. S. S,

Obituary.

Mr. R. Curnow.-It is with deep regret that
we have to inform you of the death of our Mr.
Richard Curnow, which occurred at sea whilst on
his way home on sick-leave from Colombia. Mr.
Curnow had been in our service upwards of
twenty-two years, the last nineteen of which he
had spent as one of our Orchid travellers, and he
was without doubt thoroughly at home in his
employment on foreign service. Some three
months since he contracted a bad attack of
malarial fever, from which he was recovering, but
very slowly, when returning home, but succumbed
to a stroke of paralysis August 25 last. — Hui;h
Low & Co.

Mr. Heniy Knight.— We regret to announce
the death of Mr. H. Knight, which occurred on
the 9th inst. at Laeken, near Brussels. Mr.
Knight, who had been in failing health for some
years, was in his sixty-second year. He had been
for several years director of the parks and gar-
dens of the King of the Belgians. Mr. Knight at
one time served under the late Mr. Wm. Thom-
son when at Dalkeith, afterwards going to France
as head gardener at Pontchartrain, a very inter-
esting place near Paris. He remained some years
in France, and on his return to England took
charge of the gardens at Floors Castle, Kelso.
On leaving Floors he came to Greenlands— arotler
very interesting garden laid out by Mr. Marnock
— as gardener to the late Rt. Hon. W. H. Smith.
From here he went to Laeken, where many iir-
provements were carried out by him. He was
an excellent gardener.

BOOKS RECEIVED.
"Orchids of South Africa." H. Bolus. Vol. vi , part

2. W. Wesley and Son, Essex Street, Strand.
Missouri Botanical Garden. Seventh Report, 189G.
" The Orchids of Burniah, including the Andaman

Islands." Compiled from Ihe works of various author' •
ties. By Ca]itain Bartle Grant. Bernard Qnariteh,
15, Piccadilly, L..ndcm, W.

Names of plants.—/. S. Scammell.—l, Carex
acuta variegata ; 2, Lycium barbnrum (Tea Plant) ; .3,
green form of No. 1 ; 4, same as No. 1, but less varie-
gated. W. J. T. — Houttynia cordata. Anon. —

Gilia coronopifolia, Pers. (Ipomopsis elegans, Michx.).

T. Coltisfer.—Yenovi Hose isKt-ve d'Or ; the while

Mme. Alfred Carri^re. Like to Know. — 1, Winter

Cherry (PhjEalie Alkekengi) ; 2, Justicia carnea.

Names of fruit.— i?ra.— Pears, 2, Belle Julie;

3, Fondaiite d'Automne ; 5, Souvenir de Congres ; 6,

Doyenne du Cornice. J. M. Bannerman. — 1, Apple

Stone's; Pears, 1, Duehesse d'Angoulcme ; 2, BergE-
mote d'Esperen ; 3. Knight's Monarch ; 4, Ne Plus
Meuris ; 5, Clapp's Favourite.

Fifth Edition^ tjoic ready, beautifully illustrated
medium Svo. price 1.5s. The English Flower
Garden : Desi</ns, 'i'iews, and Plavs, with Dc.-icrip-
invs and UlustmUons of the Best Plants, their Cut-
ure and Arrangement. London : John liwrrny, and
>f all Booksellers. - . -

THE GARDEN.

241

No. 1297. SATURDAY, September i

"This Is an Art
Which does mend Nature : change It rather ; but
The Art itself is Nature. "—Siotejpearf.

Chrysanthemums.

EXHIBITING EARLY CHRYSANTHE-
MUMS.
All interested in the display of early-flowering
Chrjsanthemums must have been disappointed
with the recent show held in the Royal
Aquarium. On this occasion the exhibition
was made up of Dahlias, Gladioli, early Chry-
santhemums, besides a number of miscellaneous
exhibits, and, taken as a whole, the display was
very gratifying. The directors of the Royal
Aquarium provide the sum of .£50 towards the
prizes for Gladioli and Dahlias, itc, and the
National Chrysanthemum Society, in addition
to finding the prize money for the Chrysanthe-
mum classes, contribute .£10 towards the
Gladioli and Dahlia classes. After a careful
survey of the Chrysanthemum exhibits, one
cannot help wondering whether the result
which has been achieved is sufficient compensa-
tion for the comparatively large outlay of the
funds of this influential society. Most of those
who are qualified to express an opinion were em-
phatic in their declarations against such a poor
representation of the useful qualities of the
early- flowering Chrysanthemum. It is custo-
mary to witness each season a repetition of the
exhibits of the corresponding show of the
previous year, instead of additions of some of
the newer sorts. But to ensure these being
represented in good form, it is absolutely neces-
sary to make the date of the exhibition later
than has been the practice during the last few
years. With the exception of the fine exhibi-
tion blossoms of Mme. C. Desgrange and its
yellow sports, there are few sorts which are
worthy of recognition so early in the season,
as showing an advance in form, colour, and
size. Many of the pretty little pompon
varieties are very charming, but at the
same time there is a large number of ex-
tremely dull and uninteresting sorts, which
check rather than encourage the cultivation of
the early kinds. The light of the Royal
A(juarium is most unsatisfactory too, the dirty-
looking brownish shade of the roof render-
ing it difticult to determine the proper colours
of the flowers. But the chief cause of the un
satisfactory display of early-flowering Cliry
santhemums on this occasion is the early date
in September at which the exhibition takes
place. Very few people want Chrysanthemums
so early in the month, as there are so many
other flowers obtainable at the time, and
these are, as a rule, much brighter in
colour, in character, and more varied, and
consequently better appreciated. For some
years the show used to be fixed about Septem-
ber 10, and even later, a difl'erence of ten days
accounting for a wonderful change in quantity
of blossoms as well as in variety. Even at
this date it is too early, a period as near as pos-
sible to the middle of the month being more
likely to produce satisfactory results. Often
during the third week in September sharp
frosts are experienced, crippling and in many
instances entirely destroying many of the
hardy flowers. Under such circumstances the

easy matter to obtain a much larger va-
riety from which to make a selection, and an
exhibition held at that time would be of a far
more useful character than that we are now
accustomed to see. During recent years
M. Simon Delaux has sent out quite a large
number of sorts which are described as early,
but many of them are not early as the term is
understood in this country. A few of these
have been seen at the early show of theN.C.S.,
but often quite out of character, through under-
going a treatment necessary to bring them into
flower thus early in the season. There are,
however, several which are in capital condition
from about the end of the second week in
September and until the ordinary mid-
season varieties come into flower. The intro-
duction of all these novelties has quite altered
the state of afi'airs prevailing during this period ;
the great variety in colour, form and habit
which many of these new sorts provide us with
is calculated to make them highly valued
if a proper opportunity of exhibiting them
could be afi'orded.

If a display of early Chrysanthemums worthy
of the name is to be repeated with the prospect
of successful results, two courses appear
to be open. If the claims of the Dahlia
and Gladioli exhibitors are to receive prior
consideration, and a date be fixed for the
exhibition to suit them absolutely, the
Chrysanthemum exhibitors cannot very well do
better than that already accomplished, and the
show, as far as the latter are concerned, should
be given up unless a second show can be held.
Secondly, if the interests of all are to be con-
sidered mutual, fix a date at Ifeast ten days
later than the fixture of the present season,
when the Dahlia growers should have little
difficulty in making a thoroughly representative
display, and growers of the Chrysanthemum
would certainly have a better opportunity of
staging exhibits worthy of being identified with
a society national in its character.

A Grower.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS— THE CALVAT RACE
M. Ernest Calv.\t, Grenoble, France, has ob
tained such remarkable success in raising new
Chrysanthemums, that I think the heading of this
note is ppplicable to his seedlings. Beautiful
flowers of the Japanese type were to be had before
this gentleman took up the hobby, but there is no
mistaking the rich gems of his strain. Take away

sident Calvat still deserve the term. A year or
so later this was charged by the introduction of
most refined and beautiful Chrysanthemums, in-
cluding Commandant Blussett, L'Ifere, Louise,
Mme. Ad. Chataing, Mme. Maurius Ricoud, Mile.
Thereee Rcy, M. Pankoncke, Pre-^ident Borel,
and Souvenir de Petite Amie. All the above are
well known and need not be described. Then in
1S94 came Baronne de Buffidree, a charming
Sower of a mauve-pink colour ; Deuil de Jules
Ferry, rich violet-rose ; Mme. Carnot, the most
magnificent white ; Mile. A. de Galbert, another
lovely white flower ; M. Ch. Molin, bronze yellow
of striking colour, and M. Georges Biron, rich
red with a brown shade.

A year later we had Amiral Avellan, a rich
yellow, but a trifle short in the floret and not a
good doer ; Boule d'Or, an incurving bloom of a
buff-shaded yellow, and a first-rate dwarf habit ;
C. Harman-Payne, splendid dark crimson when
first seen from the raiser, but not a good grower
with me ; Directeur Tisserand, a very fine flower
with combined shades of crimson and yellow ; Le
Moucherotte, very laige handsome bloom, in
colour a shade of orange-red : M. Chenon de
Lech(^, a first-class very dwarf variety, the bloom
is a perfect form of the recurving type, colour a
mixture of rose, white, and yellow ; Reine
d'Angleterre, a larue bloom not unlike Etoile de
Lyon without its coarse character. This is also
among the short growers. Other promising kinds
were introduced with those named as 1895 va-
rieties.

M. Calvat sends out between two and three
dozen fresh ones this year. They were anticipated
by a few specimen flowers on view last autumn,
but whether the cultivation was different from that
of other years or not I do not know. The pre-
mise, however, of good things was lower than
usual. One exceedingly handsome variety named
Calvat's Australian Gold was among them. The
raiser thinks so highly of it, that it is to bear his
own name as a prefix. It is a huge droopmg
petalled bloom distinct in its shade of yellow,
with silvery back to the florets. The growth is
capital, and I am looking for this to be the best
new kind of the year. There will surely be others
to keep up the reputation of the race when a
thorough trial has been given them.

The soits mentioned above are all of the
Japanese type, of course differing widely in form.
M. Calvat has raised one or two incurved Chry-
santhemums, namely, L'AmAhiste, silvery-rose
colour, and Ma Perfection, white, but as these
partake somewhat of the Japanese character in
growth and flower, it appears we may look in vain
to this raiser for improvement in the true round-
flowered type known as incurved. H. S.

from our collections the sorts I shall name, and
mark how much the poorer we should be. K ot the
least striking thing about this race is their com-
paratively easy growth ; all may therefore be
successful with them without going to the trouble
of any special means of cultivation. I will not
go so' far as to say all varieties from this source
are worthy of culture ; it would be wonderful if
they were, considering that M. Calvat introduces
about thirty new kinds each year. We can at
first only judge them from the specimen blooms
of French growth usually sent to the National
Chrysanthemum Society, and then know nothing
of the habit or constitution of the seedlings ;
and it is found in many cases, either from climatic
change or inherent weakness, a goodly proportion
refuse to reach a standard of excellence required
in a variety to be generally esteemed. These
seldom leave the trade collections and soon go out
ot cultivation. When the results of the earliest
efforts of M. Calvat were first seen on this side
about six years ago, there was nothing special in
the blooms to warrant the remark of a well-known
cultivator, that a dozen of Calvat's selected from
one year's set are good enough to beat an equal

aarly Chrysanthemums are highly esteemed, | ^^^j'^ijer of sorts from whatever origin they spring.
and supply a gap which, without them, These early seedlings were of huge size, but un
it would be difficult to fill. By the middle mistakably coarse, and I think the varieties Mme
of the month it would be a comparatively Edouard Rey, Mrs. C. Harman-Payne, Vice Pre

SEASONABLE NOTES.
It is not difficult to point out errors of culture
which may easily be practised during the final
stage of the plant's growth, and which will in
their train bring disappointment at a time when
pleasure is sought as a reward for many months
of labour. Thus, for example, it is a mistake to
leave plants in the open air of any sort that may
be more forward than the bulk long enough that
the colour of the bloom may be visible. By so
doing, although not noticeable at the time, decay
i.s almost sure to spread as the blossoms open.
The buds get so full of moisture, that there seems
to be no means of drying them thoroughly after-
wards. I would therefore place any Chrysanthe-
mums with bursting flower-buds under glass
promptly, but would leave those not so forward
outside so long as safety permits. A time for
general housing of the plants usually followed is
quite the end of September or very early in the
following month. Frosts are not often serious in
any locality until after that period. Although I
would not advise risks in the matter, I do
think the bloom-buds swell not only faster, but
with more firmness in the open than under glass.
When protected they miss the night dews and
showers so prevalent at the time named. As I

242

write, showers are more than usuallv abundant,
and cause the buds to swell with creat rapidity.
Almost daily a few plants are put under cover.
It IS well, as housing the plants proceeds, to be
particular as to cleanliness. The pots may be
dealt with and dead leaves removed. We may
prevent the spread of mildew by dusting the
alJected leaves with sulphur as each plant is
shifted, and any euperduous growths should be
cut away then. By previously cleaning the glass
*'['V""''S-'' ^e are certain to get rid of insect pests
which might be troublesome later. As to the
room Chrysanthemums should have when under
glass will depend upon the space at disposal, but
crowding should be avoided as well as during the
time they are in the open. Air and light are
important items towards perfecting the flowers.
Be very particular about watering at the roots
—for a few days at least. That is to say,
the plants may be allowed to become quite
dry directly after having what appears to
me a great check in removing them from
moist, open atmosphere to a comparatively d. .
?? u°*^ °"®- "^^^ ''°°'^ resent moisture' until
they have become accustomed to new conditions
This may seem a small matter, but observation
convinces me of its importance, and to prevent
undue distress m the leaves I would sprinkle
them on s unr.> mornings as well as damp among
the pots until renewed vigour takes place. This
IS indicated in the case of healthy plants at least
by fresh roots rambling on the surface of the soil.
After this the need for water will be often, guided
of course by the weather outside and by each in
dividual plant, be it a strong grower or a weak
one. Stimulants should be necessary too, and I
would continue to feed the plants upto the time
their flowers are fully open.

Too much air cannot pass among the plants
when first placed under glass, but pains should
be taken to avoid cold draughts as the florets
develop. Fire-heat for Chrysanthemums may not
be required in some seasons. It is not really
wanted so much for warmth as it is to maintain a
dry atmosphere. The flowers lose in substance if
grown in a high temperature. For the reason
stated then I would appl\ tire-heat each ni^rht,
and also in the daytime when wet or foggy If
this 18 done and the roots of the plants are 'in a
healthy state, there is little to fear in regard to
damping, so damaging to the blooms when grown
to a large size, and therefore taking a long time to
open, bhading the blooms, especially during the
early part ot sunny days, will prevent decay by
scorching caused by the action of the sun on the
petals whilst they are yet damp and cold through
having passed a long dark night. Permanent
shading IS not advisable, for all available light is
desired when the elements are dull.

I would in all cases fumigate the houses in
which Chrysanthemums are stood. This should
be done early, before the blooms are in an ad-
vanced stage. When once aphis gains a thorough
lodgment amongst the florets it is not at all easy
to prevent a rapid spread, but if tobacco smoke
be applied (even if this pest is not noticed)
directly the plants are under glass and a cool
temperature maintained, there is little to fear from
green-fly Instances have, however, occurred
where the cultivator has been troubled with
aphides when the blooms have been in an ad-
vanced state of opening and has been afraid to
fumigate. There is no risk in the matter pro-
vided the material used is of an approved kind.

THE GARDEN.

[September 2G, 1896.

Tnat known as the XL All v

by most growers of the autumn flower.

aporiser is favoured

SSOST NOTES.-CHRYSANTHEMUMS.

Chrysanthemum Mme. Carmeux —This
le an early flowering .Japanese, the flowers at best
being nearly pure white. The plant has a rather
poor, thin habit that needs improving. Height .3

Chrysanthemum Norbert Purves —In cer
tain stages this produces flowers of a pleasing
ealmony bufl tone, while at others the colour

passes to a lilac tone that is not so
Height -JJ feet, and very free flowering.

Chrysanthemum L'Ami Conderchet.— The
golden variety of this early pompon was recently
seen in nice compact plants at Westminster
from Mr. Ware. The plants are identical with
the original save for the rich golden yellow of the
flowers.

Kitchen Garden.

>fOTES ON TOMATOES.
Altiiouou Tomatoes are grown in enormous
quantities and are so popular there is a con-
siderable number of failures. Even during the
present season, which has not been at all un-
favourable in the matter of sunshine, not a few
complaints have been heard from market
growers on a large scale as to the crops being
unusually light. By this, I take it, that per-
sons who have grown the Tomato for a number
of years are not yet masters of the situation.
This fruit or vegetable is certainly cultivated
under so varied conditions that one starting its
growth might well ask which is the proper way
to proceed. One believes in giving abundance
of water, another thinks the plants require but
little. Some say an unlimited root-run is de-
sirable, whilst the practice of others is to restrict
the roots. Then as to cutting away leaves. At
one place we find all, or nearly all, the leaves
intact ; in another the grower cuts most of the
foliage away. A. does not trouble himself
about the "yellow spot," but dreads the
"black stripe;" whilst B. ia beside himself at
the sight of either.

In making a few remarks on my own mode
of cultivation, I will not say I have mastered
the subject, because there are several points in
the management of Tomatoes I would like to
know more about. My Tomato house is 100
feet long, 12 feet wide, with a path up the
middle 2 feet wide, with side walls, so that the
borders are nearly 5 feet in width and 2 feet
deep. This, to my thinking, is too great a
body of soil for Tomatoes, and I have a diffi-
culty in preventing a gross, sappy growth.
However firm I make the soil, there does not
seem a way to prevent roots running into it.
My idea is that a border of the width named
should be less than 1 foot in depth, and as I
intend to entirely remove the soil before an-
other start, means will be taken to prevent roots
running so deeply as they do at present.
Finding last year the growth was too strong to
please me, 1 planted more thickly this. In-
stead of putting the plants a foot apart in a
single line to train up the roof, I allowed this
season but 9 inches between them. Although
planting so thickly has not been a failure, I
certainly believe 1 could have obtained quite
as heavy a crop and with less trouble by stick-
ing to the former distance. There is some
tiouble in setting the flowers, and as I do not
think it advisable to cut away foliage to any
great extent until the fruits have swollen to a
considerable size, this had to be done under
the circumstances.

I fancy many failures with Tomatoes are made
in the early stages of the plant's growth. At least
it does not appear possible to get a nice "set"
low down if the young .seedlings are neglected.
I make a point, therefore, of planting out quite
little plants not more than 3 inches high ;
these, too, are from thinly sown seedlings, which
are potted when quite tiny. They are not allowed
to get pot-bound, and the first bunch of fruit
in many instances touches the soil. Assist-
ing the flowers to set is a matter too often ne-
glected. This is recommended and often done '

as regards early crops, but is thought by many
growers to be unnecessary in the summer. I
believe, however, this is most important at any
time. Gently tapping the trusses of flowers
about mid-day distributes the pollen in a more
certain way than does the air that passes about
them. This season, for example, as 1 have noted,
has been pregnant with failures, caused, no doubt,
in many instances by not taking the pains alluded
to. At the same time it seems to me that very
hot sunshine burns many flowers before they
are properly open, and thus has something to
do with an indifi'erent set. I would, therefore,
slightly shade Tomatoes in the hottest weather,
but not, of course, permanently. Thin whiting
is syringed on to the glass just to break the sun's
power. This is washed oflf by the first shower
of rain, and may be renewed in a few minutes if
thought desirable.

Watering
is, I am confident, done in too many cases in a
haphazard manner. I have known Tomato plants
watered through a hose pipe straight from the
mains. In fact, it was done here before my
time, and the fittings are still in the houses.
This manner of watering saves labour, and is a
sure means of getting the fungus (Cladosporium
fulvum). What watering is necessary is done
in the early part of the day, even in the warmest
weather, and the water is always warmed by
the sun liefore use. And if the morning be at
all cloudy I allow the liorders to become dry
rather than throw moisture about. But with
all this care I am not without the disease named
this year. I give air during the day in abund-
ance at the top and sides, reducing the former
and shutting off the latter at night. To grow
Tomatoes successfully I think fire-heat should
always be employed during the night, even if
the pipes be only just warmed in the brightest
weather. To the want of this I attribute a
slight attack of the "spot " It has, however, come
late in the season when the crop is nearly
gathered and the houses will have a thorough
cleansing before a start is made for another
year. I have tried dryness at the roots ; this
does not prevent the spread of the mildew
on the leaves, but it does stop some of the
uppermost fruits on the plants from properly
swelling.

Trimming the leaves unduly I condemn.
All lateral side growths are pinched out when
they are in a small state, but the large primary
leaves are allowed to fully develop until the
fruit has swollen to its full size and puts on a
white-green appearance ; then the foliage is
gradually shortened at the lower part of the
plant, and so on every few days throughout the
season, cutting the leaves away entirely as the
Tomatoes redden. The only stimulant used is
soot. This is sprinkled over the borders once
a week after the earliest fruits begin to swell.
Best Sorts.
Most of us have some difficulty in knowing
what sorts to grow. There are so many recom-
mended, and yet very few really good ones.
I have tried a considerable number. I do not
think there is anything to equal a good selection
of Perfection for weight alone, but huge size is
not required by those who grow Tomatoes for
sale. Sutton's A 1 has been very fine. This
sort, however, cracks badly under glass, and
for that reason will not be so largely grown,
otherwise it is perfect. The leafage is not
dense, it is a most abundant cropper, and the
fruit of medium size and nice shape. Chemin
Rouge is also liable to crack ; in other respects
it does not appear to me to equal A 1. A good
selection of Conference has pleased me more
than any. One I had, called Mitchell's Hy-

September 26,

THE GARDEN.

243

brid, is a most excellent sort— a favourite witli <
considerable number of growers in Surrey
The fruit is medium-sized, has a deep, oval
shape, and is a first-rate cropper, early as well
as late.

H. S.

Exhibiting: Tomatoes.— Success or other-
wise in exhibiting fruit is dependent to a very
great extent on the manner in which it is dished
up. How often does one see Tomatoes heaped up
one upon another on dishes, in such a way as to
hinder the most careful and patient judges from
ascertaining the real merits of the exhibit. To-
matoes, to show them off to the best advantage,
should be regularly laid on a cushion of Moss or
some other soft material, the centre being slightly
raised, and if small sprigs of Parsley are worked
in between the fruit, a better effect still is pro-
duced. Exhibitors have often only themselves
to blame for not being placed higher up in the
prize list, owing to the careless and slovenly way
in which they arrange their produce.— J. C.

Planting Asparagusinautuinn.—"D.T.F.,"

who, judging from his remarks, has never tried the
plan of planting Asparagus in autumn, neverthe-
less condemns the practice. I can assure him,
however, that some of the very best rows of
Asparagus I have ever seen were the result of
autumn planting, and that one of the best in my own
garden was planted at that period. I did not con-
tend that planting should always bo done at that
time of year, but under certain circumstances,
such, for instance, where the situation was high
and dry and the soil light, and where, on account of
labour beingnonetoo plentiful, mulching and water-
ingspring planted bedswere hkely to be neglected.
"D. T. F.'' says that autumn is the time when
Asparagus should be gradually going to rest, but
I would point out that unlike many other things
in the kitchen garden which die down at the
approach of frost. Asparagus continues to make
young rootlets, and that in goodly numbers right
through the winter, especially should it be a
fairly open one. This is proved when old beds
are done away with and the roots lifted for forc-
inginwinter. Asforyoung seedlingsnotproducing
berries the first season, " D. T. F." will perhaps be
surprised to hear that I have seen young plants
raised ftom seed sown, say in February or the be
ginning of March, hang pretty thickly with
berries the following autumn. Late sown seed
say, in April or May, might not produce many
berry-bearing plants. I well remember a row of
Asparagus planted in a Norfolk garden in autui
grass from which gained first prize for fifty and
second for eighty heads in a very strong competi
tion at Kensington many years ago.— C. C. H.

We see (p. 211) how doctors diS'er, and

my advice is, consider well the kind of soil and
the amount of rainfall, and act acoordingl
Doubtless "C. C. H.'s" note was penned early
August, a season there would be ample time for
the seedlings to make new roots before winter.
I followed his advice some few years ago in plant-
ing a lot of seedlings, with excellent results. On
the other hand, I lost some three-year-old plants
in a heavier soil last autumn, doubtless because
root-action had ceased or nearly so. I would not
advise planting in clay later than August, but at
the time named and with the soil made suitable,
there need be no fear of evil results and much
time is saved. I have planted seedlings at mid-
summer in a dripping season rather than lose the
plants, and they made a fine growth. Roots of
Asparagus are now quite active after the prolonged
drought. I notice a few new growths in young
beds, so there is little fear of collapse. — W. M.

Brussels Sprouts.— How exceedingly strong,
breadths of these hardy winter greens are in gar-
dens almost everywhere, forming almost dense
thickets of stems and leafage. This growth, in
spite of the season's drought, is really the product
of the deep cultivation and high manuring to
which the soil in good gardens is subjected. Xo
doubt the consequent produce where the frost
does no harm is during the winter very great, but
how many of these big stems produce coarse

sprouts that are at once too large and too loose
to be suitable? It is often the case that these
very stout stems do not give really nice neat, hard
sprouts until they begin to lose leaves and to
harden their wood. In this respect there is a
wide difference between them and the field-grown
sprouts planted by the market growers, who find
from the very first to the last moment of gather-
ing, if they have a good stock, that every sprout
is of the firmest and best. Not a few gardeners
who have put out a batch of plants late, and fol-
lowing upon Peas or some other summer crop that
has left the soil firm, have found the produce to-
wards the end of the winter, if not large, to be
exceedingly good and most useful. I have always
found plants grown firm, though not at all coarse,
on hard soil to withstand severe weather much
the best. That, again, is often a matter of some
moment. Stress is sometimes laid on varieties,
though there is very little indeed of real variety
in these sprouts, but without doubt, good or in-
different results are more often the product of
culture. Nevertheless, apart from the matter of
varieties, the making of good selections for future
seed stocks every year is a matter of the highest
importance. — A. D.

. Very many growers cannot speak so

well of the Brussels Sprout crop this year as
your correspondent "J. C." (p. 1S4). The
drought extending from the time the seeds
were sown until August gave the plants but a
poor chance to become matured by August. The
rainfall was so light between March and August
that it did practically no good at all, but pro-
bably "J. C." was either favoured with more
rain or had a good water supply to give the plants
when needed. I have never had any difficulty in
getting a good supply of sprouts as early in the
autumn as they were needed from a sowing made
the 1st of March. At this time last year my plants
at a yard apart completely covered the ground
with tall, well-furnished stems. This sea.son the
plants are not nearly so good or forward in sprout-
ing, but there is some consolation in knowing that
mine is not an isolated case. This is all the
more to be regretted because of the short supply
of vegetables during the past summer. The
ground was dry to such a great depth that there
was insufficient moisture to sustain growth with-
out copious waterings fairly often, and in my
case this was quite out of the question. Quite
half of July had gone before we could make up
6 inches of rain for the half year. From the 1st
to the 9th of September we had 2'i inches, and
this has made a wonderful change in every kind
of vegetation. What is most to be feared now is
an early spell of frost, which would be disastrous
to the succulent growth set up by the late rains.
— W. S., Wilts.

EARLY FORCING LETTUCES.
The value of these small Cabbage Lettuces has
been proved beyond question for autumn cutting
this year— a season when usually they are not
large enough to satisfy the requirements of the
private or market gardener. In the forcing frame,
or as a first outdoor crop, the summer varieties
cannot approach these small-hearted Lettuces in
point of earliness or usefulness, but I have never
found them so valuable in the autumn as this year.
This is accounted for in the severe drought we
experienced entirely cutting off our supply,
summer-sown ones absolutely refusing to grow.
I had no alternative but to sow some in a pit
where they could be protected from the sun, and
to minimise the demand for water. Here I found
the forcing varieties useful in turning in quickly,
and but for these I should not have any at the pre
sent time. Seed was sown in watered drills out-
doors, and these covered with the dry surround
ing soil, which in ordinary seasons proves sufli
cient to carry on the germination and the earliest
stages of the plant's growth, but this year neither
the one soaking nor repeated watering ol the
drills could induce the plants to grow. Since the
change in the weather, quantities of summer-sown
seeds have sprung up, while at the same time a

quantity perished in the ground, no doubt after
they had germinated. It is really suiprisinghow
quickly these little Lettuces mature. In less than
six weeks from the time of sowing in the frame
I cut nice firm heads, the variety in this instance
being Veitch's Golden Queen. Commodore Nutt
and Golden Ball are others which are adapted to
cases of emergency such as the one described, as
well as the forcing frame in spring. There is but
very little to choose between either in point of
size or earliness, but there is in colour ; one being
of a dark green, the other two (as their names

ply) of a golden colour. There aie others no
doubt of equal merit for the purposes in question,
but, as I have not >;rown them, I leave them in
the 'hands of other readers who may have done so.

Wilts. ^ W. b.

NOTES ON BEET.
I AM induced to send a note on the above after
reading Mr. Crawford's practical note on "Select
Beet" (p. 184), and venture to add a plea for
some of the kinds sent out during the past twenty
years, a period in which Mr. Crawford thinks
we have not made much progress as regards
quality. During the past twenty years there
has been a great increase in the culture of
Beet, and I was under the impression we had
made equally good progress as regards new
varieties. My position is the reverse of Mr.
Crawford's. I require early Beet in large
quantities, and of late years I have paid more
attention to this part of the culture. I think
there has been a great advance as regards
quality and quick growth in these early vane-
ties. I admit as regards colour they do not
approach some of the well-known kinds noted
at p. 184, but I am not sure that a deep black-
red is a sure test that there is first-rate flavour ;
indeed, the reverse in some cases, as after
a trial of most kinds I favour the bright
reds and many of the early kinds are of the
latter colour. I am aware soils greatly in-
fluence the quality of this crop. I sow late to
prevent coarseness in any kind required to
keep, but in such a hot, dry season as we have
iust passed through to sow late requires more
care, or the crop may be lost, and to illustrate
ray note I will give dates of sowing to show how
a supply may be obtained all the year. For
exhibition I have seen the long-rooted kinds
sown as described at p. 184, and Mr. Craw-
ford's remarks as to Beet domg well when
forced are very good, as few root crops do
better. I always sow for first supplies m heat.
These are ready by the middle of May, when
many cultivators are sowing their first crop.

Culture to a great extent influences quahty
and size. I will take the early kinds first.
Mr Crawford does not advise them ; neither do
I if the Egyptian Turnip-rooted is taken as a
standard early Beet. I am of the same opinion
as he as regards quality. In some sods this
variety is too pale and shows the formation of
rings too much If these Globe Beets are sown
in poor, hungry soil there is bad colour They
require to make a much quicker growth than
thi longer roots and have more disadvantages to
battle with, as if the season is dry and the soil
poor they have to depend upon a small tap root
If this latter fails to get food and moisture, the
flavour is bad. I think we have some fine
types in these early kinds, and few would grow
the Egyptian if they have given such kinds as
Crimson Ball or Sutton's Globe a tnaL These
are superb varieties, both quite distmct from
the old Turnip-rooted types Crimson Bal
was certificated at the vegetable conference of
the Royal Horticultural Society a few years
aao. It is as early as the older kind as if sown
early in the spring in the open it - ^t for tab e
in June and of excellent quality. It has a very

244

THE GARDEN.

[September 2G, 1896.

small top, flesh dark red and of good flavour.
For forcing I have tried many, but none
equals Sutton's Globe, a distinct type, good in
any soil. It differs from the Eclipse and Egyp-
tian in being spherical, flesh of a richer colour,
of quicker growth and superior flavour. Though
I have only grown it for its earliness in poor
land and in gardens where the long roots lacked
flavour, I have seen this variety "sown for au-
tumn use, and it was much valued. Several
others have been introduced of late vears,such as
Bassano. This i.< too coarse and lacks flavour.
The Globe I sow in heat early in March for May
supplies. Raised under glass and pricked ott'
into 3-inch pots, and when large enough hard-
ened ott" and given a warm border, growth is
rapid. Good roots may be had in ten weeks
from date of sowing.

I am pleased to see Mr. Crawford refer to the
Cheltenham Green Top ; this is a pet variety
of mine, and though I am aware in certain soils
it may be a little coarse, with care in cultivation
it is one of the finest flavoured Beets I know.
For years this variety was grown in the market
gardens around Cheltenham, and I some four-
teen or more years ago showed some of the
kinds noted for quality against it, but was
always in the wrong place. I am inclined
to place it before Mr. Crawford's selections
as regards flavour and colour. This variety
will come under the twenty years limit, as
though known in the district named for a
longer period, it is only aliout ten years
since it was distributed. This variety I am
obliged to sow late in our often manured old
garden soil to prevent coarseness, and this year
I did not sow till June was well in. At this
date the roots are quite large enough. I have
this season on trial a green top variety which
appears to me to be a cross between Dell's
Crimson and the Cheltenham as regards size.
It is a very fine type ; indeed, I consider it the
best I have ever grown. Pragnell's Exhibition
is a shapely root and requires care in cultiva-
tion. This variety should not be sown too
early, and the same remarks apply as to the
Cheltenham in this respect. On the" other hand,
all do not study quality, and I (juestion if
Pragnell's has not of late years had a larger sale
than any other Beet. I am much in favour
of the medium-sized or even small roots, and
under this description may be classed Middle-
ton Park, De war's Dwarf Red, Cheltenham,
Pragnell's, Chelsea Red, and Nutting's.
There are several kinds so much alike in
growth and colour, that till cut the diflereuce
is not seen in all cases ; the only test is
cooking, as then the flavour, an important
point, is quickly noticed. The cooler the
store the better the flavour. I am not in
favour of too early lifting ; on the other hand,
much depends upon the size of roots and when
sown, as coarse roots soon crack if left out late.
— G. Wythes.

In his excellent not«8 on Beet, Mr. Crawford

enameratee mo?t of the best varieties available,
and certainly enough to satisfy all requirement,*!
There is one kind, however, not mentioned that
deserves a parsing notice, and that is Sutton's
Globe. This belongs to the Turnip-rooted sec
tion, but is ao infinitely superior to the Egyptian
commonly grow n for an early crop, that all who
have a demand for early summer Beet should give
this a trial. It is altogether devoid of the coarse-
neea that usually characterises the old Turnip,
rooted variety, and its quality is firet-rat«. I feel
sure those who have grown this will not readily
give it up— at any rat«, until something better
is in the market. Where there is a difficulty
in getting a medium-sized root of the long varie-
ties the Globe may be growrn almost exclusively.
This Eeagon the seeds came up badly, and in the

case of the sort under notice the blanks were made
up by transplanting, and being sown early they
did remarkably well, while the later-sown batches
could not bo so dealt with by reason of the
drought. Very large Beet is of no value for
cooking, but there is a difficulty sometimes in get-
ting a medium-sized root, the season having con-
siderable influence on this crop. Last year in
ordinary cases Beet grew to a very large size, and
the seeds germinated at two or three dates corres-
ponding with periods of rain, and this, too, appa-
rently irrespective of the nature of the soil. With
favourable weather Beetroot can be easily trans-
planted either from the open ground or from a
box, but attention must be given to watering if
the sun has much power, or the plants soon shrivel
beyond recovery. I have had no opportunity to
transplant any of the main crop this year, the
ground being much too hot and dry to attempt it,
and yet, in spite of this, there is" a tendency in
the roots to become over-large. I always sow on
firm and not over-rich soil to avoid coarseness.
Very late sowings this year have had but a poor
chance, many seeds not appearing above ground
until after the rain in August. — W. S., ]Vi/l<.

Cucamber Telegraph.— Probably more Tele-
graph Cucumbers are grown than all other sorts
put together, and this season my faith in its
suitability for frame culture has been much
strengthened by the manner in which my plants
have yielded fruit. From a two-light frame, one
plant in each, the number of fruit cut during the
last three weeks is astonishing. No doubt there
are both superior and inferior strains of this old
Cucumber, and I am fortunate in possessing the
former. In my opinion Cucumbers grown in
frames generally surpass in flavour those grown
in elevated, airy houses, the extra moist atmo-
sphere seeming to impart additional quality.
Where a free yield and quality alone are con-
sidered Telegraph is for summer use what the old
Sion House is for winter. — J. C.

Underground grubs. --I never remember
these pests to have been so troublesome as they
are this year. Their season of destruction is
August, September, and the early part of No-
vember, their favourite diet being young succu-
lent Endive, Lettuce, Cabbages, and Coleworts.
These they cut in two just under the surface of
the soil, the flagging foliage telling its own tale
the next morning, as they feed during the night.
The plants should be examined every morning
and the soil removed from the base with a pointed
stick, when in nine cases out of every ten the
depredator will be found. Fully- developed grubs
average about half an inch in length and are of a
dirty brown colour. Amateurs in ignorance often
lay the blame to slugs, but the latter are really
less destructive than the grubs in question. The
ravages of the slug are confined to the leafage, and
the plant may outgrow the injury, but when the
grub attacks it it is in a very short space of time
injured beyond all possibility of recovery.— .J. C.

Outdoor Tomatoes.— In an extensive trial
made by Messrs. Sutton of varieties suitable for
outdoor culture and trained up cordon fashion to
stakes, the heaviest weight is found on Magnum
Bonum. The fruits are somewhat sutured, but
for outdoor purposes this is one of the very best.
Earliest of All and Early Ruby fully justified
their names, as they were the earliest to ripen.
Of the yellow forms. Golden Nugget and Sunbeam
of the plum-shaped forms, and Golden (,iueen of
the round forms were all great croppers. It seems
a pity that these yellow-fruited varieties are not
more popular, for they are always of good flavour.

— ViSITCK.

I fear the present continuous wet weather

will much retard the growth and ripening of Toma-
toes. In the first week in August 1 was of the same
opinion as Mr. Iggulden (p. 210), that we were in
for an exceptionally good open-air Tomato season,
but the 4 inches of rain that have fallen during
the last fortnight have considerably altered the
then prospect of a perfect crop. On a south bor-
der in rows 4 feet apart I have a good lot of

plants thinly trained and bearing a heavy crop,
but now many of the best fruits are splitting, even
before they commence to colour. Removing
three parts of the foliage will assist ripening
somewhat.— E. M.

Tomatoes on ashes.- Mr. Hudson, at Gun-
nersbury House Gardens, has a way of growing
Tomatoes that upsets all notions usually pre-
vailing as to culture, especially in relation to feed-
ing. Just recently I saw a plant of the Perfec-
tion type, some 5 feet in height, carrying a heavy
crop of fruit, and very handsome fruit too, that
had with others been grown solely in a bed of
ashes. I think Mr. Hudson has grown Tomatoes in
previous years in a similar way. Certainly I have
seen pLants growing there in this same ash bed.
Not a particle of soil is added except what comes
from the small pots from out of which the plants
are turned in the early summer. Two or three
waterings only are given and no manure. — A. D.

Saving Onion seed.- Many people are as-
tonished at the price asked for seed of the new
large growing varieties of Onions. This long
price is no doubt due in a measure to the fact
that everyone is naturally desirous of realising as
much as possible from any novelty he may pos-
sess, whether in the vegetable or flow-er line ; but
there is also another fact, and that is that most
of these extra large bulbing Onions, particularly
of the Spanish type, are very unceitain seeders.
I am told on good authority that the much sought
after (by exhibitors) Ailsa Craig is a very in-
different seed-producer indeed, and even for that
reason alone the price for seed is likely to remain
high. Moreover, the fact of these large Onio: s
being, as a rule, indifferent keepers also does not
improve matters, as perhaps half the stock of bu' I s
selected and stored by a grower may go rottei
ere the spring arrives. No doubt the smaller
hard, thin-necked varieties, while being ad-
mittedly the best keepers, are also the best seeder -.
-N. N.

Cucumbers in frames. — Freciuently the
supply of frame CucumVers is cut off and a blark
between them and the first winter batch grown
in the Cucumber house occurs, owing to the want
of a little timely attention and extra care. As a
rule the temperature at this season is such as to
necessitate the covering of frames at eventide
with double mats, which makes all the difference
and more than pays for the labour. Early closing
should from the present time be regularly prac-
tised and judgment used in watering the plant.*'.
Overhead satur.ation on the afternoons of dull,
sunless days is bound to work speedy mischitf,
often bringing about total collapse of the plants
from basal canker, or stagnating growth so tl.ac
red spider, which often flourishes far better in a
reduced temperature than the Cucumbers, soon
overruns the foliage and hinders any further ad-
vance. If the roots are sufficiently moist, an occa-
sional syringing after this date will keep the
plants clean, a little sulphur being occasionally
mixed with the water. — J. C.

SHORT XOTES.— KITCHEN.

Spot on Tomato leaves.— Allow me to thank
you tor your kindness in putting forward my question
respecting the above, and for the replv thereto in
TnK Gabi.kn of the 29th ult. The remedy suggested
I have put into operation, and, from what I can see,
with good etfect ; uo doubt many others who may
liave this trouble with their plants will benefit thereby.
—A. Watson.

An abnormal Potato.— Monstrosities among
Potatoes or other vegetables are seldom worth record-
ing, as they are of no practical value, but there was
lifted here to-day a Magnum Bonum Potato quite out
of the ordinary run of "grown out" tubers. The
original tuber was quite a large one, and this had
pushed out six protuberances, the whole lump weigh-
ing 35 lbs. when cleaned. The runner by which this
extraordinary specimen was attached to the plant is
as big round as an ordinary cedar pencil, and strong
enough to carry it by without breaking.— J. C. Tal-

LACK.

September 26, 1896.J

THE GARDEK

245

A GARDEN IN SPAIN.
You have lately been considering and describ-
ing garden rooms in The Garden, so perhaps
it may interest you to have some photos from
Spain, a country where, of course, shady
refuges are much required. The Moors must
have been very fond of their city gardens in
their flourishing days. Even now the remains
of theni are very charming, as this view of
a Spanish house and garden will show. Few
people could evidently have more enjoyed the
" luxury of contemplation" from the shelter of
their garden structures than these accomplished
Moors. The pictures of the lovely plain and
mountains of Granada, framed by the horseshoe

consignment, though in large lots many bulbs
may be found. It is a beautiful form, the seg-
ments very solid, the greenish band or midrib
noticeable in Kratzeri being in this replaced by
one of a creamy hue.

Rose Garden.

LA. FRANCE AND ITS PROGENY.

Doubtless we shall soon speak of the La France
race of Roses as we do now of the Dijon race.
We scarcely appreciate the beauty of La France
in full summer-time when there is such a

like petal and is altogether a fine bold flower,
decidedly distinct from La France in form, its
exquisite clear pink colour, combined with its
freedom of blooming, being qualities which will

[ recommend it to all lovers of this type of Rose.
Duchess of Albany is another grand addition
to this La France race. Just now the colour
of this variety is exceedingly rich . During the
summer the diflerence between this variety and
its parent is not so marked, but in autumn
it is of a very fine rich pink when fully open,
the buds being almost a light red. It is

; a splendid variety for forcing, and the more
heat given, the richer the colour becomes.
It is a sport from La France. Danmark ia an-

.4 Spanish house and garden. From a photograph sent hy Mrs,

arches, always beautifully proportioned and
adorned with interesting tracery and lined
within by harmoniously coloured tiles, make
these garden porticoes as perfect as anything
of the sort can well be imagined. M. R.

Lilium speciosum album novum.— This ia

a beautiful pure white msmbar of the speciosum
group, that, on account of the golden yellow colour
of its anthers, is easily distinguished from the
other whites. It comes quite near to the well-
known KrAit/.^ri, though poasessing minor dis-
tinctions in leaf and flower. The plant is also
known by the name album varum, an assumed
title for which no real necessity exists. This form
rarely if ever reiohes this country as a separate

wealth of lovely Roses, but when autumn
approaches, and many of our favourites are
almost flowerless, then it is that we value this
unique variety. But it is not to praise this
Rose itself — for that is unnecessary — so much
as those that have been raised from it. The
first to claim our attention is that splendid va-
riety Augustine Guinoisseau, sometimes called
the White La France. It is of a delicate blush
colour, reminding one at times of Viscountess
Folkestone, but quite distinct from that well-
known variety. It is an exact counterpart of
its parent save in colour, and one cannot well
have too many of it in the garden. Another
very fine Rose is Caroline Testout, a seedling
from La France. It has a most beautiful shell-

other seedling of great merit, especially for pot
culture. In form it is simply perfect and of
good size, but it does not open well in a wet
season. This summer it has been superb. The
habit is quite different from that of La France.
The stems are stifT and the flowers well thrown
up above the leathery foliage. Last, but
not least of this La France tribe, must be men-
tioned that fine variety Mrs. W. J. Grant.
Like many new Roses, it has had to contend
with the excessive propagation resorted to
when a Rose is known to be good. I believe
most of the plants imported from America died
soon after they were distributed. Doubtless
when budded on some strong Briers we shaU
see the beauty of this fine hybrid. The colour

:46

THE GAl^DEK

[September 2G, 1896.

is of a beautiful even pink of a deep shade,
and the form of flower is exquisite.

Seeing all these Roses in flower as it were
simultaneously, I could not but think what a
fine eflect would be produced if they were all
massed together in one bed. Philomkl.

BOURBON ROSES.
AirrMSAL Roses are always welcome, and there
are several reasons why this is so. They assist
in a large degree to prolong the feast of beauty
which the Rose garden gave us during the
summer months, when, perhaps, only fleeting
visits could be paid to the country home, but
when the autumn approaches then it is that the
Bourbon Roses are valued. Excepting the Tea
and Hybrid Tea-scented and the Monthly Roses,
there is no class of Rose so valuable for plant-
ing where late-flowering varieties are desired,
and they certainly deserve much more extended
cultivation than they at present obtain. Their
bold, vigorous habit, combined with exceed-
ingly free-flowering qualities and clear, bright
colours, should l)e a suflicient recommendation
of this lovely class of Roses. Many varieties are
also so exquisitely formed, that one would almost
imagine they had been taken from a mould.
They make excellent standards, for frequently
one sees quite a large head on a two-year-old
plant. Many varieties are also well adapted for
pillar Roses if allowed to grow as they like, but
it is as garden Roses that the Bourbons are
most valuable. Where possible, it is best to
plant them in large beds or masses of one
variety, the ground of course being previously
well trenched and manured. They delight in a
good rich loam rather stifi' than sandy, but must
have good drainage. The treatment of these
Roses is somewhat similar to that necessary for
the Hybrid Perpetuals. For ordinary garden
decoration they should not be pruned hard.
Doubtless many Roses are over-pruned at the
present day, with the result that, instead of see-
ing grand, ettective shrubs covered with blos-
soms, we see instead many distorted, puny
bushes. These Bourbon Roses will readily root
from cuttings, but 1 prefer the seedling Brier
for them, with its long tapering root.-i, as this
stock is sufficient in itself to induce late flower
ing. Like most classes of the Rose, the Bour-
bons are b='ccming rather mixed, some having
the name of Bourbon Perpetual, others of Hy-
brid Bourbon, but for all practical purposes
they are the same. I append below a list of
the best varieties taken somewhat in their order
of merit.

SorvENm DE LA Malmaisox. — A superb old
-ariety, eo well known that a description would
oe superfluous. It is certainly the best of all the
varieties hitherto obtained.

Mrs. Bos.iNi.irET. — Very pale flesh colour.
Most abundant bloomer. Excellent either as a
standard or as a bufh, and very free in growth
Mme. Isaac Periere. — A fine showy flov
and most abundantlj- produced. The colour ii
lovely rosy carmine. Certainly a very fine Rose
either as a standard, on a pillar or as a bush.

Mr.s. Pafl. — A large Camellia like Rose of ex-
quisite colour. It is blush-white with rosy peach
shading, and the flower has good thick petals :
very vigorous in growth. It is a seedling from
Mme. Isaac Periere, and partakes of all the good
qualities of that fine Rose. Splendid as a standard
or pillar Rose.

QrEE.N". — Wondrouely free-flowering ; often as
many aa fifteen to twenty flowers and buds can
be counted on one thoot. The colour of the
flower is buff, shaded rose.

Gloire des Rosomanes.— One of our most bril-
liant garden Rcees. It is only semi-double, but
instead of this fact marring its beauty it rather
enhances it. The colour is a beautiful rich crim-
son. It is of vigorous growth.

Mme. Pierre Goer. — White, shaded and edged
with a lovely pink. The most beautifully formed
Rose in cultivation. Fine as a standard or
dwarf.

KRONPRrNZEssiK VICTORIA. — A delicate prim-
rose-yellow colour. It is a most lovely variety,
which appears to increase in popularity each year.
It is a sport from Souvenir de la Malmaison.

LoRXA DooNE — The colour is a bright carmine
shaded with scarlet. It is a Rose that should be

every collection.

Baron Gonei.ia.— This Rose should be more
extensively grown. The colour is very distinct ;
the back of the petals is a deep rose, almost lake
colour, edges of petals silvery, whilst the inner
side of the petals is a deep pink. It is of very
fine, free habit.

QrEEN OF Behhers. — Rich crimson, abundant
bloomer, and of a very dwarf habit.

AciDALiK. — A grand variety of a very slender,
graceful growth. Its flowers are blush-white
and of good size, and the variety is a semi-climber.

Comtesse de Bareantane. — Very double,
flesh-coloured flower, of fine form, the plant
vigorous in growth.

Reixe Victoria. — Another well-formed variety
of very vigorous growth. The colour is a bright
rose, and the size of the flower may bo called
medium.

RoBrsTA.— This is well named. It will make
growths in one season 6 feet to 8 feet long. The
colour is velvety crimson, with a purplish shading
Excellent as a climber or pillar Rose.

Comtesse de Roci.irii;xY. — Immense trusses of
flowers are produced by this variety ; the colour
is white, flushed with salmon -flesh. Fine variety
for the wild garden or shrubbery.

Sir Jos. Paxton.— Although somewhat flat,
one cannot well omit this Rose because of its good
character as a town variety. It is very free and
vigorous : the colour is bright rose, the flowers
are rather flat. As a free-flowering, vigorous
variety there are few to equal it.

Philomel.

Rose Sombrouil.— Although this Rose is up-
wards of forty years old, it still remains one of
our best free-flowering semi-climbing white Roses,
especially during the autumn months. The shoots
are produced about 3 feet in length, and terminate
in a bunch of three to six lovely Roses. The form
of the flower is globular, the petals rather loosely
arranged somewhat in the manner of those of
Souvenir de S. A. Prince. I prefer Sombreuil to
the last-named variety for garden decoration, as
there is no tendency to hang the head, which is
rather a peculiarity of Souvenir de S. A. Prince.
In Sombreuil there is just a tinge of blush-pink
as autumn approaches, which, if anything, rather
enhances its beauty. It would be admirable as
a standard or semi-climber on a low wall. — E.

AUGUST IN SOUTH DEVON.
DuRixo the past month 103 inches of rain have
fallen on eleven days against 2 41 inches on six-
teen days in the corresponding month of 1811.5, the
average rainfall for August being 2-84 inches.
For the first eight months of the present year a
fall of 9 17 inches has been recorded, compared
with 16-55 inches for the same period in 189.") and
an average fall of 2081 inches. We are, there-
fore, in this neighbourhood 1 1 64 inches behind the
customary rainfall for the first eight months of the
year. The mean of the highest and lowest read-
ings of the thermometer has been 61-11" in com-
parison with 60-r for August, 1895, and an aver-
age mean temperature of 61 -4°. The lowest read-
ing in the screen was 462° on the 27th, and the
lowest on the grass 43 3° on the same date. The
highest screen temper.iture was 76 4°, and the
highest sun reading 125°, both on the 23rd. Of
sunshine during the month of August there
have been registered 20!) hours 25 minutes
against 188 hours 5 minutes in August, 1895, and
an average of 187 hours 40 minutes. For the first
eight months of the present year 1364 hours 25

inutes have been recorded, the amount for the
corresponding period of last year being 143o hours
30 minutes, and the average 1315 hours 45 minutes.
The wind has been considerably less boisterous
than in .\ugust, 1895, when the total horizontal
movement reached 7110 miles, the amount regis-
tered for the month under notice being 6235
miles. The greatest daily run was 381 miles on
the 24th, and the greatest hourly velocity was
reached between the" hours of 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.
on the same date, when a rate of 29 miles per
hour was attained. For the first eight months of
the year the total horizontal movement has been
49,895 miles, against 53,745 miles in 1895. On
twenty-two days of the past month the wind has
been southerly to westerly, and on the remaining
nine days northerly to easterly. The mean
humidity of the month has been 73 per cent.,
against 79 per cent, in August, 1S95; while 66
per cent, of ozone has been recorded, running from
4(1 per cent, during an easterly wind to 85 per
cent, with a south-west breeze.

In the garden the Belladonna Lilies are in fine
bloom at the foot of a south wall, and the white
Antirrhinum, which, after its first flowering, was
cut back, has again formed snowy breadths in the
border. A large patch of Sweet Alyssum from
spring-sown seed is in full bloom in a corner of
the wild garden and fills the air with its scent of
honey, which attracts numberless hive and bumble
bees to its white blossoms. Achillea ptarmica
The Pearl, which has been hard cut for decorative
purposes, is still blooming from side shoots, and
Anemone japonica Honorine Jobert, in a low-
lying portion of the garden, has been fully 5 feet
6 inches in height and crowned with a profusion
of pure white golden centred flowers. In dry
spots this Anemone has barely reached a stature
of 2 feet. With the aid of abundant watering,
the large bed of tuberous Begonias, which con-
tains several hundred plants, has done well, and
is at present a sheet of glowing scarlet. At the
back of the beds a deeper shade of red is provided
by the tall flower-scapes of Erythrina crista-galli,
which against the wall has grown to a height of
almost 5 feet, some of the blnomspikes being 2
feet in length. In places the Carnations have done-
well, and the Marguerite section are now coming
into profuse bloom. Canna Ehemanni iridiflora
has produced scape after scape of pendent blooms
and will do so until the advent of the first frost,
while its large Musa-like leaves have always a
bold and handsome effect. The tall Chimney
Campanulas (C. pyramidalis) have been very fine,
one specimen of the white variety being f-specially
noticeable. This plant when young was nearlj'
destroji-cl during the winter of 1894 by water-
rats, and has since then confined its energies to
recuperating its strength. This it accomplished
so thoroughly that this autumn it threw up
thirty flower-spikes, the tallest attaining a height
of over 6 feet. Campanula turbinata and C. t. alba
are still in bloom, and Coreopsis grandiflora, in spite
of its profuse flowering in the preceding months, is
still a golden gleam in the herbaceous border. The
Asters, or Starworts, have commenced their
flowering season, A. Novi-Belgii Harpur-Crewe
being already in bloom, while Goldilocks, A.
(Chrysocoma) Linosyris, is fast expanding its yel-
low inflorescence. A. Amellus bessarabicus is also
in flower, its large blossoms being f<iually effec-
tive in the garden or when utilised for indoor
decoration. Here and there the large golden stars
of Doronicum plantagineum excelsum are to be
seen in twos and threes, and Erigeron speciosus is
notyetentirelyflowerless, while the Mexican Daisy
(Erigeron mucronatus) is producing its simple
blossoms as freely as if it had not been in con-
tinual bloom since the latter days of spring. The
Cactus Dahlias are not^ at their best, and \rr- have
some introductions quite equal to the true Cactus
form of .Tuarezi. Lady Pi-rzjnce, deep yellow
and J. H. Roach, a lighter shade of the same
colour; Delicata. pink, shaded to sulphur and
white ; Beautv of Arundel, lake ; Gloriosa, crim-
son scarlet ; Professor Baldwin, orange-scarlet ;
and Matchless, velvet-maroon, are all good. Mrs.
C. Peart is a handsome white, which, however,

Septeiiber 20, IJ

THE GARDEN.

247

partakes more of the decorative than the true
Cactus shape, and will probably be soon ousted
by Mrs. F. Fell, a pure white of faultless con-
tour. During August the white Galega has been
smothered with its Pea-like blossoms, and the tall
flower-spires of Galtonia (Hyacinthus) candicans
with their pendent white blossoms have contrasted
delightfully with the vivid scarlet of Gladiolus
brenchleyensis and the deep blue of Salvia patens.
The Gaillardias with their brilliant livery of crim-
son and gold have made an etfective display, but
ere the month was two weeks old the charming
tracery of Gypsophila paniculata had lost its fairy-
like beauty, and Statice latifolia, whose flowering
habit, though on a less exquisitely delicate scale,
suggests that of the Gypsophila, passed out of
bloom before the close of August. The scarlet
Geum, still blooming sparsely, has given an occa-
sional note of vivid colour amid the prevailing
glow of yellow that predominates in the autumn
garden and which is provided by the Sun Sowers
and Rudbeckias. Helianthus giganteus has barely
reached a height of 7 feet, which is considerably
less than its stature for the seasons of 1894 and
1895. When seen against a background of dark
green its coronal of light yellow flowers gives a
pleasing distant effect. H. multiflorus and H. m.
Soleil d'Or in deep and fairly moist soil are bloom-
ing grandly, but on a dry bank H. rigidus, though
a mass of flowers, is scarce more than a foot high.
H. latiflorus, perhaps the best of the perennial
Sunflowers, has been in bloom for some time in
exposed gardens, but in sheltered and partially
shaded situations has not as yet expanded its
buis. Lobelia cardinalis near the water has been,
and is, a glorious sight. Some thirty clumps stand
together and, rising out of blue Cornflower, the
glowing flower-spikes shine afar. In height they
vary from 3 feet to 4 feet, which, considering the
dryness of the summer, is a good average. Last
year some spikes reached a height of near upon
5 feet. The plants in i[uestion are the descendants
of two small clumps which were procured in the
autumn of 189.3 and planted while in flower.
Being well attended to they did not suffer from
their removal, and each autumn since have been
sub-divided. No mulch or protection of any kind
has ever been given, yet even in the severe frost
of 1895 not a single plant succumbed. Close by
are three clumps of Lobelia rosea with pretty
pink flowers, which, however, lack the brilliance
of L. cardinalis. L. rosea is presumably a hybrid
between L. cardinalis and L. sj'philitica. Lychnis
chalcedonica and Monarda hirta have both been
in bloom during a portion of the month, while
Solidago ambigua (Golden Rod) and Aconitum
Napellus (Monkshood) have mingled their gold
and purple in the wild garden.

Of the Lilies, L. auratum has been in bloom,
but has not reached its stature of former years-
L. speciosum has grown strongly and flowered
well. L. superbum has been as poor as its com-
patriot, L. pardalinum, has been fine, the reason
for this difference being hard to determine, as the
clumps were planted less than 2 yards apart, in
precisely similar soil and at the same time. The
Tiger Lilies have been very lovely, but have not
reached their usual height. L. t. Fortunei is,
here, the most satisfactory variety. A patch of
L. t. splendens from bulbils sown three years ago
has bloomed for the first time during the month.
The Montbretias have been most profuse in bloom
both in exposed and sheltered positions, and I
have lately seen them thoroughly at home under
the spreading branches of Oak trees The grace-
ful poise of their flower scapes and the brilliant
orange-red of their blossoms make them universal
favourites for beautifying the herbaceous border
with their uncommon tints and for use as cut
flowers. In South Devon they increase rapidly,
and in a few seasons a plantation becomes a solid
mass of bulbs. Phygelius capensis has produced
on tall stems its bright racemes of flowers, and
Oxalis floribunda rosea has also been in bloom,
while the Winter Cherry (Physalis Alkekengi) has
already become ornamental by reason of the
orange hue which has suffused its calyces. The
lowly Polygonum capitatum, though incon-

spicuous, is a pretty little flower and at home on
the rnckery or bank, and the blue of Plumbago
Larpenta; takes the place ot the more vivid tint
of the spring Gentians. A fine plant of Plumbago
capensis is in bloom against a cliff with a southern
exposure in a neighbouring garden, its light blue
flower clusters contrasting well with the ruddy
colouring of the rock. Papaver pilosum and the
Welsh Poppy (Meconopsis cambrica) have both
borne occasional flowers of apricot and chrome
respectively, and the tall Evening Primroses
(•Enothera Lamarckiana) have opened their large
clear yellow blossoms beneath a Palm-like Aralia
spincsa, which is just coming into flower. The
herbaceous Phloxes retained their beauty through-
out the greater part of the month, but are now
things of the past. Rudbeckia Newmani has
never been so free-flowering. All the plants, some
of them a yard across, are sheets of golden black-
centred blossoms. The faint blue Scabiosa cau-
casica is a gem in the garden, and when planted
around bushes of the yellow Paris Daisy, the pale
shades of yellow and blue form an exquisite
harmony. Stokesia cyanea has opened its purple
flowers before the close of the month, and Sedum
Sieboldi has followed suit, while Tradescantia
virginica is blooming for a second time. Zausch-
neria californica has done well this hot summer,
and is now covered with its vermillion blossoms.

long footstalks from the glaucous foliage, while T.
canariense has wreathed tree bole and lichened wall
with wandering streaks of gold. Eccremocarpus
scaber, here a perennial, is covered with flower,
but is apt to look dingy by the side of the brighter
Tropajolums. Mina lobata, climbing amongst
the Virginian Creeper, has a pretty appearance>
its flower-spikes being thrown out some inches
beyond the leaves of the Ampelopsis. An effec-
tive foliage plant is the common Hemp (Cannabis
sativa), growing to the height of 8 feet to 10 feet
and being exceedingly graceful in form and leaf-
age. Associated with Acanthus and (iunnera, its
tall and lissom shoots are seen to the best advan-
tage. Choisya ternata has commenced a second
flowering period, but on dry slopes this and other
shrubs show, by brown and wilted leaves, how
hardly they have been dealt with by the lack of
moisture experienced thoughout the whole of the
past six months. The Limes' leaves are yellow-
ing, and as I write I see a scarlet glow on the
hither sides of a Horse Chestnut. The swallows
are thickly lining the roof, and the doves have
brought their last fledglings of the year from the
nest in a distant Elm to roost within the odorous
precincts of the standard Magnolia. Summer
is dead, and Nature is aware that she is no more.
S. W. F.

Flower Garden.

NARCISSUS MOSCHATUS.

(lES.SEE SPANISH WHITE DAFFODIL OF THE
TYRENEES.)

The illustration represents a healthy and
free flowering tuft of this exquisite little
white Daffodil growing in a garden at Upper
Eathmines, near Dublin. Mr. N. Colgan,
who sent the jihotograph from which the
engraving was prepared, has since furnished
the history of the bulbs composing the clump
illustrated. He says: "I gathered about a
dozen bulbs on July 10, 1890, on the lime-
stone plateau of the Gaulis, S.W. of Mount
Perdu, in Upper Aragon, at a height of
liOOO feet. The plant was rare there, not
more than 100 plants in all, and my guide,
an experienced Narcissus hunter from Saint
Sauveur, in the Gavarnie valley, on the north
or French side of the Pyrenees, told me it was
Group of Narcissus mo^rhatu^ at Rathmine'!, Dublin, very rare on the Spanish or south side of the
Engraved ^r The Garden from a photograph sent ^jj^in, and unknown on the French side. On
by Mr. N. Colgan. ^^^ ^^^j-^ ^j^j^^^ ^j^^ pj^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^ ^^^^

close pasture on a limestone bed, and close by
The Tufted Pansies still retain their loveliness, were splendid sheets of Myosotis alpestris On
some of the varieties with gradations of saffron my return in October, IbOO, I planted the buxbs
and blue being especially charming. Roses have , in very poor garden soil, near the foot of a Pear
done indifferently compared with other seasons, tree and of a wall in a western exposure, and
though there have always been sufficient Teas to the bulbs flowered freely on April 10, 1891, and
fill a bowl or two for the house. Safrano and have continued to bloom every year since. The
Mme. Hoste have been among the most satis- dates of flowering for each year are the follow-
factory, and the white Macartney Rose has day i^g . ignj j^.pj.f[ jo ; 1892, April 15 ; 1893,
by day unfolded the purity of its petals. Tigri- jyij^j.(.jj 26, an early spring ; 1894, March 31 ;
dias, with the opulent glories of their fleeting ^g.jg ^ -j 20, a late spring. This spring on
blossoms, are at the zenith of their display in -r. , ' ^ .,1 ion,- 1 a „ ... k„ i„ ho„Q

August, knd all colours should be grown, scarlet, ^ebruary 11, 189b, eleven flower buds have

white, yellow, and rose. The Ivy-leaved Pelar- already begun to appear The flowering
gonium Souvenir de Charles Turner is very effec- season ot the species, it will be seen, is just
tive hanging over a rock edging aglow with its three months in advance in Rathmmes of that
brightly tinted flower-trusses and springing from of its native station on the Gaulis plateau,
a mass of blue Lobelia, while in the background , where the snow lies probably until the end of
the gorgeous blossoms of the Salpiglossis glow I May."

like shot silk in the rays of the setting sun. j It is curious to note that although this plant
Solanum jasminoides becomes more lovely month i ^yas known in Continental gardens in the late
by month, and every loosely swaying shoot as it sixteenth and early seventeenth century days,
hangs from the eaves of the house downwards is .^^j^^^ j^ ^^^ accurately represented by Dutch
h'/n'^i^h ^ ,^,T^^ flower^cluster. From ^nd Belgian painters, yet it was apparently

beneath, a scarlet Tropaolum Lobbianum has -^ 1 ? ■ 1 5 r ■ ■.! i- .,„^„j ut,

ascended the wall till its growths and flowers have qi"te lost sight of agam until rediscovered by
mingled with those of the Solanum. Trop=colum Mr. Buxton m the Val de Arrases m the early
speciosum is still flowering bravely, and in a shady summer of 1884. There is a specimen m the
corner seems quite at home even during this arid Linnean Herbarium namedN. moschatus(JNo. o)
summer. T. tuberosum is also in bloom, its from the garden at LTpsala, but it is not the wild
scarlet and orange blossoms standing out well on N. moschatus of the Pyrenees, and is more pro-

24S

THE GAEDEN.

[September 2G, 1896.

bably X . oermius of our present day gai'dens.
Asaiu. the luuoh larger plant grown iu Holland
and in Kuulish gardens as N. moschatus of the
Dutch is quite "a ditierent thing, and is now
more correctly known as X. albicans. Haworth
knew it as ""the greater Spanish white Datto-
dil," but it has never been found nild in
Spain or elsewhere. As a matter of fact, the
only really wild white Daflodil known is the
true N. moschatus now alluded to, and from
which it seems not oulv possible, but highly
probable that all the other white variations
now known in gardens have descended from
seed. Like all wild seedling Daffodils, >'. mos-
chatus varies to a limited degree, and from
a larce collected batch of bulbs in flower you
MU pick some small varieties having narrow
perianth divisions and very narrow and nearly
perfectly cylindrical trumpets, while other
flowers have broad perianths and wider trum-
pets approaching to the garden white known
as Colleen Bawn. In nearly all cases the
flowers are distinctly pendent, the trumpet of
the flower hanging parallel to the scape. T'
flowers are of pure snowy whiteness, and this
intensified by the dark green tube, the outline
of which is convex rather than concave, as in
most trumpet Narcissi. It is an exciuisite
plant for moist, half-shaded positions on lawn
or meadow, where its drooping flowers show up
well in the grass, or it does well if its bulbs
nestle amongst Moss-covered stones in the rock
garden, but it rarely grows or looks at its best
on a bare and open border. In pots it is charm-
ing as grown in a cold frame.

By hybridising this plant and others with Iv .
triandrus albus, Mr. Engleheart has raised some
charmint; seedlings of the Snowdrop section, that
is to say, white or pale creamy varieties of the
K. Johnstoni type. It would be very interesting
if a white Campernelle (N. odorus) could be
obtained by crossing with the true Jonquil (N.
Jonquilla. Although the lesser Spanish white
Daflodil is chaste in colour and dainty in form
rather than large and showy, it nevertheless
deserves careful culture and naturalisation in
our gardens. Coming as it does from the cool,
moist valleys of the Hautes Pyrenees, where it
is fed by the snow melting every spring, we
must remember that it enjoys shade, moisture,
and the company of grass or other herbage
rather than a bare and hot and sunny border
fully exposed. Some sort of instinct suggests
to me that N. montanus (also said by Salisbury
to come from the vaUeys of the Pyrenees, but
not re-discovered in our time) is in some way
related to X. moschatus. May N. montanus
not possibly be a hybrid betwetn N. moschatus
and N. poeticus >. Perhaps Mr. Engleheart will
some day prove synthetically the real relation-
ship between these two plants.

F. W. BuKBIDCiE.

garden, despite the introduction of so many new
forms, not a few of them of questionable value.
I saw a long hne of iC the other day. It was
blooming very freely and there was no trace of
mildew on it. The exhibitor w ill not have any-
thing to do with it, it is too small for his purpose,
as he likes a large round Bower to form an eflfec-
tive spray, but Bluebell is of service in the flower
garden, and will be found there for many years to
come. It should be taken as a model by raisers
for the following reasons : its hardiness, freedom
of bloom, persistence, compactness of habit,
dwarf and spreading, and because it displays its
blooms so well above the foliage.— R. D.

Water rats and Nymph seas. -A few weeks
ago, when walking through my bog garden, in
which are growing half a dozen ditierent species
of Water Lily, I noticed that one of them, a fine
plant of Nymphfea Laydekeri rosea, had been
since the preceding evening completely stripped
of its flowers. On searching the ground near I
found hidden in the long grass, and all together, t he
missing blooms, which had been bitten off, each
with an inch of stalk, and presumably by a
water rat. Some of the crimson petals had been
eaten, but not all of them, nor had the centre of
the flowers been touched. None of the other
Lilies had been attacked, nor have I ever no-
ticed such a thing before. It looks as if the rat
been attracted by the brilliant and unu.'ual
appearance of these beautiful flowers, and, like
some other collectors, could not resist the
temptation of appropriating them. The common
Water Lily grows in my garden in great abund-
ance, and my little friend might have taken any
number of blooms had he wanted them for any
useful purpose, but I am afraid a water rat with a
scientific interest in rare plants, and especially in
rare Nympha>as, is an intruder in a garden that
cannot be tolerated.— F. W. Harmer.

P.S.— Since writing the above I have learned
that my friend Dr. Beverly has met with a
similar experience in his garden atBrundall, near
Norwich.

*,* We find water rats constant destroyers of
all the newer Water Lilies, and if these rats are not
kept down, half the bloom the plants produce will
not be gathered. They like the fleshy base of
the flowers, and if allowed their own way we find
nearly all the flowers on the bank. We find they
eat all varieties. In open water fed by streamlets
they are more troublesome than in bog gardens
and the like. They are easily trapped by the
common gin, and they should also be shot, fer-
retted, and kept down in any way. They are
more easily trapped than the brown rat, which
also frequents the water-side. — Ed.

to keep the bulbs supplied with nutriment all the
year round. Certain of these — candid um and
speciosum, for instance — are possessed of so much
constitutional vigour ai to be able to recover afier
being for a considerable time out of the ground,
while auratum has so little, that it is only able by
means of a wig of stem lOuts to perfect the flowers
contained within it before finally collapsing. But
because some of these are so vigorous as to be able
to survive a good deal of most barborous treat-
ment surely does not prove that the barbarous
treatment was beneficial. Then there is a third
set, to which pardaliiium, canadense and super-
bum belong, and which "E J.," enthusiastic as
he is upon the point, would, I am sure, never think -
of drying. The.-e we will leave out. Now take
the three he sptcially mentions as having been
benefited by drjing candidum, testaceum and
chalcedonicum. The first is a hardy and vigorous
Lily, and may no doubt be subjected to a good
deal of rough treatment and still survive. The
second is much like it, but the ether, chalcedoni-
cum—I say without fear of contradiction cannot
be moved from one part of the garden to another,
no matter how quickly or how carefully it may be
done, without suffering somewhat and requiring
two or three vears to recover its previous stature ;
and when " E. J." says that this Lily can be not
only dug np, butroasttd into the bargain and still
come up smiling the following season, I say that
he is diawing upon his imagination, and has never
seen chalcedonicum at its best in hune sheaves of
noble stems 5 feet high, as 1 have, and to pretend
that this can be kept out of the ground for two or
three months after October, and then behave as
though nothing had happened, is out of the <iues-
tion. Not only am I utterly opposed to drying
Lily bulbs, but even more so to disrooting theni,
and I look upon this as the most objectionable
practice connected with the Lily trade ; and I say
that the man who digs up a Lily bulb, cuts or
pulls off its roots, and then packs it, for instance,
in bran is not a practical gardener ; sawdust is
just as bad. For years I have been fully per-
suaded that if we could get L. auratum over with
the roots intact, we should have very little diffi-
culty in getting it established. As the bulbs are
sent now, lacking in vigour as they are, the stem
is pushed up, stem roots are formed, the flowers
open, and the bulb perishes without in many
cases having made a single root from its base ;
while speciosum, though coming from the same
place and disrooted similarly, being much stronger,
makes basal roots and becomes established. Dry-
ing and disrooting are quite distinct from one
another, but when the two go together it is very
bad for the Lily. T. Smith.

Clematis Jackmani.— A delightful effect is
afforded by growing Clematises against an almost
perpendicular bank. Evidence of this I met with
in a case where a rough bank about 15 feet high,
composed of loose rock and shale, in which some
Periwinkles and weeds had rooted, had been
covered with galvanised wire netting, painted
green, upon which the growths of six plants of
Clematis .Jackmani were spread. The sheet of
glorious purple was many yards in extent and
stood out from the dark green of the Vinca leav
which formed a most harmonious background. As
long as the roots are well fed and slugs and sr
prevented from eating off the young shoots, of
which which they are extremely fond, this Cle-
matis will make breadths of rich colour in the
garden with but litde attention.— S. W. F.

Tvifted Pansy Bluebell.— This is one of the
older varieties which holds its own in the flower

BAKED LILIES.
" E. J." (p. 171) does not appear to have devoted
the amount of careful thought to this Lily matter
that he usually does to the interesting papers he
occasionally sends to The Garden. Had he, he
would surely never in one place have advised that
Lily bulbs should be dug up in July and left to
roast for weeks on a gravel path during our hot
test weather for their benefit, and in another that
the same bulbs, if dug up in October and kept
for some time in cocoa-nut fibre during cold
weather, may be injured. But perhaps he will
explain. We must remember that there are
Lilies and Lilies, one set including such kinds
as croceum, umbellatum, Thunbergianum, &c ,
whose scales are so closely compacted together as
to almost form solid bulbs, which annually at the
end of the growing season part with their roots
and retire within themselves. This seems to be
an arrangement to enable them to exist for a
period under rather dry conditions. These may no
doubt be subjected to a certain amount of paper
bagging without receiving much injury, but even
with them it is surprising how quickly some begin
to decay when out of the ground. Then there is
the much larger set, which includes candidum,
testaceum, speciosum, auratum, &c., whose roots
are persistent, an arrangement no doubt intended

NOTES ON HARDY PLANTS.
Echinops.— Just now I have a lot of self sown
seedlings in flower, clearly the result of a cross
between the blue E. bannaticus and the white E.
sph:erocephalus. The heads are bigger than those
of E. bannaticus and of nearly a sky-blue shade.
I prefer distinct or decided colours, but I am sure
many would like this form. The foliage com-
pared with that of E. bannaticus is more spread-
ing and free, and a great improvement on that of
the blue kinds, which I generally see rolled,
crumpled, and rusty.

Eryngium amethystinuro (L.).— It is almost
needtul to say that this is the true amethystinum,
for several other varieties have long passed in
commerce under the name. What I wish more
to speak of is the great beauty of this dwarf
species both in bloom and foliage. It is quite
distinct as a plant from all the rest of the Sea
Hollies, and judging from what my friends do
and say on seeing it, it is not only the most
desirable but practically a new form to most of
them.

Primula Poissoni. — In the open-air this has
been flowering since early June. This is not
meant of individuals, but of several in a big
group. Still the flowering of single plants is re-
markably prolonged, as may be judged when it is

September 26, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

249

mentioned that some of them form a fifth whorl.
Another feature worth notice is the better shape
and size of the flowers, and the softer colours in
the later summer, just as we find to be the ca.se
with some Roses and Carnations, &c. At present
the honey- scented flowers are of the several deli-
cate heliotrope hues, and a group of this late
Primrose in a sheltered moist nook would be a
distinct and charming feature in any garden.

Veronica crispifolia. — "This is a rare Speed-
well." So said the late Mr. Niven when he gave
me almost the last Ijit he had just before he died
fifteen years ago. It belongs to the herbaceous
section of V. spicata, grows 2 feet high, stems as
straight as arrows, leaves severely recurved, crisp,
toothed, stout and glistening. The flowers are in
the thinnest possible spikeiets and deep violet-
blue. When the plants get a fair size they arrest
notice, and if carefully examined become highly
interesting.

Eritricliium nanum. — As is well known, this
is not one of the easiest alpines to cultivate. It
is so sensitive to climate that one has to bfgin
to learn its treatment with every charge of gar-
dening conditions, hence the diflnculcy of one
transmitting to others the liest mode of treatment
for different gardens. Still, one or two general
points of culture may be worth note, and, as I
have had more or less success during the last
four years, and more than ordinary success during
the last year, I will give the chief points of trc-it-
ment. First, it should be kept in mind that the
plant loves summer moisture, and equally a dense
but very porous soil, such as fine granite grit,
coarse silver sand mixed liberally with fine peat,
and tuify loam sifted. An important matter is
to transplant in spring just as growth begins,
unless, indeed, the plants are strong. Use pot
specimens with all their roots intact, then there
is much less risk. There is another reason why
many newly-acquired plants fail. If in transit the
grit, which had naturally found its way into the
hearts of the tuft and around the collars of the
minute rosettes, gets dislodged, it should be care-
fully replaced, or the herbage will soon assume a
sickly yellow colour and aie. The chief point,
as I take it, is to have the plants solidly com-
pacted with grit, that no part of the plant, except-
ing the little glandular leaves, can evaporate but
a minimum ot moisture, and also that capillary
attraction may be the more perfect. Green fly
often attacks the plants, and on the first sign —
which will be yellowish spots on the leaves —
dust with tobacco powder by means of the pufl'-
box and invert a flowerpot over the plant
for a day ; this soon chokes off this pest. Of
course, autumn and winter protection i8 abso-
lutely necessary against wet, and a sheet of glass
is suitable. In some conditions of our Novembers
and Decembers, these downy cushions would
otherwise never once get dry and black rot would
set in. This would be a fatal state with a variable
winter to follow. Yet it is possible to have this
mountain gem from year to year in a healthy
state, and once you get the right notion how to
deal with it, you will not only find that it makes
rapid growth, but also that such growth ensures
largely that it will get safely through our wet and
foggy seasons. As a summer plant I do not think
it needs extra skill.

Pratia angulata. — This is one of our most
beautiful and efl'tctive creepers for the latter end
of summer. The comparativeh- big white moth-
like flowers, and the fruits are simply charming.
This plant, which grows like a weed m most gar-
dens, like the Erinus alpinus, refused to grow
here, but I found a bit of heavy loam made all the
difference.

Silene virginica.— How rich and welcome are
a few late flowers of this brilliant Catchfly. In a
garden like this, where slugs are kept under only
with constant care, one is not likely to see it in
big masses. I fancy it resents humus under the
surface when newly planted, and I am sure it loves
a clay soil.

Phjrteuma campanuloides.— At this late
season this distinct species afi'ords one of the best

bits of blue we have, the small flowers being
arranged in long elegant spikes. I have noted
this before in these columns, and I do so again, be-
cause it is so seldom seen, and if put in the right
place it would liberally repay culture if in no other
way than for picking.

Gentiana Andrewsi makes a rich show with
its stems nearly 2 feet high and liberally bedecked
with the big blue bells. I find this most respon-
sive to treatment in the way of giving flowers so
late as Michaelmas when planted in good soil
under low trees or otherwise shaded as in a north
aspect. J. Wood.

Woodvilh, KirislaU.

THE WILD GARDENS OF THE SIERRA.
OtK California Sierra is 500 miles long and 70
miles wide, and its elevation is from (iOOO feet
to nearly 15,000 feet. Wonderful are the peace-
ful mountain lakelets that find places on no
maps — pellucid, transparent, hidden in sheltered
hollows of glacial valley basins, at the tips of
ancient moraines, or strung like beads on moun-
tain streams, as in Lake Hollow, in Tolumne
Canon, where ten such lakes lie close together.
These snow-fed pools begin to throw ofi' the
chains of winter in May, June or July, accord-
ing to the altitude, and then their margins
suddenly run riot with a most bewildering va-
riety and multitude of plants. Thousands of
attractive lakelets exist in the Sierras ; in the
Merced district alone Muir notes 131 of not less
than 500 yards in circuit ; other thousands of
hollows, once occupied by lakes, have now be-
come green and blossoming meadows, whUe some
are in the transition state— cold swamps where
the Droseras grow, and one may look for
Darlingtonia, or find in deeper channels the
Nuphar polysepalum. The margins of these
countless lakelets are soft with Blosses, pale
green Hypnums, silky and lustrous Dicranums,
dark Polytrichums and other Musci, green and
purple Sphagnums and slender Selaginellas. In
such wet places rise the tall stems and graceful
white perianths of Spiranthes, the Sierra Ladies'
Tresses, with white and greenish Habenarias.
Sometimes one finds the white-racemed
Hastingsia. The ripe, salmon-coloured cap-
sules of the bog Asphodel gleam over the lesser
water plants, and along the moister levels whole
acres of tall Veratrums uplift their broad leaves
and heavy spikes of cream-coloured and greenish
flowers, and Caltha leptosepala abounds.

But I have hardly begun to describe the
variety of plant life upon the shores of the
lakelets in the alpine meadows and on the rock
slopes. Around such lakes are vivid golden
Ranunculi in many shades, purple-beaked
Dodecatheons, dwarf Mimuli, yellow or pink,
with crimson-spotted or copper-red hoods ;
bee-haunted Limnanthes, white and pale yel-
low ; rose-tinted Claytoniaa, tall, fragrant Tri-
foliums, red, white or purple-flowered, massed
by dripping springs against still statelier
Aralias, Ferulas and Heracleums, or grouped
with white and yellow Hosackias by the edges
of splintered granite rocks, while under foot
e nodding Pearl-worts, modest little Stellarias
d Cerastiums and the water-loving Lobelia
carnosula. Creeping Violas, white, yellow,
and blue, are blossoming by thousands in the
warm half-shade, and by some of the alpine
lakes the dwarf Willows are mingled with
purple-flowering Kalmias, fringes of Cassiope,
fragrant Vacciniums, and Loniceras. If a
mountain torrent falls into the lake hollow you
shall find many Saxifrages, white, creamy
brown or purple, hanging to the damp rocks.
Primula sullrutescens will be there also, and
where the spray dashes is the white-blossoming
Rubus leucodermis. On almost every shel- 1

I tered soil-covered shelf of rock millions of
creamy yellow and purple-shaded Erythroniums
begin to blossom as the snow melts and linger
until the lake-shores fairly awaken. Hidden
at the bases of the crags are multitudes of
Asters and Aquilegias (A. truncata), and if one
climbs far enough he can find the large-flowered
blue and white A. ccerulea. Rose or flesh-
coloured Dicentras hide among the grasses ;
Silenes, pink, white, scarlet, or purple, cluster
about rock points ; CastiUejas, yellow-red and
tire-tipped, deepening to almost crimson ; vivid
Zauschnerias, masses of blue Lupines, white
and rose-coloured Phloxes, Pentstemons of
pink, violet, and blue, rose-hued Spiraeas, and
silky, glistening cups of Lewisia rediviva, with
an enormous number of showy compositpe,
clothe the dry granite dust and furrows of the
dark rocks. Helianthi, Wyethias, Erigerons,
Golden-rods, Heleniums, and many others
great and small, by lake-shores and streams
and to the limits of alpine vegetation, mark the
sway of the compositse in the Sierras. Often
the colour-scheme is strongly blue and gold for
miles, for the tall Forget-me-nots, the lovely
Gentians, such as Gentiana Amarella, G. sim-
plex, and G. calycosa, the fine alpine Linums,
Lupines, Larkspurs, and other vividly blue
flowers quite hold their own with the rich
compositjf.

Especially brilliant also are some of the
alpine Ericaceie, such as Bryanthus Breweri,
that dwarf evergreen with thick, obtuse, Heath-
like leaves and saucer-shaped, rose-purple blos-
soms gleaming upon high and rocky peaks of
the Sierras. Another lovely Heath is the white
or rose-coloured Cassiope, a suffrutescent ever-
green with finely imbricated foliage. These
grow far above the Oaks and the dwarf, trailing
Manzanitas, where Hemlock Spruces, Tsuga
Pattoniana and mountain Pines, Pinus albi-
caulis and P. monticola, are the outposts of the
great Sierra forests. Still one finds golden
compositK', brighter and more luminous than
ever, in great masses close to the edges of the
glaciers. Again, far down by the lake hollows the
Mosses and other forms of lesser plant life take
the place of the glowing hosts of the mid-
Sierra. The Woodsias and larger Ferns dis-
appear, but Pellseas, Allosori, Cheilanthes and
Cystopteris have grown in the shadows of
granite crags and in crevices of the giant moun-
tains all the way from the land of Lilies and of
wild Sierra Roses. On the grey pinnacles,
among sky-blue Flaxes, silvery Astragali, with
cream-white and purple flowers and mottled
pods, rattle sharply in the winds. Alpine Sages
creep up from the Nevada desert plateau and
make the eastern horizon grey. The blue and
white Polemoniums, the hoary Lithospermum
pilosum and other flowers of the highest peaks
are found here in gardens of their own. —
Charles H. Suites, Niles,Cah'fornia, in Garden
and Forest.

Gentiana Andrewsi.— Many years ago when
growers of this plant had to realise that it never
opened its flowers, the remark has frequently been

lade that " it flowered too late to expand in our

nglish climate." It is, however, a showy plant
externally, and its rich blue flowers in a group a
foot high at the base of the rockwork are always
very attractive at this season. For its lateness
as well as its colour it is worth growing where
a moist spot can be given it.

The Hollyhock.— This noble autumn flower,
which had for years been nearly extinct, is again
coming to the front. I saw m the garden at
Craigiebield, Midlothian, the other day, a few
grand plants ; these were raised under glass in the
spring of 1S95, and planted out about the end of
June of that year. They did not flower last

250

THE CxARDEN.

[September 26, 1896,

autumn, and stood out all winter without pro-
tection. They were removed early this sptinj; to
their present quarter?, where they have been
flowering since the middle of August. One plant
has produced five stems. On this plant were 46.">
double flowers, while on another plant growing
near there were 43G pure white single flowers.
-W. L. M.

Pclygonum sphasrostachyum.— It is impos-
sible to over-estimate the value of this brilliant
and strikingly effective sjiecies. Blooming for
several weeks in succession and producing its
blood-red flowers on long cylindrical spikes give
it an exceptional value among rock or border
plants. The flowering stems attain to a foot or
more high, and even in small plants it is effective.
The plant is essentially a summer and autumn-
flowering subject.

TropaBolum specicsum. — This grows strongly
here and has flowered most profusely, some of the
shoots reaching the length of \-2 feet. The plant
has been planted several years in the same place.
It is growing in a compost of peat and loam en
riched with leaf-mould : the roots are on the
north side of a terrace wall 5 feet high, and the
shoots are brought over the top of the wall and
trained upon a wooden trellis. It seeds freely. A tine
plant of this Tropa'olum is growing upon the north
wall of the village hall of Forest Row, about one
mile from here. It is planted in the ordinary gar-
den soil, which is a good, rich yellow loam.
This plant has produced fine shoots laden with
flowers, but, owing to not having the bright rays
of the sun, the colour is paler than in those
having the full sun. I have lately seen several
plants growing strongly and flowering freely.
During the months of August and September
ripe seed can be gathered and sown the following
February or March. When large enough the
seedlings should be potted into 3 inch pots and
planted out <luring May or early in June. —
Wm. CHRibTisoN, Kidhrockt Park, Forest Hon,

A NEW TULIP MANIA.
We find in M. Krelage's catalogue the following
flowers of speech, descriptive of groups of Tulips:
" Late Rectified Amateur Tulips,'' " True English
Amateur Tulips," " True Flemish Amateur
Tulips,"' "True CUd Dutch Amateur Tulips,"
and "Darwin Tulips." Confusion must arise in
the public mind from these things, and such
language is no gain to our garden lists. It is
surely time the Royal Horticultural Society
stepped in and simplified Tulip names a little,
using English names for garden varieties, and
stopping this needless confusion about late Tulips,
which are dignified by so many names and called
a new race, which they are not.

It ia not only that this misnaming is wrong in
itself, but it confuses the fact that these so-called
Darwin Tulips are simply the self-coloured kinds,
once thrown on one side in the raising of the
striped florists' late Tulip, varieties of T. Ges-
nerlana. People should now begin to see that the
once rejected self colours of the late Tulips are
the finest and most effective kinds, and " late self-
coloured" Tulips is quite sufhcient to distinguish
them as a group, each variety to bear any simple
name fitted for it that the raiser selected. As in
the case of the Carnation, which has been kept
out of gardens for years, owing to the misguided
efforts of the so-called florists, and the Rose,
■which ro=arian8 have tried to model on the form
of a flat Dutch Cabbage, we see that similar silly
ideals set up for the Tulip begin to be knocked
on the head.

Then there is the misuse of Latin names for
garden forms, as we sea in Mr. Hartland's
list under such names as Tulipa Gesneriana
major aurantiara mandata. for Tulips that are of
garden origin, and should have an English or
some simple name. Latin names are often falsely,
and quite needlessly, applied to plants of garden
origin, and hybrids and varieties of garden origin,
it is now agreed, should bear simple names only,
as, indeed, some of our handsome late Tulips now

bear, such as Ida and White Swan. It is not a
question of our own wishes only in the matter, as
the question has been deliberately discussed by
botanists at a conference, and the law as to
names of garden varieties laid down, so there is
no real excuse for giving a Latin name to any but
the wild forms or species of Tulip.

In the catalogues that are now being showered,
as freely as the autumn leaves, over the country,
he precedence is always given to the Hyacinth,
because in olden times the Hyacinth was about
the only bulb grown for the open air, or, indeed,
for almost any other purpose, but it will soon be
found that the Tulip, in its nobler forms, is a far
more beautiful plant in every way for our open-air
gardens than the Hyacinth. Hence the import-
! of a simple nomenclature, and of avoiding
barbarous names which, whatever their effect on
the general reader, must be supremely ridiculous
to the scholar. — Field.

Galtonia candicans planted late. — A use-
ful hint has arisen concerning a rather late
planted group of this fine free-flowering bulbous
plant ; and with the more permanent groups
passing out of flower, those that were planted in
March of the present year are now preparing to
make a show quite equal to the first. This is
worth noting because the season of its flowering
may be so usefully extended by this means, the
only noticeable difference being in the height the
plants attain. Where a sutticient number of
plants exist, a clump or so of the older bulbs
may be lifted and retained in a dry state for late
planting.

Carnation Uriah Pike.— If the editor had
not dropped out smooth-edged from before Crim-
son Clove, my note would have read differently.
There are Cloves and Cloves. However, I wrote
about this plant entirely from a border Carnation
point of view. That Uriah Pike can by special cul-
ture be got to flower at any partieular time does
not affect the matter. My contention is that the
flowers of Uriah Pike and the smooth-edged Crim-
son Clove cannot be distinguished the one from
the other, and in this I am supported by many
persons, but I will content myself by making
just one quotation. In Mr. J. Douglas's catalogue.
Uriah Pike is described as a well-known crimson
variety, with flowers resembling the old Clove.
The plants in my case have been grown side by
side and compared. Mr. Rigg, of Lyons, was here
yesterday ; he has done the same, and agrees in
every way with me, so does Mr. Morrison, of Narro-
water. Both these men grow Carnations by the
thousand and grow them splendidly. The smooth-
edged Clove is a good grower here, but not the
rough-edged, dwarfer plant, and the one called
Paul Engleheart has died out. — T. Smith, Xeicry,

Wall gardening. — The engraving (p. 214)
and the accompanying notes are most interesting,
and show what can be done in such positions and
the effect that may be had. The walls of the
abbey here are very old and thick, and made with
rough stone, and it is astonishing how well
man}' plants thrive thereon. Nothing can be
more pleasing than to see a big patch of Wall-
flower, Antirrhinums, and other things growing
out of these walls. Many things are quite at home,
and some Ferns, such as Adiantum nigrum and
Asplenium Trichomanes, grow like weeds on the
wall round the kitchen garden. But the most aston-
ishing thing to me when I came here was to see
how well the common garden Thyme grew on all
these old walls. However severe the winter, this
Thyme does not get killed, and when it is de-
stroyed in the ground there is always a supply
here. The common Mullein and wild Mignonette
grow freely. Those who have those old walls or
banks should throw any old seed they may
have over them and watch the result. I have a
long wall in front of the abbey ; it faces south
and i."! covered with old - fashioned Roses,
Clematises, and many other climbing plants.
The border in which these are growing (which is
about 2 feet wide) I devote to growing a large
number of tender flints such as Ivy leaved

Geraniums, Heliotropes, Salvias, early blooming
Chrysanthemums, Agathaa, &c. The Agapanthus
has this year bloomed profusely, and it has stood
out in this position for the last seven years. The
white Tobacco is charming in this position. All of
these with hardy Cyclamens, &c., make a fine dis-
play through many months, and by placing a
slight covering over them in autumn they go on
blooming till early in November. I place from
three to six plants together and these give a fine
effect. — J. Crook.

SHORT XO TES. —FLO WER.

Iris cuprea.— Erratum.— In my note on this

Iris (p. lis;) there is an error, the word " sand " being

printed for " sunk." My experience is that moisture

essential to the well-being of this species. — J. C. L.

Lilium tigrinum Fortune! —This is, with

me, the best of the Tiger Lilies. Last year a large

mp stood about 7 feet high and was in flower fur

many weeks. This year its stature is com-iderably less

nd the hlossnms are giving signs of lasting a shorter

ime. L. tigrinum splendeus never attains the height

of Foi-tuiiei bore, nor dues it bear so many blooms,

though the iiulividuiil flowers are slightly larger. The

' ^ties are easily raised from the bulliils which are

to be found each autumn at the axils of the leaves,

ud which wnll form flowering bulbs in three years or

3.— S. W. F., South Biion.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1085.

TWO USEFUL ALPINES.

(with a coloured plate of .SAXIFRAGA MUS-
COIDES RHEI AND ONOSMA ALBO-ROSEC.M.*)

The charming coloured plate in the present
issue will doubtless serve a two-fold purpose, as
not only does it bring into prominent notice
two very useful and pretty alpines, but at the
same time serves to demonstrate one of the
many charming ways in which such pretty sub-
jects may be associated together in planting a
piece of rockwork. In this way those readers
who are contemplating any such work will have
an object lesson before them. Beyond this,
numerous instances may be given where the
most beautiful of alpines may thus be asso-
ciated, and thus tend to make the rock garden
one of the most pleasant spots in the garden.
No cue will deny that the plate from an artistic
point is a most beautiful one, but, if memory
serves me rightly, the plants figured were asso-
ciated in just this way ou one of those delight-
ful bits of miniature rockwork that visitors to
the Drill Hall in early spring are getting accus-
tomed to see from the Hardy Plant Nursery at
Guildford. These exhibits so invariably consist
of beautiful alpines and shrubs of miniature
growth, that an hour or more may readily be
spent in inspecting them. In the first place,
because the exhibit as a whole comes as a most
welcome change to that incessant making up-
invariably the day before the show — of small
pot plants, or rather the placing of such in
shallow pans. The exhibits of alpines from
York and Guildford are generally teeming with
interesting and beautiful plants. This is
exactly as it should be. Once a start has been
made with a dozen or two choice alpines and a
small bit of rockwork, it is surprising how
quickly such interest develops. But even when
making so small a beginning as this the be-
ginner will do well to seek sound advice in the
selection of suitable species. In the many de-
partments or branches that may be found in

* Drawn for The Garden by H. G. Moon at
the Guildford Nursery. Lithographed and printed
by J. L. Goflart, successor to GuiUaume Severeyns.

l.SAXIFRAGA MUSCOIDES RHEL._ 2. ONOSMA ALBO-ROSEUM

September 2C^, 1896.]

THE GAEDEN.

251

outdoor gardening, that of growing choice and ! manure of any description, is the best position,
beautiful alpines successfully is one of the most Further description of the plant is scarcely neces-
■enjoyable. It is suitable also to gardens of eary, as the artist has portrayed it in a perfectly
auch limited size, that a piece of rockwork a few charming and realistic manner in the coloured
yards across may easily be made the home of P'ate. The other species of this genus are
quite a large collection of kinds, the miniature O. echioides, a very charming plant of
growth of many species often enabling the cul- biennial duration. Its flowers, which on large
tivator to embrace quite a representative col- Plants are abundantly produced, are of a rather
lection. It must, however, be understood by P^^^, Jellow, and m favourable seasons seeds are
the beginner that all alpmes are not of pigm^ "^ ^^a.:;^:;:^ !:Zi:^T:^ "t
growth ; far from it indeed, in many in- f^ ^^^it the plant resembles O. tauricum.

stances when they are brought into cultivation Native of Southern Europe.
in gardens in the lowlands. q siMrLicissiMiiM is a perennial species from

Under these latter conditions many things Siberia, with terminal racemes of pale yellow
spread quickly and assume a vigour quite new flowers. I have not grown this species and am
to that of their native habitats. Again, many unaware if it exists in cultivation in this country.
are improved by the change, while others never O. stellulatum is a variable species, having
seem truly happy under the incessantly moisture- flowers either white, yellow, or citron in colour. A
charged atmosphere of theaverageEnglish garden, native of Macedonia, growing about G inches high.
The Onosma in the coloured plate is an instance O. TACRicnM (Golden Drop). — This, the best
of a beautiful alpine, though it must be admitted known of the genus, is also the most worthy,
a somewhat fastidious one and at
times difficult to winter in our
English climate. The mossy Rock-
foil, on the other hand, is at
home in the rock garden almost
in any position, though prefer-
ably a rather moist spot, or with
a fair depth of soil. And equally
so in the border, where it quickly
spreads out into dense mossy
cushions that are freely covered
a long time in tlie spring of the
year with delightful pink flowers.
And it is just possible that those
making a start in growing alpines
will find greater satisfaction from
such as these latter, although of
course a primary consideration
always must be the space at dis-
posal, as also the aspect and so
forth. A few quick and easily-
grown things that invariably
satisfy the beginner by reason of
the masses of flowers are Saxi-
fraga Camposi, such Phloxes as
Nelsoni, atropurpurea. The Bride,
Vivid, lilacina, compacta and
amcBna ; Aubrietia Leichtlini and
A. violacea, Silene alpestris,
Saxifraga luteo-purpurea, Iberis
correasfolia, Hutchinsia alpina,
Draba aizoides, Dianthus alpinus,
Daphne cneorum. Campanula
isophylla alba, C. crespitosa vars.,
Aquilegia ccerulea, A. alpina,
Arnebia echioides, Adonis ver-
ualis, Acantholimon venustum,
Achillea rupestris, Qinothera
macrocarpa, Viola pedata, Pri-
mula rosea in moist and shady nooks with and in good condition is a striking plant.
deep rich soil, and many others equally hardy The plant attains to about 15 inches high when
and vigorous, as well as of the easiest cul- fully grown, though rarely seen more than half
ture and free-flowering withal. A selection that height. In habit it may be regarded as
•of this kind at the start will invariably satisfy, ^ore o^ 'ess an evergreen perennial, of a spread
and in the end create a desire for the rarer '"K- t"fted growth, and from which in spring
kinds which are easily added and accommodated ^^«"V A^^^'^-^te'^s^These are slightly branched
with soil and position at will. and furnish during May and June large clusters

^ . ,. <*'- ""^- of drooping yellow and fragrant flowers that

Coming more directly to the genera repre- ' are Singularly effective. Indeed, it is from the
sented in the plate, I will take the Onosmas clear, pleasing yellow tone of the corolla that it
first : — has received the rather appropriate name of

Onosma albo-roseuji is as yet a somewhat Golden Drop. This is undoubtedly one of the
scarce plant in commerce. It has white or blush- choicest of hardy flowers, better adapted, as a
white flowers, which are drooping and inclined to rule, for a well-chosen position in the rock garden
tubular in outline. It is a distinct and pretty than anywhere else. One of the very finest plants
plant, and an interesting companion to the other I ever saw was growing in the long herbaceous
members of this genus. Though freiiuently border at Hale Farm in 1875— a dense, compact
coming through our winters safely, it cannot be tuft fully IS inches across, and bearing many
considered so reliably hardy as the better-known spikes ot its golden yellow blossoms. Generally
kind O. tauricum. When plantingtheabove, a well- speaking, however, it is short-lived in the border
drained chink where its roots may descend deeply and requires care in any position. Shade should
in a free gritty loam in a sunny position, avoiding always be avoided in its culture, and the plants,

Golden Drop (Onosma taur

if possible, so placed that the tufts of leaves may
rest on a sloping ledge of rock, so as to keep fairly
dry in winter ; a soil of lumpy peat and equally
inpy fibrous loam, with sand very liberally added
(quite a fourth part), and charcoal dust to a like
mount. This and a raised, well-drained position
in the rock garden will do as much as cultural
aids can do for one of the best hardy plants.
Its propagation is a rather slow business at
times and must be done by means of cuttings,
stripped oft" with a heel any time during May or
early in June and inserted in very sandy soil (in
pots preferred) without further ado. I never use
knife to a cutting of this plant. Given a
thorough watering and left to dry for an hour,
the frame should be closed and slightly shaded.
With careful after-management the cuttings at
this season root in about three weeks, and may
then be potted oft' singly in much the same soil as
recommended above. A cold frame or handlight
is much the best for its propagation, and few hardy
plants are worthy more caie in planting. Native
of Caucasus. These, together with

0. PYRAMIDALE, a modem introduction from
the Western Himalayas, constitute the known
members of this genus. This last is described
in the " Dictionary of Gardening " as having "a
corolla of bright ' scarlet, fading to lilac ; stem
Ih feet to 2 feet high, stout, and pyramidally
branched," and is figured in Botanical Magazine,

The other genus represented in the coloured
plate contains a very long list ot species and
almost endless varieties. So many of these are
so well known that no mention of them is neces-
sary here. That mentioned in the plate — Saxi-
fraga muscoides Rhei— is one of the most
charming of the mossy section and a plant that
should be in every garden. Though little is
known as to its origin, it must not be regarded
as identical with the well-known mossy Saxi-
frage, S. m. atro-purpurea ; indeed, Mr. H. S.
Leonard, who exhibited the plant, in an in-
teresting communication respecting it says :
"S. m. Rhei is certainly distinct from S. atro-
purpurea, though I own the colour a little
approaches it. S. m. Rhei is a lovely pink,
the other comparatively dull." This is obvious
at a glance to all who know the older variety,
while its tufted hillock of Moss-like growth ia
also distinct. The plant usually sold by this
name has white flowers, and as nothing is known
decisively as to the origin of this beautiful
plant, I should feel grateful to any reader of
The Gakiien, who has closely studied the genus,
who can throw any light ou the history of the
plant in question, which is believed to be a
hybrid having S. atro-purpurea for one of its
parents. Mr." Leonard further says that it is
' ' an invaluable plant for either the rock garden
or border and of the easiest culture. The lively
pink flowers with which the plant is studded is a
colour not yielded by any other garden Saxi-
frage." So beautiful a subject will undoubtedly
receive the attention and popularity it deserves,
as no garden making a feature of choice hardy
plants could afi^ord to be without so exquisite
and dainty a flower. From two coloured mem-
bers of this mossy section some beautiful hy-
brids should quickly result that would give
greater beauty still to our gardens in the early
days of spring. E. Jexkixs.

Agapanthus umbellatus. — This is at the
present time one of the most striking plants in
the garden, its fine heads of blue flowers stand-
ing out conspicuously above the ample foliage.
Though more frequently used in large tubs for
the decoration of the terrace garden, there is no
need for its exclusive use in this way, as eff'ects
equally fine may be secured by planting or
plunging the specimens in large beds. In the
more favoured districts the plant is nearly hardy
in the open all the year round, and even in the

252

THE GAPxDEK

[SEPTEMbER 20, 1896.

south generally its hardiness is by no means
sutScieutly recognised. Given greater freedom
in the open ground and planted in deep rich soil
in sheltered spots, fine results could be obtained.
-E. J.

The Week's Work.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
CrcrMBKRs. — Where the supply from pits worked
on the hotbed system has to be kept up as long as
possible, much care has to be expended on the
various details of management, the most impor-
tant of which is to keep up the supply of heat
from the manure linings and to prevent an exces-
sive rise or fall in t«mj>erature ; this can only be
done by const.ant attention to the linings, a "por-
tion of which should be renewed every week and
never much at a time. My method of doing this
is to throw out the outer linings right to the
bottom in lengths of S feet or so, and to imme-
diately rebuild the same by mixing in with a
portion of the old material a similar bulk of
manure fresh from the stables, building this right
up to the level of the lights. This gives, in my
own case, a depth of 6 feet of fermenting material
at the back of the pits and about 4 feet at the
front. Such a body of well-mixed manure will
throw out a lot of "heat, and in this manner, by
doing the work piecemeal and renewing each
portion before the heat in that portion has fallen
very low, a good steady heat may be maintained
inside the pit. Of course this gives much more
trouble than heating by hot water, and I do not
recommend those who have plenty of pits heated
on the latter system to struggle on with such
work much longer. At the same time, all that
can be done in this way means less need for over-
cropping (or early cropping, which is almost as
bad) those plants grown especially for winter
fruiting, as with genial weather, plants in
manure-heated pits will fruit well into November.
Those plants which I recommended to be raised
specially for winter will now be showing fruit,
and should be encouraged to swell these off
rapidly by giving a top dressing of bone-meal,
this to be covered with a little soil, which must
be well warmed through before being applied to
the surface, and by giving only sutiicient air to
keep the surroundings sweet, taking this off alto-
gether soon after mid-day. The plants will be
further helped by having the lights covered with
mats by night, and all fouble of this kind taken
with these young plants will be amply repaid by
the fruits being of higher quality than tho;e given
by older plants which have already borne a good
crop. A minimum temperature of 6-5 to 6S"must
be maintained, and the fruiting shoots should be
stopped at one leaf beyond the fruits. The
winter-fruiting plants, or those intended to im-
mediately succeed those now fruiting, should be
planted out or potted into the fruiting pots at
once, for the sooner they are established the
better they will succeed. It is not necessary to
give them at first a big bulk of soil, as this may
be added as the plants develop. Keep the plants
well tied up to the wires or other supports and
preserve all leaves from injury, as the loss of a
few main leaves while the plants are young
does them considerable injury. The earliest
fruits should be removed if not yet wanted, as
their removal will help the plants considerably
and reserve their energies for fruit-production
when most wanted. I dealt with other details
in the management of winter Cucumbers a few
weeks ago, so need not repeat what I then wrote,
but I may add that all hot-water pipes which do
not come into almost direct contact with the
plants should be painted over with a thick coating
of flowers of sulphur to keep down red spider and
the germs of mildew. I also like to sprinkle over
any available surfaces with the same thing in
a dry state with the same object in view, as such
pests are more easily established than got rid of
during the winter months. A further batch of
seedlings should now be raised, and these will come
in for cropping after the turn of the year. I ad-

vise that Rochford's Market Favourite be added
to those I have before recommended. I have
grown this largely as a summer fruiter in manure-
heated pit.-i this \ ear, and have been astonished at
it-! grc.it cropping powers ; the fruits too are of ex-
cellent colour and size, and though I have not yet
tried it for winter fruiting, it appears to have all
the attributes of a model variety.

MrsT.\Rn .\ND Cress. — These being always in
request, it will be time to change quarters for
raising and growing the supply, as sowings made
outdoors are both uncertain and slow in growth
after this month is out. Though the cultivation
is of the simplest, failures are not uncommon, and
many of these are due to the soil used, for though
not at all fastidious as to its nature, they are as to
its sweetness, and if this element is not present,
sowing after sowing may be made, with the result
that each batch damps off before it is fit for use.
The same soil must never be used a second time,
and it is not sufficient to scrape off a little of the
surface soil in the pans or boxes used and to re
surface with fresh soil, as directly the roots reach
the soil beneath which has already contained the
roots from a previous sowing, a collapse takes
place. Again, in most instances too big a bod_\
of soil is used, and when one -sees the excellent re
suits obtained by growers for market, who use
qui» shallow boxes and crowd the seed on these
as thickly as it can lie in a single layer, one gets
an object lesson that should not be forgotten. Thin
sowing on about 4 inches of soil is nevertheless
persisted in by many who get the mistaken idea
that fogging or damping off' can be and is caused
by the plants being crowded. I get the best re-
sults from sowings indoors when these are made
ordinary cutting boxes 3 inches deep. No drain-
age is used except a thin layer at the bottom of
broken up decayed horse droppings, and on this
is put sutiicient garden soil or the waste from the
loam heap (if the latter is used a little fine leaf
mould is mixed in to lighten it) to bring the sur-
face within an inch of the tops of the boxes. This
then well watered and the seeds thickly sown
on the surface and pressed on to the soil. The
boxes are then put into a house or pit where a
gentle heat is kept up, but not on or near the
hot-water pipes, and are covered with roofing
slates or sheets of brown paper until the young
plants press hard against the covering, which
must then be removed and the boxes transferred
to cooler quarters. To keep the supply good,
weekly sowings will be necessary and the Cress
for each batch should be sown about three days
in advance of the Mustard, the latter being the
()uicker grower gets into the rough leaf before
the Cress is reidy. New season Mustard seed is
far preferable to older seed and should be used for
winter work.

Watkecress — Fresh green Watercress may be
produced during the winter if some half-grown
plants are now lifted and boxed up in fairly rich
soil kept well watered and put into heat later on
as young shoots are required. These will not be
80 stout as those grown naturally, but they may
be had good in colour and tender.

Leek.s. — The early Leeks should now have a
final earthing up if a good length of bleached stem
is retjuired, but I do not advise that a big body
of soil shall be drawn up to the plants, as the
extra weight appears to cramp the growth ; be-
sides which, the soil gets between the leaves and
causes much trouble and waste in cleaning.
Where the plants were set deeply at planting
time, as I advised, there will be already a good
length of buried stem quite sufficient for moat
purposes. Later plants may well be let alone for
the present, as the longer earthing is postponed,
the more likely will they be to stand severe
weather unharmed. Growth is being rapidly de-
veloped under the influence of heavy rains and a
dull, but warm atmosphere, therefore the liquid
manure often advised for the plants during the
autumn will hardly be required.

CoLEWORTs. — Any available space that can be
spared should be tilled up with these valuable
little members of the Cabbage tribe should any
still remain in the litest sown seedbed. Though

these may not make big hearts, they will in all
probability come in very useful at a time
when green stufTs are scarce, and as they are
among the hardiest members of the tribe, they
should be largely planted. Earlier batches will
be benefited by having a little soil drawn up to
their stems before they get too big to permit this
necessary item being done.

G.VRDEN urr.Bisii. — Rubbish or waste from crops
will now be accumulating rapidly and will require
to be dealt with in some way. My own practice
is to gather it together in an open spot, where it
may be burnt when the heap gets big enough.
The practice in some gardens is to open the firtt
trench on a piece of ground that is to be trenched
during the coming winter and put much of the
garden waste in the trench, but I see many ob-
jections to this mode of treatment, and certainly
those who burn the rubbish can claim to have
done the best thing possible towards keeping down
insects and disease, and also to having provided a,
cheap fertiliser in a handy form.

General work. — French Beans under glass
should be supported with some twiggy sticks;
the smaller these are, provided they are strong
enough and tall enough to support the growth,
the better they are for the purpose. Plants which
have their heads held up to the light set their
pods with greater freedom than do those which
are allowed to hang about loosely. Celery which
will be required tor use before the middle of
November should have more soil banked up round
it, but this need not be so carefully done as will
be requisite with that for larer use ; and, pro-
vided sufficient is put on to cover the point
which the hearts will reach in the meanwhile,
this will be all that is necessary. The cleaning of
any ground that is infested with perennial weeds
or those annual kinds which may be approaching
the seeding stage, should occupy all the time
that can be spared for the work in dry weather ;
this will prevent much trouble next year.

J. C. Tallack.

HARDY FRUITS.
There are many things in this department that
require attention at this time of the year. So far
the month of September has been unusually wet,
there having fallen in this district over .5 inches of
rain ; theretore, where the ground is at all loose
and the land level, the soil is moistened to a con-
siderable depth, and where retentive it will not
become too dry again during the present year
even should the weather be unusually tine. Tree*
from which the early varieties of Apples and
Pears were gathered and that were kept closely
pruned, may possibly show signs of expanding
many of their flower-buds on account of the pre-
mature ripening of the wood should the present
warm, moist weather extend far into the next
month. To prevent this, take out a trench all
round the trees at a distance of from 6 feet to S
feet from the stem, according to their size : by
so doing there will be sufficient check to prevent
further mischief. On good land, such varieties
as Bramley's Seedling and other strong-growing
kinds have made extra stout wood. To induce
them to plump up their fiuit buds the trees
may be treated in like manner, but much
care and forethought are necessary, for we so
often see trees suffer to such an extent owing
to the ruthless manner in which root prun-
ing is done, that it is far better to let it alone
than disfigure them in such a manner. Root-
pruning may be a great advantage when done in
a scientific way, but to cut round the tree a few
inches from the stem is neither practical nor
sensible. To ensure fruitfulness in young trees
both of Apples and Pears it sometimes becomes
necessary to restrict their roots, but they should
in no way be mutilated. To cut back in winter
the shoots of trees growing too luxuriantly only
aggravates the evil, for does not stronger wood
come again the following season ? Trees of this
description need their roots restricted, but this
should be done in a practical manner. A trench
should be taken out at such a distance from the

September 26, 189G.]

THE GARDEN.

253

stem as only to cut off the points of the roots, the
soil on one side of the tree may then be taken out,
and after bringing the roots nearer to the surface,
it may be filled in again. The other side of the
tree ought to be left for another year or two before
any attempt is made to interfere with it ; if this
plan be adopted, the shoots will doubtless plump
up their buds and so flower next season more pro-
fusely. This work should always be done in
time that new roots may be formed before the
soil gets too cold, fjr by so doing it is
seldom the trees fail to mature their fruit
properly the following season, it also does away
with any risk of failure should the summer
be dry. There are many kinds of Apples and
Pears that do not require" lifting to induce fruit-
fulness ; on the contrary, they make so little
growth that flowers are produced in such numbers
as to completely prevent the making of wood
buds. Such varieties ought to be encouraged by
liberal treatment at this season of the year, that
the roots may find sufficient support in spring to
cause them to make a free growth ; such varieties,
for example, as Stirling Castle, Lane's Prince
Albert, Potts' Seedling, Frogmore Prolific, Ecklin-
ville. and some others. On cold, stiff land their
roots should be kept near the surface, when, if
■well fed, they will produce fine fruit. The other
day I saw o acres of Bramley's Seedling, the
growth of which was of extra strength and no
signs of fruit buds. To lift such a quantity
would mean considerable labour and expense, to
prune them back would only tend to cause them
to grow still stronger. If tne points of the roots
of these were shortened at the present time the
wood would doubtless ripen much more satis-
factorily, and in all probability prevent such a
rank growth another season.

Plums, unlike Apples and Pears, seldom need
to have their roots disturbed ; in fact, when they
have once arrived at a fruiting condition it rarely
happens that they make too much growth, unless
it may be cordon's or those grown on heavy soil.
Such in some seasons, when the crop is a
scanty one, make sappy growth which does
not ripen, in which case some of their strong roots
may require checking. On sandy land with a
gravelly subsoil, or on chalk, it is seldom the trees
make too much growth ; more often the trees re-
quire feeding to keep them in a flourishing con-
dition, particularly during a dry season when
carrying heavy crops of fruit. Trees against walls
on such land need much support ; this is espe-
cially so where there is a slight rainfall, as in
some places in the south. Those growing against
walls with an eastern aspect are inclined to sufl'er
most, as but little rain reached them. If the
borders are thoroughly soaked during the autumn
and winter it is seldom the trees suffer through the
early part of the season, but, unless the soil round
the roots is well moistened before growth com-
mences in spring, the trees do not push so robustly,
and are therefore not able to resist the attacks of
green fly and other insects that are so prevalent
at that time of the year. Those who are
short of water and are dependent for their
supplies on tanks, would do well to take advan
tage of the present time, and instead of allowing
the water to run to waste when the tanks are full,
it should be used for watering the borders that
are dry, previously loosening the soil, that it may
the more readily penetrate. Where it is contem-
plated renewing such borders with a view to re-
planting, particular care should be taken to ex-
amine the soil for wireworm, for though this pest
may not do any damage to the roots of the fruit
treas, they will cause much destruction by feed-
ing on those of the vegetable crops that may be
planted in the borders. In many gardens in the
south there is a difficulty in keeping up a supply
of Plums till late in the season. Where this has
to be done, such varieties as Monarch, Coe's
Oolden Drop, Coe's Late Red, Autumn Compute,
Archduke, Blue Impi^ratrice, Imperiale de Milan,
and Decaisne should be grown where they could
be protected from the wet.

Fruit roo.m. — Owing to the unusual amount of
moisture in the external atmosphere, that of the

store room is kept very damp. A current of air
should therefore be kept up to prevent the mois-
ture from settling on the fruit. The air in such
places is usually warmer in the night than that
outside, therefore there is no danger of any harm
happening to the fruit should the ventilators be
left open. It is during warm, damp days, when
the fruit is colder than the external air, that the
moisture settles on it and causes decay. On such
days only a small amount of air should be ad-
mitted. Fire-heat is not necessary to expel damp,
though in very cold weather Pears are improved
in flavour if ripened in a warm room. A portion
of them may therefore be taken and placed on a
dry shelf where a temperature of about 50' can
be maintained. Here they will ripen satisfactorily.
H. C. Pri-nsep.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

NOTES ON STRAWBERRIES.
The Strawberry being much appreciated here, is
in great demand and therefore extensively cul-
tivated outdoors. To keep abreast of the times
it has always been the rule, in order to secure
the best varieties and suited to the soil, to give
the new kinds as introduced from time to time
a fair trial. Many, I must admit, in fact the
majority, have never got beyond the trial
stage, but in no case has any variety been dis-
carded until its merits have been thoroughly
tested. This method of selection has naturally
led to a large number of varieties being tried,
so much so that I was somewhat struck when
looking through a trade list of Strawberries the
other day at the large number that have passed
through the ordeal, and how few, comparatively
speaking, have been retained. These trials
have extended over a considerable number of
years, and when first commenced the varieties
then cultivated here consisted of Keens' Seed-
ling, an old-fashioned white-fruited kind, and
President, which was given up owing to its
colour being poor. Sir Joseph Paxton was the
first to be introduced. This kind answered so
well and has continued to give such thorough
satisfaction, that it has constituted the main
stay up to the present time. Dr. Hogg, La
Constante, and Sir C. Napier were also bought
in at the same time. The first-named was
fairly good for one or two seasons, but its want
of constitution on this soil led to its being
abandoned. La Constante and Sir C. Napier
turned out well and have been cultivated up
till within the last few years. Marguerite,
Trollope's Victoria, Lucas, John Powell, Conite
de Paris and Cockscomb were all severally grown
in turn, and were one and all discarded.
Vicomtesse H. de Thury and Pauline were then
tried and met with the same fate. Vicomtesse
H. de Thury, which I have seen in other places
bearing immense crops, was almost a failure
here, and to make sure that the plants were true
the runners were procured from two reliable
sources. Pauline cropped well, but its
shape and want of flavour were its great draw-
backs. Countess I grew in 1892, but although
a good cropper and a fine-flavoured Straw-
berry, the colour was not good. Helen
Gloede gave large fruits and the flavour
was also good, but the appearance of the
fruit was not sufficiently attractive to warrant
its being retained beyond the second season.
Oxonian then came on for trial, and proved so
good the first and succeeding seasons, that it has
since been grown almost, if not quite, exclusively
for late crop. British Queen has been tried
over and over again and in various parts of the
garden, but without success, the plants dwind-
ling away on our heavy soil. La Grosse Sucrue

and Stirling Castle Pine are two kinds that
were fairly good for a time, but want of size in
the fruits told against them, otherwise the
flavour was good. Waterloo and Loxford Hall
Seedling, two excellent late varieties, will not
succeed here, and the same may be said of John
Ruskin. Noble, Commander, Competitor and
Captain were all satisfactory as far as regards
size and cropping qualities, but had to be given
up on account of deficiency of flavour. Empress
of India, Gunton Park and Lord Suttield all
gave excellent results, the two last-mentioned
being considered the best of the trio. Augusta
Nicaise was not at all good, although it is an
excellent forcer. Royal Sovereign turned out
to be thoroughly good at the outset. I con-
sider it one of the best Strawberries I have,
and by far the best of Laxton's seedlings that
have passed through my hands.

By this it will be seen how many have been
tried and found wanting, as they did not come
up to the requirements of size combined with
good colour and flavour. Although many of
the foregoing varieties mentioned have not suc-
ceeded here, I should be sorry to condemn
them on that account, as some of them may and
do succeed in other districts, of which I have
had ample proof at different times. My reason
for penning these notes was chiefly to show the
vagaries of Strawberries which, like other
fruits, do not succeed on all soils alike. Some
may advance the argument that I am too fas-
tidious in the matter, and perhaps with a cer-
tain amount of truth, but as none but the very
best Strawberries are countenanced here, this
has to be taken into consideration when select-
ing and determining which are the best varieties
to retain.

To sum up, it will be seen by the foregoing
that the varieties considertd to be first-class
from my point of view are Keens' Seedling,
Royal Sovereign, Lord Suffield, Gunton Park,
Empress of India, Sir J. Paxton and Oxonian.
The two new varieties. Monarch and Leader,
will be tested another season. A. W.

Stole Edith Pari; Hereford.

Peach Baymackers. — I am pleased to see a
note from " S. E. H." in favour of this fine old,
but little grown Peach. I have it in a late Peach
house, where it never fails to give a crop that
comes in with the latest varieties and never
before September is in, this lateness giving it an
exceptional value. The tree is a good healthy
grower and will carry a heavy crop of fine, well-
coloured and well-flavoured fruits. The flavour,
however, varies with the weight of crop, as if
cropped too heavily, flat flavour results, and I find
that this is so in the case of most very late va-
rieties, which should in consequence be thinned
more severely than need be done with earlier
croppers. Late Peaches have a greater market
value than midseason varieties, and were I going
to plant for profit I should be inclined to give a
considerable amount of room to varieties like the
one in (juestion, and which can be had fit to eat
after the middle of September. I have a seedling
from Raymackers which has fruited for three
years in succession ; it is even later than the
parent, the first fruits now (September l.'j) only
just softening on a south wall with full exposure
to sun. I find this very valuable, the flavour and
colour being excellent, though it is not in size
quite equal to some other varieties.— J. C. Tal-

L.ICK.

Pear Windsor. — This old-fashioned and al-
most extinct autumn Pear has done well in two
gardens hereabouts this season. One tree is grow-
ing on the south front of a cottager's dwelling, and
has a fine lot of fruit on it, the other being in a
gentleman's garden a few miles from here, and
occupying an east wall. I am willing to admit
that the flavour is scarcely equal to that of a Jar-

254

THE GARDEN.

[SfirT.-MBER 20, 1806.

eonelle, but then it is the matter of a fortnight
later in ripening, and prevents a blank between
that popular but indifferent keeper, and s^uch sorts
aa Souvenir du Congros, Fondante d'Automne,
Beurre d'Amanlis, and Beurre de TAssomption.
The foliage favours that of its near rival Jargonelle,
but is even more distinct with its dark shiny hue
and prominent white veins. — J. C, Xotts.

Blackberries.— In some districts of South
Notts Blackberries are very plentiful this year,
even more so than usual. They occasionally
reach Newark market by the dr.iy load, being
gathered for the most "part in the Sherwood
Forest and Dukery district. One individual re-
siding hereabouts "sends out a horse and dray,
with baskets and pickers, the latter consisting of
women and children who are paid by the stone
for picking. To show the incredible numbers
which are gathered it m.iy be mentioned that the
supply being sometimes greater than the demand
of the local markets and shops, consignments are
sent to London, Manchester, and other large
centres, thus showing that a considerable profit is
made out of even the humble Blackberry.— J. C.

Peach Grosae Mignonne. — In some gardens
this Peach is much addicted to dropping its fruit
both at the stoning time and also when colouring
commences. I recently saw a fine healthy tree oc-
cupying a wall in a lean-to house which had
dropped the greater part of the crop at the last-
named stage, while alongside of it, and under
exactly the .same treatment, were Dymond, Bar-
rington, Royal (Jeorge, and otheis which had
carried their crops to maturity. Some gardeners
complain of the shyness of Grosse Mignonne in
setting its fruit, especially when started at the
new year and subjected to heat. Early Grosse
Mignonne is, however, a good and certain variety
and of exquisite flavour. Xo doubt the two
Peaches are freijuently confounded. — J. C.

Pear Beurre Hardy.— This is a wonderful
cropper, .ind the season has indeed to be a bad
one in w hich it does not fruit. For a Pear raised
abroad it is very hardy, and an excellent
grower either on the I'ear or (^'uince stock, and it
succeeds e<iually as well grown as a pyramid or
bush, or trained against a wall. Cordons on the
Quince are very fertile and the fruit is also more
highly coloured than that on trees in the open
garden. Even on bushes or pyramids the fruits
take on a rich colour and attain a good size,
quite large enough for general purposes. It is a
good market Pear, as size and appearance in addi-
tion to good flavour are its chief characteristics.
With me the trees are generally so heavily
cropped that it is necessary to gather the for-
wardest about the third week in September and
the remainder ten days or a fortnight afterwards
In some gardens the mischievous tomtit attacks
the fruit so badly as to fpoil a great number in a
very short time.— A. W.

Apple Red Astrachan. — This very showy,
but in the majority of gardens unprofitable, Apple
is this year, tor the first time in thirteen years,
carrying a fair crop of fruit as a standard.
Trees in local nurseries are also fruiting, and they
are being purchased by those having no experience
of its capricious character, its brilliant appearance
taking the purchaser's eye. I have it also in
espalier form, but in spite of repeated root prun-
ings and removal from one place to another, it
still remains practically barren. A friend of
mine in Essex who grows espalier Apples well
considers Red Astrachan about the moat unpro-
fitable sort for the purpose in existence. There is
not much fault to be found with its flavour if one
could only get it to crop.— C. C. H.

Pear Jersey Gratioli — For many years this
has been grown as a cordon on a west wall here,
but a few years atro I planted a bush tree of it as
an experiment. This seldom fails to give excel-
lent results, the fruit alwajs coming fine and
clean and the flavour first-class. It is a distiuct
looking Pear, the skin being yello«ieh-brown in
colour, tinged w ith green, and conspicuously marked
all over with lai^-'e russet spots, and the surface
is rather rough. Its season is October, bub this

year it has ripened earlier than usual, and it will
keep much longer than the generality of early
ripening Pears. For orchard house culture Jersey
Gratioli is one of the best varieties ; and those
about to form a collection for this purpo.se should
include one or more trees in the list.— A. W.,
Stoh Kditk.

Vines sporting. — A very curious case of
sporting in the Grape Vine is noticeable at Chis-
wick in the large vinery, where one of the plants
of Muscat of Alexandria is now carrying a perfect
bunch of Canon Hall Muscat, while above and
below no signs of sporting are apparent. There
is also a similar freak on another rod, but the
bunch is smaller.

STRAWBERRY ROYAL SOVEREIGN.
Of late years we Lave had no lack of new varie-
ties of Strawberries, and several of them of good
quality. The above has now been a .sufBcient
time before the public for its merits and value
as a forcer and early cropper to be known.
This variety is also of splendid flavour, a leading
feature in any new fruit. I do not assert it is
equal to British Queen, but it is superior to
many others. Most growers interested in
Strawberries know that Royal Sovereign was

the result of crossing King of the Earlie.i with
Nuble, the former a delicious fruit— indeed, one
of the earliest, most productive, and richly
flavoured fruits grown, but lacking .size. This,
with robust habit, Royal Sovereign has obtained
from the other parent. It is one of the late
Mr. Laxtou's seedlings, and was the best out
of many hundreds. Few new fruits have made
such progress as this, as it has only been before
the public four years. It received a first-class
certificate in June, 1892, from the Royal
Horticultural Society ; again at Chiswick
after trial in 1893, and again at the Gar-
dening and Forestry exhibition the same year,
with other awards at provincial shows. I feel
sure it will be one of our best Strawberries for
many years. This variety will thrive in any
soil, and is not fastidious as to locality. As
seen by the illustration, it bears freely. After
running through the various notes sent by cor-
respondents all over the country, it is surjjris-
ing how many when describing the crops speak
of its merits. In all the notes on it that
have appeared, I think there has as yet only
been one who decried it.

As a forcer I do not think it can be equalled .
Last spring I forced 1000, and was so pleased

with the results, that I have doubled the quan-
tity this year. For packing to send a long dis-
tance it is a fine fruit, and, what the forcer so
much values, there are few small fruits. As
regards earliness, it is one of the first and sets
very freely, with strong, long stalks well out of
the leaves. I forced my crop noted above in
two lots of 500 each, and the earliest was ripe
the first week in April, but I should not hesi-
tate to get an earlier supply, as it forced grandly.
It needs abundant moisture overhead during
growth, as, like all Strawberries with soft
foliage or covered with hairs, it is a prey to red
spider. I now come to

Open-air Culture,
and here, I think, it excels. Requiring a^
large quantity to follow the latest indoor or
frame fruits, for years I depended upon Noble
under a south wall, and in Ijad weather sashes
were placed over the plants. The newer variety
is equally early and far superior. Those who
grow young plants will obtain very early
fruit and of first quality. It is necessary to-
plant early — the end of July or early in
August— to get good plants, and, as most
growers are aware, such plants give the earlieEt
and finest fruits. I have this year increased
ray number of this variety for early fruiting.
No variety I have looks better and makes such
fine crowns. This is a great gain, as many will
be able to grow it who otherwise could not. I
class it as an improved Sir J. Paxton, but
earlier. I do not know of any variety equal to
it as a cropper. The flavour, too, is excellent
and the colour good— a glossy bright scarlet,
and flesh firm. The fruits are covered with
rather prominent seeds, these protecting the
fruit when sent long di.stauces. It is a hand-
some fruit, mostly conical, as seen in the illus-
tration. G. Wytdes.

PEACH SALWAY.
Mr. Wytiies, in his lengthy remarks on Peaches —
in which he also gives a very comprehensive list
of varieties for all seasons— says he does not re-
commend Salway, which is the latest of all.
.\ow, although this old-fa»hioned Peach is only
third-rate when ripened on open walls or under
the most retarding treatment under glass, yet,
when favoured with a good position, well cul-
tivated, and started so as to mature about the
commencement of September, it develops a flavour
which is really not to be despised. Only last week
I saw a fine crop of Salway at Leadenham Hall,
Lincolnshire, just ready for picking. The fruit,
owing to the excessively heavy crop, was not
quite of normal size, but under the bronzy red-
skin were pulp and juice, which to my taste were
most refreshing. Mr. Mackelvie (the gardener)
also considered it worthy of a place. He had, he
said, discarded Lord Palmerston as being less
worthy than Salway, and in so doing he had of
course only followed the course of the majority
of Peach growers, this, perhaps largest and
handsomest of all Peaches, being only fit for staging
in collections of fruit at exhibitions, in which
position it has many a time created quite a sensa-
tion. When put up as a single dish, however, it
stands a poor chance against such standard varie-
ties as Noblesse, Royal George, or Violette H;itive,
old practical judges knowing too well where the
quality lies. It may be argued, why grow Sal-
w.ay when there are so many better varieties, but
the fact is that even in Peach eating all palates are
not alike, and the case of the tree under notice goes
to prove that Salway is one of the many naturally
late-ripening Peaches which may be greatly im-
proved both in appearance and flavour by atl'ord-
ing them a better position and a little more warmth
than are usually given. When at Leadenham I
was both surprised and pleased to hear of the
revival and vigorous growth of two trees of
Royal Charlotte, which on a former visit were>

September 26, 1896.]

THE GARDP^K

255

considered both by Mr. Mackelvie and myself to
be on their last legs. Both were cut back to
within a very short distance of the point of union
with the stock, this resulting in the wholesale
formation of young healthy growths, an ordinary
Peach tree area of trellis being covered in three
years. Mr. Mackelvie considers Royal Charlotte
to be the best of Peaches— somewhat like Royal
George in size, shape and general appearance. It
crops more certainly, and has not its very
objectionable propensity of taking mildew.
Royal Charlotte seems to have nearly gone out
of cultivation, as one looks in vain for the name
in the catalogues of both metropolitan and pro
vincial nurserymen. J. CR.iWFORD.

MUSA CAVENDISHI.
In your issue of August 29 (p. 161) in the very
able article on the above the following appears :
" There are perhaps many and various reasons
for the somewhat rare occurrence of the fruiting
of Musas, some of which are doubtless the amount
of space required under glass for their accommo-
dation, and the great heat that must be accorded
them if the fruiting is to be in any way success-
ful," and further on in the same article is the
following sentence : " Heat and a continuously
humid atmosphere are the chief items, and these
are given without stint. Bottom-heat is afforded
by pipes beneath the bed and from open gratings,
and around the walls a plentiful supply of top
heat is secured,'' &c. In my opinion the above
description is not likely to lead to extended culti-
vation of Bananas, as in most gardens at the
present time there is (or seems to be) a tendency
to use as little fuel as is consistent with the actual
requirements of the place. Having grown and
fruited Bananas regularly during the last seven
or eight years in the gardens here with a fair
amount of success, it may be interesting to some
to describe my method. In the spring of 188S I
had a small plant of Musa Cavendishi sent here
in a 9-inch pot. A more stunted specimen of plant
life I have rarely seen, and was told that it was a
non-fruiting variety, but was requested to keep
the plant for certain reasons which need not be
here entered into. I examined the plant, and
could detect nothing particular about it beyond
semi- starvation and bad culture. I had the plant
repotted in good fibrous loam, charcoal, sand,
and a sprinkling of bone-meal, keeping it rather
■dry at the roots for a time until signs of growth
appeared. As the days lengthened the plant
grew away freely and began to assume its true
character. I then had a paraffin cask cut in two,
some holes bored in the bottom for drainage, and
transferred the plant from the pot into this tub
without disturbing the roots. I placed it in the
plant stove where a collection of ordinary stove
plants was growing. Here the Musa flourished
and fruited in the autumn. How old the plant
was when it came into my hands I do not know.
After the fruit was set and swelling on the plant
I removed the strongest sucker and had it potted
up in order to give the parent plant the benefit of
the soil in the tub in order to secure good fruit.
The same treatment has been followed every year
since, the suckers fruiting in from twelve to
fifteen months from the time they are taken off
the parent plant.

I had last December in tubs plants, about nine
months old, that were used for decoration in the
mansion here. These stood three weeks in the
house, forming an archway, and no water was
afforded them in any way during that time.
They are now fine plants fruiting well. In-
deed, I believe partial drying and a short rest in
winter induce them to fruit in a much smaller
state, as plants grown continuously in a warm,
moist heat grow to such a size that it is not every
house that will hold them. My plants have never
exceeded 0 feet in height as yet. I cannot give
the exact weight of any cluster of fruit, but they
average from IdO to 200 beans on each cluster.
Anyone possessing an ordinary plant stove where
stove plants are grown, need not be without
Bananas. The plants are noble objects them-

selves, the large leaves of a beautiful green being
often admired ; besides, as already stated, they
may be freely used for decorating even where a
temperature of 40^ cannot be exceeded if kept
dry at the roots. By potting up suckers at dif-
ferent times one may have an almost unbroken
supply of fruit, as the beans do not ripen at one
time, but come on in succession. The difference
between a Banana ripened on the plant and one
ripened in a case or fruiterer's shop is very great,
as anyone who has tasted both can testify. The
tubs my plants grow and ripen their fruits in are
16 inches deep and 24 inches wide, painted L:reen,
with two handles secured to the sides ; in such
they can be moved with freedom as required.
The soil I use is loam and bone-meal, with some
lumps of charcoal to keep it sweet, as the plants
growini;- in such tubs require water very much
oftener than when planted out. I use manure
water from the cow sheds, diluted at almost every
watering- when the plants are growing freely and
until the clusters of fruit are showing, when I
give a sprinkling of artificial manure on the sur-
face, watering it in well. Here the fruit is very
much valued and forms a nice addition to the
dessert. I find it a good plan to gather the beans
separately just as the rind cracks, and then lay
them out singly in the fruit room a few hours to
cool before sending them to table. As soon as
the cluster is formed and the beans begin swell-
ing, I cut away all beyond the last perfectly-
formed bean and sear with a hot iron, which I
find induces the fruit left to swell better and
ripen much quicker ; besides, I have never found
those small beans swell when left on the clusters.
The Musas are rarely ever attacked by any insect
pest, and are quite as easily grown as any ordinary
stove plant. I am well aware that, given a large
house with the plants planted out in a border,
they give less trouble and produce larger clusters
of fruit than grown as here described, but then
such houses are not met with in every garden.
During the excessive heat last July my plants
grew well without any fire heat, and seemed to
assume a deeper green in the leaves than they
usually have done. — D.vvid Kemp, Stoke Park
Gardens.

Given plenty of Mr. Last's model compost

of turf edgings and short manure— what a pity
the former are so often wasted 1 — I, would undertake
to grow as good dwarf Bananas — and they are
really the only ones worth growing— under glass
in pots or tubs from 12 inches to 24 inches in
diameter as planted out. Sudden checks during
the flowering stage, which lasts for a considerable
time, stunt the length and limit the size of the
flower bunches. With portable plants any such
checks are the more easily rendered impossible.
Plants in pots and tubs are also easily
earthed up, and under such treatment as
recommended by " E. J." the stem roots freely
into the new material and the fruits are finished
to the highest perfection, though the fruits are
seldom so large as those described and illustrated
(pp. 161 and 162). No doubt the enormous
imports of fine Bananas from abroad limit
their home culture greatly. But this is a mis-
take, as very few of the imported Bananas,
necessarily for safe transit cut If^ng before they
are ripe, are comparable with those gathered at
home pip by pip. There is also a special pleasure
in growing one's own Bananas and the delicious
Monstera deliciosa.— D. T. F.

Nectarine Spenser. — A valuable addition to
outdoor Nectarines is the variety mentioned, for
addition to the fruits being of large size and
deeply coloured, they come into use after Elruge
and other medium season varieties are over, thus
helping to considerably prolong the supply of this
luscious fruit. With me the tree is a good grower
and a free bearer, the fruit always requiring to be
well thinned. The fruits assume a beautiful deep
colour, the flesh greenish white and deliniously
flavoured. If extra fine fruits are desired, thinning
must be done rather severely, and good feeding
resorted to, but for table use thinning as ordin-

arily practised will ensure fruits quite large
enough for general purposes. — A. W.

Apple Oslin.— This is a particularly bright-
looking medium-sized conical-shaped Apple, and
very highly flavoured. Formerly I considered
this variety a shy bearer, but on removing the
tree to another site in the garden I had no further
occasion to do so, as it has borne regularly since.
It is a valuable Apple for the dessert, its hand-
some appearance and high colour always com-
manding admiration, and the flavour is also first-
rate. It comes into use about the end of October,
but will keep through the succeeding month if
required. I have it as a bush tree on the Para-
dise stock. It is a medium grower, but the tree
is very fruitful.— SV. S. E.

Red Currant The Cherry.— Where Red
Currants are in demand late in the season the
above variety stands unrivalled for giving a supply
of large fruit. Here it has superseded Raby
Castle, which is also a fine Currant, for some
years past, as it hangs better and keeps longer in
good condition than that variety. The fruit is
very large, bright red in colour, becoming
darker the longer it hangs, and the bunch is of
fair length. As regards cropping no one could well
wish for better, as the bushes are invariably
heavily laden, the size of the fruit and weight of
crop at once arresting attention. It is not such a
good upright grower as Raby Castle, but it is
equally as robust, the great drawback being the
tendency the young shoots have of drooping
downwards. Notwithstanding this defect, it is
one of the most valuable late-hanging Currants
we have, and where autumn-fruiting Raspberries
are grown its value cannot be well over-estimated.
— S. E. P.

Yellows in Peach trees.—" W. I." gives the
best possible advice when he recommends a
correspondent to completely lift his tree and re-
plant it in fresh soil for the cure of the yellows.
Last autumn I lifted a tree of Lord Napier Necta-
rine growing on a wall which was affected by this
disease, relaying the roots not more than 3 inches
deep in fibrous loam and plenty of old mortar
rubble. This season the tree has improved gene-
rally and the foliage looks quite green and
natural. I think, however, that the yellows is
sometimes caused by the tree being worked on an
unsuitable stock, as I once had a Violette Hative
Nectarine under glass which still remained
affected by it after the above treatment had been
tried, and which I eventually rooted out. I think
that after lifting the tree should not be allowed
to fruit for one season.— J. C.

DESTROYING THRIPS.
Qu.issiA extract is by no means a new insecticide,
but formerly gardeners had to procure the chips
and boil them themselves, yet for all the trouble
inseparable from the preparation, the old school,
having great faith in its efficacy, used it regularly
for their Peach walls, and several gardeners I
served under dipped the leaves in the solution
when attacked by red spider. At the present day
quassia extract can be purchased for a small out-
lay, and is according to my experience not only the
cheapest, but for most things the best and safest
insecticide procurable. I have under my charge
a Lapageria which covers a considerable area in
the carriage court. In hot summers, owing to an
insufficiencv of fresh air reaching the plants, it
becomes the prey of thrips. The pest made its
appearance this season, and I determined to try
the e fleet of a good syringing with the extract,
following the instructions and applying it at the
rate of half a pint to .5 gallons of warm soft water.
I laid old useless garden mats over the border to
prevent the liquid from soaking it, the mats being
afterwards thrown away. M.any of the leaves
were discoloured from the thrips eating away the
tissue, but a fortnight after the application they
again resumed their natural hue and are now as
green as ever, no second attack having been made.
After using it I take care to syringe the plants

256

THE GAT^DEN.

[September 26, 1896.

the following morning with clear water to dislodge
any unsightly sediment. With regard to its use
in "the fruit garden, I may say that I this year
applied it to my Peach trees on open walls for
aphis, and later on for red spider, and that in
both cases it made a clean sweep of the pest.
Black fly on Cherries succumbed to the first
application, as did aphis on Plum walls. An old
fruit grower wrote me that he was using it for
every fruit except Cherries, his fear being that
with" the latter fruit, the season from the setting
to the ripening stage being so very short, the
quassia might leave a bitter taste behind. This,
however, he had not proved, and as on tasting
fruit from a tree of Black Tartarian, which I had
syringed with quassia extract directly they were
set, I could not detect the least bitterness, I
think the idea is a false one. C. C. H.

of true Pear shape, deep brown now but changing
with age to a russet yellow. The flesh when ripe
is luscious and aromatic, and its season is the end
of October. It does best as a wall or espalier
tree, and repays a southern aspect, as this brings
the fruit into proper season and it is better in
flavour from such an aspect. It is a free-bearing
kind needing thinning in most cases if fine fruit
is reciuired.— R.

being lovely and varied in colour, delicate
porcelain-blue and purple.

Trees and Shrubs.

HYDRANGEAS IN CORNWALL.
Ix Cornwall and the west of England generally
the Hydrangea grows to a large size, the
massive heads of flowers contrasting strikingly

CULTURE AND PROPAGATION OF
TAMARISKS.
Of the genua Tamarix twenty species are
known, but of these only three or four are cul-
tivated in France, those which are most com-
monly grown being the Indian Tamarisk
(Tamarix indica, Wild.), the German Tamarisk
(T. germanica, L.), and the Narbonne Tamarisk
(T. gallica, L.), the last named being indigenous
in the .southern districts of France. In my
opinion nothing is more picturesque than these
shrubs with their slender branches, which are
some yards in length, and are produced by

A new Grape.— I note that at the last meet-
of the fruit committee of the Royal Horticultural
Society, Mr. Shingler, g.irdener to Lord Hatt-
ings, showed his new (!rape named Lady Hast-
ings. Last autumn I had the pleasure of both
seeing and tasting it at Melton Constable, and I
at once predicted a great future for it. It is of
fine appearance, colours well, and is in flavour
something like the old Muscat Hamburgh. I
was glad to read that the committee expressed a
wish to see it again later on in order to prove its
keeping qualities, which I think will be found to
be very good. — X.

Pear Triomphe de Vienne.— A dish of Pears
under the above name wa.« exhibited last week at
Derby and was awarded the third prize, the first
and second prize dishes both being Souvenir du
Congris. Triomphe de Vienne I had never heard
of before, and I am wondering if any readers of
TiiF. Garden" have any knowledge of it. The
fruit is in shape and size very much like or-
dinary specimens of Van Mons Leon Leclerc,
the colour also being similar. The Pears appeared
to be quite ripe, and if the fruit referred to was
not ripened under glass, it is a September ripening
kind.-C. C. H.

Pear Benrre de rAssomptiOD.— I wish I was
able to speak as favourably of this Pear
" S. E. W." (p. 201). I have no fault to find in
regard to its size, appearance, and sureness of
cropping, but as to flavour and keeping qualities
my experience is, "the less said the better.' It
matters not whether the season is wet and cold or
warm and sunny, fruit from south-west and east
walls, also from an espalier tree, refuses to ripen
proper! V, bein^ mealy and flavourless, and decay-
ing almost immediately it is ripe. I used to send
them to my employer in Scotland, gathering them
as soon as they would leave the tree, but I was
repeatedly told that after a night and a day's
journey and two or three days in the store room
they w'ere not fit to eat, the centres having gone
sleepy. Annoyed at this, I determined to cut the
larger horizontal tree back and graft it with an-
other variety. " S. E. W." says that it keeps
better with him than Souvenir du Congris, but
with me the latter keeps fully a fortnight longer
than Beum^ de I'Aseomption : indeed, in cool
seasons I have shown it at Lincoln aa late as the
second week in November. " S. E. W." may
perhaps think that I havo not the true variety,
but there is no mistake about this, as the four
trees I had came from various firms, and the fruit
from each exactly corresponded. Mine is a light,
somewhat sandy soil, and the trees grow vigor-
ously if mulched and fed. Perhaps a stronger
and more retentive soil accounts for the better
flavour and longer keeping of " S. E. W.'s " fruit.
I have just referred to the list of Pears issued by
the largest trade grower in England and find no
mention made of Bcurre de I'Aseomption, this
showing clearly that there is not much demand
for it.— C. H.

Pear Beurre Boac— This Pear I have noted
in fine condition in several gardens this year, the
best fruit I have seen being on a wall at Ickworth.
Here it attains a large size, the fruit Deing long.

Hy(h-an'jea Hortensia at Burncoose, Perranwell, Cornwall. From a photograph sent by Mrs, Rogers.

with the many shades of colour with which
they are associated. It is thought that the
l^eautiful blue colour so often seen in these
flowers is due to something in the soil, but it
will be found that shade has more to do with
the blue colour of the flowers than anything in
the soil. If cuttings are taken from a plant in
the shade which bears blue flowers, it will be
found that if these are planted in an open posi-
tion the colour will revert to the usual pink
shade. The plant we figure to-day was grown
at Burncoose, Perranwell, Cornwall, and on
August 17 there were counted on it 725 flowers.
It has been in the same position for thirty-five
years, and, beyond a little top dressing of leaf
mould, has had little attention. Some flowers
were sent at the same time as the photograph
from which the illustration was prepared, these

annual shoots, which grow very rapidly. Every-
one has seen those elegant bushes with narrow,
imbricated, pointed leaves pressed close against
the stem, those bushes which, at first sight,
have some resemblance to some kinds of
Heaths, Cypresses, and several other evergreen
trees ; everyone has seen the long branches of
which I have just spoken 2 or 3 yards in
height and scarcely as thick as the little finger,
curving gracefully during the summer under
the weight of a very long panicle of more or
less rosy coloured flowers, whose congregated
masses form a sheaf of bloom with most impos-
ing ett'ect.

The Narbonne Tamarix (T. gallica, L.) grow&
to a height of 3 or 4 yards or even of ."> or 6 yards
when planted in cool, light, sandy soil. Its
flowers are whitish or slightly purplish, and form

September 26, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

257

panicles which are not quite so densely flowered
as those of the other kinds mentioned.

The German Ta^iarisk (T. germanica, L.) does
not grow so high as the preceding species ; its
branches are straighter, it has a more glaucous
tint, its flowers are somewhat more bluish
colour, or of a pale rose colour, and its foliage is
more abundant. This species is so different from
all the others that it may possibly at some time
be separated from them to form a new genus
under the name of Myricaria.

The Indian Tamarisk (T. indica. Wild.) has
small, but handscme bright red flowers. It was
formerly cultivated in hot-houses, but having
been gradually inured to exist out of dcors, it now
endures our winters pretty well when treated as I
shall describe presently.

The three species here mentioned are often
considered to be identical, or at least as varie-
ties only which differ from one another so little
that it is not easy to distinguish them unless
they are examined side by side. In practice
the horticulturist takes the same view of them
he makes no distinction between the species,
and grows them all indiscriminately in the same
manner, and in so doing I think he is quite
right. The Tamarisks delight in cool, moist,
and somewhat shaded positions. When planted
by streams they are quite remarkable for the
pliancy of their branches, the dark tint of their
foliage, and the pure shades of colour in their
flowers. It must not, however, be inferred
that a position of this kind is the only one that
is suitable for these splendid shrubs. They
grow quite as well in light soil, for I have seen
on a knoll of light soil, on which was planted
something like a maze or labyrinth, the eleva-
tion exposing it to all changes of weather —
frost in winter, drought in summer — the finest
Tamarisks I have ever met with. Whether one
looked at the base of the knoll, half-way up, or
at the top, and in every direction of the com-
pass, the Tamarisks were everywhere charming,
everywhere developed a luxuriant growth, and
covered themselves with the most enchanting
display of flowers, the flesh-coloured tint of
which was strikingly relieved by the sombre hue
of the turfy slopes and the rigid foliage of the
Pine-trees which were planted here and there
in the labyrinth. It is, therefore, a mistake
for anyone to deprive himself of the pleasure of
enjoying the fine eflfects of the elegant Indian
Tamarisk and its European congeners, because
he imagines that the soil and positions at his
disposal are not in every respect suitable for
their cultivation. No doubt the conditions
mentioned above are most desirable, but when
it is found impossible to combine them or to
create them, dig a hole in soil of any kind,
and, with the soU thrown out of this, mix well
a compost of potting-soU and heath-soil that
have been already used, vegetable debriii, fine
sand and other like materials, and with this
fill up the hole, which should have been
made of large dimensions rather than too
small. If the natural soil of the position
is too stiff and retentive, dig the hole
somewhat deeper, in order to place in the
bottom of it a sub-stratum of turf, sand, gravel,
and similar materials for drainage ; if the
BoU is naturally too dry, hot, or limy, these de-
fects should be corrected by adding farmyard
or artificial manures, pulverised dried cleanings
of ditches and ponds, and friable or argillaceous
soU. In the hole thus prepared plant your
Tamarisk, which will not require any further
attention beyond what is generally bestowed
upon any kind of newly-planted tree, such as
watering and shading in summer, a stake
to support it in windy weather, and, lastly,
some straw protection in winter, when
severe frost impends. The Tamarisk grows

very rapidly, as I have already said ; its upper
extremities are still herbaceous when the first
frost occurs and then they inevitably perish ;
in spring (March and April) however, all the
branches should be cut back to within a few
inches of their point of junction with the stem.
Soon after this, the sap, commencing to flow,
starts into existence a profusion of young shoots
whose marvellous growth produces the results
spoken of above. The Tamarisk should be
treated in this manner every year, much in the
same way as Osiers are cut, but with this differ-
ence that instead of being always cut in the
same place so as to form a kind of pollard tree,
each successive cutting should be made some
inches higher up than the preceding one ; from
this results a greater jirofusion of branchlets
and flowers. When treated in this manner it
very rare to see any of the Tamarisks, even the
Indian species,;perish during the winter, and in
weather of abnormal severity, some straw mat
ting, wrapped round the stem and the base of
the branches will ward off all danger. The de^
tails of

Propagation

are simple, as all that is necessary is to take a
cutting (10 inches to 15 inches long) from the
end of a branch and put it in the ground in
February or later. This will strike root very
readily. The depth to which cut;tings of this
shrub should be inserted in the soil has long
been a vexed question, but good sense and ex
perience unite in showing that cuttings of the
Tamarisk, as well as cuttings of all deciduous
trees and shrubs, should be inserted in the soU
to such a depth as will establish a proper
balance between the part of the cutting which
is overground and the part which is in the i
This balance, which is required by physiological
laws too long to mention here, will be attained
by inserting in the soil about two-thirds of the
length of any cutting whose total length ranges
from 8 inches to 16 inches.

The small twigs, about as thick as a knitting
needle, are sometimes utilised in spring, being
made into cuttings about i inches long, which
are struck on hotbeds and in small pots under
bell-glasses. These do not require to be in
serted in the soil for two-thirds of their length,
as the bell-glass prevents any evaporation of
their sap, and at least two-thirds of their length
should be left overground . These little cuttings
very soon send out shoots and, by summer, make
nice little plants, which can be repotted if neces
sary, and sent out (by nurserymen) all the year
round. — Henri Thevlier fils, in Le Jonlin.

The Spindle Tree.— In your interesting book
on the wild garden you ask for suggestions. One
suggestion I would make is, that rather more
stress might be laid on the merits of the Spindle
tree. You are familiar with North Oxfordshire,
and may remember how beautiful in September
is the coral-red fruit of the Spindle trees, so
common there in the hedgerows. I fear that
those I have planted in my garden will not fr'iit
so freely as they do in Oxfordshire.— F. A.
Sturge, Wrccham.

A Golden Oak.— In reference to the article
under the above heading (page 183) I may point
out that there is a well-known and very desirable
golden-leaved variety of the English Oak known
as Concordia. Its origin seems to be unknown,
but as this particular variety was awarded a first
class certificate as long ago as July, 1868, it must
have been cultivated now for many years. The
foliage of this variety is on first expansion of a
rather pale yellow, but it quickly becomes golden,
which tint is considerably intensified by full
exposure to the summer's sun. It is necessary, as
with all the distinct forms, to increase this par-
ticular variety by grafting on to the common

Oak, so that its rate of progress, especially during
its earlier stages, is slow, consequently large
specimens are rarely seen. It is, I believe, a very
great favourite in America.— T.

Orchids.

NOTES ON ORCHIDS.

Fortunately, the past season, with its long
periods of brilliant sunshine, has been all tha*;
could reasonably be desired by Orchid growers,
and seldom have the growths been more for-
ward and satisfactory in September than they
are at present. No difficulty should be found
in most cases in getting the growths well
ripened, and should we be favoured with
bright, open weather during late autumn, care
will be necessary to prevent the pseudo-bulbous
kinds growing out of season. As I have befoie
noted in this connection, the growths least
likely to push unseasonably are those that are
well ripened now, and for the simple reason
that they will later on require less nursing and
less root moisture to keep them from shrivel-
ling. AngrKoum eburneum, the nearly-related
A. virena and A. sesquipedale have positively
revelled in the brisk high temperature and all
have made capital growths. The two former
have already pushed their flower-spikes to
nearly their full length, and, judging by pre-
sent appearances, will be earlier in flower than
usual. None of these plants need much drying
at any season, and in this they differ .somewhat
from some Aerides and one or two other dis-
tichous-leaved kinds. Many of these are already
steadying down, and do not take so much water
as they did a month back. In this, however,
the plants vary considerably, for a large piece
of Aerides Fieldingi that has made but few
roots up to the present is now rooting very
freely both in the compost and higher up the
stems. Close attention then to the wants of
individual plants and species will be found morj
satisfactory than a collective mode of treatment.
The more sensitive Phaltenopsids are still i.i
growth, but to the initiated there are unmis-
takable signs of the season in the appearance c f
the foliage. The green-leaved species are losing
the fresh appearance characteristic of immature
foliage, and taking on a kind of grey green ; the
variegated kinds, as P. Schilleriana, becoming
deeper in colour. When this is noticed do
everything possible to encourage the perfect
maturation of the leaves, allowing as much
sun as possible and keeping up a regular
circulation of air. Though I know 1 am
treading on dangerous ground, a little less at-
mospheric moisture tends also to the end in
view. Deciduous Calanthes, if they have been
gradually inured to light, will not afttr
this need any shading. The roots are still
active, and will be until the foliage begins
to turn colour, when less root moisture will
be needed. Keep the plants well apart, and
as the bloom-spikes show on the sides of
the pseudo-bulbs be very careful that no
cold water comes into contact with them, or
possibly many will turn black and damp off'.
Manure water will not be needed after the
pseudo-bulbs have attained full size ; in fact,
it will do more harm than good. By the time
the first blossoms on such as C. Veitchi show
colour, most of the foliage will have fallen, the
roots will in many cases have ceased to carry
sustenance to the bulbs, and therefore water
may be entirely withheld. There is not much
to add to previous instructions respecting Den-
drobes, for it is only necessary to watch them
as they finish up and remove them to drier

258

THE GARDEK

[September 26,

quarters when complete, to hasten by all means
any that are behindhand, and to see that none
of them sutJ'er from want of water until the
pseudo-bulbs are fully made up. It is quite
time, by the way, that all plants placed outside,
as advised in previous notes, are removed under
glass, cold nights and pelting rains being now
too much for even the hardiest species of
tropical Orchids. D. formosum is now very
finely in flower, and, tricky as the plant is to
grow, it is really an indispensable species, the
lovely pure white blossoms, with the dense
orange markings in the throat, calling forth
praise from the least enthusiastic of Orchid
lovers. The finest flowers are usually those that
came on the apex of the fast-maturing stems,
and this, too, seems to me the most natural
way for the plant to bloom. Let the growths
now maturing have the benefit of every ray of
sunshine and keep the temperature well up.
After the flowers are past keep the plants dor-
m nt if possible : they will be all the better if
Leiv growth does not commence until spring, as
then, with the natural rise in temperature, pro-
gress will be rapid and unchecked instead of
sluggish, as it always must be during the winter
months. Seldom has an Orchid been more
aptly named than D. Pha]a?nopsis, for the mag-
nificent racemes of bloom are hardly excelled
in grace and elegant poise by the very best of
the Moth Orchids.

Cypripediums are in flower in considerable
force : indeed, it would be diflicult to name a
month in the year when these beautiful plants
are not well represented. So varied, interest-
ing, and easy of culture are they, that it is no
wonder they have become so popular, and the
fact of every really good novelty attracting so
much attention is quite suflicient proof that their
popularity is not waning, but rather the reverse.
If there is one point that can be urged more
strongly than any other against Orchids as
decorative plants, it is the fact that in the
majority of instances the foliage is not of suffi-
cient beauty to show up the flowers. But with
Cypripediums this objection does not hold good,
for a really well-cultivated specimen is a beau-
tiful object even when out of bloom, but when
to the attraction of the foliage a fair comple-
ment of flower is added it is superb, and wants
no garnishing of Ferns or other tine-foliaged
plants to make it complete. Nor are they
fleeting beauties, for, as a rule, they are the
most lasting of Orchids, keeping fresh for many
weeks without in the least endangering the
health of the plants. Thunias, as a rule, have
done flowering by now, the foliage in many
cases being nearly all oft', necessitating their
being kept quite dry at the root, and if room is
needed they may be shaken out of their pots,
separately labelled, and stored in any dry,
warm house where the temperature never goes
below about 5.0 or (JO'', the latter figure being
the safer. Any that are still green may have a
little water, but the sooner they can be induced
to go to rest now the stronger they wUl start in
spring.

In the Cattleja house the pretty little blos-
soms of various Burlingtonias have been quite
a feature, the chaste looking B. Candida having
a charming appearance, while the blossoms of
B. fragrans are very delicately scented. I have
often wondered why these are not more gene-
rally appreciated and more carefully grown, for
a nicely flowered specimen of either of the
kinds named or the more brightly coloured B.
decora are really attractive. They certainly
require care, but cannot be called diflicult of
cultivation, the most frequent cause of failure
being that the pseudo-bulbs are allowed to push
too far away from the compost, and in conse-

quence soon become too weak to flower freely.
With B. decora this is much more marked
than the others named, because the growths
occur further apart upon the rhizome. Plant
of Oncidium Cavendishianum imported last
year made splendid roots and got hold of the
pots well. This season the growth on these
plants is remarkably strong and vigorous, and
the stout, liealthy flower-spikes, already IS
inches high, give promise of a bountiful bloom.
There are several fine Cattleyas in bloom, but
most of these have been recently noted, so it is
only necessary to add that with those plants
that flower upon the apex of growth it is neces-
sary to thoroughly harden and fluis-h the
growth now and keep it dormant by a buoyaiit
airy atmosphere, without chillintr draughts.
Watch C. gigas, C. Hardyana, C. Dowiana and
aurea closely, for they are old ofl'enders in
starting out of season, and even C. Gaskelliana
and 0. Eldorado sometimes give trouble. The
autumn-blooming O. labiata is coming on apace
and has had a fine season, while 0. Bowringiana
and several others are not far behind. It is not
everywhere that a house can be set apart for
Mexican and Guatemalan plants requiring more
heat than the quite cool section, yet not so much
as Cattleyas and Brazilian plants generally.
Where such an one txists it should at this tioae
be very freely ventilated, and shading must by
this time be almost entirely dispensed with.
None of the Ltelias, such as L. majalis, L.
autumnalis, L. albida, or L. anceps, will require
any, but possibly there may be a few plants of
Odontoglossum grande or some related kind,
O. bictonense, or some of the Trichopilias with
late growths that may want a little shading
during the middle of the day. Still, even these
are now be.»t with as little as possiljle, and
should be arranged together so that some light
shading material can be thrown over them
without lowering the blinds and giving shade
to other plants that are much better without it.
Where these and similar plants have perforce
to be grown with the Cattleyas, it is a good
plan to keep them as near the door as possible
and to allow all the air convenient, even if this
should necessitate removing to another struc-
ture a few plants that require more heat. All
very small plants in baskets or pans suspended
from the roof should be frequently looked over
and arranged in order of finishing to facilitate
watering. It is now time to clear out the cool
house and look over the compost. A good stock
of clean pots and compost may be got ready ;
beating up the peat and picking over the Sphag-
num Moss, making work for labourers or boys
during showery weather when outside work has
to be at a standstill. When this is seen to
beforehand, the work of repotting can be much
more expeditiously done. H. R.

Oncidium altissimum. — As the specific
ime imphes, the spikes of this Oncidium are
very tall, and though perhaps rather too stiff are
yet pretty, and the side sprays are extremely
useful for cutting. It is not, I think, very much
grown, and in habit is something in the way cf
the better-known O. gphacelatum. The flowers
are individually small, the fepals, petals, and lip
clear bright yellow, with a few dots of brown. O.
altissimum likes a full Cattleya temperature,
plenty of air and light, and a moist atmopphere
while growing. The winter treatment must be
cooler and drier, or but few flower-spikes will be
produced. It is a very old kind, a native of the
West Indies, and was introduced upwards of a
century ago. — 1\.

Oncidium carthaginense.— This is a pretty
plant with fine large spotted leaves, from the base
of which springs the many-flowered scape. The
individual flowers are email, yellowish white.

spotted on the sepals and petals with brownish
crimson. It is a free-growing plant from the
West Indies, and likes a fairly large pot and rough,
open compost. It is not unusual when grown
well for this species to throw out spikes 6 feet in
length, and as they are closely set with side
branches almost their entire length, it is very
light and elegant in appearance and a change
from the yellow-flowered kinds. It does best in a
light, sunny position in the Cattleya house.

Oncidium excavatum. — This is a robust
growing, useful and easily cultivated Orchid, a
native of Peru. The large many- flowered scapes
spring from the base of the oblong pseudo-bulbs
between the sheathing leaves. Each blossom is
about I5 inches across, the colour a deep golden
yellow, spotted or barred with red, making it one
of the brightest of the long branching kinds ; in-
deed, it IS one of the best cool house Orchids that
flower at this season. The plant may be grown
with the Odontoglossume, and should be repotted
if necefi-ary in early spring. The roots are not
large, but they are freely produced when the
plants are healthy, and readily take hold of a
rough, open compost. The pots may be fairly
large and must be efficiently drained — a third of
their depth at least, covering the crocks with the
rougher parts of Sphagnum Moss. Good peat fibre
and Sphagnum in equal proportions, with abun-
dance of rough charcoal or crocks, will be a suit-
able compost, and in planting elevate the pseudo-
bulbs a little. If in fairly good condition a mar-
gin of about a couple of mches around the bulbs
will not be too much. Give the plants liberal
supplies of water as long as growth is active, and
light dewings over the foliage during hot weather
help to keep them clean and are distasteful to
insects. In winter give suthcient water to always
prevent shrivelling.

CYPRIPEDIUM ASHBURTONI.K.
Originally raised in the gardens at Melchte
Court, Romsey, by Mr. Cross, when gardener to
Lady Ashbuiton, this fine hybrid flowered in 1871
for the first time. Since then it has been dupli-
cated again and again, the same species, viz ,
C. insigne and C. barbatum, in one variety or
another, having been used as parents. The result
is, as may be expected, a very mixed progeny,
some fine named varieties occurring with others of
doubtful merit. One good point will, however,
be noticed with them all. Being raised from such
free-growing and easily-cultivated species, they
are all vigorous, healthy and free-blooming plants,
and on this account should find a place even if
the variety does not come up to a very high
standard of merit, for one and all are worth grow-
ing. The leaves of C. Ashburtoniir are longer
than those of C. barbatum and not (|uite so dis-
tinctly or brightly variegated. The flowers have
a broad dorsal sepal, pale green with a white
apex, and lined with brown and purple. The
petals ore brownish with veins of purple, and the
pouch is light yellow with a purple suffusion. The
growth is freest in a shady part of the Cattleya
house, but it is not a fastidious plant, and will do
well in an ordinary plant stove, vinery or warm
greenhouse. The principal point is to keep up a
nice moist atmosphere about the plants and not
to syringe the foliage, or only very lightly and
sionally. The water used in many eases in
Orchid houses is hard and contains lime in solu-
This when sprinkled over the foliage
leaves a white deposit, very unsightly and diffi-
cult of removal. Lime, however, in small ijuan-
tities is not injurious to the roots of many
Cypripediums, the bellatulum section, as an in-
stance, being often found growing on limestone
rocks, and many cultivators use it in the potting
compost. For C. Ashburtonia-, equal parts of
peat, Moss and loam fibre will do well, plenty of
rough bits of charcoal and crocks being intro-
duced as the potting proceeds. The pots may be
fairly large, and in potting spread the roots out
and work the particles of compost well between
them, providing good drainage and replacing the
plants in their growing quarters without delay.

September 26, 1896/

THE ^xARDEI^l.

259

If roots are plentiful give the plants a good soak-
ing of tepid water at once, for it is very injurious
to these to become dry, even after repotting ;
but where they are scarce more care is necessary.
One of the finest of all the varieties is C. A. ex-
pansum, which was, I believe, flowered from the
original cross ; but several fine ones have been
raised from C. barbatum nigrum and C. insigne
Maulei. Messrs. Heath and Son, of Cheltenham,
Sander and Co., of St. Albans, and most of the
principal nurserymen who make hybrid raising a
speciality have sent out varieties of this plant.
The latter firm are responsible for C. A. Lauche-
anum, a fine dark variety similar in many respects
to vars. majus and superbum, the latter having
been raised by Messrs. B. S. Williams and Son,
of HoUoway. R-

ORCHIDS AT THE BARONS,
TWICKENHAM.
Theiie are few finer collections of Orchids in the
metropolitan district than that Mr. Little has at
the above address. Some of the forms of Cattleya
Mendeli, such as C. M. Princess May, C. M.
Littleana, C. M. gigantea, are enormous specimens
as well as almost unique in variety. The autumn-
flowering varieties of Cattleya labiata are fast
pushing up their flowers, and, judging by the re-
markable strength of the recently made growths,
they cannot fail to give a good displiy. In the
sanie house I also noted some grand specimen
plants of the lovely Cattleya Bowringiana, some
with from eight to" ten new growths which were
each nearly 3 feet long. On the front stage of the
house was a large batch of imported Cattleya
gigas breaking strongly and rooting freely. Ad-
joining these was a fine lot of Odontoglossum
citrosmum, looking healthy and making fine
growths. Represented by nearly a hundred plants
was one of the finest collections of La-lio-Cattleya
elegans to be found in this country, the majority
of these being very large specimensandthevarieties
unique. Most of them had passed out of flo
but those I saw with the flowers expanded i
of theL.C. e. Turneri section. Adjoining these
were upwards of a hundred plants of Cattleya
Dowiana aurea, some few of them in flower and
others in sheath. Suspended from the roof at the
back of these were some strong plants of Phala?
nopsis growing and rooting freely. At the other
end of the house, in a position less shaded, w
good collection of Dendrobiums. The majority of
these just finishing up their growths left little to
be desired. Opposite these on the front stage was
a fine lot of Vanda teres and V^. Hookeri which had
flowered and were growing freely. Adjoining
these were the Cypripediums, represented by finply
grown plants in big specimens of most of the
leading varieties. Prominent amongst those in
flower were C. Veitchi, C. vexillarium, C. unan-
thum superbum, C. marmorophyllum, C. radiosum
and C. Stonei, all represented by the best types.
I particularly noticed amongst those not in flower
some fine specimen plants of C. Sanderianum.
This is generally found a diificult plant to do, but
here it grows as freely as any of the other varie-
ties. There were also some hundreds of seedling
Cypripediums, several of them showing flower for
the first time. In another range were numerous
specimen Cymbidiums, Odontoglossums, a large
batch of Lycaste Skinneri, and various other
Orchids. Stelis.

Huntleya violacea.— This has never become
a common plant, and even now is seldom seen,
though it was introduced from British (Juiana as
far back as 1835. It is a beautiful species, with
prettily crisped segments of a rich violet hue,
tipped with yellow and paling to nearly white.
Coming from so near the equator, it naturally de-
lights in plenty of heat, the warmest end of the
Cattleya house being none too hot for it. The
roots are strong and fleshy, yet easily injured by
a sour or waterlogged compost. From experiments
made with this class of plants and by what I have
seen other cultivators doing, I am sure that if a
little more really good fibrous loam and less peat

were mixed with the Sphagnum for potting, the
plants would be longer lived. Loam does not
sour so quickly as peat, even of the best quality,
and owing to its more substantial nature the
plants in it make a strong and vigorous growth.
Keep it open by the addition of plenty of hard
material, as charcoal or crocks, and then the
plants will take plenty of water and thrive
accordingly. They can hardly have too much
water provided the compost runs dry quickly
afterwards, and even in winter, owing to their
evergreen character, a fairly good tupply is
needed. A position should be chosen for H. vio-
lacea not too far from the glass, but the growth
must be very carefully shaded during the summer
months, the leaves being looked over frequently
for scale, which frequently attacks them. — R.

Eulophia guineensis. — This I recently noted
in bloom, and although not so showy as many
Orchids, yet it is interesting and pretty. The
pseudo-bulbs are roundish and bear each a couple
of green arching leaves, and from the base of the
bulb the flower-spike issues and carries about a
dozen flowers, very pale pink on the sepals and
petals, the lip white, striped with red. It is a
plant of easy culture in a warm house, requiring
a sound and substantial compost, the principal
ingredients being loam, peat-fibre or leaf soil and
plenty of rough crocks and charcoal. It requires
abundance of water while growing, and the pots
must on this account be well drained. It is a
native of Guinea, about the neighbourhood of
Sierra Leone, and was introduced in 1822. — H. R.

Miltonia cuneata.— This species is somewhat
erratic in its time of flowering and is variable, a
good form being very effective. It grows strongly
and pushes up spikes a foot or more in length, the
flowers in the typical form having brown sepals
and petals tipped with yellow, the lip white.
The colour of the foliage and bulbs is deeper
green than in most other Miltonias. It likes a good
light position in the Cattleya house, and should be
grown in well drained pots with a rather thin
compost of peat fibre and Sphagnum Moss; plentj-
of water must be given while growing. It is a
native of Brazil, and was introduced in 1843.

Fruit and Vegetable Crops.

WALES.
i'an-y-bwlcli, Merioneth.— Apples are a
very uneven crop, many of the trees almost break-
ing down with the weight of fruit, which in many
cases is in bunches, the fruit so wedged together
as to be unable to swell uniformly to the usual
size. However, having arrived at a useable size,
I utilise many for cooking, thus affording those
remaining a better chance of maturing, and the
trees an opportunity of recuperating some of their
lost strength. Other varieties have dropped much
of their crop prematurely, undoubtedly owing
I to the long drought, and some have scarcely a
I fruit on at all. Pears are much below the average
both on walls and in the open, but trees and fruit
clean throughout. Plums gave early promise of a
very heavy crop, but owing to an early and severe
attack of blight, with which I was unable to
cope successfully, this promise has not been ful-
filled, for the crop is very light, excepting Vic-
toria, Czar, and Denbigh, which carry enormous
crops, so much so that great limbs are split down
with the weight. Gooseberries, Currants, and
Raspberries have been without exception a very
heavy crop, free from aphis and other pests and
of splendid quality. Strawberries, excepting Sir
Charles Napier and Loxford Hall Seedling— which
suffered more from heat and drought than any
other varieties grown here — far exceeded my ex-
pectations, for crops turned out to be heavy and
clean and of superb quality. The season also has
been an exceptionally heavy one for Strawberries,
considering our light soil and the intense heat
prevailing. I commenced gathering on May 26
with Pauline oft' three-year-old beds, followed
closely by Sharpless Seedling, then a rufh of

La Grosse Sucr^e, Marechal McMahon, Augusta
Nicaise, Commander, and Waterloo, the latest,
Eleanor and Loxford Hall, carrying on the
supply to the end of July. The first named
(Pauline) is not so generally grown for a first
early as its merits entitle it. The fruit is
certainly of a peculiar shape, but in quality it is
unsurpassed, and it is also a fairly heavy cropper.
I think my custom of mulching Straw berries early
and heavily with wood Moss proves of immense
benefit in conserving moisture in such a season as
this, especially on hot, dry soils such as
this. As to the so-called Japanese Wineberry, I
am still unable to decide whether its utUity is
greater as a fruit producer, or its beauty asan
ornamental object ; it certainly has high claims
to both. It is however, cropping heavily, but
whether its fruit with its peculiar— but pleasant-
acidity will become popular time alone will show.
Walnuts heavy crops. Filberts light.

Early in the year Brassicas were plentiful.
Spring Cabbage (Ellam's) turned in exceptionally
early, and late Broccoli during April and May
came on in abundance. Model is the variety
mainly relied on here for that season, but on trying
Dickson's Late May for the first time I was very
pleased with it, and shall again grow it as a com-
panion to Model, and to test its ability to with-
stand a harder winter than the past. Ere these
were over nice little Cauliflowers were turning in.
These have continued very good and plentiful
throughout the summer, and the late ones appear
promising. Magnum Bonum is an acquisition to
the early section . Onions suff'ered somewhat from
the maggot, but are a fair crop. Beet, Carrots,
and Turnips are not large, but of good quality.
For the last, frequent sowings are the rule. Let-
tuces, notwithstanding frequent deluging with
water, were unable to make much headway dur-
ing the tropical heat, but since the advent of a
little cooler weather they have done well. Globe
Artichokes have quite beaten the record for earli-
ness, quality, and continuous bearing ; practi-
cally they kept growing all the winter, throwing up
strong heads exceptionally early— a marked con-
trast to last year. Potatoes a splendid crop, even
in size and superb in quality. I grow only earlies
and second earlies, so that all are now lifted, and
regret to say quite half the crop is diseased.
Broad Beans have not turned out quite so well as
usual and crop quickly over, while French Beans
have done and are doing well, producing tine
pods, and very prolific. The climbing French
Beans become greater favourites here annua,iij ,
for they crop enormously. The hot season suuea
the Butter Beans (Mont d'Or). The rows are a
pretty sight, each pole clustered with pale golden
pods. Since the great heat has passed, runner
Beans are growing apace and producing nne
beans in large clusters, all setting well. I regret
to say that amidst the general abundance ot
vegetables Peas are partly a failure. Early va-
rieties have done very well, but midseason ones
have failed to a far greater extent than I have
ever known ; in fact, one large quarter containing
five sowings at intervals, and consisting of/'™"-
tion, Stratagem, Alderman, Main-crop, Magnih-
cent, Sharpe's Invincible, Triumph, Sutton s
Matchless and Perfection are practically a total
failure, all being attacked with rust when only a
few inches above ground ; eventually they threw
up fie-h weakly growths at the ground line,
which carry a light crop. Perhaps the intense
heat is partly accountable for this tailure.
They had above their share of water, and
yet made no headway, while those on another
quarter of lighter soil and on a steep slope did
better, mostly Criterion and Evolution ; but the
later sowing on this became fearfully mildewed,
so that at present the supply of this important
crop is a very meagre one, and tomtits and spar-
rows are most destructive. I have hopes of better
luck with the latest sowing, for the plants are
growing strongly, branching, and sturdy. They
include Gladiator, Autocrat, Michaelmas, Omega,
and Sturdy. Happily, I have not tried many
new kinds this year, those enumerated above
usually giving satisfaction in cropping and

260

THE GAKDEN.

September 20, 1896.

quality. Criterion and Autocrat alone span a
lonE season, and are not e.\-cellod in productiveness
orflavour. Daisy improves on further acfiuaintance.
more of it being grown here everv \ ear. liradus I
am disappointed with. It is not "in character with
the description given of it, but I will give it an-
other trial. Michatlmas (Carter's), noted above,
I am very favourably impressed with, as it seems
to favour Autocrat,— J. Kokerts.

Glanafon. Taibach. — The fruit crops here and
in the neighbourhood are good. Apples are good.
Pears fairly good. Peaches and Nectarines indoors
very tine and well coloured, flavour excellent, and
the outdoor varieties abundant, well coloured but
not up to the usual size. This may be accounted
for by the long-continued drought. Trees are
clean and free from spider. Plums and Cherries
on walls are good, but lack usual size : trees are
healthy and clean. Gooseberries and Currants
abundant. Strawberries an excellent crop, fine in
size and well flivcured.-Hv. Morris.

Bodnant Hall.— All kinds of small fruit have
been gccd and plentiful in this district, Straw-
berries especially so. Apricots and Plums are a
fair crop. Morello Cherries heavy, but Damfons,
which are not extensively grown "about here, are
under average. Apples showed an enormous
amount of bloom, but are onlv a moderate crop,
fruit clean and good. Pears p'romising. Walnuts
l-lentiful.

The drought in April and May has seriously
checked the development of vegetable cropa, par-
ticularly early Potatoes and Cauliflowers. First
early Peas podded well (Chelsea Gem is very early
and most prolific). Main-crop Peas are all at-
tacked with mildew and severely crippled. Root
crops in general are all sufl'ering from want of
moisture.— J. S.irsDEEsoN-.

IRELAND.

Belvedere House, MuUingar.— The fruit
crops in this neighbourhood are above the average,
especully Peaches, Pears, Cherries and Apples,
ii °?'^r^"°'^^'' ^''^ average. Strawberries and
Black Currants are variable, in some places very
poor, in others over the average. Raspberries
hne, especially Baumfcrth's Seedling. Red Cur-
rants and Gooseberries are very good.

Considering the very dry season, vegetables have
done and are doing well. Peas required mulching
and plenty of water. 1 find William I. still one
of the best for early use, with Duke of Albany,
Magnihcent, Laxton's Supreme and Ne Plus
Utra to follow, all of which do well here. The
Potato crop promises to be a good one ; early
one?, owing to the dry weather, are rather smalle'r
than usual, but of good quality, and the late ones
I ne\er saw more promising with no signs of
disease.— J. Bavli-s.

Vice-regal Gardene, Dublin.— Fruit crops
have turned out much lighter than was expected
from the fine appearance of bloom and the mild-
ness of the season. Peaches are a thin crop, other
small fruit a fair average. Strawberries and Rasp-
berries, which promised an unusually large crop,
failed to ripen more than about one half ; the late
favourable change, however, has already done
much to repair the barm done by the drought.
Late crops are now in a safe and vigorous way

Early crops of vegetables in this neighbourhood
have suffered severely from the long protracted
dry weather extending from the middle of April
to the second week in July. Peas have ripened
off at half their normal height ; Beans the same,
and Cauliflowers have buttoned off in large quan-
tities. The Potato crop round this neighbourhood
has a vigorous, healthy appearance and no signs of
disease. The yield will not be heavy, but the
quality is very good. — G. Smith.

Fota, Cork —Like most other parts of the
British Isles, the rainfall for fpring and summer
has been much below the average, with the result
that Strawberries, Gooseberries, Currants, and
Raspberries were tmall, especially in light, thin
soils, and the season a very short one. Some kinds
of Strawberries stood the drought better than

others. The old Keens' Seedling stood best here
and gave far the best crop. Gunton Park and
Lord Sutlield did not ripen a berry, and the local
favourite, McMahon, suffered much. Cherries
and Plums under average, but quality good.
Peaches a fine crop and highly coloured, but
needed much water. Pears on pyramids never so
good, a fine crop of clean fruit. Williams, Beurre
de I'Assomption, very fine ; Beurre Hardy, a
heavy crop, but fruit rather small. Beurre
Bachelier, Beurrfi Diel, Aston Town, Madame
Treyve, Conseiller de la Cour, Louise Bonne of
Jersey, have the heaviest crop; other well known
kinds a fair crop. Apples hardly an average,
fruit clean and highly coloured in most cases, but
not quite so large as usual. Cox's Orange Pippin,
King of Pippins, Domino, Stone's Apple, Wor-
cester I'earmain, Grenadier, The Queen, and a
few others have a full crop. There are but few
trees without some fruit.

Vegetable crops are not so good as usual. Peas,
French Beans, and Scarlet Runners suffered very
much. Pea Chelsea Gem as a d waif is first rate.
After gathering one crop I gave the rows a good
soaking of water, with the result that the Eecond
crop was nearly as good as the first. For our main
crop of tall Peas I rely upon Ne Plus Ultra,
thinking it still the best Pea. Veitch's Per-
fection does well. I find no Lettuce stand the
drought so well as All the Year Round. Several
other varieties of Cabbage Lettuce failed to heart
at all. Ellam's Early Cabbage was first-rate and
not a bolter amongst them. Early Potatoes of
good quality and a full crop. I find it is hard to
beat Myatt's Ashleaf as a main early crop. Tur-
nips and Onions small. Carrots very good.
Asparagus and Seakale have not suffered from
the drought as much as might have been ex-
pected. Generally the vegetable crop is far below
the average in quantity and quality. — W. Os-
HORNE.

TJnder-Secretary'a Lodge, Dublin.- All fruit
cropsareverygood thisseason. Applessuchas Lord
Sutlield, Warner's King, Lane's Prince Albert,
Bramley's Seedling, Cox's Orange Pippin, Devon-
shire Quarrenden, Hoary Morning, Duchess of
Oldenburg, and Peasgood'a Nonsuch, all are ex-
cellent. Plums here are not so good as last year,
neither are Morello Cherries on wall. Pears are
a fair crop, but under average. Gooseberries and
small fruit abundant.

The dry weather has interfered with vegetables
greatly, consequently they are scarce. Pea Duke
of Albany bore a very fine crop ; it is by a long
way the best Pea with me. I got .3?. a basket in
the market, when other people were only receiving
2s. 6d. for the same. It is a magnificent Pea for
market purposes and a great bearer, with twelve
or thirteen Peas in every pod. Veitch's Perfection
is also a very fair Pea. Ne Plus Ultra is the best
late variety. I generally grow William Hurst for
first crop and find it very good. — W.m. Bradshaw.

Mount Talbot, Co. Roscommon.— The fruit
here and in this part of Ireland is extra good this
year ; in fact there has not been =uch an abundant
crop for some years back. Wall trees as well as
standards have a heavy crop of good sized fruit.
Peaches do very well here out of doors on a south
wall, but the heavy rains here in the month of
March when in full bloom prevented them setting
well on very exposed trees. Pears are very fine
this year on wall trees and on standards. Plums
of all sorts are good and very plentiful. Apples
are an extra heavy crop here and in this neigh-
bourhood. Gooseberries, Raspberries, and Currants
were very abundant. Strawberries that were well
mulched during the winter bore a splendid crop,
but on those that were not attended to in this
way during winter the crop was small and light
owing to the long drought in May. Vicomtesse
Hericart de Thury, Noble and President did
well.

The foil here is of a heavy nature, but all crops
have done remarkably well notwithstanding the
prolonged drought, which told most on early
Peas. The sorts I mostly grow for early use are
First Crop, Sangster'e No. 1 Improved, and
Laxton's William I. Exonian is a first early

wrinkled marrow, a great bearer, of fine flavour,
and keeps long fit for use. For main crop I grow
Champion of England, Laxton's Supreme, and
Telegraph. Late sorts I have found very satis-
factory for years past are Ne Plus Ultra, Veitch's
Perfection, and Hair's Mammoth. — J. Simpj'OX.

Down Hill Gardens, Co. Derry.- Fruit
generally is a fair crop. Currants, Gooseberries
and Raspberries are very good, also Strawberries,
but the showery weather we have had interfered
with the ripening of the last. Plums are nearly
a failure, both here and in the neighbourhood, on
account of the cold winds when in bloom. The
same may be said of Pears, except on south walls
and sheltered corners. There was an abundance
of bloom, but the cutting north-west winds which
we get here off' the Atlantic sweep everything
before them. Apples are a good crop here and
several other places round about where last year
there were none on account of the winds destroy-
ing the bloom. In most cases they are only a
moderate crop. Cherries also are scarcely aver-
age, Morellos especially.

Peas have been good, but are showing mildew,
especially on light soils. Cauliflower autumn-
sown was good, but early spring-sown buttoned a
good deal during the dry weather in May. Onions
are very good ; the maggot made but little
appearance, but Carrots I never saw go off so
badly. Parsnips also are a little affected. Early
Potatoes have been very good, and very heavy
generally in the north of Ireland. The late ones
are looking very well in this neighbourhood, but
reports have reached me that the disease has made
its appearance a few miles inland. — H. Carter.

Hillsborough.— The fruit crops in these gar-
dens are good, except Pears and Plums on walls,
which are a failure.

The early, mideeason and late Peas w hich I find
do best here are Lightning, Fillbasket, Utility,
Prodigy, Autocrat and Ne Plus Ultra. No other
Peas give us so good a return, and their flavour is
good. — Tims. Bradshaw.

Charleville Forest, Tullamore.— The fruit
crop here this season is most prolific. Straw-
berries were never so early. John Ruskin was
fit to gather on May 2;i, Noble a few days later.
The sorts grown with the above are President,
Scarlet Queen, Keens' Seedling, Dr. Hogg, Sir
J. Paxton, Bothwell Bank (which does remark-
ably well here), Competitor (which is not a
favourite), and Royal Sovereign, which is excel-
lent. Gooseberries, too, were veiy early. On
May 10 they were fit for tart marking and veiy
abundant. Apples all round are a heavy croi>,
and appear to swell better than I have noticed
for some years. There are a few sorts, including
Ecklinville Seedling, Manks Codlin and Dume-
low's Seedling, that have been badly infested with
a small grub in the early part of the season.
Pears likewise are abundant. Plums are heavily
cropped, but the long, dry season has given such
a dose of red spider to them, that more than half
the leaves are dropping off, which is bad for tho
proper ripening of the present crop. Damscns
are in every way similar to the Plums.

With reference to Pea", I find that none aro
earlier than A 1, Wonder, and Dickson's Firi-t
and Best. I think very highly of Duke of Albanv.
— Ror.T. McKenna.

Stiafifan House, Co. Kildare.— The fruit
crops here on the whole are very satisfactory.
Pears are under average and of excellent ([uality.
Our best Strawberries out of a dozen kinds are
Vicomtesse Hi'ricart de Thury, Lord Sutlield and
President, but for all purposes the Vicomtesse
has no equal. The Apple crop is superb and of
wonderful quality. The Apple of the season
here that stands cut superior to all the others is
Cox's Orange Pippin ; the crop is very heavy,
highly coloured, and the fruit much above tho
average size. Plums, Cherries and all small
fruits are plentiful and good.

Vegetables, with the exception of Peas and
Cauliflowers, have been good and plentiful. Thebest
Veie have been Chelsonian, Omega and Criterion,
and if I were confined to one Pea it would be the

September 26, 1896.]

THE GARDEK.

261

last, having grown it from the time that it was
introduced. Early and midseaeon Potatoes good
and free from disease, the tubers being large.
Late kinds also promise well.— Frederick Bed-

FOKD.

Headfort Gardens, Kells, Co. Meath.—

The fruit crop here is barely average, the dry
spring .being much against Apples and Pears.
There are good crops of Currants and of good
quality. Gooseberries poor. Strawberries have
been very good, Royal Sovereign doing remarkably
well.

This has been a trying season for vegetables,
but Peas have done very well. Sutton's May
Queen and Chelsea Gem were sown at the same
time, but May Queen came in first. Sutton's
Matchless .Marrowfat is a very fine Pea, and with
me has withstood the dry weather and given good
returns. Royal Jubilee has also been good.
Veitch's Perfection also does well here, coming in
as it does at a most useful time. — J. Hounsliiw.

Societies and Exhibitions.

ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.
At a meeting of the fruit committee held at Chis-
wick on September 17 (eleven members present) a
great deal of time was devoted to the trials of
Beet, Potatoes and Cabbage. There was but little
new in Beet ; indeed, many kinds were far too
coarse and others lacked colour. Cheltenham
Green-top was the best of all, and was sent from
various firms, all good. Potatoes when cooked
lacked quality, and many had grown oat badly.
Cabbage, though good in a few cases, did not
present any special features, and received no
awards, some of the stocks being very much mixed.

The following received three marks — the equiva-
lent of an award of merit :—

PoT.vTO Triumph. — A very handsome white-
fleshed, pebble - shaped tuber, with a rough
skin. It is an enormous cropper, of good flavour
when cooked, and one of the best kmds for late
use. Messrs. Sutton and Sons, Reading.

PoT.iTO Syon House Prolific— A very fine
late, pebble-shaped variety, skin rough, flesh
white. It is a very heavy cropper and free of
disease. This when cooked was excellent, and
though it received an award last year when on
trial as a new variety, this award was again con-
firmed. Messrs. Veitch and Sons, Royal Exotic
Nurseries, Chelsea.

P0T.A.TO Early White Kidney. — A very fine
second early kidney, flesh white, of excellent cook-
ing quality. For a kidney it is a grand cropper.
A very good variety for autumn use. Mr. R.
Dean, Ealing.

Potato Saxon. — A roundish or pebble-shaped
tuber, grand cropper, free of disease, and noted
for its good flavour when cooked. From Messrs.
Kent and Bryden, Darlington.

Beet Cheltenham Green-top. — A superb Beet,
bright red in colour, root above medium size and
handsome, foliage green in the true type. It is a
very fine quality Beet when cooked and good in all
soils. From Messrs. Yates, Cheltenham, and
several other firms.

Beet Dwarf Red.— A well-known Beet, but
still one of the beet ; roots of medium eiza,
dark in colour and of excellent quality. Messrs.
Nutting & Sons.

Bee r Perfection Dark Red. — A valuable
sort with shapely roots, dark red in colour and of
good quality. A true stock and an acquisition.
From Messrs. Hurst & Son.

Beet Dell's Crimson. — A well-known variety,
but one of the best ; root long, very shapely, of a
deep crimson colour, and of first rate quality.
Messrs. Nutting & Sons.

Beet New Egyptian Dark Red Early.— ATur-
nlp-rooted Beet, bright red, free of the objection-
able white markings many of the Turnip-rooted
kinds have, and of first class ijuality. MM.
Vilmorin et Cie, Paris. I

Beet Red Glof.e. — A Beet of splendid colour,
perfect in shape and of a deep red. It is a Turnip-
rooted variety and noted for its earliness and
superior flavour. Messrs. Watkins & Simpson,
Strand.

NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY.
The floral committee of this society held a meeting
on Wednesday last at the Royal Acjuarium, when
Mr. T. Bevan occupied the chair. The attend-
ance both of members and exhibitors was small.
A first-class certificate was awarded to

Chrysanthemum Barbara Forp.es, a large va-
riety of Japanese form, semi-globular, with long
twisted grooved florets of medium width and in-
curving ; colour white. Shown by Mr. W. J.
Godfrey, of Exmouth.

A vote of thanks was awarded to Mr. J. Green,
of Dereham, Norfolk, for a collection of Cactus
Dahlias.

Notes of the Week.

Pentstemon Mrs. W. H. Martin. — The
blossoms of this are of a rich crimson-magenta
shade, the interior being lined and striped with
white. The spike of blossom is unusually bold
and massive, and the individual flowers equally so.
Gladiolus Butterfly.— This is one of the Le-
moinei hybrid forms, with large hooded blossoms
of a creamy shade in the upper segments, and
having a heavy blotch of crimson and scarlet in
the lower petals that are also tipped with green
It is a showy and handsome form now in flower.

Lilium auratum. — An ordinary-sizad bulb of
this Lily planted this spring in the open has
thrown up a fasciated stem about 3 feet G inches
high. This is bearing 125 blooms, making a ci
pact head of bloom IS inches through and
inches in height. It is growing in the garden of
Miss Attenborough, Sheffield Park, Fletching,
Uckfield.-F. T. Wood.

Talipa Greigi. — In his article of 19th inst. M
Van Tubergen says that Tulipa Greigi very sel
dom forms side bulbs. In Colonel Wynne Finch's
garden near Pwllheli the bulbs of T. Greigi hav(
increased considerably by offsets. I think the
gardener told me that twelve bulbs had increased
to nearly forty in the course of three years. The
soil is a sandy loam with, I think, a clay subsoil.
— E. C. Burton.

Crocus' zonatus. — An exquisitely beautiful
and delicate species for autumn blooming, the
satiny lilac blossoms, which are golden at the
base internally, being very pretty. It is one of
the easiest to cultivate, and as seen flowering in
quantity at Long Ditton at the present time is
one of the most beautiful, as it is also among the
most freely flowered of the genus. Like some
others, the flowers appear before the leaves.

Colchicum autumnale loseum plenam. —
This is a fine distinct form now flowering freely
and well described by its varietal name. The par-
ticular shade of colour is a warm rosy lilac that is
very pleasing. The segments are very numerous,
so that the flowers remain in good condition for
some time. Of a somewhat deeper shade of lilac-
purple is C. bjzantinum, with single flowers that
are also very showy when seen in gocd-sized
groups.

Dwaif Marigold Legion of Honour. — This
pretty neat-babited and free-flowering plant has
been for many weeks past figuring in the bedding
arrangements at Syon House, where a pair of
beds have been devoted to it. Its very dwarf and
compact habit as well as the distinctly marked
flowers are very attractive. Besides the variety
bearing the above name is one with glossy chest-
nut blossoms, equally dwarf and free, and likely
to prove quite as useful.

Crocus speciosus. — This species is now one
of the chief attractions among autumn Crocuses
in the very large collection of such things to be
found at Long Ditton, where Mr. Barr devotes

whole beds to certain of the more showy varieties.
Indeed, by reason of its showy character its
simple cultural requirements and its cheapness, it
IS without doubt one of the best. It is so well
known and so universally admired, that little more
need be said in its favour.

Pentstemon Constance.— This is a very
charming variety, with self-coloured blossoms of
a lively salmon-rose externally, a shade by no
means common among Pentstemons. Internally
the tube is nearly clear white, which gives it a
most attractive appearance. It is one of the most
bn hant when seen in a group, and the well-filled
spikes of bloom are handsome in the extreme.
Where distinct shades of colour are needed note
should be made of this Pentstemon.

Heliopsis scabra B. Iiadham3.— This is a
new and distinct variety. It is, I think, a great
improvement on the type. It is perfectly hardy
grows from 3 feet to 4 feet high, and is a perpetual
bloomer. The flowers, each from 2 inches to
3 inches in diameter, are of a beautiful deep
golden yellow colour. It is very useful for cut-
ting, the flowers keeping quite fresh for sixteen
days, and for this reason far superior to manv
other species of this family.— F. B., .Southampton
liilium spsciosum Melpomene.— This is
not only the most richly coloured form oithe
whole of the speciosum group of Lilies, but one
of the handsomest in the genus. Where a bold
striking effect is desired in the garden or conser-
vatory, this Lily will prove invaluable. The
flowers are of an intense blood-crimson, and
being large and freely produced, render it a
striking object. Being of a vigorous constitution
and perfectly hardy, it should be freely grown for
autumn effect.

Montbretia Etoile de Feu.— This is perhaps
one of the most striking of the newer forms of
these exquisite flowers, alike valuable for the
border, for pot culture, or for cutting. This va-
riety has flowers of a vermilion shade. Phare is
another, with orange- scarlet and gold flowers
while Bou(iuetParfait is quite distinct in its mors
orange yellow hue, over which a shading of ver-
milion is very showy. These, among others,
were very conspicuous recently in Messrs. Barr's
nursery at Ditton.

Marguerite Carnations.— We recently noted
a strain of this Carnation of exceptional merit
growing and flowering in pots in the gardens at
Syon House, where they are much valued by Mr.
Wythes for their free growth as well as for the
abundance and variety of their flowers. The
latter were in many shades, the percentage of
doubles being very large. A noticeable feature
of this strain of Carnations is an absence of
splitting of the calyx. The colours included white
pink, rose, and scarlet, some of the varieties
possessing (luite a strong Clove fragrance.

Colchicum Sibthorpi.— This is a very dis-
tinct and well-marked member of this beautiful
group of autumn flowers, all of which are of threat
value for naturalising. The flowers of the a'bove
v.ariety are among the largest of the Meadow Saf-
frons, the perianth segments of a warm rose-
purple and beautifully chequered. Prior to ex-
pansion, the buds, standing boldly erect on stems
S inches high, are very effective. " In many forms
the perianth is of soft silky character, while in
C. Sibthorpi it is of much greater substance, thus
rendering the flowers very durable. This very
handsome kind, which is now in flower in Messrs.
Barr's collection at Ditton, is somewhat scarce.

Campanula pyramidalis alba.— At Syon
House this fine Campanula is grown largely. It
is only rarely in private gardens that this hand-
some plant is taken so spiritedly in hand as is the
case in these gardens, where it is grown practi-
lly by the hundred. At the present time but
little is left of the crop of the present year, but
Mr. Wythes has a fine lot of young plants in
5-inch pots for next year's display. Though
practically hardy, it may, as is the case at Syon
be employed with fine effect in large conser-
vatories among fine foliaged plants. Indeed, few

T^TTK CATJDEK

plants can compare with it in this respect when
well grown, its pyramids of snow-white flowers
towering to a height of ti feet, to say nothing of
lateral growth and bloom.

ColchicBm autumnale album plenum.

There is perhaps nothing finer among the numer-
ous array of Meadow Saffrons at Lori>; Ditton than
this old and valued, yet still rather scarce plant.
Five and twenty years ago we remember feeing
the fine vigorous clumps of this plant that the
lat« Mr. Robert Parker cherished with so much
pride in his wilderness garden at Tooting. This
garden was a sort of private reserve for a few
choice things, and being well planted and, better
still, left alone, giant corms were formed, and
these produced quantities of beautiful flowers.
These Colchicums were singularly at home in the
sandy soil of Tooting, and they appear ei|ua]ly
promising at Ditton, where many of the finest .ire
now in flower at the present time.

Cyclamen neapolitanum. — The pretty
patches cf haidy Cyclamens which are now in
flower are among the treasures of our earlv
autumn hardy tlowers. There are an indescribable
beauty and charm in the pretty and elegant
flowers that are only fully grasped when the esta-
blished corms throw up such a wealth of their
exquisitely marbled foliage as may now be seen
in Messrs. Barr's nursery at Ditton. Here the
large, bread maeses of foliage, several feet across,
are indeed a feature, and the more valuable from
a decorative point of view because uninjured even
by the most severe frost. Not less beautiful are
the pretty coloured blossoms, which at all times
are attractive, particularly when planted in mi.x
ture.

Bcses aueen Mab and Enchantress.— Wt
are reminded of the value of the China and Tc-
Roses for autumn flowering by some blooms of
these two varieties which have been sent us by
Mesers. W. Paul & Son, Waltham Cross. The
former is a moft beautiful variety — its c
soft rosy apricot, the centre shaded orange, the
outside of the petals tinted roEe. From the shoots
that have been sent, it seems a very free flower-
ing sort and will be found valuable in the garden
and also for cutting. Tlie other kind hss creamy
white flowers, slightly tinted with buflf in the
centre, full and cf fine globular form, the pt-tals
slightly recurved. It too is very free flowering
and ought to find a place in every collection of
Roses.

Lilinm specicsnm album novum. — This
pure white form of the L. speciosum section is
quite distinct. It is also grown under the name
of L. s. album veium, but in either cafe may be
readily identified by the anthers being of a golden
yellow instead of chocolate-brown so generally
seen in the white varieties of this group. The
above form may be said to be the whitest of
all the speciosum varieties, as the midrib, which
in Kifttzeti is of a peagretn for nearly half the
length of the segment, is in this instance of
the same shade as the flower, thus giving it a
purer and whiter appearance generally. It is a
perfectly hardy variety and an excellent kind for
pit culture, that may with fair treatmert be re-
lied on for years in succession.

The Mexican Orange Flower (Choisya ter-
nata).— This, as an ornamental shrub, deserves all
the praise your correspondents have bestowed
upon it I have it planted in different situations,
some being very exposed to the north-east wind,
where the common Laurel was much injured in
the beginning of IS95, but where the Choisya
stood uninjured. It should be planted as a shrub
in a good deep soil and have a sheltered situation,
when its foliage becomes most beautiful and
luxuriant. It ia generally much admired by
visitors, whether in or out of bloom. Although
I had a fair stock of it, I have just bought fifty
more beautiful young bushy plants, many of which
will be distributed among the cottagers to orna-
ment their gardens. — JcHx G,\p.l.\nd, Killer/on,
ExeUr.

Helianthus Mi£s Mellish.- The history of
this fine variety would be interesting if anyone

[September 2G, If

can tell it. In the last twenty years I have seen
many forms of Helianthus rigidus, some collected
wild some from nurseries, some raised from seed
saved in this garden, but this grand form is by far
the finest of all of them. It is now on September
-\ more than 7 feet high and full of magniflcent
flowers each nearly T. inches across, with a dark
brown disc. The nearest approach I have had to
it IS one identified by Asa (iray as H. hvtifiorus,
but often sold as H. rigidus semi-plenus. The
flowers of this are not quite so large, though more
double, and the stature is a foot less. The disc
also IS more yellow than that of Miss Mellish.— C.
WoLLKY-DoD, Edge Hall, Malpa.'i.

— - This deservedly popular Sunflower is
now flowering grandly in many collections. In
the herbaceous border at Syon Hou=e are some
handsome clumps of it ([uite a mass of rich
golden flowers. These are produced on strong
stems a foot or more long, and are, therefore, of
great service for cutting. This variety also
possesses the additional advantage of improving
in water, which some of these Sunflowers do not,
this restricting their use very considerably.

CypripediumChapmani.-Thisbeautiful new
hybrid IS now m flower in the collection of Mr.

B. J. Measures, Cambridge Lodge, Camberwell.
It IS quite distmct and a lovely addition to the
Cypripcdiums. It is the result of a cross between

C. Curtisi and C. bellatulum. The flower-fcipe,
which carries two flowers, is about 6 inches long.
Ihe dorsal sepal is U inches broad by ■_' inches
long, the ground colour greenish white, the basal
half heavily fuflused with purple, and thickly
spotted from the base upwards with dark purple
spots. The ground colour of the petals is
greenish white, the whole suffused with purple
and thickly covered with darker purple spots.'
Ihe hp IS deep purple in front, shading to greenith
white at the base, veined with a darker colour, the
whole covered with greyish hairs. The disc of the of the
column IS purple, with a blotch in the centre and
margined with greenish white. The foliage
partakes iri a remarkable degree of that of C,
Curtisi, which is an unusual feature in the C
bellatulum crosses. The influence cf both parents
can be plainly discerned.— Stems.

£ttbsea radula.— I am sending you two very
poor flowers of this curious and interesting South
African plant ; it has been flowering well here
for some weeks past and has been very attractive
From tufts of broad-toothed foliage" the flower-
stems arise. These are branched towards the
summit, each branch bearing large heads of pale
yellow flowers. The plant has done remarkably
well here, and no doubt will prove to be quite
hardy. Stob:va membranifolia is just coming into
flower (leaf enclosed, some measuring 20 inches
by !) inches). Helenium autumnale superbum is
now in its full glory. It is a first-class plant for
late decoration, far superior to Helenium au-
tumnale, which is not worth growing. One of
my plants has thrown up fourteen well furnished
spikes, some containing over 100 flowers and buds
Helenium autumnale grandiflorum is also very
fine ; flowers much larger than in Helenium
autumnale superbum, but not borne in such pro-
fusion. Some flowers measure over 4 inches across
and no doubt they would have been much larger
had the weather been more favourable. Aster
Macki is now in full flower. It grows about 2i
feet, and throws several well furnished stems^
hich are literally covered with pretty pale lilac
flowers. The flowers of Anemone sent are from
seedlings of Anemone japonica alba Lady Ardi-
laun. Several are very similar to Anemone Whirl-
wind ; others are semi-double, faintly flushed with
rosy purple.— Amos Perry.

1 foot and 2 feet deep, is now about 2' below
the September average. There have been only
three days without rain this month. The ag-
gregate fall now amounts to of inches, which
IS nearly twice as heavy as the mean for the
whole montd. Shortly before three o'clock on
the afternoon of the 22nd the rain was falling for
ave minutes at the rate of U inches an hour.
During the night of the 22nd the wind was very
high, and for the hour ending 2 a m. was travel-
''"^at the average velocity of :« miles, direction
^^ .to- \\ . Ihis has been the only gale experienced
o.uuT''® ^^^ '"■'''"« °f M'^'-ch. On the 19th and
.^Oth there was the best record of sunshine for
over three weeks. -E. M., Berkhamsted.

Public Gardens.

Opening of a new park at Wolverhamp.

ton. — Wolverhampton was at f.'tt on Tuesday on
the occasion of the opening of its new east park.
Ihe park covers an area of 50 acres of land at the
tast end of the town, and is the joint gift of the
Duke of Sutherland and Sir Alfred Hickman,
" olverhampton now possesses two magnifi-

M.P.

cent parks.
New open spaces.-

-The County Council parks

open spaces happily are still on the increase.
1 arks Cominittee are about to take in hand

The weather in West Herte.-Since the
present month began there have been only two
unseasonably warm days, while, on the other
hand, only two nights have been unseasonably
cold. Both of the latter occurred in the past

eek, and on one of them the exposed ther-
mometer fell to within a degree of the freezing
point. The temperature of the soil, both at

and
The

the S acres or thereabouts which they have ac-
quired at Sydenham, and the 22 acres that have
been secured in the densely populated district of
Uepttord have now been converted from their
market garden condition to that of a pleasant
grassy enclosure.

Fortune Green, "West Hampstead — In
spite of the owners having consented to a con-
siderable reduction of price, the benevolent effort
of the committee of residents of West Hampstead
to save and extend old Fortune Green for the re-
creation of the children of their now crowded dis-
trict IS about to fall through for the need of about
i-100. Unless within the next few days the
amount is promised, building will recommence
and London will have one green oasis less The
treasurer is Captain Merry, Edensor, Finchley
Koad, JN.VV, ■'

Distribution of plants from royal parks —
\\ e are requested to announce that the Commis-
sioners of Her Majesty's Works and I'ublic Build-
ings intend to distribute this autumn among the
working classes and poor inhabitants of London
the surplus bedding-out plants in Hyde and
Regents I'arks, and in the pleasure-gardens
Hampton Court. If theclergv, school committees
and others interested will make application to the
superintendent of the park nearest to their respec-
tive parishes, or to the superintendent of Hampton
Court Gardens, they will receive early intimation
of the nurnber of plants that can be allotted to
each applicant, and of the time and manner of
their distribution. Any cost of carriage must
be borne by the recipients.

Black flowers and their cause.— Will any
reader of The Gaui.kn kindly tell me (1) is there
a flower perfectly black— jet black— with no in-
termixture of any other shades ? I am aware of
what may be termed a black Pansy, but as to its
monotony of colour there may be reason to doubt.
(2) Does the gaseous properties of the sun favour
such a colour '; (3) Why are black and green colours
uncommonly met with?- R. J

Names of plants.-Rcr.-r, Caladium escu-
lentum; S, Maranta sp._ Kindly send the others
a, tne nuiBbers. owidb to the specimens being
packed so looEoly in the dimo Moss, had got dis-
arranged.-—.4. McLennmi.-'S ormi of Aster Xovi.
lielgii.— — Jno7i._— 1, SauEsurea alpina (not generally
grown tor sale m nurseries) ; 2, Impatiens Noli-me-
tangere (British plant).

Names of fruit.-J. n. .Ve.e.-l, Ladv Hen-

niker ; 2, not recognised. T. Jf.-Probably Han-

well Souring. ii'cr.-], Brown Beurrc; 2, Souvenir

du Congres.

THE GARDEN.

263

No. 1298. SATURDAY, Oc'ober 3, 1896.

' This l8 an Art

and Nature : change It rather ; but

LF IS Nature." — ShaJcespeart.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

HOW APPLES SHOULD BE PACKED.
When our fruit is carefully selected and well
packed there is always an active and large de-
mand. The matter of prices is of course regu-
lated entirely by supplies and the landing con-
dition. During seasons of large European crops
our badly-selected and poorly-packed Apples
suffer most, but in my long experience as an
exporter of Apples I have found that well-
selected and carefully-packed fruit invariably
brought higher prices in the large markets of
Europe than could be realised in our home
markets at corresponding periods. While it is
admitted that North American Apples are the
finest in flavour and in flesh — unless we except
the Russian— that enter English and Continental
European markets, the selecting and packing
are most deplorable. Fully one-half of what is
sent by the average packer should not be sent
at all. To put it more exactly, packers must
realise that what they have been in the habit
of putting into two barrels would net them as
much, if not more, if the best of them were put
into one barrel, thereby saving the extra barrel,
labour, freight and charges on same, as well as
what might be the value of the poor fruit for
cider or other purposes at the orchards.

To my knowledge. New England as well as
New York produces many varieties of fall
Apples that are of little value now to growers,
and heretofore were thought too tender to ex-
port in barrels, considering the time it used to
take to cross the ocean, which, with the intro-
duction of faster steamers, reducing the time of
passage greatly, and the packing ot such fruit in
boxes holding half a barrel, and the wrapping
of each piece of fruit in paper, the same as
Oranges and Lemons, can now be landed in the
principal markets of Europe in a perfectly
sound condition, and at a period when Euro-
peans are the most destitute of fruit.

I have made experiments for years in this
direction, and the last two years have demon-
strated that it is perfectly practicable, and a
paying business to those who have tested it
properly. The case I recommend, and which I
have used, is in shape and style similar to the
Orange box now in general use, but somewhat
different in measurement and construction. It
can be made of any kind of wood that does not
warp. The ends and middle piece should be
made of three-quarter-inch wood and be cut
just 12| inches one way and 13 inches the other.
This will of course make two compartments
12| inches by 12| inches by ]3 inches. The
pieces for forming the ends should be planed on
the outside, but the rest of the wood for the
case can be made of fine sawed lumber. The
pieces forming the sides should be of three-
eighths-inch wood, and consist of at least two
pieces and not more than three to a side. When
nailed up there should be a space of at least
one-quarter- inch between each strip to admit
air. Use 2-inch wire nails in putting together.
The outside dimensions of the case are exactly
28J inches long, 13J inches wide, and ISJ inches
deep.

This case is intended more especially for the
delicate varieties of fall Apples, as well as for
fine selections cf winter Apples for table use.

You must remember that you are catering for a
better class of trade than the barrel generally
invites, and the higher the selection as to
quality, the greater will be the price paid for
the fruit. My friends in Europe have very fre-
quently made as much for a case as for a barrel,
and in Eome instances where the fruit has been
extra fine they have made as high as 12i. Od.
and Km. (id. a case. Fall fruit, such as Duchess,
St. Lawrence, Alexander, Gravenstein, Snow,
Wealthy, and in fact any kind of a red Apple
that will not carry safely in barrels, except
Astrachan and Williams, will carry perfectly
well in these cases. I am quite confident that
with careful selecting and packing, growers will
find that their fall fruit, put up in this manner for
export will net them more money than their
winter fruit. Bear in mind foreigners like a
crisp Apple, mealy Apples, .«uch as Porter,
Williams, and Astrachan, are not favourites.

In packing, care should be used not to bruise
or injure in any way, and in selecting throw
out wormy, bruised or defective Apples. Each
Apple must be wrapped in paper somewhat
after the style in which Oranges and Lemons
are packed. Pack snugly and carefully, but do
not use force sufiicient to bruise the fruit.
Any slack space fill up with excelsior or
crumpled balls of paper. Keep the fruit in a
cool place and out of the sun after picking and
packing. Avoid leaving the fruit on the grass
over night. When winter fruit comes along,
ary day will do for shipment, but fall fruit
should be handled quickly, and must be here
(Boston) on a Tuesday to go by Wednesday
steamers, and Friday to go by Saturday
steamers. Therefore, pack fall fruit as late as
jiossible to have it arrive here Tuesday or
Friday morning. Remember it is a great ad-
vantage to pack as quickly as possible after
picking. Do not expose the case to the rain or
damp, especially after it is filled with fruit. —
Geo. a. Cocheaxe, Boston, Mass., in Country
Gentleman.

Cheriy Kentish Bed.— This Cherry should
be largely planted in private gardens for cooking,
as it not only ripens early, but it is an immense
cropper. Grown in bush form the trees when
established are very prolific, and being so hardy,
they give but little trouble beyond pinching the
young shoots in summer and thinning the wood
out where it is too thick in the winter. It is also
good grown on a north wall, and then keeps up
the supply until the fruit on the bush Morellos
is ready for gathering. The fruits are medium-
sized, but may be had much finer if the border is
well mulched with partially decayed manure : in
fact, it is a variety of Cherry that will stand a
great deal of feeding from the surface, resem-
bling the Morello in this respect. The flavour
is acid. It is first-rate for tar>making and
bottling. For the latter purpose the fruit should
be used with the stone still adhering to the
stalk. This is a good test to determine when
the fruit is sufficiently ripe enough for the purpose
mentioned. — S. E. H.

Outdoor Peach trees.— Now that the season
is nearly over — for the crops will have been
gathered from the majority of the trees by this
time— attention should be turned tothe trees once
more, giving them a final look over in order to
relieve them of all superfluous wood. There is
not much to do in this direction when the trees
are intelligently cared for, as very little more
wood than is considered necessary is retained when
laying in. On the other hand, where every avail-
able inch of wall space has been filled by laying
in wood without the slightest consideration as to
its being ultimately required or not, the same
should be dealt with at once. In such cases the
young wood should be judiciously thinned out,
cutting away all weak and badly-placed growths,
and retaining none but the stouter-looking and

better ripened wood. Lateral growths should be
cut away and the old bearing wood also. Gross-
looking shoots should be rejected, and if any of
the trees have many cf these, and they have borne
but sparsely, they should be marked for root lift-
ing with a view to correct the evil. In such cases
as this the partial lifting of the roots may be
undertaken at once ; in fact, the sooner it is done
the better. The mulching on the surface of the
borders had better be removed now, and this
will allow the rays of the sun to penetrate
and warm the surface of the border, and so assist
in the ripening of the wood and the checking of
late growth. If the autumn proves wet and the
mulch is kept over the roots very late growth is
encouraged, and this, to say the least, is prejudicial
to the well-being of the trees, and also endangers
the chances of a crop the following season.
Where red spider has been rampant during the
past summer, the foliage should be well washed
as soon as the fruits are gathered, and this will
enable more drastic measures to be used in the
effort to subdue the pest. On the whole, I think
nothing equals cold water with a linle soft soap
and sulphur added, at this time of the year, and,
the fruit being gathered, there is nothing to be
feared in the way of ditfigurement from the use of
the sulphur. — A. W.

Apple Bismarck— "A. W." is fully justified
in his laudatory remarks (p. 2-2;?) concerning the
above Apple. Many of the fruits turn the scale
at 1 lb., and it is no uncommon sight to see
small bush trees on the Paradise stock carrying
20 lbs. weight and over cf handsome, well-coloured
fruit. Since the trees have been planted, three
years since, they have cropped well, and in spite

of the dry season

and their fruiifulness, are the

picture of health. The Apple is a great favourite
with buyers in this neighbourhood, the pleasing
colour and handsome shape at once attracting the
public, though I should not have said that the
fruit was particularlv solid or heavy for its size.
After reading "A. W.'s" note, I measured three
1-lb. Bismarcks, taking their circumferences both
horizontally and perpendicularly. The measure-
ments of the three were practically identical, and
the same as a Bramley's Seedling of 1 lb. 4 oz.
It may be that here the Bismarcks are lighter for
their size than with "A. W.' At any rate, heavy
for its size or no, this Apple is one that should
commend itself both to growers for market and for
home consumption.— S. W. F., South Devon.

I quite agree with the remarks of "A. W."

(page 223) as to the merits of this noble-look-
ing Apple. I have it in espalier form, and
quite young trees crop so freely that the fruit
has to" be thinned. Last November 1 saw a
magnificent dish of it exhibited at Lincoln
in size equal to the finest Peasgood's, and of fine
colour. The only fault I have to find with Peas-
good's in espalier form is that it is so long before
it bears freely even in spite of root- pruning and
complete lifting, but which, I think, is its fault
grown in any form. When it once commences to
bear, the fruits are of the largest size and extra
well coloured. — J. C.

Morello Cherries in autumn.— I am not
sure if the old-fashioned system of tacking in
every bit of lateral growth made on Morello
Cherries is the best under all circumstances, as
in poor soils the trees carry such a weight of fruit
that the fruit is small, and in a few years the
trees collapse. I am not going to advise growing
the trees on the spur system like the eating kinds,
though I am not quite sure but that in many
cases it would be safe advice. I have seen it
carried out successfully, but only in suitable soils
and in favoured localities. My note concerns
early autumn work as regards this fruit, and
the necessity for more liberal treatment. My
plea is for more extension and less cramming
of the wood. By removing small weak spray
there are finer fruits acd much less work, no
need to stand shivering two or three days at
one tree, and if the operator was a novice
having to go over the work again. By re-
moval of spray not required, training is much
easier and much pleasanter. I am aware I lay

164:

THE GARDEN.

[October ;3, li

mjself open to severe criticism, as some may in
form me the best fruits are produced on the small
spray. I think not, as by cutting it back close
there will be no lack of fruit and it will be much
finer. In many cases the cut back portion will
make a .*pur. "On these spurs I have got my best
fruit. Of course this thinning out should bo done
early, this allowing of this season's wood being
laid in. I do not advocate undue thinning of new
or good wood, but I do advise removal of weak
shoots, crowded shoots, also long naked wood, with
only a small bit of sprav at the point By doing
this work now there will be no pruning later and
the trees next season will be all the better. — (i.

W'\THES.

Apple Allington Pippin. — I recently saw
this new Apple in the Maidftone Xurseries, and
it will, I think, prove .1 valuable dessert variety.
The trees are tMiiting .piite close to the soil on
the Paradise .-lock, and it is so distinct in growth
that a (HKiricr of it is seen at a glance This
variety was tiist known as South Lincaln Beauty
but as this name was apt to cause confueion il
was re named. As the variety in question re
ceived a lirstclass certificate in November, 1S94,
I was pleased to see it such a good cropper in
what may be termed an unfavourable season. In
shape it somewhat resembles a Cox's Orange but
is a later fruit and of first-class quality. I
supposed to be a cross between Cox's and King
of the Pippins, and its season is Novembe:
January. At this season the flavour much
resembles that c.f a good Cox's and the flesh is very
tirm. With cool storage and the fruit gathered
as late as possible it should keep well into the
spring, a season at which we have none too many
good dessert Apples.— G. Wythes.

pasty. With trees, on the other hand, that have
shoots not above the normal size, the first thing
necessary is to regulate these so that sun and air
can reacii every part of the tree. The present is
a capital time to set about the necessary thinning,
t as the foliage is losing colour preparatory to
falling. Many of the oldest spurs will have to be
cut entirely out, using a thin strong saw, those
that are not quite so bad being cut back to where
a few healthy fruit spurs of young clean wood
can be loft. It is not wise to thin too severely the
first season, and in choosing the growths to leave,
give preference to those nearest the main branches,
so that in due time the young fruit spurs that
form where the old ones were cut entirely out will
be close-jointed and not drawn owing to the thick
foliage above them. Last year I thinned several
old Pear trees of such varieties as Jargonelle, Bon
Chretien and Louise Bonne in the manner de-
scribed, and so bare did they afterwards look that
I did not expect any fruit this season. The trees
have nevertheless given some very useful fruit,
those of the last-named being exceptionally well-
coloured. What 's of greater importance the
trees are studded with short stocky wood and have
many promising looking fruit spurs. Anyone
having such trees to deal with I can strongly re-
commend to set about them as early as possible.
The wounds made will then heal before very fevere
weather sets in, and the removal of so much .su-
perfluous wood thus early will have the effect of
assisting the finishing and perfect maturation of
that left. C. H. S.

NEGLECTED ESPALIERS.
It is not unusual to read a good deal respecting
neglected orchard trees, and, unfortunately, it is
impossible to go far in any direction without see-
ing that there is ample need for reform in this
phase of fruit growing. A point less often noted,
yet one that aflecta us as gardeners even more
closely, is the sad want of a little more care being
bestowed on espalier trees of Apples and Pears.
In two instances of my taking charge of a fresh
garden I have found the espalier trees in a most
neglected condition, and in visiting other gardens
where other branches are well done and bush
and other fruits well cultivated, the same neglect
in varying degree is apparent, and it is the ex-
ception rather than the rule to find really well-
cultivated espalier trees. Year after year the
fruit spurs are allowed to thicken and lengthen,
the young shoots getting further away from
the main branches, every bit of young wood
being cut closely in every season. The result is
seen in small, mis-shapen fruit, and the appear-
ance of the trees is like a thick and badly-trimmed
hedge. So bad, in fact, do they appear, that at
first sight it would seem impossible to do any-
thing to renovate them, and the idea at once
occurs to root them up and fill their places with
healthy young trees. This, however, is not
always advisable, especially in the case of Pears,
and at all events it is worth while trying what
can be done to improve them. Both roots and
branches will probably require attention, and
which shall be first depends upon the condition
of the trees. If the shoots are very strong and
vigorous, the roots must be attended to the first
season, careful and judicious root-pruning being
of the greatest advantage, and serving to check
the exuberant growth that is being made at
the expense of fruit. Many of the strongest
will most likely be found running downwards
almost vertically, and if there is jjlenty of
surface roots, these may be cut ctl' with-
out any fear. All small and healthy roots
muj-t be taken care of and relaid as near the
surface as possible, a liberal addition of burnt
garden refuse being made to the "oil as tending to
the production of small fibrous roots. This should
always be done when the soil is in a nice friable
ccn:iiticn, and never attempted while wet and

FRUIT FOR EXHIBITION.
C.iN you kindly tell me the names of the best
Red Currants, White Currants, Black Currants,
and Gooseberries for show purposes ? — Constant
Reader.

*»* There would appear to be a certain amount
of confusion in the nomenclature of Red Currants,
but if "Constant Reader" can procure the true
Cherry, synonymous, according tosome authorities,
with Scotch Red, while others give Cherry as a
synonym of Raby Castle, he will have a fine
variety for exhibition. It is of a compact habit of
growth and prolific, the bunches being somewhat
short, the berries extra largo, bright red in colour
and ripening moderately early. He will do well
to order Raby Castle to grow with Cherry, as,
according to my experience, the former is a much
taller grower and not very productive till the
bushes are six or seven years old, when the crops
are heavy. The bunches are long, the berries
large, bright red in colour and comparatively
late in ripening. This variety is most often seen
at the late August shows, and if the Ijushes are
grown against cool walls in the old-fashioned
style, good dishes could be had as late as
November.

One of our leading nurserymen groups Raby
Castle with Late Dutch, Houghton Castle, May's
Victoria, and Cherry, but it these are synonymous,
it is (]uite time other nurserymen also revised
their descriptions. I recently saw grand breadths
of bushes in Mr. Hammond's fruit orchards near
Pilgrim's Hatch, Essex, which were planted for
Raby Castle. It appears that other market
growers assert that it is not the true variety, but
Mr. Hammond is not greatly concerned about
this, but congratulates himself upon owning a re-
markably fine stock of the best Red Currant in
cultivation. If the R.H S. has not already
initiated a trial of Currants, they ought to take
the matter in hand soon.

"Constant Reader" will experience no diffi-
culty in procuring the true White Dutch Currant,
and will find this a compact grower, while the
bunches, freely produced, aro of medium length,
the berries large, transparent and of good
quality. Carter's Champion, a variety bearing a
strong resemblance to Black Naples, is a tine
Black Currant for exhibition, and also for general
cultivation. Lee's Prolific produces abundance of
long bunches with fine berries, which hang longer
than the Champion and woijld be the best for late
showe,

The majority of the largo-fruited Gooseberries
are of either a straggling or weeping habit of
growth, and some of the heaviest are inferior in
point of (juality. It should have been stated
whether or not the fruit is to be judged by fla^'our
or by mere size. Some few of the Lancashire
Gooseberries are of loth large size and good in
quality, and a few of these I will name. Bobby
is a fine red-fruited variety, particularly good in
quality, and Leader I consider an excellent yellow
companion for it. Antagonist, white, is also su-
perior, and the same may belaid of Green Overall,
green ; Thumper, late green ; Mount Pleasant,
late yellow, and Ploughboy, late red. In I ha
south of England well-grown Whitesmith fre-
quently takes prizes in July and first week in,
August, and very late in the season Red Warring-
ton cannot be equalled by any other variety
pitted against it. The fruit of this variety is of
medium size and the quality excellent even as
late as October.

A deep loamy, moderately rich, freely-worked
and well-drained soil is what suits bush fruits
generally, but none of them are fastidiouj.
What in very many instances they do require
after they have attained a serviceable size is more
manure. Private gardeners ought to take a leaf
out of the market grower's book in this connection,
as there are far too many bushes that are unpro-
fitable, producing fruit that would be laughed at
if taken to a cottager's show, owing to being
starved at the roots. Chemical manures are
suitable for the more retentive soils, but winter or
early spring mulchings of good strawy manure do
the most good where the ground is light and non-
retentive in character. Bushes of Red and White
Currants should have clear stems. Black Cur-
rants are best without them, those that are con-
stantly throwing up suckers being the longest
lived and the most profitable. When possible
Gooseberry bushes ought also to have clear stems.
The stems of bushes supplied by nurserymen are
seldom long enough to keep the branches of pen-
dulous varieties clear of the soil, but much msy
be done towards keeping the bushes high by cut-
ting away the lower under branches and pruning
the reserved growths to well-placed upper buds.
A " Constant Reader " may not object to taking
a little extra trouble in the direction of supporting
branches with stakes with a view to keeping the
fruit ot the prize varieties well clear of the
ground, and if he desires extra fine fruit of these
and bush fruits generally, he will early thin out
the fruit where at all crowded.— W. I.

Pear Catillac. — This, the best of all stewing
Pears, should be grown wherever fruits for this
purpose are appreciated, as it is not only a good
cropper, but the tree is very hardy and possesres
a fine constitution. Wlien grafted, as I have
it, on the Swan's Egg and grown as a standard,
it bears heavily nearly every year. This is, un-
doubtedly, the best method of growing it for
securing heavy crops, and the fruits in addition
become highly coloured through being exposed to
the full influence of sunshine. At one time I had
a diagonal-trained tree of this variety on an east
wall. This was satisfactory as far as crop and
size were concerned, but the fruits lacked the
flavour of those gathered from the standard when
stewed, and were not at all to be compared with
them for appearance. Stored in a cool place this
Pear will keep in sound condition until March.—
A. W.

Pear Nouvelle Fulvie as a cordon. — This
variety de-erves extended culture, and few Pears
in December and January (when it is in season)
can be compared to it. As most lovers of the
Pear know, our choice of really good Pears at the
season named is limited. I class Nouvelle Fulvie
as a first quality Pear at the season named.
It is ecjually good in bush or pyramid form;
indeed, on these the best fruits are produced. As
a cordon it never fails, and its handsome fruit,
as well as its usefulness, make it worth growing
in any garden. The fruits are large and melting,
and though not so handsome as those of some
earlier varieties, it is a Pear well deserving of a

October 3, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

265

wall in late districts or exposed po&uiona. Ic is
beet grown on the Quince and allowed to mature
before gathering, ae, like moat late fruits, it soon
spoils if gathered early. On a north wall it fruits
freely.— S. H.

Apple St. Edmund.— This Apple was shown
well laet season, the flavour being first-rate.
So far it appears to me to be a very fine va-
riety. I recently saw many trees of it, of course
in a small state, and was surprised to find how
free it is. Maiden trees had made a fine growth,
and promise well for next season. This variety,
if I remember aright, was the successful new
variety at the last Palace show for any other
variety not scheduled, and it was worthy of the
award, as its quality in addition to its good keep-
ing will make it an especial favourite. On the
paradise it fruits grandly. I have only seen it in
bush form, but this season I hope to plant cordon
trees. It cannot be termed a small Apple, indeed
its size recommends it. When better known it
will be a good companion to the useful Egremont
Russet.— G. W.

Peach Bellegarde. — This and Violette Hative
are fine September sorts in this locality. The
fruit of Bellegarde is fairly large, of a pretty
bright appearance and excellent flavour ; the tree
moreover, is of free and vigorous growth, and sets
fruit in great abundance, so that heavy thinning
is absolutely necessary. On old walls earwigs
have been a terrible pest this season, and from
several trees I have been obliged to pick the fruits
when not really fit, although trapping in Bean
stalks, cut Potatoes, and pots filled with Moss
was begun early, and has been continued right
through the season.— H. R., Bury St. Edmunds.

Cherry Downton. — This is a good midseason
variety that is superior to Governor Wood with
me as regards cropping qualities and flavour. The
flavour is very rich and the birds soon find this
out, for if the trees are not netted as soon as the
fruits commence to colour they soon devour them.
It is a capital free-growing kind, and makes an
abundance of healthy foliage, and the tree does
not gum like other varieties. As a wall tree it is
first-rate, and I should think it would also make
a good bush or standard. The fruits are as large
as those of Elton, yellow, striped with red, and
handsome when fully ripe. — A.

Apricot Hemekirk. — Where Apricots are a
success this variety should always be grown, as it
is a little earlier than Moor Park, and the fruits
are also larger, in fact they approach those of
Large Early in siz3. The fruits are richly
flavoured, and are greatly appreciated for dessert.
I would advise its being planted in two positions,
on a south aspect and on one facing due west.
The produce would then both precede and succeed
Moor Park. I grow it in this way and can there-
fore recommend it. Other features in connection
with this variety are its more hardy constitution,
and less liability to gumming and branch dying,
two characteristics that stamp it as a good kind
for amateurs and cottagers to plant. The foliage
and habit of growth are quite distinct, and the
spurs, if stopping and pruning are not strictly at-
tended to, have a habit of getting too far away
from the wall. The remedy for this, therefore,
rests with the grower.— W.

Raspberiy Belle de Fontenay.— I have be
fore written in praise of this first-rate autumn
fruiting Raspberry, and now wish to supplement
my former note by adding that I have never
known this kind so good and so prolific as it is
this season. The fruits are also very fine, almost
rivalling Superlative in this particular, and the
flavour is very good when the rainy weather is
taken into consideration. As a rule, October Ked
is much the better flavoured of the two, but this
season there is but slight, if any, diflerence. The
hot, dry weather caused the canes to grow much
dwarfer than usual, and instead of their rushing
away into growth with renewed activity when
the rains came, and as I quite expected they
would, the moisture enabled the canes to produce
a finer crop of fruit than usual with a corre-
sponding increase in the size of the berries. This

Raspberry should always fce grown where late
Red Currants are in demand, for obvious reasons,
and where not required for this purpose, a row or
two in a warm part of the garden would give a
long-continued supply of fruit that comes m use-
ful for supplementing the dessert after the bulk
of the outdoor fruit is over.— A.

SHORT NOTES.-FRUIT.

Plum Coe'8 Late Red is a .^mall, but valuable
late cooking Plum that will bang well into Novenjber
in some seasons on an east wall. Grown as a busb it
is not quite so late, although equally valuable lor
private use. It also succeeds as a cordon and is then
very fruitful. In eavour it cannot be pronounc. d tirst
la'e, but its late hanging property is its chief recora-
niendation. — A. W.

A variegated Vine.— A variegated rod of
exactly the same character as " W. I. describes
occurred about five and twenty years ago in the vinery
at Forde Abbey. I have forgotten now whether it
was a Muscat or Black Hamburgh. At my ureeut
persuasion the then gardener-who seemed to have
bad no taste for variegation-struck a number of eyes
from it. These came only partially true the trst year,
but ran out entirely the second. If it could have been
fixed it would indeed have been a glorious
plant.— J. M., Charmouth, Dorset.

-folii

ORCHIDS.

COOL ORCHIDS.
It is quite time the cool house was put in order
for the winter, and when all needful pots, com-
post, &c., are ready, no time should be lost in
makin" a commencement. Where the plants
are thinly disposed, they can usually all be
shifted to one end or the other while the glass,
staaes, and walls are being thoroughly cleaned.
For the roof, use hot, soapy water, and clean the
rafters as well as sponge the glass, this killing
the egfs of spiders and other insects and allow-
ing alfthe available light to reach the plants
afterwards. If necessary the walls should be
limewashed, but at all events they must be well
scrubbed with hot water. If lattice stages are
used, these must also come in for a thorough
cleaning, and where shingle, small coke, or any
similar material is used, it may be turned
and made to look neat. The use of such edg-
ing plants as Panicum and Tradescantia is not to
be advised, but if these are present they ought
either to be rooted out and replaced with fresh
young ones prepared for the purpose or cut well
back and allowed to break up afresh. All plants
that do not require potting or top-dressing may
then have their pots washed and be set back in
order while any that require this attention may
meanwhile be seen to. Many of the spring-
flowering Odontoglossums, as O. cnspum, O.
triumphans, O. luteo-purpureum, and others,
will by now be rapidly swelling up their bulbs,
and will soon be pushing young roots in abund-
ance. If the old compost then is at all sour or
decayed it should be renewed, as by the early
spring the plants will probably be in a much
worse state if left. None of these like much
material about their roots, so the pots need only
be large enough to take the plants easily,
up to within about an inch of the rim witl
crocks, and have ready mixed equal parts of the
fibrous portion of peat of good quality and
clean freshly-picked Shpagnum. A quantity ot
finely broken crocks must also be ready to hand,
but not mixed with the other material, as with
small plants especially it is much easier to mix
these in as potting proceeds. These plants, as
a rule, root rather lightly, so that they are
easily taken out of the pots if tliey are clean.
Disturb the roots as little as possible, but leave
nothing that will be likely to turn sour or any
dead roots. In dealing with the smaUer plants,

say those wiili six or eight pseuco-bulbs, after
clearing the roots wrap a little of the new
material round them just under the base of the
bulbs. This will raise them to the required
height, and then a handful of the small crocks
may be placed around it. Put on a little more of
the fibre and Moss and press it in firmly
ith the dibbn", afterwards clipping eft' all
the ragged portions and dibbling in a few
fresh points of Moss around the edge of
the pot. Larger plants that cannot be gripped
in the hand must be placed in position and
potted in the usual way. It is not worth while
to enumerate all the species that require this
treatment. The best index for inexperienced
cultivators is the size of the roots themselves.
Those with fine roots like the kinds already
named do with a firm root-run and fine particles
thinly placed, while larger-rooted kinds— for in-
stance, O. Edwardi — like rather more material,
used in a rough and very open condition. For
these it may be mixed beforehand, or the rough
nodules of charcoal and crocks may be kept
separate, but care is necessary that all the fine
parts are not placed in one pot and the rough
in another. If any suspicion of insects exists,
have each plant carefully sponged before re-
placing in the growing quarters, those especi-
ally liable to attacks, such as Masdevallias or
Odontoglossums of the Roezli or vexillaiium
types, being closely examined and carefully
cleaned. Many growers prefer to repot Mas-
devallias in spring, and there is much to he
said in favour of this, but where those of the
Harryana and similar types lose many of their
roots during winter, late summer or autumn
potting often checks, if it does not entirely
arrest this decay, owing to the material being
new and sweet. The point is to catch them
while root action is still brisk, so that they get
good hold before winter, and if setn to be
necessary in spring, a little new material may
again be added to the surface.

Among the Odontoglossums there may be
some plants that only require surfacing. Those,
for instance, repotted last season and known to
have the drainage in good order may have a little
of the top compost that sometimes looks stale
taken oflf and replaced with fresh. It is impor-
tant in this connection that a little charcoal or
crocks be added, or the addition of peat and
Moss to the surface may cause a too thick layer,
to the detriment of the roots. Other plants
likely to want this attention are Oncidiums of
the macranthum, undulatum, and serratum
types, but the large roots of these and similar
kinds are best suited with rougher material.
Small arowing plants in baskets or pans may
also be looked over, such Oncids as O. cucul-
latum, O. Phatenopsis, O. concolor, and many
others often requiring attention cow. Sophro-
nitis coming into flower must no!^, of courte, be
disturbed, and these will be better left until
spring. Although less water will, of course, be
needed after potting, it is a mistake to let these
cool Orchids become really dry. If caught at
the right time, most of them will commence to
root at once, and with such plants there is little
trouble. A nice moist atmosphere must be
kept up, and it the majority in the house have
been potted, a few degrees more heat than usual
will not be wasted. Heavy syringing overhead
is not advisable, but a slight dewing with the
syringe several times daily is helpful. K.

Cattleya granulosa.— When strongly grown
and well flowered this Cattleya is very attractive,
the distinct olive tint in the sepals and petals
with the crimson-dotted lip forming an agree-
able if not very showy, combination, and one
rarely found in Orchids. The habit is like that of
C. guttata, but it is not so strong-growing, nor,

266

THE GARDEK

[October 3, 1896.

in fact, i? it so easily grown, though if ordinary
care is taken it cannot be called ditiicult of cul-
tivation. The pot« must be considerably smaller
than for guttata, as the roots are not so freelv pro-
duced nor so vigorous as in the latter kind." For
the same reason only a thin layer of compost ie
necessary, this consisting of the usual mixture as
advised for Cattleyas generally. Keep the plants
if possible to their natural routine of growth and
rest. The young shoots start from the base of
the old bulbs in spring, and should be pushed on
until the flower-spikes appear. When these are
fully o^ien place the plants in a cooler and some-
what drier house, and there will not then, as a
rule, be any difficulty in keeping them dormant
through the winter. Insects must be kept in
check, especially the white woolly scale so com-
monly afl'ecting' Cattleyas, this getting down
about the young eyes if not seen to and checking
the plants considerably. The usual Cattleya
house temperature is warm enough for it summer
and winter. It is a native of Guatemala and was
introduced about 1S41.

Oncidium triquetium.— This pretty little
Jamaican species is seldom seen. It has triangu-
lar leaves each about '< inches high. The spikes
each carry about a dozen flowers, pale greenish
white, sometimes lightly suffused with rose colour
and spotted with purple. It does well and looks
very pretty grown on pieces of Tree Fern stems,
and may be suspended not far from the glass in the
warmest part of the Cattleya house. While grow-
ing freely it must be kept well supplied with
water at the roots, and having no pseudo-bulbs,
must not be overdried at any time. It is one of
the oldest species in existence, having been intro-
duced in 179.3.

Cirrhopetalnm Thouarsi.— The yellow and
orange-spotted flowers of this species, produced
in the umbels peculiar to the genus, are very
attractive and pretty, though perhaps not so
showy as those of some other kinds. It is rather
a widely-distributed plant from the neighbour-
hood of the Sunda Islands, and consequently re-
quires ample heat and moisture while growing.
The roots take well to Tree Fern stems, but if
these are not obtainable, allow them a thin sur-
facing of good compost in small pans, suspended
where they will have a good clear light without
being scorched. During the time growth is
active they can hardly be overwatered if potted
as described, but in winter careful treatment is
necessary, on the one band to prevent shrivelling,
on the other not to surfeit the roots.

Pescatorea cerina.— The pretty pale yellow
blossoms of this Orchid are at all times attractive,
their unusual appearance being always commented
upon by those seeing them for the first time.
Being of a fleshy substance they last remarkably
well if kept in a fairly cool and dry atmosphere.
P. cerina delights in a warm, shady, and moist
position, but not too far from the light. During
the time that the growth is most active the
roots are almost aquatic in their recjuirements,
and the absence of pseudo-bulbs or large leathery
foliage necessitates their being always kept moist
during winter. Care in watering arid a free open
root-run are in fact the mc^t essential points in its
culture. It is found in the neighbourhood of
Chiriqui at considerable elevation, and was intro
duced in 1S51.

Oncidium concolor.— It is not often thii,
charming little plant blooms in the autumn, but
I have a small piece in Hower, and the beautiful
httle clear yellow blossoms are very attractive.
The plant is a native of Brazil, but being found
at considerable e'evation on the Organ Mcuntains
thrives in quite a cool house. It should be grown
in small sustenied pans or baskets in a mixture
of peat and Mdss, and must have copious supplies
of moisture «hile growing and enough to keep
the bulbs from shrivelling while at rest. It
usually flowers during the spring and early
summer mrnths, and lasts a long time in crood
condition.— K.

Oncidium Harriaonianum.— This is a pretty
and very free-blooming little Oncid, often flower-

ing twice in the year. The pseudo-bulbs are
small, grey-green, and the flower-spikes, rising to
the height of about 1 foot, are terminated by a
corymb of little yellow blossoms spotted with
purple. Grown in small pots in a light position in
the Cattleya house it will usually be satisfactory,
but, like all small growing kinds, a little more
care is necessary in its culture than with the
larger growing members of the genus. It should
be pott«d in equal parts of peat and Moss over
good drainage and carefully watered during the
winter months. It is a native of Brazil, and first
flowered in the collection of Mrs. Harrison, of
Liverpool, in honour of whom it was named by
Lindley in 18.32, about two years after its intro-
duction.

OdontoglosBum grande superbum. — This
beautiful form of the species is now in bloom. The
lip is almost pure white, with purple-brown
markings, the sepals highly coloured and broad.
It makes a pretty show when well flowered, and
associated with some of the finer Ferns is really
charming. O. grande is one of the best species
for growing with Ferns, or in any moist inter-
mediate house not devoted entirely to Orchids.
With careful attention to watering and a rough
and open medium for the roots, no difficulty will be
found in its culture.

Eria obesa.— None of the Erias can be classed
as popular plants ; in fact, but few of them are
grown outside botanical collections. Perhaps this
IS as pretty a species as any, and it is certainly
the best to flower with which I am acc|uainted.
Many people erow the Erias too liberally, the
conseciuence being that they never bloom ; but
grow them fairly well until the bulbs are plumped
up, and afterwards keep them well on the dry
side for a month or two, and flowers will usually
appear. In the present species these are white,
tinged with rosy pink, and occur on twin-flowered
scapes. It is anative of the Malay peninsula, and
was sent home in 1863. — R.

VANDA KIMBALLIANA.
It is questionable whether there is a more popular
species in the whole of this genus than this lovel
little Orchid, and the reasons of its popularity ar
not far to seek. In the first place it is easily cu!
tivated, it has become very cheap and easy to
obtain, while its beauty cannot but be admitted
by all. In habit it somewhat resembles V.
Amesiana, but the leaves are thinner and not so
stitT looking, drooping, and each upwards of a
foot long. The flower-spikes are a little longer
than the leaves, bearing several blooms, the
sepals and petals of which are pure white, the lip
spreading, of a pretty amethyst-purple in front,
the sides lobes spotted yellow. Though a native
of Burmah, the Cattleya house is warm enough
for it, where it ought not to be closely shaded
or allowed to be scorched by bright sunshine.
At all times keep up a nice moist atmosphere,
this being much more easily managed in a
large spacious house than small and narrow
structures. The plants do best in small baskets
suspended at a little distance from the glass,
all that is required in the way of compost being
pure clean Sphagnum Moss and charcoal over
abundant drainage. If good imported pieces
can be obtained, they are easily and readily esta-
blished by hanging them up or laying them out on
the stage in a slightly warmer house, but the
plants frequently offered are so small, that even
with the most careful treatment some percentage
of losses is certain. The stems of such plants
ought never to be cut, as is sometimes done for
convenience in basketing. This cutting is all
very well with healthy plants, but it must not be
lost sight of that these newly-imported plants
are often in a state of almost total collapse, and
to again cut them is still further weakening. If
they are lanky in appearance, pot them up in
clean crocks and leave them for a season until
they commence to push aerial roots. Then at the
next potting time they can be cut below these
and no great check will be caused, because the

roots left carry the plant safely over the trouble.
When well established and furnished with plenty
of young healthy roots the Sphagnum Moss may
with advantage be allowed to grow rather freely
around the stem, this holding a good supply of
moisture and being distasteful to thrips and red
spider. The best time for rebasketing or potcirg
established plants is the early spring months, they
having then all the best of the growing season in
front of them. The roots are fairly persistent and
must on this account be disturbed as little as
possible. V. Kimballiana first flowered with
Messrs. Low of Clapton in 1889.

Masdevallia Roezli.— This is one of the best
of the Chim.rra section and a most remarkable
plant. The sepals are broad at the base, brownish
purple, elongated into tail-like processes of a deep
black-brown. The flowers appear singly on the
scapes, but if these are removed carefully without,
damaging the stem, others are necessarily pro-
duced, plants by this means keeping in liloom for
many months. The plants thrive well in shallow
baskets suspended from the roof, a few large pieces
of charcoal being laid on the rods at some distance
apart to allow the pendent scapes to descend
freelj'. The plants must be heavily shaded in
summer and freely watered while in growth.
M. Roezli is a native of Colombia and was intro-
duced in ISSI).

HouUetia Brocklehuretiana.— The prettily
spotted flowers of this Orchid are very attractive,
and probably it is the best in the genus. Strong
spikes bear upwards of a dozen flowers, brown in
the sepals, spotted with yellow and purple, the
colours varying considerably in the difi'erent forms.
The plants may be grown in pots or baskets in a
compost of equal parts of peat and Moss and good
drainage must be given. While growing freely
the plants require liberal suppliesi of^ moisture
both at the roots and in the atmosphere, but when
at rest a considerable reduction must be made. It
thrives at the cool end of the Cattleya house or
with the Mexican section of La'lia. It is a native
of Brazil and was introduced in 1841.

Cattleya Gaskelliana.— A few small plants
of this Cattleya are still in flower, and when pro-
duced thus late the blossoms are extremely useful.
Perhaps C. Gaskelliana comes nearer than any
other kind to the old labiata, but of course is quite
distinct in its single sheath and also to a certain
extent in habit. The form now flowering has
sepals and petals of a bright warm rose, the lip
similar in ground colour and having a purple-
crimson blotch in front of the golden yellow
throat. Ordinary Cattleya house treatment is
suitable for it, the flowers being produced at the
apex of the young growth and not after resting, as
in C Mossia-.

Cattleya maxima. — This pretty and useful
species is not so constant as some others in its
time of flow ering. The colour varies considerably,
the typical flower being very pale rose when first
open, this soon changing to a much deeper tint.
The lip is broad, lighter in colour than the sepals
and petals, prettily marked with crimson, purpleand
yellow. The pseudo-bulbs grow upwards of 1 foot
in height when the plants are strong, each
bearing a single leaf, from the base of which
proceed the bloom- spikes, each carrying four or
five flowers. It is one of the easiest of Cattleyas
to cultivate, and it is remarkable that it is not
more fre<iuently seen. It does well in fairly large
well-drained pots, the compost being used in a
rough open condition. Plenty of water is needed
while growing, and during the resting period it
must not be much dried. The darker forms of
this species, usually termed peruviana, are gene-
rally shorter in the pseudo-bulbs. There is also
a pretty variety called aphlebia, which has no
purple about the lip, and alba, which lacks the
rosy suffusion on the sepals and petals, but is
certainly not pure white, as the name would imply.
The specific name of this Cattleya is singularly in-
appropriate, for even in 1844, the date of its intro-
duction, there were larger ones in cultivation. It
is a native of Colombia and Guayaquil.

October 3, 1896. J

THE GARDEK

267

THE VILLA. BORSIG, BERLIN.
In Berlin, as in other large towns, space is valu-
able, and large private gardens in the town it-
self can only be afforded by the wealthy classes.
The villa garden of M. Boisig, though little
more than about ti English acres in extent, has
long been famous and is certainly one of the
best private gardens in Berlin. The owner pos-
sesses a large park of nearly 200 acres at his
country residence, some twenty miles away, but
as the family reside in town for a considerable
time, the grounds of this villa garden are made
as attractive as possible.

Entering the grounds at the lodge, which !
marks the main entrance from the broad street
known as Alt-Moabit, a broad carriage drive

cool-house flowers, and consisting of hundreds
of plants plunged in their pots or tubs and
arranged to form an effective display. Several
of these would stand an ordinary English winter,
but winter in Germany is quite another matter,
and Aucubas, Laurels, &c., must there be treated
as greenhouse plants. The banks contain, among
others, Dracicnas, Rhododendrons, Indian Aza-
leas, Aucubas, Myrtles, several New Holland
plants, and large 15ay Trees in tubs.

Adjoining the villa are large conservatories, a
walk through which leads to the great Palm
house, about 150 feet in length, and containing
magnificent specimens of Palms and other
exotics. The side walls are covered with
tufa, overgrown by Ficus repens, Trades-

the gardens of the Villa Borsirj, Berlin
Mr. F. W. Meyer, Exeter.

From a photograph

leads in a bold curve to the mansion. The
lawn traversed by this drive is exceedingly well
kept and of that luxuriant verdure which,
during a dry season like that of last summer,
betokens tender care. Scattered on the lawn
between the mansion and the main street are
enormous trees irregularly grouped, and in-
cluding very fine specimens of Plane, Ash,
Elm, Oak, <tc., with delightfully cool and
shady walks beneath their boughs. Here and
there is an undergrowth of Philadelphus,
Spirsea, Yew, Deutzia, Ribes, ttc. Tasteful
flower beds adorn the front of the villa, and
the broad stone steps leading to the main en-
trance are literally aglow with a profusion of
flowers, principally Geraniums, in large pots.
On each side are large banks formed by

cantia. Ferns, &c. A staircase, entwined with
creepers, leads to an upper gallery, from which
an excellent view of the whole interior may be
obtained. On quitting the Palm house the
other side of the mansion is reached, and in
front of this the largest and prettiest part of
the pleasure grounds is seen. The flower gar-
den— of which an admirable view is obtained
from a spacious loggia with fresco- covered
walls — contains a fountain and tastefully ar-
ranged beds bright with flowers. The re-
mainder of the pleasure ground is laid out in
the irregular style, and contains many charming
features. There are huge Lime trees, fine old
Oaks, and good specimens of Taxodium dia-
tichum. A handsome tree of Magnolia macro-
carpa is quite 60 feet in height, and a gigantic

Plane tree has a branch-spread of over 00 feet.
Close by are groups of conifers artistically
arranged, and showing no stiff line of demarca-
tion. In a shady part of the grounds are groups
of Palms and other sub-tropical plants. Very
efiective, too, is a group of Tree Ferns, consist-
ing mostly of good specimens of Dicksonia
antarctica. A pergola in the Italian style
covered by Ivy and Virginian Creeper stretches
around that portion of the grounds which abuts
on the river Spree.

One of the most picturesque features of the
grounds is an irregular pond about 150 yards
in length. The irregular recesses or projections
of the shore line are partly covered by Funkias,
Hemerocallis, Iris, Podophyllum, Rodgersia,
ikc. , but the most interesting plants are
those growing in the pond itself. These
include Marliac's Water Lilies, also the
deep blue Nymphaja zinzibarensis, and
last, but not least,

Nelumbium speciosum,
blowing in the open air. This hand-
■-■mie Water Lily — which is also known
as the Pythagorean Bean — is one of the
many plants that lay the somewhat
doubtful claim to the honour of being
the sacred Lotus of the ancients, of
which Homer and other poets have sung
the praises. But, doubtful as this claim
may be, no doubt can exist about the
beauty of this stately aquatic. I have
seen handsome specimens in the Vic-
toria Regia house in the Botanic Gar-
dens of Regent's Park and also at Kew ;
but great was my surprise when visiting
Berlin last July to find Nelumbium
speciosum flourishing luxuriantly out
of doors in this vUla garden. I am
iudebted to M. Weidlich, head gardener
at the Villa Borsig, for the handsome
ihotograph from which the accompany-
iii; illustration was prepared. The
piiud is fed by a streamlet which has
previously passed through M. Borsig's
great manufactory of locomotive and
other engines. The continual discharge
of steam into this streamlet raises the
temperature of the water to such a
degree, that it very seldom freezes, not
even when the thermometer is below
zero, and this accounts for the luxu-
riance of the Nelumbium, which dies
down in winter and reappears every
spring without having any protection.
As already mentioned, the same pond
is failed with a large number of the
deep blue Nymphfea zanzibarensis, a
well-known stove plant. This also
flourishes remarkably well, but as the
plants do not die down, they are re-
moved to warmer quarters during the
winter months. Nelumbium speciosum
has its native home among the slow streams and
pools of Southern Asia. The orbicular peltate
leaves are each often from 18 inches to 2 feet in
diameter. If the upper surface of the leaf is
sprinkled with water it will run off like globules
of quicksilver. The margins of the leaf are
slightly undulated and the petioles rise from 2
feet to 3 feet out of the water. The flowers,
which rise well above the leaves, emit a delight-
ful fragrance, and are each 10 inches or even 12
inches in diameter. The colour is a delicate
rosy pink, and the petals as well as the
numerous stamens spring from the base of a
comparatively very large inverted cone-shaped
receptacle reminding one of a Pi>ppy head.
Probably this handsome species of Water Lily
has a great future before it as a decorative plant

268

THE GARDEN.

[October 3, 1896.

for tlie ponds of English gardens, especially in
the southern and western districts. As it dies
down in winter it would probably be hardy in
Cornwall and other places where Arum Lilies
can successfully be grown out of doors. It cer-
tainly would be a bold and conspicuous object
to introduce say among Marliac's Ivymphi^as
or other aquatics, and after being once esta-
blished would probably take care of itself. It
would be interesting to note whether other
readers of The Gakpkx have tried to acclima-
tise this noble exotic, and with what results.

!Not far from the pond mentioned is a hand-
some bed tilled entirely with Hiniantophyllums,
which were looking remarkably well, and close
by, a shady path leads to anotlier part of the
grounds which contains a number of glasshouses
tilled with Orchids and choice stove plants.
M. Weidlich, the head gardener, has been very
successful in hybridising. He has raised a
large number of very distinct Bertolonias, also
some fourteen or fifteen distinct varieties of
Scnerila. These novelties are mostly named
after members of the Borsig family. The stove
houses also contain some forty or fifty Brome-
liads of many diflerent types and magnificent
specimens of Nepenthes Mastersiana superba
and other Pitcher plants. Of Orchids I noted
several Amectochilus, Phajus Humboldti,
Cypripedium Roezli, C. Chamberlainianum, C.
wnanthum superbum, and a whole host of other
good things too numerous to mention.

Elmside, £.n<tr. F. W. Meyer.

Flower Garden.

MICHAELMAS DAISIES.
A liARPENER in his own garden lately told me
that he thought nothing of Michaelmas Daisies.
Two years ago he had bought the " Conference
Set," certified true to name, and they had quite
disappointed him ; they were nearly all alike, and
so, in fact, they were under the circumstances.
They had all been planted, fifty or more, in rich
loam about 2 feet apart in a row. They had
been left to straggle with distorted stalks down
on the ground till nearly the beginning of Sep-
tember, when they showed signs of flowering ;
then a stake was put to each and the prostrate
stems were collected and tied tightly to it, the
budded shoots, which had been uppermost as
they lay, being now mostly smothered inside
the sheaf, and the whole exhibition— all nearly
alike, as the exhibitor said — was a caution to
anyone not to grow Michaelmas Daisies. But
there are other ways of growing them by which
they may be made more attractive.

The best way to deal with those of moderate
height and good habit is not to tie them at all,
and the best place for growing them is the
margin of a sheltered shrubbery where they can
have plenty of room. They should be nearly
twice thtir own height from one another, so
that the outer stalks can droop nearly to the
ground without crossing the branches of their
neighbour, and they then not only flower out-
side and inside each branch, but show their
flowers to the best advantage. This is, in
theory, the best way to grow these perennial
Asters, but in practice there are many difficulties.
Comparatively few gardens have the suitable
sheltered range. Some Asters are so tall and top-
heavy, that the weight of the flowers after a
shower will break them off at the base, and
some with pliable stems bend over in such a
way a.s to hide their heads on the soil. Where
it i."! necessary to tie up Asters— and in my
garden, for one, it is necessary— it must be done
with judgment — loosely and not formally, so as to

allow all sides of the branches to develop their
flowers. If several iron pins, which need not
be long or conspicuous, are used for each large
plant, a few plants may be made to cover a large
area and to give so much gaiety of colour to a
mixed border, that one wonders where there
was room for the other flowers before these
came out.

The best display of Michaelmas Daisies I
have, and I may say without boasting have ever
seen, is upon a boundary row of hurdles, i feet
high and 50 or more yards long : the Asters
grow through these, and the branches can be
spread and tied to the bars as occasion requires.
It must be remembered in suggesting a boun-
dary fence for this purpose that cattle show a
remarkable fondness for Aster flowers, and
that it is surpiising what a long stretch horses
can make to get at them. But there are many
positions in which a wooden espalier to serve
the same purpose as hurdles may easily be run
up. The Asters should be about the same
height, say 5 feet, so as to show a good row of
flowers over the top.

As for the kinds of Asters to be recom-
mended, I am not going to commit myself by
giving a list of names, half or more of which
when obtained from a nursery would not be of
the variety intended, for in spite of the labori-
ous work of the conference there is still a
lamentable want of uniformity and constancy
about nurserymen's names. In the first place,
those who wish to get a collection of Michael-
mas Daisies should visit nurseries where a
good collection is grown and make their choice
whilst the plants are in flower. They may
then disregard names. Height, colour, and time
of flowering, which may be learnt in this way,
are of more consequence to the amateur than
names. I have several times expressed an
opinion in these pages that Michaelmas Daisies
ought to be what that name denotes, and be in
their prime about Michaelmas. Many included
under the name are too early or too late, how-
ever good they may be in themselves. It is
also desirable that when intended to make a
good display side by side they should be of
similar habit of growth. For instance, the
choicest of Asters, A. Amellus, should not be
mixed up with varieties of Novaj-Angliie and
Novi-Belgii, excellent as it is for masses in the
mixed border. Dwarf kinds of less than 2 feet
high get smothered or obscured if grown
amongst plants with an average of 5 feet. All
these plants should be grown where they can
be seen down to the ground or nearly so.
Drooping side shoots filled with flowers are a
great addition to ornamental qualities, and of
some, like J. W. Grant, it is the chief merit
that they bear horizontal branches down to the
soil.

The ordinary Michaelmas Daisy looks far
better when grown in less fertile soil than when
in highly manured loam, which gives thick
stems and distorted growth and too much leaf
for the flowers. It must be found by experience
what kinds like .shade, of which the cordifolius
section is an example, and what (as Amellus)
delight in full sun. The Amellus varieties, too,
dislike frequent division, and do well for ten
years or more in one spot with an occasional
top-dressing, whilst othf-r kinds, of the hevis
class, seem as if they could not be divided too
frequently for their welfare. Of course, in this
case several shoots may be planted in a clump
at reasonable intervals. As for arrangements
according to colour, I never give advice about
this ; besides, I do not believe in it. An artist
lately in my garden was complimenting me on
the successful arrangement of the colours in my
mixed borders, which was, as I told him, the

result of mere accident ; whilst I have known
the most studied disposals of colours result in
utter failure. But, as I have said before,
height and time of flowering must not be
neglected in planting. There are more too tall
Michaelmas Daisies than too dwarf, and dwarf
kinds may be used with excellent effect near the
front of mixed borders, where tall kinds would
be untidy. In whites we have every height
from 7 feet to 7 inches, and the flowering ex-
tends over a long period. The dwarfest of all
— excellent as it is for edging, called at the
conference versicolor nanus — is too late in most -
seasons, and does not complete its flowering be-
fore hard frosts spoil it. Go"d blues are still a de-
sideratum. A. spectabilis and Archer-Hind, two
of the nearest approaches to blue, are respectively
too early and too late. By raising Amellus from
seed, some individuals are far nearer true blue
than others, but it is slow work getting up a
stock from a seedling of Amellus. I may re-
mark in passing that different lights make a
wonderful difference in the shades of blue in
Asters. An hour or two after sunrise or before
sunset shows them to the best advantage.
Sometimes in passing a bed of seedlings I make
a set at one which looks sky-blue and mark it,
and wonder how I could have overlooked it
before, but the next day the same flower in full
sun shows that objectionable and variable red-
purple tint commonly described as mauve. All
who observe Asters must have noticed these
variations.

The seeding of Asters in the autumn of
180.5 was so profuse, that the seedlings have
caused extra weeding to be required. I had
so many seedlings from previous sowings,
that I have allowed none of last year's seed to
grow, but no doubt the season will result in the
raising of some good novelties. Whil.'.t on the
subject of seedlings, it should be observed that
seedlings should be carefully cleared every
summer from the crowns of established clumps
of Asters, otherwise they grow up and become
hopelessly mixed at the roots, and in two or
three years a worthless seedling supersedes a
choice variety. C. W. Don.

Edge Ilall, ilalpas.

The Anagallis as a dry weather annual.

— There are eeveral varieties of what is known as
the larger-flowered Anagallis grand iflora, and all
of them are charming hardy annual-^, standing the
dry weather admirably. Mr. J. Hudstn has in
the gardens of Gunnersbury House lines of the
blue form, the blossoms of a lovely tint cf rich
blue, and the plants, blooming freely at pU times,
go on flowering until destroyed by frost. Other
varieties are carnea, flesh-coloured ; coccinea or
Breweri, scarlet ; Eugenie, light blue and white ;
and Napoleon III , crimson, very fine. Time was
when the Anagallis was to be found in most gar-
dens, but of late years it has been thruft out in
the severe competition with newer introductions.
But the blue and the crimson are so fine and so
useful, especially so in dry weather, that they will
alwayabaveaholdupon theaffectionsof some. Prac-
tically they are half-hardy perennials, but should
be treated as half-haidy annuals, and they will
be found to well repay any trouble taken with
them.— R. D.

Carnation Raby Castle. — It seems strange
that such a free and perpetual summer-flowering
kind should havu .icted in the minner complained
of by " R. r. S " (page 236). As a rule it is one
of the most profuse bloomers of the border section.
I have never known the variety to behave in tho
way " K. P. S.'s " plants have, although I have
now grown it for several years. There are two
Carnations almost identical both in point of
colour and habit of growth ; the only difference I
can see in them is that one bursts its caljx, the
other does not, and the pod-burtter has the

October 3, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

269

larger flowers. The name of the second variety
is, I believe, Mr. W. P. Milner. A few years
since a batch of seedlings was raised by Mr. Chal-
mers, gardener at the time at Orchardleigh, near
Frome, and among them was a plant of that now
well-known Raby Castle. The stock was kept by
Mr. Chalmers for some time, so highly was it
valued. The late Mr. Pratt was favoured with
some cuttings from which he soon worked up a
large batch at Longleat, and it became known in
those gardens and in the neighbourhood as Long-
leat Favourite. Its reputation became such, that
few gardeners in the neighbourhood were satis-
fied until they had at least a few plants, and
visitors were equally struck with its several good
qualities and secured cuttings. There was no
other Carnation grown in such numbers within a
large radius, and certainly none on which so high
a value was bestowed. It invariably gives a suc-
cession of blooms until stopped by frost in the
autumn. Those who require a quantity of flowers
of one colour ought to grow this Carnation. It
has an excellent habit and constitution, and can
be raised freely from cuttings. — W. S., Wilii.

WILD GARDEN PLAXTING.
I H.WE a cottage garden here with a few acres of
ground where I spend my time when I can get
away from London. I am anxious at present to
plant a large number of Narcissi, Snowdrops, &c. ,
in a small meadow. Can it be done with a dibble,
or should the turf be taken off, and if so, should
the soil beneath be moved, or is it enough to lay
the bulbs on the top and replace the turf ? The
question sounds perhaps elementary, but I have
found before now that bulbs inserted in grass do
not always grow. Similarly with climbers to run
up trees, I find that they not unfrequently (even
when stroni;- growing Roses like Dundee Rambler)
pine away and fail to start, possibly from being
too much in shade. On the other hand, it is not
convenient to plant them beyond the spread of
the branches. May I ask what is your own prac-
tice in the matter ? — E. X.

*♦* We usually plant Narcissi in grass by turn-
ing back the sod, making two cuts at right angles,
and then prefsing up and back the sod, laying it
back on a hinge, as it were. We put in a few
bulbs mostly round the sides of the hole and
simply turn the sod back and tread firmly upon
it. The question is largely one of convenience
and the ground one has to plant. If one could
carefully improve the bottom it would be better
for some soil.^, no doubt, but if the work is
done in a bold way and there is much other
planting going on, it is not easy to get time to
plant things in the grass with care. Sometimes
in breaking ground or carrying out changes one
gets a chance of throwing in some bulbs before
the surface is levelled up. Once in planting (Jrape
Hyacinths in an uneven grassy slope we placed
them on the tuif in the hollows and then levelled
up with earth, and both grass and bulbs soon came
through. Once some bullocks passed an evening
where they "didn't ought to" in a grassy en-
closure near the house, and as their impressions
were too many in one spot, they suggested a
group of the Apennine Windflower. A few of its
roots were put in and the holes tilled up. A
Wiiy man will see odd ways now and then and
charge a little the-nords about style of a great
French writer: "All ways are good except the
stupid one. " When men are building sod banks
for the only true field fence — a live one — is a
very good time to put in a Sweet Brier, white
Clematis, or anything we have to spare in the
bank. In certain soils seeds may be sown be-
times—seeds of Foxglove, Evening Primrose, and
stout biennials. Fragile bulbs will want more
care and less depth than the bolder Narcissi.
Man's ways are good, though far more important
than any way of planting is thought as to the
wants of the thing we plant, not only as to soil,
but association with the things that will grow
about it in grass, in hedgerows and rough places,
for plants are not all garotters like the great

Japanese Knotworts and the big Moon
and little ducks must not be set among barn rats.
In putting climbers round trees it is better to
plant towards the outside of the tree. Some
people fail with the white Clematis, but we have
not had any trouble, planting against outer
branches of Yews or other trees, and protecting
the stem by just putting a tall stake to support
it against the tree for a few years. — Ed.

GALEGA OFFICINALIS.
This handsome perennial and its still more
striking white variety have this year been
very tine. Associated with red and cerise
Phloxes ( r with the vivid vermilion of the
tall Lychnis chalcedonica, the white Galega
affords an admirable contrast in form as
well as colour. Here in deep, rich soil, in
close proximity to water, the plants attain a
height of almost C feet, but during the present
summer I have seen many specimens that the
drought has dwarfed to less than 2 feet. The
severe and long-continued frost of last year had

NOTES FROM TERLING PLACE, ESSEX.

[ A iKTRRiKD look round the charming old gardens
at Torling Place, Lord Rayleigh's seat in Essex,
revealed many things of great interest to the lover
of hardy plants, which were here planted in broad
masses, the only true way in which the value of

1 such things can be seen. Time would not allow
of extensive note-taking, or indeed of taking more
than a cursory glance at many things which would

i have repaid closer examination. In the swannery
and bog garden were fine groups of various
Spiraas, including S. palmata and S. Aruncus,
Osmunda regalis and many other Ferns. The va-
riegated form of Cornus mas was very striking, it
being one of the few variegated plants which are
of real value in the landscape, and above all some
glorious masses of the Swamp Rose (Rosa Caro-
lina), full of flower and buds, showed the plant in
its true character, such as is never shown by-
single plants dotted about here and there. The
Swamp Lily and many other good things were
enjoying their proximity to the water. This
water garden would be an ideal place in which to
grow the newer and brilliant coloured Water
Lilies, which would give a perfect finish to a
charming spot.

Large groups of the broad-leaved Saxifrages
(Megaseas) adorned the shrubberies, which also
contained fine specimens of Spiraja aria-folia and
prunifolia fl.-pl.. Golden Yews, Prunus Pissardi,
Biota orientalis aurea. Thuja occidentalis Ver-
\ aeneaua, and the best coloured young specimen
of Cedrus atlantica glauca I have yet seen.
Lilie«, too, were in great plenty and variety, and
mis f3 of Funkia ovata were common and well
flowered. On an elevated border by the mansion
were big bushes of Clerodendron trichotomum,
which had to my surprise escaped the severe
winter of 1894-95, and on the slope of a steep and
high grassy bank, where the grass was perfectly
bronn owing to the recent drought, plants of the
I lag Iris were flowering freely. A fine high ter-
race faces the mansion about 100 yards away, and
as a background to this, some excellent tree
planting had been done many years ago. These
rree=i, which contain among others some good
( edars, are very effective when seen from a dis-
tance, the outline of the terracing being hidden
by some judicious planting in the foreground, thus
^uing to the trees an effective semblance of great
height. The soil in this neighbourhood must be
excellent, as instanced by the tree growth all
1 und. and at the time of my visit the leafage on
Oak, Elm, Ash, Hazel and other native trees was
many shades darker and of better texture than
any I had seen elsewhere during the summer.

J. C. T.\LLACK.

Galega o_gicinali.< alba.

a weakening effect on the Galegas, and, in con-
sequence, their display during the summer of
1805 was a very meagre one ; this year, how-
ever, they are as vigorous and free flowering as
ever, and are as eft'ective among the strong-
growing occupants of the wild garden as in the
border. For indoor decoration the white Ga-
lega is in great reciuest, and arranged with the
dainty flower-lace of Gypsophila paniculata is
exceedingly ornamental. The culture of the
common Goat's Rue, the English name for the
Galega, is of the simplest, it being very ac-
commodating in the matter of soil, provided
this be of sufficient depth to retain a certain
amount of moisture during prolonged drought.
It is advisable to cover the roots with a mulch
of leaf-mould or ashes as a protection against
severe frosts. Staking should he commenced
early, when the growths arrange themselves
naturally around their supports ; whereas if
this necessary operation be delayed too long,
the plant assumes a bunched-up appearance that
entirely destroys its naturally graceful aspect.
Tor.inay. S. W. F.

Seedlirg Pentstemons.— Now that such
charming varieties and handsome flower-spikes
can be obtained by growing these plants as
annuals, it hardly seems necessary to go to the
trouble of keeping a collection of named varieties.
Early in March this year I sowed a packet of seed
in gentle heat in sandy soil. The seed quickly
germinated and the plants grew fast under cool
treatment. Planted in a bed early, they grew
vigorously with but little attention, and have
given a full crop of bloom, some of the spikes
2 feet long and embracing a great variety of
colour. Individually the bells on each plant are
of good form, while the tint and variety in colours
ing are most pleasing. The prospect of flower-
being produced right into the autumn is most
encouraging. I shall not go to the trouble of
retaining a stock of named varieties when such an
extensive selection of colours and forms can be
had from seedling plants. — E. M.

■Violets.— I quite agree with Mr. Burrell (p.
238) that these have given more than ordinary
trouble this season, and the double sorts are not
nearly so good as usual owing to the hot and dry
summer. Mr. Burrell advises fresh horse manure
as a mulching, and finds it stimulates growth
after a thorough soaking of water. The latter, I
think, is very important advice. Manure fresh
from the stables is in bright weather sometimes

270

THE GARDEN.

[October 3, li

very treacherous amor;j; tender foliaged plants,
and requires to be watered as soon as it is spread
around the plants. My Violets were mulched
with short grass from the lawn mower as often as
it was retiuired to keep up a fairly good thickness,
and with an occasional watering they made a
steady growth free from the dreaded spider,
which commits such havoc once it gets a footing.
It has been a favourable time for getting the
plants into their winter quarters, showers being
so frequent that they scarcely felt the removal
from the open ground to the frames and pits, and
a renewed growth was quickly set up. The
roots when taken up w ere found to be in a parti-
cularly active state, as, indeed, is everything
since the change of the weather. There is a
wonderful change in the growth of single Violets
in the open since the rain ; plants have apparently
almost doubled their size, and now the flowers are
coming freely, large and of LTOod colour. Large
quantities of the earlier blooms were small, badl)'
coloured, and of no value when gathered. — W. S.,
Wills.

Heliotropes. — I grow Swanky Giant exten-
sively and consider it the best variety for outdoor
culture, trusses of bloom !."> inches in diameter
being not unusual. I plant a thick carpet of
Harrison's Musk and dot the Heliotropes all over
the surface about IS inches apart. Amongst
these I plant here and there a plant of Ricinus
cambodgensis, Abutilon Thompeoni, a few corms
of Gladiolus brenchleyensis and a few bulbs of
Hyacinthus candicans. The combined variety
produces a pleasing effect in a large bed. The
fragrance from the Heliotrope and Musk never
fails to please, especially in the morning and
evening.— E. M.

FLOWER GARDEN NOTES.
Septemuer and the early part of October witness
many of the taller herbaceous plants at their best,
and a rather close inspection should be made at
the present time with the view to make any
alteration later in the season that may be deemed
advisable and to strengthen any specially good
things. In the latter direction it is gratifying to
know that the block system of planting, i.e., each
variety in sufficient quantity to show it o6f to ad-
vantage, is rapidly gaining ground. With the
best intentions and adopting the best style of
planting, however, very few are able to fill a her-
baceous border altogether to their liking at the
first attempt, a border that is of large size in
which there is great variety. Plants require to
be seen together to form a correct idea of the
most ettective contrasts alike in colour and size,
and a little alteration is therefore often necessary.
When beds of average size can be spared for parti-
cular families, alterations are not often necessary.
The first planting may be regarded as a permanent
affair until it is found advisable to thoroughly re-
model the bed. As yellow is the predominating
shade at this season among the taller plants,
Starworts and Chrysanthemum maximum, leucan-
tbemum with their varieties, also uliginosum, may
be introduced in sufficient quantity to give the
necessary variety in colour, whilst among mid-
border plants of the present season are Statice,
Senecio pulcher, early flowering Chrysanthemums,
Starworts of medium height and the Japanese
Anemones. Of the last there are three distinct
shades in japonica and vars. alba and elegans.
The type varies in shade in different seasons and
on different soils ; this year it is very vigorous
and deeply coloured. It must be remembered
that nearly the whole family of Sunflowers is
more or less yellow, varying, that is between
primrose and a deep orange, with the exception of
Echinacea purpurea and Helenium striatum. Be-
fore quitting the subject of the mixed border I
shoDld like to point out that one of the most im-
portant points to be considered either in the first
planting or in after reconstruction is to group the
plants of different seasons well together, so that
there is no long stretch of the border absolutely
without flower at any one time right away from
spring to the middle of autumn. As pointed out

above, most of the taller or back border plants are
late flowering, and the introduction of some of the
taller Phloxes and Delphiniums will therefore be
found advisable.

C.VKNATioNs. — Ever since the break up of the
hot weather, about the middle of August, we have
had a showery time, and it has brought the Car-
nations on apace, so that at the time of writing
(Sept. 14) the layers are well rooted and ready for
planting — a very acceptable state of things, as the
plants will get well established before winter. Even
sorts with tough wiry grass that usually want a
longer season before the severance from the parent
plant are quite ready. The demand for cut bloom
of these favourite flowers is so steadily on the in-
crease, that I am devoting a south-west border
some !SU yards by 2 yards to their special benefit,
and hope to fill it by the end of the week. In
whites I have found nothing better than a good
form of white Clove that is perfectly hardy, a
thoroughly good flower, powerfully scented, and al-
ways free from the objectionable spot. In tinted
flowers, in addition to Countess of Paris a few-
Lady Nina Balfour are on trial ; in pinks and
those of a somewhat similar shade, Crombie's Pink
and Sadek, in addition to Ketton Rose ; in scar-
lets, Hayes' Scarlet and King Arthur, besides
Murillo. This last is rather dull, but wonderfully
free, ijuite hardy, and a very fair flower, so I have
hesitated about discarding it until experience de-
cides whether the other two named possess all the
qualifications essential in a good border variety.
In the yellows I grow Carolus Duran and The
Pasha, with a few Mrs. R. Hole, also Sir Beau-
champ Seymour, Goldfinder, and Mrs. A. Camp-
bell. For a dark variety I shall rely on Uriah
Pike. The various forms of Crimson Clove are so
susceptible to disease, that no dependence can be
placed on them, and Mephisto, unfortunately, has
only a very faint scent. This is to be regretted,
as the flower is good a^.d the plant both hardy
and free. A good batch of Raby Castle will be
added ; the variety is valuable for its lateness.
When lifting is in progress I shall set aside a few
of the strongest layers of those sorts that are
most acceptable for cutting and put them into
5-inch or 6-inch pots as the nature of the roots may
demand, using a compost of three parts turfy loam
and one of dry horse droppings, the latter well
rubbed to pieces and thoroughly incorporated
with the soil.

Late summer flowers.— Bright and effective
beds are obtainable at this season with the aid of
a combination of hardy and half-hardy flowers,
when the beauty of other things is decidedly on
the wane. One such bed looking well is the re-
sult of a carpet of Mrs. Bellamy Pansy round big
clumps of Sedum spectabile. The succulent is in
itself a little stiff and formal, but looks very well
standing out from the carpet, and Mrs. Bellamy
is still flowering well ; it has lasted, I suppose,
quite five months. It is an apt illustration of
what may be done with the best of these Tufted
Pansies even in a dry time, given a well- prepared
bed, a good surface mulching and the prompt re-
moval of dead flowers. Referring to the rather
stiff habit of the Sedum reminds me of the formal
combination of Aster Amellus and Chrysanthemum
Desgrange. Let me recommend, in lieu of the
latter. Anemone japonica or A. j. elegans. The
graceful habit of the Japanese Windflower is just
what is required to relieve the formality of the
Starwort. A combination, that for the greater
part of the summer has been altogether foliage, is
now brightened by spikes of scarlet flowers. I
refer to the association of Lobelia fulgens with
the silvery Centaurea. The latter is very nearly
hardy, and would pull through a winter like that
of 1895-96 outside in a fairly sheltered spot. One
of the most enduring plants of the present season
has been Achillea ptarmica The Pearl. Like all
members of the f.amily, it stands the dry weather
well and flowers until the advent of frost. I planted
it between some large clumps of Fuchsia gracilis,
pegged it a bit to keep it a little within bounds,
and it forms a very pleasing contrast to the old-
fashioned Fuchsia. A grand plant for large bor-
ders is the latter, graceful in habit and covered

with long, slender blooms. Begonias are at the
present lime better than I have had them all
through the season ; the rain has helped them
wonderfully. What to associate with the large-
flowered varieties is always a subject for con-
sideration. I think there can ba nothing better
than Pentstemons. Coming rather late into
flower and lasting out well, their spikes stand
above the Begonias and relieve the somewhat heavy
appearance of the latter. Like the Begonias,
Dahlias have grown away wonderfully since the
first heavy rain, and are likely to last out well if
frost does not come. In the case of large beds
it may be well to consider the advisability of

ing provision for a little protection if

mak

sary, especially in the case of the Cactus and de-
corative types. They furnish a very welcome
supply of late flowers. E. Burrell.

Oiai-e/nont.

Geranium Endresi. — Among the hardy
Geraniums this is always neat and attractive.
Though flowering quite freely throughout the
summer the plant has made a fresh start since
the rain came, and has now many of its pretty
blossoms on plants a little more than 15 inches
high.

TropsBolum tuberosum.— Recently I saw
this thriving beautifully in a not too favourable
situation at Bovey House, near Axminster. It
was growing along with perennial Asters and
other tall-growing plants, and had taken advan-
tage of these by climbing up some of the stems
as well as a few spray stakes placed for it to climb
over against a wall. — Dorset.

Doronicums dying. — For some years I have
grown Doronicum HarpurCrewe with great suc-
cess, the plants increasing in size from year to
year. Two years ago I planted in the same soil
and side by side with it the variety called aus-
triacum. It equalled the former variety in vigour
of growth and freedom of flowering for the first
season, but has since then gradually dwindled
away a plant at a time, until now I have not a
single one left. Will some reader of The Garden
kindly inform me if this is a common occurrence
with D. austriacum ? I should not have been so
surprised at its sudden failure had the soil and
situation been different. — T. Crawford.

Michaelmas Daisies as pot plants. — By
striking cuttings of some of the most suitable va-
rieties in spring, capital small, dwarf and free-
flowering plants can be had in September. Mr.
Hudson adopted this plan at Gunnersbury House
Gardens this season, rooting the cuttings in a
frame and then placing them in 6-inch pots, two
and three in a pot, and plunging them in the open
ground. Mr. Hudson's object in doing this was
to find a succession to the summer-flowering
Asters, which are very gay while fine weather
lasts, but which have gone down sadly under the
late heavy rains. Then the perennial types will
go out to take their places, and with the weather
at all open will be gay for a considerable time.
But plants struck in this way are charming in
pots, as can be seen in Mr. Hudson's plant houses.
Sime knowledge of the species and varieties is
necessary, and the dwarf-growing forms certainly
make the best pot plants.— R. I).

Single Carnations.— Could these be im-
proved as suggested, so that we had in them large
and finely coloured flowers, it would be a great
recommendation that they would seed freely and
so be easily propagated. It is a matter for sur-
prise that the beautiful single fringed edged
forms of Dianthus plumarius that can be obtained
from seedsmen are not much more widely grown.
I am certain that were they found in gardens
they would be highly favoured. There is a strain
named Pheasant's eye with a darker blotch in the
centre of white or pink flowers, and which blooms
most profusely, that is re.ally charming. We
have no single Carnations yet that are relatively
so attractive as these single Pinks are, but if tried
for by intercrossing, there can be no doubt they
would soon be forthcoming. So far singles have
been grown almost solely to produce "Jacks,' so

October 3, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

271

called, which are sold as named varieties by
hawkers. Growers of these who put out perhaps
'20,000 plauts each autumn seek in their selections
for breeders not for improved flowers in any way,
but solely for broad, attractive-looking leafage,
as such plants are assumed to have a closer resem-
blance to Clove Carnations. But were a good
batch of these singles grown— and the stock of
these woiild be better for the purpose than singli
breaks from a double strain — it might be possibli
by selection and intercrossing in a few years to
obtain some fine charming flowers. Riisers
should aim to secure stout, stift' stems, moderate
height, freedom of flowering, large blooms, both
smooth and fringed edged, and various colours.
Allied to sweet perfume such a strain would seec
freely.— A. D.

Lobelia Gerardi.— One object of this note U
to ask where Lobelia Gerardi (p. 220) may be
obtained ; another is to say that the hardiness of
L. syphilitica is beyond suspicion ; and if it dis-
appears from English gardens, drought, and not
cold, is the probable cause. However, it is at
best a third-rate plant either in its grey or its
white form, but some of its hybrids with L. car-
dinalis are very good. The objection to them
is that they generally behave as biennials, making
all their growth upwards, without any cajspitose
or herbacL-ous base. Now and then one assumes
a true perennial habit and an ornamental colour
and becomes a useful hardy plant. I have a good
one of a rich violet or imperial purple colour
which I bought twenty years ago under the two
names of L. violacea and L. Villarsi. It does not
perish of neglect and minds nothing but very
dr v soil, in which it dwindles awaj .— C. Woixev-
DoD, Edge Hall, Mcdpas.

NOTES FROM NEW JERSEY.

RuDBECKiA Golden Glow. — In The Garde.v
(August 20, p. 168) Mr. C. Wolley-Dod praises
highly a double-flowered Rudbeckia, but gives it
no name beyond remarking that it is evidently a
form of R. laciniata. The plant he speaks of is
doubtless identical with that I have recently seen
in the Short Hills nursery under the above name.
There was a fine group of it in abundant blossom,
and it is a brilliant and showy flower that will
become popular in gardens when plentiful and
better known. There is room for more distinct
hardy flowers to make the garden gaj' in late
summer and early autumn days, and this new
Eudbeckia deserves a place among the most
select. The doubling of the flower entirely elimi-
nates a characteristic feature that gives to the
family its popular name of Coneflower, but we
gain a good garden plant of distinct beauty. This
double Rudbeckia might be confounded with a
double Sunflower, but its form is more graceful
and its poise less stiff owing to the somewhat
slender flower-stalks. Upon the group I saw there
were scores of blooms insemi-drooping clusters, and
there was no mistaking its value either for the gar-
den or for cutting.

AscLEPiAS TUEEROSA has been the subject of
several notes in The Garden this season, the hot
weather experienced in England having con-
tributed to its perfect blooming. Several times
this season I have been among the Milk-weeds
where they are weeds indeed, covering great tracts
of land, and most of them are coarse and poor as
garden flowers. The species under notice, however,
is an exception, nor have I found it very plentiful ;
here and there a few isolated plants by the road-
side, and attractive when in flower. 1 have a good
lot of seedlings from seed sown this year, and a few
of them have flowered. Next year and for the
future it will be a prominent group among the best
hardy flowers in the border, as even here in its ow n
land it deserves to be seen in the garden. To en-
sure its successful blooming in England during
average summers, it should be planted in a sunny
spot in free, light soil.

Cassia marilandica is another fine flower that
the usual English summer is barely hot enough for,
but it was very showy here throughout the scorch-
ing days we had in July and August. From its I

I woody root-stock it sends up strong, erect shoots,
I that attain nearly 5 feet in height. These are
clothed with elegant pinnate leaves and terminated
1 by an immense branched panicle of clear yellow.
Pea-shaped flowers, that open in succession
for a month or more. Several groups on a
hot southern slope appeared to enjoy the great
heat. It has also seeded freely.

AciDANTHERA EicoLOR. — This pretty bulbous
plant is little known as yet. A coloured plate of
It was given in The Garden of May 18, 1895. It
promises to be a useful flower in this country
judging from what I saw of it recently in New-
port. In the reserve garden at " The Breakers,"
Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt's place, there was a long
line of it growing with other things for the supply
of cut blooms, and there were scores of spikes
with flowers fully open. It is not a showy flower
— in fact, it wants close inspection to see and ap-
preciate its charms. A few of its slender spikes
in a vase, however, would attract and please
flower lovers alike by their quaint colouring and
delicate fragrance. As seen, it Je-ft nothing to be
desired in the way of easy growth and free bloom
ing.

Lobelia syphilitk'A deserves more attention at
the hands of those who seek to fill their gardens
with the best hardy flowers of all seasons. I refer
to the wild type. There are scattered around in
gardens several hybrids, varying somewhat in
shades of purple more or less dingy and ineffec-
tive. The true wild plant as I have seen it lately
along wet roadsides and in moist, grassy spots is
delightful, sending up its yard - high spikes
through the rank grass, and for half their length
they are densely packed with blossoms, these
being a pleasing shade of clear blue without a
suspicion of the dull purple that mars the hybrid
or other forms. It should be a good English bog
plant, or a cool, moist border would be a congenial
home for it, and its hardicess is undoubted. To
praise its brilliant relative, L. cardinalis, that
now brightens many a shaded dell here, is un-
necessary. Not a few consider it the same as
L. fulgens or ignea, best known through the va-
rieties Queen Victoria and Firefly, but the true
L. cardinalis differs widely and is more hardy.
Madison, N.J.

Autumn Crocuses.— Mr. J. Hudson has
planted out some patches of Colchicums and
species of autumn Crocus in the gardens of (iun-
nersbury House, giving the Colchicums cool,
shady spots, but the Crocuses a warm, sunny
border. Though planted only in midsummer
they have done very well. Among the Crocuses
the beautiful speciosus is very conspicuous, and
almost unrivalled for its brillant tint of violet-
blue and its large and handsome blossoms. There
are varieties of this apparently paler in colour.
C. zonatus is a charming variety of a very deli-
cate bluish-tinted silver shade, with a pale orange
zone at the base of the corolla — an excellent com-
panion to speciosus, flowering at the same time.
I find the best way to have C. speciosus in good
condition is to plant it and leave it alone. I have
some patches of it under a west wall in a hot
position, but they are now blooming succession-
ally and very finely. So long as the foliage is
green in summer I keep the patches watered in dry
weather ; when it fades, then I withhold water. I
often wonder that C. speciosus is not more grown.
-R. D.

"Wet weather flowers.— We have heard of
late of dry weather plants, all excellent ; but
after the recent very severe storms and beat-
ing rains it has become a question which are the
best wet weather flowers. Zonal Pelargoniums,
Calceolarias, Lobelias, Petunias, and generally
Verbenas, with many other things are quite done.
They all like plenty of warm sunshine. Fuchsias,
however, withstand the rains well, and if the
large-flowered or tuberous Begonias have been a
good deal beaten about and dropped their big
blooms, the smaller- flowered section of the
family, such as B. Northiana, seems all the
3 beautiful in the showers. Then all the

fibrous-rooted forms of the semperflorens type
keep their character and flower splendidly.
A very effective wet weather annual, especi-
ally to produce masses of yellow, is Zmnia
flaageana, which blooms profusely at a moderate
height. Marigold Legion of Honour is another
first-rate wet-weather plant, and is, indeed, effec-
tive in any summer weather. Tufted Pansies
suffer very little relatively in rain, and any
damaged flowers are soon replaced by others.
Amongst climbers, the beautiful Canary Creeper
seems to revel in the wet. I observed the other
day that some old stunted standard Apple trees,
though otherwise useless, were kept expressly to
have this climber run over them in the summer,
with the result that very beautiful objects were
formed. — A. D.

Lilium speciosum. — The cooler weather of
the past fortnight has apparently suited the
various forms of this fine Lily much better than
the recent heat, that made the season for L. aura-
tum a very short one. In the herbaceous border
the pure white L. speciosum Kr;i;tzeri is now very
fine and superior to the variety album, though
not, I think, quite so vigorous. A form of album
with yellow anthers occasionally appears among
imported bulbs, and has a very chaste and dis-
tinct appearance, as also has album pr.-vcox. This
is with me a delicate variety, but then it has to
take its chance with others in the open border.
Possibly, if given more attention and suitable soil,
it may "be more vigorous. A hardy, vigorous and
beautiful kind is L. speciosum Melpomene, one
of the richest tinted of the rubrum set. It
should be largely grown. Corymbiflorum I do not
think worth growing, in the open at all events,
for it appears to be only a monstrosity not worthy
of propagation. Nor can I do much with punc-
tatum, for though the blossoms are undoubtedly
pretty, it does not seem hardy enough to rough ic
outside. It would be, I think, interesting if some-
one who has been successful with these late
blooming Lilies outside would give a few par-
ticulars of the hardiest varieties, for, apparently,
their constitutions are as variable as their colours.
— T.

TULIPA GREIGI.
Looking at the plate of this Tulip in The Gar-
den of September 19, it is high praise to say, as
BI. C. G. Van Tubergen has said, that " no
artificial colourmg, however carefully and ar-
tistically done, can in the least convey a correct
idea of the glowing, flame-like colour of the
grand blossoms of this Tulip." Yet those who
know Tulipa Greigi and have seen it with its
great flowers glowing in the light of the sun
cannot but agree with M. Van Tubergen.
His remark is especially true in the case of the
yellow or yellow aud scarlet varieties, for no
one can hope to give us a presentment in colour
which would reproduce the appearance of the
flowers. Stained glass cannot hope to rival it ;
enamelling is dull and dim compared with it ;
and the colours of the palette cannot depict
that glowing glossiness which is such a charm
in the flower. It is well, then, that such a
brilliant flower should be more widely grown
now that we have recognised that the Tulip is
not merely the " fop of the parterre," but one
of Nature's boons to our gardens, which, used
aright, is in truth a precious gift. Set free
from stifl' beds or lines and grown in the grass
or among other flowers in the border where its
bright cups rise amid the fresh green of the
other plants, it gives a welcome brightness.
The introduction of Greig's Tulip has been a
great gain, and it is unfortunate that it in-
creases so slowly by oflsets that it cannot be
propagated quickly enough to be oflered at a
lower price. As has been said, it is much cheaper
than it once was, but unless the Dutch and other
rowers raise it largely from seed, it is doubtful
if it will long be oflered at present prices. Seed-

1'tiE GARDEN".

[( »(T( >1)EI! 3,

ling raising is a slow process, and I find that
unless the seedlings are raised in boxes and
grown ou under glass, the percentage of losses
is a very large one. Slugs are very'fond of the
small leaves of the seedfiugs, and as only one
leaf is produced by each bulb, these pests of the
garden soon make sad havoc in a batch of seed-
lings. I tind, too, that in some gardens T.
Greigi does not succeed well. Why this is so
I cannot tell, but several of my correspondents
agree as to this. Possibly tiiis failure may be
caused by the want of the drying off this Tulip
receives in its native habitats, a process which
can only be imitated by lifting and drying before
replanting. This becomes an impossibility in
many private gardens where a large number of
bulbs is grown, and although I have found this
Tulip benefited by drying otf, it is not ab-solutely
necessary that it shoidd Ije practised. Another
plan might be tried by treating it in the same
■way as recommended for Cushion Irises by tb<
Kev. H. Ewbank. In our milder climate the
early growth made by Tulipa Greigi makes less
difference than in Holland, and it is only occa-
sionaUy that it suffers from frost. lu the arctic
winter of 181'4-5 the leaves were less injured
than in the wet one of 1895-6, and it is not at all
improbable that this Tulip would be even less
liable to injury from premature growth were
we to plant as deeply as it seems to grow in its
native habitats. The great convenience for
annual lifting afforded by shallow planting is
gained at some expense to many bulbs, which
thrive much better if planted at a greater depth
than is usually recommended. I have found
Tulips which had been too deeply buried by
digging accommodate themselves to circum-
stances by forming young l)ulbs on the stem,
but at a greater depth than we usually plant
Tulips. Another thing in favour of deep plant-
ing is that we can place the roots of the Tulip
beyond the risk of being starved by those of
carpeting plants through which they would
grow. The depth of 1 foot spoken of by M. Van
Tubergen is not an excessive one, however deep
it may appear to those who have the ta.sk of
collecting the bulbs at this depth in such stiff
and hard soil as the collector speaks of.

Whatever may be said against naming foinis
of a Tulip which reproduces itself so slowly by
means of offsets, there is an obvious dis-
advantage in offering the various colours and
sizes under one common name. It is less in-
convenient for those who can purchase a dozen
or two, and who are thus likely to have some
variety among the lot ; but those who have
enough, say, of the scarlet form and wLsh some
of the others would rather pay a little more
per bulb than pay a smaller sum for a replica
of one they already possess.

Some of our florists may take a lesson from
the beauty and brilliancy of this wild Tulip,
and evolve from it, or by its aid, some still
nobler forms. They should, however, take care
that their "improvements" are really what
they are called, and not retrograde steps.

Car.-.lhon,, Dumfri.s. X.JJ. S. Ak.vott.

Layering Pinks.— The oldfaehioned method
of increasing Pinks by cuttings or pipings has
almoef, died out ; indeed, it is a wonder that the
practice has lasted so long, considering how easy
It is to layer them in the same way as Carnations.
Of course more care is needed than with Carna-
tions, as the etema being finer the knife is apt to
slip too far through and spoil the layer, but care
ie all that is needed to ensure ?uccees. I have a
capital lot of Mrs. Sinkine that were layered early
in Auguet. These have been lifted with a tine lot
of roots. The best way, and one adopted by those
who grow for eale, is to layer from plants not
more than two years old ; good strong stock '

plants are then obtained, whereas on large old
spreading plants the shoots are weak, and their
great numbers prevent the work of layering b(
done in a satisfactory manner, even with thinning
out. Plants layered as advised and transplanted
in September to a good friable well drained bor-
der will produce plenty of fine flowers the follow-
ing summer. As a rule Pinks are not profitable
if kept longer than the third year, the blooms
being small and inferior. The newer white form.
Her Majesty, seems to be well thought of by
growers. The individual blooms are certainly
very fine, but I do not think it will be found to
be so free-flowering as the now universally grown
Mrs. Sinkins.— J. C.

The tuberous Begonia as a bedding
plant. — The value of the tuberous Begonia as a
bedding plant has been exemplified within the
past few weeks since the fine weather broke up,
for whereas the Pelargoniums, Calceolarias, and
other summer flowering subjects are completely
ruined for the season, the Begonias are still
bright and full of bloom, and seem likely to con-
tinue so for some few weeks to come. It is true
only a limited number of Begonias are grown
here for bedding out, but in view of the collapse
of the subjects mentioned from the effects of the
wet weather their employment will be extended
another season. I am pleased to learn by Mr.
Geeson's note (vide G.ariien, September 19) that
the double varieties are such a success with him
and shall certainly give them a trial another
season. With the exception of an odd plant or so
I have used none but single varieties bedded out,
and these have always given satisfaction ; but one
can well imagine what a fine display the double
flowers would make when varieties are employed
such as Mr. Geeson has succeeded in raising and
flowering. The tuberous Begonia is es.sentially a
good wet weather flowering plant and as such is
a great boon to gardeners who have to create a
fine display, and one that will continue until late
in the season.— R. W.

PROPAGATING CARNATIONS.
It not unfrcqueutly happens that layering is not
done so early as is advisable. When this is the
case, the stock should be gone over early in
October and all shoots that are not well rooted
should be taken off and inserted in sandy soil
in a frame. In the case of delicate varieties and
those that are very slow in making grass, it is
a great mistake to leave them in the open air
through the winter, especially where the rainfall
is above the average and where fogs prevail in
December and January. Even it the layers
survive, their vitality is so lowered that they
are unable to start away freely in spring ;
whereas sheltered from climatal vicissitudes
they continue to make roots all through the
winter months and are in good condition in
early spring. When Carnations are layered
somewhat late in the season, there will generally
be a percentage of the layers that has made
no roots .it all. If these remain in the open all
the winter they will of course be of no ufe, for
they will make no roots under such circum-
stances, but if put into a frame at any time
during October they will form roots, and will
by March be sufficiently furnished with fibres
to admit of their being put into the open
ground. With me Carnations generally are not
reliable garden flowers when grown in the ordi-
nary way. They succumb to the combined in-
fluence of fog, heavy rains, and extreme cold, in
a general way being seriously affected by
disease after the turn of the year. I am, there-
fore, obliged to shelter them during the winter
months ; not potting the layers, but simply
planting them in light mould, getting them
under cover in the early part of November at
the latest. During the dull months they are
merely protected from rain and snow, but the
lights are pulled off in a dry, frosty time and
allowed to remain so night and day, unless there
is danger of a fall of enow. In this way only
am I able to keep Carnations in good heahh.

I plant them out about the middle of March on
ground that has been laid up rough during the
winter, and they certainly make better growth
and flower better than when allowed to remain
exposed in the open ground. J. C. B.

SHOUT NOTES.— FLOWER.

Aster acris. — Some masses of this beautiful
JlicLaelmas Daisy are now vei-y fine in the gardens at
Aldenbam House. It is very siiowy, and forms a
striking group among the earliest of these useful hardy
flowers. It is literally smothered with innumerable
starry blossoms of a lilac-purple colour, and possesses
a reat bushy habit, not more than 2 feet in height.

Tufted Pansy Princess Louise.— This new
varipty lia-* l.'.Ti .'really admired, and at the recent
^ iol;i c.MitiniiicPwa.s CI. iisidered an advance upon all
other yellows. TLe colour is b( st _ described as rich
yellow. It is a very free-floweiing sort, beauti-
fully tufted, with a nice free style of growth. Next
season this variety is lure to be "largely grown.

Primula Sieboldi in damp ground.— At
page ll.s thei-e appears a note on the above subject,
mentioning ca^es where moisture had proved beneficial
rather thau^ harmful to these plants. This entirely
coincides with my experience, the finest specimens
that I have ever teen being planted at the edge of a
pool where their roots could easily reach the water
level.— S. W. F.

Aster Amellus bessarabieus.— This deserves
exteniltil culture, b cause of its large purplish-blue
Powers, w Inch are pn idnced on long footstalks, so use-
ful fur va.-es, Ac. The rich orange disc also enhances
its beauty, and this tosether with its pretty habit of
growth makes it v.alnable. Some fine plants are now
in iic.wer in a large border devoted to hardy plants at
Trent I'aik Gardens.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1086.

IPJS DOUGLASIANA AND I. TECTORUM.

(with a coloured plate.*)
I. DoioLASi.iNA is among the most distinct and
beautiful of all the Beardless Irises, many of
which have been described in a recent number
of The Garden (vol. 50, p. 180). The plant, of
which Mr. Moon has given us a most remark-
ably faithful and excellent portrait, is of vigor-
ous growth, and has long dark green linear
leaves, which remain fresh and persistent
during the whole winter. I have, however,
under the same name a remarkable Iris which
is entirely distinct both in habit and bloom from
the plant here figured. It has dwarf and some-
what scanty foliage, while the root-stock is what
would, I believe, be called "wide-creeping;"
the flowers, too, are borne on shorter stalks
and are somewhat larger, the falls spreading
horizontally, while the colour of the petals, ex-
cept for the purple or claret-coloured markings
at the base, is yellowish white or ochroleu-
cous, answering, indeed, somewhat to a des-
cription I think I have seen somewhere of that
and difficult to grow species, I. bracteata. I
have had this plant under the same name from
more than one source, but my present plant came
from Mr. Smith, of Newry, who tells me, judg-
ing from the date at which it was sent to me,
that he thinks it may have been collected con-
siderably further south than the better-known
habitats of the typical I. Douglasiana here
figured. It may not improbably be I. Beechy-
classed by Mr. Baker as a variety of this
species.

The other beautiful Iris (I. tectorum) here
figured was sent by Dr. Hance from Japan to

* Drawn for The Garden by H. G. Jloon frcm
flowers sent by Mr. J. C. Ley, East Farleigh, Maid-
stone. Lithographed and printed by J. L. Goflart,
successor to Guillaume Severeyns.

ir.T 5 I89F

^ ^'^ I

>

1 IRIS DOUGLASIAKA
2.-JRIS TECTORUM.

October 3, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

273

Mr. Bull, of Chelsea, in 1872. As wiD be seen
by the plate, it has broad, pale green leaves
and moderately large, elegantly-coloured flowers.
The falls are above an inch in breadth, crimped
at the edge, marked with deep lilac veins on a
paler lilac ground, the standards rather shorter
than the falls, plain lilac. It was figured in the
Botanical .Mayadne (tab. CllS). This Iris I
cannot grow, a remark which, I regret to say,
applies to almost every Iris of the Evansia
type, including the N. American species, I.
cristata. J. C. L.

The Week's Work.

FRUIT HOUSES.

Frcit under i;i..4ss.— Cherry trees intended for
early forcing will now be at rest. Where they
are grown in pots for that purpose any that may
require potting should receive attention forthwith,
that the soil may get thoroughly settled before
the tree? are started into growth. Clean pots
should always be used, and just enough drainage
to allow the water to pass away freely. The com-
post should consist of thoroughly decayed loam,
lime rubble, and crushed bones or bone-meal.
The trees should be carefully taken out of their
pots, and after removing the old crocks from the
bottom put them into pots one or two sizes larger
if necessary. The soil should be made rather
firm, and sufficient space must be allowed for
watering. Trees that do not require potting
should have the surface soil removed, replacing
this with a richer compost. This should be made
firm, that the roots may the more readily take
hold of it. Cherries will not stand severe forcing,
and when grown in pots they require constant at-
tention, for they must on no account be allowed
to get dry at the roots. If trees are planted out
they sometimes grow too grossly, but they may
be checked if the roots are not allowed to go too
deep. It is far better to have shallow borders in
which the roots can be kept near the surface
where they may be fed, as the trees require sup-
port, than that they should go deep and make
rank wood. It is not often that Cherry trees un-
der glass need much pruning in winter if they

received due attention dui

mg

the

growing

season, but any pruning required ought now to
be done. The shoots should be so regulated
as to admit all the hght and air possible be-
tween the branches. There are now so many
good varieties suitable for forcing, that it is diffi-
cult to say which is best. The following, how-
ever, are all good : Bigarreau de Schreken, Black
Tartarian, Early Red Bigarreau, Governor Wood,
Guigne d'Annonay, Mammoth, Reine Hortense,
and Bigarreau Xapoleon.

E.iRLY Vines — Those intended for early forc-
ing should now be pruned, that the wounds may
heal over before they are started into growth.
The woodwork and glass should be thoroughly
washed down so that all may be clean and tidy.
Where permanent Vines are forced early, all loose
bark should be rubbed off, and the rods washed
with Gishurst compound or soft soap. The wood-
work and glass should also be cleaned in the
same way, after which the loose surface soil
should be removed and replaced with a rich top
dressing. The pipes ought to be painted with
lamp-black and oil, but do not use any lead paint,
as the fumes from this would be injurious to the
young growth. When all have been thoroughly
cleaned and the wall limewashed, throw the house
open till it is required to be started, which must
be regulated according to the date at which ripe
Grapes are required, but in no ease should undue
forcing take place at first, as this is the chief
cause of failure, especially with outside borders.

L.ATE HOUSES — The dull, damp weather experi-
enced during the last few weeks has been any-
thing but favourable to the colouring of (irapes,
as it has necessitated the use of more fire-heat to
keep up the requisite temperature and expel the
damp ; therefore air could not be admitted so

freely as desirable. Wasps have been so very
troublesome in some places as to make it difficult
to keep them away from the fruit, and where the
ventilators are covered during such weather as we
have been experiencing, it is necessary that they
should be opened wider than usual to admit suffi-
cient air. Happily, there are not many wasps left,
and a few cold nights will make off with the rest.
Houses in which ripe fruit is hanging ought to
be looked over frequently, and if any rotten
berries are detected they should at once be re-
moved. A gentle heat should be maintained in
the pipes, but the house should be kept as cool as
possible to prevent the Grapes from shrivelling,
which they soon will do in a dry, warm atmo-
sphere. Any Grapes that have still to finish
ripening ought to be got forward while there is a
prospect of a little sunshine. With the soil in
such a wet condition the work of making new
Vine borders has been brought to a standstill, but
whenever there is a prospect of a few fine days
this ought to be completed, that the soil may have
time to settle down before planting.

Pines.— In this department there will be little
doing at the present time beyond the ordinary
routine of work, unless it be the potting up of
suckers to keep up the requisite stock of plants.
Where time can be afforded it is well before
winter sets in to thoroughly clean all glass and
woodwork, that more light may be admitted to
the plants. Any houses that require painting
should be taken in hand while temporary places
can be found in the way of Melon or Cucumber
houses for storing the plants in. Examine the
hot- water apparatus to see if it is in good work-
ing order, and any defects should be made good
before bai weather sets in.

Melons.— The last month was by no means
favourable to the growth of these ; too much fire-
heat was needed to maintain the requisite tem-
perature for their well-being. The absence of sun,
too, was much against those ripening, as without
this the Savour of Melons is deficient, particularly
where the houses are not well heated and the
fruit is a long time in arriving at maturity.
During such weather a brisk heat must be kept
up, and the atmosphere of the houses ought to
be drier than when we have an abundance of sun-
shine. Care, however, is needed, for after such
bright weather as that experienced during the
early part of August, when red spider was so pre-
valent, too much fire-heat with a dry atmosphere
would cause it to spread with great rapidity ;
therefore the cultivator must be on the alert in
case this shows signs of an increase. A tempera-
ture of 70° by night, with a rise of 5 by day by
fire-heat, ought to be maintained if the fruit is to
ripen thoroughly.

Stk.wvuekries in pots. —It is many years since
trardeners have had so much difficulty with these,
and unless a change in the weather takes place
very soon, the crowns will not become plump, ai
the plants willcontinue tomakea sappy growth.
So far it has been next to impossible to feed the
plants, as they have been continually soddened
with the rain. It is more than fifty years since
so much rain fell during September in this
district, there having now fallen more than 6J
inches, and with us there have onl}' been four
fine days during the whole of that time. Plants
that are intended for early forcing should be
placed in cold frames where the lights can be put
over them to ward off the wet ; these, however,
should not be shut down, but be placed at least t
\ inches above the woodwork, that a current of air
may continually pass over the plants. The lights
must be fastened down, otherwise if we should
have a strong gale they will be blown off. In
this way the plants get no more water than is
given them through the water-pot, buj do not
starve them, otherwise they will fail to make
satisfactory progress. There is as much art in
growing the plants so as to have the crowns
thoroughly ripened as there is in forcing them
into fruit, for unless they are properly prepared
they will fail when required to throw up their
flower spikes, many of them turning blind. It
is far better to have one good crown than three

or four small ones ; therefore this should be the
of every cultivator. Should there be a
tendency in the crowns to split, the weaker ones
ought to be removed. H. C. P.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
Asi'AR.\GUs. — The autumn treatment of esta-
blished beds of Asparagus is a matter on which
opinions vary, more particularly on the ques-
tion of manuring or otherwise. On some soils and
in some situations autumn manuring may be ad-
missible, though I do not think it advisable. The
use of stimulants just at the time when the plants
are going to a well-earned rest appears to me to
be on a par with giving any plant one soaking of
water, sufficient to encourage the formation of
new rootlets in a time of drought, and then leav-
ing this root growth to perish from want later on.
On cold, heavy soil autumn manuring is decidedly
dangerous when followed by a winter in which
severe frosts and wet thaws are frequent. My own
practice with beds in autumn is simply to cut off
the top growth when this has turned yellow,
leaving sufficient length of stem to indicate the
position of each stool, and then to clean over the
surface with a hoe if the soil is sufficiently dry, or
by hand-weeding when hoeing is not practicable,
leaving the beds thus until winter is over. In any
case it is well to slightly break up the surface of
the beds with hoe or fork, but not deeply enough
to injure the crowns or roots, as the soil does not
remain in a sodden state so long after rain when
the surface is kept loose and open. In cutting off
the tops, care should be taken not to allow the
ripened berries to drop off on to the beds ; the
tops should be taken off the plot in armfuls as
they are cut and not laid on the beds, as is some-
times done, until the work of cutting is finished,
for seedlings, if allowed to develop, choke the
older plants and help to cause the puny heads
which are frequently seen on long-established
beds, which would, but for being crowded in this
way, produce growths as fat as those on their
younger neighbours. All the care taken when
planting to give each stool ample room is only
wasted when seedlings are allowed to spring up
at will. Before cutting over the growth made on
beds planted or sown this year, it is advisable to
look them carefully over and mark with a stick
any blanks which may have occurred, for it will
then be possible to refill the blank places when
plants in the reserve ground are ready without
any hesitation as to whether they are really blank
stations or only contain laggard plants. Should
it be desired to save seeds for future sowing,
these should be saved from stout stems which
have only borne a moderate crop rather than from
those carrying a heavy crop.

Asp.vR.VGUs KORCiNd. — Before the close of the
cutting season proper I advised that sufficierit
plants for forcing be allowed to develop their
growths early, and these plants, if lifted
carefully and with most of their roots unin-
jured, will now at any time be ready to
respond to the ordinary forcing treatment. For
the present I advise that an ordinary hotbed
be made up with manure and leaves inside and
around a brick pit or frame which is not heated
in any other way, for I find that I get the best
results under this system of forcing, except, per-
haps, during the most severe part of the winter.
A well-made hotbed, i.e., one which generates
heat without becoming over-heated, will retain
its heat long enough to carry each batch of plants
through. An ample quantity of leaves or spent
manure, say about one-half, should be mixed in
with the new stable litter, each layer should be
trodden firmly and sprinkled if at all dry, and
the bed so built that sinking will be very slight.
In about a week after being made up the bed
should be ready for planting, first putting on
about 3 inches of light soil, then the plants on
this closely, but without much overlapping, and
then again more soil until the crowns are buried
from 2 inches to S inches below the surface. _ Be-
fore planting it is well to make sure that' the
heat will not rise to a dangerous point ; if it does,

274

THE GATIDEK

[October 3, 1896.

the crowns will get stewed. One or two
sticks should be left in eiich light, ard these
must be examined daily until all fear of dang'
has parsed, .ind if anj- decided rise takes place
after planting, these sticks should be with-
drawn and the holes made by them left open,
more holes being made if need be to let out the
surplus heat. When growth appears, which will
probably be in about a week from planting, tho
pit should be ventilated whenever possible and
full exposure to light must be given, unless
blanched heads are preferred. Cover the lights
with mats on frosty nights, and cut over the pro-
duce as it becomes tit.

Cakt.ions. — Three weeks ago I advised that
theeailiest Cardoons should be bound with hay-
bands and earthed up, and it will now be time to
take the main crop in hand, for though the plants
may go on growing for some time to come if the
weather remains mild, there is no certainty about
this, and the first touch of anything like a sharp
frost will injure the stems and carry decay down-
wards to the hearts. 1 think 1 have never seen
Cardoons make such fine growth as they h.ive
done this year, and as this growth must be sappy,
there is all the more reason to protect it early.
Again, early blanching is advisable, as when this
has been completed, the plants may be lifted and
stored under cover, where they will be safer than
if left in the open ground.

Seak.\le. — This is not always so ready to re-
spond to forcing in the autumn as is Asparagus,
for it does not finish its natural growth so early.
Those who planted a small lot as advised on a
sunny border with a view to hastening the season
and procuring a few dishes during the early part
of November w ill do well to hasten the ripening
process by severing the deepest roots at once.
This is best done by two men going along the
rows, each thrusting a spade down to its full
depth on either side the row and lifting each plant
slightly until some of the biggest "roots snap.
More than this should not be done for the pre-
sent, for by over doing the breakages the object
in view will be defeated, and the crowns will re-
fuse to start when needed. The growth of Sea-
kale in the open quarters has been rapid since
rain came, and will probably continue for some
time longer unless we get frost severe enough to
check it, but no artificial means, such as that re-
commended above for checking growth, should be
employed on the main crop, and it is only advis-
able for the batch grown to supply material for
cutting before and up to the last week in No-
vember.

Tomatoes. — After this date it is doubtful if
Tomatoes on outside walla derive further bene-
fit from being allowed to remain any longer
in that position, the only exceptions being those
which can be covered with glass lights by daj*
and some additional covering by night. Of
course, I should not recommend their being re-
moved if the weather keeps fine and mild, but
chilly nights, heavy fogs, and very slight touches
of frost, even if not sufficient to blacken the foli-
age in the least degree, are not conducive to ripen-
ing, and, except under the most favourable con-
ditions, I now advise that the plants be first
lightened of all fruits which are colouring, also of
those too small to be of use, and then cut bodily
off and hung up in a dry, light house where there
is not much draught, or laid on a shelf in similar
quarters. Here they will colour up and be use- '
ful for cooking for many weeks to come, but not,
of course, of the quality required for salads.
The fruits already colouring will ripen up
and be useful for either purpose. Should there
be room for them in a house where a little heat
can be given, it is advisable to lift and pot up
some of the plants which may be carrying a good
many fruits, as, with care, these may be induced
to reestablish themselves and ripen their fruits in
good condition. Plants grown specially for winter
fruiting will be setting fruit, and should have a
nice growing tempeiature given them, with suffi-
cient air to prevent the least suspicion of a muggy
atmosphere ; careful watering, too, is important.

as excesses either way will lead to failure in setting
fruit.

SriNAcii. — Up to the present the winter Spinach
looks well and there is no appearance of spot on
the leaves. Growth has been rapid, and that
even w hich was sown early in September is getting
c|uite forward and ready to be lightly thinned.
Where room can be found I advise that a still
further sowing be made on a raised bed, as the
plants usually winter excellently when they
appear before November, and there is seldom
any need to complain of an overcrop of Spinach.
With such a bed in hand one does not mind pick-
ing from the earlier sowings rather severely in
time of need. Winter and spring Spinach, being
a crop about the success of which it is never en-
tirely safe to prophety, is more likely to be had
in plenty when three or four successive sowings
are made than when confined to two sowings.
Treat the beds as advised in calendar notes for
Septembers. J. C. Tallai-k.

Fruit and Vegetable Crops.

SUPPLEMENTARY.

Frome, Somerset.— Apple trees generally
flowered profusely, but the crops set are variable.
In the case of old orchard trees they are very
light indeed, but garden trees are, with a few-
exceptions, carrying excellent crops, only wanting
a soaking rain to make them perfect. Many will,
doubtless, drop prematurely owing to being grub-
eaten, but this the growers in many instances
have to blame themselves for. They ought to
have early thinned out the bunches of fruit and
cleared them of dead flowers. It is the starved
trees that have failed. Beauty of Bath, Irish
Peach, Quarrenden, King of the Pippins, Cox's
Orange Pippin, and Blenheim Pippin are the best
of the dessert varieties, and the most heavily
cropped cooking Apples are Lord SufEeld, Kes-
wick Codlin, Manka Codlin, Warner's King, Eck-
linville Seedling, Tom Putt, Alfriston, and Lane's
Prince Albert. Pears again are variable. In some
gardens they are plentiful, in others very scarce.
The old favourites seem still to be the most reli-
able. Williams' Bon Chretien, Louise Bonne of
Jersey, Beurre d'Amanlis, Durondeau, and Beurri-
d'Aremberg are the most heavily cropped. Cherries
set good crops, but only where wall trees were
kept washed did the fruit reach perfection, while
birds were mora than usually troublesome. As
usual, there are good crops of Morello Cherries.
Plums are abundant. Most of the wall trees of
Rivers' Prolific, Victoria, Orleans, Oullin's Golden,
Kirke's, Jefi'erson, Monarch, and Pond's Seed-
ling are heavily laden with fine fruit, and even
Coe's Golden Drop has a good crop. Some of the
trees in the open are cropping heavily, others are
bare of fruit. Victoria, Pond's Seedling, and
Monarch are the most heavily laden of the trees
in the open. Damsons are thin. Apricots are a
full crop, and the fruit, where judicious thinning
was given, of superior quality, Moorpark and
Hemskirk being extra good. Peaches and Nec-
tarines are also cropping grandly. The American
introductions ripened early, and all other varie-
ties will have good time to ripen. Strawberries,
owing to late frosts and subsequently excessive
heat and drought, were a comparative failure.
Only those that were mulched early and heavily,
and also kept supplied with moisture, gave good
crops, and these ripened more rapidly than de-
sirable. Raspberries suffered in much the same
way and were soon over. Gooseberries and Red
and Black Currants are abundant. Nuts of all
kinds are remarkably plentiful. — W. Iccui.de.v.

Yattendon Court. — Apples a partial crop in
sheltered orchards. Pears about half a crop.
Plums very few. Cherries on standards poor.
Morellos on walls good. Strawberries very good.
Currants, Gooseberries, and Raspberries are fair
crops, but they suffered from want of rain.

Season too dry for a good, full crop of vege-
tables. Peas are the shortest crop I have had for

several years. The new climbing dwarf Beans
are good in a dry season. — R. Mahek.

ChiUingham Castle, Belford.— Strawberries
here this season have been but a light crop,
(.iooseberries. Red Currants, White and Black
Currants, likewise Raspberries, are splendid
crops. Apricots. Cherries, and Plums are all very
heavy crops. Pears are light, except Beurre
Diel and Louise Bonne of Jersey, which are very
good. Apples are a fair average. Peaches out>-
side very good.

I have tried some of the newer sorts of Peas,
but I find none like Telephone for a main crop. ,
Owing to the dry season a great many Lettuce
has gone to seed. Cauliflowers, Carrots, Turnips',
and Beet are good ; Spinach and Onions poor. —
Richard Henherson.

The Abbey Gardens, Ramsey.— Here in
this fertile fen district we have had very heavy
crops of Strawberries, Gooseberries, Red and
White Currants, also Cherries, the Morello carry-
ing very heavy crops. Of Apples and Pears we
have an average crop, but Plums, Damsons, and
Walnuts are only partial. Wall fruits, such as
Apricots, Peaches, Nectarines, Figs, Pears, Plums,
&c. , are a good crop.

Peas, first crop plentiful. Veitch's Earliest
Marrow I find both for cropping and quality
one of the very best, and quite as hardy and
early as the white round varieties. Second
sowings suffered somewhat from thrips, but main
and late crops are doing well. I find Boston Un-
rivalled, Veitch's Maincrop, and Carter's Daisy
first-class main crop varieties, while for late crops
the old Ne Plus Ultra and Autocrat promise well.
Early Potatoes are good and of splendid quality,
but the late ones are sufl'ering from drought. —
F. W. Seap.kook.

Tedwonh, Marlborough. — Fruit crops are,
on the whole, satisfactory as regards quantity,
but owing to the long drought will be much
under average in size. Pears are our worst
crops. Although bloom was abundant, some
varieties failed to set, Marie Louise being the
worst. Some varieties, such as Bon Chretien,
Seckle, Thompson's, Ne Plus Meuris and a few
others, it has been necessary to thin. Apples are
above the average in quantity, but in some cases
badly attacked with maggots ; esjiecially is this
the case with early varieties. Blenbeim Orange on
restricted trees is carrying good crops. Lane's
I'lince Albert, Hawthornden, Hambledon Deux
Ans, Lord Suttield, Stirling Castle, Bramley's
Seedling, Golden Noble, King of the Pippins,
Cox's Orange Pippin, Yellow Ingestre, Golden
Pippin, Sturmer Pippin, Cellini and Court of
Wick, among others, are carrying good crops.
Plums on west and north walls are plentiful, many
varieties having to be thinned, especially cooking
varieties on a north wall. Victoria, Mitchelson's,
Belgian Purple, Pershore, yellow Magnum Bonuih
and Pond's Seedling all bloomed prolusely and set
very thickly. All the Gsj;es are good crops, also
Jeflerson and Kirke's, but green fly has been
very troublesome on them. Apricots are a heavy
crop. Moor Park aj^ain being much the best. I
have been much troubled with branches dying
this season. Peaches and Nectarines are carry-
ing good crops, and with so much sun the fruit
is very early and highly coloured. Strawberries
where watered were very satisfactory, Royal
Sovereign being very fine in all respects. It is
undoubtedly a great improvement on Sir Joseph
Paxton, being quite free of mildew when forced,
and travelling well when packed. President was
also very good. Viscountess is still a favourite
here on account of its good preserving qualities.
Gooseberries were a good crop, also Black
Currants, but Red and White were very thin.
Morello Cherries are a good crop and much
cleaner than usual. Nuts of all kinds are thin.

Field crops of Potatoes almost a failure, but in
the garden they are satisfactory, being of a good
size, clean and quite fiee of disease, all the haulm
of most kinds dying fast. Early Peas were very
good. May Queen, A 1 and Empress of India,
although a few days later than the round varieties,
are much preferred here, but Gradus will be more

October 3, 1896.]

• grown next season. Giving to thrips, mid-season
Peas have been almost a failure, but Autocrat and

; Ne Plus Ultra promise well for a late supply.

• The rainfall up to August 1 was 9'27 inches, 4-'22
inches of which fell in March, and only in January

: and June has it exceeded 1 inch. — G. Ingi.efield.
Kidbrook Park, Forest Bow.— The crops
of fruit in this garden are good. Apples are
' variable, some sorts abundant, more especially
I the Keswick Codlin and Manks Codlin. Most of
the standard trees are bearing heavy crops.
Young pyramid trees are bearing good crops of
large clean fruit. Apricots bore a fine crop of
fruit. Cherries of the sweet varieties below the
average, and very much blighted during the early
part of this summer ; Morellos a fair average
crop. Pears upon the walls above an average
crop. Most of the varieties planted here are
bearing heavy crops. Some of the Plums are
bearing very heavy crops ; I had a fine crop of
that most useful one, Early Favourite. Green
Gage above the average, fled Magnum Bonum,
Kirke's, Prince Englebert and Washington are
bearing heavy crops upon the walls ; standards
below the average. Damsons an average crop.
Peaches and Nectarines above the average crop.
Walnuts below the average. Nuts and Filberts
very plentiful. Gooseberries below che average.
Red and Black Currants above the average.
Raspberries over an average crop. Strawberries
very abundant, but owine to the dry weather the
crop was soon over. President was the best
cropper and stood the drought better than an}- of
the other varieties. Blackberries an abundant
crop; the Parsley - leaved variety is cropping
better than any of the others.— W:\r. Christisox.
Aldenham Park, Bridgnorth.— The fruit
crops in these gardens and neighbourhood are
quite up to the average of the last eighteen
years with the exception of Apples in the large
orchards, which I might almost say are a complete
failure, owing in a great measure to the quantity
of caterpillars and other insects that made their
home on the trees during the months of May and
June. Apricots, Peaches, Plums, and Cherries
are very good, but required more attention than
usual. Ciooseberries did very well, but had to
battle hard against red spider and caterpillars.
Currants very good and healthy, especially that
fine red variety La Fertile. Strawberries excel-
lent except John Ruskin, which is very subject to
mildew here.

Vegetables in general are very good except on
light land where the drought was too much for
them. With regard to Peas, for an early dish I
cling to that good old variety Dickson's First and
Best, with William the First as a succession ; then
Laxton's Supreme, Duke of Albany, and Tele-
graph for main crop, and Walker's Perpetual
Bearer for late use. If William the First is sown
the first week in July it will come in about the
middle of October. — Thos. Cannin(;.

Wynyard P^rk.— Fruit crops in this district
are partial. Some sorts are carrying really
good crops, whereas others have none. This is
particularly the case with Apples and Pears, each
of which dropped quantities of bloom and fruit
owiny to the drought, and to this cause I attribute
the aifference in the crops. Taking Apples first,
our best are Ecklinville, Tower of Glamis, Blen-
heim Orange, Lane's Prince Albart, Beauty of
Kent, Worcester Pearmain, King of Pippins,
Northern Greening, Sturmer Pippin, Scarlet
Nonpareil, Keswick Codlin, Rymer, Dutch
Mignonne, and Court of Wick. The best Pears
with me this season are Williams' Bon Chretien,
(extra good), Duchesse d'Angouleme, Doj-enne du
Cornice, Beurri? Diel, Urbaniste, Flemish Beauty,
Beurre Bosc, Napoleon, and Autumn Colmar. I
have noticed Clapp's Favourite very good in the
district, thoui;h with me it has tailed for the first
time. Plums are good ; the best are Kirke's,
Jeft'erson, Victoria, Washington, and Magnum
Bonum. Apricots have been a magnificent crop,
and the fruits extra fine in size and (juality, the
best I have seen in my twelve years' experience in
the north. Morello Cherries fine and ;40od crop.
Strawberries were much above the average, the

THE GARDEK

275

crop heavier and the fruit finer than usual. We
did not suffer from the drought at their period of
fruiting as was the case in the south. Bush fruits
have been good, but Raspberries very bad, the
canes not having recovered from the intense frosts
of Feljruary, 1895, when they were almost killed.

All vegetable crops are, and have lieen, good.
Potatoes and Peas above the average in crop
and quality. I rely entirely upon Chelsea Gem
for early work. I have not yet found anything to
eciual it either for quality or cropping, and for
general work I grow Criterion, Veitch's Main
Crop (the latter an actiuisition), Prodigy, and
Veitch's Perfection, depending upon Autocrat
and Sturdy for late kinds, the former of the two
being by far the better. I have it in excellent
condition now (September 11), and with favour-
able weather I hope to have it so for quite an-
other month.— H. E. Gribele.

Great Gearies, Ilford, Essex.- The season
has been altogether satisfactory. Apples I con-
sider by far the most important crop of hardy
fruit. I do not remember any season when the
crop has been finer or more even. I have lovely
fruit of the Quarrenden and Early Strawberry.
Lord Suffield for kitchen use is large and fine.
Lord Grosvenor is also first-rate. Alexander
is the only variety that has failed ; it is a fine
looking Apple, but one that is not needed in gar-
dens. In a light soil on gravel at Loxford, Cel-
lini was one of my favourites ; here on a more
clayey soil it is of no use and has been discarded.
I have most of the popular sorts in full bearing
and very promising. Pears are a fair crop, and
what they lack in quantity they will make up in
quality. The fruit is clean and promises well.
Plums are a good crop. All the wall trees have
borne well. Owing to the dry season the fruit is
small ; the trees seem to suffer rather more from
the drought than do Apples and Pears, but this
is most likely caused as much by a serious attack
of aphis as by any other cause. Cherries have
been an abundant crop, and where the trees could
be well watered the quality has been superb.
The Morellos have been extra fine and abundant.
The great point is to keep the trees clean, well
watered and mulched around the roots. Straw-
berries plentiful and good. They suffered some-
what from the drought, but the mulching of stable
litter helped them. Gooseberries and Raspberries
were abundant, but they suffered from drought.

The vegetable crops have been as good as
might have been expected where it was not
possible to water them. Such seasons show the
value of deep trenching and manuring in the
winter. Where this has been done crops are
good, but poor on ordinary dug ground. Potatoes
have been good on the early borders, and now we
have gone into the field the tubers are turning out
large, clean and free from disease. The haulm is
not large and the qualitj- of the tubers is excellent.
—J. Douglas.

Heckfield Place, "Winchaeld.— The fruit
crop hereabouts is the worst we have had for some
years, although at blooming time one might have
predicted a most bountiful fruit harvest. The
prolonged drought on a gravelly soil and the
ravages of caterpillars are probably the two chief
causes of such a failure. Apples are almost a
total failure, young, vigorous trees alone carrying
small crops, whilst older trees are quite bare.
In this garden one sack is probably our crop,
although possessing an old orchard and fine
young trees planted some nine years since round
kitchen garden quarters. The trees in the
old orchard were denuded of leaves by cater-
pillars, which, together with every Oak in the
neighbourhood, presented the appearance of win-
ter in the midst of summer. Pears are very poor,
Beurre Hardy, Fondante d'Automne, Knight's
Monarch, Durondeau, and a few others bearing
fairly good crops, but many trees of good stan-
dard kinds are quite bare. Plums are an average
crop; the same remarks are applicable to Cherries
and Apricots. Peaches and Nectarines outdoors
are good, and have required very heavy thinning.
The trees are very clean, copious washings with
the garden hose keeping down insects and sup-

plying moisture at the roots, the two great neces-
saries in successful Peach culture outdoors.
Smaller fruits, such as Gooseberries, Currants,
Raspberries, &c., have been good, although at one
time they looked like being a failure owing to the
drought. A very heavy thunderstorm on June
10 came just in time to save the crop, 2-1.3 inches
of rain being registered here in twenty-four hours.
Strawberries have been very good, fruits exceed-
ingly fine, although the season has been short.

Vegetables, unless kept well mulched and con-
stantly watered, have suffered severely, and winter
stuff is sadly in need of rain. Peas, with the ex-
ception of the earliest kinds, have been bad, and
it was difficult to keep up the supply. Her-
baceous plants in borders are simply dried up.
Phloxes, Michaelmas Daisies, and the many
beautiful autumn flowers are ruined for this year,
and will no doubt be considerably weakened for
next season. — A. Maxi.m.

Coolhurst, Horsham.- The fruit crop has
been a fairly good one in the gardens here.
Strawberries were altogether an excellent crop of
fine, large, well-coloured fruit. Sir Joseph Paxton
was more than usually fine in finish and colour to
the point of every berry. There is not the
slightest doubt this variety is one of the most
reliable in cultivation, for ever since its advent it
has grown in favour as an excellent all-round one
that does well in most seasons where it has the
advantage of thoroughly cultivated land with
plenty of room for foliage and fruit to develop
freely. Next in point of quality and fruitfulness
come Vicomtesse Ht'ricart de Thury and Presi-
dent. In all the long list catalogued at the pre-
sent day I doubt if there are three more generally
useful varieties than the three above named.
Noble and Keens' Seedling I shall discard, for
neither is so generally reliable nor useful all
points considered, the former being large, soft,
without the flavour so necessary for a Straw-
berry to have to make it generally acceptable at
the table for dessert ; the latter does not seem to
suit this part of the country so well as it used to
do in the north. British Queen I have tried in
different positions, but it has always failed.
Royal Sovereign I have not had sufficient experi-
ence with to pass an opinion on. What fruit I
have had has been fine, so I am full of hope of it
in the future, being a free, clean grower. After
repeated trials in good land in good positions I
have failed to see the general usefulness of Lox-
ford Hall, Waterloo, and several others that were
tried, so these have been discarded. Garibaldi grown
side by side with Vicomtesse is in every point just
Vicomtesse, so only one of these in future will be
grown. Old Grove End Scarlet still retains its
high position as the best preserving Strawberry,
the berries being of a light scarlet, slightly acid,
and never too large. The second and third
gatherings of Vicomtesse are of a fine size for pre-
serve making, only the colour is darker than in
the former. It is quite necessary that new kinds
should be well tried with every advantage as to
soil and situation before a just opinion can be
formed respecting their merits. Raspberries only
a fair crop, although they were mulched and
watered. The season h.is been much too dry for
these ; then last September's drought and heat
ripened the canes before they made a full growth.
Where I have them on deep land in a shady posi-
tion the fruit is good, but no quantity. Black
and Red Currants were excellent crops, particu-
larly the former, the berries being large, clean,
and abundant. These were grown on a north
border behind a high wall, where they are much
shaded from the full force of the sun, and bemg
well mulched in the early part of the winter retained
the moisture about their roots. Black Grape and
Baldwin were especially fine, (iooseberries are
good, being large and clean in berry. With
these in former seasons I had much trouble with
caterpillars. As a preventive against their at-
tacks, I, in the early spring, dusted the trees
freijuently with lime and soot with the view
to preserving the buds from the birds. The
same was hoed in among the roots to de-
stroy what caterpillars might be there from

27G

THE GAT^DEN.

[October 3, 1896.

the previous season. After the trees caine into
leaf they were gone over with the eri;ine and
soap-suds ; this was repeated three times in all,
with a fortnight or thereabouts between each
dressing, and although the caterpillars made
a start several timts, they were ultimately
thorousrhly subdued, and now the trees are clean
and healthy, with full foliage to enable them to
form buds "for another year. Red Currants were
treated exactly in every way similar to the above,
with the same gocd results. Cherries are as a
rule poor; even although the trees flower freely
and set fruit, it at a certain stage falls off. Tlie
garden, being surrounded by hijjh forest trees,
seems to aflect the progress of swelling in some
way or other. Plums are thin ; only Pond's Seed-
lin-r, Jefferson, Blue Gage and one or two others
have anything like a crop. Pears are so thin
generally, that no particular variety can be named
more than another, unless Williams'. Apples
cannot be called a good all-round crop, but the
following have fine crops, viz., King of the
Pippins, Ribston Pippin, Cox's Orarge Pippin,
Mannington's Pearmain, lilenheim Orange, Well-
ington, and a few other sorts. There is every
appearance of Apples being small in size unless
an abundant supply of rain comes soon to moisten
the ground thoroughly about the tree roots, which
must be in a very dry state from the lor>; pro-
tracted drought, and on many occasions great
heat. Medlars u'cod crop. Walnuts fair. Fil-
berts fair in quantity and likely to be large.
Mulberries fair. These are all much behind in
<|uantity compared with last year. Peaches and
Xectarines are behind their usual here; green and
black £y were so abundant at flowering time
that much of the bloom was destroyed. Figs
are a jood crop. Grapes 'jood all throuj;h.
Thrips and red spider very troublesome.

Vegetables have had a hard time of it since
the beginning of June. Peas and Cauliflowers
have sutTercd the worst. Several sowings of the
former had to be pulled up and thrown away
owing to being attacked with mildew and insects.
Very many of the latter have jrone blind, both
early and late ; Veitch's Autumn Giant more than
usually so. Carrots have done well considering
the droui:ht. Onions are particularly good, beiri;
quite free from mag'jot and mildew. These were
watered through a hne rose with paralBn water in
early growth, which seemed to do them much
good in keepinjj off the fly. Potatoes are an ex-
cellent crop all through. Early Puritan holding
its reputation as an excellent second early in point
of quality and quantity. These I never plant
with manure of any kind, beyond giving the
ground a good coat of burnt ashes which contains
potash, and although a good stimulant, it does
not create rank growth of a watery kind, that
makes the tubers soft and liable to disease. —

A. KE5IP.

Stove and Greenhouse.

DRAd:XA GODSEFFIANA.

This very distinct looking plant was first ex-
hibited by Messrs F. Sander and Co. at the
Temple show in May, 1890, when it was unani-
mously given a first-class certificate. It is
hardly possible to compare it with any of the
well-known species or varieties. It is possibly a
form of Dracaena serculosa. In the " Dictionary
of Gardening" D. serculosa maculata is described
as follows : "Leaves green with yellow spots,
lanceolate. Old Calabar, 18tJ7." This agrees
with the description of D. Godseffiana as
shown. D. Godstfiiana is a most promising
looking plant, in every way distinct from such
unique species as D. Goldieana, D. Sander-
iana, and 1). Lindeni. It is also of free
growth and easily increased. It is more like
an Aiundinaiia than a Dracjtna, sending up
cane-like shoots, the branch airangement more
or less in whorls, Tshile the leaves much re-

semble those of a hardy Bamboo. In the lovely
colouring of the leaves there is nothing like it
among plants grown under glass. The leaves
are quaintly blotched and spotted with yellow
on a shining deep green ground as in Auciiba
japonica. It further adds to the value of this
Diac;cna that its long shoots can be cut for de-
coration, as they stand well and there is no loss
of plant, many shoots arising from an under-
grouud culm. Southron.

Lantana Drap d"Or in pots.— This deserves
to be noticed as a good yellow-flowering green-
house plant. Young, vigorous specimens bloom
very freely ; the trusses of good size and com-
pact, and the colour bright. Time was when the
old Lantana Cameroni was grown as a grecnhoute
specimen and occasionally exhibited. In the west
of England a good specimen of one of the im-
proved varieties is still met with, and when well

larly firm texture. The flowers were a kind of
rarmine-pink and very pretty. B. Roczli suc-
ceeds best with rather more heat than most of
the Bouvardias. About the time above indicated
Messrs. Henderson sent out three new hybrid
varieties claiming parentage from B. Roezli.
They were Conspicua, Vivicans, and Unique, but
being, like B. Roezli, difficult to grow, they soon
dropped out of cultivation. The most distinct of
the three was Unique, the flowers being a kind of
violet-carmine, with the outside of the tube
white.— T.

Acalypha tricolor.— Thirty years ago, when
this was first introduced, stove plants with orna-
mental foliage were extremely popular, but now-
a days many of them are little grown, and some
are treated very ditierently from what they were
when new. Of this Acalypha, for instance, there
is a bed at Battersea Park carpeted with the
variegated Dactylis, and very pretty it is, the
Acalypha being particularly brightly coloured.

Braccnna Godseffiana. From a photograph sent Vy Mr, H. G. Moon

grown makes a striking plant, though it does not
carry a great deal of weight. — R. D.

Bouvardias.— The old Bouvardia triphylla,
which I recently saw flowering profusely in the
open ground, suggests the question whether some
at least of the o'riginal "pecies which have been
almost ousted by the numerous garden varieties
are not still worth a place, particularly such as
this, which for brilliance of colour is unsurpassed
by none, although it is e(|ualled by a second
species, B. leiantha. In both of these the flowers
are of a bright vermilion hue. Both the indi-
vidual blooms and the clusters in which they are
borne are much smaller than those of the different
garden forms, but they are produced in great
quantities, and a succession is maintained for a
long time. A very distinct species (B. Roezli)
was occasionally to be met with some twenty
years ago or thereabouts, but I have not teen it
recently. This species used to form a large under-
ground root-stock or tuber like mass of a woody
nature, while the leaves, too, were of a particu-

that is, for outdoor specimens, though under glass
it may be had richer still. The different Acaly-
phas are all of easy propagation and culture — in-
deed, given stove treatment they are rather apt
to grow so strong as to present a weedy appear-
ance. When in good condition, however, the
curiously irregular arrangement of colours, in
which red and brown predominate, is particularly
noticeable, and neat little specimens which can
be grown in pots 5 inches or 6 inches in diameter
are very useful, more particularly if tbey have not
been grown in too high a temperature. — H. P.

Carnation blooms splitting.— That some
otherwise desirable varieties of Carnation are
practically useless, by reason of the calyx split-
ting to such an extent that the flower is simply
an irregular mass of confused petals, is well
known, but when otherwise trustworthy varieties
behave in this manner there must be some
particular reason for it. Thus 1 was consulted
last year in reference to a quantity of C. Uriah
Pike, which, though finely-grown plants with

October 3, 189G.'

THE GARDEN.

277

larae blossoms, had in many instances the calyx
split to a considerable extent, while the larger
tloHers were more confused and certainly less
pleasing than those usually met with. I advised
treating them less liberally another season. This
has resulted satisfactorily, for the same plants
which showed this defect most markedly last
year, as well as young ones propagated therefrom,
have no burst flowers this year. Thu^ it would
appear that a too liberal use of stimulants will
tend to cause the calyx to split. The plants above
alluded to were grown in pots for flowering under
glass.— T.

Phrynium variegatum. — The plants seen on
the hawkers' barrows in the streets of London are
often a puzzle to many in more ways than one, for

in the first place it is surprising

how such well

grown plants can at times be sold for so small a
sum, and again, not exactly rare, but decidedly
uncommon plants may be met with exposed for
sale in this manner. I was certainly somewhat
surprised the other day to see half a dozen well-
grownandwellvariegatedplantsof thisPhryniumin
5-inch pots among a miscellaneous collection of or-
dinary subjects exposed for sale on a coster-
monger'a barrow. It is certainly a very pretty
plant, and those alluded to were examples of good
culture, but they did not seem to be much appre-
ciated by the general public, as a couple of hours
after I first noticed them five were still remaining.
Though so generally known as Phrynium varie-
gatum, this has flowered and proved to be but a
variegated variety of the Arrowroot (Maranta
arundinacea), so that this latter must now be re-
garded as the correct name. — H. P.

AURICULAS IN POTS.
Some of the finest sorts of Auriculas must hs
grown in pots if the cultivator would have them
bloom in the best condition ; it is a simple case of
necessity. In the first place, the named Auri-
culas (green, grey and white edges) and selfs are
80 expensive that they cannot ba, and must not
be exposed to heavy rains, then they are to some
extent constitutionally delicate, which necessitates
protection ; not that they are generally difficult
to cuKivate, for they can be grown with compara-
tive ease if only the treatment be correct ; but
attention they must have, and that constantly.
Just now — the plants having made their summer's
growth, they are commencing to fall away to their
autumn and winter's rest. The lower leaves
gradually turn yellow and wither, and they should
be removed, the soil kept stirred on the surface,
everything about them kept clean, and the plants
made as comfortable as possible as winter ap-
proaches.

It is good practice at this time of the year to
go over the plants closely to see that they are
doing well, that there is no trace of the insidious
rot in the main stem, that the woolly aphis is not
troubling them, and that they are cleared of green
fly. Some plants potted two or three months ago
may not be doing well ; when this is so they
soon show symptoms of ill-health by remaining
stationary, and it is well to turn them out of
their pots to ascertain the cause. Some young
plants in small pots may need a shift into pots
of larger size, especially if they are likely to
flower in the spring ; but it should be a shift
only, disturbing the ball of roots as little as
possible. The sooner such repotting can be done,
the better.

Watering is a matter needing close attention.
I am by no means in favour of keeping the plants
in pots so dry during the winter, as is sometimes
recommended. When allowed to go quite dry
the root-fibres perish, and have to be renewed
before the proper root-feeders are provided. I
keep my plants fairly moist — enough of moisture
to keep the fulisge in good condition ; watering
with care where it is needed, but taking care that
the soil about the roots is thoroughly saturated.
Where there is a good free drainage .and water
passes quickly through the soil there is little to
fear. It is when the drainage becomes choked
and the soil water-logged that danger to the

plants is imminent. In such a case as the latter
it is best to shake all the soil from the roots
and repot, using a pot just larse enough to
take the roots without cramping them. Timely
attention now may prevent losses later on. All
growers— even the most skilful and the most suc-
cessful as exhibitors — have their losses, and it is
always annoying to lose a flowering plant of a
fine variety. During autumn and winter let there
be ample ventilation all the while the weather is
favourable, and whether the plants be in a house
or in a frame it is well to have them near the
glass, with, as far as possible, a free circulation of
air below. In the case of very severe frost it is
desirable to cover up securely.

Can named Auriculas be purchased is the ques-
tion often asked, and it is possible to reply by
saying they can. The following may be obtained
at fairly reasonable prices : Green edges — General
IS'eill, Lovely Ann, Kev. F. D. Horner, and Talis-
man ; grey edges — Alexander Meiklejohn, C. E.
Brown, George Lightbody, Richard Headly,
Robert Traill, and William Brockbank ; white
edges — Acme, Beauty, Taylor's Glory, and
Silvia ; selfs — Black Bess, Heroine, Lord of
Lome, Mrs. Douglas, Mrs. Potts and Pizarro.
Here, then, is a selection from which a young be-
ginner might obtain a small collection to start
with. It is always well for the beginner to try
his hand at growing some of the commoner
varieties, and if he succeeds with these, then he
can add something choicer in the certainty that
he will succeed with them also. R. D.

HOUSING TREE CARNATIONS.
The incessant rain, coupled with an almost entire
absence of sun during the past fortnight or more,
has caused these plants, as, indeed, all others
that are still in the open, to have been literally
deluged with water time after time. Upon more
than one occasion of late the plants have been so
deluged with the rain, that water has stood to the
top of the pot, and during the past fortnight or
three weeks I have not once given water to the plants
At an earlier date, viz. , before the roots had taken
thorough possession of the soil, such repeated delug-
ings day after day would so quickly have soured
the soil as to have caused the loss of many plants.
And it is more than possible that the same may
yet ensue with the more established plants.
Much of the harm that may arise from these re-
peated soakings day by day, and with little or no
chance of getting sufficiently dry at the root to
keep the soil sweet and good, depends largely on
the individual vigour of any given plant. In
nurseries where these Tree Carnations are largely
grown they cannot be accommodated with pits or
frames, and, moreover, the houses they are to
occupy during the coming winter are usually not
available for them till well on in the month of
September. Under these circumstances the
plants are very much at the mercy of the weather,
and with this well impressed on the memory at
the beginning every precaution is taken that the
plants receive a very perfect system of drainage,
and further, that they are placed on a good hard
bottom of coal ashes. This is the most that can
be done, unless it be to place lights temporarily
over any kind of a known weakly constitution.
For the .summer growth of these plants I am not
prone to look with favour upon frames or pits,
believing they are far better in the full enjoyment
of air circulating about them. At such a time of
heavy rains as we are now experiencing, I would,
had I room_to adopt precautionary measures, in-
dulge in a' kind of skeleton frame covering of
lights without any side walls of any kind, merely
supporting the lights on a framework to throw
oft' the wet.

In the early part of the present summer, when
most of the stock had been transferred into S-inch
pots, the weather was very dry and equally try-
ing for the plants. As week after week passed
and no rain came, the plants, although given
ample room at the root and daily looked to for
watering, made no headway, and the little growth
that was made gave every evidence of running

prematurely to flower. This was so evident at
the end of June that it looked as though many
plants would be very thin and spare, and as such
produce but little winter bloom. Continued
sj'ringing overhead and through the plants was in
some instances productive of good, but the plants
were (juite powerless to make their usual free
growth. Shadiri_c the plants seemed to avail but
little. But when the rain came a few weeks
ago all those plants that were not irretrievably
dwarfed by a premature mass of flower buds
quickly benefited and commenced to develop
rapidly both in leaf and stem. Indeed, more
growth has been made during the past month
than in the ten weeks previous, and where the
premature flower-spikes were early removed, and
removed sufficiently deep to enable growth and
not a secondary weakly spike to appear, the
plants are as satisfactory as one could wish, and
now promise to give a good succession of spikes, and
these at a useful time. The rains, however, which
for days past have been all but incessant, are now
becoming serious even for large well-established
examples, and no time should be lost in getting
these under cover. In any case where this cannot
be done and where either no frames exist or where
the stock is too large for the supply of frames, it
will be well to lay the plants on their sides in the
event of any further heavy storms. After the
plants are housed, however, the fullest ventilation
should be given, and with the continuation of the
excess of moisture in the atmosphere, the merest
bit of warmth at night in the pipes will effectually
prevent an undue amount of moisture condensing
on the foliage and the disease sure to follow in its
train. In the case of white-flowered varieties
such as La Belle, La Neige, Mile. Carle, Mrs.
Moore and others, care should always be taken to
house these before the topmost buds are fully
grown, as when fully developed they are quickly
spoiled by so much wet. A year or two ago I
lost many blooms from the damp in this way
where I was not able to house sufficiently early to
catch the earliest buds, and it took days even after
housing for the plants to fully recover even with
the assistance of a little fire heat. Indeed, it is
surprising the amount of damage caused to a
flower even when one petal only has been injured
by wet at this season. E. J.

Clerodendron fallax,— This is usually re-
garded as a stove plant, and indeed, to be suc-
cessful in its culture it needs that treatment
throughout the greater part of the year, but when
in flower the blossoms remain fresh a good deal
longer in a cooler structure. This is more par-
ticularly applicable to those that bloom early,
say in August, as these succeed in the greenhouse,
but even later on they will do well in an inter-
mediate temperature. It is a plant of easy pro-
pagation and culture, as in the first place it can
be increased either by cuttings of the branches or
roots, while seeds are often produced, and when
sown the young plants quickly make their appear-
ance. Grown in pots only 5 inches in diameter,
this Clerodendron will form neat little plants,
which if carrying only one of the large terminal
panicles of bright scarlet blossoms make a goodly
show.— T.

Begonia Gloire de Lorraine.- This pretty
winter flowering Begonia, of which a coloured
plate appeared recently in The Garden, is now in
bloom with me, and unless we get very heavy foga
the same plants will continue to flower until after
Christmas. It is undoubtedly the best of its
class for keeping up a succession of bloom, and
its compact habit and bright green foliage are
further recommendations. Owing to the profusion
of bloom, it is a little difficult to keep plants for
stock, but with care and by taking oil" the flowers
they may be induced to break back below where
they commenced to flower. The cuttings should
be taken before they have made much growth.
Good cuttings may generally be had about March,
and these will make nice plants for flowering in
■'iinch pots the following autumn and winter. The
cuttings will root freely in the stove propagating

278

THE GARDEN.

[October 3, li

pitiflitrht sandy compost 18 used, the cuttings being
put in only just deep enough to keep them firm.
A compost of loam, leaf-mould, and well-rotted
manure, with plenty of sand added, and good
drainage will ensure "good growth if the plants are
properly attended to with regard to watering.
They may be grown on in apitorcocl house during
the summer, but as they begin to show flower in
the autumn a little warmth should be given. A
little liquid manure or artificial fertiliser will
assist the plants to keep up a succession of bloom,
but only small doses should be given and repeated
at frequent interval,-!. When well grown this
Begonia is unsurpassed as a pot plant. The coral-
pink blooms are also very pretty for cut bloom
and last much better than those of most Begonias.
—A.

Trees and Shrubs.

SPre-t:A ARLEFOLIA.
Will some reader of The Garden" give me the
names of the tliree most beautiful deciduous
flowering shrubs ! What I want must be large
and absolutely hardy throughout the United
Kingdom, always uninjured by winter or spring
frosts. I think Rhus Cotinus would be one of
them. One that answers this description is
Spir.-va ariivfolia, of which I send you a photo-
graph. This shrub flowers profusely every
season, and is. I think, when in bloom the
finest of the species. Spir;ea Lindleyana has,
perhaps, handsomer pinnate leaves, and cer-
tainly larger panicles of bloom, but not pro-
duced in anything like the same quantity, nor
is this variety perfectly hardy ; it sometimes
suffers in severe winters. It is a great pity
these large Spirseas are in bloom for so short a
time, two or three weeks at most. The smaller
ones, such as Bumalda and its handsome variety
Anthony Waterer, will, if the old blooms are
kept cut off, continue to flower for two or three
months. The plant here illustrated has been
planted about twenty years. It measures 14
feet 8 inches in height and the circumference
of its branches exceeds 50 feet. It illustrates
what has often been contended for in The
Gakden, namely, the advantage of planting
these fine shrubs in the open, not choking and
crowding them in shrubberies. One feature of
S. ariftfolia is that a small number of its leaves
turn crimson-red during the summer and much
enhance its beauty. — J. H. W. Thomas, Bel-
mont, Carlov.

*** The following three shrubs, viz , Pyrus
japonica, Pyrus malus floribunda and Prunus
triloba, will, we think, meet your requirements.
We should be glad if any of our readers would
let us know what they consider the three best.
—Ed.

THE USE OF FLOWERLESS CREEPERS.
To THE Editoe of The Garden.
Sir, — It is of the rational use and beauty of
wall climbers or creepers that I would write,
because I believe, speaking broadly, the so-called
flowerless creepers have been but rarely abused,
while they have undoubtedly added immenselyto
the freshness and beauty of the houses, gables
and blank walls now too numerous everywhere.
I do not altogether disagree with what
" M. T. E." says on p. 228, but I am, neverthe-
less, perfectly assured that there is another, if
not a better, point of view. There are, of
course, some architects, and even some few
rockwork buUders, who object to see their work
covered up by " beastly creepers," but, on the
other hand, so long as there are and remain to
us so many ugly buildings and miles upon miles
of hard and bare walls without any pretension

to shape, form or fineness of workmanship, so
long, I believe, the Ivy in all its varieties, and
the various kinds of Virginian and .Japanese
Creepers and the Vine will have a mission to
ful'll.

None of the creepers mentioned by " M. T. E."
will do much towards the " ruining of walls and
shapes of houses " if the houses are well and
soundly built and of fair proportions in the first
instance. I do not expect to see Uurghley,
Hatfield, Haddon Hall, or any really finely-
built house ruined either in structure or form
by any kind of plant life whatever. Fancy the
elevations, the gables, the courts and quad-
rangles of Oxford or Cambridp;e without Ivy,
Virginian Creeper or Vitis inconstans. Even
the fine Tudor brickwork at Hampton Court
gains quite as much as it loses by the creepers
that cling or dangle from its warm red walls.
Of course I freely admit that there are fine
buildings of noble masonry rich in carved

Elizabethan bouses, nobly-built churches and
country mansions, at present more or less
artistically draped with all the flowerless creepers
he namesand others, be stripped bare ( Which, I
would ask, is the more monotonous, vegetation
.such as is named at p. 228, ever changing as it
is in form and size and colour or texture, or
the noblest of buildings with its "sharp lines
and delicate masonry " without any vegetation

, whatever ? Again, on how few really large and
flue buildings are the "flowerless creepers"
named used alone? How often, on the other
hand, do we find flowering and flowerless, ever-
green and deciduous wall shrubs or creepers -
judiciously used together or side by side. Only
the other day I saw a noble Elizabethan house
of red sandstone covered with creepers from
the basement to the eaves, but so good and

' true in proportion was the whole building,
that the "sharp lines and delicate masonry"

1 were felt to be there, and to my mind all

Spiraea

a'/olia. Engraved for The GARDEN from a photograph sent hy
Capt. J. U. W. Thomas, Belmont, Co. Cwrlow.

work and other forms of appropriate decoration
that it would be most unwise to cover up with
vegetation, but, alas ! there are, on the other
hand, many ignoble buildings basely over-
decorated that cannot too soon be shrouded in a
mantle of living green.

The little really good architecture we have is
so small in proportion to the architecture that
is mean and ignoble, and it is so often in the i
care and keeping of those who appreciate it,
that there is but little danger of its being
ruined, or that its proportions will be destroyed I
by wall shrubs or creepers of any kind. As to
Vitis inconstans, at Boston, Mass., there may
be a sameness of efi'ect produced by its general
use there; but did " M. T. E." ever see the
Boston houses before the so-called " Boston
Ivy" mantled them, and when, as I am told,
they were dreary, ugly and bizarre to an
extent now-a-days not easy of comprehension?
Would " M. T. E." propose that all our really
fine historical buildings, such as the Norman
castles, abbeys, cathedrals, finely-proportioned !

the more perfect and satisfying because only
occasionally revealed. In the case of buildings
even of the best it but very rarely happens
that " beauty unadorned is adorned the most."
Even in the case of "ordinary modern houses
with bare walls,'' no covering of flowering shrubs
alone can be in all ways and at all times per-
fectly satisfactory, seeing that so many of our
finest flowering shrubs are also deciduous ones.
When we come to the question of the best wall
shrubs, we shall find that either or any ex-
treme will prove unsatisfactory. I mean that a
judicious combination of evergreen and de-
ciduous climbers is quite as essential as is the
combined use of the so-called flowerless creepers
along with the more showy flowered kinds. We
may in all large and in many small places use
some of the best kinds of creepers, viz., the
evergreen, the flowerless and the flowering kinds
together in due proportion, and, to my mind,
the very best and highest results can only in
this way be obtained. Are not the "bare
branches of the Jasminum nudiflorum, the yel-

October 3, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

279

low stars of which light up a December
day," all the more bright and beautiful as
seen springing from a fresh and glistening
green or bronzed background of one or other ot
the finer kinds of Ivy than they are as seen on
a bare wall ?

Although I do not go quite so far as
" M. T. E." and advocate the planting of Ivy
on north walls only, yet I am fully convinced
that, as a broad rule, Ivy is a shade-loving
plant ; the green kinds look fresher, and the
golden kinds colour best on a north or northern
exposure, and these facts cannot be too gene-
rally known. Far from being in any way
antagonistic to the spirit of what " M. T. E."
has so well and clearly written (p. 228), I to
some extent am with him, but in all questions
of this kind there is another way, as the old
cookery books have it, and I certainly should
never think of including the best forms of our
native Ivies and Vitis inconstans in a list of
coarse creepers. The words "coarse"and "fine"
are relative only, and, as the old proverb has it,
" Everything is fine that is fit ; '' and all wall
creepers of the best are fine if planted in the
positions and localities best suited to them.
When I call to mind the beauty gained by
cottage and palace, by colleges, mansions and
country houses of both farmer and squire all the
way from Land's End to Aberdeen — owing to
the appropriate use in many cases of flowerless
creepers such as Ivy and Ampelopsis or Vitis
— I really feel grateful to those who have used
them so largely and so well.

Finally, 1 may say that, however occasionally
they may perchance have been abused and
neglected, yet, so long as bare and ugly walls
and elevations and gables remain naked, so
long will there be a mission worthy of being
undertaken by the more extended planting of
these so-called flowerless creepers.

F. W. B.

Kitchen Garden.

TOMATOES FOR FLAVOUR.
Ix spite of the number of new varieties of
Tomatoes which have made their appearance
during the last few years, it is a fact that the
majority of them, like the majority of new
Apples, Pears and Potatoes, are in point of
flavour far behind some of the older, though
less cultivated sorts. A few years ago Toma-
toes were not eaten, as a rule, except in a cooked
state, and then the old dwarf Orangefield was
found in almost every garden growing between
the Peach trees on south, and Apricot trees on
west walls ; and I maintain that for exquisite
flavour that rugged sort has never been beaten,
and as to cropping, all gardeners can remember
how in fine sunny autumns the fruit hung like
ropes of ( )nions from summit to base. Later
on, when culture under glass commenced, this
variety was still grown in pots, and when sold
held its own against all comers. No sooner,
however, did the community acquire the taste
for eating the fruit raw— and the eye had to be
pleased as well as the pilate— than the smooth,
symmetrical forms at once took the lead and
have kept it ever since. As Mr. Iggulden truly
remarks, the corrugated varieties are usually
the freest setters and heaviest croppers, and,
with the additional fact that many of them
possess splendid flavour, I see no reason, but
rather the reverse, why they should not be
grown, at least in private gardens where Tomatoes
are much in demand in the kitchen. Of course,
as Mr. Iggulden points out, the market grower
must go in for the varieties that command the

best sale, and these are alone found in the
smooth, handsome forms ; but I find that many
customers of fruiterers in towns are complaining
of the indifierent flavour of these handsome
varieties, which was never the case when
Hathaway's Excelsior and Perfection were about
the only two non-corrugated sorts which found
their way into the market— two Tomatoes which
those who have proved their worth are not likely
to discard for perhaps slightly more showy sorts,
whose chief characteristics are a hard core and an
acid flesh. When judging at Derby last week I
was pleased to see Perfection so well represented.
The first, second, and, I believe, the third prize
lots consisted of this variety, and these and
other good dishes of it, which were not placed,
for the coinpetition was very strong, contrasted
strongly with other sorts, such as Ham Green
and Challenger, their appearance being alto-
gether superior.

I am sure there is no dift'erence between
many of the so-called distinct varieties. No
sooner is a good Tomato sent out than it is
almost certain to be re-named by some unscru-
pulous firm. I have tliis year several varieties
supposed to be distinct, but which I cannot
detect the least dift'erence in, either in habit
of growth, shape, colour of fruit or flavour.
Sensation I believe to be an improved strain of
Perfection, and nothing else. Chemin Rouge
is, I consider, a capital Tomato, taking on a
deep red colour, and possessing a first-rate
flavour. The wantof colour in many of the newer
sorts even when grown under glass is one of
their chief drawbacks. I think all will agree with
me in saying that Tomatoes grown under glass
are, as a rule, of better quality than those even
from open walls, to say nothing of those grown
on open quarters trained to upright stakes.
Although many who grow for market are com-
pelled from lack of capital to go in for open-
air culture, yet house culture, although in-
curring considerable expense at the outset, re-
duces the liability of disease to a minimum,
and renders the certainty of finishing autumn
crops tenfold greater than is the case with out-
door crops. Fancy a grower having half an
acre or an acre of Tomatoes which look as well
and promising as can be wished for up to a
certain date, and then from lack of sunshine
and continuous rains disease sets in and de-
stroys the lot, and this is often the case.
Cracking has set in badly in fruit on open walls
in this district, and from what I hear, the rainy,
sunless weather of the last fortnight is likely to
cause great disappointment amongst open-air
growers whose fruit was only just colouring
when the rain came. Corrugated Tomatoes do
not crack so soon or so badly as the smooth,
round ones. J. Ckawford.

Planting Asparagus in autumn.— I fully
agree with all that " C. (_'. H." writes anent the
putting out of young Asparagus plants in early
autumn. Although I should not select this time
of year from choice, where pressure of other work
or other circumstances prevented its being done
or completed in spring, it may safely be done now.
A season like the present is especially adapted for
autumn planting, the young plants starting into
active growth when the rains set in towards the
end of August, and with the first new growths
planting may be done very successfully.— C. H. D.

Winter Tarnips.- Owing to the drought the
crop of summer-sown Turnips will not be any too
plentiful, and even where they have made a fair
growth the roots in dry or poor soil are not worth
storing for early winter supplies, as they are hard
and flavourless. Few roots are so soon affected by
heat and drought as Turnips, and where large
supplies are required from November to early
spring a late sowing will be found much better
and keep sound till the spring sown come in. It

is surprising what rapid growth the roots make
at this season, as the soil is warm and there is
now ample moisture to support the young plants.
I am aware large roots will not be obtained by this
late sowing, but I do not find large roots desirable
for winter supplies. If the bulbs are as large as
cricket balls, they are large enough for keeping,
larger ones losing flavour and growing out quickly.
Another gain with late sown roots is their useful-
ness in severe winters, as if lifted in November
and clamped or stored in a cool shed they are
to great value. When sowing it is important
of give an open quarter and good land. A
quick growth being required, it is useless to
sow on land just cleared of an exhausting crop.
Such aids as burnt refuse ot any kind, or a
dressing of fish manure, will cause the roots to
swell rapidly, and quick growth means improved
flavour. As regards varieties for early autumn use,
few are equal to Snowball. This is an excellent
Turnip, and though recommended for early spring
sowing, it is so soon fit for use that I strongly
advise it for present sowing. Red Globe is just
the type for mid-winter use. If sown now, ger-
mination is rapid and the roots keep good well
into the spring, and are of first-rate quality. I
am a great lover of the Golden Bali type or
Orange Jelly. It is one of the best to supply the
table for late winter, keeping sounder than the
white-fleshed kinds. I am sure it would find more
favour if grown more largely for winter and early
spring use. — G. Wythes.

Potatoes.— I have lifted Duke of Albany and
Windsor Castle first and second earlies, and the
crop is all one could desire both in bulk and
fjuality. The former is a long way the better
early Potato I have found, ready a little before
Ashleaf— that is, tubers of fair size can be dug,
as a rule, a week before Ashleaf is big enough ;
the quality is excellent and the crop heavy.
None of the Ashleaf type can compare with it in
this respect. Of Windsor Castle it is impossible
to speak too highly. It is large without being
coarse, nearly perfect in shape, shallow-eyed, and
first-rate in quality. It is remarkable for the
proportion ol large tubers, the respective
quantities of ware and seed are this year more
than six to one. The crop of this Potato this
year averages a little over ten and a half tons to
the acre. One reads sometimes in connection
with Potatoes of the immense advantage pertain-
ing to a change of seed. It may be advisable in
some soils, but certainly not always necessary.
I have grown Duke of Albany ten years and
Windsor Castle since it first came out, and have
always relied on home saved tubers.— E. BcR-

KKLL.

Spurious strains of Coleworts. — It is

strange that seed of an inferior strain of both
the Hardy Green and Rosette Coleworts is often
supplied. Vet it is a notorious fact, and in
gardens where ground is scarce, disappointment
with this most useful winter vegetable is doubly
hard. I lately saw in a gentleman's garden what
should have been a batch of each, but which, from
their coarse, leggy character, were a disgrace to
the firm that supplied the seed. The gardener
informed me that they were the same last
year, and that the majority of the plants,
though transplanted in good time and given good
ground, actually refused to heart in at all. He
added that when living near London, where
hundreds of acres are grown for market, he
could always obtain the true Colewort.— C. H. N.
Growing late Peas witliout sticks.— In
hot, dry summers like the one we have just
passed through, where there is a daily demand
for green Peas, a lot of forethought is re-
quired to keep up the supply. This year^ I
followed an old method I remember the late Mr.
McLaurin, of Farnboro' Hill, used to adopt in his
hot, dry soil, namely to sow a portion of his late
Peas and allow them to run over the ground. He
used to have good crops in this way. This year I
adopted it more largely and am pleased with the
results. When I sowed the last row of Ne Plus
Ultra I also sowed a row of Stratagem ; these I did
not stake. They are most satisfactory, and will

>80

THE GATJDEN.

[OcrotER 3, 1896.

continue to give a late supply. When I dug the
first early Potatoes in the open craiden I drew
eome drills and sowed several quarts of Peas,
English Wonder, American Wonder, and Cham-
pion cf England. These after watering soon came
up, and although 1 did not give them any water
afterwards they have done well, and now^ middle
of September, are giving a daily supply. Cham-
pion of England is just coming" in and will con-
tinue till frost comes— D.iKstr.

Late Peas and mildew.— I am afraid that
in low situations Ute Peas will not be very
satisfactory. Owing to the continued rains and
stuffy atmosphere mildew is very troublesome, find
even on apparently healthy haulm the pods have
not set very freely and many of them are deformed.
Those who are expected to produce Peas through-
out September and have an unfavourable garden
for the purpose, should fmd out a good mildew-
resister and then keep to it, for there is a vast
ditTerence in varieties in this respect. I used to
consider Walker's Perpetual Bearer almost proof
against this malady, but it is badly atiected this
season, while Autocrat, growing alongside of it,
is so far free from it and yielding well.— J. C.

Late attacks of Celery maggot.— Some
gardeners of my acquaintance apparently ignore
the attack of the Celery fly after growth is well
advanced. I maintain that even although the
plants may have arrived at theirnormal size, much
harm results from a severe attack, as defoliation
renders them very susceptible to injury from even
a moderate amount of frost, and is the forerunner
of wholesale decay in wet weather. I always
keep a watch on the Celery and hand-pick as soon
as the disfigurement appears. I have observed
that attacks from this pest are more common in
close rainy autumns than when the atmosphere is
clear and bracing. Much of the Celery hereabouts
is badly aftected this season, and I hold that it
would pay market growers, even with their large
areas, to pay for hand-picking.— J. C., Xotts.

CROWDED CABBACxE BEDS.
With much moisture after a protracted drought
the growth of seedlings is more rapid, and in the
case of Cabbage, or in fact any .July or August
gown Brassicas, the growth during the past month
has been so vigorous that unless means are taken
to give the seedlings room to develop there will
be a weak plant unable to stand a severe winter.
Short sturdy plants are wanted, and even now, if
thinning has been delayed, it will greatly benefit
the plants to remove a portion, to give those left
room. 1 am not advising too early planting by
this thinning out, as if planted too early there is
another difficulty, the plants get too large, and
if they do not turn in should the [winter be mild
they often bolt in the spring. The last week in
September or early in October is soon enough to
plant if the seedlings are strong and short-legged.
On the other hand, where labour is scarce and the
plants spoiling in the seed beds, I am sure much
better results may be obtained by putting small
plants into their permanent ([uarters than leaving
them to become drawn. There is a mistaken
idea that it is wrong to plant the seedlings when
very small, but in such weather as the present
there is little fear. It is in dry bright weather
that there is difBculty. Even then I have planted,
assisting the plants by dipping the roots in a
thick puddle composed of clay, a bundle of plants
being held in the band and the roots immersed.
This dipping closes up the pores and preserves
the tender rootlets. As we now have much rain
there is no danger in planting much smaller seed-
lings if a sharp lookout is kept for slugs, and if
the plants are placed in shallow drills it is easier
to protect them also as a dressing of soot is
readily applied. In bad cases I have used weak
paraffin between the rows to advantage. In plant-
ing these early the coarse plants may be rejected
and those of medium size retained for spring
supply. Another point £()ually important to
those who have time is the value of pricking off
the seedlings into rows, planting them in their

permanent quarters in three weeks. This is an
excellent plan as it gives a much stronger plant,
at the same time easing the seed beds. Trans-
planted seedlings seldom go wrong as they winter
well and the plants come much earlier into use. I
admit the transplanting takes time, but it is
labour well spent. S. H. B.

Beet Cheltenham Green-top. — That form
of the Pine apple Beet known as the Cheltenham
Green-top appears to bo the favourite for market,
but lookinsr across a patch of it, the eye will rest
on plants having patches of colour in the leaves,
showing that the entire green leaved type needs
careful selection. Whoever selected this Beet
deserves credit for the rigidity with which the
work was done, for the stocks seen about the
countrj' are remarkably true, save an occasional
flashing out of colour on some of the leaves. It
is generally acknowledged to be a good keeping
Beet.— R. D.

Tomato Chemin.— This has been very good
on the open wall this season, and, as far as I can
see, was as early as any of the so-called early va-
rieties. With me it sets more freely than some.
But it is not on account of the above having done
well in the open that I send this note, but on
account of its heavy cropping when forced. In
pots here it is all one may desire and a good quality
fruit. I feel sure Chemm in many cases has been
used to get new varieties, but I do not think that,
with good culture, for weight of fruit and general
usefulness it can be beaten. When planted out it
is also an excellent cropper. Though I do not ad-
vise it for winter, there is no ditliculty in having
good fruits early in May if a pinch of seed is sown
in January.— S. H. M.

Keeping Onions.- It is often thought that
Onions require a frost-proof store, but such is not
the case, as I find there is no difficulty whatever
if the store is rain-proof and free of moisture. A
dry store is essential, and of course, to keep the
bulbs, thin layers are necessary, as, if laid in heaps
in the same way as Potatoes, the bulbs soon decay
if the air cannot freely circulate round them. In
a warm store there is loss by growing out and the
flavour is much impaired. I would also point out
the importance of keeping the bulbs dry previous
to storing, as, if allowed to grow out a second time
after the bulbs are matured, they never keep so
well. During the severe weather of February,
1895, my Onions were in an open shed with merely
roof protection, and did not suffer from the ex-
posure ; this shows cold does not harm them.
— G. W.

Planting Lettuces in autumn . — Many
Lettuces are lost during winter by too late plant-
ing, and in wet or unsuitable borders it is useless
to plant too early, as a full-grown plant soon
succumbs to severe weather. On the other hand,
too late planting at a season the plants cannot
make any roots is quite as bad. Many growers, who
require large quantities of Lettuce in the early
spring at a time they are most valuable, do not
plant at all, but leave the seedlings in the seed-
beds and thin out as early in the year as the
weather permits. Doubtless this answers in some
cases, but in very severe winters these plants are
killed level with the soil. For years I have
adopted the old-fashioned plan of planting at the
font of a warm wall or on a raised border as early
in October as possible. The plants must be short
and not drawn in any way. Firm planting is also
essential, with the assistance of a little dry
Bracken — thebestprotector; allowing theBracken
to remain over the plants after a severe frost till
thawed, there are few losses and a welcome supply
in spring. — S. M.

Cucumbers in pots for winter fruits.— I
have tried most systems for winter fruiting, and
the greatest difficulty with those who have a de-
ficiency of heat is the loss of roots just as the
plants are in full bearing. When manure is used
heat is soon lost and the plants collapse. It may
be urged that unless growers have every conveni-
ence it is useless to grow winter Cucumbers, and
as many are obliged to grow under difficulties I

would advise 14 inch or 16-inch pots, planting
early to get a liberal top growth, and not fruit-
ing "till the trellis is well covered. By using
pots it is an easy matter to renew linings when
more warmth is required without interfering with
the roots, and it is much easier when pots are
used to feed, as the food given is not lost, as in a
large border. Many fail by fruiting too early be-
fore the pots are full of root=, but if there i? a
good top growth, and the plant continues to make
new wood there is no fear of it dying. It is well
to secure as many surface roots as possible. Thefe
are best obtained by frequent top dressing with
rich soil and such aids as bone meal and dry cow
manure. As long as there are healthy surface
roots there will be good fruit.— S. H.

Some good Potatoes.— It is a pity that a
Potato exhibition on rather a large scale could not
have been organised for the present season, for
the crop is above the average, and individual
tubers are very fine and clean. The disease is,
unfortunately, strongly in evidence in low-lying
gardens, especially among the strong-growing
varieties, but on higher ground and lighter soil
from which the water gets away quickly there is
very little the matter. Bearing in mind the ex-
perience of two very dry seasons, I resorted this
year to deeper and wider planting, and early and
more pronounced earthing. The result is de-
cidedly satisfactory, the crop being all one could
desire. There is no doubt that given a light
sandy soil there is a great advantage in getting
sturd}', robust growth early in the season. A
recent note dealt with the crop obtained from
Duke of Albany and Windsor Castle. Both are
keeping well, and of excellent quality. The for-
mer has quite established itself as a first early
variety. Alike for earliness, quality, and from a
cropping standpoint I can find nothing to beat it.
The variety (presumably Duke of Albany) came
to me in rather a curious way. Some ten or
twelve years ago I purchased some seed of Cosmo-
politan, and among these when fully grown were
some half dozen very distinct roots that yielded
a line crop and proved very early. Every tuber
was saved, and the sort thus acquired has been
grown ever since from home-saved seed. These
who require in a first early a dwarfer habit amen-
able to closer planting cannot do better than try
Star of Reading, a very early and fine cropping
variety. King of Russets does remarkably well
with me, and the crop has this year averaged a
little over 12 tons to the acre, the tubers large,
clean, and shapely, and the percentage of seed
size only about one in 11 bushels. Other late
sorts, as The Bruce and The Saxon, are not jet
lifted, but a root trial of each indicates an excep-
tionally heavy crop. The latter is a new variety
to me, and I hope to report later as to its meritp.
If It is as good as it looks, it should prove a
sterling late sort. — E. Burrell.

GOOD AUTUMN CABBAGE.
Many do not grow specially for autumn sujjplies,
but I think there is a great gain in so doing, as
one gets better material, which is free of the
dreaded caterpillar. I am not much in favour of
leaving Cabbage planted at this season to give a
second crop the following autumn. I am aware
excellent tender heads may be had in twelve
months from time of planting, but is it well
to allow a crop to rob the ground when Coleworts
can be had of the best quality in one quarter the
time? I find much better results can be obtained
by growing autumn varieties. My first, and
what may be teimed reliable selection, is the St.
.lohn's Day. It may be termed a medium-sized
variety, but with good culture it is large enough
for all purposes. In shape it is of the Drumhead
type, with a very dwarf stem and dark green
leaves, these being folded closely over each other.
When cooked it is equal to the best spring Cab-
bage. It is valuable from now up to Christmas,
and not for sprouts or spring cutting. It will
stand early frosts better than the Colewort, as it
is more protected by its folding leaves. For sup-

October 3, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

281

plies at the season named I sow in June to get
small, compact heads. An earlier sowing will
give larger heads, but I do not care for mere size,
and I find those sown at the time named keep
grand)}'. For cutting through September and
October, early April sowings are advisable. This
variety is largely grown in the Maidstone district.
I notice there are special classes for it at the
autumn shows, and some splendid produce is
staged. It is a variety little grown in some parts,
but owing to its distinct character it is worth ex-
tended culture. Another very fine autumn va-
riety is Little Gem. This sown in April and May
produces compact heads through August and
September. It is a very dwarf grower and an
excellent variety in dry seasons, as the head being
so close to the soil keeps the ground cool and
moist. This is distinct from the Colewort, being
of closer growth and earlier. A new variety,
Sutton's Favourite, sent out in 1894, has proved
one of the most valuable autumn kinds. This is
larger than Little Gem, but intermediate between
that and St. John's Day. It is cone-shaped and
very solid. It is also recommended for autumn
sowitiw, but its value, I think, is for spring sowing.
This does not split in wet weather, and in quality
it is equal to an early variety, and being so com-
pact in growth, it takes up httle space.

G. W.

flowers are a great attraction. The plant appears
singularly at home in these nurseries, for even in
the last days of September the blossoms were
both large and tine in colour. Few hardy per-
ennials are so exceptionally distinct as this one,
and when it is stated that the plants have bean
wering for fully a month, some idea of its value
the border at this season may be formed. The
plant delights in deep rich soil.

Chrysantliemum (Pyretlirom) uliginosnm.
— Tall handsome bushes of this well known plant
are now crowded with flowers that are about 3
inches across. The florets are not pure white,
while the rather large disc does not improve
matters. There is plenty of rODm for and much
need of a good pure white form of this plant.
Where a dwarf bed of it is detired, this may be
secured ty cutting the plants down to within (i
inches of the ground early in June, the plants so
treated eventually blooming at about 3 feet high,
while the flowers are as large as ever and equally

Notes of the Week.

Chelone Lyoni. — This distinct late summer
and early autumn plant continues to produce its
rather quaint flowers of a deep rosy-lilac or
magenta shade. The plant is of sturdy and
vigorous habit, requiring ordinary loamy soil to
grow it well.

Anemone japonica elegans. — For the va-
riety it affords when associated with the red and
pure white forms the above is always valuable,
and is now in fine condition in a warm sheltered
spot. In more open spots the white variety has
suffered considerably. This is to be regretted ai
its place in the garden cannot be filled by any
thing so good or pure.

Acositum japonicum.— Compared with thi
other members of the genus, this is a dwarf and
sturdy plant, only reaching 2 feet or so high, and
producing its deep violet-blue flowers long after
the other kinds have ceased to bloom. Indeed, its
usual flowering time is September, and at this
time its colour is not frequent in the border. We
noted it the other day flowering quite freely.

Helenium autumnale grandiflorum
Among many fine things at the Hale Farm
Nurseries this is making a capital display of its
pure yellow blossoms that seem capable of
enduring wet and wind and cold with impunity.
Not only is it a useful hardy perennial for the
autumn months, but it is likewise valuable for
cutting, the clear yellow of its flowers improving
considerably in water.

Carnation Yuletide. — I send you a fev
blooms of my new perpetual Carnation Yuletide
The blooms were taken from plants that hav
been flowering continuously since September,
1895.— John FoRr.KS, Hawick.

*,* The flowers of this variety are of a rich
scarlet colour, well formed, and with little split-
ting at the calyx. It appears to be of strong
vigorous growth.— Ed.

Two good Tufted Pansies are Bullion (yel-
low) and Blue Bell. Both these I lately noticed
flonering freely on a heavy soil, in which Blue
Bell seems to be of specially high colour. In the
trial of these plants to be conducted at Chiswick
during the ensuing year, it is to be hoped that,
apart from summer effects, some notice will be
taken of endurance into the autumn, a matter of
great importance in relation to plants used for
he flower garden. — D.

Echinacea purpurea.— Quite recently
noted this fine perennial in excellent condition at
the Hale Farm Nurseries, where its richly coloured

Carnation Winter Cheer. — For the green-
house in early autumn this variety is undoubtedly
the brightest and most effective of the scarlet
shades. It is so much more easily grown than the
majority of Carnations included among perpetual
kinds that all who have a greenhouse should grow
it. Naturally of a somewhat vigorous disposition,
it should not be grown in too rich a soil, and pots
of 6 inches diameter accommodate it quite well
the first season. Cuttings rooted in January last
are now tine plants, many of which are carrj ing
thirty or more blooms. It is also an excellent
kind for beds in the open.

Begonia Westontirt Seedling —I lately
saw some masses of this seedling Begonia in
full bloom. This Begonia lelongs to the old
Emperor type and quite eclipses the large flower-
ing kinds. The flowers are rather long, with
pointed petals of the loveliest coral red colour,
and are produced in the greatest profusion well
above the foliage. It is far in advance of any of
the fibrous-rooted kinds because of its decided
colour, which is so desirable in a Begonia. I think
this lack of bright colours in the fibrous-rooted
Begonias is a great loss, and must tell against
them in time to come. Although I have tried
most of them in the flower garden in many dif-
ferent ways, I have never been pleased with the
results, the colours (which are mostly pink and
dull rose) are not telling enough. —T. A.

Pear Triomphe de Vienne.— In The Gar-
den- (p. 256) "C. C. H." asks if any of your
readers have any knowledge of the above Pear. I
received Triomphe de Vienne amongst a number
of other varieties from a French nursery about
nine years ago ; since then I have had ample
opportunity of testing its value. I consider it
second to none in point of flavour, not even that
good old sort Jargonelle, which, by the way, it
follows in order of ripening. I grow it side by
side with Souvenir du Congros, but for ijualicy
the latter is far behind ; in fact, I consider S. du
Congres has little but appearance to commend
it. In any case it cannot approach Triomphe de
Vienne. I have showed it on two separate occa-
sions, and each time it has been awarded first
place as the best Pear of its season (September).
I can recommend it to "C. C. H." as a capital
variety. I see it is taking its place in the fruit
lists of all our best nurserymen. — E. D.

Notes from Baden-Baden.— Galanthus Olga'
Reginaj opened its first flowers on September Ui,
notwithstanding the cold and wet season, thus
maintaining its position as the very earliest of
Snowdrops. Close by the delicate blooms of
Crocus vallicola dressed in creamy white attract
attention, as also does the deeply-cut, singular-
formed, and marbled foliage of a new Anemone or
Delphinium from Persia. A border is gay with
various species of Colchicum, Sibthorpi, gigan-
teum, and autumnale fl.albo plenum being the
best. Sternbergia macrantha is very good just
now : moreover, it has not the advantage of being
backed by the bright green leafage of Sternbergia
lutea. Hedysarum tauricum, with Pea-shaped,

bright purple flowers, promises well as a new
garden plant. Gerbera Jamesoni is flowering
freely, but the colour is not so rich as last year,
the effect of the rainy, cold weather being felt
everywhere.— Max Leichtltm, Badcn-Bccden.

Argemone hispida (Prickly Poppy).— This
very striking member of the Poppy family is now
in flower. In its general aspect the plant is very
picturesque, the leaves and stems remarkably
spiny and rough, the former being aleo armed
with stout prickles. The stout stem attains 2 feet
to 3 feet high and is terminated by a cluster of
buds. When fully expanded the flowers are of the
purest satiny white, with a cluster of yellow
anthers surrounding the ovary, thus giving it
a handsome appearance. Though stated to be
perennial — indeed, in its native habitats it may
be so — it rarely can be called so under cultiva-
tion in England, and is best treated as an annual
or a biennial. By sowing the seed in a greenhouse
or frame in January and planting in a dry and
somewhat warm spot in May, good flowering
plants result in the autumn following, or, if sown
late in summer, the plants may be wintered in
frames in 5inch pots and planted in a warm,
sunny spot in spring. Thus treatsd, these plants
create quite a distinct feature in the higher and
drier parts of the rock garden— a position well
suited to them. The flowers are each fully
4 inches to 5 inches across, and very effective in a
group by reason of their exquisite purity.

Societies and Exhibitions.

NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY.
Os Monday evening last a meeting of the general
committee of this society was held at Anderton's
Hotel, Fleet Street. Mr. B. Wynne occupied the
chair, and the attendance of members was good.
Immediately following the disposal of the usual
preliminary business a motion was carried unani-
mously that the president be requested to convey
to Her Majesty the Queen the heartfelt congratu-
lations of the society on Her Majesty's long and
prosperous reign, which has now exceeded that
of any previous monarch of the country. The
awards made to the exhibitors of miscellaneous
groups at the September show at the Royal
Aquarium were submitted for confirmation.

The secretary presented a rough report of the
financial condition of the society, which showed
a distinct advance as compared with that of the
same period last year, but he explained that more
support was needed to carry out in its entirety the
programme of the jubilee festival in November.
Subscriptions to this fund are still earnestly soli-
cited.

The annual dinner of the society will take place
on November 26, and the floral committee wdl
hold their annual luncheon on the last occasion of
their meeting in December. Mr. Moorman pro-
posed that tickets for the annual dinner be pre-
sented to the representatives of the gardening
press. New members, numbering forty-two in all,
were elected, and four societies admitted in athlia-
tion. The roll now stands at 84i> members and
135 aflaiiated societies. The secretary appealed
to the meeting do do their utmost to bring up the
number to lOllO during the present year, which
he considered would be a gratifying result of the
society's work.

Crystal Palace fruit show.— I regret to note
that at the great exhibition of British grown fruit
now being held at the Crystal Palace the fruit
packing classes are entirelj- abandoned. It
seemed two years ago, when these clisses were
established and lectures were given during the
exhibition on fruit growing for profit and fruit
packing for market, that the society were deter-
mined to expend at least some portion of their
energy in endeavouring to inculcate a taste for
fruit culture among a wider circle of land occu-
piers, and to teach the grower the vital necessity
of scrupulous grading and careful packing in

2R-:

THE GATJDEN.

[October 3, 189G.

marketing his produce. At the show last year
there were twenty-five entries in four clasees, an
average of six entries per clas?, viz. : Applep,
three entries: Grapes, seven entries: Peaches,
seven entries : and Tears, eight entries. The
j.>acking was a decided advance upon that observ-
able in the exhibits of the preceding year, and the
entries were more numerous: yet in the face of
these facts the society (or its schedule committee)
appear? to have speedily tired of its praiseworthy
attempt to encourage the grower for market by
offering premiums for high-class packing, and
has practically devoted all the prizes to gar
deners and nurserymen. I know that there are
others besides myself who are disappointed at the
abolition of these "educational" classes after
such a meagre trial, and I trust that the com-
mittee may see their way to reintroduce them
into the 1.S97 schedule.— S. W. F.

Public Gardens.

Richmond Park.— The town clerk of King-
ston ha* received a letter from Her Majesty's
Otfice of Works stating that details of the pro-
posed alterations to the local entrance to Rich-
mond Park have not been decided upon, and will
not bs settled until an available sum has been
placed at the service of the department by Parlia-
ment.

Tbe proposed earlier opening of Kew
Garden?. — The Richmond Town Council have re-
ceived a letter from Her Majesty's Office of Works,
stating thiit the First Commissioner has carefully
considered the points raised by a deputation which
recently waited upon him in reference to a pro-
posal for earlier opening of Kew Gardens, and
that, whilst fully appreciating the advantages
which would accrue to the public by advancing the
hour of opening, he is not prepared, in view of
the interference which would be occasioned to
those engaged in scientific research, to make the
order desired under present conditions. He will,
however, most carefully reconsider the whole
matter before next year to see if any arrangeincnts
could be made which would secure the quiet of
the gardens for students and at the same time
meet the wishes of the public generally.

A glut cf fruit. — Owing to their abundance
this year. Apples and Pears in South Lincolnshire
are remarkably rheap. The winds of September
20 have literally stripped the orchards, and the
best fallen Apples are not making more than two-
pence and threepence a stone, while a consider-
able quantity of bruised fruit is practically un-
saleable.

Ii9 Chrysantheme. — This is the title of
of the new journal of the French National Chry-
santhemum Society which has come to hand
within the last few days aid which is to be its
official organ. Although at first only a quarterly
publication, it is hoped to make it ere long a
monthly one. The present number contains an
announcement of the society's first conference,
which will take place at Bourges on November 7
next, the text of a circular to seedling raisers on
the subject of nomenclature, lists of the officers,
committees and members, the rules of the society
and a few literary contributions by the secretary
(M. C. Albert) and M. Fatzer. A special notice of
the jubilee U'U of the English N C.S. is also
given. — CiiKvs.4 NTH.

Early frost in NottF.— Although it is to be
hoped that the severe frost which recurred in the
first week in October last year will hot be repeated
in l!-!i(i, jet the fact that«e had last week a slight
frost should serve as a warning to gardeners and
urge them to protect tender things in the open by
temporary means. Late-sown batches of French
Beans, if important, .i^hould, where the beds are
quite a young state, be protected at night, &.
Marrows where the plants do not cover too great
an area. A little forethought in this respect,
which incurs no more than, say, a day's labour, if
alwajsamply repaid, even if the weather holds

open till November, as the gardener with a large
kitchen to supply can sleep with an easy mind.
.\ny Callfts now in the open ground will be lifted
without delay, as a slight frost practically ruins
them. Where small lots only of Chrysanthemums
are grown and no fruit bouse is yet clear of leaves,
it will be wise to erect a skeleton framework over
them and cover them with canvas at night as
growth is very soft this year. — J. CR.\wfORD.

The weather in West Herts.— The past
month was in mony respects a veiy remarkable
one. Taken as a whole it was about ftasonable in
temperature. Nearly all the days, however, were
more or lefs cold for the time of year, while the
nights, on the other hand, provei, with very few
exceptions, as unseasonably warm. Conseijuently
he range in temperature between the lowest night
and highest day readings was, as a rule, singularly
small. Rain fell on all but seven days, and to the
aggregate depth of ()\ inches, which is nearly 4
inches in excess of the average for the month. 'The
rainfall records for this neighbourhocd, which
now extend over f jrty years, show that there has
not occurred as wet a September during that
period. In fact the only wetter months have been
October, l,S65, August, 1878, October, 1S82, and
October, 1891. There was very little sunshine,
the mean record amounting to only about three
hours a day, whereae four and a half hours a day
would be nearer the September average. The air
was, moreover, singularly damp for the first
autumn month, and at mid day more humid than
in a seasonable October. — E. M., Berlhamsted.

Obituary.

MR. WILLIAM BROCKBANK.
Is the recent death of this well-known Lancashire
florist, TiiK Gakdkn |lofes an occasional corre-
spondent whose articles were always pregnant
with keen observation and good sense. Those
who knew him best were %veU aware of his sym-
pathetic heart and kindly disposition. He dis-
played this by taking an active and unobtrusive
part in the furtherance of local olijects relating to
the welfare of the people, and especially in the
matter of a water supply, and other sanitary un-
dertakings. At one time, actuated by a desire
that those among whom he lived should see some-
thing of the flower treasures he had at Brockhurst,
he threw open his gardens and grounds for the
enjoyment of those around him on Sunday after-
noons, but the privilege was abused rather than
appreciated, necessitating its withdrawal.

At Brockhurst he grew a very extensive col-
lection of plants : it is computed that he had two
thousand species with varieties almost innumer-
able. Some of the leading florists' flowers were
his especial pets, particularly the Auricula and the
gold-laced Polyanthus. Of the latter Mr. Brock-
bank raised Black Knight and Black Cap, both of
which received first class certihcatea at Manches-
ter in 1888 ; Regina and Ensign were also of his
raising, and I believe plants are still at Brockhurst,
Mr. Brockbank never having to my knowledge
put any of them into commerce. Many other
species of Primulas found a congenial home there
and were well cared for, as he had ample facilities
for growing them well. Mr. Brockbank also had
a large collection of Saxifrages, from some of
which he obtained seedlings, a fine lot from S.
McXabiana, but he seemed to care very little
about showing his productions in public. He was
a great admirer of Narcissi, and raised seedlings.
He may be said to have demonstrated the fact
that it is possible for double forms to reproduce
themselves from seed. The Hellebore and the
Leucojum were in considerable numbers, and I
think it may be claimed for him that, in his con-
tributions to the press, he did indeed assist to
clear up a good deal of the confution at one time
existing in regard to these genera. Mr. Brock
hank would often appear in print, maintaining
with great vigour the impressions he had formed
as to certain plants, and thou'jh he was sometimes
' incorrect in hie statements, he yet assisted to '

solve some of the diflSoulties surrounding the no-
menclature and culture of plants.

By profession a surveyor, he and his partners
in business carried out many important works,
having a large practice in surveying for railways.
The survey of the Manchester Waterworks was
made bv them, and in the preliminary surveys
for the Thirlmere scheme they took a leading part.
High class educational movements found in him a
warm supporter, and he was an active governor
of the Royal Institution of Manchester until it
was transferred to the corporation. Mr. Brock-
bank was a diligent student of science, a Fellow
of the Linnean and Geological Societies, and a
member of the Manchester Literary and Philo-
sophical Society. He contributed many papers on
botanical and geological subjects. Among others j
was a full and detailed account of the section ex- ;
posed in the railway cutting between Levens- ]
hulme and Fallowfield, illustrated by diagrams of ,
strata, and showing the passage from the Permian
formations to those of the upper coal measures.
R. De.xn.

Cutting down a dividing hedge.— The

hedge lietween my neighbour's garden and mice i
has urown to the height of ti feet (i inches. I j
commenced to cut it down to 4 feet 6 inches when
my neighbour sent in to tell me to stop cutting it
down. Am I compelled to allow the hedge to re-
main as it is ? I cannot grow anything near. —
A. W.

*,* Assuming that the hedge belongs to your
neighbour, if it overgrows a portion of your
ground you can call upon your neighbour to re- 1
move the encroaching shoots and can do so your-
self if he does not ; but you have no right to cut
down the hedge merely because it overshadows
your gaiden. You should try to come to a friendly
arrangement with your neighbour. If the hedge
is your property jou can of course deal with it as
you like— Ki>

Galls on Oak leaves (J. Malkfl).— 'Fhe galls
on the Oak leaves are formed by the grubs of one
of the gall flies, Spathegaster baccarum, but
they produce a gall fly which is different in ap-
pearance in many ways, and known asNeuroterus
lenticularis, which emerges from the flat galls or
spangles as they are often called in the spring and
lays its eggs in the male flowers of the Oak. The
action of grubs feeding on the flowers causes the
growth of the little galls known as currant galls,
from their resemblance to a bunch of Currants ;
the flies from these galls lay their eggs beneath
the skin of the undersides of the leaves, and the
grubs cause the growth of the spangles. These
galls seem very abundant this year : all the leaves
of some young trees in Staffordshire are covered

th them -G. S. S.

Names of fruit.— IF. Bi.w.— Apples, 1, Beauty
of Kent; 2, Xewton Wocderj 3, not recognised; 4,
Walthara Abbey ; a, New Hawthornden ; 6, Golden

Noble G. 7'— Pears, 1, Bellissimed'Hiver; 2, Ur-

banitte ; 3, not recogni>ed ; 4, Duchesse d'Angou-

lenie ; 5, Chaumontel ; G, Vicar of Winkfield.

R. Lake — Pears, 1, Jlurecbal de la Cour ; 2, Beurve

d'Aniaiilis; 3, lircKim Park; 4, Brown Beurre.

/•'. II'. Eiei-ilt.—\. CclliLi; 2, not recognised.

£«ameB cf plants.— ^nom —Bignonia jasmin-

oides. T. n'ilki>,sn,i.—l, Kleinia repens; 2, Pacby-

pliyton bractcosum ; 3, Sedmn carneum varieRatum ;
4, Sempei\ivum arcnarinni ; 5, Fianciscca calyeiua ;

<;, send lietter specimen W. Easton.—A good form

of Liclia pnrpurata, not at all uncommon. B. A. T.

—The Siberian Crab (Pyrus baccata), a good form.

Morton, Hereford. — 1, Ciipressus Lawsouiara

gracilis ; 2. Cnpressus nootkaensis ; 3, Abies Webbi-
ana var. Pindrow ; 4, Cedrus Deodara ; 5, Cupressns
Lawsoniaiia gracilis aurea ; 6, Biota orientafis var. —

£. fiJi/rr)-,;...— Tritonia (Montbretia) Pottsi. S. G.

— Bcrberia duleis. J. G.— Spira'a sp. J. McClel-
land.— Amaryllis reticulata.

Fifth Edition, nou' ready, heautifullv ilhiatraltd
medium Svo. -price Ifis. The English Tlower
Garden : Designs, Views, and Platis, tcilli Dcucrip-
tions and Illustrations of tlic Bent Plant.<. their Cul-
ture and Arrangement. London : John Murray, and
of all Booksellers.

THE GARDEN.

283

No. 1299. SATURDAY, Oclober 10, 1896. Vol. L.

"This is an Art
Which does mend Nature : change It rather ; but
The Abt itsku ib Natdbk."— SteiapaJr*.

Flower Garden.

NARCISSUS MOSCHATUS.
Mr. Bukuidge (p. 247) rightly calls this an
exquisite little plant. From what I hear, it is
greatly to be feared that it is on the point of
being exterminated in its native places, and that
we are therefore likely to lose it altogether, for
the gardens in which it will grow are few and
far between. In my own, despite all my ex-
pedients, it entirely declines to live, dying out
in its second or third season even when planted
in grass. I can flower it in great perfection
from seed, but the bulbs do not last after
blooming. I do not doubt that this plant is the
wild ancestor of our garden white Daffodils—
N. cernuus, albicans, tortuosus, etc., for not
only are flowers matching these in shape
severally to be picked out of the wild plants as
imported, but I have my self raised , directly from
the wild plant and without the intervention of
any larger garden variety, seedlings fully as
large in bulb and flower as these garden kinds.
One, indeed, still growing and fairly healthy
with me, is larger in both bulb and flower than
cernuus or albicans. As to the origin of N. mon-
tanus, my own actual experiments led me to
remark, in a paper printed in the R.H.S.
Journal, vol. xvii., August, 1894: —

From the white trumpet Daffodils— N. cer-
nuus, albicans, &c., and N. poeticus— I have
flowered a large number of Eeedlinge, which prac-
tically reproduce all the forms of N. Leedsi now
in cultivation, and among them flowers not separ-
able from N. montanus. I feel sure that this was
named and brought to our gardens by some
traveller who chanced upon it in a mountainous,
perhaps Pyrenean, locality where N. moschatus
grew in juxtaposition with N. poeticus.

I have actually crossed the wild moschatus
with poeticus, and have once or twice showed
at R.H.S. meetings the result, in a series of
small montanus-like flowers, of drooping habit,
and in colour varjing from pure white to shades
of apricot or salmon in the corona. I much
rpgret that these have almost entirely died out.
The rt cord of one of these and of its montanus-
like character will be found in the R.H.S.
Journal, vol. xvi., part 1, p. 114.

The only consideration which has led me to
suspect the existence of wild, white trumpet
Daffodils larger and robuster than this little
Pyrenean plant is that the seedling offspring

of the latter does not show th

vigour of N. cernuus, &c., of our gardens. But
even in N. cernuus and its fellows this vigour
does not endure long in my soil, and it may be
that my seedlings from the Pyrenean moschatus
would have made themselves more at home else-
where, say in the south of Ireland, where climate
and soil seem favourable.

G. H. Engleheakt.

Iris Haitwegi.— I am told by Max Leichtlin
that the whole secret of growing Iris Hartwegi
successfully lies in the fact that it cannot bear to
be moved when at rest, but that in the month of
April it can be divided and transplanted very
easily. This exactly accords with my experience
in Ryde, and I feel sure it is quite right. It may
be of interest to my friend " J. C. L." to have a
veritication of the idea I expressed, and if all be
well both he and I mugt try again in the month

of April next, if we can get hold of the right
thing at the right time of year.— H. E\vr..\SK.

Phormiums.- Two varieties o: the New Zea-
land Flax are grown at Buxted Park, being
planted out in the form of large clumps on the
grass in a sheltered position in the pleasure
grounds. Last winter the whole of the plants
stood unharmed, but when hard weather is im-
minent, Mr. Prinsep lifts each one with a big ball
of soil and lays it on its side under the adjoining
masses of Rhododendrons, covering up with Fern
and replanting in the spring. Both tenax and
Colensoi have bloomed and seeded freely.

Adonis vernalis.— Attention is directed to
this beautiful spring-flowering plant at this sea-
son, because in many gardens this is found to be
the best time for planting. Particularly does this
apply to light soils. It is also at this season of
the year that hardy plant dealers [are receiving
large importations of this in company with Cy-
pripedium Calceolus and such things. Under
these circumstances there are many advantages
to be gained by intending planters securing
their supplies without delaj. Too frequently the
planting of this beautiful subject is deferred till
spring, when the plants are in flower, and small,
unestablishei pieces have then but little chance
of success. In collecting this plant, in common
with many others, the plants are frequently torn
out and a mere stump of their former roots left.
Needless to say, there is always difficulty in
getting such pieces to grow. It is worthy of
remark, however, that these pieces, if placed
somewhat thickly together in cocoa-nut 6bre
in shallow boxes, keeping thern rather moist,
soon push new roots ; whereas in the soil, and
particularly heavy soil, these old roots very often
perish. I have repeatedly used cocoa-nut fibre in
planting this Adonis in heavy soils and with ex-
cellent results. In this part of Middlesex iri a
light loamy soil this plant grows and flowers with
great freedom, the roots often descending IS
inches into the earth where the soil is rich and
deep.— E. J.

Carnation Uriah Pike.— Mr. T. Smith's
notes on the distinctness of this plant have much
astonished me. There is nothing more vexatious
to me than to receive, after loud advertisements,
an old friend under a new name. But in Uriah
Pike, in favour of which all other red Cloves have
been dismissed from my garden, it seems to me—
and I have had it ever since it was first obtainable
— that we have an absolutely distinct and quite
first-class Carnation. To leave out of view its
pronounced tree habit, and to follow Mr. Smith
in writing of it as a border variety, I have found
it in form, colour, and scent of bloom and in foli-
age entirely new and different from any Clove
sold or grown in this part of England. Probably
Mr. Smith's "smooth-edged Clove" is something
not generally known. Of crimson border Cloves
properly so called, I know only three, viz., (1) the
old crimson Clove, which is slightly more claret
or maroon in its crimson than Uriah Pike, rougher
in edge, and prone to burst in a proportion of its
flowers ; moreover, it is different in colour of foli-
age from Uriah Pike, and entirely deficient in the
latter's habit of continuous flowering until frost. (2)
Paul Engleheart, a very dwarf plant, growing al-
most like the common white Pink where it does
well, which is not everywhere. This I did not raise,
but found in a Worcestershire cottage garden.
Its flowers burst a good deal, and it does not
flower in autumn, but is very fragrant. (3) A
variety not good in my garden. Its foliage is
very abundant and coarse, and throws up only
one spike of bloom, dull in colour, and scarcely
scented. This was given to me many years ago
under the name of Limber Clove. We certainly
have no Clove Carnation in the southern half of
England which is at all similar to Uriah Pike. If
such a plant has long been known to Mr. Smith
it is a very great pity he has not given us the
benefit of it before this.-G. H. EN(a.EHEART.

Having grown the above Carnation from

the time it was first distributed, and also the
old crimson Clove for upwards of twenty years

in large quantities, I think I may claim to know
something about these two fine border plants.
However good Uriah Pike may be as a pot
plant for winter flowering, it certainly is equally
so as a border plant. The fact that Uriah Pike is
such a fine winter bloomer should convince Mr.
Smith that it is quite distinct from the old Clove.
The following are some of the chief character-
istics of the two plants under notice. The true
old Clove is a dwarf, sturdy plant, with broad
leaves not unlike those of the old buff Malmaison,
and very liable to " spot " in damp weather, in
fact it has already begun. The flower-stalks sel-
dom exceed 18 inches in height ; the flowers are
very double and somewhat confused in the
centre, frequently streaked and splashed with
white, and the first flower frequently bursts the
calyx. The flowers are also notched. Uriah
Pike has a good deal of tho so-called tree char-
acter about it, viz., more lanky in growth, the
flower stalks frequently attaining to a height of 3
feet. The flowers are full but not confused in
centre, but the petals are well formed and smooth
edged. It seldom bursts the calyx. The perfume
is not so strong, but very delightful and quite
as sweet as that of the old Clove. Except in
colour, and to some extent in perfume, I fail to
see the slightest resemblance in the two plants.
Uriah Pike is unquestionably the more useful of
the two. At the present time I have some fine
flowers open in the house ; these are on old plants,
and these same plants will continue to bloom for
several months. In Uriah Pike I think we have
one of the finest border plants we could possibly
desire. My plants came through the past two
winters better than any other Carnation in the
garden, and I grow several thousands in a great
many kinds. — T'. A.

TUFTED PANSIES AT THE BOTANIC.
The executive of the National Viola Society are
hard at work preparing for a very extensive trial
of Tufted Pansies next season. A small sub-com-
mittee has been appointed to see to their proper
cultivation, and has already met and determined
which of those grown in the Royal Botanic Gar-
dens during the past season are worthy of further
trial. A number of synonymous sorts has been
agreed upon, and these, together with a goodly
list of older kinds and others not possessing any
particular merit, have been passed over in favour
of many of the beautiful varieties which are de-
serving of being brought into more prominence.
About a dozen cuttings of each sort have been
taken and as the number of varieties still retained
consists of some 210, the promise of a somewhat
large trial is by these means ensured. The
council of the Roval Botanic Society has very
kindly provided sufficient accommodation for the
propagation of several thousand cuttings, so there
should be little difliculty in obtaining a nice re-
presentative lot of each variety when the spring
planting season comes round. The effect of the
late trial was very considerably lost by the system
of planting out, all colours being mixed together
and no effort made to secure harmonious colour-
ing Selfs, fancy, or blotched flowers were planted
alongside each other, and the beauty of the
margined blossoms was also by these means lost
sight of In a trial of this kind the best results
are more likely to be achieved by plantine
varieties of a colour together. In this way it would
be a very simple matter to determine which
variety was best for bedding or for exhibition.
The relative value of the difierent varieties for
their colour alone, and also to test their value lor
the flower garden when taking into consideration
the value of their respective h»bits, would be a
matter that any ordinary observer could deter-
mine for himself ; and if it would be wise to keep
the selfs of each colour together, what better
could be done than to place the fancy sorts of a
shade with one another and the exquisite mar-
pined flowers by themselves V Under such con-
ditions the trial would be one worth seeing, and
should be more popular with the ordinary gar-
dener than the one which has just concluded.

284

THE GARDEN.

[October 10, 1896.

The report of the papers read at the con-
ference in the Royal Bot-anic Gardens in August
last is to be issued in book form, and as this
embodies the report of the committee of
the trial, and also of course the selections then
made, this little publication should be in the
possession of all interested in this useful hardy
flower. The hon. secretary would, I feel sure, be
pleased to hear from anyone wishing to send
varieties for trial, especially so as it is the
aim of the society to make the trial useful
to all growers of the flower. Regarding
the trial of 1S96, everyone will acknowledge
that the plants, in the end, did extremely
well, and, considering the long-continued season
of drought, it was remarkable how very quickly
they recovered after experiencing cooler weather
during the latter period of the trial. A timely
mulching of decayed leaf soil w as highly beneficial,
and contributed in no mean degree to alter the
whole state of atlairs. One distinct advantage of
a further trial will be that of giving several pro-
mising sorts another chance of establishing them-
selves in the public favour. Many of these, owing
to a variety of circumstances, never did well, yet
they are known to several private growers
who make a speciality of the flower to possess
most desirable qualities. Under ordinary condi-
tions these sorts are sure to stand out above many
of the others, and as they are equally well adapted
either for the flower garden or as exhibition varie-
ties, we are less likely to hear complaints about
aflbrding facilities for the increase of sorts unsuited
for the flower garden. D. B. Cr.\n

FLOWER GARDEN NOTES.
OsE of the most noticeable departures in flower
garden work within the last few years has been
the selection of certain specialities, doing them
thoroughly well and making them the most pro-
minent feature of the garden ; and although the
lover of hardy flowers would perhaps prefer such
things as Roses, Lilies, Carnations and the like,
the more tender things are so remarkably well
done and the display afl'orded is so efl'ective, that
one cannot help admiring them. Take Begonias
for instance ; one might cavil at the huge droop-
ing flowers whose faces were always hidden, and
which, unless protected by a carpet of greenery,
were splashed and dirty with the first heavy rain.
The erect flowering types are diS'erent, and,
80 far as medium-height plants are concerned,
they have been about the brightest of September
flowers. Specialists, alike in the trade and
private growers, as Mr. Geeson, who chronicled
his experience in a recent number, seem to be im-
proving the doubles in the direction above named,
and there is evidently a fine future for such a type.
How to grow the erect -singles thoroughly well
was shown last season at Hampton Court by
some remarkable plants of a rich glowing scarlet,
that must have been 2 feet high and as much in
diameter. They were planted thinly on a carpet
of Koniga varicL^ata, and were dense bushes
simply a mass of bloom. Fuchsias are now quite
a speciality in many gardens, and can, in the
many varieties of dwarf and slight or strong,
robust habit, be utilised if necessary for beds of
all sizes. If those in authority at our leading
London parks were not responsible for their intro-
duction for this purpose, they have given a won-
derful impetus to their cultivation alike in the
splendid plants provided and in the admirable
manner in which they are planted. Above all
plants, a Fuchsia should never be huddled up with
other things. Provide a shapely plant and give
it plenty of room, and success is certain. In com-
mon with Begonias, they possess the merit of
standing the autumn rains well, and will flower
till the advent of frost. I think the singles, or,
at any rate, small flowering doubles, are best for
the work. Doubles of large size of the Phenomenal
or Frau Emma Topfer type are too heavy. Paris
Daisies, both the white and yellow, make excellent
specimens, and their freedom and endurance are
unsurpassed. Alike for a large bed or long bor-
ders an excellent effect can be produced by plant-

ing them very thinly on a carpet of dwarf Be-
gonias of the semperflorens type. It must not be
forgotten at planting time that by the middle of
the season they will be 3 feet in height and as
much in diameter. It is difficult to assign a limit
to the size obtainable from strong-growing varie-
ties of the Ivyleavcd section of Pelargoniums ;
simply a question of time available for tying
and training. For bold grouping on a large scale
they rank among the finest plants. Very little,
if anything, in the way of large specimens should
be attempted unless plenty of time can be devoted
to them.

HoisiNG TENDER PL.vNTS.— Although, with the
exception of a very slight frost on the morning of
the 24th, we have not as yet had a touch of late
September frost, there is always the chance of
getting it, and that, too, sometimes after a wet,
stormy day when foliage is naturally susceptible
to its attacks, and it is, therefore, quite time that
all plants should be housed that one is anxious to
keep, such things, for instance, as Palms in
variety, Grevilleas, and any specimen plants
more than ordinarily tender, as Heliotropes.
Where this work is in progress, it will be advis-
able to lift any inmates of the flower garden re-
quired for potting up. A batch of the Paris
Daisies will come in very serviceable, and furnish
a good supply of flowers when the frost has made
an end of nearly everything out of doors. If
lifted carefully, well soaked, and placed in a late
Peach house under partial shade, they will feel
little of the removal. Flowers that are quite open
may perhaps go, but partially expanded blooms
and those yet to come will all develop satisfac-
torily. A batch of Marguerite Carnations comes
in very serviceable, especially for buttonhole
work, a white strain being particularly notice-
able both for size and substance. Where Cannas
have not been retained in pots, sufiicient can be
lifted to help with groups, as occasional house
plants, andthelike. Especiallyarethey usefulif one
has to group occasionally on rather a large scale
and more tender foliaged plants are not available
in quantity. Such sorts as Bariletti, Geofi'rey
Saint Hilaire, Paul Bert, and President Favre
show to great advantage in connection with
early- floivering Chrysanthemums like Desgrange
and G. Wermig and a collection of Starworts in
pots ; in the latter plants the shade of colour as
represented by Robert Parker is very telling.
The value of Starworts for pot work is as yet but
imperfectly known ; they come in at a most
acceptable time just before the Chrysanthemums
and stand very well, at least the majority of
them, as house plants. The great thing is to
keep them in robust health right away through
the summer, and this can only be eS'ected in a
season like that of 1800 by plunging the pots to
the rim in ashes or some such material and feed-
ing liberally and regularly. This remark holds
good in the case of all hardy plants that are
likely to remain long in pots. Any isolated beds
in the flower garden that have gone to the bad
may as well be cleared and replanted. There are
so many things that can be utilised for the purpose,
that it is a pity to have a lot of empty beds for
seven months in the year. A selection of the best
of the Polyanthus seedlings having been made
last spring, some beds can be filled with these,
that is where it is a question of being particular
about colours for individual places. I have never
noticed plants recover themselves so cjuickly
or so effectually as these same Polyanthuses.
We had a perfect plague of red spider this
summer and the plants were so liadly attacked,
that about the middle of August there was
hardly a sound leaf on them, and the lack of water
was all against young growth. Very soon after
the first soaking rain they commenced to grow,
and made such good use of the time, that by the
third week in September they were masses of
sound, clean, healthy foliage. If cuttings of
Pinks were inserted at the time advised they will
now be strong plants and may be put out at any
time. Beds partially filled" with taller hardy
things will be a suitable site. Will any reader
who has had experience with the new annual

Claremont.

E. BCRRELL.

Wallflower say if it is tender, or is the term merely
applied because of its quick flowering properties i
enabling one to treat it as an annual '.' It is cer-
tainly a remarkably good thing, and portions of

lers filled with it have been bright all the

mer, and are still (October 1) furnishing plenty
of flower. Of some flowers, notably Chrysanthe-

cs, it has been remarked, " One does not want
them all the year round," and Wallflowers flower-
ing away all through the summer seem perhaps a
little out of place. In their case, however, the
perfume is so delightful as to render them always
acceptable.

I'ANisii Iris — Since advocating planting the
above in (juantity where a large supply of cut
bloom is reiiuired, I notice in several catalogues
the cheapness of this beautiful flower, and that a
good mixture can now be had at 10s. or 12s. (id. a
thousand. Almost every bulb will flower, and this
means a big handful of one of the gems of the
garden for a few half-pence. In addition to
those established on sunny borders, 1 am planting
a batch this year on a north-west aspect. If they
take kindly to these quarters I shall get a nice
succession of bloom.

Lii.irii cAMiiDrM.— Now that two writers,
whose contributions are always read with interest
and profit, have chronicled their practical experi-
ence, I should be loth to say there is nothing in
the drying process, but still fail to understand
how a disease due to atmospheric influences can bo
met and conquered by such treatment. Here I
have the bulbs throwing up annually strong
healthy foliage, and nothing wrong is discernible
until the flower-stem is some 3ii inches in height,
and then the very tips of the leaves are the part
first affected. Whilst thanking my friend "E.J."
for his advice, I mean to try once again an out-
ward application, and, believing it to be purely a
case of spot or rust brought on, as I have said, by
atmospheric influences, think it ou^ht to yield to
a weak solution of sulphate of copper that proves
so efficacious with Carnations.

Helenium autnmnale superbum. — Under

the above name I lately saw some nice plants
growing in pots. It appeared to be a great im-
provement on the normal form, and I should think
it will be a most useful plant for decoration at
this season of the year. The plants referred to
were of various sizes; one in an 8-inch pot with
a single stem about 3 feet high had a very largo
terminal panicle of soft yellow flowers, spreading
out fully 18 inches and as much in depth. Other
dwarfer plants with several stems had smaller
panicles. It appears to be free growing and easily
increased. This should take the place of the yellow
Marguerite which has been found difficult to grow
successfully during the last few years.— A.

Sedum Fabaria. — This old-fashioned plant
makes a charming bed when left undisturbed, and
flowering as it does in the autumn it is doubly
valuable on that account. It is a very hardy sub-
ject, passing through the severest of winters un-
scathed, and in spring sending up plenty of its
succulent shoots well clothed with glaucous foli-
age, each one of which is crowned with a gocd
large head of pretty pink blossoms in the autumn.
Its culture is of the easiest description and it is
not at all fastidious as to soil, but at the same
time the better the quality of the soil within
reason the finer the flower trusses. Proi)agation
is easily efTected by division of the crowns, one
good-sized root when split up making as many as
five or six plants. This should be done in the
autumn as soon as the plants have done flowering,
and if planted where they can remain undis-
turbed for several years, they will not fail to give
satisf.action. It is a good plan to cast a little
fresh soil among the crowns after cutting .away
the old flower-stems, which prevents them from
becoming unduly exposed, and also presents a
neater appearance.— W.

Zauachneria californica.— I notice a query
(p. '23S) as to the soil required in which to flower
the above plant. I planted it here some seven or

)CTOBER 10,

THE aARDE:N.

'285

eight years ago in a very narrow border against
the south wall of the mansion and it flowers
excellently in most years. It came through the
severe winter of 1S94 5 without any protection and
flowered better during the ensuing summer than
it had ever done before; the plants were a mass of
flaming red for at least three months. This year
has also suited it well, or did so up to a few weeks
back, but it does not look so happy as it might
do in consequence of the successive heavy rains
and dull skies. I gave particular attention, when
planting-, to the drainage and on this I placed a
mixture, about 1 foot in depth, of the natural
sandy loam of this district, a little leaf mould,
road grit and broken brick. The border is
slightly higher than the broad gravel walk which
joins it, and the plant has crept forward so that it
now lies on the tile edging and overhangs the
walk. All the surroundings are high and dry, and
to this and the ample drainage I attribute the well
doing of the plants.— .J. C. Tallack, Liverviere
Park, Suffolk:

Lilinm candidum.— It appears from Mr. J
C. Tallack's note (p. 238) that home-grown bulbs
of the Lily are, with him, badly affected with
disease, also, that no importation has been made
which might have infected the home-raised stock.
I am not myself a convert to the infection-bypro-
pinquity theory advanced some months ago by a
correspondent, for, as I pointed out at the time, a
small clump of these Lilies was growing close to
a long line, the whole of which latter was ab-
solutely destroyed by disease, and yet never con-
tracted the malady. Neither, on the other hand,
am la bigot regarding my theory that the growth
from imported bulbs is particularly susceptible to
the disease, and were I shown a case where home-
grown bulbs were languishing while imported
bulbs were flourishing in close proximity (the
reverse of which I see year by year), I should at
once admit that the hypothesis needed considera-
tion. I have never stated that home-grown bulbs
are proof against the disease, but that, ca-teris
parihufi, they are less likely to contract it than
are imported batches. I have seen, this season,
two instances in which bulbs imported in 1894, and
which bloomed splendidly last year, have this
summer been badly marred by disease, while the
white Lilies in cottage gardens within a stone's-
throw have not shown a trace of infection. As far
as I have seen, imported bulbs flower well the
season after planting, but, generally, are lees
satisfactory the second year. A line of L. can-
didum imported in 1891 flowered excellently with
me in 1892, and in the autumn, unlike Mr.
Tallack's, madeperfectly healthy growth ; in fact,
no trace of disease appeared even in 1893 till the
stems were fully 2 feet high ; then, however, sudden
and disastrous collapse ensued, not a single
flower-spike escaping destruction. With the fore-
going experience I am inclined to lean to the em-
ployment, not of imported bulbs, but of those I
have heretofore styled home-grown, having in my
mind the fine specimens to be seen in the gardens
of cottagers, where, at least in this neighbourhood,
the disease seems practically unknown.— S. W. F.

BAKED LILIES.

Let it ba observed that (1) this soil is by
ture very hot and dry— thin loam on chalk-
so that in all average summers the bulbs get
well ripened ; (2) that in the fierce heat of such
mmers as 1887, 1893, 1896 the disease has been
virulent ; (3) that time after time I have tried
this remedy of lifting and baking, which was pro-
pounded at least ten years ago, absolutely in
vain ; (4) that in two cottage gardens, almost
within stone's throw of my garden, there are
clumps of the white Lily growing in deep shade,
here the sun never touches them and the soil is
never dry, which flower splendidly every year
and are never touched by a single speck of disease.
Consider these facts, and they must be found to
peak convincingly against anything like the
general truth of " E." J.'s" theory. I have no
shade in my garden, which is on an open slope
and exposed to the whole day's sun, or I could
grow white Lilies. In a neighbour's garden, which
is even hotter and drier than mine, there is a long
border containing many hundreds of them, and a
glorious sight they used to be, but now they fall
into rotting heaps every summer before flowering.
This latter garden is not 30 yards away from the
above-mentioned cottages, but no infection from
it has touched the Lilies there, and they continue
to be my yearly admiration and envy. They have
certainly not been lifted for the fifteen years in
which I have known them, and I think it likely
that they have been undisturbed for a generation
or two. The sun lets them entirely alone, and so
do the old dames, their mistresses, except to pour
the soap-suds of the household over them with
great regularity, so that they are never dry for an
hour throughout the year. As to lifting L. can-
didum ; where this must be done, as in the case
of market gardeners, for forcing or increasing
stock, the one and only time for the operation is
August, or even earlier, i.e., the moment the
flower-stems have been cut.

G. H. Engi.eheart,

Notes of the Week.

To question or contradict another man's theory
about the cultivation of a difficult plant, or to
start a rival theory, is of much less use than
simply to give one's own experience. Now all I
have observed in my own garden and in neigh-
bouring gardens goes distinctly against " E. J.'s "
notion of the value of sun-drying the bulbs of L.
candidum as a remedy for the disease. Fifteen
years ago my garden contained an abundance of
these exquisite white Lilies, free from spot or
blemish of any kind, and sending up annually
magnificent spikes of bloom. Shortly after that
date the disease appeared in this neighbourhood,
and, though I have fought it tooth and nail, it is
now impossible to grow a single plant to the
flowering point in my garden, and in ultimate
despair I have dug up and burned my whole
stock.

Crocus tpsciosus var. Aitchisoni.— This is
a fine bold flowering variety of this well-known
autumn Crocus, the flowers about twice as large
as in the ordinary form, though slightly paler in
colour.

Aster deosus. — This is one of the best of the
blue forms of Michaelmas Daisies, growing be
tween 2 feet and 3 feet high, and forming dense
bushes that are quite loaded with flowers. Its
compact growth, too, is much in its favour.

Spiraea Bumalda Anthony Waterer.— Some
groups of this on the grass in the Royal Gardens,
Kew, are still very showy with a profusion rf the
pretty heads of crimson flowers, that will continue
some time in good condition if frost keeps away.

Kniphofla Solfaterre. — This somewhat pro-
fuse-flowering member of this family has been
in bloom since early in August, and even now its
heads of rich clearyellow flowers are among the
most pleasing and refined, on account of their
uniform colours.

Vernonia Arkansoni. — This singular and
striking plant is in flower at the present time
in Mr. Ware's nursery, Tottenham. It has
compact heads of reddish-purple supported on
strong, erect, almost woody stems. The colour is
very acceptable at this season.

Diospyros Kaki (the Chinese Date Plum).—
A plant of this in the succulent house at Kew is
now bearing several large and nearly ripe fruits,
the latter of about the same size and similar in
colour to an average-sized Orange. Indeed, at a
short distance they could be easily mistaken for
this fruit.

Bouvardia jasminoides. — For the greenhouse
at this season it would be difficult to name any
thing with pure white blossoms more useful,
Compact plants not more than 9 inches high from
the pot are when well grown invariably covered

with blossom, and thus rendered of great service
either for cutting or for decoration.

Kniphofia Nelsoni.— A strong tuft of this
plant appears fairly well established in the Kew
rock garden, where it has attained to nearly 3
feet high, and produced half a dozen scapes of its
beautiful yellow flowers. This charming plant
would be an acqusition in the rock gaulen it it
proved to be among the more hardy of the genus.
Cestrum aurantiacum.— Just now a very fine
plant trained to a pillar in No. 4 house at Kew
is laden with its clear orange flowers, the latter
closely arranged in slightly drooping panicles.
The plant in question is evidently well suited
and being planted out may to some extent
account for its having attained to fully W feet
high.

Nerine pudica.— This is rarely seen outside
botanic gardens, and is just now in flower at
Kew. There are about six or eight flowers in a
seape, these being pure white, striped with red.
N. humilis and its variety splendens are also
flowering together with the brilliantly coloured
N. Meadowbanksi, which is among the most bril-
liant forms we have seen.

Gynerium argentenm.- The silvery plumes
of the Pampas Grass are now in their beauty, and
some handsome clumps— with many heads in a
forward stage of development, that are quite near
to some of the lighter and more graceful of the
Michaelmas Daisies— are very suggestive in the
garden at the present time, and may be worth re-
peating in the future.

Fuchsia coryrrbiflora alba.— This very dis-
tinct variety is now flowering in one of the green-
houses at Kew. The plant is distinct in its tree-
like stem, its great leaves, and, not least, in the
dense truss of its terminal clusters of flowers.
These latter are each 4 inches or perhaps more in
length, the tube pure white, and the reflexel
divisions of a crimson-scarlet hue.

Saintpaulia ionantha.— Something like a
score of examples of this exquisite little plant are
now flowering in the greenhouse at Kew, the
plants being crowded with blossom, to say nothing
of a profusion of spikes still emerging from the
leaf-tufts. These plants have been in bloom tor
two or three months past, and even now there is
not the least sign of any cessation.

Rose Laurette Messimy.- We need not re-
fer to the tempests and rains of the last thirty
days or so, but what is worth telhng, perhaps, is
that this beautiful Rose has gone on flowering with
us in all the trouble of the rain, and when there were
a few still hours among the tempests and torrents,
large and beautiful buds and flowers opened, some
of them good enough to send to a show.

Kniphofia Leichtlini distachyon.- This
very interesting and curious hybrid we noted re-
cently at Mr. Ware's, Tottenham. The head of
bloom is of a clear yellow tone, and the flowers
individually not unlike those of a miniature
Lachenalia and very short, so much so, that the
scarlet stamens protrude to more than double the
length of the flowers, thus giving it a very distinct
appearance.

Begonia echinosepala is a valuable plant
that attains fully 4 feet high when well grown.
The flowers are quite distinct from those cf the
usual run of Begonias from the fact that the
sepals are thickly studded with curious spmes
that render the flowers unique. Small plants in
5inch pots have a pretty eff^ect among hne-
foliaged plants. Some fine examples of this
Brazilian species are now flowering at Kew.

Kniphofia Pfitzeri.— This is one of the most
distinct of the modern hybrids of this useful race
of perennials. It is distinct, inasmuch as it is
quite free from any yellow or orange shading,
which is to be found in many varieties. And,
again, it is distinct in the great length of its club-
like flowers, which in colour are of a clear bright
crimson, inclining rather to vermilion, perhaps,
in the early stages. This and its much more
acutely-pointed spike as a whole make up a

286

T^HE OATJDEK

[OcroBEB 10, 1896.

welcome and useful variety in this line race of
plants.

Gloxinia maculata.— Several large examples
of this plmt are now flowering at Kew in the Be-
gonia house, the plants being nearly 3 feet high.
Uccasion.-illy this distinct species may be seen in
provincial towns growing as a window plant,
though by no means a good plant for the purpose,
as Its large and somewhat downy leaves are iiuickly
covered with dust, that cannot "easily be removed.
Ihe flowers are large and of a purple-blue shade.
South America.

Stobffia membranifolia is an exceptional plant
both lu foliage and flower that will make a useful
coiupanion to the better-known S. purpurea,
which has also an individuality of its own. This
for some time past has been flowering with Mr.
Ferry at his hardy plant farm at Winchmore Hill.
Ihe foliage is unusually large and broad, and
litewise distinct. Tha rav florets are of a pale
yellow colour. It is a striking plant for the wild
garden or large border.

Crinum Moorei.— This is, perhaps, one of the
most vigorous as well as free flowering of this
genus. For weeks past at Kew there has been a
display of Its handsome flowers from giant bulbs
growing in large pats, and at the present time in
one ot the large greenhouses there are about a
dozen of its scapes nearly or quite 3 feet high,
each bearing a profusion of its showy blossoms.
Ihe plant is very easily accommodated, and once
well established will flower freely and regularly.

Statice Fortunei.-This distinct and some-
what rare species is now flowering at Winchmore
Hill, where choice hardy flowers are receiving
every attention. It is a native of China, having
yellow flowers, or rather the buds prior to ex
pansion are clear bright yellow, but become
sulphur-yellow with age. When well grown the
plant attains a foot or more in height, its much-
forked corymbs of flowers being in distinct con-
trast to the blue shades so frequent among the
hardy members of this genus.

Zrigeron speciosus glaucus.— This is a
welcome and valuable perennial for late summer
and early autumn. At the same time it is quite
distinct in foliage and flower from all else in this
group. At Winchmore Hill Mr. Perry hag large
masses of the best kinds growing side by side, and
this variety stands out conspicuous, the deep
violet-blue of its masses of bloom at once attract-
ing attention. The flowers, too, are well formed
and <juite distinct, as are also the greyish glaucous
hue of Its leaves and compact habit of growth.

Calceolaria Burbidgei.-This is one of the
fanest and most effective of greenhouse plants now
flowering at Kew. The plant is grown in con-
siderable quantity, and, as a result, is making a
really fine display in No. 4 house, where many
plants have reached fully 9 feet high. The plants
assume a semi-natural habit, staking being happily
dispensed with. In this way the clear golden yel-
low blossoms with which the plants are well fur-
nished are very pleasing. This is an indispensabl
plant in all large greenhouses at this season of
the year.

latter are usually described as orange coloured,
but this only feebly describes the tine orange-
scarlet blossoms so freely produced by this plant.
No tiner subject for cutting or for the decoration
of border or rockwork could bo named at the
present time, though its greatest display is in
spring and early summer.

Eryngium Olivenanum.— This is one of the
hnest ot the Sea Hollies and is now in excellent
condition. It is a plant, by reason of its (juaint
and picturesque form, that is well suited to the
large rock garden. A large space at the top
would suit ID well. In such a position it would
receive full sunlight at this season, and in this
way its beauty would be enhanced. Moreover,
the singular and vivid colouring that pervades the
stems and bracts would be seen to advantage.
Generally speaking, a deep rich, though well-
drained soil is recommended for these plants, and,
indeed, in such they grow vigorously and well.
At the same time some of the best coloured
plants we have seen were growing in rather poor
and very sandy and warm soils.

Hybrid Geums.— Few hardy plants are more
useful than the dwarf members of this pretty race
for rockwork, and none more attracti\o than the
taller kinds for the border. Apart from those
already in commerce are some beautiful hybrids
that have originated at Mr. Perry's hardy plant
farm at Winchmore Hill, the hybrids having for
their parents U. montanum and G. Heldreichi.
Though somewhat late to see at their best, it is
quite obvious that these new forms will prove
among the most acceptable of hardy flowers,
particularly when well established ; indeed, at
the present time they leave G. montanum, the
species they favour most, much in the rear, one
variety being especially valuable, with flowers of
the exact shade as seen in the well-known Cheir-
anthus Marshalli, the flowers being fully l.i inches
across.

Hamamelis virginica.— This, which is the
sole representative of the Witch Hazels in North

America, is not

ing a shrub when

Chryeanthemum latifolinm grandiflorum

—This 16 a well-marked variety of this plant, well
deserving lie varietal name, and though large is
devoid of all coarseness of bloom or roughness of
hibit At Winchmore Hill Mr. Perry has a fine
bed of this useful variety thst has borne (luan-
tities of bloom for weeks past. The flowers are
of the purest white, wh le the ray florets are par-
ticularly noteworthy by their great substance
and rounded tips. Its very compact habit, too
places It in the foremost rank of these fine
perennials.

Gaum Heldreichi.— It is impossible to over-
estimate the value of this charming plant that
flowers on and off for several months in the year
the only thing needful to this end being to keep
all flower-stems cleared away as the blossoms
fade. ' ' —

flower as are the two Japanese species arborea
and japonica. Both these produce their flowers
during early spring ; whereas H. virginica very
frequently keeps up a dribbling show of blooms
from October to spring. This year, however,
owing probably to the unusual amount of bril-
liant sunshine, it has flowered earlier than usual
and much more freely. A large bush at Kew
was during the latter part of September as
thickly set with yellow flowers as H. arborea
generally is in spring, although the fact of its
11 bearing its full foliage has prevented it from
giving the peculiarly striking effect which is pro-
auced by H. arborea, whose flower-laden, crooked
branches are always leafless. Autumn, however,
a time when trees and shrubs in flower are very
scarce, and this Virginian Witch Hazel is on this
account most welcome. The thin twisted petals
are each three-quarters of an inch in length and
of a rich shade of yellow. After they fall the
calyces still remain, and do not drop off till spring.
Plants in bloom in September.— Chrysan-
themum latifolium has been very beautiful, giving
us abundance of pure white flowers. It seems to
defy the rain. Autumn Crocuses, too, have been
beautiful, as they are growing amongst grass that
is rather long and thus looks better. Sternbergia
lutea appears to have enjoyed the dry, hot
weather, which no doubt ripened it well, as since
the rain it has made a wonderful growth and
bloomed most; abundantly. Uianthuses never
have been so fine, and the double white is lovely
for cutting. These should be grown more for
this purpose. The Michaelmas Daisies never were
so good in our borders as this year ; the dry
weather reduced their growth and the rain which
followed has produced an abundance of showy and
useful flowers on strong wiry shoots. Nothing
gives more pleasure at this season of the year than
the various kinds of hardy Cyclamens. When

t^%b^e ':::^^'Zsiy;''''"''-"j^^'F ^^ ■--- - ihe g^r^h^/:;: cha^mi^'^i

be^^ Hu,tH^Tn i ' ,^ to supersede it, while have some here both in this wa> and on the border,
bemg superior m the colour of the flowers. These ' Rudbeckia Newmani has done well. It woultj

be difficult to find a more showy and useful plant
at this season ; enjoying as it does abundant
moisture this autumn has just suited it.— J.
Ckuuk.

Cotoneaster feigida. — Shrubs and trees
generally this year appear to have borne an ex-
ceptional wealth of fruits. Many of the Thorns,
for instance, have been almost weighed down
with their loads of red, yellow, or black haws.
The Cotoneasters, too, are very handsome, and
none more so than this species from the Hima-
layas. C. frigida, which was introduced in 1.S24,
is a loose-growing, spreading bush, 1(1 feet to 1.5
ft-at or more high. Its leaves are elliptical,
woolly beneath, and in mild winters a consider-
able proportion remain on the branches. Thff
flowers are w hite, and are produced very plenti-
fully in April and May. Its beauty as a flowering
shrub, however, does not give it the same value as
do its handsome bright red fruits. These are
each about the size of small peas, and thickly
furnish every part of the wood that was made in
18!>."). Unless they are attacked by birds— and
this only happens in severe weather— the fruits
remain on during most of the winter. For the
back parts of large shrubberies or for planting on
the outskirts of plantations this Cotoneaster is of
much value. It will thrive in comparatively pocr
soil and is perfectly hardy.

Australian Oranges.- A shipment of near'y
ISOU cases of Oranges from the Cumberland dis-
trict of New South Wales was lately landed from
the steamship Ophir. The Oranges were shipped
under the supervision of the New South W.i,;ei
Government, whose experts selected, graded, and
packed them, and they were consigned to the
Agent-General for the colony. The shipment
consisted almost entirely of second grade truit,
for which there is little or no demand in New
South Wales, but fifty cases of the finest fruit
procurable were included. The latter realised
exceptionally good prices, thirty-one cases sell-
ing for 2.!s. per case of 150 Oranges, while the
remainder fetched 17s. 6d. and I'Ji. Prices for
the other sorts ranged from 4s. to 16s. 6d., ac-
cording to condition, which was generally very
good, and the average price realised for the whole
consignment was nearly Hi. per case. Sir Saul
Samuel, the Agent-General for the colony, who
was present at the auction, expressed himself as
being highly gratified at the result of the ship-
ment. Its successful issue is likely to lead to a
systematic export trade of Oranges from New
South Wales to London, and it is stated that
between the second week in June and the end of
July each year the colony will be able to ship
from ."iii.uOO to 100,000 cases of Oranges quite
equal to those comprised in the present ship-
ment.

The cleaning of hot-water apparatus.—

From now onwards for the next few months the
apparatus for heating fruit houses will be at rest,
and an opportunity will thus be afforded for over-
hauling It. In the multifarious duties and
operations connected with horticulture this matter
is apt to be overlooked, more often from want of
time than inclination. It is time well spent, how-
ever, and in addition to examining the boilers
themselves, the Hues should be well cleaned and
all defects made good. Should the setting of the
boilers or alterations of flues demand attention, it
can be done much better while the fires are out
than afterwards, and the new brickwork will then
become set and firm before firing commences
agaii

When

e a re arrangement of the piping is
necesfary tfte same should be done now. Sound
pipes should be substituted for cracked ones and
leaky joints made good, giving all a coat of paint
afterwards if needed. When the boilers and pipes
are sound, draw off the water and wash out
afterwards to remove all sediment. If this is
done only once a year it prevents a great deal of
corrosion in both pipes and boilers taking place.
Living as I do in a limestone district, I find it
absolutely necessary to do this three or four times
a year, otherwise the boilers would fur up quickly
and soon burn through.— A. W.

October 10, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

287

ENYS, CORNWALL. I

Enys, the residence of Mr. F, G. Enys, is
situated close to Penryn, Cornwall, and though I
the sea cannot be seen from the house and '
gardens, yet in the drive near the lodge a
beautiful view of Falmouth harbour is obtained,
and it is one of those sheltered spots where I
many tender subjects are grown. The park is l
beautifully undulating, with some fine trees 1
scattered about — Larches, 8 feet 3 inches ;
Beech, 17 feet ; Sequoia, 10 feet 4 inches ; i
Plane, 8 feet 8 inches ; Scotch Fir, 8 feet 10 '
inches ; Silver Fir, 11 feet 10 inches ; Spanish
Chestnut, 10 feet 2 inches. The circumference
of each is taken at 3 feet from the ground.
There are also some very large trees of
Cupressus macrocarpa, but many were damaged
by the blizzard in 1884.

Near the house a Tulip Tree was in full
bloom at the time of my visit, and close to it
were a deciduous Cypress and a Hickory 50 feet
high) ; the contrast of colour "f the leaves of
these trees m the lutuinu i <i\ i ' ,

the second time much deeper in colour than
the first; Pittosporum tenuifoliumand a Maiden-
hair Tree (Ginkgo) strong and vigorous. The
Tea Tree of Australia (Leptospermum) was
in full bloom, and Fagus clifi'ortioides was
doing well. It is rather strange that though
the latter is evergreen in New Zealand, here
it is deciduous. Camellias are very beau-
tiful here, and usually flower for months.
There were some good blooms at the date of
my visit (June 13).

In the old formal garden are some interesting
plants, such as standard Wistarias, Grevilleas,
Magnolias, Erythrina, York and Lancaster
Roses, Smilax,Draca2na indi visa (true), immense
Kalmias, Chimonanthus, old Jerusalem Sage,
Snowy Mespilus, very beautiful in seed ; Eric-
botryajaponica,Aralias, and Magnolia stellatafl.-
pi. , very fine. A mass of the blue Chinese Bell-
flower(Platycodongrandiflorum)andHyacinthus
candicans was looking well. Olearia muscoides
and Veronica Traversi are growing well, but the
n I St interesting of all are grand plants of

The pond at Enys, Cornwall. Engraved for The Gajidbn from a pliotograph sent
hy Mr. P. C. M. Veitch, Eneter.

Close by are a large Flowering Ash, some choice
Himalayan Rhododendrons, Indian Azaleas,
Embothrium coccineum, and Benthamia fragi-
fera, beautiful with its delicate creamy calyx.
There are some strange traditions about some
of the trees here. A fine Lucombe Oak is
shown, and it is said to have been raised here.
It is said, too, that many Scotch Firs were
planted during the reign of James I. In one
part of the park is a splendid specimen
of the Canoe Birch with immense leaves,
and which was received as a " bine " round a
bundle of trees from some nursery at Exeter.
There are some immense trees of the English
Yew about 50 feet high, and they appear to
have formed part of a hedge at some time.
One of the most interesting plants is a wonder-
ful old Clematis, with a stem 1 foot 7i inches
round, growing over a large Portugal Laurel
and spreading over a great distance. In this
part of the garden are an ,\mazon Laurel, with
very star like white flowers and shining green
leaves, which when young are quite red in
colour ; Photinia serrulata, very large ; Mag-
nolia Lennei, flowering twice in the year, and

the blue and white variety of Myosotidium
nobile from Chatham Island. The flower-
spikes this season were 3i feet high, and the
leaves are very large and vigorous. Mr. John
Enys — who kindly conducted me round the
gardens, and is keenly interested in all the
beautiful old and new plants grown there —
brought these plants from their native habitat,
and cultivates them as near to Nature as possible.
They are found growing on sand-hills, and Mr.
Enys's are planted in good soil, but covered over
with a good layer of sea sand. This treatment is
evidently very eflective.

In the kitchen garden are found Chryso-
bactron Kirki, with its upright, yellow spikes
of flower ; Ranunculus LyaUi, which last season
bore eighteen flowers on a spike IJ feet high,
but is now not doing so well ; and an old
Mistletoe, which has been growing here for
years. The American Wineberry, with its
amber fruit, is growing freely here. The
garden walls were built with flues in them, and
the houses also were heated by flues, but they
are now being overhauled in an intelligent
manner and heated with hot water. The

grounds and gardens are in charge of Mr.
Prestly Hogbin.

The pond here illustrated is becoming a beau-
tiful feature at Enys ; long rows (150 yards)
of Primula japonica are growing along its
margin bordering a Lime-covered walk. Gun-
nera manicata is growing singly and making
a magnificent all-round specimen. Arums are
planted at the water's edge, as well as some
beautiful hardy Ferns. Olea fragrans is seeding
freely, and fine trees of Fraxinus ornus,
Cryptomeria japonica. Tulip trees, &c., are
doing well on the surrounding slopes.

Exeter. P. C. M. Veiich.

Orchids.

BRITISH ORCHIDS.
Amoxc the many species of the Orchid family
indigenous to Britain there are several well
worth the care and attention of hardy plant
lovers, but for some unexplained reason native
plants of any kind, if we except Ferns, seem to
be very little thought of unless it is by the
hawking fraternity, who in the neighbourhood
of many of our large towns tear up every root
of Primrose, Cowslip or Fern they can lay hands
on. Fortunately, these depredators of our
country lanes and hedgerows do not as a rule
pay their unwelcome attention to wild Orchids,
though when the supply of those plants men-
tioned runs short, as it must do in time, it is
diflicult to say what will be the next plant
attacked. The worst foes to the Orchids are
those well-meaning, but misguided folks who
see them in bloom, and, with the desire to pro-
cure plants for their garden, forthwith root them
up, oblivious or careless of the fact that they are
only in the middle of the season's growth and can-
not be expected to thrive or hardly live if dis-
turbed at the roots. We are now rapidly
approaching the time for transplanting these
native species, the growth of most of them hav-
ing died ofl", the new tubers in many cases
being fully matured. Now will be seen the
advantage of having marked where the finest
plants grow, as I advised some time since for
Orchis pyramidalis, and if the tubers are care-
fully lifted and planted again with as little delay
as possible into suitable soil, they will hardly
feel the removal, and in most cases will flower
freely the first season after transplanting.
Where the soil is not suitable for them, it must
be made so some little time in advance of plant-
ing. Some of the kinds do best in a fairly
sound loam with which lime has been freely
impregnated, most of the Orchis and Ophrys
species liking this treatment. Others, such as
Habenaria bifolia, grow as a rule in the shade
of trees where the soil is moist and consisting
often more largely of decayed vegetable matter, as
leaves, than of loam so-called. For these, equal
parts of peat, light sandy loam and leaf-soil
will be found a suitable mixture, and they must
be planted where moisture is abundant, yet
where the roots are not standing in water, so to
speak. In most gardens there are suitable
positions to be found for wild Orchids ; in
shrubberies or on the borders of woodland
walks or drives, under the shade of large trees
where few other plants would thrive, in the
rock garden or hardy fernery, or even in the
herbaceous border if not too much exposed to the
sun. In any of these places the plants will be
a source of pleasure, the quaint, yet beautiful
forms of some, the showy appearance or delight-
ful fragrance of others excelling many more ex-
pensive and rarer plants.

The Twayblade (Listera ovata) looks pretty
under overhanging trees in proximity to water.

288

THE CxAEDEN.

[October 10, 1896.

while for densely shaded positions in under-
wood or shrubberies the British Butterfly Or-
chid has uo equal. In a wood of several
acres here it is hardly possible to find
a space of a dozen yards that is not covered
with this beautiful plant, the hundreds of
spikes of white blossoms having a most delight-
ful appearance against the fresh green of the
surrounding foliage, while the air all around is
laden with their delicate fragrance. H. bifolia
is, I consider, ouly second in beauty to the
lovely little \Vood Anemone(A. nemorosa), which
it closely succeeds in the same wood. One of
the most easily cultivated of all is Orchis macu-
lata, which with its prettily spotted foliage and
pyramidal spikes of variously coloured blossoms
is familiar to all lovers of the country in June
and July. A partial shade is best for this, as
the fuU glare of the sun is too much for the
foliage, and it delights in a rather adhesive,
moist loam. O. latijfolia is a similar kind often
confounded with it, but really quite distinct.
The leaves are not spotted, the spikes are taller,
and it is usually found growing in very moist
places ; the flowers are of various shades of
purple. 0. pyramidalis is one of the best for
massing, the pretty heads of rosy pink flowers
having an elegant and eflective appearance at
the base of a rock or in any semi-shaded
position. The soil should be a sound loam, in-
clined to be heavy rather than light, and if a
little lime is present all the better. The Bee
Orchis (Ophrys apifera) is a pretty plant when
suitably placed, but is more diflicult to establish
than those named above. In the southern
counties on open chalky downs, such as in Hamp-
shire and Wilts, this plant is common, and the
flowers are freely produced in June or July.
Two or three flowers occur on each spike, the
lip closely resembling the back of a bee, hence
the specific name. The most likely place for it
to succeed in the garden is on the rockery,
where the soil should be made very firm, plenty
of old lime mortar rubbish being mixed with it.
There are several hardy Cypripediums, but
only one, C. Calceolus, is indigenous to this
country, and even that is practically extinct as
a wild plant. It is an interesting and beautiful
plant worthy of frame culture, though if it can
be made to thrive it looks well in a prepared
shady border. Crowns may be purchased and
should be planted 5 inches or (i inches deep in
equal parts of peat and yellow loam where good
drainage exists. The flowers appear in early
summer, and have brown sepals and petals and
a bright yellow pouch.

Many other kinds might be named, but the
above are the most distinct and easily grown,
and to anyone who ia interested in Orchids
and has not tried their culture they will prove
very attractive. Their structure is very re-
markable and beautiful. B.

iinffolk.

Masdevallia Chestertoni.— This ia a distinct
species belonging to the Chimora section, and,
like that kind, having remarkably beautiful ar
quaint bloseome. These are produced one at
time upon a semi-pendent scape about 5 inches
length. The sepals are greenish yellow, with
spots of very dark purple, each elongated into
almost black, tail-like appendage ; the lip inc
spicuous, dull red. It thrives well in suspended
baskets, and in this position the peculiar blossoms
show to great advantage. It may be grown
three parts of clean Sphagnum Moss to one of
peat, and must be freely watered during the grow-
ing season. It is a native of Colombia and was
introduced in iss.3.

Dendrobium rhodopterygium . — Some
plantsof this little known Dendrobe received some
months ago are now blooming from the imported

stems, and though, as may be expected, the flowers
are not very large, they are distinct from those of
most Orchids now in flower. The sepals and
petals are rose coloured, the lip bright purple,
streaked with a deeper tint. The pseudo-bulbs
are each upwards of 1 foot in height, rather stiff
and ungainly-looking, and it is a true deciduous
kind, the present of course not being its proper
flowering season. It is a free grower and does
well in the East India house while making its
growth, the alter treatment being similar to that
of this section generally. D. rhodopterygium is
a native of Burmah, whence it was introduced in
187,-..

Lselia Dormaniana. — The habit of this little
species is very distmct, the pseudo-bulbs being
very thin, about 8 inches or 9 inches in length,
furrowed, and bearing two or three leaves. The
spikes contain two or three blooms, each about
4 inches across, the segments olive-green, spotted
outside with purple, the lip crimson-purple of
varying tints. It does well in pots in theCattleya
house, and may be grown in a compost consisting
of ecjual parts of peat and Sphagnum Moss, used
in a rough, open condition. The flowers occur at
various seasons, and it is not so constant in its
time of growing and resting as some other kinds;
the treatment otherwise may be similar to that
recommended for L. I'errini. It is a Brazilian
plant, and first flowered in this country about
1880.

Lselia grandis tenebrosa.— A plant of this
fine Livlia has flowered on the young growth after
the manner of Cattleya gigas. Though this is
not by any means usual, I have before seen it,
and it may possibly be due to the amount of sun
e.vperienced this season. There is not the least
difference in the quality of the flowers and they
are of a fair variety, not so large or well coloured
as I have seen, but welcome at this season on
account of their distinct character. L. grandis
tenebrosa is one of the very best of this fine genus,
and delights in a full Cattleya temperature and
plenty of light while growing. During winter
the heat should never go below 5i)°, and enough
water must always be given at the root to keep
the growth plump and in good condition. — R.

ORCHID FLOWERS DYING OFF.
Will you kindly let me know why the bloom-
spikes of Oncidium crispum, 0. Marshallianum,
and O. sarcodes dry off when from 4 inches to
6 inches long. Several of my Cattleya Trian^i-
and labiata have black spots on this season's leaves
and flower-sheaths. — Perplexed.

*,* The decay of the flower-spikes of Onridiums
and Odontoglossums is a frequent cause of com-
plaint, and is brought about in most cases by
lack of vigour in the plants. " Perplexed," like
so many other correspondents, asks a question,
but gives not the least idea as to the mode of cul-
ture practised or the temperature the plants are
growing in. The Oncidiums named are all the
better for a little nursing treatment just as the
spikes are forming, a nice moist atmosphere and
gentle, steady heat being very congenial. Pos-
sibly the plants are in rather dry quarters, or
if in a house, in a position where drauj.'hts
of cold air play upon the young spikes. This'has
been the ruin of more flowers than any other de-
fect of culture, the growing points of the spikes
Ijeing much more tender than either young
growths or roots. This latter fact must then be
kept in mind and the plants treated accordingly.
If these are strong enough to bloom and are kept
in a comfortable growing temperature while the
spikes are forming, there need be no fear as to
the result. If, on the other hand, the plants,
from defective culture or owing to their not being
well established, have not enough vigour to push
the flower-spikes, then it is much better for them
to die off, or rather they ought to be picked off as
soon as seen. In this case find out what is wrong
with them, whether the roots are healthy or the
reverse, and whether they are in a suitable medium
for extension. A plant of either of these Oncidiums
may finish up a fairly healthy-looking bulb and

apparently be not in bad order, but the additional
strain of flowering proves too much for it and
consequently the spikes decay. But in all proba-
bility it is simply in the atmospheric conditions
that you have gone wrong, and if a house a little
warmer and moister is at command, I should ad-
vise the removal to it of any plants that have
sound spikes appearing. They will soon show
whether the change, has been for the better, and
in any case no harm will be done.

The leaves of Cattleyas become spotted from
various causes. A virulent fungoid disease termed
spot sometimes attacks them," appearing at first
as a small brown mark and gradually destroying
the tissue until the leaf is entirely covered. This-
is a very disfiguring and troublesome disease,
attacking strong and weak, healthy and unhealthy
plants alike, and nothing but cutting away all
diseased parts will save the plants from total de-
struction. Again, the spots may be caused by
sunburn, owing often to careless ventilation, the
house being left closed with the night moisture
still about the plants until the sun has power to
scald the foliage. Cold water may have been
sprinkled on them in damping, and in either of
the 'atter cases the injury is not likely to spread
after the cause has been removed. I cannot ad-
vise you further with respect to them without
seeing specimens cf the foliage and knowing
something of the conditions under which they
have been grown. — R.

L.ELIA PERRINI.
This is one of the most distinct of La-lias, and a
really handsome autumn-flowering Orchid of
great value where a display of bloom has to be
kept up. In habit it resembles a Cattleya
Trianic, but in many of the plants a distinct
bronzy-red tint will be noticed and the pseudo-
bulbs are usually rather straighter. In the type
the sepals and petals are of a pretty rose-purple
colour, becoming of a deeper tint at the tips, and
the lip is brighter with an orange-yellow blotch in
the throat. All the segments stand at about the
same angle from the stem which makes the flower
appear rather flat, and to a certain extent detracts
from its beauty. The culture of L. Perrini is not
difficult provided due attention is paid to the de-
tails given below, but it will not stand rough
treatment. In its native habitat it is found at
considerable elevations, and by the appearance of
.imported plants I should say that most of them
are collected from positions where they olitain
but little shade, for every one of the old pseudo-
bulbs has, as a rule, a flower-spike upon it, and as
soon as the plants are placed in the Orchid house
the new growths made are more elongated and
less stout than those on newly-imported plants.
It is evident then that no more shade than is
really necessary must be allowed, and the cool
end of the Cattleya house is suitable for it. It
may be grown either in pots or baskets as most
convenient, and when potting, select the best com-
post, so that disturbance will not be necessary for
a seapon or two at least. Plants newly imported
must be thoroughly cleaned before being potted
up in clean crocks. Water these daily and keep
up a nice moist atmosphere about the plants. The
basal eyes will soon plump up and the leaves
freshen, the young shoots coming away in due
course. Often new roots will be emitted from the
old rhizomes, and if this is the case, add a little
compost at once, or probably these will be injured
in doing so. Otherwise it is safest to wait until
the young shoots have attained a length of about
3 inches, when they usually commence to root of
their own accord. The treatment after this is
precisely the same as for established specimens,
and consists in growing them on with all due
speed consistent with a solid growth until the
flowers appear, afterwards letting them steady
down, and avoiding excitement until it is caused
naturally by the increased light and heat in early
spring. There are several varieties, including the
white one, alba or nivea, as it is sometimes termed,
irrorata, a very fine pale coloured form, superba
and one or two others more or less distinct. All

October 10, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

289

! are natives of Brazil, introduced at various times
t since 1831, the date of the introduction of the
I typical form.

Cypripedium Parishi. — This handsome and
robust- <i:rowing Cypripedium is a native of Bur-
• mah in'the neighbourhood of Moulmein, and con-
\ sequently'reiiuires a high temperature to grow it
1 well. In habit it is like a stroc-; C. philippi-

nense, and the scape carries several large flowers.
I The dorsal sepal is yellow, lined with pale green,
I the pouch purple and green. It does best in a
very open compost over good drainage, so that
plentiful supplies of water may be given without
reducing the compost to a close mass or keeping
it always wet. It may be freely propagated by
division, and if not quite so showy as many others,
it is well worth growing. The spring is the
safest time to repot or divide this species, water-
ing carefully afterwards until the roots have a
good hold on the new compost.

Cypripedium Spiceriannm.— The flowering
of this beautiful plant is an event annually looked
forward to by Orchid growers, its distinct and
pleasini; character and its value in keeping up a
show ot bloom making it everywhere a favourite.
The pretty blossoms with their distinctly striped
dorsal sepals are now too well known to need any
description, for it is one of those kinds — of which
several in the genus might be mentioned — that
once seen never fade from memory. Some of the
choicest and most beautiful hybrids have sprung
from C. Spicerianum, the vigour and attractive-
ness of the parent being usually reproduced in
the progeny. Though certainly a heat-loving
species, it is not fastidious in its requirements,
and only very recently I saw some very healthy
and thriving young plants in a mi-xed house con-
taining only a very few Orchids. Its culture, in
fact, depends wholly upon a little care and atten-
tion. The roots are persistent, and thrive in a
much more substantial compost than those of
many other Orchids. Good sound fibrous loam
makes a capital basis for this if kept in proper
condition by the addition of some hard, porous
material, as crocks or charcoal. Healthy plants
must be well watered all through the year, less,
of course, being needed during cold and dull
weather in winter than when the sun is more
powerful. Some growers use stimulants, such as
guano or liquid manure, but if properly potted
and well attended to, splendid results may be ob-
tained without having recourse to this. Many
named varieties are in existence, the best of all
perhaps being C. S. magnificum, a large and very
superior form when obtained true, though inferior
kinds are sometimes labelled magnificum. C.
Spicerianum is a native of Assam and parts of
East India, and is a striking example of the
variability in the price of Orchids, for whereas on
its introduction in 187S it was one of the highest in
price, it may now be purchased for a few shil-

Chrysanthemums.

CHRYSANTHEMUM VI VIAND MOREL.
This Japanese variety enjoys a popularity that
very few sorts can claim, and is as much es-
teemed for general culture as it is for the pro-
duction of blooms for show. As an exhibition
flower Viviand Morel is invariably at or near
the top of any audit which may be prepared
giving the number of times individual varieties
are placed in prize stands, thus proving it to be
one that cultivators for show strive to get in
good form. When at its best this is indeed
a magnificent Chrysanthemum. The colour
(silky mauve) is a shade most people like. In
formation it is the perfection of grace. Good
specimens measure from 7 inches to 8 inches
across and nearly as deep. Its florets are of
great length and droop in an arch-like manner.
Viviand Morel is an easy sort to grow. The

last year or two it has formed a habit of throw-
ing flower-buds on the young shoots during the
early spring months, which is not pleasing to the
grower, but that undesirable trait is easily got
rid of if the plants be cut back nearly to their
base. New shoots readily spring up. These
grow with great rapidity, and perfect flower-
buds in time to develop exhibition blooms.
The buds may not be secured early. By so
doing we lose the charming tint named, and its
flowers are white and pink of varying shades.
Buds that form after the 1st of September
will give the most successful results. Viviand
Morel is an excellent variety to grow as a
bush. Top the young plants in the spring
twice to secure about a dozen shoots on each.
These should be trained properly ; that is, room
for the shoots to grow must be allowed and all
superfluous side growths pinched away, finally
having but one bloom toeverystem. Sucha speci-

Chtysanth,

men is well depicted with thesenotes. Or, again,
the plant may grow almost naturally, with just
the principal growths tied and every flower-bud
allowed to open ; we thus get a charming mass
of medium-sized blossoms. I have planted out
this sort rather extensively, and find it a capital
one for the purpose. Many Chrysanthemums
do not form a bushy mass of roots ; these when
lifted fail to come up with a good ball of earth
attached, and thus get so great a check in the
operation, that the flowers refuse to open after
being placed under glass. Not so, however,
with Viviand Morel ; it is one of the best to
lift that I know. It also requires ample pot-
room and should not be oveifed. Nor would I
restrict the growth to a very limited number of
shoots. The variety will perfect half-a-dozen
handsome show blooms on a plant as well, or
better, than it wUl the orthodox number— three.
Viviand Morel has sported a fine bronze yel-

low flower named Charles Davis. This is most
handsome and equally popular with the parent
kind. Louis Lacroix fils, Toulouse, France,
raised it. It was distributed in 1891. I some-
times fancy that Lacroix is a raiser of Chrysan-
themums who is slightly neglected. Mile.
Marie Hoste, a most handsome flower, is by
the same hybridist who gave us Mile. Lacroix,
for a long time most esteemed, and still among
the most lovely in form of all the Japanese
types. By the same raiser are : Phabus, a
splendid yellow ; Guirlande, a pretty creamy
white flower ; M. Aug. de Lacvivier, very showy
orange-yellow, and others. Some of the latest
of the Toulouse strain — Mme. Louis Lacroix,
Mons. L. Lacroix and Rabelais— appear very
promising. H. S.

Chrysanthemum Mile. Therese Key.—

This excellent variety has for a year or two past deve-
loped a habit of producing blind
flower-bnds. In many instances it is
doing the same thing this season.
This trait is not at all welcome, and
considerably detracts from the
merits of a handsome and highly
esteemed sort. — H,

Chrysanthemum Barbara
Forbes. — I send you a couple of
blooms of my new early flowering
Chrysanthemum Barbara Forbes.
The blooms were cut from a batch
of about fifty plants, and most are
bearing from eight to twelve
blooms on a plant. There is no
difficulty in getting the variety to
bloom from the beginning of Sep-
tember to the middle of Novem-
ber. Queen of the Earlies and
Barbara Forbes were from the
game head of seed and are both
equally good. The former is a
little wider in the floret. — W. J.
Godfrey, Exmouth.

Chrysanthemums at Trent
Park. — A recent visit to this far-
famed collection was particularly
interesting in view of the eminent
position attained by the grower
last season. The collection as a
whole is looking very well, the
plants being in capital condition.
Among the newer sorts with
buds well developed were Mr.
A. G. Hubbuck, a very strong
grower ; Australian Gold, M.
Chenon de Leche, Dorothy Seward,
Western King, said to be a mar-
vellous white : Lago Maggiore,
an invaluable yellow ; Modesto,
highly spoken of ; Pride of Mad-
ford, Mrs. Weeks, Baron Alfred
de Rothschild, besides many
other promising sorts. The in-
curved varieties were in the pink
of condition, the Queens looking as well as pos-
sible. Most of the plants were coming nice to
time, a very important consideration. Among the
newer sorts were noticed Robert Petfield, D. B.
Crane, and Duchess of Fife with good buds. The
Tecks were particularly fine.— C.

Chrysanthemum Golden Wedding. — I
have seen plants of this sort growing in several
localities this year, and in every case free from
the disease which attacked it in all directions the
first year after its introduction from America.
It will be pleasing to sea nice blooms of the
variety. It is a striking shade of yellow and the
flower is a beautifully termed one. Great pains
were taken at the time to find out the origin of
its disease, and it was oven thought that some
new complaint among Chrysanthemums had been
imported. This fear, however, has happily not
been realised. — H.

Spot in the leaves.- Constant rain is appa-
rently the cause of a few sorts becoming covered

200

THE GATJDEN".

[October 10, 1896,

with bl;ick spots of decay in the leaves. This is
especially noticed in the case of the dark crimson
variety William Seward. Mme. Carnot is marked
in the same way, and both of these being tender
rootsd, too much moisture seem? to me to
point out the reason. I have placed puch plants
under cover, and they will not be put in the open
again unless the weather becomes finer. The
swelling flower buds do not appear harmed, nor
are live roots wanting. All the same, one does
not like the foliage to be in any way faulty.— S.

PLANTING OUT TOR EXHIBITION
BLOOMS.

'• H. S.'s" note p. I'.t'.t), to the effect that fine
foliage during the summer does not always mean
fine blooms on the show-board in November,
reminds nie of an experiment made some years
ago, which, though promising enough up to a
certain point, culminated in failure. I had
during the previous season seen a line of Chry-
santhemums grown for big blooms on the single
stem system which had been planted out in
front of a lean-to vinery and their blooms passed
beneath the front lights and brought under the
glass as soon as colouring commenced. The
blooms were large and deep, and set me think-
ing that perhaps a royal road to success might
be found in planting out and covering with a
glass roof when the buds began to show colour.
Next year accordingly, in a portion of the kit-
chen garden which sloped gently to the south,
I had strong uprights fixed and woodwork fitted
which could enable lights to be firmly screwed
down from the outside. The dimensions of
this structure were as follows : 20 feet wide at
back and front and 30 feet in length. The up-
rights at the back, which was at the top of the
slope, stood 15 feet out of the ground, while
those in front were 5 feet high from the ground
level. By the time this framework was com-
pleted the season for the final potting had well-
nigh arrived, and the natural soil was cleared
out to a depth of 18 inches, its place being filled
with fibrous yellow loam, with which a liberal
allowance of halt-inch bones and rough charcoal
was incorporated, some well-rotted manure and
dissolved bones being also added. Stakes cut
out of inch boarding, reaching to within Is
inches of the roof, were firmly driven into the
ground where each plant was to be set. The
structure accommodated, as well as I can recol-
lect, fourteen rows of eighteen plants, the rows
being 2 feet distant from each other and the in-
dividual plants 1 foot apart, or about 250 plants
in all. At planting time the ground was made
very solid by ramming and trampling, and the
plants soon began to grow vigorously and to
form very large and apparently healthy foliage.
The late summer and autumn proved wet, but
when the lights were fixed to the roof, as the
colour commenced to show on the most forward
of the buds, everything looked hopeful. Cur-
tains of oiled calico were at the same time fitted
to all four sides, which curtains could be pulled
up to the glazed roof or lowered to within 1
foot of the ground at pleasure. The plants,
which were confined to a single stem, ranged in
ueight from Mme. C. Audiguier, about 12
feet, in the back row, to the front row of
under 5 feet in stature, consisting of such varie-
ties as Meg Merrilies, Ralph Brocklebank, V'al
d'Andorre, and L'Adorable. The buds swelled
finely and promised huge blooms, but, with per-
haps a dozen or so exceptions, the whole 250
damped off and were useless for the show-board.
Thus a large amount of labour and outlay was
expended without result. Very po.ssibly had
the autumn been dry the experiment might
have succeeded fairly well, but in such a posi
tion there is no means by which the atmo

spheric moisture can be controlled, as is pos-
sible in a dry glasshouse fitted with heating
apparatus. Even in the latter, should the sun
shine upon the blooms, especially those of the
large incurved section, before the moisture has
evaporated, the petals soon show brown specks,
which shortly develop into transparent blotches
as the tissues of the petals are destroyed. For
this reason the blooms should be shaded from
the sun until the petals are perfectly dry.
Doubtless the blooms of highly-fed plants are
more susceptible to this disadvantage than are
those on plants more naturally grown, bush
plants rarely, if ever, showing this disfigure-
ment. My best incurved blooms, a batch of
Empress of India, were always removed to an
open verandah when the blooms were half ex-
panded. In this position no ray of direct sun-
light ever fell on the blossoms, and in no in-
stance during the five years that I exhibited
was there a sign of damping on the blooms in
question, though in the glasshouses many of
the finest incurved were lost through this cause.
Exhibitors should pay attention to what
" H. S." writes in regard to top-dressing, es-
pecially to the paragraph on the use of animal
manures for this purpose. I have seen cases
where such surfacing has become so sodden and
caked as to render it impervious to air, and a
detriment instead of assistance to the plant.
S. W. F.

Fruit and Vegetable Crops.

SUPPLEMENTARY.
Batsford Park, Moreton-in-Marsli.— Al
though the crops of last year, notably Apples,
were exceptionally heavy, there is again (juite an
average on most of the trees, while gome that
are nearly constant bearers are having a rest. It
was scarcely to be expected that the trees could
ripen so much fruit and perfect their buds for
this year, but a fine September possibly helped to
do this, as it was unusually hot. Scarcely any of
the fruit blossoms were injured by frost during
the spring, the few that were damaged not being
worth mentioning. Blister was rather prevalent
on Peaches and Nectarines, as indeed it usually is
when there are cold winds from an easterly direc-
tion, and these were experienced nearly the whole
of May. In June we had more rain than in many
parts and good growth has since been made. As
regards insect pests, the damage done has been
less than usual. On the other hand, birds of
various kinds have been unusually destructive.
While the drought lasted the birds seemed unable
to find their ordinary food and ate everything not
closely netted. Fruit on the whole is under
average size, especially that growing on walls.
This is doubtless caused by an insufficiency of
water at the roots in July and August, and not a
little has dropped off prematurely. Standard
Apples in an old orchard have average crops, in-
cluding Blenheim Orange and Hanwell Souring,
two kinds that are rather largely cultivated, par-
ticularly the former. Keswick Codlin, which
usually bears well, is light this year, and this
applies also to Stirling Castle and Warner's King
on pyramids in the garden ; other pyramids that
are bearing most satisfactorily are Lord Suffield,
Golden Winter Pearmain, Tower of fJlamis,
Beauty of Kent, Ecklinville, Magnum Bonum,
Margil, Cox's Orange and Ribston. Pears as
pyramids are fruiting on the whole better than
the Apples, and many of the trees required sup-
port by propping the branches. Williams' Bon
Chretien, Souvenir du Congrus, Clapp's Favourite,
Beurre Clairgeau and Vicar of Winkfield are very
heavily laden, and others, mostly of better quality,
with good crops are Thompson's, Beurre Superfin,
Beurre Diel, Emile d'Heyst, Durondeau, Duchesse
d'Angoulume, Doyenn6 du Cornice, Marechal de
la Cour, and Beurre d'Amanlis ; on walls the crop

is not nearly so good. Apricots had to be severely
thinned in a young state, as the fruits set in very
thick clusters. When ripe those left were smaller
than usual in consequence of the drought, but the
flavour was good. Peaches and Nectarine-^, as
before remarked, had the first leaves blistered, but
the trees were a picture when in flower. Dymond
does well each year ; Royal George, Alexandra
Noblesse, Bellegarde and Barrington are others
amongst the most reliable. All these are bearing
satisfactorily, the fruit on some being rather small
and on others better than usual— Alexandra No-
blesse, for example. Elruge, Pineapple and Pit-
maston Orange are the best Nectarines, but only'
a few fruits of the earliest varieties ripened pro-
perly ; they shrivelled and were of little use ; the
later ones may ripen better. Plums on walls are
a heavy crop where protected from bullfinches dur-
ing the winter either by netting or dusting with
soot and lime. Early Prolific (one of the most
useful for cooking), Orleans, Magnum Bonum (red
and white), Washington, Victoria, Kirke's, Purple
Gage, Braby's and Webster's Gages and Prince
of Wales, amongst others, are heavily laden. The
old Green Gage is still one of the best, but the
fruits are much injured, if not devoured, by wasps
before they have time to ripen. On trees in the
open there are only a few, the buds being much
injured by birds where unprotected. Dessert
Cherries do not succeed very well, but Morellos
are exceptionally good, the fruit being large and
clean. Strawberries were an excellent crop, fruits
large and scarcely any injured by damp or the
drought, the soil l)eing somewhat holding and
the surface mulched. Four old varieties are still
depended upon— Keens' Seedling, Vicomtesse
Hericart de 'Thury, Sir Joseph Paxton and Presi-
dent, and they succeed well outdoors and also for
pot culture. A few other varieties are grown in
smaller quantities. A new plantation is made
annually, and, as a rule, no plants are kept be-
yond three years, the first for the production of
runners and the two following for fruiting. Rasp-
berries bore well considering the dry weather,
Superlative especially, which grows rather high
and bears abundantly. Red and White Currants
plentiful and very good. Black Currants had
their buds much injured by birds and were un-
satisfactory, nearly a failure ; this is something
of a new experience. Nuts are very plentiful.
Walnut trees are very heavily laden, almost more
than the branches seem able to carry.

Considerable difficulty has lieen experienced
with vegetaliles in keepmg up the supply, as so
many have lieen atlected by the drought.
Lettuces, too, as was to lie expected, went to seed
rapidly, and young ones, unless sown in a per-
manent position and watered, were quickly burnt
up. Asparagus was an exception, as it did won-
derfully well ; and the same remark applies to
Globe Artichokes, which were very early and
plentiful. The first crop of Peas produced an
abundant supply, but successional sowings fared
very badly, the flowers being infested with thrips
and the foliage with mildew. Later supplies do
not promise anything better. The first sown in
the open were Chelsea Gem, Veitch's Selected
Extra Early, Exonian and William I. Gladiator
usually does well here and was the best amongst
others for succession, but not nearly so <iOod as
usual. Autocrat is also a good Pea. As so many
have failed almost entirely, but few notes and com-
parisons are possible this year. Nearly all the
early Cauliflowers were a failure. Pearl and
Autumn Giant seem likely to succeed and do
better. Onions came up better than last year ;
afterwards they were much checked and will be
small. Those sown in the autumn wintered well
and were most valuable in keeping up a supply.
Tomatoes have been good, being suited by a hot
season. Early Potatoes were of good quality,
although rather small, and up to the present
there is an absence of disease. 'The later ones look
promising, unless with the advent of rain they
should commence growing out. The root crops
started badly, or, at least, did not continue their
growth, but these sometimes get on well towards
autumn. The weather has been too dry for early

October 10,

THE GARDEN.

291

Celery, and, as gardeners generally well know,
■watering this or other crops has not the same effect
as rain. The air has been exceptionally dry this
season, and the weather was intensely hot in June
and July.— J. Garkett.

Penrhos Gardens, Holyhead.— Apples are
an excellent crop, much above the average, the
fruit very fine and clean. Pears are a very thin
crop. Cherries a very good crop and fine. Plums
also are a very good crop ; such kinds as Jefferson,
Kirke's, and Victoria are a heavy crop. Straw-
berries have been very fine. All kinds of small
fruit, such as Raspberries, Gooseberries, and Cur-
rants, are abundant.

The Potato crop here is very light, especially
the early kinds, but the tubers are quite free
from disease.- F. W. Everett.

"Willington Hall.— The fruit crops in this
district taken altogether are very good, the
Apples better than last year. Many kinds have
heavy crops, particularly Cellini, King of the
Pippins, Cox's Orange, Warner's King, Northern
Greening, Ecklinville, Mere de Menage, Ribeton
Pippin, Blenheim Orange, Kerry Pippin, and a
few other kinds. Pears are much below the aver-
age, after the heavy crops of last year. Beurre
Bosc, Doyenne du Cornice, Jargonelle, Marie L.
d'UccIe, and Hessle are the best. Peaches good.
Apricots a grand crop. Many kinds of Plums on
walls and standards a heavy crop. Morello and
dessert Cherries abundant. Black Currants a
heavy crop. Red rather thin. Raspberries good.
Gooseberries have been an enormous crop. Straw-
berry crop has been an excellent one. Royal
Sovereign has done well outside as also in pots.

The vegetable crops have been very good,
though the Peas have not been so good as usual
owing to the drought. Duke of Albany is my
best all-round Pea for main crop; Dickson's
Harbinger is my best early Pea, better and earlier
than William the First. Walker's Perpetual
Bearer is a grand late Pea, and stands the drought
better than any kind I have tried. Duchess and
Sharpe's Queen are very good.— Owen Roberts.

Kitchen Garden.

ASPARAGUS IN AUTUMN.
AsPAEAGUs seems to be going early to rest this
season, the stems already fast changing colour.
Although the season has been so hot and dry,
I never remember the growth being more satis-
factory. I have often wondered whether it
would be advantageous to leave the stems until
just before the beds are trimmed up, or rather
top-dressed in the spring, this being advanta-
geous to the majority of herbaceous plants.
As it is, I alway.s leave the stems until they are
quite dead before cutting them off, this being
done to within an inch of the surface with a
scythe. The beds at the same time have all
rubbish cleared off, and any cavities about the
stems caused by wind-waving are filled in, as a
safeguard against wet running down to the
roots. Wet often causes serious havoc to
Asparagus, the roots often dying in great
numbers. CoveriDg the beds in the autumn or
early winter with manure is not a good plan,
this in very many cases causing the roots to lie
wet and cold, blank spaces following in the
spring. Protection from frost alone. Asparagus
does not require, so anyone top-dressing it in
autumn for this purpose only, may as well dis-
continue it. The same may also be said where
manuring is carried out with the intention of
strengthening the roots. Where injury from
manuring in the early winter does not occur, is
where the soil is naturally of a warm nature,
being sandy and well drained.

In this garden there is a large extent of
ground devoted to Asparagus, both as perma-
nent beds and for forcing. Judging by past ex-

perience, I am confident that it does not require
such coddling as many people suppose. Any
soil that may be brought into condition for
the growth of good Potatoes would do equally
well lor Asparagus. The soil being light and
well drained, the future success of Asparagus
culture may be assured. Feeding with suitable
manure and other additions which may be
thought necessary for its well doing, will then
promote a healthy and vigorous growth. It is
where the soil is of a heavy, close, and reten-
tive nature that Asparagus will not succeed
under ordinary culture. With such a class of
soil as this to deal with, the heavy annual top-
dressings of manure further covered with soil
in the spring only make matters worse. To
add to the evil, this soil is obtained by paring
down the sides of the beds and also digging it
out of the alleys. The result of this treatment
is that roots are cut away and left bare, the
beds being altogether too high and dry. The
condition of these beds under such treatment
may be easily imagined during such a tropical
summer as we have just passed through. To
water such beds is impossible. In heavy soil
my system has been to raise the whole surface,
so that the beds are better drained, warmer,
and the roots have the benefit of the whole sur-
face. In some districts Asparagus is grown in
rows on shallow ridges.

Anything which may be collected together
of an open, sandy, and rich nature will suit
Asparagus. Burned garden refuse is admir-
able, so also are river and sea sand and
well decayed manure. Pond clearings, contain-
ing as they do decaying vegetable matter and
other rich deposits, are admirable for dressing
a quarter of sandy or other soil intended for
Asparagus. Such material must be laid up for
twelve months to become mellow, and further
improved by periodical turnings. Now is the
time to commence preparations, so as to get
the quarter into good condition for planting
next spring. Strong soils must be well drained,
then success with Asparagus will be assured.
One or two summer dressings of a good artificial
fertiliser, such as fish-manure, soot, and a little
salt, will assist in building up a strong growth.
These dressings should be given directly after
cutting has ceased. A. Young.

Witley Court.

Autumn Giant Cauliflower. — Heads are
iw commencing to turn in, the moister and
cooler weather having hastened growth to a re-
markable degree during the past few weeks. At
one time the plants looked as though they would
turn out a failure in spite of frequent watering,
the position they occupy being a warm, dry one.
However, when rain fell in sufficient quantity to
benefit the roots they started growing rapidly,
and as a result there will be an abundance of
heads for some time to come or until the Autumn-
protecting Broccoli comes in. I set great store
on the Autumn Giant for late work, and plant a
good breadth of it annually. It forms a splendid
succession to Walcheren (my favourite summer
variety), and if cut before the heads are too far
developed the flavour is then first-rate when
cooked. I generally sow the seed the first or
second week in March and again the first week in
April, and select in equal quantities the required
number of plants from both seed-beds. They
follow some early crop, generally early Peas, and
the ground being in good heart, no manure is re-
quired for them. Planting in drills about 0
inches deep is practised for more reasons than
one, foremost of which is the economising of water
when the latter is needed, or until the plants can
take care of themselves. The drills can be flooded
without a drop of water being wasted, as it is
then conserved and retained by the soil within
easy reach of the roots. After a time should it be
necessary, a final watering may be given, then

closing in the drills. The soil drawn in acts as
Ich a? it were, and the moisture is then re-
tained for a considerable time. The closing in of
the drills also steadies the plants, and, as a rule,
it is not necessary to mould them further. Where
there is a large establishment to be kept supplied
th vegetables Autumn Giant Cauliflower is one
of the most useful, as it comes into use at the fag
end of the season when late Peas are nearly over
and people begin to tire of runner Beans. For
pickling it is also much sought after on account
of its firm and solid heads, without which good
qualities. Cauliflowers are looked upon unfavour-
ably by those who prefer to make their own
pickles.— A. W.

Rosette Colewoit Cabbage.— Until recently
the dry weather has in many instances prevented
the setting out in quantity of this valuable little
Cabbage, but now that sufficient rain hat fallen
to moisten the ground to some considerable depth,
there is no longer any excuse for delaying plant-
ing. No doubt in some instances planting has been
unavoidably delayed, especially where kitchen
gardens are small,' until the lifting of part of the
Potato crop has been done, and before a plot of
ground of sutficient size can be had. The wet
weather having necessitated the lifting of the
main-crop Potatoes to prevent them from growing
out, plenty of ground will be at the disposal of
the grower, and the sooner the plants are got out
the better. There should be plenty of plants
available from the second sowing, and these will
grow away quickly and prove useful for cutting
from during the winter if planted at once. The
variety being small, close planting may be prac-
tised with impunity and the plants may be set
out 1 foot apart each way. The Rosette Colewort
is one of the most useful varieties of Cabbage we
have for autumn and winter work, and so much
appreciated is it here, that between 4000 and 5000
plants are set out regularly every autumn. For
spring cutting, the hardy green variety is the
best. " The seed is sown at two different periods,
, the first week in June and the first week in
July. The plants from the first sowing follow
early Potatoes, and those from the second, the
main-crop Potatoes. The earliest plants are soon
ready for cutting, and the ground ready for dig-
ging by the end of October, so that no hindrance
caused in the preparation of the soil for
spring crops. Of course this close cropping ne-
cessitates manuring of the ground being done
more frequently, but when the value of this
toothsome, well-flavoured Cabbage is taken into
consideration, this objection need not stand in
the way. In colder localities sowing of the seed
requires to be done earlier than mentioned. May
9, or somewhere thereabouts, is the orthodox date
for the first sowing, but that is much too early for
this part of the country. — S. E. P.

Beet.— A well-known gardener, who recently
expressed surprise that Turnip- rooted Beets were
not largely grown in preference to tapering rooted
ones, would probably not have thought so had he
been present at the exammation ot the varieties
grown at Chiswick this year, the outcome of
which was recently reported. There, out of so
many assumed varieties that they seemed to be
legion, very few indeed— practically only two stocks
of the same variety- of the Turnip-rooted came at
all well out of the ordeal, the flesh ot the roots
generally being coarse and much streaked with
white, "it is possible that in the north better re-
sults may be obtained from these Turnip-rooted
varieties than is got in the south, although gene-
rally they grow well here. Perhaps, as a rule, we
sow Beet too early and growth is too slow and pro-
longed. Sometimes at country shows, where
Turnip-rooted Beet forms a separate class and the
roots are cut to test character of flesh, a few very
deeply coloured kinds ot excellent quahty are
found, but generally there is not that same fine
quality which invariably characterises the beet
stocks of the long-rooted kinds. For summer and
early autumn use good Turnip-rooted Beet is
valuable, but it is very probably due to some ex-
tent to the warmth and often drought of the
period when making roots, that the flesh is so

THE GARDEN.

[October 10, 1896.

irregular. No doubt the best Beets are from com-
paratively late sowing?. The varieties grown at
Chiswick were sown early in June, and, judging
by the avenxge growth seen, th.\t period seemed
early, for two-thirds had developed coarse roots
and abnormal leafage, showing after all, if no other
good was done, how many were entirely unsuited
for garden culture. But then, comparing the
flesh of the best of the long rooted kinds with that
of even the best of the Turnip-rooted varieties,
there could be no doubt whatever as to which w.as
the more meritorious, the flesh of the long-rooted
kinds when sliced so as to expose it fully to view,
showed the richer and, indeed, beautiful colour,
flesh smooth, even, refined and juicy ; and when
cooked as pretty as the most exacting could de-
sire.—A. 1).

Thinning Spinach, in autumn.— It is sur-
prising what grand crops of Spinach are obtained
in a dripping season such as we have had of late.
Few vegetables show the eflects of early frosts
more than Spinach, the leaves being very tender.
On the other hand, I find by varying the treat-
ment one can secure good crops less liable to in-
jury. The early lot— often sown at the end
of July for winter supplies — if left in a crowded
condition is so soft and poor as regards size of
leafage, that it is injured by only a few degrees of
autumn frost, whereas when thinned and the hoe
kept going between the rows the leaves are much
finer, hardier, and in a better condition to resist
a sudden check. In fields Spinach is seen in
better condition than in garden?, because there is
less crowding, and frequently the hoe is used to
thin the plants This shows the importance of
free growth. For late winter or, more properly,
early spring use different treatment is given, the
plants being sown in the first week in September.
Much thinning is unnecessary, as growth is much
slower, and the plants make little progress till the
winter is past. These plants are invaluable, as
they give a supply till the spring-sown turns in,
and last long after the Julv-sown has run to seed.
-G. W. '

CAULIFLOWERS.
I vriTE agrea with most of what Mr. Wythes
(p 114) says on the merits of various Cauliflowers,
and probably the points on which we are not at
one are simply the results of differences of cli-
mate. For instance, Mr. Wythes winters Early
London in the open, a thing that would be im-
possible here in most winters, only one winter
during nine years, and that the past one, having
been sufficiently mild to allow Cauliflowers to
come safely through. Of course, this need not
prevent one from trying the experiment and
profiting by it in such exceptional winters, but it
would not do to place any dependence on the re-
sult being satisfactory. This will account for the
difference in date 'of cutting this variety in
Middlesex and Suffolk. Again, with regard to
Walcheren, there must be, as Mr. Wythes sug-
gests, very distinct strains sent out under this
name, and some of those I have grown have
turned out to be worthless. I succeeded a few
years ago in obtaining a most useful selection,
which comes in a little later than this variety is
supposed to do, but it is all the more valuable to
me, as it succeeds earlier varieties in good time and
brings me more into touch with spring-sown
plants than I should otherwise be, and I have not
to use the early forcing frames to raise spring
stock. Through the kindness of Mr. Wythes I
have been enabled this autumn to sow some
Walcheren of the stock he grows, and I shall
watch the result with interest. I think that the
only difference between the best selections of
Walcheren Cauliflower and Walcheren Broccoli is
one of name, as suggested by Mr. Wythes, and
that there is no need to purchase both if one once
obtains a good strain under either name, the only
uee of keeping two names being to give seedsmen
a chance of selling two packets of seed in the
place of one. Pearl with me is pure white, very
shapely, and of good size, and I believe it answers
in theee points to the description under which

was first distributed, so the pale yellow Chiswick
form cannot be true. Dwarf Erfurt Mammoth is
very fine indeed for the earliest crop, and while it
succeeds so well when sown in the autumn, I
shall never again try the Snowball type sown in
spring. Not that this latter has no value; it is, in
fact, indispensable when the autumn-sown plants
go wrong, but for weight of crop on a given area
it will not bear comparison with the Erfurt
Mammoth, and the Chiswick verdict appears to
have been again at fault here, as it classes these
two as the same. The fact is, another trial is
needed, and seed growers too should take greater
care of such easily crossed and spoiled things as
Cauliflowers and all members of the Brassica
family which flower simultaneously, for there ap-
pears to be no doubt that many poor strains that
want weeding out are in the market.

J. C. Tai.i..\ck.

Runner Beans as a wind-break.— I had

not previously to visiting Buxted Park seen run-
Beans employed to furnifh a windbreak to
an orchard. That, however, was so in this in-
stance, a double row of Beans lo feet in height and
quite thick, running the entire length of the or-
chard on its windward side, and to the dwarf trees
beyond, affording excellent protection. All the
same, the pod produce had been enormous,
had ample opportunity to test the value of this
windbreak, for there was a fierce hurricane blow
ing when 1 was there. — D.

Potato Prime Minister.- This variety, which
has rather long white tubers, though not kidney-
shaped, has this season proved to be, both on
chalk at Dorking and on sand at Egham, a heavy
cropper. There has been nothing amongst new
varieties seen at Chiswick for the past two or
three years that could compare with the splendid
crop and extremely fine tubers Prime Minister has
produced. Both chalk and sand have the repu-
tation of producing Potatoes of high edible excel-
lence, but the chalk grown tubers certainly seem
to be the best keepers.— A. D.

Pea The Mummy. — This is also known as the
Crown or Cluster Pea. How and where the type
originated does not appear to be known, nor is it
generally regarded as a species, but simply a va-
riety of the cultivated garden Pea. There are two
forms of it, one bearing white flowers, the dry
seed also white, and one with brown seed ; the
flowers two-coloured, the standards white, the
wings bright rose. Their growth is so peculiar,
that they deserve to be cultivated as curiosities.
The leaves, which are rather far apart at the base
of the stem, become more closely set towards the
upper part, where the flowers make their appear-
ance, not in regular tiers one over the other, as
in other kinds of Peas, but in a kind of cluster,
the stem becoming broader here and generally
fasciated, by producing a number of leaves, from
the axils of which the flowers issue. — R. D.

Late Coleworts. — It often happens one has a
good number of plants of a nice size left in the
seed-beds at this season after the final planting.
These may be made good use of if planted out
thickly, say in rows, 15 inches apart in the row,
with half that distance between the plants, in
fairly good land. I admit these late plants fail
to heart, but they make a nice growth and will
often be uninjured in severe winters when others
of larger growth are killed. ( )ccupying so little
space they are valuable for the spring cutting, as
they come in just ahead of early spring Cabbage,
and are of excellent (juality. As regards variety,
almost any strong plants of the Rosette or Hardy
Green will do. The latter makes lees head and is
less dwarf than the Rosette. ( >n the other hand
it is hardier. The Little (;em and Favourite
planted late have the same good qualities as the
Colewort ; indeed, I prefer Little Gem to the
Hardy Green for earlier supplies, say from No
vember to January. It is equal to a mild Brusself
Sprout in (luality, and just the size for table.—
S. H. B.

Good cropping Beans. —The French and
Runner Beans have this season been excellent in

uality, with no lack in quantity where well
grown and the plants given ample room to de-
velop. In the new climbing French Bean we
have a grand gain, as in future very few true
Scarlet Runners will be needed, the crop on the
new kind being so heavy and the (|uality so good
that no one with a scarcity of stakes need grow
Scarlet Runners, as these noted are superb and
give a heavier crop than the older Scarlet Runner.
When these new Beans were first introduced I
had my doubts as to their being continuous
croppers, but this douljt was speedily removed,
as last year I had splendid crops. This year,
with more plants, more space, and attention to
the haulm, the return far exceeds my expecta-
tions, the pods being perfect in shape and of a good
colour, superior in this respect to many runners.
For gardens where good Beans are required from
June till October the new type is of great value,
being much earlier than the true runner and also
bearing late. I make two sowings, and thus have
a good succession. — G. W.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1087.

THE TREE POPPY.
(dendromecon rigidcm.)
(with a coloured plate.*)
We have in this distinct and pretty plant — at
present, I believe, the only known species of
the genus — what promises to be a most useful
and ornamental plant among things of a shrubby
habit of growth. It is this essentially perhaps,
as the maximum height given for it is only
3 feet. As a consequence, it should make a
most desirable and pretty object for beds on the
grass or lor the front of the shrubbery, or,
again, in warm, sunny and well-drained posi-
tions in the rock garden. In any or aU of
these positions it is calculated to make both an
interesting and attractive plant— something
quite fresh and distinct in the combination of
its glaucous grey leaves and clear yellow.
Poppy-like blossoms. LTpon two occasions
only, I believe, this year has the plant been
seen at the meetings of the Royal Horticultural
Society, when Mr. Ware was the exhibitor of
quite small pot plants, from which the visitor
could scarcely realise the capabilities of larger
and better-established examples ; yet, small as
these undoubtedly were, they were quite
attractive enough to arrest the attention of
those on the alert for novelties. At Kew, in
the hardy plant department, however, a much
larger plant has been blooming this summer,
so profusely, indeed, that it has flowered itself
to death. This plant was raised from a cutting.
In its stead at the present time is a plant of
much greater vigour and possessing greater
promise, that has been raised from seed received
direct from the Californian home of the plant,
so that, provided it passes the coming winter in
safety — for the plant is even yet full of growth
— a belter idea of the established plant will be
forthcoming next spring or summer.

So far as is known of its requirements, a
warm and sunny spot and planted in a rich
sandy loam seem best suited to it. Belonging,
as it does, to the Poppy family, there is every
hope that a supply of seeds may soon be forth-
coming, since so many of this order are pecu-
liarly prolific in seed production. The coloured
plate with the present issue of The Gakdek gives
a good idea of the flowering sprays of this
plant, and in the lance-shaped leaves conveys a

* Drawn for The Garden by H. G. Moon in
the Kojal Gardens, Kew. Lithographed and printed
by J. L. Goffart, successor to Guillaume Severeyns.

%

2
q

October 10, 1896.]

THE GAEDEK

293

good idea of the foliage on small plants. In the
more vigorous plant now growing at Kew the
leaves are more broadly lance-shaped, inclining
to ovate-lanceolate. The plant has a stiff, erect
habit of growth, which is also bushy and com-
pact. In this instance the shrubby habit and
Poppy-like flower-heads render the name of
Tree Poppy an appropriate one. E. J.

The Week's Work.

KITCHEN GARDEN.

CAnuFLOWERS.— Young plants of these raised at
the end of August or early in September should
now be ready for putting into their winter
quarters. Some of the biggest may be carefully
lifted from the seed bed and planted in favourable
positions under south walls, where they will, if the
winter is kind, come safely through and be ready
for use well in advance of those which have again
to be transplanted in spring. It is only fair to
add that winters which permit plants to exist in
such positions here are very rare indeed, and I
never depend on the practice for a crop, neither
do I recommend it except as a bare chance where
there is plenty of plants to risk. Of course
there are many gardens in the country situated in
favoured spots, as, for instance, near the south
coast, where failures are as rare as are successes
in colder situations, and for such no plan can
answer better, as the plants become well established
before winter, and are in the best position for
growing. Little, if any, manure should be dug in
for these plants, and where my advice to give
a good dressing of gas lime to the soil for Toma-
toes on the walls was followed, the same soil will
be in good condition for the Cauliflowers, and any
further feeding they may want will be best given
as a mulch in spring. A slight breaking up of
the soil is all that will be neeessary in the way of
preparation ; the plants may then ba planted
firmly at about 15 inches apart and deep enough to
prevent high winds from twisting them at the
collar. Another system, and one which is safer,
is to plant under handlights on a warm border,
as in this way the plants may be better protected
in severe frosts and ventilation can be readily re-
gulated in accordance with the weather. Four
permanent plants, one near each corner of the
handlight, isa suitable number, and the intervening
spaces may be utilised for a few extra plants, say
nine in all, under the regulation sized handlight;
this will be better than crowding in more plants,
the main object being to encourage the few rather
than to save the many. The best system for the
bulk of Cauliflower plants is, however, to winter
them in frames or pits either pricked out or
potted up singly in small pots. I prefer pricking
out the plants, provided a suitable soil is used, as
they then give less trouble than do potted plants,
and I find them equally ready to start away when
planted out in spring. My practice is to utilise a
pit in which Cucumbers or Melons have been
grown for summer fruiting. The soil is cleared ofl
this, and to the inside lining, which is left undis-
turbed, is added sufficient cold, short manure to
raise the bed to within 18 inches of the glass ; all
is then trodden firmly to prevent any objection
able settlement and surfaced with from 4 inches
to 6 inches depth of good soil. That in w
Cucumbers have been grown when mi-xed with
waste from the loim stack answers very well
deed. The plants are pricked out into this some
4 inches apart and well watered in. After root
action has again commenced air is admitted freely
at all times except during severe frosts. The seed
rows should be "rogued" before lifting the planti
as it is useless to fill up valuable space with plants
out of character or which are far ahead of the
•others in growth. Look out also for blind plants
and others which show any defect, such being
useless. Cauliflowers of the Autumn Giant type
now nearly ready for use should be dealt with ir
accordance with the weather. Should this still re
main mild, nothing need be done but to tie the

upper leaves so as to form a canopy over the
flower ; this will throw off excessive wet and be a
sufficient protection from slight frost. If, how-
ever, severe frosts appear probable, it will be better
to lift such plants with a good ball of soil to each
and transplant them thickly into a deep pit, where
they may have the protection of glass and mats
overhead by night. As each row of plants has its
roots covered with soil a good soaking of water
should be given ; this will prevent flagging and
consequent loss of quality. Where pits or similar
quarters are not available, a useful alternative will
be to lift and lay in the plants under the shelter of
a north wall where they will not be reached by
direct sunlight, and these can be protected with
mats or Bracken when necessary.

Endive.— It is full early as yet to lift and store
the main-crop Endive, and I like to leave all such
until compelled by the weather to get them under
cover, for plants which are still growing are not
nearly so liable to injury from moderate frosts as
are those which have already formed good hearts.
The latter, however, will be best under cover of
some kind, as they soon succumb to alternating
frosts and rains. If protection cannot be afforded
to these where grown, they must be lifted and
transferred to frames, treating them much as I
have recommended above for storing big Cauli-
flower plants. Before lifting — which should be
done on a dry day and with the plants in a dry
condition — go over the plot and tie a strip of
matting round each plant to prevent breakages in
moving. Lift the plants with good balls of soil
and water in as replanting proceeds, taking care
to water the roots only, as water poured in
amongst the leaves would lead to quick decay.
I find that the Broad-leaved Batavian bears storing
much better than the curled varieties. It is use-
less to attempt storage of Endive under leaky
sashes ; if such only can be given them, the plants
had better be left as they are and covered as
needed with seed pans. Room should be left fur
storing a big lot later on, as the plants which an
now only half grown will be most useful for cook
ing as well as for salads. For such plants I re
serve a late Peach house and do not get them under
cover until most of the Peach leaves have fallen.

Lettuce. — Forward plants of Brown Cos or
other Lettuces must also be stored in a mai
similar to Endive. They are in a very succulent
state just now and will need careful handling,
but will pay well for the trouble. With a view
to form a succession to the above, it will be
found a good plan to prick out now, rather
thickly on the gentlest of hotbeds, a frame of
Paris Market or other Cabbage Lettuce ; these
may be kept gently growing, and will provide sa"
ing over a long period and at a time when it will
be highly valued and generally scarce. Seedlings
raised for wintering in the open and which are
now big enough for transplanting should be seen
to without delay, so that they may have time to
get hold of the ground liefore growing weather
ceases. If they do not do this the plants get
hard and stunted and refuse to grow away pro-
perly in spring. Various positions may be chosen,
but always with full exposure to the south. Blank
places under south walls may be filled up, setting
out the young plants at 6 inches apart for Cos
varieties and 4 inches in the case of Cabbage va
rieties. Every other plant may then be lifted and
replanted in spring, or cut for use before being
fully grown, leaving the remainder with plenty of
room to develop. For this purpose the biggest
plants in the seed bed should be chosen, as these
will, if they winter safely, turn in early in sprint;.
The earliest Ccs Lettuce to become fit for use with
me is Wordsley Gem, and sufficient of this should
be planted to form a three weeks' supply, after
which the Brown Cos will fill the gap until those
sown under glass early next year are fit for use.
In addition to planting close under walls, I like
to put out a good plot on a south border at some
distance from the wall ; in fact, I prefer this
position to the other for the reason that I find
them safer during the winter, as they are not so
subject to injury from the rapid thaws, which add
so much to the danger from sharp frost. It fie

cjuently happens that the soil immediately under
south walls is rendered perfectly bare by the
action of a bright winter's sun, while a foot or two
away it and the plants are safely covered with a
snow blanket, and it is this which saves the
plants in severe winters. The plants may be
dibbled in at the distances given above and thinned
out in spring. In getting the young plants it is
wise to leave a good sprinkling on the seed bed at
regular distances ; by doing this we have an addi-
tional chance of getting early Lettuces.

French Beans. — The growth of these in the
open garden has been slow of late, there having
been but little sunshine to help them. In my
case I have on the latost outdoor sowing an excel-
lent crop now swelling off, and shall with care be
able to prolong the season beyond its usual limits.
Cooler nights, however, give us warnuig that if
growth is to continue protection must be afforded.
With plants in long single rows this may best be
given by bending over the rows at frequent inter-
vals some long supple sticks strong enough to
support stout mats or strips of canvas and long
enough to keep these well above the plants. Suc-
cessional sowings under glass will be imperative at
frequent intervals, and the earlier lots now in an
advanced stage must he given a good brisk tem-
perature of about 60° and plenty of light. Fre-
quent doses of weak manure water should also be
given to plants already fruiting.

J. C. Tallack.

OUTDOOR FRUITS.
Hardv frdit. — The gales towards the latter end
of last month did considerable damage to the
orchards in this district, by causing a number of
the fruit to fall, very little of that from high trees
being of any service. Catillac and other varieties
of Pears that should have hung on the trees for at
least another three weeks were all brought down.
This should be a lesson to intending planters, for
where orchards are exposed and the trees planted
as standards there is but a poor chance of saving
the fruit. All but the latest kinds will now be
gathered, especially in the southern districts.
There are some kinds, however, of both Apples
and Pears that should be allowed to hang as long
as possible. Do not attempt to gather such
varieties as Royal Russet, Rosemary Russet,
Claygate Pearmain, Nonpareil, Norfolk Beaufin,
Easter Pippin, and other long-keeping kinds.
These, if the orchards are sheltered, will continue
to grow for some time yet, and will therefore be
more serviceable later on. Of late Pears either
on walls or pyramids, the flavour is much im-
proved if the fruit is allowed to hang as long as
possible. It is not often that we have frost of
suflScient severity before the middle of November
to do them any harm. Winter Nelis, Hacon's In-
comparable, Easter Beurre, Beurre Ranee, Jean
de Witte, Xe Plus Meuris, Josephine de Malines,
Bergamote d'Esperen, Glou Morceau, and others
that usually do not ripen till after Christmas will
be greatly improved if allowed to hang till early
in the next month. Great care, however, should
be exercised in protecting them from the birds,
as these usually pick holes in them by which the
wet enters, causing them to rot wholesale. It is
these late Pears that are the most useful, as
during the time they are in season dessert is
rather scarce, there being no Peaches or Plums
to help them out. There is quite as much art in
keeping fruit as in growing it, therefore special
care should be taken to see that this has proper
attention.

KoOT-rRUNING AND TRANSPLANTING. —Owing tO

so much wet it has b^en next to impossible to get
on with this work, and where a quantity has to
be done it should be pushed forward with all
speed, that the trees may get established again
before winter sets in. The pruning of Apple
trees may also be taken in hand with safety. In
fact, every efl'ort should be made to get such work
done before the weather gets too cold, as it is very
unpleasant to stand about on cold, wet ground in
winter; besides, by timely pruning the trees are
better able to mature their wood. All gardeners

294

THE GARBEK

[OcTosER 10, 1896.

know the difficultj- there is in getting the work
done at the proper time, and where the staff is
limited much care and forethought are needed
that no labour be wasted. I am no advocate for
the close pruning system, believing rather in the
trees making a more natural growth. It is, how-
ever, necessary that both root and branch should
be properly manipulated if the finest results are
to he obtained. It is useless to prune with a view
of obtaining fruitfulness unless the operation be
projierly performed, and this is not done by cut-
ting away strong shoots to obtain fruit buds, as
the reverse is usually the case. The main point
is to obtain short-jointed, well-ripened wood, and
this cannot be if the branches are overcrowded.
It is no uncommon thing to see the branches of
both pyramid and bush trees when laden with
fruit assuming a weeping condition ; this shows
that they were allowed to grow too long or not
shortened sutiiciently at each winter's pruning to
enable them to withstand the weight of the crop.
Some varieties, such, for instance, as Lane's
Prince Albert, are often so weighed down with
fruit that it impossible to keep the trees in any-
thing like a good shape. These should have their
branches so thinned out that the sun and air may
penetrate freely to the centre of the tree. Where
the ground is cultivated, do not attempt to get
upon it during wet weather; rather wait until the
surface has dried a little. Trees on grass and in
plantations where no other crop is grown may be
pruned at any time. See that all cuts made are
clean, and do not leave any of the prunings lying
about, in case there should be the eggs or larva' of
any insect pests attached to them. When this
has been done, the stems of the trees should be
dressed to catch the winter moths should they
attempt to crawl up them.

Brsii FRriTs. — Where it is contemplated
making new plantations of these the work should
now be taken in hand. On cold, retentive soil it
has been impossible to do anything of late, but as
soon as the ground is in a workable condition push
forward with all possible speed. If the ground
has not been dug it will be far better to plant as
the digging proceeds, as by so doing it will save
treading on the ground afterwards. Both Red
and Black Currants require good land to grow
them well. The soil in this district seems to suit
the latter admirably, as the fruit grows to a good
size. It is always well to plant two or three
varieties, as some are much later and hang better
than others. Black Naples, Black Champion,
and Lee's Prolific Black are the varieties grown
here. To obtain fine Black Currants it is neces-
sary for the bushes to make a free growth, for as
the fruit is produced on the young wood, the more
robust this is the larger the bunches and finer the
berries. Wood of this description does not start
into growth so soon in the spring, hence the
reason the bushes do not suffer so much from late
spring frost. When they are of stunted growth
the wood ripens prematurely and the buds swell
to an extra size before winter, and at the first ap-
proach of warm weather they are excited and push
forth their leaves, whereas when the growths are
robust the bushes retain their foliage till late in
the autumn and the buds do not become so pro-
minent, and on that account are not so liable to
suffer. Where young bushes have been prepared,
as should be the case in every garden, they may
be carefully lifted with balls of earth and trans-
planted, when they will not fail to give a
crop of fiuit next season. Red Currants are
different from the Black in their mode of fruiting,
as some of the finest bunches are produced on
spurs. The aim with these should be to get a
short-jointed sturdy growth. This in some
degree may be accomplished by lifting the
trees periodically, though on light soils it
is seldom that they make too much or too
strorL' a growth. Where rjuarters are devoted
to these fruits, the bushes in the first instance
may be planted .3 feet apart each way, and in the
case of the red varieties if they make too much
growth they may be taken up and transplanted
further apart, and every other of the black ones
ehoald beremoved when chey commence touching

each other. The black ones may be pruned at any
time, leaving as much of the young wood as
practicable, just taking out the weakly and ill-
placed shoots. It is not well to overcrowd the
bushes with wood, as this prevents the young
growths from growing sturdy. The shoots should
be at least !t inches apart. The pruning of Red
Currants is better deferred for a week or two
longer, that the bushes may be dressed directly
afterwards, for where birds are numerous they
often start on the buds when the trees are pruned
unless checked in time.

Oitcii.MU-) norsE (cooi.).— Most of the fruit in
these structures, unless it be a few late Pears
or Apples, will have been gathered, and where
the trees are grown in pots they should be
lifted and plunged outside, the" ground be-
tween them being mulched with litter from the
stables. This will act as a preventive against
having the pots split with frost later on.
All such trees may now be pruned, that the
wounds may heal over before winter. Where the
trees are planted out, the borders should receive
attention, giving them a soaking at least once a
week that every particle of soil may be thoroughly
moistened. It is a great mistake to allow the roots
to get dry and then to simply give the borders a
soaking just as the trees are starting into growth.
Much of the mischief in the way of the buds
falling before they have expanded is owing to this
kind of treatment. These houses are useful places
in winter for storing various kinds of vegetables
and salads in, that they may be protected from
the severity of the frost : therefore where practic-
able the trees should be lifted and taken outside.
H. C. Prinsei'.

Orchard and Fruit Garden,

LIFTING UNFKUITFDL TREES.
OcTOiiER is a very busy month in the hardy
fruit garden, especially when the collection of
trees is an extensive one, as that is the best
time in which to lift all trees that have given an
unsatisfactory account of themselves for the
past two or three seasons. When trees are
prone to make too much growth and bear but
sparsely or not at all, lifting is the best
method of restoring them to a fruitful condi-
tion. This invariably brings about the desired
result, and is preferable to root-pruning, which
I neither practise nor advise, unless in the case
of trees that are too unwieldy for lifting. Lift-
ing, if properly conducted, does not mutilate the
roots to the same extent that root pruning does,
and the trees recover from the operation much
more quickly. Root pruning if roughly done
may completely ruin a tree, and even when
carefully carried out it has such an effect on a
tree that it often takes two seasons to recover
from the shock. After giving both methods an
impartial trial, my experience is that lifting is
not only the most natural course to adopt to
bring the trees into subjection, but when
properly performed the desired effect is brought
about ttie following season, and the trees bear
the year after that. The chief aim in lifting,
therefore, is to check an exuberant and unfruit-
ful growth, to direct the energies of the trees
into another channel as it were, and cause fruit
buds to form instead of a preponderance of
wood buds. Once the trees are brought into
subjection and they start bearing, they ssldom
ever give any further trouble. If lifting were
only more practised, so many complaints about
unfruitful but otherwise healthy trees would
not be heard of.

The foregoing remarks apply to garden fruit
trees of nearly all descriptions, also to bush and
pyramid trees for market. Standards can

seldom be dealt with in this way, and root
pruning must then be resorted to.

Lifting

is a very simple operation and is really the same
as lifting any other tree or .shrub, only with this
difference. In the case of a tree or shrub, a great
number of the roots are destroyed in the opera-
tion, while with fruit-tree lifting the trench is
opened far enough away from the tree itself to
enable every root as far as possible to be searched
for and preserved— or rather it shouldbeso done.
The opening of the trench should be commenced
some 8 feet or 10 feet from the stem of the tree, -
if the latter is of any size, and continued all
round if growing out in the open. If a wall tree
is to be dealt with, then the trench will neces-
sarily be a semicircular one. The soil must be
carefully forked away from among the roots,
damaging them as little as possible, and as fast
as they are unbared, pegging them back out of
the way. When lifting pyramidal and bush
trees, my own practice is to work the soil away
until there is a ball left about 4 feet in diameter.
The soil is then carefully worked away from
the base until the ball stands upon but a very
small (juantity of soil. It is then unseated by
means of levers, and when on its side, advan-
tage is taken of this opportunity to cut away
any roots showing an inclination to grow down-
wards. Soil is then spread on the bottom of
the hole in sufficient quantity to bring the sur-
face of the ball up to the proper level, the tree
is placed in position, and then tilling in com-
mences. A fair proportion of new soil is gene-
rally placed in the trench, more especially to
lay the roots in. The quantity and quality of
this depend entirely on the condition of the
trees, as it is necessary in many cases— very
often with Peach trees, for instance— to lay the
roots out in a poorer compost than that in which
they have been growing. No hard-and-fast rule
can therefore 1)3 laid down regarding this point,
but it nothing but fresh loam or soil, entirely
devoid of manure, is used for Pears and Apples
there will be no fear of erring in the wrong
direction. Cherries, Peaches, Nectarines, and
Plums should have lime rubble mixed with the
new soil, but avoid manure, as this is always
best applied from the surface. As the filling
in proceeds, the roots must be laid out
according to the various levels at which
they issue from the tree, after trimming off
and paring down the broken ends, mak-
ing the soil firm about them by treading.
Watering is necessary in a dry time, but will
be hardly required after the rainfall of the
past few weeks. Should the ball, however,
be found at all dry, do not hesitate about
giving it a thorough soaking, forming a basin
about the ball to ensure the water entering
it in sufficient quantities. I have lifted trees
before now when the base of the ball has been
found to ba extremely dry and the surface
quite moist, and in such cases it takes a con-
siderable quantity of water to thoroughly
moisten the roots properly. When the filling
in is completed, mulch the surface in all cases
with litter. When

EooT Pricing

has to be done, only one-half, or the roots oa
one side of the tree, should be operated on at
one time, missing a season before doing the
other side. A trench should accordingly be
opened some G feet or 8 feet from the stem, or
as far as the branches extend. This is a safe
rule to follow. The trench should be 2 feet
wide and deep enough to find the roots. A
kind of tunnel or drift should be cut under the
ball to as far as the stem to ascertain whether

October 10, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

295

any of the roots descend into the subsoil. If any
are found they should be cut through, and the
tunnel or drift carefully filled in again and
rammed firm. The strong roots found in the
trench should be cut oft" close to the ball, but
save all fibrous roots for laying out again. In
this case fresh soil is beneficial for the new
roots to work into, and if the trees are growing
in a grass orchard, they should have the benefit
of the turf removed from the surface. In this
new roots will soon be formed, and of the right
character, if it is chopped up and placed about
the existing roots when filling in the trench.

With these few general directions to serve as
a guide there should be no difficulty in carrying
out the operation of lifting where found neces-
sary, and there need not be the slightest fear
as to the result if the advice tendered is
adopted. The reason why this kind of work is
recommended to be done in the month of
October is in order that advantage may be
taken of the fact of the trees having their
leaves still hanging upon them, as they induce
quicker root action than would be the case if
lifting were deferred until after the leaves fall.
A. W.

some grafts of this variety from me three years ago
and worked them on to some old worthless
pyramids. The trees are now full of vigour and
bearing splendid crops of medium sized fruit. The
soil of his garden is a strong loam. I think it is
well it should be generally known that this
luscious Pear will do well in the open, as many of
our finest flavoured sorts are useless for dessert if
not grown on a wall. — J. Crawford.

Grapes and Tomatoas at Ponder's End.—
To afford an idea of the immense quantities of
drapes and Tomatoes produced in the neighbour-
hood of Ponder's End alone, I may mention that
at Mr. Joseph Roohford's no less than 100 large
span-roofed houses are filled with Grapes, and that
80,000 Tomatoes are grown in pots. Other
growers also abound in the district. As a rule
very few varieties of Tomatoes are grown at these
establishments, a seedling of their own more often
than not being preferred to all others. At this
date a little artificial heat is generally applied,
coupled with a brisk airy atmosphere, which has
the effect of finishing off the later fruit.— J. C.

A good Peach..— At this season when planters
are makirp- their selections for house work it may
not be out of place to note the qualities of Early
Grosse Mignonne, a splendid forcing variety and
equally good for midseason and later crops. Un
fortunately this variety is rare, and the old Grosse
Mignonne is often substituted for it. Thi
though good, is inferior to the early variety. For
south walls the old variety is excellent, but I do
not advise it for hard forcing. With me the old
one does not set so freely as the one advised if
grown for very early crops. The true Early
Mignonne has globose glands and large flowers.
The fruit is of fair size, melting, and of specially
good flavour. It is very handsome, and the tree
IS one of the most prolific I have grown. It is
equally good for open wall culture and quite three
weeks earlier than the old variety.— W. B.

Peach Golden Eagle. — Those who require a
large late Peach will find the above well worth
space on a west or even cooler aspect in southern
parts of the country. This year my fruits were
all over on a west wall by September 20. I have
gathered this Peach late in October, and had pre-
sentable dishes well into November. Golden
Eagle is a large Peach of a lemon colour with a
very fair flavour for so late in the season. It is
much superior to Salway in quality, and it not
only bears freely but ripens out of doors. It is a
distinct Peach, and with good culture may be
grown to a large size in the southern parts of the
country. I grew this variety on a north wall
for the latest dishes, and though I do not advise
that aspect in all parts of the country, this Peach
where it does well is valuable. This variety
must not be confounded with Golden Rath Ripe,
a much earlier Peach, but not its equal in flavour.
— G. W.

Pear Doyenne du Cornice. — This deservedly
popular Pear is now grown in almost every
garden, but a wall is usually afforded it. Although
larger fruit can be produced on wall trees than
on espaliers or pyramids, yet it does very well
grown in the latter form. A friend of mine had

OPEN-AIR PEACHES.
That Peach culture on open walls is greatly on
the increase there cannot be the slightest doubt,
and from the number of orders for trees for that
purpose nurserj-men are receiving, it is evident
that it will soon be as general as it was twenty
years ago. Previous to coming to reside in this
county I thought, like many other gardeners,
that the alterations in the seasons for the worse
had rendered Peach growing, except under glass,
practically impossible except in gardens favoured
bj- perfect shelter and in a warm, well-drained
Having, however, during the last few years
seen so many healthy trees and such fine crops of
fruit in gardens in the midlands, I have come to
the conclusion that failures— particularly in the
more favoured counties of England— are in the
majority of instances principally due to want of
enthusiasm and a lack of attention to the trees in
April and May. No doubt there are exceptions to
this as to every other rule, and I would not for a
moment advise planting where the situation is
close to the margin of rivers and severe late
frosts annually occur ; in this case Pears and
Plums had better be substituted. At Burghley
Park, Stamford, and (further north still) Grove
Hall, Retford, open-air Peaches are a great
success, at the latter place such sorts even as
Barrington and Walburton Admirable ripen-
ing satisfactorily, although, for my own part,
I would not advise a later Peach than Bar-
rington in these parts. Such is the vigour of
the trees at Grove Hall that Mr. Welsh, the gar-
dener, finds it necessary to lift every alternate year,
prune back strong roots and relay nearer the surf ace.
This is one of the few places at which Peach trees
on outside walls are daily syringed from the time
it may be safely practised until the fruit com-
mences to colour. A gardener near Gainsborough
told me only a few days since that he had decided
to plant trees this coming autumn, he having seen
the fruitful trees in various gardens in the neigh-
bourhood, and it is to be resumed in another gar-
den some nine miles from here where it has been
abandoned for years. In making the borders, or in
adding new soil for the roots of young trees, many
still do what our fathers, who were favoured with
more genial springs and summers and autumns
than we, scrupulously shunned, viz., using the
very best loam procurable and adding to it farm-
yard manure. Loam taken from a common or
pasture that will not feed a Welsh sheep is the
best for young Peach trees for the first few years,
that such as we prefer for Vines being added in
the form of surface dressings when once the trees
are fruiting freely, and the better to prevent a
coarse, sappy growth, one-fourth ordinary garden
soil may well be added, not, of course, forgetting
correctives in the form of mortar rubble, wood
ashes, or road sidings. We seldom hear of
stations, but in low-lying gardens they are capit
things, as frequently young trees not favoured
with medium-sized roots to start with are very
apt to form and send down close to the wall the
first season or so new ones the size of walking
sticks ; nor are these always discovered when
root-pruning is performed when the tree is com
pletely lifted from the ground. Stations com
posed of concrete or iron slabs or tiles compel
these to take a horizontal course, and the excava-
tor discovers them with ease. Except in extra
warm, dry gardens, I would always plant half
standards, as I think the locality of the union of
the tree with the stock, and in some varieties
more than in others, is liable to become affected
by frost and wet in winter, more particularly
in spring, when the sap is on the move. This is

more necessary now-a-days when so many ama-
teurs try their hand at Peach growing, and the
increased demand results in many baing worked
on most unsuitable stocks.

I like good copings to Peach walls ; firstly, be-
cause they effectually throw all drip off the stems ;
and secondly, because nets or tiffany for bloom
protection are more easily arranged. No coping
at all, however, is far better than one only an
inch or two wide. Order the trees early, choosing
and marking your own, if possible, and insist on
careful packing and the envelopment of the roots
in wet hay or shavings, even if a little more
charge is made. Plant shallow, slightly mounding
rather than otherwise ; ram firmly, watering, if
necessary, previous to laying on the final coat of
soil, this being much better than saturating the
actual surface, especially if sharp weathc should
quickly follow. Mulch with a non-stimulating
material, rough leaf-mould being the best, and
secure the tree to the wall by one or two stout
ligatures only, to allow for any light settlement.

All these instructions may be carried out to the
letter, yet woe to the trees which, on putting
forth new growth in spring and becoming, as
they are almost certain to do, attacked by that
insidious and, if allowed only slight grace, fatal
enemy, aphides, are left for only one week to take
care of themselves. Insecticides are cheap enough
now-adays, and one good syringing with quassia
extract immediately fly appears will clear it off.
My advice is, even where labour is scarce, let
ordinary work be suspended for a few hours once
weekly, as that can be rectified afterwards. Adopt
the extension system of training, as under it the
trees are not nearly so liable to gum and canker as
when restricted, to say nothing of the allotted wall
space being covered in less than half the time.
If spider appears in June, repeat the quassia
dressing and syringe with clear water the follow-
ing day. Lay the wood in thinly, mulch and
water twice and in extra dry summers thrice
between setting and ripening, and do not scruple
to cut out all useless wood as soon as the fruit is
gathered. As regards varieties, I think it is im-
possible to improve on Mr. Young's list in the
issue of the 19th. I would, however, venture to
add Dagmar, a Peach too little known and ripen-
ing about the same time as Royal George. Its
constitution is exceptionally stront;, while it fruits
freely, is of a rich red colour, and excellent flavour.
Like Mr. Young, I can speak in terras of the
highest praise of that grand Peach, Dymond.
Xotts. J- Crawford.

Lifting Vines.- The practice of lifting Vines
that do not fruit satisfactorily is now very common,
good results following when the work is carried
out with care. Many failures occur from want of
attention to details. My experience is that lifting
should be done either before the foliage gets too
far advanced, or when the Vines are quite
dormant. When there is sufficient vitahty in the
foliage the Vines quickly recover, new roots being
formed before they go to rest, and a good start
is made the following spring ; but when lifting is
too far advanced, it will invariably fail im-
mediately after the operation, in spite of daily
syringings, and the eyes do not plump up, nor are
any fresh roots formed, a poor weak start or none
at all being made the following spring. Vines
lifted when quite at rest, start well enough as a
rule it allowed to come on gently and not forced at
all.— J. C.

Plum Belle de Saptembre.- Where a suc-
cession of cooking Plums has to be maintained,
the above variety should be grown for late Sep-
tember supply. Grown on an east wall, the fruit
comes into use after the Magnum Bonum and
before Autumn Compnte and Late Orleans. This
year the fruits have ripened earlier than usual,
but in a normal season the above is the time they
mature here. It is a very fruitful varrety, and
bears equally as well as Victoria when trained ori
a wall. It is somewhat doubtful if it would be of
any service for market, but for private consump-

196

THE GAEPEN.

[October 10, 1896.

tion there can be no question as to its value.
The fruits attain to a lar^ie size and I can highly
recommend them for bottling, when they will
keep for a considerable time and prove useful at a
time of year when fruit is scarce. — A. W.

Pear Thompson's.— This, one of the highest-
flavoured Tears in cultivation, ripens towards the
latter end of October and beginning of November.
It has a flavour quite unlike that of other varie-
ties and is most delicious when thoroughly ripe.
This variety has on more than one occasion been
adjudged the best-flavoured Pear at the Hereford
fruit shows. I have known it do well as a half
standard, and it is first rate as a bush, it then
bearing most profusely. It is also good on a
west wall as a cordon, and for orchard-house work
cannot be surpassed. This season the crop is un-
usually heavy and the fruits are extra tine. On
the Pear stock the tree is apt to make rather
rank growth, necessitating the lifting of the
main roots and laying them afresh in new, but
rather poor soil. This brings the tree into good
bearing condition and is better than root- pruning.
On the t^'uince, growth is slow and the tree then
is prone to fruit too freely, and unless well thinned
the fruits come small. This variety should be
double-grafted on the Quince, and if worked on a
vigorous-growing kind, a more robust constitu-
tion is imparted to it, and at the same time
growth never becomes too gross. I have seen it
recommended as a good espalier Pear, but after
several years as such, I cannot speak well of it, as
it fruited but sparsely and was altogether un-
profitable.— A.

Cherry Early Rivers. — Those who are con-
templating planting Cherries this autumn, and re-
quire a first-rate early kind, cannot do better than
select this variety for the purpose. In addition to
its earliness it combines size with good flavour,
and the colour is black. It will succeed well
trained on a wall, and it is also good when grown
as a spreading bush and can then be easily netted.
I have heard of it as a standard, but have had no
experience with it grown in this way. I consider
this to be the finest early Cherry we have. It is
a capital cropper, and the tree is hardy and
vigorous and worthy of extended cultivation. —
S. E. P.

THREE GOOD LATE APPLES.
In Northern Greening, New Northern Greening
and Yorkshire Greening we have a trio of good,
useful, late-keeping Apples, and all are excellent
cookers. If allowed to hang late before gathering
they will all three keep in a suitable place until
May, and I have repeated!}- had them in good con-
dition until that time and in some seasons iaterstill.
Northern Greening, or Walmer Court— to (|Uote
another name under which it is known — is a very
old variety. It is very hardy and has a fine consti-
tution, and the season has to be an exceptionally
bad one indeed m which it does not bear. It is
also a very hea\-y cropper, and the fruits are firm,
solid and weigh well. The fruits are rather more
inclined to be conical than round, and the skin is
deep green, with a flush on the sunny side ; when
ripe the green changes to light yellow. Yorkshire
Greening, or Coate's Greening, is also another old
kind, but none the less valuable on that account.
The fruits are larger than those of the preceding,
rounder and flatter in shape ; the skin is of a deep
green colour, freely strewn with red when well
exposed to the sun. It is not quite such a certain
bearer as Northern fJreening, but it is worthy of
a place in every collection where late cooking
Apples are required.

New Northern Greening is a seedling from the
first-named variety, and it has inherited all the
good qualities of its parent, while it is very
much larger and handsomer. The fruits are
very symmetrical, quite round, and flattened, with
a rather deep eye. The colour ie light green,
flushed more or less with bronzy red, and when
ripe the fruits present a very handsome appear-
ance. Like its parent, it is a wonderful cropper,
and might almost be termed a " never-fail." This
is a splendid market Apple, and one that would

pay to store until after the turn of the year, when
it would undoubtedly command a high price.

All three of the varieties enumerated succeed
well grown in any form of tree. Northern
Greening does not, it is true, make a handsome-
shaped bush, the habit of growth being more up-
right than spreading, but that does not ati'ect its
cropping powers. Y'orkshire Greening makes a
good bush tree and is very pretty grown as a half
standard. New Northern (ireening succeeds as a
pyramid as well as in bush form. As a standard
it takes a few years to become established before
bearing, but afterwards no fault can be found with
its behaviour, for it then crops most abundantly.
Handsomer sorts may be had, but for utility these
three take front rank and are hard to beat.

A. W.

CHERRIES.
The White Heart Cherry here illustrated is not
one of the largest kinds grown, neither is it a
recent introduction ; nevertheles.s, it is a good
Cherry, noted for its regular cropping in most
soils. I have seen this variety in a cool house
without heat of any kind so good, that it was
difficult to tell it on account of its size and fine
quality. This variety as a standard is in
many parts of tlie country often looked upon
as one of the most profitable kinds that can be
grown. In Kent and the west midland dis-

Cherry White Heart.

tricts it is an especial favourite for orchard cul-
ture. The well-known Elton — a large Cherry of
splendid quality, and having the same vigorous
growth as the White Heart— was one of the
kinds raised from this useful variety. It is
not so useful as a standard in certain soils.
The White Heart is also known under various
names, such as West's Heart and Bigarreau
White Heart. The tree is a free grower ; the
flesh is pale yellow, marked with red and very
richly flavoured, and in season early in July.
The above variety used to be grown largely as
a pyramid, but birds did so much damage that
this mode of culture does not find favour with
modern cultivators. Where protection can be
afforded in the shape of wire netting, I do not
think a more profitable variety can be grown.
In the northern parts of the country, no matter
what the variety be, I should hesitate to advise
orchard culture, but, given a wall, I feel sure
there need be no fear of poor crops ; the value
of a wall is the ready means of protecting the
fruit. Elton (one of the offspring of the White
Heart) was raised ninety years ago by Mr.
Knight, and even now it is thought by many to
be one of our very beat Cherries, as it does well

in heavy soils, is good as a standard and valu-
able for its early fruiting. Of modern kinds
little need be said, as few fruits are more wel-
come. The new Early Rivers, a large black
fruit, is a grand addition, and said to ni:ike a
good orchard tree. Rivers' Early is a very early
Cherry, of splendid quality witli very small
stone, and a grand cool-house variety. Bigar-
reau de Schreken, a less known variety, is also
of splendid quality and very large. The new
Windsor, a large American, promises well. This
is a reddish black fruit, tree vigorous and pro-
ductive. For size, few varieties are superior
to the Monstrueuse de Mezel, a very large fruit
of the Bigarreau type and very prolific.
Bigarreau Jaboulay is likewise a valuable addi-
tion and the earliest large Bigarreau grown.
Of older kinds my special favourite is Governor
Wood, a splendid kind for wall culture and a.
free bearer. Others, such as Emperor Francis,
Florence, May Duke and the splendid late St.
Margaret, are all good. The St. Margaret is
specially valuable for its late keeping, in addi-
tion to its free arowth and fine fruit.

G. WVTHES.

Cherry Werdei'a Early Black.— Before the
introduction of Early Rivers this was the earliest
black Cherry, but it now has to take second place.
Grown on an east wall, it is about a week or ten
days later than Early Rivers in ripening, and it
therefore forms a good succession to it, but as a
standard there is quite a diflerence of fourteen
days. I should advise this Cherry being included
in every collection, as it is valuable in keeping up
the supply and forms a good companion to May
Duke, Elton, Downton, and Governor Wood. In
size the fruits are from medium to large, glossy
black, with a tender, juicy, and richly flavoured
flesh. This is also a good kind for the orchard
house. The tree is but a moderate grower, but
is exceedingly productive. — A.

Cherry Black Eagle.— A medium-sized black
Cherry of excellent quality, the flavour being
particularly rich. In appearance it is somewhat-
similar to VVerder's Early Black, but larger, and
should be grown wherever highly flavoured
Cherries are in request. The tree forms a good
bush and has not quite such a spreading habit as
most Cherries have when grown in this form.
Against a wall it is first-rato, and succeeds
Werder's Black. If grown on an east wall the
fruit ripens about the second week in July, and
in the open garden ten days later. It is also an
excellent variety for growing in a Cherry house ;
the fruits then attain a much larger size than
they do outdoors and the flavour is delicious.
It is a heart-shaped Cherry, quite black when
fully ripe, flesh purplish in colour, very juicy,
and rich. — A. W.

Cherry Elton.— A very large heart-shaped
Cherry, and one that is known and grown under
several different names, but the above is the cor-
rect one. In addition to its large size, the fruits
are extremely handsome, they being amber col-
oured and mottled all over with red when fully
ripe. It is a firm fleshed Cherry, but sweet,
juicy, and richly flavoured, a fact birds are not
slow to discover if netting is neglected. It is a
vigorous grower, and succeeds as an orchard
I standard, when it crops heavily. As a bush,
cordon, or trained against a wall it ie equally
satisfactory, while it should by no means be
omitted for growing under glass. If required
eaily it should be accorded a position on a south
wall. (In an eastern aspect the fruits ripen about
the middle of July. The tree is apt to make
strong growth, but partial root-lifting and the
mixing of lime rubble or chalk with the soil
when replanting will remedy this. — S. E.

Apple Hanwell Souring.— This distinct-
looking Apple should be grown for a late supply
where Wellington is not a success, as it keeps in
good condition until the season is well advanced.
The fruits exceed Wellington in point of siza, if

October 10, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

297

they cannot approach it in appearance, and
although the skin is generally of a greenish yel-
low colour, it becomes flushed with red on the
sunny side. It should always be worked on the
Paradise stock, as it is a very free, vigorous
grower. Even then it is more suitable for grow-
ing as a bush than as a pyramid, the habit of
growth being spreading. Standards are prolific
and bear the brightest coloured fruits. This
Apple should be allowed to hang as long as pos-
sible before gathering if it is wanted in perfec-
tion. In some seasons 1 have not gathered until
the first week in November ; this year it will not,
I am afraid, hang so late. For cooking it is first
rate, and the flesh is of a good colour. It is one
of the best for making Tomato chutney. — A. W.

Pear Doyenne Bouasoch.— I can quite under-
stand why this fine looking Pear is grown so ex-
tensively for market in Kentish gardens, as, inde-
pendent of its attractiveness, it crops so very
freely grown in bush form, and the fruits are not
blown ofl' or bruised one against another by strong
winds like those on standards, or even pyramids.
At Saxelby Park, near Melton Mowbray, I re-
cently saw a beautiful lot of this Pear on dwarf,
round-headed bushes, many of the fruits being
quite up to exhibition standard. The trees have
been hard pruned each winter for several years,
and they seem to stand the treatment well. My ex-
perience is that Doyenne Bouesoch does not fruit
so freely as desirable on a wall. The soil at Saxel-
by is a strong, but well-drained loam.— C. C. H.

Wood wool for packing.— What a boon this is
to gardeners and fruit growers generally who have
to pack Grapes, Peaches and Figs for travelling
long distances. Moss is good, but unless it is got
in good condition and thoroughly dried in the
sun it is apt to taint the fruit, while cotton wool,
even of the commonest character, soon runs into
money. By first lining the box with wood wool,
afterwards enveloping each bunch of Grapes in
tissue paper, and finally wedging a portion in
between each, and placing a good layer on the
top, a soft, elastic surface is produced which pre-
vents any oscillation, and the fruit will travel
hundreds of miles in safety. The same plan is
equally suitable for Peaches and Figs, but the
latter should always be packed in an under rather
than an over-ripe condition. One of the chief
advantages of wood wool is its cheapness. — J. C.

Pear Marechal de la Cour.— This is a large,
handsome Pear of great merit, and one that keeps
a considerable time after comirg into use. The
fruits are large and pyriform in shape, the
skin covered more or less with cinnamon-
coloured russet and rough to the touch. The
flesh is white, quite melting and juicy, while the
flavour is rich and sprightly. It is a fine No-
vember Pear and one deserving of extended cul-
tivation, for if the locality should be too cold for
it to succeed in the open it will pay for growing
against a wall having either a south orVestern
aspect. The tree is hardy, vigorous and pro-
ductive, and as a bush or pyramid on the Quince
stock it bears very freely. Cordons are first rate
on the same kind of stock, and they generally
bear extra large fruits of the finest quality.
Gathering is best done at two or three different
periods, taking none but those that will come
away easily each time, and the supply is thereby
considerably prolonged. A notable feature about
this Pear is its early flowering, it generally being
in advance of other kinds, but in spite of this
the blossoms seldom get injured to any great ex-
tent. During the past ten years this variety has
only failed to bear but twice. On a wall it sel-
dom misses fruiting. — S. E.

Apple Lord Clyde (syn., Golden Noble). —
Never before, I should think, has this Apple been
seen in greater perfection than it is this season,
for not only are the fruits large in size, but the
colour is excellent. I saw two standard trees the
other day laden with fruit, and the sun shining
on it at the time tended to intensify the col-
our. Garden trees are bearing equally as well as
standards, and in their case the colouring is also
more pronounced than usual. The hot, dry sum-

mer seems to have suited this variety, and has
brought out all its good ([ualities to a degree
beyond all that I have experienced in former sea-
sons. Golden Noble is a first-rate Apple, as those
already possessing it know. As planting time will
soon ba here, a note as to its value, both as a
market sort and as a first-rate variety for home
consumption, prompted the penning of these lines
in its praise to induce intending planters to in-
clude it in their list when making a selection. I
would recommend its being planted in quantity
for market, either as standards or bush trees, the
latter, of course, on Paradise stocks, as they are
so very fertile. The fruits are large, firm and
heavy, and keep well until the end of March, when
they are good for dessert. It is also a good kind
for sauce-making, the flesh being white and melt-
ing and the flavour pleasantly acid.— A. W.

MUSA CAVENDISHI.

It is noticeable in this, as in other things, that
various methods are employed to bring about the
desired results. At page 2-21 " W. J. M." refers
to Musas " failing to fruit" as an important item,
which undoubtedly it is ; as when this occurs it
represents not only a loss of fruit, but also a great
loss of time, fire-heat and other items incumbent
on good culture. The same correspondent rightly
believes that this point is solved by no resting
period being allowed ; indeed, I believe that any
resting period during growth to such a plant must
in the end prove disastrous. One of the chief
points in the culture of Musas for their fruit only
and not for decoration is a steady and continuous
growth from the moment the sucker is planted
till the inflorescence is put forth and the fruits
attain their full size. Then, and not till then,
should there be any cessation of growth if the
best results are to be obtained. This, I think,
will be clearer when it is remembered that the
fruiting sucker of a Musa is but a growth of say,
annual duration. In saying this I am fully aware
that in some gardens where the Banana is grown
with a view to maintain a succession of fruit, the
suckers are planted at various seasons as obtain-
able. Some are planted in April and others in
August or September, as is the case at Syon
House, where Mr. Wythes has two houses de-
voted to these plants. Suckers planted at the
latter date, however, will not make much headway
during the winter months unless subjected to a
very high temperature, while the early planted
ones will in all probability have become fully de-
veloped and prepared to push forth their giant
trusses of bloom. Where the suckers are planted
early in the year endeavour should be made to
get the flowering over and the fruits of full size
before the dark and sunless days of Novem-
ber, with their disastrous fogs, appear. This,
however, cannot always be accomplished, par-
ticularly where the plants are put out in
a bed or border with the roots below ground
level. In Mr. Last's case the plants occupy
a bed that is raised within the house, each
plant being in a separate compartment, and with
plenty of bottom-heat at command. It is not
difficult even in his much-darkened Thames-side
garden to get a late-formed inflorescence to push
forth and set fruit. At the same time, as pointed
out by " W. J. M.," it is always best to get the
plants to throw up the flower-truss before winter.
Tubs, pots or strong boxes, each 2 feet square,
will answer well, as in any of these things
the roots receive the warming influences of the
house, which is a great help. I note at p. i25.'i
that Mr. David Kemp cuts away the tail-like
appendage from the inflorescence and sears the
wound with a hot iron. Where this is allowed to
remain it goes to materially strengthen the latest
formed fruits, and, as will be seen by referring to
the illustration (p. 161) is reduced to nothing, so
to speak ; in fact, as the fruits develop, this por-
tion of the extremity gradually shrinks to a
stump. Mr. Kemp also appears to have a method
of retarding his plants while young, and speaks
of plants nine months old being used for decora-
tion. Given the treatment recommended by me

at p. 161, the plants are full grown at from four
to flve months, and sometimes in the case of
strong suckers, in flower at the last named date,
and long before nine months the fruits are
fully developed. Apart from this fact, however,
it is difficult to realise how any plant of such
naturally rapid growth under great tropical heat
can by any methods which restrict its fullest develop-
ment of leaf and stem fruit well. All the same,
it is interesting to learn that the Musa can be
fruited on what may be termed a comparatively
cool system, and when used for decoration also.
Indeed, for this latter purpose alone Musas are
well worth growing.— E. J.

I was much interested in reading the re-
marks which have appeared lately in The Garden
regarding the culture of the Banana. I believe
that the causes of the non-fruiting of Musa
Cavendishi are over-richness of the soil and too
much coddling. The Banana does not require
rich surface dressings as one is led to suppose.
Heat and moisture it does need, but good sound
fruit can be obtained with much less heat than is
generally supposed. My plants have been in the
same tubs for about five years. The tubs are
paraffin casks cut in half and the soil used is loam
and horse droppings. I thin out the suckers to
one, this being left to bear the following year.
During the growing time liquid manure is applied
once a week. The heat is that of an ordinary
stove, oftentimes in the winter falling to 55' at
night. Last week I cut a bunch weighing about
45 lbs., that being the general weight. The
fruits are well finished. The plants are syringed
twice a day. — R. L. Canning, Marchwill Hall,
Wrexharn .

Pear Althorpe Crassane is a well-known

and highly esteemed variety raised by Thomas
Andrew Knight. As a rule the fruits are but
medium-sized, roundish ovate in shape, and regu-
lar in outline. The skin is pale green, and it
acquires a bronzy flush on the sunny side, the
whole surface being sprinkled with minute white
dots. It is 3 fine flavoured Pear, the flesh being
white, buttery, juicy, and slightly perfumed. A
gain in size without the slightest loss of flavour
may be had by double-grafting, B. Clairgeau or
some other strong- growing kind being a suitable
stock for it. It is a hardy, vigorous growing
variety, and succeeds well grown in any form of
tree. Like Knight's Monarch, Althorpe Crassane
has a habit, in some seasons, of casting some of
its fruit prematurely, and the trees should then
be either netted or looked over frequently, when
all fruits that yield to a gentle pull should be re-
moved. When the Pear crop is a scanty one,
this variety should be put in a perfectly cool room
to prolong its season of use. I have had it in
good condition until after Christmas when so
stored. When placed in the Pear room proper
the fruit is ready for use during the latter end of
November and the first half of December.— S. E.
A profitable fruit house.— One of the most
profitable span-roofed fruit houses I have ever met
with is at Langford Hall, near Newark. It is
42 feet long, 225 feet wide, the distance from the
ground to the ridge being 13 feet. One side is
planted with Peach trees trained to a curvilinear
trellis, the other side with dessert Plums and
Gages ; while in the centre of the house are
planted a Black Hamburgh and Foster's Seedling
Vine, the stems being taken up perpendicularly
to within 2 feet of the point where the two roofs
meet, both being then taken horizontally in oppo-
site directions towards the ends of the house.
Finer crops of either Grapes, Peaches or Plums
need not be wished for, and during the winter
months it accommodates a great number of Chry-
santhemums, the light character of the structure
preventing the plants from becoming drawn and
weakly and the blooms flimsj' and undersized, as
is often the case in dark lean-to vineries and
Peach houses. The Plums are represented by
Transparent Gage, Jefferson, Coe's Golden Drop,
Denniston's Superb and Kirke's, and Peaches
by Early York, Noblesse and Stirling Castle, the
Noblesse bearing almost as freely as the others.

298

THE GARDEN.

[October 10, 1896.

When the border was made the ordinary soil of
the garden was taken out and 9 inches of drainage
laid in the bottom. About a dozen cartloads of
the top of not by any means a rich pasture was
then brought ana "mixed with the ordinary soil, a
few crushed bones being addoil. So far as I
know, the roots of the Vines, I'lums and Peaches
have access to the whole of the border, no divisional
walls having been bui'.t. — C. C. H.

Rose Garden.

ROSE WILLIAM ALLEN RICHARDSON.
It is surprising to what perfection a plant will
attain, be it a Rose or any other subject, pro-
vided a start is made with a good sound basis in
the form of a healthy vigorous plant,
good soil, and an intelligent method
of cultivation. The above grand Rose
raised from Rove d'Or by Ducher in
1878, and which has attained to such
a marvellous popularity, demands a
rich deep soil and perfect drainage.
My experience has been that the most
perfect flowers of this variety and of
the most vivid orange hue have been
obtained from plants grown in stan-
dard form. If, however, it is desired
as a climber on a wall or as a shrub,
then plants budded upon the seedling
Brier wUl certainly give the most satis-
faction. I am aware there is con-
siderable disappointment experienced
in the early summer months on ac-
count of many plants of this Rose pro-
ducing imperfectly formed and very
pale, almost white blossoms, and I
can only attribute this to our some-
what uncongenial climate. That the
weather afi"ects the colouring of flowers
appears very evident, for in autumn
we have many Roses of a very high
colour compared to the earlier blossoms
of the same variety. Although I have
seen many of these pale flowers upon
William Allen Richardson outdoors,
I never remember to have seen one
upon plants grown under glass. I am
firmly convinced that if a west wall
were selected for this Rose, so that
the plants were sheltered from the
morning and mid-day sun, fewer of
these badly coloured flowers would be
seen. It is also a fact that manure in
the form of bone-meal is a splendid
aid in producing those rich orange-
coloured flowers so much admired in
this Rose, and to anyone who has liad
trouble in respect to this bad colouriiiL;
I would recommend that, provided the
plants are healthy, a good supply of
stable drainings be applied this autumn
and during the winter months, supple-
mented in the spring by a dressing of
bone-meal. Where space is a consideration under
glass, there is no better method of growing this
Rose than a.s a standard. A plant should be
selected with four or five long fairly pliable
shoots, and instead of pruning these shoots at
pruning time, tie a piece of raffia at the end of
each shoot and gradually bring them down nearly
to the stem, which will form what is known as an
umbrella- shaped tree. Plants thus treated will
be covered with an abundance of flowers even if
somewhat unnaturally produced. I am certain
this variety, in common with many others of a
climbing nature, is over-pruned. Indeed, very
few of the growths should be cut away.
Mistakes are often made with these climbing

Roses in pruning them bard the same season as
planted. I prefer leaving most of the growtli
intact the first season, which is only reason-
able, for surely thus treated a plant is the more
able to produce roots than if denuded of its
growth. When the plant is thoroughly esta-
blished, a shoot or two may be removed if at all
crowded, and, of course, the small lateral
growths should be cut back to the second or
third eye ; the result will be in time a grand
specimen somewhat resembling that in the illus-
tration. The only drawback to this compara-
tively let-alone system is the rigour of our
winters, especially upon Tea and Noisette
Roses grown in exposed situations ; therefore,
unless favoured with a Devonshire climate, a
sheltered spot should always be aflbrded this
lovely Rose, and then with care during the

together, I am (juite convinced that it is distinct,
and that it is a great acquisition. — A.

Rose La France and its progeny.— For
the honour of that unapproachable i|ueen of Roses
La France, I protest against " Philomel's " de-
scription (p. •-!45) of Augustine Guinoifseau as ".an
exact counterpart of its parent save in colour."
Neither in growth, fulness of flower, nor in fra-
grance is it anything but the poorest and flimsiest
ghost of La France. It is commonly, and to my
mind unjustifiably, catalogued by dealers as "an
almost white La France." It is rather pretty in
the bud, but when open its thinness and in-
feriority are manifest, and, seeing how many better
Roses we possess, I do not reckon it worth its
ground. Will someone give me his experience of
the new " climbing La France?' A truly climb-
ing La France would be a very great gain for our
house and garden walls, and in this hope I in-

I winter, by well protecting the plant with ever-
green boughs, we should doubtless be alile to
see more plants similar to the one figured.

Philojiel.

' Rose Bridesmaid. — This appears to be a great
; favourite with the American florists, and I think
when it becomes known it will be equally popular
here. I have only lately had an opportunity of
I seeing it flowering side by side with Catherine
Mermet, from which I believe it is a sport. It has
the same vigorous habit and well-formed flowers,
the colour being a more decided pink. In both
1 varieties the colour varies a little, and I was in-
I clined to doubt the distinctness of Bridesmaid, but
1 after seeing a number of plants of each flowering

rholson, Ashleigh

vested .5s. last autumn in a plant. The plant sent
was a good one, and has borne leaves and flowers
in abundance, but of climbing it has shown no
sign whatever, nor is it, so far, to be distinguished
at all in length of .shoot from my stock of ordinary
La France.— G. H. Encleheart.

Hose Crimson Rambler.— To venture to de-
preciate a new plant of any kind which is adver-
ti.sed everywhere, bought everywhere and praised
everywhere is no doubt to put one's-self into a
despised minority of one. Nevertheless I am
moved to say that the popularity of Crimson
Rambler astonishes me. That it produces a great
mass of crimson bloom is undeniable, but with
this its merit, to my mind, ends. The colour
fades rapidly to an ugly dull magenta, its foliage

October 10, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

299

is extremely coarse in colour and texture, its pro-
nounced ' ' green-door " colour assorting very badly
with the red flowers, and on a wall it is devoured
and reduced to a most sorry appearance by red
spider. In short, it is the very opposite of what-
ever is truly choice or refined in Roses, and it is
pain and grief to me to ses the many gardens in
which worthier things have been cleared away to
make room for staring companies of this vulgarian.
I must plead guilty to having a plant or two, in-
troduced without due reflection, in my own gar-
den, but sentence of exile has been passed upon
them— exile to the rough shrubbery, their proper
home. — G. H. Engleheart.

Societies and Exhibitions.

FRUIT SHOW AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE.

October 1,2, 3.
This exhibition was held one week later than last
year. For Apples and Pears jthis is quite

I

and Pears this
terial, but for other fruits, as Peaches, Nectarines
and Plums, it is not so well. It is not of course
always possible to select one's own dates for these
and other important gatherings ; were it so, we
are inclined to the opinion that at least one week,
if not two, earlier would from all points be prefer-
able. Those fruits above named should, if pos-
sible, be more important features than they now
are. The wet weather has this autumn, beyond
any doubt, acted prejudicially on tender fruits.

Taking a general survey of the entire exhibition,
it is safe to say that its general excellence
is fully maintained this year ; in fact,
almost disposed to pronounce it one of the very
best yet held, whilst, on the other hand, the mag
netic influence it exerts in drawing together hor
ticulturists of all ranks and professions, notably
those well known as fruit growers, is ever on the
increase. At no previous exhibition do we
member to have seen so manj' growers present.
The increasing interest evinced in these what we
now hope will be annual gatherings is quite
apparent. Thus, the Royal Horticultural Society
is rendering invaluable service to fruit producers
and to the community at large. Such gatherings
cannot but be productive of good results, in that
they popularise the culture of fruit and at the same
time aflord practical illustration and instruction
of what it is best to cultivate from points of variety
and utility. It is earnestly to be hoped that the
council will persevere in this good work, and that
there will not be any lack of monetary assistance
afiforded them. When one glances down the lists
of promised assistance it is a matter of surprise
that it is so small. Surely all of those at least
who are prize-takers will consider their indebted-
ness to the society in this respect. These exhi-
bitions, too, should be the means of increasing the
list of Fellows, and, by so doing, strengthen the
society for future good and practical work.

Upon inspecting the exhibition recently held,
one fact is at once apparent— the excellent finish
of both Apples and Pears, the colour of the former
throughout theshow being of the very beet, whilst in
thePears the evidencesof thoroughly matured fruits
are quite manifest. The exhibits of outdoor Peaches
and Nectarines, as well as of Plums, are not so
many as one could wish ; a few good samples are,
however, to ba noted, possibly where wall copings
(glass or otherwise) are in use. Nuts of all kinds
are excellent in quality. Grapes, taken as a whole,
maintain the usual excellence of these shows. Of
these, it is safe to say that Muscat of Alexandria
was never shown better, nor has the competition
been so keen. In this respect it reminds one of
the large fruit show at Manchester in the early
eighties, and of another at the Alexandra Palace
of the same period. Black Hamburghs were
in strong force this year (last year this good
Grape was lamentably deficient) and of ex-
cellent quality. The next most prominent (irape,
no doubt, was Alicante, which also was in strong
force, and so was (iros Maroc, whilst of Gros Col-
man there were some perfectly finished samples.

One would like to see more of such high-class
Grapes, as Mrs. Pinee's] Black Muscat, Muscat
Hamburgh, Mrs. Pearson and Dr. Hogg.

The collections of fruit in variety in the two
classes provided for them showed no improve-
ment in quality on last year. Hare the lateness
of the show told on several dishes, notably on
Peaches, Nectarines, Plums and Melons. Pines,
on the other hand, were finer than usual. The
judging was by some considered to be erratic in
the two last awards of the larger class ; the absence
of Muscats and the substitution of Fosters Seed-
ing had no doubt its weight with the judges, as
well as the superiority of the black Grapes, and
spite of the finer Peaches (a grand dish)
and the two very fine Pines in the third priza col-
lection. One of the Melons, too, in the second
prize lot was in process of decay, but possibly in
judging it was not observed. In the competing
classes open to the trade only, the pre-eminence
of the Kentish-grown fruit was very manifest;
better examples of superb finish and size could not
be desired. In the Pear classes the competition
was the keenest, wherein the western grower
showed up bravely. In the single dish classes of
both Pears and Apples, the most popular kinds
were well shown, it being thus easy to note which
kinds met with most approval.

Throughout the show the Kentish growers
again occupied most of the premier positions ir
both the Pear and Apple classes, not, however,
exclusively by any means, for they were dis
comfited by those from Dorset, from Sussex, and
from Surrey, as well as from the western counties,
The best Grapes came from Middlesex, from
Surrey, and from Bath, most of the first prize,
being taken by three competitors from thesi
centres. Throughout the show the competition
was almost invariably keen, the most noticeable
exceptions being in a few of the single dish
classes where prizes were ofiered for such as
Beurre Dumont and a few other Pears.

The non-competing exhibits of fruits were most
extensive, covering a wide range of fruit culture
and occupying a great amount of space. Of
novelties, PhysalisFranchetti made a brilliant dis-
play in Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons' stand. Here
also was to be seen a new and remarkably fine
looking Grape, of which more will soon no
doubt be heard. Particular note should be made
of a highly creditable collection of Apples and
Pears from South Wales, brilliant in the extreme
as regards colour and of huge size ; these, had
they been staged in the competing classes, would
have told a tale. The exhibitor was Major W.
Blythway, Llanelly.

The arrangements of the show were excellent,
all being done in good taste, most of the classes
running consecutively, with no overcrowding to
the disparagement of exhibits.

COLLECTIUN'S OF FrUIT.

There were three entries in this class for twelve
dishes of ripe fruit. The first prize and Williams
Memorial medal were awarded to Earl of Har
rington, Elvaston Castle, Darby (gardener, Mr,
Goodacre), who had two strong dishes of Graphs
Muscat of Alexandria, finely coloured and shapely
bunches ; Black Alicante, also well coloured and
with large berries ; Black Jamaica Pine-apple,
now very seldom seen, but one of the most luscious,
as well as handsome in appearance, that shown
being a good example ; Smooth Cayenne Pine,
fruit of medium size ; Countess and Hero of
Lockinge Melons of medium size ; a fine clear dish
of Pitmaston Duchess Pears, and another of
Beurre Hardy ; Cox's Orange Pippin and Wash
ington Apples, both excellent samples ; Monarch
Plum, and Golden Eagle Peaches. The second
priza was awarded to Lady Henry Somerset,
Eastnor Castle, Ledbury (gardener, Mr. Harris).
The Grapes here were excellent, the Muscats
being better than in the premier collection, these
being accompanied by Madresfield Court, good
alike in all points, both in bunch and in colour ;
Pitmaston Duchess Pears, The Nectarine and Lady
Palmerston Peaches, Morello Cherries, Coe's
Golden Drop Plums, and Smooth Cayenne Pine

were all good points, but the Figs were weak, also
the Royal Favourite Melon, which was over. Sir
Joseph Pease, Hutton Hall.Guisborough (gardener,
Mr. Mclndoe), was placed third, he having two
splendid Pines, Charlotte Rothschild and Smooth
Cayenne, medium Foster's Seedling and good
Gros Maroc Grapes, but in both dishes of which
easily beaten ; Doyenne du Cornice Pear
was tirst class, and so was Triomphe de Vienne ;
Washington Apple was fine in colour, and the
dish of Exquisite Peach superb.

In the class for six kinds only, the first priza
easily fell to Mr. W. K. d'Arcy, Stanmore Hall
(gardener, Mr. Tidy). The Grapes, Alicintes
and Muscats, here were strong points, in every
way excellent, his other dishes being good Late
Admirable Peaches, capital Louise Bonne Pears
and Ribston Pippin Apples, and a dish of Pas--i-
9ora edulis. The second prize in this class went
to Mrs. Wingfield, Ampthill House, Beds (gar-
dener, Mr. Empson), in which collection the
Grapes were the beat dishes.

Collections of Grapes.
For six varieties, black and white to be repre-
sented, Mr. W. Baver, Tewkesbury Lodge, Fore si
Hill (gardener, Mr. W. Taylor), was first in a
keen competition, he having to win against we'l-
known exhibitors. The varieties he staged were
Muscats of good colour, medium bunches ; Mad-
resfield Court, rather weak in colour, but good in
bunch and berry ; Gros Maroc, large in berry and
bunch, colour not quite complete ; Alicante and
Gros Colman, both finely finished ; and Trebbiano,
large in bunch. Messrs. de Rothschild, Gunners-
bury Park, Acton (gardener, Mr. Reynolds),
pressed very closely for the premier place in this
class. The best examples here were well-finished
Muscats, better Gros Maroc, fine Alicante, good
Madresfield and Alnwick Seedling ; in all a very
even exhibit. Mr. Goodacre in this class had to
be content with third place, Mrs. Pearson being
an excellent dish. For three kinds of Grapes,
Alderman Chaffin, Bath (gardener, Mr. W. Tay-
lor), was first in a close competition. There were
Madresfield Court, large bunches, scarcely
coloured ; Muscats, grand bunches with huge
berries finely coloured, and Gros Maroc of large
size, and with a deep bloom upon the berries.
Mr. Harris showed well in this cUss, his choice
being Black Hamburgh, Muscats, and Gros Col-
man, the last being remarkably good. For three
bunches of Black Hamburgh, Mr. Taylor, Forest;
Hill, secured the first prize with shapely bunches
of good si2e, but deficient in colour to some ex-
tent, the second award being made to Mr. F. W.
Fleming, Chilworth Manor, Hants (gardener, Mr.
Mitchell), whose exhibit included two bunches
very much superior to those in first prize lot, one
being smaller, but in all three both the colour
and size of berry were better. For Madresfield
Court, Mr. Taylor, Bath, was first beyond any
question with largo bunches and fine berries, the
colour only moderate ; Mr. Taylor, Forest Hill,
came in second with smaller examples, but with
the colour improved. For Gros Maroc or Groi
Colman, Mr. Taylor, Bath, was first with three
huge bunches of the former with immense
berries, which were covered with dense bloom.
Mr. Goodacre was second here with thi latter
kind ; these, too, were perfectly finished. For
Black Alicante Mr. Tidy was first with compact,
shapely bunches and large berries of the finest
colour. Mr. Taylor, Bath, who came very close
for second, had larger bunches well finished in
every way, he apparently having lost through
staging bunches not so shapely, but larger. For
Lady Downe's, Mr. Tidy won again, and that with
comparative ease, the bunches, berries, and finish
being all that one could desire ; Mr. Kemp, Cool-
hurst, Horsham, in whose bunches the colour was
rather deficient, but the bunches and berries fine,
being second. For any other black Grape Mr. Tidy
won, staging Alnwick Seedling, the bunches
being very fine, the berries large and with a dense
bloom. Mr. Taylor, Forest Hill, was second in
this class with very compact bunches of Bar-
barossa well finished. Mr. Mitchell was thiid

300

THE GARDEN.

[October 10, 1896.

in this class with three as fine bunches of
Mrs. Pince as anyone coald desire, well finished,
too, for the variety, with qualit\ all in its
favour as contrasted with the other -awards.
For Muscat of Alexandria, Mr. Tidy repeated
his previous successes by again taking the first
prize in a severe competition, the bunches of
typical shape, large, and fine in berrv. Sir G.
Russell, Swallowfield Park, Reading (gardener,
Mr. Cole), was here placed second, hi3 bunches a
trifle heavier perhaps and longer. Here again the
finish was excellent. Mr. F. A. Sevan, Trent
Park, Barnet (gardener, Mr. Lees), foUovvtd close
for third prize with possibly the best coloured
bunches of either ; these too were weighty, the
outer ones being heavily shouldered. These three
exhibits were so close as regards finish and general
excellence, that if the awards had been reversed,
no fault could scarcely have been found.

For any other white Grape, Mr. Taylor. Bath,
was first with three splendid examples of Cannon
Hall Muscat, the berries of which were huge, the
bunches well proportioned and evenly set, whilst
the colour was perfect. Mr. Reynolds followed
with Fosters Seedling, well-ripened examples of
good size. A class should be provided for Cannon
Hall Muscat, or it should be bracketed with
Muscat of Alexandria, otherwise it is hopeless for
any other kind to compete against it. In this
same class were laru'e clusters of Duke of
Buccleueh and others ot Mrs. Pearson. Only one
dish of Figs was shown : this came from Mr. W.
Erie, Liphook, Hants (gardener, Mr. Edwards).
For a collection of hardy fruit grown entirely in
the open and not to exceed fifty dishes, the gold
medal of the Fruiterers' Company was offered as
a first prize, but it was rightly withheld, as the
two exhibits were not up to the highest possible
standard ; both included fruits of good average
quality, however. For a collection of hardy fruit
not exceeding thirty-six dishes grown partly or
entirely under glass to illustrate orchard house
culture, Mr. Mclndoe was deservedly awarded the
first prize, with fruit typical of such conditions,
the clear skin and parfect finish being very
apparent. The best examples were Buckland
Sweetwater and Gros Maroc Grapes, both good ; a
tine dish of Late Duke Cherries and another of
Bellegarde Peaches, with one also of Exquisite ;
of Pears, Durondeau, Doyenn^ du Cornice, Beurrii
Superfin, Beurre Baltet Pere, and Triomphe de
Vienne were all of firH-class quality ; of Apples
there were (irand Duke Constantine.'which is only
a synonym for Emperor Alexander, Bietigheimer
Red, and a handsome dish of Calville Rouge
Pr.?coce : of Plums the beet were Coe's Golden
Drop and Magnum Bonum (yellow), and of Figs,
Negro Largo. The second prizg was awarded to
Mr. J^ U . Melles, Chingford, Essex (gardener,
Mr. Nicholson), for a very remarkable collection
of fruit grown on pot trees which are protected
overhead whilst the front is left entirely open ; the
best examples were, of Pears, Pitmastbn Duchess
and Doyenne du Cornice, and of Apples, Mere de
Menage, Peasgood's Nonsuch, Alfriston and Gloria
Mundi.

Division- IL— Ni-rservme.v okly.

This class for collections of indoor and open-air
fruit, as may be expected, was not strongly con-
tested, as few ein stage in the quantities required.
On the other hand, here was seen some of the
most interesting fruit in the whole exhibition, as
in these mixed classes exhibitors had more scope
for variety. Here we noticed some very fine new
Pears and Apples, and the staging was out of the
usual form, causing a pleasant break in the long
tables of fruit, plants in a few coses being freely
used. The first class in this division, unfortu-
nately, was not filled, that of fruit trees in pots.
Why, we know not. For a collection of hardy
fruits grown partly or entirely under glass there
was only one exhibitor, viz., Messrs. G. Bunyard
and Cx The centre of the exhibit was a fine
pyramid Apple tree, flanked on each side with
Figs in pots, pot Vines in variety, and fine-foliaged
plants, with berried Pyracantba. Large baskets
of fruit were distributed over the tables, with
groups of dishes. The following Apples and

Pears were most noticeable for colour and cjuality :
Warner's King, grown under glass, was like wax,
but not equal in size to some open-air specimens,
King of Tompkins County was very fine, also
Gascoigne's Scarlet. Striped Beaufin and The
t^>ueen were remarkable for colour : the same must
be said of Calville Rouge, Precoce, Mire de
Menage, Lady Henniker and Peasgood's Nonsuch.
Mrs. Barron and Bramley's Seedling were noted
for size, and the newer Okera was excellent. In
the dessert fruits, such well-known kinds aa Cox's
Orange, Cornish Gilliflower, Rosemary Russet,
Mother, Melon, Wealthy, Fearn's Pippin, and
several of the Calville type grown under glass were
vyry fine. The Peaches staged were not numerous.
Nectarines were not represented, and Figs were
Negro Largo and Bourjassotte Grise. Pears were
staged in quantity. Beurre Dumont, Beurr6
Fouqueray, Conference, Directeur Alphand, Pre-
sident d'Osmondville, Doyennfi du Cornice, Marie
Benoist, Marie Louise, Jean 'V'an Geert, Clairgeau,
Pitmaston Duchess and Durondeau were all very
good both in size and finish. For a collection of
not more than 100 dishes of distinct varieties, the
same exhibitor was an easy first. There was no
other competitor, and the fruit was most taste-
fully arranged ; a square pyramid of Apples formed
the centre. There were "twenty-five varieties of
Pears, some remarkable for size. Apples were
equally numerous, with Nuts in variety and Late
Orleans and Wyedale Plums, Damsons, t>»iiince?i
and other fruits. This was a grand exhibit, well
worthy of the Fruiterers' gold medal. In
the smaller class for fifty distinct varie-
ties there was more competition. Mr. H.
Berwick, Sidmouth Nurseries, was first, his
fruits remarkable for their splendid colour, and
though they did not equal in size the Kent
fruits, some of the dessert varieties were superior.
Here was the best lot of Cornish Gilliflower in the
whole show. Cox's Orange, Ribston, Tyler's
Kernel, and Blenheim Orange also being very
fine. The well-known Bismarck, Gascoigne's
Scarlet, More de Menage, and Emperor Alexander
were also excellent. The Pears, though good,
were not extra in size, the Pitmaston, Marie
Louise, Duchesse d'Angoulime, and Hacon's In-
comparable being noticeable, with very good
stewing varieties and such fruits as Almonds,
Damsons, Plums in variety, with grand Medlars
(Dutch) and Princess of Wales Peaches. Mr. A.
Wyatt, Hatton, Hounslow, was second with
much smaller fruits and less variety. For the
next class for Pears, not more than fifty varieties,
a large space was allowed, fine-foliaged plants
being also allowed. Messrs. Bunyard were an easy
first, staging the best fifty distinct varieties we
have seen. Here was an absence of what one may
term inferior kinds, of which there are far too
many in commerce. Marguerite Marillat and
Fondante de Thirriott were excellent. These new
Pears are of good quality and valuable additions.
Princess and Conference were most noticeable for
their perfect shape. Beurre du Buisson, a Pear
r.arely seen, a delicious fruit in January; Fertility,
Baronne de Mello, a small, but excellent early
autumn Pear: Baron Leroy, a large, new Pear;
Beurre Mortillet, Directeur Hardy, De Toubert,
Duchesse de Bordeaux, Le Lectier, a splendid
fruit ; Triomphe de Vienne, with other well-
known kinds, were well shown. Mr. H. Berwick,
Sidmouth, was second with smaller fruits, but
very well coloured. Most of the well known kinds
were staged. Beurri5 Hardy and B. Clairgeau were
very fine. For the same number of Apples, Messrs.
Bunyard were first. This collection had some of
the choicest fruits in the show. Mr. J. Basham,
Fair Oak Gardens, Newport, Mon., was second.
Here were some grandly coloured fruits. The
next class for fruit-bearing branches, in which
there was no competition, we do not think is
wanted, as the cut foliage soon withers.

Division III.— Gardeners and Am.vteurs only.

In this division was seen some of the best fruit
in the show, and we are pleased to note there was
no falling oif in the competitors. We noticed that
size in some of the collections staged was their

chief merit. More attention should be paid to
quality and less to size. For twenty-four diehea
(sixteen cooking and eight dessert), Mr. G. Wood-
ward, Barham Court Gardens, wa=i first, there
being four lots staged. His diehes of Peasgooi'e
Nonsuch, Bramley's and Bismarck were remark-
able for size. Belle Dubois, Emperor Alexander,
Mere de Menage, The Queen, Golden Noble,
Beauty of Kent, Waltham Abbey, Stone's, Alfris-
ton, Warner's King, Lord Derby and Lane's
Prince Albert were all good and of fine colour,
his front dishes of dessert kinds being Reinette du
Canada, Brnwnlee's Russet, Ribston, Cox's
Orange, Baumann's Red Reinette, Washington
Melon and Barnack Beauty. Mr. W. King (gar-
dener to Mr. Coleman, (Jatton Park, Reigate) was
second, Mr. J. Nowell, Maindea Court Garden^,
Abergavenny, being third. For twelve dishes
(eight cooking and four dessert), there was little
competition, but the quality was excellent. Mr.
W. G. IVagnell, Sherborne Castle Garden--,
Dorset, was first, with excellent fruits of The
Queen, Lord Derbj', Peasgood's Nonsuch, Warner's
King, Gascoigne's Scarlet, Annie Elizabeth, Bram-
ley's Seedling and Blenheim Orange. American
Mother, Ribston and Cox's Orange Pippins with
King Pippin were the dessert varieties. Mr.
T. W. Startup, West Farleigh, Kent, was a close
second. His dishes of cooking fruits were very
largo. For nine dishes (six cooking and three
dessert), there were seven competitors — scarcely
a weak lot among them. Mr. W. Slcgrove
was first with even fruits, all good, Sandringham,
Peasgood's Nonsuch and Emperor Alexander
being large. Mr. Turton, Maiden Erleigh, Read-
ing, was a very close second, he having fine
Mi're de Menage, Blenheim Orange, and Striped
Beaufin, with a fine dish of Adams' Pearmain in
his dessert fruit. Mr. J. Hill, gardener to Mr.
C. R. Adeane, Babraham Hall, Cambridge, was
third. The class for six dishes of cooking Apples,
as may be expected, brought forth a notable
array of fruit as far as size was concerned. There
were five competitors, Mr. G. Woodward being a
good first, having remarkable examples of Belle
Dubois, Peasgood's Nonsuch, Stone's, Warner's
King, Lord Derby, and Alexander, the whole
being notable for perfect finish and weight. Mr.
T. W. Startup was second, and Mr. Lewis,
gardener to Mr. Cleverson, Staplehurst, third.
The three-dish class for cooking Apples brought
out eleven competitors, Jlr. J. Bowery, gardener
to Mr. H. H. Barnard, Attleborough, being first
with grand Lane's Prince Albert, Emperor
Alexander, .and Peasgood's Nonsuch ; Mr. G.
Ismith, Horsham, being second, and Mr. Sage
third. Probably the best table of fruits in the

hole building as regards quality was the clafs
for six dishes of dessert fruits ; the competition
was strong and excellent dishes were staged.
We think more prizes should be allotted to the
dessert Apples in collections, as the fact of eleven
lots being staged shows how popular this, the
largest class for dessert Apples alone, was. Mr.
G. Woodward was first with grandly coloured

amples of Cox's Orange, Washington, Bau-
mann's Red Reinette, Barnack Beauty, Ribston
Pippin, and Calville Precoce. Mr. W. King had
six excellent dishes very little inferior to the
premier lot, his fruits of American Mother,
Jefferson, and Ribston Pippin being fine, Mr.
Goldsmith being third, he having an excellent
dish of Cornish Gilliflower. For three dishes of
dessert, Mr. Edwards, gardener to Mr. G. H.
Field, Sevenoaks, was first out of eleven com-
petitors.

The Pears were even better than Apples and
eally excellent in most cases. For the best
twenty-four dishes Messrs. Bunyard offered liberal
prizes. Mr. G. Woodward secured the premier
award with a superb collection, Durondeau,
Louise Bonne of Jersey, Pitmaston Duchess (a
trifle coarse), Beurre Baltet, Marie Benoist,
Beurre Diel, Soldat Laboureur, Princess, Fondante
Thirriott, Passe Crassane, Josephine de Malines,
Doyenne d'Alenv^n, Vineuse, and Winter Nelis
being the best. Col. Brymer (gardener, Mr.
Powell), Ilsington House, Dorchester, was second,

October 10, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

301

his fruit having less colour. The class for
twelve brought out five lots, mostly good, Mr.
W. G. Pragnell taking the lead with veryfine fruits.
Mr. Offer, gardener to Mr. Warren, Handcross Park,
Crawley, was second with a smaller lot of fruits.
For nine dishes some fine fruits were staged.
Here Mr. W. Jones, gardener to Mr. J. R.
Brougham, Carshalton, was first, he having very
fine Duchesse d'Angouleme, Pitmaston Duchess,
Beurrfe Bacheher, B. Superfin, Easter Beurre,
Urbaniste, and Marechal de la Cour. Mr. G.
Fennell, Tonbridge, was second with large speci-
mens, and Mr. Geo. Wythes, gardener to Earl
Percy, Syon House, Brentford, third, with very
good dishes, smaller, but of excellent quality.
For six dishes, Mr. Slogrove secured premier place,
having very fine Fondante de Cuerne, Duchesse
d'Angouleme, Doyenn^ du Comice, Beurre Diel,
and Louise Bonne of Jersey. Mr. G. W. Andrews,
gardener to Hon. W. Lowther, Campsey Ashe,
Wickham Market, being second ; Mr. Bannister
third. In this class nine lots were staged. For
three dishes there was a poor competition, Mr.
Harris, gardener to Mr. A. O. Smith, East Grin-
stead, being first, with fine Gen. Todtleben,
Beurre Diel, and Pitmaston Duchess ; second,
Mr. Startup. In the class for stewing Pears
there was a spirited competition. Mr. Woodward
was first in the three dishes, having very large
Uvedale's St. Germain, Catillac, and Grosse CA
basse, Mr. Goldsmith second, with Bellissin
d'Hiver in place of Grosse Calebasse ; Mr. Cotterell
was third, but we think there were finer fruits ii
the dishes which received no awards. For i
single dish, Mr. Ross, Welford Park, Newbury, wa
first with huge Uvedale's St. Germain, Mr. G. H
Stock, gardener to Mr. G. H. Beames, Peter-
borough, second with the same variety.

The classes for stone fruits did not fill, doubt-
lees owing to the early season, and those staged
could not be noted as first-quality fruits, some
being poor and flavourless. For three dishes of
Peaches there were only three competitors, Mr.
G. Woodward taking the premier award with good
fruits of Sea Eagle, Nectarine and Princess of
Wales, Mr. A. Maxim, gardener to Col. H. Wal-
pole, Heckfield, Hants, being second. In the single
dish class, seven contested, the first prize going
to Mr. Wallis, gardener to Mr. R. Sneyd, Keele
Hall, Staffs, with a variety of Continental origin
named the Thomas Peach ; second, Mr. Gibson,
gardener to Mr. T. F. Burnaby Atkins, Sevenoake.
Nectarines were poorly shown, no fruit being
staged in the three-dish class, and only two com-
peted in the single dish class, Mr. Mclndoe staging
Byron, and Mr. Reynolds, Gunnersbury Park, Vic
toria. The same remarks apply to Plums. For
four dishes of dessert there were only two com
petitors, Mr. Mclndoe having Grand Duke, Coe's
tiolden Drop, Bryanston Green Gage, and Jeffer
son ; Mr. Empson, gardener to Mrs. Wingfield,
Ampthill, being second. For a single dish of des
sert, five staged, Mr. Harris, Eastnor, being first
with Coe's Golden Drop ; Mr. Prinsep second with
the same variety. For cooking Plums (four varie-
ties), Mr. Mclndoe was first with Pond's Seedling,
Belle de Septembre, Magnum Bonum, and
Dymond ; Mr. Empson second. For a single
dish, Mr. Prinsep had very good Monarch, Mr.
Fennell being second. For Gage Plums, Mr. J.
Hill, Babraham, was first with Heine Claude de
Bavay ; Mr. Gibson, gardener to Prince Hat
feldt, Chippenham, second with Brahy's Green
Gage. There was only one exhibitor of Damsons ;
these were rather email, from Mr. Empson
staged Prune Damson, King of Damsons, and
White Bullace. Cherries were not numerous, M
F. Harris being fiist with Morellos ; Mr. Herrin
second with the same variety. Nuts were staged
by three exhibitors, Mr. G. Chambers, Mereworth,
Kent, being first with good Walnuts, sweet Chest-
nuts, Champion Filbert, Cosford and Kentish Cobs
and Filberts ; second, Mr. Turton. For a dish of
Quinces, fourteen competed, Mr. Prinsep being
first, and Mr. Mitchell, Romsey, second. For the
Veitch prizes for flavour, eighteen competed for
Apples, Mr. Prinsep being first with Cox's Orange
Pippin ; second, Mr. Startup with Ribston. There

were fourteen dishes of Pears ; Thompson's secured
the premier award for Mr. Cotterell, the second
place going to Beurre Hardy.
Division IV.— Single Dishes grown in the
Open Air.
Taken as a, whole, the Apples exhibited in single
dishes were not so fine as last year, and few indi-
idual dishes came up to the best of those shown
in 189d either in size or in colour. This, how-
scarcely to be wondered at, considerini,'
the difference in the weather of the two Septem-
bers. The larger classes were not so well filled
and we missed the very fine Ribstons, which were
last year so wonderfully good. The Blenheim
and Cox's Orange classes were, however, well
filled, and the fruits were fine both in colour and
but few dishes showing any indication of

pot. In cutting down the number of classes
led to wonder why special classes for Allen's Ever-
lasting, of which there was only one entry, which
was awarded a second prize, Williams' Favourite
(no exhibit), Seaton House (one exhibit, second
prize awarded), Spencer's Favourite (one exhibit,
certainly very good, but much resembling Golden
Noble), are included, while such good and better-
known varieties as the old Golden Pippin, Cockle
Pippin, Golden Russet, Reinette du Canada are
left to fight their battle in the classes for " any
other variety," in which they stand no chance.
We would suggest a rearrangement here in which
some of these good and well-tried varieties are
not forgotten.

Apples,

Mr. McKenzie (gardener to Mr. F. S. W. Corn
wallis, Linton Park, Maidstone) was first for Bau-
mann's Red Winter Reinette, but was closely run
by Mr. Woodward, gardener to Mr. Roger Leigh,
Maidstone. The class for Brownlee's Russet
brought out but four competitors, among whom
Mr. Woodward took the lead, all the dishes exhi-
bited being very even. Of Court Pendu Plat ten
dishes were put up. Mr. C. Ross (gardener to
Captain Carstairs, Newbury) was first with some
good fruits. Cox's Orange Pippin brought out
the large number of thirty-three dishes, the
winning dish— shown by Mr. W. King (gardener
to Mr. J. Colman, Reigate)— being a grand lot,
very even and good in colour. The second prize
dish came from Mr. Woodward, whose fruits were
slightly larger than those which beat them, but
not quite so well coloured. Mr. W. Mitchell (gar-
dener to Mr. J. W. Fleming, Romsey, Hants) came
third, also with a grand dish, which was marred
by having one spotted fruit, but for which the ex-
hibit might have taken a higher position. Alto-
gether this was a good class, but some dishes con-
tained undersized fruits. Among the ten dishes
of Fearn's Pippin there was nothing very notable
The first prize dish, shown by Mr. F. S. W
Cornwallis, contained the best coloured fruits,
and these were also more russetty than those of
any other dish shown. Of King of the Pippins a
very mixed lot was shown ; the dish exhibited by
Mr. W. G. Pragnell (gardener to Mr. J. K. Wing
field-Digby, Sherborne) was, however, a grand lot;
the second and third prizes might well have been
reversed. Some few of the twenty-one lots shown
might well have been left at home. For Mabbot's
Pearmain four dishes were shown, and Mr.
McKenzie here came easily first with a good dish,
The class for Mannington Pearmain brought out
six exhibitors, the first three dishes being very
even. Mr. T. Turton, Reading, secured first
place. An even and good lot of Margil was put
up on seven out of the eight dishes, the eighth
being a dish of Corkle Pippin. Mr. Goldsmith,
gardener to Sir E. J. Loder, came first. Of
American Mother excellent dishes were staged,
Mr. McKenzie taking the lead here with grand
coloured fruits. Ribston Pippin, though not
quite so good as last year, was shown in fine form
by Mr. C. A. Bayford', gardener to Mr. C. Lee-
Campbell, Ross, who secured first prize. In the
class for Rosemary Russet, Mr. J. Tallack,
Livcrmere Park, was first. Mr. Hudson, gar-
dener to Messrs. de Rothschild, Gunnersbury,
showed the best Scarlet Nonpareil, a good

This variety appears to be deficient in
colour this year. Sturmer Pippin was not well
represented, this fine late Apple requiring a sunny
autumn, Mr. G. Chambers, Mereworth, being
first with a fairly good dish. Eleven dishes of
that worthless Apple Worcester Pearmain were
put up, the best coming from Mr. W. G. Empson,
gardener to Mrs. Wingfield, Ampthill. In the
"any other variety" dessert class, which con-
tained twenty-four dishes, fine and large samples
of the Melon Apple, staged by Mr. Spencer, gar-
dener to Mr. H. C. Moffit, were placed first,
though the fruits were altogether too big for the
dessert dish. Mr. Woodward followed with
Washington, this attractive variety also taking
third place, the exhibitor being Mr. W. Slogrove,
gardener to Mrs. Crawford, Reigate. In this class
were many other good dishes, amongst others a
very pretty dish of that useful Apple the Winter
Peach. Alfriston brought out eight dishes, all
very even and exceedingly good, Mr. McKenzie
taking first place. In the class for Bismarck
there were some splendid fruits, scarcely a blemish
being found on any of the eleven dishes, while
that shown by Mr. McKenzie was extra fine. The
first three dishes of Blenheim Orange must have
presented some difficulty to the judges, who
placed Mr. Bannister, gardener to Mr. H. St.
Vincent Ames, Bristol, first for a dish of large
and well-coloured fruits, one of which was, how-
ever, rather spotted ; second, Mr. W. King, and
third, Mr. W. H. Godden, gardener to the Hon.
F. W. Buxton, who exhibited a dish of excaedingly
clean fruits. Bramley's Seedling was also a
notable class, in which the fruits were fine, clean
n. The first-prize dish was well ahead o?
any other, and was shown by Mr. J. Gibson, gar-
doner to Prince Hatzfeldt, Chippenham. In th3
class for Cellini.'the judging was a little erratic
or hurried, for the dish placed first out of ten
contained two very badly shrivelled fruits. Of
Cox's Pomona sixteen dishes were shown, and
these were mostly fine ; that exhibited by Mr. W.
King, who secured first prize, was extra good, of
fine colour and large. Dumelow's Seedling was very
poor, only the first placed three dishes sho wmg any-
thing like the good quality we are wont to find
in this popular Apple. The first prizs dish of
Ecklinville shown by Mr. McKenzie was very fine
indeed, and the remaining five dishes were all
good. Emperor Alexander being a handsome
showy Apple, though one which may easily be
over-planted on account of its softness and bad
keeping properties, is always largely shown, and
very fine the thirteen dishes looked, Mr. Woodward
being first with large and highly coloured fruits.
The same exhibitor was also successful with
splendid fruits in the next class, viz., that for
Gascoigne's Scarlet, which also brought out some
handsome fruits. Golden Noble was represented
by nine dishes of bright and clean fruits, all three
of the prize-taking dishes being good in all points,
though the second prizs lot was just a little green.
Mr. Woodward was placed first, and Mr. T. W.
Herbert, gardener to Mr. J. T. Charlesworth,
second. The character of Grenadier will scarcely
be improved bv the very spotted and poor fruits
exhibited in the class devoted to that variety.
For New Hawthornden (ten dishes) the first prize
went to Mr. T. W. Herbert, gardener to Mr. J. T.
Charlesworth, Nutfield, for a fine dish, and the
second to Mr. Woodward. Hormead's Pearmain
was only represented by three dishes. The first
prize lot from Mr. McKenzie was good, as also
was Mr. Woodward's second prize dish. Lane's
Prince Albert was exhibited in grand form in all
but two or three cases, seventeen dishes in all
being put up. The first prize dish, shown by Mr.
Ross, gardener to Captain Carstairs, was one of
the finest dishes of Apples in the competitive
classes. The next few dishes came so closely to-
gether in quality as to make judging a difficult
task. Of Lord Derby nine dishes were staged,
the first three being good and even. Mr. Wood-
ward headed the prize-takers, and he was closely
followed by Mr. G. H. Sage, gardener to Earl
Dysart. Mr. Woodward was again first for Lord
Grosvenor, his only opponent having a very

302

THE GAPiDEK

[October 10, 1896.

spotted dish, and again for Lord Suffield Mr.
Woodward's exhibit was the only good dish
shown. Mtre de Menage, though put up bv nine
exhibitors, w.<»s not so good as it was last year.
In this class Mr. T. Turton was placed first "for a
good dish, followed by Mr. Woodward with a
better coloured, but less weighty lot. For
Messrs. Pearson and Sons" prize for Newton Won-
der the competition was ke<n. Mr. Hudson,
gardener to Messrs. de Rothschild, was placed
first, Mr. Harris, gardener to Mr. P. Crowlev,
Croydon, second, and Mr. T. Oliverson third.
Handsome samples of the very large and soft
Peasgood's Nonsuch were shown by ten competi
tors, and these left nothing to be "desired in the
matter of appearance. Mr. F. G. Powell, of the
Hort. College, Swanley, put up the first prize lot,
and was followed by Mr. J. Morter, of Upper
Xorwood. Mr. Woodward was first for a good
dish of Royal Jubilee and also for Sandringham,
the latter bringing out six dishes of good
fruit. Stirling Castle was very uneven, Mr.
Bannister coming first with heavy fruits
Five dishes of Stone's or Loddington Seedling
were put up, Mr. Woodward's first prize dish
being very good indeed. Of The Queen, six good
dishes were shown, and here Mr. T. W. Startuj)
came first, followed by Mr. G. Chambers. Tower
of Glamis also brought out what purported to be
six dishes, though but fire were true, Mr. C. Ross
ehowing the best ftuits. A fine show of Warner's
King was made by fifteen exhibitors. Care should
be taken not to overplant such a soft Apple,
grand as it is in its short season. Before the first
day of the show was over one lot had teccme
entirely brown and others were following suit.
Mr. McKenzie secured first prize, and the second
went to Mr. H. C. Prinsep. In the "any other
variety " class for cooking Apples, judging again
appeared erratic, the first prize being given to a
small, but highly. coloured dish of Hollandbuiv
from Mr. W. Mancey, Upper Gatton, Merstham",
a splendid dish of Gloria Mundi coming from Mr.
McKenzie being placed second, and a fine dith of
'VV'altham Abbey third (twenty-six dishes ex
hibitcd). In this class Frogmore Prolific was
shown in wretched form, almost rotten.

Peaks.
Pears were generally good and clean. The
grand dish of Beurr^ Diel exhibited by Mr.
Wythes, and Durondeau, exhibited by Mr. W. J.
Pragnell, which gained first prizes in their indi-
vidual classes, have probably been but rarely
equalled by outdoor grown fruits. Most varie-
ties are ripening too soon this year, and it was a
little sad to see the late October varieties already
ripe. The class for Bergamot d'Esperen brought
out nothing special, the first prize being taken
by Mr. A. Basile, gardener to the Rev. 0. L.
Powell, Weybridge, for a good exhibit (nine
dishes were shown). Beurre Bosc was in good
form, and Mr. A. Andrews, gardener to the Hon.
W. Lowther. Campsey Athe, Wickham Market,
was first with a nice dish. To the exhibit of
Beurre Diel we have already alluded. Mr.
Wythes, gardener to Earl Percy, Syon Hcii e,
first from sixteen competitors, all of whom
showed good fruits ; Mr. Woodward was second.
Mr. Woodward was first for a fine dish of Beurre
Hardy, and all threeprizedishes were good. Beurif^
Superfin was also shown in fine form by the first
two prize-winners, Mr. Woodward and Mr. Gold-
smith, in the order named. Mr Nicholson, gardener
to Mr. J. W. Melles, showed the only dish of Con-
ference, and this was good. The prize lots cf
Doyenne du Ccmice were magnificent and the
class was good throughout. There were sixteen
exhibitors, Mr. B. Calvert (gardener to Ccl.
Archer Houblon, Bishop's Stortford) coming first,
with Mr. Wocdward second. Twelve exhibits of
Durondeau included the dish already mentioned
as shown by Mr. Pragnell, and this was far ar.d
away ahead of the others. Easter Beurre was
well shown by ten exhibitors, Mr. E. J. Powell
(gardener to Col. Brjmer) coming first. A fine
dish of Emile d'Hejtt secured first prize for Mr.
WccdHatd,and he got a like award for Glou Mor-

ceau. Josephine de Malines is fine this year,
and brought out sixteen dishes, at least six
of which were far above the average, Mr. C. Ross
coming first and Mr. Woodward second. Louise
Bonne of Jersey was finely shown by Mr. (iibson,
gardener to Prince Hatzfeldt, who came first, and
by Mr. Bowery (gardener to Mr. H H. Hurvard),
who was placed second. The class for Marie
Louise brought out sixteen exhibits, rather irregu-
lar. The first card should have gone to the second
prize lot, which was heavier, not coarse, and be-
ing still rather green, was more in season. Mr.
Hill (gardener to Mr. C. R. W. Adeane, Cam-
hridge) was placed first, and Mr. W. A. Cook, of
Calne. second. For Nouvelle Fulvie, Mr. Spencer
■ind Mr. Wjthes took the first and second prizes
in the order named for good fruits in each case,
while the first prize for Pitmaston Duchess went
to the Horticultural College, Swanley, Mr. W.
Mancey coming second. In judging this class
ripeness was preferred to size, as some wonderfully
heavy dishes were passed by. The first prize dish
of Seckle shown by Mr. Ross was good, as also
was the only dish of Souvenir du Congrcs, which
was shown by Mr. Bannister and awarded a first
prize. Winter Nelis was fine and largely shown,
eighteen dishes being on the beard, Mr. R. Ed-
wards coming first with an excellent dish, clcsely
followed by Mr. Woodward. Twenty-four dishes
were put up in the class for " any other variety,"
first and second going to Duchesse d'Angouli'me,
exhibited by Mr. W. Sanders, Andover, and Mr.
H. C. Prinsep, Buxted, in the order named, the
third prize going to Mr. W. Pope for Marie
Louise d'Uccle.

MlSOEI.LANEOrs.

Collections of fruit not for competition were
very numerous ai.d good and generally well
staged. Grapes ard Pears were shown by the
Royal Horticultural Society, the fruit coming from
Chiswick Gardens. The Grapes were in some cases
damaged in transit, but the Pears were of good
size and sound. The best varieties were Pitmaston
Duchess, Keurr<5 Bosc, Beurre Diel, Triomphe de
Louvain, Marie Benoist and Conference. A col
lection of Tomatoes (handsome, shapely fruit) came
from Messrs. Fellowes and Ryder, Orpington.
Messrs. J. R. Pearson and .Sons, Chilwell, Notts,
staged a large collection of their fine Apple New-
ton Wonder, showing some really splendid fruit.
A large collection of Apples and Pears— effectively
arranged in baskets of various sizes, as well ae on
the ordinary plates— was shown by Messrs. Cheal
and Sons, Crawley. This exhibit included fine
examples of Jubilee (richly coloured), (^)ueen,
Peasgood's Nonsuch, Wai'ner's King, Prince
Albert, and Alexander among the Apples ; while
of the Pears, Catillac, Pitmaston Duchess, Beurre
Clairgcau, General Todtleben and Marie Benoist
were the best. Miscellaneous fruit was also well
shown by Messrs. Paul and Son, Cheshunt, their
exhibit including an interesting lot of lioyal Mus-
cadine Grape, grown on a waif out of doors, and
good baskets of Cox's Pomona, Cellini, Lane's
Prince Albert, Bismarck and Warner's King
Apples. The following Pears were good : Marie
Louise d'Uccle, Beurre Hardy, Glou Morceau and
Directeur Alphand. A particularly attractive and
interesting exhibit came from Messrs. Veitch and
Sons, and consisted of an extensive collection of
berries and small fruiting shrubs. Among the
many beautiful things were Hippophae rham-
noides, its branches thickly covered with brilliant
orange yellow fruit ; Rosa rugosa, the handsomest
of the Roses when in fruit ; Gleditschia triacan-
hop, with its curiously twisted red-brown pods ;
number of the bright and pretty Pernettyas,
Cratiegus orientalis and C. coccinea corallina, two
very effective shrubs ; Cotoneasler microphylla,
Viburnum rugosum, with its fruit of a peculiar
metallic-blue, and V. Opulus, brilliant red and
almost transparent ; the beautiful Strawberry
Tree (Arbutus Unedo), Euonymus europ;vus, with
great profusion of delicate rose-pink seed vessels,
and the handsome and graceful Berberis vulgaris.
A really fine collection of Ajiplea was sent by
Major W. Blythway, Llanelly. The finoft varie-
ties were Peasgood's Nonsuch, The Queen, Manks

Codlin, Blenheim Orange, Grand Duke Constan-
tino, Soaton House, King of the Pippins, Bis-
marck and Glory of England. A pretty exhibit
a representative collection of ornamental and

cider Apples shown by Mr. John Watkins, Here-
ford. The colour of the fruit was remarkable.

Messrs. Veitch and Sons exhibited a collection
of Apples of great merit, the fruit being firm
and well coloured. An equally fine collection of
Pears came frcm the same firm. Another large
and nicely staged collection of Apples and Pears
came from Messrs. C. Lee and Son, Hammersmith,
Cellini, Gloria Mundi, Old Nonsuch, Lane's Prince
Albert, Potts' Seedling and Duchess Favourite
Apples were good. A splendid collection of miscel-
laneous fruit came from Messrs. Rivers and Son,
Sawbridgeworth. Very conspicuous were Apples
and Pears on pot trees, manjof them being heavily
cropped and all in fine condition — Bismarck,
Gascoigne's Scarlet, Bijou, Conference, Marie
Louise, and Doyenne du Comice being especially
fine. The Plums, Grand Duke, Nonsuch, Autumn
Beauty, Rivers' Late Orange, and Coe's Golden
Drop were excellent. Of picked Apples, Cox's
Orange Pippin (superb). Emperor Alexander,
Worcester Pearmain, Warner's King, Lane's
Prince Albert, Bismarck, Ribston Pippin, and
Peasgood's Nonsuch were noteworthy. The finest
Pears were Parrot, Beurre Hardy, Magnate,
Duchesse d'Angoulcme, and Louise Bonne cf
Jersey. Perhaps the best things in the collection
were the two baskets cf Cox's Orange Pippin and
Ribston Pippin, both of which were remarkable.
A number cf hardscme late seedling Plums was
also very fine. A nice lot of Apples from Messrs.
S. Spooner and Sons, Hounslow Nurseries, in-
cluded good fruit of Cox's Orange, Carlisle
Codlin, Blenheim Orange, Duchess Favourite,
Wellington, and Scarlet Nonpareil. A very fine
and well staged exhibit of miscellaneous fruit
came from Messrs. Laing and Sons, Forest Hill.
A large collection of cider Apples was shown by
Messrs. W. Gaymer and Son, Altleborough. The
fruit was for the most part well grown, well
coloured, and very sound. Yet another collec-
tion of miscellaneous fruit came frcm the Horti-
cultural College, Swanley. A collection of fruit
shown by Mr. H. Berwick, Sidmouth, Devon,
was remarkable for the splendid colour of the
Apples, especially Barnack Beauty, Jefferson,
Worcester Pearinain, Col. Vaughan, King of
Pippins, Gascoigne's Scarlet, and Cox'e Pomona.
MlSCELLAXEOrs Floral E.xhibits.
These consisted chiefiy of Dahlias, which were
shown in great variety by the well-known ex-
hibitors, and of tuberous Begonias, which were
particularly good and most effective. These, too,
came from the usual firms who make of this
popular flower a special feature. These groups
were arranged most effectively as backgrounds
here and there on either side of the transepts from
end to end, thus telling with the best possible
effect. On one of the central diamond-shaped
tables Messrs. Veitch and Sons staged a most
efl'ective group of Nerine Fothergilli major, which
made a brilliant display, the plants bearing num-
rs of their bright umbels of flowers. Cultural
skill was here very apparent.

A full prize list will be found in our advertise-
ment columns.

Names of plants. — Rirerstou-n. — Probably

Catasetum Chrislyanum. if. S.— The Bladder

lenna (Colutea atbnrescens). Mrs. Cornish. —

Dyed flowers of Achillea ptarmica fl.-pl. — W. A. 6. —

The Spindle tree (Euonymus europaeus). B. R. —

Polygonum Brunonis. C. Eduards.—l, Oncidinm

osum ; 2, Pleione lagenaria. W. Richardson. —

Cattleya Loddigesi.

"'ames of fruit.— Greenattay.— Fruit in paper
bags : 1, Dumelow's Seedling ; 2, Stamford Pippin ; 3,
BtadJick's Xonpareil ; 4, Pitmastou Duchess ; 5, not re-
cognised ; 0, Marie Louise d'Uccle. Anoti. — Num-
bers attixed with niatling : 1, Yorkshire Beauty; 2,
Feaiii's Pippin; 3, Stoup Lsadirgton; 4, Lady

Henniker. G. Boias.— Apple, Pig's Nose. T. F.

— 1, Beurre Clairgeau; 2, Brown Beurre; 3, Swan's

; 4, Easter Beurre.

THE GARDEN.

303

No. 1300. SAIURDA Y, Oc'.obir 17, 1896.

"This lean Art
Which does mend Nature : change U rather ; but
The Art itself is J^atv-rs." Shakeipeari.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

SHORTENING VINE SHOOTS.
Would any reader of The Gakden give me ad-
vice respecting the shortening of the shoots of
Vines in order to get the lowest eyes better
ripened? (1) At what time should it be done,
if done at aU ; (2) how much of the shoots has
to be taken oif : (3) is it desirable to shorten
all the shoots at one time, or must this work be
performed at intervals ? A shoot is, for in-
stance, about ilO inches long, very thin and weak,
and the foliage is just beginning to colour. Do
I strengthen or do I weaken the lowest eye of
this shoot if I take off about half its lergth ?
When is the right time to cut off the lateral
growths i One always reads that it is very im-
portant for getting good spurs of equal strength
to shorten well back the young rods. I have
followed this advice and did not spare the knife,
but the results are not first-rate. My Vines are
about four years old ; they are in good health
and the border is filled with roots, but, never-
theless, I cannot get spur? of equal strength. For
instance, a rod shortened back last autumn to
about 5 feet broke this spring very unevenly
At the upper end I obtained two very strong
shoots, two much weaker ones in the middle,
and finally, at the lowest end the eyes did not
break at all, or they developed two very weak
shoots. — R. Katzer, St. Petersburg.

*if.* Among Grape growers in this country
difference of opinion prevails as to the advan
tages attending the practice of early pruning
the lower laterals on Vines with a view to
strengthening the basal buds. Personally,
must confess to a doubt as to the gain in favour
of this piecemeal pruning, but if it does no good
it certainly is not harmful. " R. K." will do
well to commence pruning his laterals (rather
long ones they are) at once, and he ought also
to have an expeiiment of his own in connection
with this pruning. Let him shorten the lower
laterals of some of his rods to the third joint
or leaf, leiving those on the upper portion
of the Vines to nearly or quite their full
length. Other rods he can partially prune
throughout their entire length, completing the
pruning directly after the leaves fall. He will
then have ample opportunities next season for
arriving at a definite conclusion in the matter.
In this country it is a fairly common practice to
shorten the laterals to about half their original
length soon after the leaves commence changing
colour, with the intention in some cases ot
strengthening the back buds, and in others
principally with the aim of utilising the houses
for Chrysanthemum culture. At that late date
I doubt if this shortening does materially
strengthen the basal buds. It is my belief the
character of these is already formed, and that
what may be termed a wholesale removal of
leaves seriously militates against the much-to-
be-desired strong root action that ought to re-
sult from the additional supply of " returned"
sap. It is in the autumn, or after the crops are
matured and the buds weU formed, that root
action is, or ought to be, most brisk, and that
is why root lifting and relaying in fresh soil are
performed while yet the leaves are capable of
performing a portion of their functions.

It would really appear more a question of

tored-up sap than conspicuous] buds, though

I prefer cutting to a stout bud on Vines'
For instance, who has not seen good bunches
produced on breaks that emanated not from
a well defined joint or bud formed at the
base of a leaf-stalk, but from embryo buds that
would never have existed had they not been
forced out by hard pruning. More than half
the bunches grown are produced by laterals
springing from buds formed at the base of
quite the smallest leaves, but if the laterals are
shortened to the second or third buds from the
rods these produce larger and frequently looser
bunches, while the back buds if they break
may not give a small bunch even. If, however,
we prune the shy bearing varieties, notably
Gros Guillaume, and in a less degree Buck-
land Sweetwater, very severely, we run the
risk of having no bunches at all. Much more
might be advanced upon this, to me, most in-
teresting phase, but "R. K.," who puts his
queries in an intelligent form that I would com-
mend to English readers who also may need
advice occasionally, is more concerned about the
weakness of the lower laterals on his Vines.

This is what he says. "One always reads and
hears that it is very important for getting good
spurs of equal strength to shorten well back the
young rods," but it appears the result of his
following this advice was not satisfactory. If
the truth could be got at, very many others who
have followed this common, and in my opinion
(repeatedly expressed in these pages) most
erroneous practice, have been equally dis-
appointed. Mr. .J. Simpson was one of the
first to boldly condemn this free use of the
knife, and it is to be hoped made more
converts than most of us are aware of.
Why grow so much good wood only to cut away
again ? The plan I advocate and practise, to
my own satisfaction at any rate, is that of stop-
ping vouDg canes at the height or length at
which they are to be left at pruning time. For
instance, I planted one side of a long span-
roofed house in March, 1895, with small "cut-
backs" of Gros Colman. The greater part
grew strongly, were stopped at a length of 8
feet, and the laterals resulting, at the first joint.
All the winter pruning consisted of cutting out
the short laterals. Those rods broke most
satisfactorily, and are carrying some three,
some four, good well- finished bunches apiece.
The leaders were stopped when about 4 feet
long, and next season the Vines will be cropped
to their full length. What few that were too
weak to carry bunches I cut back hard, and
these have formed long, clean canes that will
be left to their full length— 8 feet. When we
leave a rod of a Grape Vine or well-matured
shoot on a fruit tree to its full length at prun-
ing time, there is a natural uninterrupted
circulation of sap possible in the spring, and as
a consequence a regular and even break.
Shorten them, however, lightly in the winter,
and it will be found that the sap rushes to the
ends and apparently remains there, one or two
strong growths resulting, while below there are
few or no breaks. That " R. K." has also
found to be the case, and if I have made myself
understood, he will now begin to see that early
pruning is not the only or even true way out of
the difliculty.

He appears to have omitted one important
cultural detail. Whether the rods are winter
pruned at the extremities or not there will
always be an inclination to break the most
strongly at the ends, at the expense of the
lower breaks. To counteract this we, in this
country, either depress the ends considerably
or else coil the rods round so as to bring the
ends down to the front of the house. Some-
times the rods are all trained along the fronts

and kept there till the buds have burst, which,
thanks to the check given to the natural up-
ward rush of the sap, they do most regularly to
their entire length. Especially is this lowering
of the ends necessary in the case of young rods.
They must be induced to break evenly at first,
or otherwise they will always be badly pro-
vided with fruiting spurs, and it will also be
found a difficult matter to strengthen spurs
once they are greatly outdone by their neigh-
bours higher up. Next season " R. K." ought
to either coil or depress the ends of his Vines,
gradually straightening and raising them as
the lower breaks are disposed to take an
undue lead. If by any chance the uppermost
laterals are disposed to grow the strongest, the
points of these should be taken out at two
joints beyond the bunch showing as early as
they can be got at. This early stopping of both
laterals and sub-laterals forming on these,
diverts the sap to where it is most wanted, and
is a good means towards the desired end. Nor
ought the leaders to be allowed to rob the
weakly lower growths. In the old hard prun-
incr days it has been even found necessary to
completely remove the two uppermost breaks,
their disappearance soon improving the charac-
ter of the lower shoots. A leader can easily be
had from breaks lower down. Supposing
" R K." to be dissatisfied with the appearance
of his old rods, I should advise him to start
fresh ones from near the bend in the roof, and
these in one season ought to be strong enough
to take the place of the old rods, cutting the
latter clean out directly the crops are cleared off
next year.— W. Iggildex.

Red spider on fruit trees.— As might be
expected large numbers of fruit trees and bushes
have been badly crippled by red spider this
season. Wherever the trees or bushes are '.° »
half-starved condition it is on these the red spider
makes the most impression, and I have recently
seen large breadths without a green leaf on them.
Many present the appearance of having been
burnt, the leaves having charged to a brown colour
and curled up. Gooseberries have long since
shed many of their leaves, and these ii\ common
with the spider-infested trees must be weakened
beyond recovery in a single season Trees and
bushes that started healthily and strongly seem
to defy red spider attacks, and good culture ouglit
therefore to be the remedy in the future, as it is
very certain no insecticides would be of any real
service applied to orchard trees.— I.

Apricot Large Early.-As far as size is con-
cerned, the Large Early is the finest of Apricots,
and the individual fruits may be grown almost
as large as a Peach if the crop is well thinned.
Both fruit and foliage are very distinct in appear-
ance.and the bark on the older branches is more
grey-looking and warty than in other varieties
The fruits are oblong, flattened at the sides, and
the colour is a deep orange, quite reddish when
fully exposed to the sun. The ilesh is similarly
coloured, but somewhat firm, and on this
account invaluable for bottling, as the fruits do
not bruise so readily as Moorpark or Hemskirk
The tree is a vigorous grower, and J^en pl-nt">g
on strong rich soils this fact should be borne in
mind, mixing lime rubble or similar material
with the soil to counteract it. The variety is
hardy and prolific and not so prone to branch-
djing as others. On a south wall the fruit ripens
about the middle or end of July, much depending
on the season. On a west wall there is a difference
of ten days. It is a valuable kind on «ocount ot
its earliness, but it cannot compare ^'^h Moor-
park for richness of flavour. All the same I
would recommend one or two trees being planted
when forming a new collection or adding to an
existing one.— Gkower.

Plum Coe's Golden Drop. -This is an indis-
I pensable variety where late Plums are m de-

304

THE GATJDEK

[October 17, 1896.

mt.nd, either for cookin;;, dcstert or for bottling.
When bottled in syrup it is delicious and most
useful for augmenting the dessert during the
winter months. When required merely for cook-
ing the syrup is not necessary, and the fruit may
be bottled in the usual way. It will hang for a
long time in good condition on the trees, and in
seasons when wasps and flies are troublesome
it pays to cover it. When covered it will
hang until it shrivels and it is then most lus-
cious. To secure a long succession of fruits, trees
should be planted in different positions ; sites on
walls having a west, east, northwest and northern
asf>ects should be chosen, and if one or more trees
are planted on each they will give fruits up to the
end of October. The tree grows strongly in a
young state, but lifting soon rectifies this. It is a
free-bearing v.<\riety and succeeds best as a wall
tree. I have it as a standard, but c-innot recom-
mend its being grown in this form, as it is only in
favourable seasons that it bears. As a cordon I
can speak well of it, as it is then very prolific. It
is also a grand variety for orchard house culture.
— S. E. P.

Pear Knight's Monarch.— I have a tree of
this Pear in espalier form this year carrying a full
crop of fruit, but the majority of them have
already fallen, and I fear the remainder will also
fall. The same thing occurred last season, which
I then attributed to the dry weather in Sep
tember, but this summer the rainfall hereabouts
has been much greater. I used to grow it on
west wall in Esse.x, an old spreading horizontal
tree, seldom failing to bear a crop, and I do not
remember the fruit ever falling. The few fruit I
managed to secure last autumn and stored ripened
up of fairly good flavour, but I really think, to do
Knight's Monarch justice, a wall is necessary
Has any reader had experience with this Pear
either in espalier or pyramid form?— J. Crawford.
Melon Hero cf Lockinge. — Few Melons
have stood the test of time better than this pale-
fleshed variety. I do not think I have ever
judged at a large show without seeing several
fruits of Hero of Lockinge, and in nine cases out
of ten it is conspicuous as a prize winner. One
reason of its popularity besides its good flavour
is that it has such a hardy free-fruiting constitu-
tion, that those possessing only limited Melon-
growing accommodation find it answer their
purpose so well that they always include it in
their seed list. I think I may safely say that it
is grown as freely at the present day as when it
was first sent out, which is now more than twenty
years ago. This is more than can be said of three
parts of the Melons that are introduced.— J. C.

NOTES ON STRAWBERRIES.
I.v reading "A. W.'s" article (p. 253) I was sur-
prised to see what a limited list of what are termed
first-class varieties he gives at the end of the
notes. Knowing the country within a few miles
of Stoke Edith, I was of opinion that in the
favoured Herefordshire district the soil would
have been suitable for others than those named.
Of course I have no knowledge of the soil in the
immediate neighbourhood of Stoke Edith, but as
it is very fertile only a few miles away, I feel sure
"A. W.'s" soil must be bad to condemn such
well known kinds as Countess, President and La
Groese Sucree. I am aware La Grosse Sucrf^e does
not succeed in some soils, and in wet or badly
drained land winters badly, so that I always plant
closely. On the other hand, I have only in a very
few ca=e3 in different parts of the country seen
President fail, the plant being so hardy and pro-
lific. I am surprised to see it omitted from the
select list of seven at the end of the note referred
to. Countess so rarely fails, that I was prepared
to see it included among the good doers.
" A. W." mentions it as of fine flavour and a good
cropper, but of inferior colour. I think the last
remark must be owing to the soil, as I have never
noticed want of colour in this variety. I am,
again, much surprised to find Oxonian bracketed
ae a first-class variety. I am willing to admit itp
value as a late fruit, but as regards (juality— ^

point " A. W." notes as important in his selection
— 1 am unable to give it that good character, as
it is inferior to most others he has discarded. I
note that only the best Strawberries are coun-
tenanced at Stoke Edith, and most of us who
study quality endeavour to act up to that difficult
standard. Many are obliged to give the plants
the soil suitable by incorporating with the natural
soil such materials as will grow those varieties
noted for quality. Has " A. W." tried Laxton's
Latest of All, as he notes most of Mr. Laxton's
seedlings have passed through his hands ? This
is a fine variety for both flavour and size, and I
am inclined to think it would thrive in his soil.
Where I lived in Herefordshire the land was a
heavy clay, but this ditliculty was got over by
mixing a large portion of burnt earth, and by so
doing much better results were obtained. I am
much surprised to note that the Empress of India
is included in the final list of robust growers and
doing well where other stronger growers fail. I
note "A. W." includes the v.hole of Mr. Allan's
new varieties. I am aware Gunton Park and
Lord Sufiield are more robu-t, but Empress of
India with me, in soil that will grow most kinds,
does not do well, as it is so much like British
t^iueen in growth (one of its parents) and not
robust enough. I am astonished at " A. W."
succeeding with this and failing with Dr. Hogg,
one of the strongest of the Queen type. It must
not be inferred I object to Empress or the others
named ; far from it. I think them splendid in
evfry way, but only note the one, as the soil
must be variable to cause such b.ad behaviour on
the part of some of our best kinds. Take Keens'
Seedling, one of the kinds retained. How many
have of late years discarded it on account of its
failing to crop freely. I am glad to see that
Royal Sovereign appears at home both in light
and heavy soil and that "A. W." thinks so well
of it, but I fear he can scarcely have had time to
prove its real w^.rth if so many varieties have
failed so badly after a longer trial. Again, the
newer Empress of India, Gunton Park, and Lord
Suffield come under the same conditions as to
time, and he may fail with these in the same way
as he has with the popular kinds named above,
and if he does, that leaves him with only three
varieties, Sir J. Paxton, Keens' Seedling and
Oxonian, three kinds I would be inclined to
place as second-rate. I have noted the defects
of Keens' Seedling and Oxonian. This leaves Sir
J. Paxton, a grand fruit, but in my opinion not
eijual in flavour to many " A. W." has condemned.
Such notes as the one referred to point out the
difficulties of growers, and how necessary it is to
study the wants of the plants. — S. H. M.

Vour correspondent, "A. W." (p. 25.3),

contributes a very interesting article on the be-
haviour of Strawberries in his garden, and to me
it was very striking to note what a number of
sorts he has tried and found wanting in some im-
portant respect. I do not remember having seen
such an exhaustive list given with so few ap-
provals before. No doubt Strawberriesdo vary very
much on different soils, and what is suited to one
garden is quite indifferent in another. Sir Joseph
Paxton, which "A. W." is able to speak so highly
of, is not satisfactory in some gardens. In my
case it is, and has been the most generally satis-
factory that I have grown, but a neighbouring
gardener, who has a fame for good Strawberries,
finds it unsatisfactory. Royal Sovereign with
him, too, fruits splendidly, but at the present
time his plants are attacked with mildew, which
causes the leaves to curl. I have not previously
heard any report of such a failing with this va-
riety, and my own plants never show any sign of
attack, but the foliage is deeply coloured and dis-
tinct from that of all others. " A. W." does not
mention Laxton's Latest of All, and, presumably,
this would scarcely be acceptable on account of
its pale colour at the points, otherwise it is a
good Strawberry, and with many growers and
consumers this failing is passed over on the score
of free cropping and the lar^e size of the berries.
It suffered badly from drought this past summer,
and was a victim to red spider, but it still re-

mains a favourite. James Veitch, a fine kind on
some soils, produces little beyond a luxuriant
runner growth here. Auguste Boisselot is a
strong grower, but its fruits are not propor-
tionate, and it is not given the extensive space it
was intended to have.

There is a diversity of opinion regarding the
planting of Strawberries, some adopting a 2-fect
space each way, others preferring (i inches or
1 foot more between the rows so as to give freer
access to the ripening fruits. While cjuite small
the plants may easily be planted a foot apart, and
after the first crop every alternate plant cut out.
By this rule just double the number of plants can
be fruited on the ground the first year, and by
that time the 2 feet space will not be too much—
at least, with strong-growing sorts. Loxford
Hall is the smallest growing kind I know, and msy
be planted at 1 foot apart between the rows, but
it is not everywhere where it will do. On soil
overlying gravel I have seen this variety in
splendid form, fruits of such a size and in such
numbers that there appeared a much greater pre-
ponderance of berries than foliage. On a north
border on such a soil Loxford Hall is an invaluable
kind. On heavy land it is useless attempting to
grow it. for its constitution, like that of the
British t.iueen, is very weak.— W. S., Wilts.

A more dolorous jeremiad on the deca-
dence of the Strawberry than that which ap-
peared (p. 253) over the initials "A. W." it would
be impossible to conceive. The curious point in
this complaint is that certain varieties do well
for a time, and this would lead one to suppose
that the fault does not lie in the soil. Supposing,
however, that the soil is at fault, I would strongly
recommend that it should be brought into condi-
tion to suit the best varieties as permanent
occupants of the garden instead of trying to get
varieties to suit the soil, for the former could un-
doubtedly be done for much less than the initial
cost of stocking so many new varieties, only to dis-
card them eventually. Fortunately, suchasad state
of afi'airs is not common, and one would think
that any difiiculties with soil in the case in ques-
tion could be overcome by judicious lightening
of the heavy staple soil with which "A. W." has
to deal. This might be managed in one of many
ways or with a combination of all, and I should
suggest first of all burning a portion of the soil and
adding all available wood ashes, refuse from the
garden smother, mortar rubble, leaf-mould, and
in fact any light material which presents itself,
digging this in during tine weather when the
staple soil is in its best condition for being
stirred. Is the garden or Strawberry quarter
well drained ■; If not, this should be seen to at
once, putting the drains well down out of reach
of the spade when the plot is double-dug or
trenched, as it should be before planting if the
plantation is intended to stand on the three years'
system. Many gardeners (myself included) who
have a very light soil to deal with would be only
too glad to treat their Strawberry ground to
some of the heavy soil which is supposed by
"A. W." to be inimical to his Strawberries.
Only about 50 per cent, of the varieties men-
tioned by "A. W." have been grown by
me, and I have nothing to say on the meriis
or demerits of the residue, but when we
find such good and universal favourites suit-
able for most, though I will not say all, gar-
dens (Stoke Edith apparently must be ruled out),
as President and 'Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury
coming under the ban, the case is indeed a bad
one, as I have never yet found the soil which
would not or could not be made to grow these.
British Queen and Waterloo are exceptional varie-
ties and require conditions which are not present
in every garden. I must congratulate "A. W."
on his success with Oxonian (syn., Eleanor), see-
ing that "none but the best are tolerated," and
that he stipulates for size, good colour, and
flavour, the last quality being generally more
than deficient in this old and very late variety,
and no one will be likely to charge him, as he
fears, with being too fastidious while he can give
it such an unqualified good character. Again,

October 17, 1896.]

THE garde:n.

305

Sir Joseph Paxton, though, perhaps, the finest-
looking Strawberry, taken all round, that we
have, is hardly noted for its universal good
quality, and I place it from this point of view as
about equal to, but no better than Noble, and
greatly inferior to President. I would strongly
recommend "A. W." to get an old variety, Mrs.
Woodruff, which is largely brought into the
market at. Bury St. Edmunds from the heaviest
soil in the neighbourhood. It is of good appear-
ance, large, of good quality, a great favourite,
and has held the market in this district for very
many years, though it has apparently gone out of
cultivation in the country at large, as it is but
seldom mentioned in catalogues. There should,
however, be no difficulty in obtaining it from this
neighbourhood. It is to be hoped that the new
varieties mentioned by " A. W.'' as having stood
the test up to now will be more fortunate than
their many predecessors, and later information
on their behaviour at Stoke Edith will be looked
for with interest.— J. C. Tallack.

MORELLO CHERRIES IN AUTUMN.
I NOTE Mr. Wythes's views in The Garden, pp.
263, 264, on the general principle of getting rid
of as much very small and leggy wood as prudent
at this season of the year, with the object of
more thoroughly maturing the buds and wood
selected for next year's furnishing and fruiting.
There may be general agreement among growers,
though few would be prepared to recommend
anything like the general spurring of Morello
Cherries. Neither is there any need of chang
in this direction. I have noticed for years that,
as a rule, the heaviest Cherry crops especially
were always gathered from the Morellos. This
may not prove our present system of laying in
young wood for an annual crop infallible, but
where properly carried out it has assuredly done
two things — renewed the youth of the trees every
year and furnished good crops of Morello
Cherries. With these two benefits,
be wise to let well alone before spurring them
in. It might even be wiser to treat many
mayhap all our other Cherries, like Morellos and
Peaches in regard to the annual supply of young
wood than to spur our Morellos like other
Cherries. While writing thus, however, I quite
agree with Mr Wythes that far too many and too
weak young shoots are often crowded into Mo-
rello Cherry trees. In travelling up and down ]
have seen not a few Morello Cherry walls sc
crowded with shoots, nails, and shreds, that it
seemed almost impossible to see the trees. Such
extreme crowding is by no means rare, and is at
once a waste of labour, money, vital force, and of
quality. Mr. Wythes says on these spurs he has
got his best fruit. We have heard this before in
relation to other stone fruit, as Peaches, Necta-
rines, and Plums, and yet we are still a long way
from the general spurring of either, and further
still probably from the spurring of Morellos like
other Cherries.— D. T. F.

I do not think Mr. Wythes (p. 264) need

fear any criticism on the course of treatment he
recommends for Morello Cherries. It is a system
of pruning and tending the branches which I have
carried out ever since I have had the manage-
ment of trees on my own account, and also had to
follow under others. In fact, I cannot see how
by any other system satisfactory crops of Morello
Cherries could be secured. Overcrowding is
E-oided, and each shoot and spur (the latter
eil her formed naturally or by pruning back use-
1^8 or crowded spray) have space to develop the
fruit. My practice is to go over the trees in the
early summer and prune back all lateral growth
for which there will not be space to la '

BEST MARKET PEACHES.
I SHALL be obliged if any reader will ijiform me
which are the three or four best Peaches for
market in rotation, and also the best Nectarines
for the same purpose.- J. F. R.

High prices have been obtained for good
fruit of Peach Early Alexander marketed in
April, and the variety Waterloo, which bears a
strong resemblance to it, is also remarkably
early. Unfortunately, neither of them can be
termed reliable, as they rarely fail to shed the
greater portion of their flower-buds prematurely.
After seeing the grand crops of Amsden June
grown by Mr. Wythes at Syon House, Brent-
ford, and hearing his testimony in favour of
that variety, I decided to give it a trial, with
the result that it will soon replace the trees I
am growing of the two first-named sorts. All
three are of American origin and are alike
vigorous without actually becoming gross in
habit, but Amsden June retains its buds better,
no difiiculty being experienced in setting a good
crop, which ripens a fortnight earlier than any
English variety I have yet tried. This should
be " J. F. R.'s '' earliest variety, and he cannot
do better than plant Hale's Early by way of
close succession. This also is disposed to shed
its flower-buds prematurely, but never, accord-
ing to my experience, to the extent of spoiling
the prospect of a full crop. If overcropping is
avoided and a fair amount of light and sunshine
reaches the fruit, this will, in common with
Amsden June, be large, highly-coloured and
good in quality. Crimson Galande is a, model
market Peach, this never failing to set a heavy
crop, while the fruit is of good size, very highly-
coloured and of excellent quality. That is my
third variety, and if "J. F. R." wants a
fourth he cannot do better than plant Dy-
mond, a sure bearing, highly-coloured, richly-
flavoured Peach. It will thus be seen only
early and second early varieties are recom-
mended, for the very good reason they are by
far the most profitable. Should he desire a
long succession with a view to meeting local
requirements, then he may plant Amsden June,
Hale's Early and Sea Eagle. In this case there
may be a slight break between the second and
third, and again between the third and fourth
varieties. Last season I carried on a steady
supply of ripe fruit from the end of May to the
first week in August from trees (all in one long
house) of Amsden June, Hale's Early, Crimson
Galande, Dymond and Sea Eagle. Extra late
Peaches, or any that ripen under glass after the
bulk of open wall fruit is gathered are profit-
able. In this instance no fire-heat is needed
unless to save the flowers from an extra severe
spring frost, and everything in reason should be
done to retard the trees. Peach cases against
a wall with a nearly east aspect answer well for
the production of late Peaches, and the best va-
rieties to plant are Osprey, Walburton Admir-
able, Prince (not Princess) of Wales, Sea Eagle
and Salwey. Sea Eagle is the most profitable,
this remarkably fine Peach being a sure and
heavy cropper. The fruits are of attractive
appearance and good quality, also keeping and
travelling well. Whole houses have been
planted with this variety, and the returns are
most satisfactory. Surprise may be evinced at
my having recommended Salwey, but under good
culture this much abused variety succeeds ad-
mirably. The fruit is large, colour yellow with

In all probability "J. F. R." will not find
Nectarines so profitable as Peaches. It is true
a greater number of fruit can be had from the
trees than is the case with Peaches, but the
prices realised are considerably lower and par-
tial failures frequently occur. The skins of
Nectarines, being smooth, are most susceptible
of injury from moisture that collects on them
after syringing, careless ventilation having much
the same efi'ect. Early Rivers is undoubtedly
the finest early Nectarine in cultivation, but
moves none too well owing to the express rate
of propagation and high feeding resorted to by
those who are anxious to work up a large stock
for sale. Lord Napier, another of Mr. Rivers'
seedlings and very popular, forms a good suc-
cession to Early Rivers. As a third market:
variety I would grow Humboldt, as being more
easily grown, if slightly inferior in quality to
either Pine-apple, Pitmaston Orange, or Stan-
wick Elruge. Elruge is an old favourite of
fairly easy culture, fruit showy, and of mode-
rately good quaUty. That might be the fou^rth
variety if wanted. Victoria is the latest Nec-
tarine and a good companion for the late
Peaches previously alluded to. It is a heavy
cropper, the fruit large, and, if well exposed,
of fine colour. The quality, in common with
other varieties of Nectarines, is variable, but I
have had it good.

Market growers cannot afford high walls for
lean-to or three-quarter span-roofed houses,
but are content with long span- roofed houses
running from north to south and about 14 feet
wide. Trees are trained up the roof on both
sides, but if wider, higher structures are built
for them, then the plan of training against
s trellises holds good Instead of buying
expensive trained trees wl.iih do not invariably
start into growth satisfactorily, I prefer to plant
maidens, cutting these back to about one-half
or two-thirds, if well ripened, of their length,
lateral growth being closely cut ofi'. Four or
six well-placed young shoots are laid in, and
the strongest, when about 2 feet long, are
stopped. From these numerous lateral growths
will spring, which ought to be thinned out,
laying in the best placed only. This stopping
checks grossness, strengthens the weaker, un-
stopped shoots, and results in laying the foun-
dation of serviceable trees. When maidens are
thus grown under favourable conditions- and
fresh, not rich soil, with plenty of light and
sunshine must be considered such— they ought
to develop into trees equal to producing a few
fruit in the following summer, and quite a good
crop during the third year.

W. Iggulden.

this season, now that the fruit is all gathered, the Lg^ jg^^g^ j^jjd ^jjg quality by no means to be

trees are all over-hauled, useless shoots being cut

espised.

^, ^ ,, . , u , I, - 1 u==F" This variety keeps a long time and I

out, 80 that their place can be taken by more ^ ^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ 1^^ fetch ISs. per dozen.
fruitful ones. By attendmg to the trees at this house-grown fruit as late as Novem-

season the wounds heal over, and besides, any ^ "■^^*' ^"V'' """=^ S arlriu;,.r, +n the

- nece«=arv to do ber, and they were a welcome addition to tUe

account of lists of dessert fruit frequently wanted m quan-

nailing or training which

is more expeditiously cairied out

the comfort to the workmen.— A. you>

y about that time.

Cleaning WalnutF.— DifiBculty is often ex-
perienced in cleansing Walnuts, so as to render
them fit for the dessert. Different plans are
adopted, but I find it best to put them into a
common hempen bag, such as is used for guano,
and to jostle them sharply to and fro. Two men
do the job best, each of them taking hold of an
end of the bag. This should be done immediately
the Nuts are freed from the hods, before they
become dry. If afterwards placed in sieves and
exposed to the sun and air in a dry, fully venti-
lated vinery or Peach house for a few days they
will, if finally stored in a cool fruit room, keep
for a considerable time. It is a ruinous practice
to wash the Nuts in water, as the kernels invari-
ably go mouldy afterwards.— J. C.

Peach Grosse Migncnne.— At page 254
"J. C." does well to note the serious drawback
of the above variety if hard forced. I have just
removed a very fine tree sent me some four years
ago as the true early Grosse Mignonne, a very
diflerent Peach fiora the older kind, as the one
named, no matter how well tre.ited, if hard forced
refutes to finish a fair crop, and much time is

306

THE GARDEN.

[October 17, 1896.

lost. I tried all means to prevent this dropping
of fruit, but failed and had to remove it. I am
aware the early variety differs in the leaves and
is not so strong a grower, but as regards the
foliage when trees are sent home leafless they can-
not be classified. From w hat many growers have
told me the true early kind is none" too plentiful ;
indeed, I should say "it is rare. The early kind is
iiuite threo weeks or a month in advance of the
kind named. I am glad to see "J. C.'s " note, as
1 in a short note advieed growing the true earlier
form for forcing (for open air or cool houses I
have not a word to say against the old variety).
but for hard forcing, growers should not plantit

— G. WiTllES.

Notes of the Week.

Salvia azarea grandiflora.--This is an

ceptionally brilliant bit of blue for the greenhouse
at this season, and supplies in intensity of colour
what the flowers lack in point of size.

Aster ptarmicoides.— This pretty variety is
not so frequently grown as its merits justify, as
it is by no means a common-place kind. Its pretty
satiny white flowers are freely produced on a
neat erect bush. This variety should certainly be
included in all choice selections.

Begonia semperflorens rosea gigantea.—
As implied by its name, this is a large form of
this very useful strain, of which there is a goodly
group of various sized plants in Xo. 4 house at
Kew, the deep rose-coloured blossoms appearing
at this season well above the fleshy leaves.

Salvia involucrata Bethelli.— This and the
old scarlet kind, S. splendens, are both excellent
for the greenhouse just now, where the numerous
spikes of blossom are decidedly effective. Some
fine plants arranged in bold groups and flowering
profusely are most attractive in the lioyal ('
dens, Kew.

New Tufted Pansies.— Dr. Stuart sends us
some of his new Tufted Pansies, and one is Jason,
of the deepest yellow in the lower parts and light
primrose-yellow above. Another is Argo, some-
thing like Ariel ; and lastly, Vailema, a very deli-
cate pinky mauve. All are beautiful kinds worthy
of their raiser.

Abutilon Golden Fleece, growing on the
roof of 'jreenhouse 'So. 4 in the Kew Gardens, is
most etiective bj- its crowds of golden flowers, and
as there seen is very attractive. For small struc-
tures, however, its ample foliage would make
too dense a shade at this time of year. As a
pillar plant the same variety may be employed
with excellent results.

Khodochiton volubile.— This plant is one of
the best suited among greenhouse climbers for
providing a sort of transparent screen, the trail-
ing jjendent branches assuming this habit when
the plant is trained to the principal rafters
in the greenhouse. The plant is also very free
flowering, though the somewhat bell-shaped blos-
soms are not of a very attractive shade.

Aster tnrbinellus.— In one of the greenhouses
at Kew a very pretty effect is produced by this
plant being arranged among other cool-ioving
subjects, and certainly its light and graceful habit
materially assists the present display. Surh
kinds as this are well worthy of attention under
glass in early autumn, particularly when, owing to
an over abundance of rain, such things are scarcely
enjoyable in the open.

Chaenostoma Mspidum. — As seen at Kew in
small pots, this is a pretty little sub-shruli with
small white blossoms on compact, bush-like tufts
scarcely more than 8 inches high and nearly the
same through, the individual blossoms, though
somewhat larger, reminding one at first sight of
the pretty flowers of the Houstonia, so that an
idea may be gathered of the effect of plants freely
studded with similar blossoms.

Haplocarpha scaposa.— This distinct look-
ing plant among the great composite order has

been noted in flower at Kew and also in
Mr. Perry's collection at Winchmoro Hill. The
ray florets are golden yellow and the disc of a
similar hue when mature, the tlower-heads being
produced singly on rather whitish • looking pu-
bescent stems that are nearly 18 inches high.
Quite early in the present month, after being in
flower some time, it was still attractive.

Fomegranates fruiting in Devon.— I am
sending you two Pomegranates from a tree grow-
ing against the south wall of the house. Unfor-
tunately they have cracked, owing to the exces-
sive wet. There were nine altogether on the tree.
Surely it is very unusual for Pomegranates to
fruit out of doors in England. — E. C. A. Bvrum,
Culra; Exeter.

',* Most unusual and most interesting; the
fruit as handsome as that imported. — Ed.

Fuchsia General Roberts.- This is a capital
kind when grown in a free and natural manner
for the decoration of the large greenhouse. The
clusters of richly-ealoured blossoms hanging from
the roof present a decidedly cheerful feature at
this time, the flowers being large, showy and
freely produced over a long season. To attain
this end the plant should be allowed unrestricted
growth from the first, growing it to a single stem
and allowing it to branch in its own way. When
fully grown the flowering branches may be spurred
back.

Viola cdoratasulphurea. —A yellow-flowered,
sweet-scented Violet now being offered for the
first time by a French nurseryman, Monsieur
L^on Chenault, of 79, Rue d'Olivet, Orleans,
should, I think, be a most interesting novelty,
and many readers of The Garden will doubtless
be glad to hear of it and know where they can
get it in a small box by post. It is within the
reach of everyone, as the price is exceedingly
moderate for a new plant. It is described by its
introducer as of robust and vigorous habit of
growth, with fine shining deep green foliage and
flowers of a lemon-yellow, with a throat of a
deeper shade and a pale violet spur behind. It
was found growing wild on the border of a wood
in the department of the Indre by a rural post-
man. ~W. E. GrMBLETON.

Two good new hybrid Cannas.- Amongsta
number of new varieties of these beautiful flowers
received this year from English and Continental
raisers, two received from Herr W. Ptitzer, of
Stuttgart, stand out far superior to all the others
These are Reichskanzler Furst Hohenlohe, which
is (juite the finest pure yellow I have ever seen,
with good broad petals and of relatively dwarf
habit of growth, the top of its flower-spike only
reaching 2 feet 4 inches. Its flowers open well
together and it is very beautiful. The other is
named Marcus Micheli, after the well-known
Swiss horticulturist of that name. It is rather
taller and of more vigorous growth, its flower
stems reaching a height of 3 feet s inches. Iti.
flowers are large, with fine broad petals of a deep
orange-scarlet blotched with gold. None of the
English seedlings come anywhere near these fine
varieties in beauty or size of flower.— W. E. GuM-

BLETO.V.

The American Red Oaks.— Amongst trees
of large size there are none, perhaps, which are
capable of adding so much to the beauty of the
autumn landscape as the American Red Oaks.
Just now at Kew a specimen of the rare Black
Jack Oak ((,>uercus nigra) is a glowing mass of
red. It does not, however, colour so finely every
year in this country, and its leaves soon fall when
the frosts come. An Oak of greater value is
Waterer's Scarlet Oak ((,>uercus coccinea splen-
dens), which is not only the most brilliantly
coloured of the American Red Oaks, but has the
additional merit of retaining its leaves longer
than any. In ordinary seasons they will linger
on well into December. Q. palustris (the Pin
Oak) and (>. rubra (Red Oak) occasionally colour
well, but the latter is generally of too dull a
tint to be very effective, and the same has to be
said of Q. tinctoria. Q. coccinea and its variety

are the most brilliant and most
colouring.

Cornish Heath (Erica vagans).- This is one
of the latest flowering of all the hardy Heaths,
and is still nicely in bloom after the colour has
all faded from the numerous varieties of the
common Ling (Calluna vulgaris). It is one of
the most desirable of our native or European
Heaths, being quite hardy, growing freely in any
soil that is devoid of lime, and flowering with
unfailing regularity from August to the end of
autumn. Its dark green leaves are larger than
those of most Ericas, and the flowers, which are
produced in the closely-set leaf axils, form in the
mass, large, erect, tapering racemes, which give-
a most graceful aspect to the plant. In the ordi-
nary form the flowers are of a pale reddish purple
colour, but there are besides a pretty variety with
white flowers called alba, and another with more
closely-packed racemes called grandiflora. In
Britain this Heath occurs wild only on the moors
of Cornwall. It grows to a height of about 1 foot,
and is seen at its best planted in good-sized groups
on sloping banks.

Caryopteris mastacanthus. — This is one of
the shrubby members of the Verbena family and
a native of China and Japan. Flowering as it does
so late in the year as October, it is worth atten-
tion as one of the few of which so much can be
said. It grows in this country to a height of 2
feet to 4 feet, the leaves being hairy, deeply
toothed and oblong lanceolate. The flowers appear
in compact rounded clusters that originate from
the leaf axils at the upper part of the stem. The
blossoms are of a bright purplish blue, the large
bottom division of the corolla being slightly
fringed. In the south-western counties this plant
would probably thrive to perfection, but as far
north only as London it requires to have a
specially selected spot. The foot of a south wall
is as favourable a place as any. It dies down in
winter, and after it has done so the roots may be
covered with a few inches of litter. It appears to
be hardier on certain parts of the Continent, where
the winters are more severe than ours, but in
this it only furnishes one more example of the
well-known fact that in places where the summer
is brighter and more prolonged a plant is enabled
to withstand a much lower winter temperature
than where the summer is cooler and damper.
The species was introduced by Mr. Maries from
Japan about sixteen years ago, but it was origin-
ally brought from China by Fortune. Fortune's
plants, however, appear to have been given green-
house treatment, and before long disappeared from
cultivation.

The Cockspur Thorn (Crataegus Crusgalli).
—Most of the Thorns have this autumn been
heavily laden with fruit. Several of the most
beautiful, however, like C. mollis and C. coccinea,
are now past, the haws for the most part having
fallen, but C. Crusgalli still retains its full crop,
and its bright scarlet-red fruits make one of the
cheeriest of autumnal pictures in the garden.
Like most of the showier-fruited Thorns, it comes
from Eastern-North America, where it is common
and is widely spread, its natural range extending
from Canada southwards to Carolina, &c. It is a
small, spreading tree, rarely more than 20 feet
high, and has been in cultivation in Britain over
200 years. It blooms towards the end of May,
its flowers white and about twice the si'za
of those of our native Hawthorn. Most plants
that are spread over large areas in a state of
nature show much variation, and this is no ex-
ception to the rule. In the leaf especially it
differs in size and shape, as the varietal names of
arbutifolia, linearis, ovaUfolia, &c., fully justify.
The leaves, however, are always firm to the touch,
smooth and glossy green, and remain longer on
the tree than those of any deciduous Cratitgus.
The spines are long, stout, and slightly curved.
Of the numerous varieties the most distinct, per-
haps, is pyracanthifolia. This is a dwarf, small-
leaved tree and is remarkable for forming an
almost flat top, and thus assuming the shape of
the letter T- Several specimens are growing in
the Thorn collection at Kew.

October 17, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

307

Trees and Shrubs.

andromeda and its allies.

;ommonly used in gardens, the name Audr

japonica and A. floribunda) are properly are : (1) the selection or preparation of a cool,
1 Pieris, a genus of which there are also some moist position, and (2) a soil preferably, al-
deciduous species in cultivation. In the follow- ' though not necessarily, of a peaty nature, but
ing notes each species is placed under the genus always free from lime. Naturally heavy soils
As commonly used in gardens, the name Auaro- I to which it properly belongs. The arrangement can be made to suit them very well by deep
meda has a very extended application, being ; cannot be called a newfangled one, for it was, trenching and by adding plentifully during the
made to cover a group of at least nine genera, j in the main, adopted by Loudon nearly sixty process leaf soil, and towards the top a little
Sis of these are dealt with in the following notes ; years since. The three species of Enkianthus ; peat. Where the soil is of a hot, sandy nature

large holes should be
made, at least 2 feet deep,
the lower half filled with
a heavy loam, the upper
half with a lighter com-
post containing plenty of
vegetable humus. The
point is that they should
always be cool and moist
at the root, and a pre-
paration of the ground
when planting that se-
cures this is infinitely
better for them in a try-
ing summer like the past
one than any amount of
artificial watering. Being
mostly of a slow-growing
nature and compact root-
ing, they cause but little
trouble in pruning or
transplanting. The beds
or borders in which they
grow are admirably
adapted for many species
of Lilium, which thrive
well planted between the
shrubs.

Andromeda.
A.POLIFOLIA (Moorwort).
— As has already been
stated in the introductory
notes, this is the only spe-
cies which — as generic
terms are allotted now-a-
days — can properly be
called Andromeda. It is
a native of Britain and
other parts of Northern
Europe, as well as of the
Northern United States
and Canada. It thus en-
joys a wider natural dis-
tribution than any of the
so-called Andromedas. It
is a dwarf shrub from 6
inches to 18 inches in
height, with numerous
branches that are thickly
clothed with leaves of va-
rious sizes and shapes, but
always of a dark green
above and vividly glaucous
beneath. It does not pro-
duce a crop of flowers at
one particular season, but
may be seen in bloom at
any time from May to Sep-
tember. The flowers are
of a purplish-red. The
leaves (whose edges are
always curled under) vary
much in shape, as do the
plants and flowers them-
selves in size. The names
angustifolia and latifolia
have been given to varie-
ties with narrow and broad
leaves respectively, just as
the other three— Cassandra, Cassiope and Leuco- described below are comparatively new to this i grandiflora and minima refer to variations in the
thoe— although nearly allied to the true Andro- | country. They promise to be hardy, and they | size of the flowers. In spite of these diflerenoes
meda, are sufficiently distinct to be treated , are not only beautiful because of their flowers, , in detail this charming little shrub has always a
separately. There is only one true species of ! but also for the brilliant red or yellow colour well-marked mdividuality, and is quite distinct
Andromeda, and that is A. polifoiia, a widely 1 the foliage acquires in autumn. """"^ anytnmg else,

distributed and variable evergreen. Two other ! In regard to the cultivation of the Andromeda I Enkianthus.

valuable evergreens (often known as Andromeda ! and its allies, the leading points to be observed ! E. campanulatus.— A very pretty plant, native

Pieris (Andromeda) japonica (height 5 feet 6

idles) at Ardmore, Parlisloic, Dorset.
Professor Allman.

From a photograph sent hy

308

THE GAEDEK

[October 17, 1896.

of Korthem Japan, and oftenest noted in the
nci^'hbourhood of Hakodati : it was from that dis-
trict that it was first sent to this country by Mr.
Maries. It is a shrub with slender branches
covered with a light brown bark ; the leave?,
crowded at the tips of the shoots, arc each l.\
inches to "J inches long and ovate or oblong in
outline, the margin set with small teeth. The
flowers are campanulate, produced in a pendulous
cluster, each flower one-third of an inch in
diameter and of a pale rosy-red colour, with three
darker lines on each of the five sections of the
corolla.

E. OKRsrrs. — A little-known species only re-
cently introduced from Japan, where it is said to
be a bush l> feet to 8 feet high. It has an obovate
or wedge-shaped leaf which is toothed. The
racemes are terminal, drooping : the flowers
reddish, campanulate, and slightly five-lobed.
Besides the name of Andromeda and the one here
given it has been called Meisteria cornua.

E. .iAioNK'r.s. — A rare, but very desirable spe-
cies, which was first discovered by Sir Rutherford
Alcock near Naijasaki, Japan, in ls."i9, and after-
wards introduced by Messrs. Standish. It is a
slender shrub, the leaves borne at the tips of
the branches only, the branches themselves
usually having a verticillate arrangement. The
leaf is \^ inches to "2 inches long, pointed and
toothed, turning to a beautiful deep orange colour
before falling in autumn. The pendent flowers
are pure white, globose, one third of an inch in
diameter, and contracted to a much narrower
mouth than in E. campanulatus.

LVON-IA.

L. r.\NicrL.iTA. — A deciduous shrub, varying
from 3 feet to 1" feet in height, which is widely
spread over the eastern side of North America,
whence it was introduced to this country in 17-48.
It is quite hardy and grows freely. The leaves
are Privet-like, tapering towards both ends, and,
like the young wood, are covered more or less
with down. The flowers, small and white, almost
globular, are produced freely on short racemes.
Arising no doubt from its wide natural distribu-
tion and the consequent variability of its foliage
and other parts, it has been described and figured
under many different names, the best known of
which is Lyonia ligustrina.

O.WDESDKOX.

O. ARBORECM (Sorrel Tree). — This is the only
species dealt with in these notes which in Eng-
land reaches the dimensions of a tree. In North
America, or rather the South-eastern United
States, it grows from 15 feet to 40 feet high,
and in exceptional instances 00 feet. The largest
specimens in England that I have seen
Mr. Anthony Waterer's nursery at Knap Hill,
and these, if I recollect aright, are about 20 feet
high. Fortunately, however, it flower," when only
small, and plants only 4 feet to (> feet high make
a very pretty display. Another point in its
favour is that it blossoms in August and Septem-
ber, a period when its beauties are much more
likely to be appreciated than if it came into
bloom in April, May, and June. It is deciduous,
and its leaves, often of a fine purple in autumn, are
pointed, slightly toothed, and each about 5 inches
long. The racemes, which are slender, branched,
and from 6 inches to 10 inches long, are produced
at the ends of the branches, the numerous flowers
being pitcher-shaped and white. The name of
Sorrel Tree has been given to it because of the
pleasant acid taste of its leaves. Loudon, writing
over fifty years ago, says that they are frequently
need to allay thirst by the hunters in the Alle-
ghany Mountains. The species like? moisture,
and one of the points in its successful cultivation
is that ite roots should have a permanently cool,
moist soil.

PlERIS.

P. n.OBiErsDA. — In places where the soil is
adapted to its cultivation, this species, a native
of the United States, has proved to be a charming
shrub. Of dwarfer growth than 1'. japonica, il
haa not the varied graceful outline of that species.

but as a neat, compact bush there is no evergreen
superior to it. It is not often seen more than 4
feet to 5 feet high. The leaves are dark green and
measure each l.j inches to 2 inches in length. The
racemes (which are now, in October, formed,
although the flowers do not open until next spring)
are terminal and branching, and carry numerous
pendent white flov\ers. The flowers of this Pieris
are not so liable to damage by severe weather as
those of P. japonica. It was introduced to this
country in 18I"2.

P. FOKMO.sA. — As far north as London this spe-
cies is too tender to be accounted of any value as
a hardy shrub, but to those readers of The Gar-
PEX who live in Cornwall and places with a similar
climate it deserves the strongest recommendation.
In colder localities it might be given the shelter of
a co«l, unheated structure, a consideration its
beauty fully entitles it to. It is a shrub of
Arbutus-like appearance, its large leathery leaves
being each 4 inches long, li inches wide, slightly
toothed, very deep green when old, of a reddish
colour when young. The flowers, which are of a
porcelain-white, are produced in a cluster of erect
branching racemes terminating the branch. A
fine cluster will measure 6 inches high and as much
in diameter. The flower is pendent and almost
globular, being contracted at the apex into quite
a small opening. A native of the Himalayas.

P. .TAPONiCA. — For many years past this species
has been exhibited in splendid condition by Mr.
Anthony Waterer at the spring meetings of the
Royal Horticultural Society. It is without
doubt one of the most beautiful evergreen shrubs
introduced to this country. Its graceful habit
and handsome leafage would in themselves made
it well worth cultivation. Of its beauty when in
bloom no further testimony is needed than that
furnished by the illustration. It is on the whole
the most desirable of all this section of the Heath
family. Being of comparatively slow growth and
always keeping a shapely form, it needs no inter-
ference from the pruner's knife. I have never seen
it except as a shrub more than 6 feet high, but
Professor Sargent tells us that in the temple park
of Nara, Japan, there are trees of it at least ,S0
feet high, with well-formed trunks 6 feet to 8 feet
in length. It leaves are firm in texture and
glossy green. The flowers aie borne at and near
the ends of the shoots in clusters of drooping
racemes, which are from 2 inches to 5 inches long.
The flower is pitcher shaped and white. The spe-
cies deserves more extended cultivation than it
obtains at present. The variety variegata is a
valuable fine-foliaged plant, its variegation being
much better defined and clearer than is the case
with many shrubs that receive that name. P.
japonica, as its name implies, is a native of Japan.
It was originally described as Andromeda japonica
by Thunberg in 1784.

P. Mariana. — A deciduous shrub 2 feet to
4 feet high, with leaves each 1 inch to 3 inches
long and entire. The flowers, which are produced
on .-ieparate leafless branches, are pendent, wax-
like in texture, and of a pure or sometimes pinkish
white. The leaves, which are said to be poisonous
to lambs and calves, turn a brilliant red before
falling. It was introduced by Peter Collinson in
173-i, and is a native of the Eastern United States
from New England southwaids to Florida.

P. NiTiDA is a tender evergreen, native of Florida
and other Southern United States. The leaves
are thick and leathery, oval, quite entire, and of
a shining green. The flowers are produced in
axillary clusters near the ends of the branches.
The corolla is flesh coloured, .=omewhat tubular,
one-third of an inch long, contracted at the mouth,
but with five small divergent lobes. The segments
of the calyx are long and narrow and of a dark
red colour. The species is suitable for the south-
western counties. It was introduced in 176.5.
There is a deeper coloured variety known as
rubra.

P. OVALIKOLIA, — A species from Nepaul, and
thrivirg better in Cornwall than in the London
district. The leaves are downy in a joung state
and have always a more or less reddish purple

young leaves, and produced freely on leafy ra-
cemes. Introduced in 1825.
Zenouia.

Z. siEcio.sA, — This beautiful shrub is a native
of the Southern United States, where it is most
frequently found in boggy places. It is not
often more than 4 feet high and about as much in
diameter It is nearly or quite deciduous, but in
very mild seasons will retain a proportion of its
foliage till the new leaves break out. The leaves
are a couple of inches long, smooth, and green on
both surfaces. The flowers are produced in
axillary clusters on the upper part of the stems
in May and June, and hang from them in the
greatest profusion. The blossom is cup-shaped,
white, and about one-third of an inch across, very
much resembling a Lily of the Valley.

Var. iri.vERrLKNT.v is the Andromeda dealbata
or A. pulverulenta of gardens. It is one of the
loveliest American shrubs that our gardens
possess. The leaves are like those of the type in
size and shape, but instead of being green they are,
when young especially, of a beautiful glaucous
colour. This colour extends also to the seed
vessels. The flowers are like those of the ordinary
Z. speciosa, except that they are of a more snowy
white, but even without them this variety might
rank as a valuable shrub on account of its foliage.
Both these shrubs are perfectly hardy in the
southern parts of the kingdom, and as they sur-
vive the New England winters, would probably
do so in almost any part of Britain. It can be
propagated by seed, cuttings, or layers. The two
latter methods are necesfary for the glaucous
variety, as it only partially comes true from seed.
W. J. Bean.

BRITISH OAKS,
the seventh edition of the " Encyclopu

Britannica," in vol. xvii. at page 782, subject
" Planting," the author states that

The British Oak m:iy li.. r.,iisidpr..a as including two
species or fuli-specips. tlii' st.i lied- fruited or most- com-
mon Oak, Quorcus Rnl.ur r.'.hui.i,l;ita, " Arb. Brit.,"
and the stalkles-'-fruitpii, or loss cNimnion Oak, Quercus
Robiir sessilitlora, " Arb. Brit." The latter species
or sub-species is fcmnd to grow more erect and more
rapidly than the other, mire particularly if the soil be
good and deep Tho two sorts are found indipcrimin-
atelv mix.-d t, -, Mn , ,n ,, ,,nv p;ivts uf England, as in
Woburn I'liil-, 1: ,,, .and in v;ni..u,^ parts of

Sussex; in , ; ; !i,' ^jn'cic's exclusively pre-

vaUs, asat -11!.- ! n I.. , n, ar He. elord, where there
are some of thi' lari^cji ( la! s in England, ou a deep,
loamy soil, and almost all i). R, sessiliflora.

Nearly half a century has elapsed since, acting
on the information contained in this quotation, I
send an order to one of the great nurseries for
twenty-five young plants of Quercus Robur sessili-
flora, and having set them in short rows in a
plantation in the corner of a field with some
other young forest trees, I watched for the ap-
pearance of the leaves in the following spring, and
failed to perceive any difference between them and
those of the other young Oaks which grew along-
side of them. My doubt as to their genuineness
was confirmed when, many years later, they
began to produce acorns of the same form and
character as those produced on the other trees.
I stated my case to a great authority on trees,
but failed to get a satisfactory reply. All
that I could learn was that the Oak of that dis-
trict varied much in character in individual speci-
mens, but that there was but one recognised
species. Hence arises my first question.

Are there now any districts in the British
Islands in which <,iuercu8 Robur sessiliflora is re-
cognised and cultivated under that name? Among
the Oaks which have at various periods been im-
ported into the country there are many sessilifiora
varieties, the Levantine, or Turkey Oak, as it is
often called, being a well-known example, but its
timber is liable to become worm-eaten when
housed, and soon decays when exposed to the

vicissitudes of an English climate.

My next question relates to the colour of the
tinge ; the flowers pinkish white, downy, like the Oak used in England in our ecclesiastical build-

October li

5.]

THE GARDEN.

309

ings during the seventeenth and three preceding
centurie?. I have some specimens of Oak taken
from ecclesiastical buildings during that long
period. The dates of most of them are conjectural
only, but one of them, which is evidently of the
latest date, has in the middle of it deeply cut the
figures 1671. Now in these samples it is remark-
able that the colour is the same in each, a rich
ruddy .brown. Of later samples, the earliest that
I have is incised thus: J 1717 B, evidently the name
of the rector— John Brumfield, with the date of
the repairs effected by him, but the ruddy tint
so conspicuous in the older samples no longer
appears in this, which closely resembles the Oak
timber commonly used at the present time. It is
not, however, the colour only of these ancient
samples of Oak that demands our attention. So
straight in the grain are the moulded portions of
what had formed the roof of the south aisle of our
parish church, and which bore the date 1671, that
had they been of deal they would not have retained
a better form.

Here, then, is my second question : Was the
wood used by the builders in the earlier period the
British Quercus sessiliflora ? B. S.

Wing Sectary, Oakham.

Berberis vulgaris.— It would be difficult to
over-praise th-s when seen in fruit and glistening in
the sun. Nothing can be more lovely than a big bush
of the crimson-fruited form growing on the turf. In
the pleasure grounds here there is a big bush growing
thus, and for several weeks it has been quite a sight.
When in bloom it fills the air for a long distance with
its perfume. At this season it is most valuable for
cutting from, the long sprays full of berries being use-
ful for house or church embellishment. I have some
sprays that have been iu a vase a fortnight and are
still quite good, — Dorset.

Ornamental Vines. — The Vine is at times
grown for its foliage, and I do not know of any
varieties more useful than Vitis purpurea and the
Parsley-leaved. V. purpurea at this season ia really
beautiful and well worth growing for its grandly
coloured foliage. It is also known as the Claret
Vine, and I have heard it called the Purple Vine.
The Parsley-leaved Vine is less brilliant, but the
foliage at this season is beautiful, and all through
the summer the leaves are of great value for deco-
ration. If only used to cover buildings on a warm
aspect, the Vines are most beautiful and soon
cover a large space. Another less known variety
— Vitis Coignetia'— is very beautiful, the bright
red tints being much earlier than in the varieties
named.— G. W.

Lilac Mile. Fernande Vigier. — In the
French journal Le Janiin is an illustration of
this Lilac. It is described as very vigorous and
free- flowering, with large heads of blossoms, which
are borne in twos, or sometimes in fours, from the
end of each branch ; the flowers are very sweet-
scented and remain for some days half open before
fully expanding, their colour being dead white
with a suspicion of cream, while the stamens and
pistil are not at all conspicuous. The flowering
season is relatively very Ions;. This variety of
Lilac was raised by M. Lecointe, nurseryman, of
Louveciennes, in the department Seine-et-Oise,
as long ago as 1S8'2, and as it was not put into
commerce till ISOi, ample time was allowed for
its merits to be proved. As white flowers are
always the more popular, should this variety bear
out the high opinions above expressed of it, we
shall also doubtless see it largely grown in this
country. — T.

Blue Hydrangeas.— The beautiful illustra-
tion of the tine plant of Hydrangea Hortensia
(p. 256) gi-'es an excellent idea of the decorative
value of the giant bushes that flourish in such
numbers in the counties of Devon and Cornwall.
I doubt, however, the correctness of the theory
advanced ; that shade is responsible for the blue
tint observable in the blossoms of many plants.
There are, apparently, conditions of soil which
produce this hue in shadeless situations. Some
years ago I saw growing on the edge of the cliff
overlooking Start Bay, S. Devon, where no shade
ever fell upon them other than the shadows of

clouds, a line of Hydrangeas, some bushes of which
bore flowers of almost Forget-me-not blue, cer-
tainly the deepest colour I have ever seen in these
flowers. In shady spots, where deciduous trees
arch above sheltered drive or secluded dell, one
may mark the billowy masses of the great Hydran-
geas—wave after wave of palest blue— that in the
moonlight become of a shimmering white, but
rarely of the deeper tint, unless mingled with a
ruddy stain, which forms a purplish blue that
cannot approach the beauty of the pure colour.—
S. W. F.

Rose Garden.

CLIMBING ROSES.
Among the many beautiful pictures afforded by
the English country-side few can be found more
charming than the little peeps of harmonious
colouring and form oftentimes met with in
sequestered villages — sweet floral vignettes,
where, as in the accompanying illustration,
white Roses climb at will beneath the over-
hanging thatched eaves, clambering up the

the single Hollyhocks glow ; here a Myrtle in
flower is trained around a lattice window ; here
the Passion Flower has draped a gable with a
veil of greenery, studded in the summer with
starry blossoms, and in the chill autumnal days
with innumerable fruits of golden orange that
gleam like lamps amid the dark foliage. In
the winter a cottage that has been sombre while
others have been bright becomes a pageant of
crimson and gold, for it is covered to the eaves
with Cotoneaster microphylla and Jasminum
uudiflorum, the bright yellow of the latter's
flowers standing out in vivid contrast to the
countless red berries of the Cotoneaster.

Unfortunately for the artistic eye, ideal
thatched cottages and old - world villages un-
touched by the hand of change become year
by year more difficult to discover. Slate is
surely and not slowly replacing thatch, the
picturesque whitewashed walls are giving way
to less attractive bricks, and crude glazed
porches, with abominations in the way of
stained glass, are allowed to banish the sense of
rest and aloofness that was the chief charm to
the lover of the beautiful. S. W. F.

n a cottage. Engraved for The Garden
a photograph sent hy Mr. S. W. Fifz-

very chimney and garlanding it with a wreath
of blossom, out of which on still evenings the
blue smoke rises upward, becoming filmier as it
ascends, and finally losing itself amid the leaf-
age of the overshadowing Elm. In the spring
some of the cottages are embowered in great
Lilac bushes that scent the valley, while the La-
burnum'sgoldenshowerhangsabove the winding
road. The gardens are odorouswith old-fashioned
flowers, for the cottager loves the sweet-smell-
ing blossoms. " Across the porch the Jasmine
twines," the tall Madonna Lilies hold aloft their
snowy chalices. White Pinks, double Rockets,
and Stocks in their respective seasons breathe
their fragrance on the air, while the roadside
bank, sprinkled with wild Hyacinth and Oxalia
in the spring, becomes later on spangled with
the delicate white tracery of the Woodrufl',
whose faint essence is but the suggestion of a
perfume. Here, against a whitewashed wall.

TEA AND HYBRID TEA. ROSES
UNDER GLASS.
With the recent wet weather and consequent
damage to the numerous buds which appear so
freely outdoors, but, alas, seldom develop per-
fectly, upon the plants of these lovely Roses,
one is forcibly reminded of the value of a glass
structure wherein to obtain a plentiful supply
of Roses during the late autumn, winter, and
spring months. A very ordinary greenhouse
fitted with hot-water pipes will well repay those
who are in a position to erect such a house, for
the beautifully clean blossoms which a gentle
heat will develop are very valuable at this
time of year and during the dull days of
winter. The best results are doubtless ob-
tained by adopting the planting- out system.
There is less trouble arising from mildew, and
the growth the plants will make would astonish
anyone who has never tried this plan of grow-
ing Tea Roses. I will give for the information
of your readers a short description of some
houses I recently saw in a commercial establish-
ment where the Roses are all planted out for
market purposes. A range of houses upwards
of 150 feet each in length was erected upon a
piece of meadow land. There were no parti-
tions between the houses, but they were so
fitted that oiled calico could be stretched be-
tween each house if desired to accelerate the
growth of any particular house. The land, as
1 have said, was pasture and lay rather high.
This land was trenched about 2i feet deep and
all the turf worked in with the trenching. The
only manure used in the trenching was a fair
proportion of bone-meal. The loam was of a
soft, silky nature and rather stony. When all
was finished, the plants (which were on seedling
Brier) were put out, and when I saw them
they had been planted about three years, and
such growth they had made I have never seen
equalled, huge bushes 3 feet to 4 feet and as
much through, with growth in some instances
as thick as one's little finger. These plants
were forced, so that a good crop could be ob-
tained during the early months of the year.
They were mulched now and then with short,
well-decayed manure, and when water was re-
quired a good soaking was given. During the
summer they were given a rest of about one
month. The growths were thinned out, and a
thorough ripening of the wood was the result.
After this month of rest gentle heat was given,

310

THE GARDEN.

[October li

harvests of buds and blossoms. There
is one point to be borne in mind about Bourbon
or other Roses which are forced, throuijjh pruning
or culture, to bloom throujrh late autumn or early
winter months, viz , that the later they bloom
the more liable to injury from cold. Hence it is
needful to give Bourbons more or less protection
mall way this method of j during the winter. Should many of the shoots be
ho fnnnil nf rnnsiderable I injured by frost, Bourbons even then on own roots
seldom fill to throw up sufficient shoots from the
roots to renew their youth, and grow and bloom
with greater vigour and higher beautv.

■ D. T. F.

and the result was a quantity of fine flowers m
September and October, which were found to
be much iu request. Xo side air was ever
given : therefore very little mildew was seen.
If flowers were not always wanted, they were
cut off all the same, which induced new strong
growths. Even in a " . ' '
growins; Roses would be found of considerable
value. It is ofttimes pitiable to see Roses in
pots grown in a greenhouse containing mixed
subjects. I would recommend that a house be
devoted entirely to these lovely Tea and H.T.
Roses. Have the top lights removable, so that
the beneficial rains and dew can be given when
required. Commence by planting good strong
plants, and, as I said before, grafted or budded on
-seedling Brier. Some standards or half-stan-
dards would make a little diversity, while some
of the climbing varieties would soon cover the
upright posts or trained on to poles, but on no
account have any on the roof to exclude the
sunlight.

I append a list of some varieties suitable for
this method of culture ; Kiphetos, Mme. Lam-
bard, Catherine Mermet, Bridesmaid, The
Bride, Papa Gontier, Kaiserin Augusta Vic-
toria, Sunset, Mme. Hoste, Perle des .lardins,
Anna OUivier, Souvenir d'un Ami, The
Meteor, JIaman Cochet, Mme. Abel Chatenay,
Francis Dubrieul, Marie vau Houtte, Clara
Watson, Mme. de AVatteville, La France,
Duche.ss of Albany, Mrs. ;X. J. tirant, Caroline
Testout and Augustine Guinoisseau. Climbers
or as standards ; Slar^chal Xiel, Bouquet d'Or,
Mme. Chauvry, Mme. Berard, Gustave Regis.
W. A. Richardson, I'ldeal, Mme. P. Cochet,
Gloire de Dijon, SLne. Eugene Yerdier, Hen-
riette de Beauveau, and Alister Stella Gray.
Philomel.

BOURBON ROSES
' Philomel " does well to recommend these for

autumnal flowering, and it is gratifying to find
that the oldest is still the best. We have few
Roses that can yield such rich harvests of Roses
throughout the autumn as the old Souvenir de la
Malmaison. The Bourbons have but one draw-
back— their odour is fresh rather than rich and
full, as in the Teas or the sweetest Perpetuals.
It is hardly worth while to run Bourbons abreast
of the more fragrant Roses during the height of
the season : hence we often cut most of our
Bourbons back more or lees in June before or
during the flowering period. This practice
caused a rapid multiplication of flowering shoots
for the autumnal months, and had also the addi-
tional merit of keeping the plants at home. I
never cared much for Acidalie or Sir Joseph Pax-
ton, their form and colour being against them as
well as their scent, which can only be described
as very pronounced Bourbon, and we have
nothing like It among Roses of any other class.
Bo:b, however — probably from the extreme
smoothness of their leaves— often thrive better
amid the smoke and soot of towns than any other
Rose. Baron Gonella is one of the best in form,
colour, constitution— so rich in colour as in some
stages to remind one of the very exquisite Coupe
d"Hebe, though the Hybrid China has it a long
way in regard to fragrance ; but then we cannot
get the latter to bloom through the autumn.

Crimson Bedder makes a splendid margin round
the Souvenir de la Malmaison, and is probably a
seedling from that nearest ally of the Chinas
among Bourbons, the very brilliant, semi-double,
crimson China-looking Rose, Gloire des Roso-
manes.

1 recommend the summer pruning of Bourbons
the more readily as their midsummer blossoms
are hardly worth cutting, while malformed Mal-
maisons or other Bourbons are quite exceptional
throughout the autumnal months. During dry
seasons even beds, borders or maaeee of Bourbon
Rosea, well watered, mulched and fed, will yield

ROSE NOTES.
We still have a few Roses with us and are likely
to for some few weeks, although the recent
gales and heavy rains have spoilt so many, almost
all, in fact, that were not in very sheltered
positions. At one time there was every pros-
pect of a good show of autumnal Roses, more
especially among the Hybrid Teas and the true
Teas and Noisettes. Good as several of the
newer introductions are, it is on the older
and tried varieties that we depend for late
flowers. Souvenir de la Malmaison, Safrano,
Ophirie, the old Blush China and the old Crim
son. Souvenir d'un Ami and General Jacquemi
not were introduced considerably more than
forty years ago, and yet they rank among our
best late bloomers. Another decade and a half
does not give us many additions, the chief being
Alfred Colomb, C. Lefebvre,Duchesse de Morny,
Mme. V. Verdier, Senateur Vaisse and La
France. I could name a few good ones of the
last ten years, the best six perhaps being Dr.
Grill, G. Nabonnand, Viscountess Folkestone,
Caroline Testout, Augustine Guinoisseau and
Mrs. John Laing. When we consider the enor-
mous number of new varieties introduced dur-
ing the last forty or even twenty years, we
might expect a greater number of these to sur-
pass our old favourites.

Every season we find a few Roses standing
out very conspicuously from then- fellows at the
exhibitions, and although too many of them do
not retain such prominence, they deserve some
mention. Maman Cochet is the best new Tea
we have for exhibition, and is also grand as a
Ro.se for general culture, but G. Nabonnand is
not sufliciently heavy and full to fiud a place in
the exhibitor's box, and consequently, although
distributed seven years ago, is strangely little
known. We have no better grower o
distinct colour than this. The perfume cannot
be beaten, the form is good, and if tied to
Tea Rose for garden decoration my preference
would be for G. Nabonnand. Maman Cochet is a
magnificent Rose in every way, and won the silver
medal as the best Tea or Noisette in the exhibi
tion both at the early (Reading) and late (Ul
verstone) shows of the National Rose Society
during the past summer. The form and size
are simply perfect, and the colour a tender
carmine, flushed with salmon-yellow. G. Na-
bonnand is somewhat after the same colours,
but with more of the salmon shade. I am sure
the latter will be one of our most popular Roses
when better known. Mons. Nabonnand has
given us some grand Roses in this, I'ldeal,
Francisca Kruger, Comtesse de Panisse, and
others. Even with better facilities than ever a
Continental Rose of real merit does not become
widely known so soon as was the case ten years
ago. Our Continental friends have themselves
to thank for this, their glowing descriptions of
novelties having caused a large number of our
home growers to cea^e purchasing until the few
leading rosarians on this side have given them
a thorough trial.

It has been pleasing to see how uniformly the
introduction of the silver medal Roses of this

season have been spread over the last thirty
years — Duchesse de Morny, C. Mermet, A. K.
Williams, Innocente Pirola, Victor Hugo, Her
Majesty, The Bride, Mme. Hoste, K. Augusta
Victoria, and Maman Cochet. The last named
and Her Majesty secured two each out of the
twelve offered by the N.R S. at their own ex-
hibitions at Reading, the Crystal Palace, and
Ulverstone. They have both been very conspi-
cuous at all Rose shows this season. 1 did not
expect to find so grand a show at Reading after
the very indifl'erent manner Roses came on in
our own and neighbouring grounds. The Teas
were perhaps the best of this season, while the
whole of the blooms were good, if not of start-
ling quality. The strength of the competition
was also a surprise ; in many classes there were
from ten to twenty stands. On the contrary,
the classes at the metropolitan show at the
Crystal Palace were not so well filled, and al-
though many more in number, there was very
little difference in the total of blooms staged.
Ulverstone was even a bigger surprise than
Reading. At this meeting we saw some
grandly coloured H. Perpetuals from York-
shire, from Ireland, and from Scotland, the
competition in the chief trade classes being very
keen. I cannot help feeling it is rather a mis-
take to select such an out-of-the-way place as
Ulverstone for a northern show. The accommo-
dation and arrangements were good, but the
place is diflicult of access to almost all growers
of note.

New Roses were not particularly good at
either show, and if we do not find them at these
gatherings it is hard to believe in much merit.
Muriel Grahame is very promising, but a little
too nearly like a faintly-coloured The Bride or
a very pale Catherine Mermet. Several pro-
mising seedlings came from Newtownards. A
sport from Mrs. George Dickson, and named
Mrs. Rumsey, was put up at the Crystal Palace.
It is a very distinct colour — clear and bright
flesh-rose, almost carmine, with a deeper centre.
This was staged by ]\Ir. W. Rumsey, of Waltham
Cross, in whose grounds we have since seen it
growing in large numbers. It was not con-
sidered large or heavy enough for exhibition at
the metrofolitan show, but when I saw the
flowers in August — a time when most other va-
rieties in the Hybrid Perpetual section were
past and dreadfully eaten up by mildew— Mrs.
Rumsey was in grand form. JIany good exhi-
bition blooms might have been culled then.
As a garden Rose it is most useful. The
flowers are clear and bright, the foliage clean
and mildew-proof, and the whole plant a perfect
picture of health. Some of the maidens were
carrying from six to twelve good flowers, each
one borne upon long stems. Not only were
such varieties as Ulrich Brunner, side by side
with it, eaten up by mildew, but Her Majesty,
Queen of Queens and others notorious for
their tendency to this disease were also in juxta-
position without in the least aflecting Mrs. Rum-
sey. In its colour it is undoubtedly one of the
very best garden Roses we have, and I am look-
ing forward to its introduction with much
pleasure.

Insects have not been worse than usual with
me, but during the middle of July and early
August mildew was a great nuisance. Just be-
fore the dry weather broke up this disease
suddenly disappeared, and from then until the
time of penning these notes the foliage has
been very clean and healthy. Riiii:e\vooi>.

The Dutch, hoe.— A very great percentage of
young men employed in gardens have but a poor
idea of using the Dutch hoe. In nothing is the
truth of the old adage " the more haste the less

October 17, 1896.

THE GARDEK

311

speed " better illustrated than in this fimple, but
important operation. Many, in order to get
through the allotted task in a minimum of time,
put on too much speed, leavino; the disturbed sur-
face in small mounds, which completely cover
colonies of small seedhng weeds, these again
appearing as vigorous as ever directly a moderate
rain comes. A careful man viho bottoms hie
weeds, and by a toss of the hoe turns the larger
ones topsy-turvy and exposes them to the force of
wind and sun, is worth three cf the former
slovenly class, even though he is proportionately
longer in getting through the work, the proof be-
ing in the length of time the borders or quarters
remain clean after. Of course, in bad cases of
large weed accumulation, the draw hoe must be
brought into action, afterwards using a rough rake.
This I find pays in the end.— C. C. D.

Orchids.

CYPRIPEDIUMS AT CAJVIBRIDGE
LODGE.

Thoroughly well as all the Orchids are cul-
tivated in this collection, the Cypripediums
must certainly take first rank, for these include
magnificently grown specimens, many of them
rare. The whole of one side of a lean-to house
is taken up with large specimen plants that
apparently in some cases are rarely out of
bloom. For instance, there is a piece of C.
Sedeni cardinale upwards of 3 feet across in the
rudest health and covered with flower-spikes,
while equally good are C. Roezli and its fine
variety Hartwegi. A beautiful pair of plants
are C. Charles Canham, the distinct and use-
ful hybrid raised from C. villosum crossed
with C. superbiens, and C. Mrs. Canham from
the reverse cross. A beautiful specimen of C.
Morganiie also attracts attention, the foliage
being broad and extremely thick, the plant about
18 inches across. The quaint C. Pearcei, or,
as it is often called, C. caricinum, is here quite
at home, great vigorous root-stocks pushing
out in all directions, each with its quota of the
characteristic narrow foliage. In many places
this plant is easUy enough grown, but a diffi-
culty is found in tiowerLug it, and as Mr. Chap-
man's mode of culture is simple in the extreme,
those who find this cannot do better than
follow it. The plants are well potted in
the first instance and not again disturbed
until it is absolutely necessary. They are,
fact, allowed to get quite pot-bound, and very
liberal supplies of water given in order to mak'
up for any deficiency in the compost. This
latter is really the most important point. Keep
the roots healthy, so that they will take abun-
dant supplies of moisture all the year round.
Another grand specimen is C. Harrisianum. A
fine batch of C. Charlesworthi may be seen ii:
another house, considerable variety existing
among the plants. The older and even n
beautiful C. Spicerianum is also doing well, and
among a large number of plants not a single
poor form was to be seen. Apropos of the
former, it is noteworthy that the fine colour
displayed on the dorsal sepal of some of the
better forms often tones down after the flow
have been open some time. Some grand forms
of C. insigne are included in this collection, but
not many of these were open. The rare Cam-
bridge Lodge variety was certainly far superior
to any other, and so thoroughly distinct as to
almost warrant specific rank. The dorsal
sepal is pure white at the apex, belov
very pretty bright green, but in place of the
usual spots are very large and distinct blotches,
those on the upper portion being bright
purple, while those below are p urplish brown

The pretty hybrid C. Arthurian um was finely
flowered and resembles its pollen parent
in the drooping petals, while the contour of the
flower generally and the habit come nearer the
seed- bearer, viz. , C. insigue. Among the newer
hybrids a magnificent form named C. Lachmee
at once attracts attention. The flower is of
splendid build, clear outline, yet withal graceful
and showy. I am not quite sure of the parent-
age, but it certainly is related to C. superbiens,
d must be reckoned as one of the very finest
Cypripedes in existence. The dorsal sepal is
broad at the base, pointed at the apex, pure
hite, lined with bright green. The petals are
green and white with a suffusion of warm rosy-
purple and heavily spotted with deep brown.
The pouch is reddish-purple in front, shading to
green, and on the inner side of the opening it
is heavily spotted with reddish-brown. There
also a very fine variety of C. enfieldiense
raised here from C. Hooker'te volonteanum and
C. Lawrenceanum called Hebe ; it is superior
to the type, much darker and more heavily
spotted. The lovely new C. Chapmani, noted
by "Stelis'' on p. 202, was certainly not over-
rated, for it is a superb h}brid in every way,
the foliage as well as the flowers being strik-
ingly ornamental. The very rare C. tessellatum
porphyreum is here represented by four healthy
and thriving plants, and C. Mrs. F. L. Ames is
also good. C. Indra, a hybrid raised at Cambridge
Lodge between C. callosum and C. villosum, the
pretty C. Lawrtbel, which, as its name implies, is
the progeny of C. Lawrenceanum and C. bellatu-
lum, C. Ashburtonite expansum and C. tonsum
are all well flowered. In addition, there are
a great many hybrids raised in the collection
and showing flower, and it would be difficult to
find a more promising lot. The greatest care
has been taken to use only the best of varieties
for parents, with the natural consequence that
the hybrids are all good in their respective
classes. The bellatulum set are really beauti-
ful in foliage, and it is remarkable from what
tiny first growths these plants spring. One is
only about an inch across, and from it proceeds
a beautiful growth with fine broad foliage and
large enough to flower.

No doubt the house they are growing in suits
them well, but there are also unmistakable
marks of carefully considered and skilful cul-
ture. One point is very evident, and that is,
that the plants are not disturbed more than is
really necessary, small plants even being given
a good shift and the best of material used.
Careful attention to watering under this
system is obviously necessary, but the way the
plants push out into the compost is ample proof
of the wisdom of the proceeding. Hybridising
is, of course, still going on, and there are
hundrtds of smaller seedlings in every stage of
development, and it is quite plain that in the
race for novelties of merit in this beautiful
family Mr. R. J. Measures' collection takes a
leading position.

Lselia Dayana delicata. — This was flower-
ing recently at Cambridge Lodge amons a fine lot
of plants ot the typical form. In habit, manner
of flowering and shape of the blooms it is identical
with the type, but the sepals and petals are pure
white, forming a chaste backing to the lip, which
has several radiating lines of deep crimson-
purple, the side lobes being similar in colour.

Cymbidium cyperi folium.— A large plant of
this rare species with a healthy, strong spike of
bloom was recently in flower at Cambridge Lodge.
The flowers, although not nearly so large, are in
colour and form very much like those of C. Tracey-
anum, the front of the lip being white, with crim-
son spots, the sepals and petals very pale green,
the spots on these occurring in lines extending

over the whole length of the segments. The bulbs
resemble those of giganteum, but are not half the
size, while the foliage is narrow and Sedge-like.
It appears to delight in a cool system of growth, the
roots being given a fairly large pot and substantial
compost.

Cattleya labiata. — Among about 200 plants
of this fine Cattleya I recently noted many very
fine forms, one especially striking variety having
a broad and verj- well displayed lip, bright crim-
son in front, with radiating lines of yellow and
rose, the sepals and petals being bright rose. All
of those in flower were remarkable for their breadth
of sepal and size generally. — R.

Miltonla Regneili.— The flowers of this Mil-
tonia are distinct and handsome, occurring on
erect spikes, bearing about half a dozen on each.
These are each over - inches across, the sepals
and petals white, the lip rosy purple, veined with
crimson-purple, the centre orange-yellow. It de-
lights in a fairly high temperature while growing,
plenty of atmospheric moisture, and only a little
shade if flowers are to be produced. The plants
may be grown in equal parts of peat and Moss
over good drainage in pots large enough to allow
a narrow margin all round. The roots ought never
to become really dry, less water of course being
required during the winter. The blossoms last a
very long time in good condition.

Masdevallia tovarensis. — The pretty pure
white blossoms of this useful species are just
opening, and where a good stock of plants is
grown, it keeps up a long succession ot flowers.
Though plentiful and cheap, this Masdevallia is
worthy of every care and may be easily grown in
quite a cool house, provided the winter tempera-
ture does not drop below 50°. It may be grown
in small pots in the usual compost advised for
Masdevallias, only a thin layer being required.
The roots must always be kept moist, especially
during active growth, and the foliage free from
insects. The spikes ought not to be cut, as
these produce flowers year after year until ex-
hausted. M. tovarensis comes from Tovar, in
New Grenada, and first flowered in this country
in 1865.

Miltonia Moreliana atro-purpnrea.— This
is one of the best forms of this variable Orchid
and worthy of the most careful attention. The
blossoms are large, the sepals and petals of a deep
rich crimson -purple, the lip fighter in colour, with
radiating lines of a deeper hue. Not the least of
its recommendations is the length of time the
blossoms last in good condition, a plant I recently
noted having the blossoms of good colour, though
it had been in bloom over seven weeks. Like M.
spectabilis, of which Moreliana is only a variety,
it should be grown in a nice light position in the
Cattleya house and only shaded sutiSciently to
prevent injury to the fofiage. Plenty of water
must be given while growing, and even in winter
the roots must not be dry for any length of time.
-R.

liSelio-Cattleya corbuUiensis.— This is a
very pretty bi-generic hybrid, the result of
crossing Liulia pumila with Cattleya Loddigesi,
and a nice plant of it is now in flower at
Cambridge Lodge. In habit it seems inter-
mediate between its parents, and the flowers
occur several together on the spike. The sepals
and petals are gracefully recurved and of clear
outline. In colour they are of a soft rosy tint,
this being repeated on the side lobes of the lip.
The latter are margined in front with crimson,
the centre lobe is rich crimson in front, with a
yellow throat, making with the other segments a
very bright and teUing bit of colour. It is grown
at Cambridge Lodge in the same house as Lalia
purpurata, which apparently suits it well.

Brassavola acaulis. — The narrow whitish
segments of this species give it a peculiar ap-
pearance, the blossoms apparently proceeding
from the centre of the leaf, but really at its base
on the top of the insignificant stem. The lip is
broad and heart shaped, pure white in front and
having a few faint lines of rose in the throat. In
baskets suspended from the roof of the Cattleya

312

THE GARDEK

[October 17, 1896.

house or on large blocks this sp;cios will be
found of the easiest culture. It reiiuires a quite
distinct restinjr and growing season, and during
the latter is quite safe in a temperature of about
50 if kept on the dry side, as it should be. It is
one of the best of the Brassavolas, a native of
Central Amerio-i, and w.<is introduced in lSd2.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1088.

THE GEXUS PRUNl S.

(with a coloured plate of p. amvodalus

VAR. MACROCARPA.*)

Bentham axp Hooker in the " Genera Plan-
tarum " united under Prunus the whole of the
species which had at an earlier date been known
under one or other of the following generic
names : Amygdalus, Persica, Armeuiaca, Pru-
nus, Cerasus, Padus, and L^uro-Cerasus. This
arrangement, which was necessary from the
fact that no well-defined line could be dran-n
between them, has naturally resulted in some
confusion in nursery and garden nomenclature.
The older names of Persica, Cerasus, itc, are
still in general use, and are likely to long re-
main so, although the newer species, which have
appeared since the wider interpretation of
"Prunus" was introduced, are mostly named
and figured in accordance with it. This, of
course, makes the garden nomenclature more
confused, and we can see in consequence two
Apricots, may be, growing side by side, the
older one called Armeniaca, the newer one
Prunus. In the following notes the whole of
the species dealt with are considered as Prunus
and are arranged alphabetically. But it will
be of some value perhaps to first give a list
showing the section to which each belongs and
the synonym (if it has one) in most general
use ; —

TuE Almosds and Peaches.— Am yodalus (in-
cluding Persica).
P. Amygdalus (Amygdalus communis), P.
Davidiana, P. incana, P. nana, P. orientalis
(Amygdalus argentea), P. Persica (Persica vul-
garis), P. Simoni.

The Apricots. — Armeniaca.

P. Armeniaca (Armeniaca vulgaris), P. brigan-

tiaca, P. dasycarpa, P. Mume (Prunus Myro-

balana fl.-roeeis), P. tomentosa, P. triloba (Amyg-

dalopsis Lindleyi).

The Flcms.— Prunus.
P. alleghanieneis, P. americana. P. angustifolia
(Prunus chicasa), P. cerasifera (Prunus Myroba-
lana), P. cerasifera var. atro-purpurea (Prunus
Pissardi), P. communis (Prunus domestica), P.
communis var. pruneauliana (Prunus aconomica),
P. divaricata, I*, insititia, P. epinosa (Prunus
fruticans), P. Watsoni.

The Cherries.— Cerasus.
P. acida (Cerasus Caproniana), P. Avium
(Cerasus domeetica), P. Cerasus (Cerasus vulgaris),
P. Chamjtcerasus, P. humilis, P. Jacquemonti, P.
japonica (Prunus sinensis), P. Maximowiczi, P.
pendula (Cerasus pendula rosea), P. pennsylva-
nica, P. prostrata, P. pseudc-(3erasu9 (Cerasus
Watereri, C. Sieboldi rubra), P. Puddum. P.
pumila (Cerasus depresea), P. serrulata (C. Sie-
boldi), P. subhirtella.

The Bird Cherries. — Padus.
P. CapoUin, P. comuta, P. demi^sa, P. Mahaleb
(Ceraaua Mahaleb), P. mollis (Prunus Pattoniana),
P. Padus, P. eerotina, P. virginiana.

• Drawn for The Garden by H. G. Moon in
the Royal Gardens, Kew. Lithographed and printed
by J. L. Goffart, snrcessor to Gnillaume Severeyns.

The Laurels. — Laurocekasus.

P. ilicifolia (Cerasus ilicifolia), P. Laurocerasus,
(Cerasus Laurocerasus), P. lueitanica (Cerasus
lusitanica).

P. AriDA.— One of the species from which the
Cherries of gardens have been derived, allied to
P. Cerasus: small, dark green, shining leaves of
firm te.xture and nearly ijlabrous. A variety is
semperflorens, grown in nurseries as Cerasus sem-
perHorens, of drooping habit and be:iring its white
dowers (sometimes double) from May to Septem-
ber, and often carrying flowers and fruit. A
dwarf tree, usually grafted standard high.

P. allei^haniensis.— Usually a shrub from 4
feet to 6 feet high, but sometimes a small tree
three or four times that height. The flowers,
^ inch across, at first pure white changing to pink,
are followed by handsome fruits, which are blue-
purple, nearly globular, and valued for preserv-
ing. Pennsylvania.

P. AMERICANA (wild Red Plum).— A handsome
tree found in North America to the east of
the Rocky Mountains, and one of the hardiest. It
is a tree '20 feet or more high, of graceful habit,
bearing at the end of April or the beginning of
May many pure snowy white blossoms; fruits red
or yellowish red, the species being cultivated in
the United States on their account.

P. Amvi;dalus (Amygdalus communis, the
common Almond). — One of the earliest of trees to
bloom, and reaching its best before hardy trees
have done more than show signs of reviving life.
Like all trees flowering thus early, it ought to
have some background of Holly or other evergreen,
against which its flowers may be contrasted.
The tree ultimately attains a height of 20 feet to
30 feet. There are several named varieties in cul-
tivation, but none better than the finest forms of
the common Almond, which varies considerably
in size and colour of flower.

Vak. amaka (Bitter Almond).— Flowers slightly
larger than those of the type; petals almost white
towards the tips, deepening into rose at the base.

Var. dulcis (Sweet Almond).— This has leaves
of a grey -green colour, and is one of the earliest
to flower.

Vau. MACROCARPA. — Thls, a flowering branch of
which is to-day the subject of the coloured plate,
is a strong-growing tree with larger, broader
leaves than the type ; the flowers, too, which are
rose-tinted white, are larger. This tree is hardy
and \'igorous in our country.

There are also double-flowered and pendulous
varieties cultivated under names denoting these
characters.

P. ANcusTiFOLiA (Chickasaw Plum).— A North
American species. It is now, however, extensively
distributed over the United States, especially in
the Southern Atlantic and Gulf States, occupying
the margins of fields and other waste places, and
was one of the first plants noticed by the early
Enfrlish settlers in Virginia. In Britain it is a
shrub 4 feet to 6 feet high, but in America it
is a small tree l."; feet to 20 feet high; the
leaves lanceolate, 3 inches long ; flowers in clus-
ters of one or two pairs, white, sometimes with a
creamy tint, one-third of an inch in diameter.
Several excellent varieties of this Plum are grown
in the United States for the" bright red fruits.
There are variegated forms cultivated in Europe.

P. Armeniaca (common Apricot).— The wild
type of the cultivated Apricot flowers in February
or early March, its blossoms being usually of a
pinkish-white, but there are varieties with deeper
coloured flowers and one in which they are double.
The handsome foliage is broadly ovate, smooth,
and deep green. Northern China.

P. Avium (the Gean). — One of the species from
which the fruiting Cherries have been derived.
It is found wild in the British Isles and is gener-
ally a tree 20 feet to 30 feet high, whereas P.
Cerasus is merely a shrub. It has long been grown
as an ornamental tree, and there are three or four
good varieties. None is more beautiful than the
common double form, whose pure white flowers
are borne in such profusion each spring. The
var. decumana is a striking tree with large
leaves, some of which measure 6 inches to 8 inches

in length. The var. nara is a curious dwarf
plant ; var. laciniata has cut leaves ; and var.
pendula is of weeping habit. From its near allies,
1". Cerasus and P. acida, the Gean possesses the
following distinctive characters: the leaves are
sharply toothed, pubescent on the lower surface
and the petiole is long ; the fruit is sweeter bitter
(not acid).

P. i:kicantiaca (Briarron Apricot).- A small
tree with broadly ovate, toothed leaves, thinly set
with hairs on both sides; the flowers, borne in
March and April on short stalks, are white tinged
with pink. The yellow fruit is shaped like a
small Apricot. It is a species of very limited
distribution, and Loudon states that it is found
wild in only two localities— one in Dauphiny, the
other in Piedmont.

P. Caiollin. — A native of Mexico and south-
wards, where it ranks as a fruit tree; leaves are
of a dark glossy green, narrower and longer than
those of P. serotina, and hanging loose and pen-
dent, as in some Willows ; flowers in erect racemes,
white; fruits round, dark red and like small
Cherries ; a tree SO ftet to 35 feet high. In France
it ripens seed. It is interesting, therefore, as one
of the very few trees hardy in Britain that come
from south of ihe Isthmus of Panama.

P. CEKAsiKEKA (the My robalan). — The showicst
of all the Plums, flowering whilst the leaf-buds
are as yet mere tips of green, the leaves 2 inches
long and ovate ; flowers three-quarters of an inch
to i inch in diameter, in clusters on the short
twigs; tree round-headed and of spreading habit,
20 feet high. Prunus Pissardi is a variety of this
species (var. atro purpurea, the purple Myrobalan).
It is a variety of Persian origin and was introduced
about isso. Its white blossoms are followed by
the beautiful red-purple young leaves, which
assume their richest tints when just opening and
in late summer and autumn. It fruits in favour-
able seasons, the fruits being coloured like the
leaves, even when young.

P. Cerasus (Cerasus vulgaris, the wild Cherry).
— This is a native of Britain, and one of the
species from which the fruiting Cherries have
been obtained. It is usually a small tree or even
a shrub, bearing its pure white flowers in spring.
It is the double flowered varieties, however, that
give the species its chief value in gardens. A
very old and beautiful Cherry is the variety known
as persiciflora, the flo'-e s of which are double and
tinged with rose. One of more recent origin is
Rhexi fl. pi., a variety of Continental origin, whose
pure white, long-stalked flowers, borne in May,
hang from the branches in great abundance. It is
a small tree, and one of the most charming of all
the Cherries. P. cerasus is frequently confounded
with P. Avium, but besides its smaller size the
leaves are toothed, glabrous or nearly so, and
have short stalks ; the fruit is acid.

P. CnAM.ECERAsus (Siberian Cherry). — A dwarf
species found in various parts of Europe. It has
small ovate or obovate leaves, irregularly and
finely toothed, and of a dark lustrous green. The
flowers are borne in short umbels on the previous
year's growth, the young leaves appearing at the
same time. The blossoms are white, three-
quarters of an inch in diameter, and appear in
May. One form of this species is represented by
a tree 10 feet or more high at Kew, but, as a rule,
it is only half as high. It is naturally a small
rounded shrub of neat, close habit, but is mostly
grown as a standard. There is a drooping va-
riety (pendula) and another with variegated foliage.

P. COMMUNIS (P. domestica, the common
Plum). — This species is believed to be the source
from which the cultivated Plums have been
derived, although in a less degree the BuUace
(P. insititia) and the Sloe (P. spinosa) have each
most probably a share in their origin. It is most
familiar in gardens as the stock on which both
fruiting and flowering species of Prunus are
worked. It has, however, some value as an orna-
mental tree, although there are others more desir-
able. It reaches a height of 15 feet to 20 feet, the
flowers being white, the leaves ovate and often of
a greyish tinge. Of the varieties cultivated as
ornamental trees, var. piuneauliana is perhaps the

PRUNUS AMYGDALU3 VAR MACRO CARPA

October 17, 189C.]

THE GARDEN.

313

314

THE GARDEK

[October 17, 1 J

most beautiful. It bears in April a great pro-
fusion of white flowers, not large individually, but
so thickly borne as to cover the twigs. There
is also a double- flowered form of this variety.

P. coRNTTA (Himalayan Bird Cherry).— This
is the Himalayan form of P. Padus. Its leaves
are as a rule larger, broader, and of stouter te.\-
ture than those of our British trees : they are also
distinct in having red stalks. The name refers to
the horn-shaped fruits.

P. PvsviARi-.\ (Black Apricot).— The origin of
this Apricot is uncertain, but it is most probably a
hybrid produced in gardens. Loudon states that
it" was introduced in ISOn. It is a small tree, and
there is a specimen in the Kew Arboretum about
12 feet high which flowers freely almost every
year early in April. Its leaves are dark glossy
green, glabrous, broadly ovate and toothed, the
petioles and young wood having a purplish tinge.
The flowers, which are pure white, open before
any of the leaves appear and show up against the
dark twigs on which they are borne ; each one is
half an inch to threeiiuarters of an inch across.
The fruit is purple or black, but is rarely seen in
this country.

P. Davidiana.— This is the earliest of all the
Peaches to burst into bloom, and in favourable
years it may be seen in full flower as early as
January. Few more delightful trees have been
introduced in recent years. Its branches are of
somewhat erect growth, the leaves lanceolate ;
the flowers individually 1 inch across and com-
pletely covering the shoots made the preceding

year

which are frequently 2 feet along. The

petals in one form (alba) are of a pure white ; in
the other (rubra) pink, but not so freely borne.

P. DEMissA (the Western Choke Berry of the
United States) is a form of P. virginiana, dis-
tinguished by its leaves, which are rounded or
sub cordate at the base, of thicker substance and
with a more abundant and persistent pubescence.
These characters appear to be due to climatal
influences, as they occur in all intermediate de-
grees between this tree and the true P. virginiana
of the Eastern United States (see notes on P. vir-
giniana).

P. DivAKicATA. — It has been a question for many
years w hether the tree grown under this name can
be satisfactorily distinguished from P. cerasifera.
Sir Joseph Hooker keeps them separate, and has
devoted a plate to each in the Botanical Maga:.iiie.
There are several trees of each at Kew, and
although both may be seen in flower at one time,
P. divaricata is usuallj- a week or a fortnight
behind the other. The leaves consequently are
farther advanced at the time of flowering than
those of P. cerasifera. The flowers are each three-
({uarters of an inch or a little more across, pure
white, and borne as abundantly as in the other
species. There is a large round-headed tree
near the T range at Kew 25 feet high and
more in diameter. Every spring this is a mass
of white, and is then one of the most beautiful
pictures in the garden. P. divaricata is a native
of the Caucasus, stretching thence to the south-
east as far as Macedonia and Persia. It was in-
troduced to England in 1S22, but has not been
planted so freely a? its beauty and the length of
time it has been in cultivation warrant.

P. HrMri.is (dwarf Chinese Cherry) is very
similar, indeed nearly related to P. Jacque-
monti, and, except where collections are kept
up, one of the two will suffice. It may, how-
ever, be con%'enient to summarise the distinctions
between the two, especially as they have been
much confused. P. humilis is a low bush similar
in habit and stature to P. Jacquemonti and the
leaves are practically identical, but in P. humilis
tne stipules are glandular and ciliate ; in the
other they are laciniate. The flowers of both
are rosy pink, but the lobes of the calyx in
P. humilis are as long as th( tubular portion and
blunt, whilst in P. Jacquemonti they are not
half the length and pointed. Probably they are
geographical forms of one species, P. humilis
being a native of China. It has been cultivated
since the early portion of the eighteenth century.

P. ii.iciFoi.iA (the Islay). — A Californian shrub
or small tree, unfortunately not quite hardy in
Britain except in the south-west, even w hen given
the shelter of a wall. It is a very distinct plant;
leaves stout, shining green, ovate in outline, and
armed with coarse spiny teeth. The flowers are
borne in slender racemes 3 inches or so long, and
have a conspicuous orange-brown calyx and pure
white petals. The species is evergreen and be-
longs to the Laurel group. Its fruits are half an
inch or more in diameter and blackish purple
when ripe.

P. iiNi ANA.— An interesting and pretty shrub
nearly allied to P. nana (the dwarf Almond).
From this, however, it is easily distinguished
by its leaves, which are shorter and broader and
covered beneath with a conspicuous white tomer-
tum. It reaches a height of 2 feet to 4 feet. It
flowers in March and April, the blossoms being
of a deeper rosy red than those of P. nana, but
scarcely so large. A native of Asia, Minor, intro-
duced about 1815.

P. iNsiTiTiA (the BuUace).— A small tree, often
seen wild in country hedgerows, which bears its
white flowers in pairs during March and April.
Its foliage is very similar to that of the wild P.
communis, and its black globular fruits are ripe
in October. The fruit is used for cooking and
preserves, &c. There are several varieties, amongst
which may be mentioned that with doulile flowers,
another with yellowish white fruits (see The Gar-
den, p. GO, Jan. 25, 1896), and a third with red
fruits. It is one of the hardiest of the Old World
species of Prunus and is valuable as a shelter tree,
thriving, as it does, in the most exposed positions.

P. Jacc^uemonti. — A pretty shrub, native of
Northwestern Himalaya, Thibet, and Afghanis-
tan, where it is found at altitudes varying
from 60uO feet to 12 0(10 feet. Plants of it at
Kew are of rounded, bushy form and from 4 feet
to (i feet high, but it ultimately reaches a height
of 10 feet. The leaves are li inches to 2 inches
long, ovate, pointed, and pubescent in the early
stages of growth: flowers, of a bright rosy pink,
individually are only about half an inch across,
but borne in great abundance on the growths
of the previous summer. This is a useful bush
for the front part of a shrubbery. Seeds of it
were gathered by Dr. Aitchison in the Kurrum
Valley and sent to Kew in 1879. From these
the first cultivated plants were obtained. It is
nearly related to the Chinese P. humilis, under
which species the distinctions between the two
are pointed out.

P. .TAi'ONicA (P. sinensis). — Like many other
popular trees and shrubs, this, although originally
introduced to this country from Japan and usually
regarded as a native of that country, is really a
native of China. It is one of the most lovely of
all spring-flowering shrubs. Grown on a wall it
is especially fine, and although it does not flower
with quite the same freedom in the open, it is
admirable in a group or even in a bed by itself.
I have not seen the single form of this species,
and am not aware of its being in cultivation.
The double one has white flowers with a more
or less rosy tint, some, indeed, of a distinct
rose colour. The flowers, each about U inches
across, are borne thickly on short stalks from
the slender shoots of the previous year. When
grown on a wall the shoots should be pruned back
immediately after flowering, this being sutHcient
for one season. That peculiar fatuousness which
impels some people to graft every possible tree or
shrub they can lay hands on has no more irritat-
ing results than in the case of this charming
shrub. It can be struck from cuttings, but it is
better to layer the shoots of an old plant. By the
latter method nice flowering specimens can be
obtained in two years. Grafted plants neither
grow nor flower so well, and a constant watch has
to be kept for suckers.

P. Lai'R(j-Cekasis (the common, or Cherry
Laurel). — There is probably no shrub that has
been so misused as the common Laurel. When
allowed to grow of its own free will it develops
into a large shrub of free and graceful habit, and
is, especially when in flower, a decidedly orna-

mental evergreen. Unfortunately, however, it is
usually cropped and mutilated and made to cover
sloping banks, or, still worse, enters largely into
the composition of those " mixed shrubberies "
which are so depressing and persistent a feature
of many parks Jand gardens. In such places
Laurels have to be continually cut back to keep
them within bounds, and their hungry, searching
roots prevent the cultivation of better things any-
where near. The most pleasing effect I have seen
produced by the common Laurel is where it has
been planted as an isolated specimen in thinly-
wocded pieces of ground where theie is enough
light for It to thrive and where it is never touched
by the knife. Being somewhat tender, it requires
some shelter of this kind. Several varieties are
in cultivation, the best of which are colchica,
caucaeica, and rotundifolia, all with broader,
larger leaves than the common Laurel and pre-
ferable to it on account of their hardier constitu-
tion. Salicifolia, angustifolia, and parvifolia are
narrow- leaved varieties, the last being often
grown under the name of Hartoghia capensis. A
new variety from the Shipka Pass (shipkaensis) is
said to be the hardiest of all, and to have with-
stood winters in parts of Xorth America and the
Continent where no previously known variety of
this Laurel would survive.

P. n'siTANKA (Portugal Laurel). — Theie are
few more beautiful evergreens than the Portugal
Laurel seen at its best. It grows to a height of
20 feet (or even .SO feet), with a diameter at the
base of quite as much, thus making a rounded
pyramid of dense foliage of the i^lossiest and
darkest green. In early June it bears a wonderful
profusion of long, pendent racemes of rather dull
white flowers. But the Portiii;al Laurel is rarely
seen in its full beauty, because it is nearly always-
jumbled up with other things in a shrubbery. lb
is as an isolated bush, with ios lower branches
sweeping the ground and allowed full freedom of
growth, that its value both as a winter and
summer shrub is seen. There are many such
specimens in the more wooded parts of the
grounds at Kew, and they are always beautiful
in the early days of June. During the severest
winters I have never seen this Laurel injured
by frost, although on colder, , heavier soils ib
might occasionally suffer. In any case it is hardier
than the common LaureL It is a native of Spain
and Portugal and was introduced in 1(J4S. Var.
myrtifolia has smaller leaves than the type and
its branches are of more erect growth. Being;
dwarfer it is also better suited for shrubberies.
Var. azorica has much larger leaves and fewer,
but larger flowers on the raceme.

P. Mahalei! (the Mahaleb).— None of the Euro-
pean Cherries surpass this in its bridal spring-
tide beauty. Early in May this jear I saw in
Messrs. Paul's nursery at Cheshunt a group of
some half-dczen trees of the pendent variety so
completely hidden by their flowers as to resemble
some great fantastic snowdrift. Added to this is
the charm of a powerful, but sweet and grateful
fragrance. The Mahaleb is a native of Central
and Southern Europe, and is perfectly hardy in
England. It reaches a height of 20 feet to .30 teet,
and is of free graceful growth ; especially is thia
the case with the variety pendula, which, although
not strictly weeping, is of looser, laxer habit than
the type. The leaves are each 2 inches long, and
the pure white flowers appear in rather flab
racemes.

P. Maximowiizi.— I have only seen small plants
of this species, which were raised from seed two
or three years ago. The following particulars are
taken from Sargent's "Forest Flora of Japan," in
which work the species is figured and described
(p. 37) : It is a tree 25 feet to 30 feet high, the
young wood, petioles and under-surface of leaves
covered with a rusty pubescence. The leaves are
elliptical or elliptical-obovate, with a drawn-out
apex and coarsely toothed. The flowers are pro-
duced in May in racemes 3 inches to 4 inches long.
Each flower is half an inch across and white. A
distinctive character of the species is the leaf-
like coarsely-toothed bracts on the racemes. The

OCTOBEE 17, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

315

species was originally discovered in Manchuria,
and has since been found in Japan and Corea.

P. MOLLIS. — This was originally discovered by
David Douglas in the valley of the Columbia
Eiver in 1825, and was introduced in 1S3S. It
appears to have been re-introduced by Jeffrey
during his collecting expedition for the Oregon
Association about 1S51, and re-named Prunus Pat-
toniana, under which name it is "till sometimes
known. It is a small tree, 20 feet to 30 feet high,
sometimes degenerating in a wild state to a
shrub. The leaves are usually blunt and covered
beneath with a soft down. The flowers are white
and produced eight to twelve together in corym-
bose racemes, each about half an inch across. The
fruits are red.

P. McME. — Although one of the commonest of
cultivated trees in Japan, this Apricot is now
thought to be a native of Corea. Under the hands
of the Japanese cultivators it has developed nu-
merous forms, and there are now at Kew varieties
with flowers red and white, single and double, as
well as one of pendulous habit. The wood re-
sembles that of the common Apricot. The leaves
are broadly ovate or cordate, serrated, and con-
tracted at the apex into a long tapering point.
The plant is leafless at the time of flowering.
Although it is only quite recently that this spe-
cies has come into notice, it has been in cultiva-
tion for some years both here and on the Conti-
nent, but disguised under other names, one of
which is Prunus Myrobalana fl.-roseis.

P. NAXA (the dwarf Russian Almond). — This, a
native of Southern Russia, is one of the dwarfest
of the Almonds, being from 2 feet to 5 feet high.
It flowers during March and April when the leaf-
buds are only beginning to burst, the flowers
being of a lively rose colour and about three-
quarters of an inch across. The leaves are nar-
row, smooth, dark green, and glossy. It is a
charming shrub, and can be easily and quickly
propagated by layering. The species will thrive
in a dry situation better than most Almonds.

P. OKiENT.u.is (Silver Almond), a bush or low
tree, is grown more for the beauty of its silvery
foliage than for its blossoms ; indeed, it rarely
flowers with any freedom in this country, and is
not hardy, as the great frost of February, 1895,
proved, but it will stand our ordinary winters if
the plants are not very young. Its leaves, which
are short and ovate, are covered with a beautiful
silvery tomentum. It is a native of Western Asia
and has been in cultivation since 1756.

P. Padis (the Bird Cherry). — This tree, a
native of Britain as well as of Xorth and Central
Europe, stretching thence eastwards to Manchuria
and Japan, is often 40 feet high, with thin leaves
which when bruised give off a Rue-like odour.
The flowers are borne in drooping racemes, these
in the commonest form being 4 inches to G inches
long. There are varieties, however (notably
one in cultivation at the Knap Hill Nursery),
much finer both in the flowers and racemes.
A double- flowered variety (flore-pleno) recently
obtained from the Continent is the most striking
I have seen. This year on young plants only a
short time transplanted racemes were borne in
plenty, each one 8 inches long, and with double
flowers three-quarters of an inch in diameter, last-
ing longer, too, than those of the ordinary form.
A variety also worth special mention is the
Manchurian one, with fine blooms and ra-
cemes, but chiefly notable for coming into
flower early in April, and, therefore, long before
our European type is showing a bloom. There
are other named varieties in cultivation, the most
•distinct being var. stricta, with quite erect
branches and racemes. Var. aucubajfolia has its
foliage mottled with yellow. The common Bird
Cherry is a tree rather for the park and woodland
than the garden proper, but the Manchurian and
double-flowered varieties fully deserve a place
among flowering trees.

P. PEXDULA iCerasus pendula). — One of the
earliest of the Cherries to come into flower, com-
mencing usually towards the end of March. Its
pendent growth has led to its being commonly
worked on stocks 5 feet to 0 feet high, but it is in-

teresting to note that it comes true from seed, as
several young plints at Kew testify. This seems
to indicatethat it is specifically distinct, although
the origin of the wild type appears to be doubtful.
It is planted freely in Japan, especially in the old
temple grounds, and Prof. Sargent states that he
saw specimens over 50 feet high. The leaves
are much like tho?e of the common Cherry,
the flowers of a lovely shade of soft rose and
borne in great profusion. In the United States,
where the summers are much hotter, it thrives
better than in England, and it should, if possible,
be planted in a sunny spot sheltered from the
north and east— not that it is at all tender, l:>ut it
flowers at a time when the harsh dry winds from
those quarters are particularly prevalent.

P. PENNSYLVANicA (wild red Cherry). — At
Kew last spring a tree about 20 feet high of this
Cherry was very beautiful, and the species is ev:
dently one that might with advantage be more
freely planted than it is now. It is a native of
North America, and is widely spread over the
northern portion, but is most abundant in the
Atlantic States. It grows oO feet to 40 feet high,
with oblong-lanceolate, acuminate leaves, the teeth
being often tipped with glands. The flowers are
white, 5 inch across and produced in corymbose
clusters. It has been in cultivation in this country
since 1T7.S, in which year Lee, of Hammersmith,
introduced it. Sargent says it is rather a short-
lived tree, but plays an important part in the pre-
servation and reproduction of North American
forests. It seeds freely, the seeds being freely dis-
tributed by birds and streams, and the rapidly
growing young plants give shelter to other kinds
of forest trees which are longer-lived than they,
and ultimately constitute the new forest.

P. PERSICA (the Peach).— Although neither so
free-growing nor so hardy as the Almond, the
Peach in all its forms is exceedingly beautiful, and
in positions sheltered from the north and east
ought to be planted freely. There is now a goodly
number of varieties at the service of the planter,
chiefly single and double forms with white or red
flowers. Theie is one also with purple foliage
known as foliis rubris, this colour extending also
to the fruit. Perhaps the loveliest variety of all
is a semi-double one with brilliant carmine-crim-
son flowers which has been shown at the spring
meetings of the R.H.S. for several years past by
Messrs. Veitch. It is named magnifica, and was
awarded a first-class certificate on February Ki,
1.S94. The other varieties it is not necessary to
specify ; they are known bj- descriptive names like
flore albo pleno, &c. The Peach is in all pro-
bability a native of China.

P. PROSTRATA (Mountain Cherry). — A rare spe-
cies, but one of the most lovely of the dwarf
Cherries. It is a native of the mountains of the
Levant, and, although not strictly prostrate (at
least in cultivation), is a low spreading bush,
the long, slender branches arching outwards and
downwards to the ground. The leaves, often
under half an inch in length on wild plants, but
twice or thrice as long on cultivated ones, are
broadly ovate, finely and regularly toothed. The
flowers, borne on very short stalks, of a beautiful,
lively shade of rose, are half an inch to three-
quarters of an inch across, and so plentiful as to
almost hide the branches on which they appear.
It was introduced in 1802. and, coming from
altitudes of 5000 feet to 6000 feet, is perfectly
hardy. Normally the petals should be five in
number, but under cultivation there are frequently
six or even eight in one flower. This is a very
delightful little shrub, whose rarity has hitherto
prevented it from being fully appreciated.

P. PSEUDO-CERAsrs (the Japanese Cherry). —
This is the tree whose flowering marks one of the
epochs of the year in Japan. For centuries the
Japanese have planted these Cherry trees along the
road-sides as well as in their gardens and temple
grounds. Although neither in size nor in num-
bers can our European trees compare with those
of Japan, their beauty during April is sufficiently
great to enable us to appreciate the enthusiastic
admiration they obtain from a flower-loving people
like the Japanese. In the forests of North Japan

this species becomes a large timber tree, but in
England it is not often seen above 20 feet high.
It has acuminate, finely toothed leaves, and its
flowers will in the best douljle forms measure
2 inches across. It is these double-flowered varie-
ties that are almost solely cultivated in England.
They are of various shades of rosy white, and are
known under such names as Cerasus Watereri,
C. Sieboldi, Ac. More so perhaps than any other
are these double-flowered Cherries worth extensive
planting, never failing to flower, being of surpass-
ing beauty and perfectly hardy. They should be
grown on a cool, moist bottom, and the effect they
produce in spring is all the greater if room can be
aflbrded for a grove of a dozen or so trees with a
backing of Holly or other evergreen. During the
past few years Messrs. Veitch have obtained from
Japan a curious and rather striking variety of this
Cherry. Its flowers are of the tame size as those
of the ordinary form and semi-double, but the
rosy petals are sutiused with a yellowish green
tinge. It has not yet been given a distinctive
name.

P. PuDDUM. — This, one of the few Cherries
that have been obtained from Northern India,
is as yet a very rare plant in British gardens.
It is a native of the mountains of Bhotan and
Sikkim, at elevations of 5000 feet to 8000 feet.
There is a tree at Kew 15 feet high which flowers
freely each spring before the leaves appear. The
flowers, three-quarters of an inch across, are
of a beautiful soft shade of rose, and crowded on
the naked twigs. The fruits, which it ripens in
fair quantity, are red, like those of the garden
Cherries and of about the same size, the upper half
assuming a cone-like shape. The leaves are
3 inches or 4 inches long, smooth and serrated. In
India this tree reaches 30 feet in height and its
flowers vary in the different forms from deep rose
to almost pure white.

P. PUMiLA (Cerasus glauca, C. depressa). — A
shrubby species native of North America and
growing from 3 feet to 6 feet high. Grown singly
it is not particularly effective, but when grouped
it is very attractive. There are both erect and
prostrate forms in cultivation, the latter being
frequently grown as Cerasus depressa. The bark
is dark coloured, the leaves brigtit green, narrowly
oblong and about 2 inches long. The flowers
appear in great quantity during April and May,
and although perhaps the smallest of all the
Cherries, make a pretty display. There are forms
with dull white flowers which ought to be
avoided. The species can be easily propagated
by cuttings and layers.

"p. SEROTIXA (the Rum, or wild black Cherry).—
In the United States this species is sometimes as
much as 100 feet high. Its wood is greatly valued
for furniture-making. At Kew there are numer-
ous specimens sprinkled about the grounds, vary-
ing from 20 feet to 40 feet in height. It is not one
of the most striking of the Cherries, scarcely so
fine even as our own Bird Cherry, but it produces
a great abundance of its racemes of whitish
flowers, these racemes being 3 inches to 5 inches
long. The glossy dark green foliage, too, which is
not unlike that of the Portugal Laurel, can
always be distinguished in a group of trees.
Like P. Padus, it is better adapted for thinly
wooded, semi-wild tracts than for the garden it-
self. It flowers in early June. This Cherry was
one of the first American trees grown in this
country, having been introduced in 1629. It is very
widely spread, reaching from Canada to Central
America. There is a pretty weeping variety
known as pendula.

P. SERRULATA.— This Cherry, which is a native
of Japan, although scarcely so fine a tree as P.
pseudo-Cerasus, is very nearly allied to it. By
some authorities the two are not considered to be
specifically distinct. P. serrulata, however, ex-
cept in the case of young trees, can be recognised
by its peculiar mode of branching. The main
stem is erect for a few feet, but then abruptly
branches off almost horizontally into three or lour
divisions, and henceforth ceases to send up a
properly defined lead. It is picturesque, repre-
senting one of the modes of growth we have come

316

THE GAP.DEK

[October 17, 1896.

to regard as essentially typical of Japanese
tree vegetation. From P. pseudo Cerasus it may
be distinguished by coming into flower about
a fortnight later and by having invariably glab-
rous foliage, the leaves "of the other being usually
pubescent. The flowers, whilst scarcely so large as
in the tinest varieties of P. pseudoCerasus, are still
very beautiful. They are rose-tinted white and
always double. The single-flowered form is not
in cultivation.

P. SiMOM.— This is a comparatively recent
introduction to English gardens, although figured
in the Ktrue Horticok in l!S7i'. It has leaves of
about the same size as the common Almond, but
the tree itself is of more erect habit and frequently
resembles the Lombardy Poplar in form of growth.
The flowers are white, and are produced in Feb-
ruary and March. Its fruit is deep purple and
ripens early. A native of Chira.

P. srisos.\ FLORE-rLENo (the double Sloe or
Blackthorn). — There is no need to discuss the
common Sloe of the hedgerows, but this variety
is a really beautiful shrub or small tree, and well
worth a place in any garden. It was first found
wild in Europe near Tarascon, in the south of
France, but long previous to that had been prized
by the Chinese and Japanese. It flowers at the same
time as the Sloe, its blossoms being pure white,
about half an inch in diameter and not perfectly
double, the centre of the flower containing a
cluster of stamens. The flowers are thickly
crowded on the short spiny branches, the black
colour of which serves to show otf more vividly
the pure beauty of the flowers. It is a plant
that unfortunately does not transplant well,
and it ought to be put in permanently when
young. This, together with its slow growth,
probably accounts for its comparative scarcity :
it is, however, one of the most charming of March
flowering shrubs.

P. srEuiRTEi,LA.~A new introduction from
Japan, which has many points of resemblaoe to P.
pendula. A small plant flowered at Kew last
spring, and, judging by it, there is every likeli-
hood of its developing into a useful tree. Its
leaves are like those of P. pendula in size, ovate,
toothed, and pointed, but instead of being of a
glossy green, as in that species, they are dull green,
and both surfaces are more hairy. The flowers
are half an inch in diameter and of a lovely shade
of soft rose. This Cherry is of erect growth, and
it has been suggested that it may be the type of
the species, of which P. pendula is the weeping
form. The diflerences in foliage as well as the
fact that P. pendula comes true from seed does
not, however, support this view. It is in any case
a welcome addition to flowering Cherries.

P. TOMENTusA.— A shrubby species, rarely more
than 8 feet high, and of quite a bushy habit. It
is well named, for the whole plant is more or less
covered with downy hairs. The leaf, covered
thickly, especially on the under side, with a soft
velvety pubescence, narrows to a point. It
flowers in April and its blossoms are of a rosy
white, becoming more distinctly rose with age.
The Cherry-like fruits are borne on short stalks
and each one is about half an inch across. The
species, which is at present rare in Europe, is
quite hardy at Kew. It is very distinct and
appears to be a connecting link between the
Cherries and the Apricots. It is a native of North
China and perhaps Japan.

P. TBiLoi-.A n...i'L. — This, perhaps the most
lovely of all the dwaif Prunus, is a native of
China and was introduced by Fortune. It is of
shrubby habit, leaves from l| inches to 4 inches
lopg. prettily and unevenly toothed, and covered
with short hairs on both sides. The flowers are
at their best in early April, and each one measures
1 J inches to 2 inches in diameter. On first open-
ing they are of a lovely shade of delicate rose,
changing with age to an almost pure white. This
species is perfectly hardy and will thrive as a
bush in the open, although not so well as on a
wall. The above remarks refer to the double-
flowered variety, which for forty years has been
the representative of the species in our gardens,
and which is the cultivated plant of the Chinese.

Within the last year or two, however, the single-
flowered wild type has been introduced. It fias
smaller rosy white flowers and leaves of the same
shape as Fortune's plant, but smaller.

P. viKGiNiANA (Choke Berry) is a near ally
of P. serotina, but a smaller' tree, rarely more
than 30 feet high and often a mere shrub.
It has broadly oval or ovate leaves, which ter-
minate in an abrupt point and are toothed ;
flowers pure white, each about half an inch
across and borne in racemes 3 inches to 6 inches
long. In England it flowers in May. Professor
Sargent says it is the most widely distributed of
all North American trees, occurring on both sides
of the Rocky Mountains, and extending from Hud-
son's Bay in the north to California in the south.
With Eoextended a habitat itnaturally varies agreat
deal, decreasing in stature in the colder climates,
the foliage becoming stouter and more pubescent
in the drier regions. From its near ally, P. sero-
tina, it may be distinguished by the disagreeable
odour of the bark. Loudon observes that it de-
serves a place in every collection, and should be

Carnations are stood upon them, there is not at>
opportunity for a thorough escape of superfluous

water, and the

sutler much in

consequence.

The ashes should be used in a fairly rough state
and not sifted, a level surface being secured
by passing the garden roller over them. Every
year or two the old surface should be removed
with a spade and an extra coating of ashes given.
If this is neglected worms are sure to be trouble-
some, although these peats can now be set at
defiance by the use of the patent wire crocks. —
J. C.

Fuchsia Lord Beacon ifield as a roof jilant
photograph by Miss Tempest.

planted in every wood or shrubbery where it is
desired to attract singing birds.

P. Watsoni (Sand Plum). — A species described
for the first time by Professor Sargent about two
years ago. He had had it in the Arnold Arbore-
tum for fourteen years, having raised it from seed
sent from Kansas. He describes it as a twiggy
shrub, 3 feet to 12 feet high, with abundant
fragrant blossoms appearing about the middle of
Maj . Each one is half an inch in diameter and they
are produced in clusters of three or four so
plentifully, as to completely cover the branches.
It is of compact habit, hardy and likely to prove
of value in sunny localities. It is cultivated at
Kew, but is as yet small. W. J. Bean.

Standing plants on ashes.— The practice of
using ashes for standing plants on during the
summer months is a very old and a very good one,
but frequently the plants do not stand the chance
they ought to, owing to the fact that the ashes
are used in much too fine a state, .^o that when
heavy pots containing Chrysanthemums or even

Stove and Greenhouse.

FUCHSIAS AS PILLAR PLANTS.
The illustration shows at once the value of
Fuchsias aspillar plants. Lord Beaconsfield, the'
variety here figured, is a hybrid raised some
years back by Mr. Laing, the seed-bearing
parent, F. fulgens, having been intro-
duced from JMexico as far hack as
1830. Lord Beaconsfield has long
scarlet flowers, which show to great
advantage when the plant is grown
on a pillar. It is a most profuse
bloomer ; consequently is not so
continuous as some kinds, thougk
it invariably flowers well a second
time. Of the lighter kinds most
suitable for this purpose are Rose of
Castile, Lustre Improved, Arabella
Improved (singles), and Mme. Jules
Chretien (double). Of the scarlet
and red varieties, Corallina, Corym-
bitlora and Charming (singles), Ava-
lanche and Sir Garnet Wolseley
(doubles) are the best. In large con-
servatories that have the roofs
clothed with climbers Fuchsias are
especially to be recommended, seeing
they grow and flower so well under
partial shade ; whereas to attempt
to grow other genera that require
abundance of light and sun, as
Acacias, Abutilons, Clematis indi-
visa, Oestrums, Laaiandra, A'c, is
to court failure. To give a select
list of plants to suit conservatories
in general is impossible, the posi-
tion, convenience for planting out,
light and shading having to be taken
into account. J. R.

Broinildnn Hall.

,.^^^ ^ Mignonette Machet in pots.^A

good selection of this is undoubtedly
the best for growing in pots for spring
and early summer flowering, but to-
wards autumn it is inclined to go too much to
growth. I now have a good batch, which, owing
to the late dull, showery weather, has grown so
tall that it can hardly be identified as the same
variety as that grown in the spring, and if it was
not that I saved the seed myself, I should doubt if
it was the same, for, in addition to the tall growth^
the flower-spikes are very poor. A good selection
of Miles' Spiral or other wliite variety is best for
autumn flowering. — F.

The Cape Leadwort (Plumbago capensis). —
The interesting notice by "R." about the Plum-
bago in The Garden (p. 213) reminds me of the
following note about this flower in Mrs. Proctor's
"Memoir of Christina G. Rossetti": " I should
have mentioned that the blue Plumbago is tho
pride of Wynberg, where all the hedges are com-
posed of it ; that is, where they are not of blue
Myrtle. When left to Nature, sheets of pale blue
flowers enchant all beholders. There are, however,
many vandals who keep such carefully clipped."
This exactly supports "R.'s" statement, that
this beautiful flower should be allowed to growr

October 17, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

317

■with long, loose, uncut boughs, as in its natural
state ; and I may add that in our conservatory it
climbs along the roof, carrying long, hanging
boughs of blue blossom. It may interest a
carrespondent— T. Roach (p. 134), who asks for
hints on table decoration — to hear it has proved a
very useful and extremely elegant plant for the
dinner-table during the summer months. It looks
particularly well mixed with the pure pink of the
Monthly Rose, or in a bowl surrounded by cool
yellow AUamandas, giving grace and play to these
otherwise rather stiff flowers. — M. C. D.

Oxalis cernua. — As the season has arrived
for pitting up the various roots, tubers and bulbs
for winter and spring flowering, it will not perhaps
be out of place to draw attention to the aliDve
free-flowering and decidedly handsome plant.
It is a fine subject for the adornment of either
conservatory or greenhouse, and its culture is so
easy that it may also be grown as a window
plant. The colour of its flowers is a very bright
yellow, almost identical with that of the ordinary
field Buttercup. The bulbs are very small, and
one could hardly imagine that they could possibly
produce such a wealth of blossoms and for such a
length of time, the flowering period extending,
as It does, over some eight or nine weeks. I pur-
chased two doz3n bultps last autumn and grew
them more as an experiment than anything else,
but I was so pleased with the result, that I intend
growing another batch this season. The plants
in question stood on a low shelf by the side of the
walk in a greenhouse, and when they came into
bloom they excited general admiration, and many
were the inquiries made concerning them. A
mixture of loam, leaf-mould and sand seems to
suit it, and one bulb is quite suiEcient to place
in a 6-inch pot, as the plants grow so freely.
After being potted the liulbs are best placed in a
cool, dark place— mine were put in the Potato
house— and they should be looked at frequently
so as to catch them as soon as they start to grow.
Neglect in doing this will lead to their being spoilt
should the young and tender growths liecome
drawn ; at any rate, they will not make liushy,
robust plants. At this stage they may be placed
in a greenhouse close up to the light or placed
in a window, when with care and attention they
will quickly develop and soon become a mass of
flowers. I find that the flowers close up during
part of the day when subjected to bright sun-
light, but this might be obviated by affording
them shade or by placing them in a cool, shady
position, and this would also help to prolong the
flowering season. — A. W.

Vallota purpurea. — " H. P.," in his note on
the above (p. '213), draws attention to the great
losses that have occurred of late years. A large
portion of the collected bulbs from the Cape are
taken up while in flower, which must entail a loss
of vitality. The flowering period in one district
where they are, or were, plentiful is February. I
have had freshly-imported bulbs flower for the
first time in England at the end of March, but if
they remain in health they soon approximate to
the flowering period of the old home-grown
Vallotas. Oftentimes bulbs, after having been
potted for some months, will be found to have
thrown off numerous small bulblets. This is pro-
bably a sign of weakness, the parent plant, feeling
its vitality diminishing and being unable to per-
fect seed, endeavouring to perpetuate its species
by offsets. I imagine that the whole of those
growing in the district of Cape Colony to which I
have alluded were raised from self-sown seed, as
in the large number which I examined, although
I occasionally found a large bulb split into two
distinct portions, I never remember finding off-
sets. Curiously enough, there seemed to be little
or no seminal variation, the colour of the manj-
hundreds I saw in bloom being of a precisely
similar tint of crimson-scarlet. They were to be
found in the greatest quantities by the side of
small rivers, which ran in deep kloofs or chasms,
the banks here and there glowing with their vivid
colouring. These rivers rise in a mountain range
about 7 miles from the sea, and in stormy weather
rise very suddenly, submerging the majority of

the Vallotas under several feet of roaring water.
On the flats above the plants are also found as
well as on the lower portions of the mountains,
which in winter have often a snowy mantle. The
Vallotas go by the name of Berg (mountain) Lilies
at the Capo.— S. W. F.

Begonia President Carnot. — Amid the be
wildering confusion of tuberous Begonias it is re
freshing to come upon a new or improved strain
of the winter or perpetual flowering specie
varieties. I lately saw the variety President
Carnot clothing several rafters in one of the plant
stoves of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
The size, colour, beauty of leaf and flower of this
Begonia induces me to recommend it to all as
a roof, rafter, and wall furnisher of the most
unique and beautiful sort. No one with a cool
stove or warm greenhouse should be without this
Begonia. Notwithstanding the prodigality of
tuberous-rooted kinds, few gardens can dispense
with these perpetual and winter bloomers. —
D. T. F.

Bougainvillea glabra.— So far as I remember,
the greenhouse referred to by " R." was kept as
a warm greenhouse, which is but another name
for a cool stove. The plant referred to is also
several years old as well as large. It also covers
a large portion of the small house in which it
grows. That house is also a lean-to or half-span in
form, facing south or thereabouts. The whole also
are on the side of a warm hill facing south. Mr.
Squibbs, the able gardener at Ickworth for so
many years, grew this and other plants remarkably
well. I state this much that your readers may be
able to see the favourable conditions surrounding
this fine old plant, and not with any view of ques-
tioning the statement of your correspondent " R.,"
viz., that this grand plant may be very success-
fully bloomed in a greenhouse, warm or other-
wise. Time, however, is saved by growing it into
blooming size in a warm greenhouse or cool
stove. The richest coloured flowers of this fine
Bougainvillea have been grown in the open air.
The plants on the back wall of a cool greenhouse
were allowed to run thair heads out at the open
lights and to remain there through the late sum-
mer and early autumn months. The bracts this pro-
duced had a depth and intensity of colouring never
before nor since met with unless under similar en-
vironments. And yet so accommodating is this
plant as to temparature and moisture, that the
next best Bougainvilleas ever seen by me were
grown by my late friend Mr. Sheppard on the back
wall of a tropical fernery at Woolverstone Park,
near Ipswich. Here, too, the plants were old and
spurred close home every season after blooming. —
D. T. F.

I turned to the shady greenhouse, syringed on fine
I sunny days for a fortnight, and kept free from
draught. In November I remove them to an
I extra light, airy house, exercising great care in
watering, as the least carelessness in the matter is
liable to produce rust and spot. I am afraid that
many gardeners who still cling to the old practice
of turning their old plants out into the open
garden for layering, will this year find rooting
take place very slowly, and many layers fail alto-
gether, the weather having been so wet and many
of the nights cold. Indifferently rooted Mal-
maison layers invariably turn yellow and die off
after potting, whereas those rooted under the
mossing system indoors are proof against all the
evils arising from inclement weather.

J. Crawford.

POTTING MALMAISON CARNATIONS.
A GREAT many rooted layers of these increasingly
popular Carnations are annually potted up during
September ; mine are being done this week, being
well rooted into the Moss. I do not turn my old
plants out of doors or into a pit for layering, but
keep them in a cool shady greenhouse. The Moss
has become permeated with white rootlets, these
protruding in all directions; they will be severed
from the parent and potted, Moss and all, into
3-inch pots, as, although my plants will each have
three or four strong growths, I do not care to put
them into too large pots to start with, finding it far
better to give another shift, say in November,
using then a 4^-inch pot, and wintering them in
them. At first I give them quite a light fibrous
loam containing a large amount of natural grit, in
fact it comes from the sides of carriage drives and
pleasure ground walks, when they are edged in
the spring, and is laid up for twelve months before
being used. At the second potting,, however, I
like to give the plants half of this material and
half of a stronger loam, such as is used for Vines
and Peaches, as the Malmaison Carnations seem
to prefer a somewhat stronger rooting medium
than the ordinary run of Carnations, the great
thing being to keep it open by an addition of
road grit or coarse sand, and to drain the pots
well. Potting completed, the plants will be re-

TUBEROUS BEGONIAS AT BBXLEY
HEATH.

Mr. Thos. S. Ware, of the Hale Farm Nurseries,
Tottenham, has established a Begonia nursery at
Bexley Heath, and there the fine tuberous
Begonias shown in London, Che?ter and elsewhere
are grown. The immense beds in the open air
have been an attraction to the thousands of excur-
sionists who drive through that district. The
plants gave no signs of having passed through an
exceptionally hot dry season. Mr. Pope, the ex-
perienced grower, stated that a free dressing of
solid manure and timely applications of water had
much to do with the success, and that these
Begonias would be even more popular than they
are for summer bedding, if only private gardeners
would manure the ground more freely for them.
They revel in a rich soil and abundance of
moisture. Those at Bexley Heath are all this
year's seedlings, the seed having been sown in
January. They are planted out 4 to .5 inches apart
in beds 4 feet wide, and when I saw them were in
a solid mass. Only erect flowering varieties are
grown, and these have large, yet well-formed
flowers. Some of the beds are in separate
colours, others are mixed, nut will have had dis-
tinctive marks placed to them long ere this, so
that separate colours or well varied mixtures can
be supplied. The double flowering varieties are
also greatly improved, fewer of the clumsy Holly-
hock-like blooms being observable than formerly,
handsome well - formed flowers resembling
Camellias in form and siza taking their place.
Salmon, yellow, rose, crimson and white shades
predominate. Beds of these are most eft'ective.

In the houses I saw the remains of what must
have been a grand collection of tuberous Begonias.
Many of the doubles were being starved down
preparatory to saving seed from them, but enough
were in sufficiently vigorous condition to convey
a good idea of what the strain is like. Bexley
Gem, a variety of an exceptionally good habit,
foliage distinct, flowers Camellia shape, dark rose
in colour, is likely to be the forerunner of a new
race of an improved habit of growth. Beauty of
Belgrave, colour of La France Rose : Duke of
Teck, crimson-scarlet ; Duchess of Teck, pale
yellow ; Ada AUward, rich salmon, white centre ;
Claribel, salmon, white centre ; Mrs. French,
creamy white ; Mrs. Pope, fine white ; Picotee,
white, pink edge, fine flower : Princess May, pure
white with crimpled edges ; Queen Victoria, blush
peach, one of the best ; Victory, salmon-scarlet,
extra good ; and Viscountess Cranbrook, rosy
pink, white centre, are all excellent varieties.
Fringed and Picotee - edged varieties are also
noticeable. W. I.

Smilax. — This climbing plant is now grown
largely in every good garden, but I have nowhere
seen it so liberally treated as at Buchan Hill,
Crawley, where two or three houses are entirely
devoted to it, the plants being put out into beds
and the climbing growths run up strings. It is
in this way that the immense quantities sent to
market are produced, and which seem to be so
much in request now for decoration. — A. D.

Narcissus Ard-Righ forced.— Of all the
Daffodils I prefer this variety for forcing, as it

31!

THE GARDEN.

[OcroBEh 17, 1896

requires but slight warmth to have it in flower in
January and February. Its bright yellow flowers
are always acceptable, and more so at that time
of the year when yellow or golden-coloured flowers
are not abundant. Its culture being so easy and
only slight heat being necessary to bring it into
flower, it is essentially a subject that amateurs
may grow in their greenhouses without fear of
failure. The chief thing to remember is to pot up
the bulbs early or as soon as they can be bought,
which is generally early in October. If potted at
once and plunged in a bed of ashes or leaf-mould
with the Tulips and Hyacinths, they quickly root
and are ready for removal to a pit or greenhouse
daring November and December. When the flower <
commence to push, they will speedily develop if
placed in a temperature ranging from 60° to 0.)=.
I prefer potting the bulbs singly in 3-inch pots,
as they are then more convenient for the purpose
these foned Daflcdils are required for here, but
they may also be planted in 6 inch or 7-inch pot^,
putting eight or nine bulbs in a pot. Anyone
having a conservatory or greenhouse to keep gay
with flowers early in the year might do worse than
grow this Diffodil in quantity. If retjuired merely
for cutting, the bulbs need be only planted in
either boxes or pans. After being forced the
bulbs should not be thrown away, but planted
either in mixed borders or shrubberies, or otherwise
utilised for naturalising in woods or the wild gar-
den.—A. \V.

Carnation Dake of York in pots.— Aftpr
trying this variety as a pot plant for two sei-
I have decided to discard it, as it is neithti
good a grower nor bloomer as Uriah Pike. 1
growth is long-jointed and the plants ha\ b i
leggy appearance, whereas those of Uriah Pike are
stocky and well furnished from the pot upwards.
The one great drawback with it is that very few
blooms indeed are produced until the second year,
even when strong layers are potted up from the
open border. This is somewhat strange, as in the
latter position no Carcation can touch it for free-
flowering the first season after layering. If it
made meagre growth when confined to pots, one
could understand its thyness, but my yearling
plants are now large dense bushes in 8 inch pots,
yet I expect to have to wait till next year before
getting much bloom from them. — J. C.

it is better to procure new stock plants and make
a fresh start.

One of the greatest evils, and one which is sure
to weaken the stock, is giving too much heat in
the autumn. Air and sunshine, with just enough
fire-heat to take olT the damp, will be found to
encourage good healthy growth, and the blooms
will come better than where more heat is given. All
Carnations grown in pots shouli be under glass
before wo got heavy autumnal rains. October is
the best time to commence propagating, as then
strong cuttings may be had which will root freely
where there are a moderate botUim-heat and a

in the col )ured plate with The Garden for Sep-
tember 10, 1,S02, are in many places very con-
spicuous just now, and serve to lighten up the
intermediate house or warm end of the green-
house at this time of the year. The nomenclature
of gesneraceous plants is in a particulaily con-
fused state, and most of those to which the generic
name of (iesnera is generally applied have curious
scdly rhizomes, but this, in common with two or
three others, produces a firm, solid tuber, which
will get quite as big as a man's fist. After flower-
ing, this Gesnera goes completely to rest, when it
should be kept dry for a time. It will often

CARNATION MME. THERESE FRANCO.
I FIND many growers are discarding the old fa
vourite Miss JoliS'e and growing the above-named
in its stead, ^'ery few Carnations have had such a
long run as Miss Joliffe, and I believe now it will
be some time before it will be superseded. I ha\e
beard several complaints about its deterioration,
but from personal experience I believe it to be as
good as ever. Mme. T. Franco has some advan-
tages ; the flowers are larger and of good form
and equally good in colour. It may also be re-
garded as a good winter-flowering variety, but it
certainly cannot be compared with Miss Jolifle
for succession of bloom. I grew both varieties
last winter, and found Miss Joliffe to keep up its
old character, but with Mme. T. Franco, after one
crop of bloom was over it was a long time before the
succession blooms came on. I find that one cause
of winter-flowering Carnations deteriorating so
much is that, being grown under glass, the growths
gradually get weakened. Some of the healthiest
and strongest plants selected in the spring should
be potted on and grown during the summer in
the open where they are fully exposed to the sun ;
it ia an advantage to be able to protect them from
heavy rains. Any flower-stems should be taken
out as soon as thej- appear. If taken out early,
the stem will heal over and there will be no
danger of dying back, but when older bloom-stems
are taken off, the stem often dies back. Care
Ehould be taken to keep the plants free from
insects. The frequent ute of soot-water is one of
the best antidotes for all insect pests. It also
tends to stimulate the growth of the plants. All
■winter-flowering Carnations are inclined to de-
teriorate unless care is taken to keep healthy
stock to propagate from, and when this does occur

l^seudo-Ct

(See p. 314.)

cool surface. The cuttings should be rjmoved bloom in the spring, and after a rest in the summer

will start into growth and flower well at this sea-
son. This Gesnera pushes up a stout stem from
6 inches to a foot high, clothed with large bright
green heart-shaped leaves, and terminated by a
cluster of rich vermilion-coloured blossoms. The
entire plant— leaves, stems and blossoms, are all
thickly covered with hairs. These hairs are par-
ticularly noticeable on the flowers, which have
thus quite a velvety appearance. In starting

from the close pit before they begin to make
growth, and with care, short, stocky plants may
bo secured, which willl branch out freely when
potted on early in the spring. These will make
tine strong plants for 6 inch pots, flowering the
following autumn and winter. A. H.

Gesnera cardinalis.- The brilliantly tinted
owers of this Gesnera, which are so well shown

October 17, 1896. J

THE UARDEK

319

this Gesnera after a period of rest, the tubers
should be coinpletely shaken clear of the old soil
and repotted in good open compost, such as equal
parts of loam and leaf-mould, with the addition
of some sand and well decayed manure. Th:
plant may be increased by cuttings or by seeds
which with a little attention ripen readily. — H. P

Societies and Exhibitions.

NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY.

October 6, 7, a>'d 8.
The early autumn exhibition of this society was
held on the above dates in the Royal Aquarium,
Westminster. On this occasion nineteen classes
were provided. The groups were very beautiful,
each of the three exhibits being well worthy
of the distinction conferred upon it. The pleas-
ing break away from the old stereotyped form
of arrangement has resulted in a charming asso-
ciation of Chrysanthemums and fine - foliaged
plants, in which highly coloured Crotons and
I)racfenas, besides many other useful plants,
figure. Although two classes are provided for
plants, there were no competitors forthcoming.
Perhaps the prizes were not of sufficient value to
encourage the members to grow for this show.
Contrary to the usual experience, only one com-
Pftitor entered for the twenty -four Japanese,
while for the twelve blossoms there were only two.
The incurved and pompons were very weak, but
in the now popular class for Chrysanthemums in
vases in which large flowers are used there was a
good competition, and this provided a very in-
teresting display. The decorative value of the
Chrysanthemum was ably illustrated by a goodly
number of exhibits, making a pretty diversion
from many of the other formal stands. The mis-
cellaneous exhibits really made the show, and
these were in fine variety, and in many instances
of a high order of merit. The practice of de-
corating the two fountains which are situated at
either end of the building is a move in the rin-ht
direction, and added very considerably to the
attractiveness of the exhibition. Michfielmas
Daisies, zonal Pelargoniums, hardy border Chry-
santhemums, the last in splendid condition,
were shown in great variety and in fine form,
while Apples and Pears were largely in evidence.
A good display of Dahlias was also seen, each type
being well represented. Taken as a whole, the
show was a good one, and certainly one of the
best of recent years, the only cause for disappoint-
ment being the poor display of large Chrysanthe-
mum plants and blooms.

For a group of Chrysanthemums and fine-
foliaged plants arranged for effect there were
three competitors, Mr. H. J. Jones, Ryecroft
Nursery, Lewisham, S.E., winning premier
honours with a very rich and beautiful arrange-
ment. The Chrysanthemums, which stood out
lightly from the Crotons, Adiantums, Dracsnas,
and other plants, were arranged in a pretty
undulating form and backed by fine pieces of
Cocos Weddelliana. Emily Silsbury, a good new
white, and Mutual Friend were seen in tine form
among the Chrysanthemums. Mr. Wm. Wells,
Earlswood Nurseries, Redhill, was a good second,
his group containing a large number of highly-
developed flowers, of which the following were
particularly noteworthy : Thos. Wilkins, Souvenir
de Petite Amie, Reine d'Angleterre, Wm. Tricker,
Louise, and Surprise, a beautiful carmine-ama-
ranth flower and very telling in the group. This
exhibit lost points through a want of fine-foliaged
plants. For twenty- four blooms of Japanese, not
less than eighteen varieties, Mr. J. Ag-ate, Havant,
was placed first, he being the only exhibitor. The
following varieties were good, viz., (iraphic,
Phiobus, E. Molyneux, Duchess of Wellington,
Mrs. E. W. Clarke, Emily Silsbury, W. Seward,
M. Giroud, Pallanza, Mrs. W. H. Lees, Mons. G.
Biron, Duchess of York, Mme. Auguste de
Lacvivier, Mme. Gust. Henry, and Mrs. J. Lewis.

Mr. Agate was also first for twelve Japan
ese. Princess May, Wilfred Marshall, MuCua
Friend, Pallanza, and Phfebus being worthy of
mention. The second prize went to Mr. James
Watt, gardener to Mr. Henry Bell, Fitzjohn's
Avenue, Hampstead, N.W., with poor blooms.
Six incurved blooms brought out two competitors,
Mr. Agate being placed first with M. R. Bahuant
(four). Globe d'Or, and Perle Duphinouix, Mr.
D. M. Hayler, gardener to Mr. W. Hannaford,
J.P., Tentenden Hall, Hendon, securing the
second position. Six bunches pompons were
represented by very indifferent specimens, Mr. E
Cowell, St. Mary's Cemetery, Harrow Road, N.W.
being placed second. Five competitors entered for
the two vases of Chrysanthemums, twelve blooms
in each, confining the selection to large-flowered
sorts, and arranged with suitable foliage. A
handsome exhibit from Mr. T. TuUett, gardener
to Mr. L. 6. Alexander, Warley Lodge, Brent-
wood, secured premier honours. The blossoms
were of good substance, colour good, and
pleasingly arranged with autumnal foliage. Mr
J. Brookes, gardener to Mr. W. J. Newman, Paik
House, Totteridge, Herts, was a good second with
smaller vases, yet handsomely arranged. For
twelve Japanese blooms, open to amateurs
only, two competitors staged exhibits, the first
prize going to Mr. Martin Silsbury, Pro-
vidence, Shanklin, Isle of Wight. His varieties
were Ethel Addison, M. Pankoucke, Phabus,
Sunflower, a pretty white seedling named Snow-
drift, and several good blooms of Emily Silsbury.
The second prize went to Mr. W. Amies, South
Ashford, Kent, his best flowers being President
Borel and Rose Wynne. For twelve Japanese,
Mr. J. Knapp, gardener to Mr. L. F. W. Ams-
den, Chichester Road, Croydon, who had weak
blooms, secured second prize. Quite a large dis-
play was made by competitors for a table of bou-
quets, wreaths, sprays, button-holes, &c., in which
the decorative value of the Chrysanthemum was
to be illustrated. The first prize was won by Mr.
L. H. Calcutt, Fern Bank Nursery, Stoke Newing-
ton, N, with a very good table of designs so early
in the season. A very elegant anchor in yellow
Chrysanthemums, arranged with Crotons, Ferns
and other foliage, was noticeable, as were the
epergnes, arches and bouquets. Mrs. W. Green,
junr.. The Nurseries, Harold Wood, Essex, was a
very good second, the artistic work in this stand
being exceptionally good. Unfortunately the
Chrysanthemums lacked colour, and, with the poor
light of the Aquarium, the effect was spoilt. The
large arches were good, as also were the follow-
ing : two hand-baskets, lyre, harp, anchor and
wreath, all lightly arranged. The class for three
epergnes made a charming display, the premier
position being somewhat easily secured by Mr.
D. B. Crane, Archway Road, Highgate, N. In
this exhibit the colours were beautifully associated
yellow, orange and crimson flowers blending
richly together. Bright pieces of autumnal foliage,
in conjunction with Croton leaves, golden Privet,
Ampelopsis Veitchi, Asparagus plumosus and
many bright pieces of colour of other subjects
produced a very rich effect. The second place was
secured by Mr. J. Gatehouse, Granville Nursery,
Lewisham, S.E., with three stands arranged with
mauve, white and yellow flowers — a rather incon-
gruous combination. Five competitors entered
for one vase of Chrysanthemums arranged for table
decoration. In this Mr. D. M. Hayler was placed
"rst, with a light, yet flimsy arrangement. The
second prize went to Mr. E. Cowell for a pretty
little vase of blossoms, in which pompons were
freely used.

MISCELLA^•EO^^^.

A silver medal was awarded to Mr. C. Shaw,
Hall Street, Sherwood, Notts, for a large table of
hardy border Chrysanthemums, containing about
seventy good bunches. Good bright varieties
were Lemon Queen, Bronze Dwarf, M. M. G. de
Dubor, a very striking sort, and Edie Wright. In
this collection Japanese and pompon sorts were
seen in fine variety. .\Ir. W. Piercy, 89, Beadnell
Road, Forest Hill, S.E., staged twenty-six
bunches of capital hardy border sorts, in which the

colours were very bright. These were grown out-
doors and not disbudded. A bronze medal was
awarded this collection. Mr. H. J. Jones had a
very large table, on which were set up about 170
bunches of zanal Pelargoniums in a great variety
of colour and form. These were arranged on a
base of Adiantums, the contrast thus produced
being very pretty. The most noticeable sorts
were General Campbell, salmon ; Mrs. William
Walters, white; Edith Tabor, scarlet ; Mrs. D'Om-
brain, pale blush ; Princess Alix, pale rose ; Mrs.
G. Brockman, white, veined carmine ; Mr. H.
Shoesmith, cerise, and Dr. Nansen, white. The
centre of the table was filled up with a small
group of useful and bright hardy border Chry-
santhemums. For this collection a silver-gilt
medal was awarded. Messrs. Dobbie and Co.,
Orpington and Rothesay, N.B., also secured a
silver-gilt medal for fine representative collections
of Dahlias and hardy Chrysanthemums. Of the
former there were about iOU bunches, in which all
types were represented. The lovely white Cac-
tus Miss Webster, which the floral committee
certificated, was included here. There were about
150 bunches of Chrysanthemums, in which Grace
Attick and a charming pompon, Mr. Selley, were
well shown. Mr. Norman Davis, Framfield, Sus-
sex, had a large table of Michaelmas Daisies of a
representative character. The most noticeable
were Aster Amellus (very good), A. Robert Parker,
A. floribundus, A. vimineus, A. Andromeda, A.
acris, A. ericoides, A. versicolor Themis, A. cor-
difolius elegans, A. Circe, A. N. B. Maia, A. N. B.
ruber and A. N. B. roseus. The bunches were of
large size and carefully staged, and deservedly
merited the silver gilt medal awarded to them.
Mr. S. Mortimer, Farnham, had about eleven
dozen Dahlias, in which the show and fancy sorts
predominated (silver medal). The same recogni-
tion was given Mr. W. S. Smith, gardener to
Mr. S. Gardner, Mount Park, Harrow, for a grand
collection of vegetables, which was thoroughly
representative, and contained many individual
dishes of exceptional merit. A silver medal was
given to Mr. W. J. Godfrey, Exmouth, Devon, for
a table of large Chrysanthemums, including Lady
Kennaway, ilajestic, Exmouth Yellow and Bar-
bara Forbes (a good early white flower). A seed-
ling Chrysanthemum Mrs. W. H. Hurley (orange-
bronze) was very striking. This exhibitor also
had a group of a well- grown Calla, named after the
exhibitor, and twelve bunches Carnations. Mr.
L. H. Calcutt was credited with a bronze medal
for table decorations in stands of his own design.
Mr. J. Williams, Ealing, arranged a table with
his pretty little "Rural" designs. Messrs. H.
Cannell and Sons staged a superb group
of Cannas. These were prettily arranged with
fine - foliaged plants to contrast with the
highly-coloured flowers of this subject. Tfe
Cannas were Sou. de A. Crozy, Mme. Crczy, i^iueen
Charlotte, very fine ; Paul Lorenz, rich colour ;
Comte de Bouchard, Aurore, and many others.
Mr. W. Davies, gardener to Mr. Darnell, Devon-
shire House, Stamford Hill, N., put up a striking
group of highly coloured Crotons, backed with
Palms in good condition, and edged with
Adiantum cuneatum, for which a silver medal
was awarded ; Mr. T. S. Ware filled the north
fountain with Dahlias in all forms, making a
pleasing addition to the appearance of the build-
ing, and was accorded a silver-gilt medal. Messrs.
J. (ilheal and Sons, Lowfield Nurseries, Crawley,
Sussex, had a table filled with about 100 bunches
of Dahlias, pompons, single Cactus, show, fancy,
and Cactus forms being beautifully illustrated.
A nice collection of Apples and Pears completed
a bold arrangement. Of the Apples, Bismarck,
Jubilee, Newton Wonder, Pott's Seedling, and
Frogmore Prolific were in capital condition
(silver-gilt medal). Mr. H. Berwick, Sidmouth
Nurseries, Devon, had a large table of Apples and
Pears which were very fine, and well merited the
distinction of a silver-gilt medal. Of the Apples,
Cox's Pomona, Reinette du Osnabruch, Warner's
King (grand). Golden Noble ; Pears, Beurre
Diel, Duchesse d'Angoulcme, Pitmaston Duchess
(superb), and Grosse Calebasse were magnifi-

320

THE CxARDEK

[OCTOBEK 17, 1896.

cent specimens. Messrs. J. Laing .ind Sons re-
ceived a similar award for a large table of Apples
and Pears, the centre of the table being arranged
in the form of a cone, with two smaller cones at
either end. The best of the Pears were Duchess,
Durondeau, Beum:' Clairgeau, and Doyenne du
Cornice. A small table oi plants contained some
pretty specimens of Saxifraga sarnientosa tricolor
euperba. Messrs. S. Spoonerand Sons, Hounslow,
also staged a nice collection of Apples and Pears,
and received a silver medal. Messrs. W. Gay-
mer and Sons, Attleborougb, Norfolk, had a large
pyramid of cider Apples, and for this they re-
ceived a silver medal. Mr. C'has. Turner,
Slough, had a nice lot of new Cactus as well as
pompon Dahlias. Three of the Pompons, viz.,
Dagmar, dark velvety maroon ; Clarissa, light
primrose : and Guinevere, each received a first-
class certificate. A pretty s.almonpink Cactus
lona is a good thing in this type. The Icthemic
Guano Co. made a floral display on the southern
fountain which was much admired. Mr. Will
Taylor had three bunches of Reine Olga Grape,
ripened outdoors, and -nilh good-sized berries.
Mr. John Watfeins, Withiogton, Hereford,
secured a silver medal for a large collection of
cider Apples.

A meeting of the floral committee was held on
the same date, Mr. T. Bevan presiding. First-
class certificates were awarded as follows : —

Chky^^anthemum M-iiK. GrsTANE Henry. — A
very large new white Japanese with narrow,
twisted and incurving florets. From W. Wells.

CHEYSANTHE-Mr-M srETRisE. — A Japanese of
good size and substance, florets rather broad ;
colour deep purple amaranth, with silvery reverse.
From W. Wells.

Other novelties submitted included Snowdrift,
a large white Japanese ; Mrs. Caterer, a fine
white Anemone, with very long guard florets and
good disc ; Exmouth Yellow, very pure in colour
and of the Japanese section, all of which the
committee wished to see again ; M. J. Bte.
Cauvin, also a Japanese flower, deep carmine
crimson was commended. Promising novelties of
recent introduction, such as Ambroise Thomas,
Lady Grey, Majestic, Francois Vuillermet, &c.,
were staged, and also several varieties of Dahlias
and other subjects.

ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY,

OcTUBER 1.3.

A MEETiNr: full of interest and variety was that of
Tuesday last. Each of the committees had their
fair share of work, the several exhibits before
each necessitating a deal of careful examination.
For the season there was a good attendance of |
member?.

The exhibits before the Orchid committee were
more numerous than usual, whilst of new hybrids
and choice introductions and rarities there was
no deficiency. The gold medal of the society
was never more worthily voted than on this occa-
sion to the superb specimen of Vanda Sanderiana,
from Mr. Gurney Fowler's collection at \\'oodford.
It was a grand plant, bearing no.less than lifl per-
fectly developed flowers of large size, the finest
measuring as much as 5| inches across ; originally
there were 1.37 flowers on it. To Cattleya gi-
gas Countess of Derby the silver medal was
awarded. It is a lovely form. Several beautiful
examples of Cattleya aurea were staged, and so
also were hybrids of Cattleyas and L.ilias, and
these of the choicest character. Vanda curulea
was in one instance a wonderful example of culti-
vation.

Before the floral committee there were varied
subjects, hardy flowers predominating, notably
Michaelmas Daisies, one immense exhibit coming
from Aldenham Gardens. I'ot examples in a
dwarf state were also sent from Gunnersbury
Houte. Mixed cut flowers and berries were also
to be seen. Dahlias still hold out, and
in admirable condition. Cactus, pompons and
singles being represented, but singular to say
cnly a few shows or fancies. Roses were shown

being by far the more extensive ; these were
shown in bunches and comprised the very best of
autumnal kinds, both of Hybrid Perpetuals and
Tea-scented. The Knap Hill variety of the
Scarlet American Oak was to be seen at its best,
the colouring most intense. Cannas in a cut
state and Ferns (Adiantum Farleyense) were sent
respectively from Swanley and Edmonton, both
being first-class exhibits.

The display before the fruit committee was a
ery full ore also, but although no large exhibit
came from trade growers, amends were made for
this by the lOO dishes of remarkably fine Apples
and Pears from Syon House, whence Mr. Wythes
sent the best of each kind ; most notable was
Pear Beurrfi Diel, very large fruits, perfectly de-
veloped, and that, too, from trees no more than
four years old ; two other good sorts were Soldat
Laboureur and Beurre Clairgeau, and of Apples
there were fine examples of Cox's Orange, Golden
Winter Pearmain, Wealthy, Golden Noble, and
Blenheim Orange.

A grand and extensive display of fruits and
vegetables was set up, from Ampthill, by Mr.
Empson ; this made a fine exhibit in every way.
Of other vegetables there were six dishes of Peas
in good condition, from Gunnersbury House.

Orchid Committee.

First-class certificates were awarded to the
following : —

Cattleya Triumfii.— The result of crossing
Cattleya speciosissima and C. Lawrenceana. The
sepals and petals are lilac, of good form and sub-
stance, lip rosy-lilac with a blotch of purple in
the centre, and shading to white in the throat.
In general character the flowers bear a striking
resemblance to those of Cattleya Lawrenceana,
but are larger. From Mr. C. J. Ingram, Elstead
House.

Cattleya Apollo.— The result of crossing C.
Mossi:e and C. Aclanditu. The sepals and petals
are broad, of good shape and substance, the
colour rose, sutl'used with a bronzy shade and
streaked and spotted with rose-purple ; the lip
rose-purple in front, shading to a light rose at the
base, lined and suffused with yellow in the centre.
This is a fine addition to this family of Orchids.
Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons, Chelsea.

Cattleya Dowiana (Wheatley's var.). — A dis-
tinct and desirable form, differing from the typical
variety in its having pure white sepals and petals,
the front of the lip velvety- crimson shading to
deep yellow on the side lobes, the centre being
lined with crimson and golden-yellow, as in the
typical species. From Mr. F. Wheatley, Ring
more, Teignmouth, Devon.

Cattleya laeiata autumnalis vak. Miis. E,

siiwoRTii. — In this the sepals and petals are pure
hite, of good form and substance, the lip white,
itiused in the centre with purple and veined with
darker shade, the side lobes white, shading to
yellow and lined with purple at the base. The
plant carried a spike of three flowers. It is one of
the most remarkable varieties of the old autumn-
flowering C. labiata we have seen. From Mr.
E. Ashworth, Harefield Hall, Cheshire.
Awards of merit were given to —
Cattleya Eclii'SE.— A hybrid between C.
maxima and C. Skinneri, the sepals and petals
deep rose, the lip having a distinct broad margin
of deep rose, the centre heavily suffused and lined
with crimson-purple, which colour extends well
into the throat, which is suffused with yellow at
the base. A very distinct and desirable variety.
From Mr. C. J. Ingram.

Cattleya Ju titer is the result of crossinfjCat-
tleya Law renceana and C. gigas Sanderiana ; sepals
and petals bright rose, the lip purple in front,
margined with rose, the upper lobes bright rose,
shading to white, with a tinge of yellow, and
lined with purple at the base. It has the character
to a great degree of Cattleya Lawrenceana in the
shape of the lip and habit of growth. From J
C. J. Ingram.

CYi'Kn'ED]t!M CnARLESWdUTUi (Low's var.).
This differs frcm the typical forms in the huge

from Colchester and Oxford, the former exhibit I size of the dorsal sepal, which was over 3 inches

across, the colour rose, mottled and shaded with
white. The petals and lip were large in propor-
tion, pale green, lined and suffused with brown.
We have not seen a variety that can be compared
with this in size. Messrs. Hugh Low and Co.

Co-MTARETTIA srEciosA.— A charming variety of
this quaint Orchid, with bright orange-scarlet
lip, petals and sepals of the same colour, lined
with dark brown. The plant bore three spikes.
From Mr. A. H. Smee.

A gold medal was awarded to Mr. Gurney Fowler,
(ilebeUnds, South Woodford, for an enormous
specimen of Vanda Sanderiana. The plant htd
eight growths, eleven flower spikes, and 1'26
flowers fully expanded. The flowers were of
extraordinary size, the sepals each measuring 5
inches across, and the petals 4 inches. A
coloured plate of this noble Vanda was published
in The Garde.n", vol. xxv., p. 104, from the first
plant which flowered in this country in the col
lection of the late Mr. W. Lee, Downside, Leather-
head. Mr. Fowler's plant was imported by Meser .
Hugh Low and Co. through their collector,
Boxall, and is the grandest specimen we have
seen. A silver Banksian medal was awarded to
Mr. T. Statter, Stand Hall, Manchester, for Cat-
tleya Warscewiczi Countess of Derby, undoubtedly
one of the grandest Cattleyas in cultivation. The
sepals and petals are pure white, the front of the
lip velvety crimson, the side lobes crimson on the
eclges, shading to white and yellow towards the
centre, the base being lined with crimson. Messrs.
J. Veitch and Sons were awarded a silver Flora
medal for a remarkably fine group consisting of
fine forms of Cypripediums in variety. One of
the most distinct amongst these was C. Arthur-
ianum pulchellum, a cross between C. insigne
Chantini and C. Fairrieanum. The flowers are
smaller than in the typical form, but the dorsal
sepal is more thickly spotted and shows the in-
fluence of C. insigne Chantini in the purple spot-
ting on the white. Several remarkable forms of
Cattleyas and La-lio- Cattleyas were also included,
prominent amongst these being a two-flowered
L.-C. Nysa (gigas x crispa) ; sepals and petals
delicate ro.se, lip dark crimson in front, shading
to delicate rose on the side lobes, and margined
with the same colour. Cattleya Munecia is a
cross between C. Loddigesi and C. gigas ; sepals
and petals pale rose, lip white in front, shaded
with rose, with a lemon-yellow disc in the
centre. A four-flowered spike of Cattleya Mantir i
certificated last year, C. porphyrophlebia, a
cross between C. intermedia and C. superba, ar.d
Ctelogyne Veitchi, with three spikes, were also in-
cluded. Messrs. F. Sander and Co. were awarded
a silver Banksian medal for a small group, con-
sisting of finely flowered plants of Vanda cierulta,
Habenaria Susanr:e, a fine plant of Calanthe ves-
tita lutea (Sander's var.), L:vlio-Cattleya The
Hon. Mrs. Astor, and several good forms of Cypri-
pediums. Messrs. Hugh Low and Co. were
adjudged a silver Flora medal for a small group,
in which were a fine plant of Cattleya porphyro-
phlebia with two flowers, several good forms cf
Cattleya aurea, Oncidium ornithorrhynchum
album, Cypripedium James Buckenham, several
large, well-flowered plants of C. Charlesworthi,
C. Schruderi and a good form of C. Chas. Canham.
Messrs. B. S. Williams and Son sent a group (for
which a silver Banksian medal was awarded), con-
sisting principally of finely-flowered plants of
various Cypripediums, amongst which were some
good forms of C. Arthurianum, a grand specimen
with eight spikes of Oncidium ornithorrhynchum
album, several good forms of Cattleya labiata, C.
Blessensis (pumrlax Loddigesi), a fine plant of Ke-
nan thera Lowi and several forms of Vanda tricolor.
Mr. C. N. Ingram, Elstead House, Godalming.
was adjudged a silver Flora medal for a group of
new hybrid Cattleyas and Lalio-Cattleyas, con-
sisting of L.-C. T. W. Bond, a cross between C.
labiata vera and L. purpurata, and L.-C. Gazelle,
a cross between C. bicolor and L.-C. elegans
Turreri, previously raised on the Continent
and exhibited in England under the name of
L.-C. Andreana. The sepals and petals are
white, shaded with rose, lip deep

October 17, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

321

Cattleya Fabia (Dowiana aurea crossed with
C. labiata vera) has the sepals and petals
rose, lip rosy purple, shading to yellow towards
the centre and throat, the latter lined and shaded
with brown-purple. L.-C. Firefly is a distinct
variety, the result of a cross between C. Dor-
maniana and Cattleya Bowringiana. Mr.
Ramsden, Shamley Green, was given a cultural
commendation for a remarkably fine variety of
Vanda ca-rulea with two spikes, carrying twelve
flowers each. Mr. G. S. Ball sent a remarkably
fine flower of Cypripedium insigne Sandeia-. It
was one of the finest flowers we have seen. Mr.
De B. Crawshay sent Odontoglossum Uro-Skin-
neri album, pale greenish yellow sepals and petals,
and a pure white lip.

Floral Committee.

First-class certificates were given to : —

Aglaonejia Cfrtisi. — A distinctly handsome
plant, and one that should prove valuable for
decoration. The leaves are stout and of good
substance, semi-erect in growth, of a pale green
on the reverse, slightly darker on the upper side,
with blotches and veinings of silvery white. The
leaf stalks are some 9 inches or 10 inches long, and
the plant nearly l' feet in height. From Messrs.
J. Veiteh and Sons, Chelsea.

Pteris CiriLDSi (new hybrid or sport) which
shows its affinity to P. cretica or P. serrulata, the
fronds are stout, the growth compact, the colour
a pale green. The most distinct features, how-
ever, were the broad pinna?, which were also
deeply toothed and tessellated towards the edges,
quite in the way of a fringe ; one regrettable
feature, however, is its non fertile proclivities.
From Mr. F. Childs, of New Eltham.

Awards of merit were given to —

Salvw splkndens GRAjiDiFLORA.— a greatly
improved form both in habit and profusion of
flower as well as in the colour, an intense and
vivid crimson, with the spikes very close and
compact ; the foliage, too, is of a darker shade, a
decided acquisition. From Sir Trevor Lawrence
(gardener, Mr. Bain).

LoEELi.v Gerakdi.— A dense and long-spi
variety, with lavender-blue flowers, which are
freely produced. From Sir Trevor Lawrence.

AsPLENiDM Heresti. — A compact-growing and
distinct Fern with pale green fronds and large
pinn:v, unequally divided ; it has the appearance
of being a good decorative Fern. From Mr
H. B. May, Dyson's Lane Nursery, Edmontoi^

BEtiONiA METALLiCA Regixa. — A variegated
form of this well-known species, the variegation
consisting of unequal blotches and marblings of
creamy white. From the Baroness Burdett
Coutts (gardener, Mr. Jesse Willard).

Nerine Noveltv. — A bright rose-pink variety,
with fairly large flowers and trusses, the in-
dividual blossoms not so much reflexed as in many
sorts. From Mr. T. S. Ware, Tottenham.

Chrysanthemum (Jap.)Mme. Gustave Henry.
— A large exhibition variety, the colour a milky
white, the petals incurving and toothed, the
flowers very full. From Mr. W. Wells, Earlswood.

Dahlia (Cactus) Mrs. Kincsley-Foster.— A
very distinct and novel colour— a shade of pale
orange or bright cinnamon ; a true Cactus, and
with narrow petals. From Messrs. J. Cheal and
Son, Lowfield Nursery, Crawley.

Dahlia (Cactus) Ophelia. — An orange- scarlet,
bright and distinct, large and full ; true Cactus
form. From Mr. Chas. Turner, Slough.

Dahlia (pompon) Cl.arissa.— A pale sulphur-
yellow, full and of good form. From Mr. Chas.
Turner.

Dahlia (pompon) Ger.aldine. — A golden yellow
with orange-coloured tips, bright and novel. From
Mr. Chas. Turner.

Dahlia (single) Miss Kathleen Goschen. — A
purplish crimson, with white through the centre
of each petal, dininct and showy. From Messrs.
J. Cheal and Son.

Dahlia (single) Miss Hudson. —A soft shade of
pink with white tips, markings as in Dearest, to
which it should be a good companion variety.
From Messrs. Cheal and Son.

An excellent collection of Dahlias, Cactus,
single, and pompon varieties, was staged by
Messrs. J. Cheal and Sons, Crawley. All were in
remarkably good condition considering the time
of year, but perhaps the singles were the best.
Among them were fine bunches of The Bride,
Cleopatra, Duke of York, Harry Braten, W. C.
Harvey, Eclipse, and Fred Leslie. Good bunches
of Cactus were Kentish Invicta, Mrs. Kingsley
Foster, Harry Stredwick, and Bertha Mawley.
Of the pompons, Fabio, Rosebud, Nerissa and
Sovereign were good (silver Flora medal). Mr.
Anthony Waterer, Knap Hill Nursery, Woking,
Surrey, sent a box of seedling Pernettyas, all very
thickly berried and containing some very pretty
and attractively coloured varieties. Some bril-
liant and remarkably fine Cannas were shown by
Messrs. Cannell and Sons, Swanley, Kent, who
also put up for certificates some new Japanese
Chrysanthemums, the finest of which were Vice-
Admiral Kersnakoft', a very lovely golden yellow,
tinted with bronze ; Robert Powell, a broad-
pstalled variety, dull buff and chocolate; and
Mrs. J. E. Lawton, rosy lilac, rather shapeless.
A group of mitcellaneous cut flowers, comprising
Dahlias, Gloxinias, Chrysanthemums, and Asters,
was exhibited by Messrs. Young and Dobinson.
Mr. Jas. Hudson, gardener to the Messrs. de
Rothschild, Gunnersbury House, Acton, sent
a group of Michaelmas Daisies, grown as very
dwarf plants in small pots. They were all
flowering with great freedom. The best va-
riety for this style of cultivation is Robert
Parker (bronze Flora medal). A very charm-
ing group of Adiantum Farleyense, consisting
of some twenty or more splendidly grown plants
was shown by Mr. H. B. May, of Edmonton, who
also sent a pretty biskat of the new Begonia,
( Uoire de Lorraine (silver Banksian). A group of
very beautiful cut Roses, admirably staged in
tiers on black velvet, was shown by Mr. George
Piince, of Longworth (silver Banksian). A
prettily staged group of Chrysanthemums, with a
groundwork of Maiden-hair Fern, was shown by
Mr. T. S. Ware, Hale Farm Nurseries, Totten-
ham. Some good varieties for decoration were
reprfS3nt£d (bronze Banksian)

From Messrs. Barr ard Sons, Covent Garden,
came a large group of hardy flowers, chiefly
Chrysanthemums, including some very beautiful
things and a few curiosities. A large bunch of
Aconitum autumnale was striking. Helenium
autumnale grandiflorum was well shown, also
Anemone japonica elegans, Astrantia major,
Aster ericoides, A. cordifolius elegans, A. pul
chellus, A. Coombefishacre, and A. N.-B. Ella.
The Chrysanthemums included Mrs. A. J. Parker,
a charming flower of deep flesh colour and yellow ;
Golden Drop, and Mrs. Selby, dull pink (bronze
Flora). A magnificent collection of Asters
came from Mr. Beckett, gardener to Rt.
Hon. H. H. Aldenham, Elstree, and comprised
fifty or more varieties. They were all in fine
condition (silver-gilt Banksian). Some handsome
specimens of the Scarlet Oak came from Mr.
Anthony Waterer. Messrs. Veiteh and Sons sent
a nice box of their beautiful Rhododendron
javanico jasminiflorum hybrids and a basket of
fine specimens of Amasonia punicea. A collection
of very handsome Japanese Chrysanthemum
blooms was staged by Mr. W. Wells, Redhill,
Surrey, and included fine examples of Hairy Won-
der, Louise, a beautiful white ; Surprise, rich
purple ; and Graphic (bronza Banksian). A mag-
nificent collection of cut blooms of Roses was
staged by Mr. F. Cant, Colchester. Consider-
ing the lateness of the season, these blooms were
really marvellous. From Mr. Chas. Turner, of
Slough, came a group of seedling Dahlias, includ-
ing Clarissa, a good lemon-yellow, and Psyche, a
rich bronze. The delightfully scented light-
coloured Violet St. Helena was also shown.
Fruit Committee.
The exhibits before this committee were of ex-
cellent character, and though no awards were
made in the shape of certificates, some of the
seedling Apples were very meritorious. The very
large collection of vegetables, fruit and nuts from

Ampthill was a noteworthy exhibit, as also were
hardy fruit from Syon House and some half-dozen
varieties of Peas in fine condition from Gunners-
bury House. Mr. W. Empson, gardener to
Mrs. Wingfield, staged 200 dishes of excellent
vegetables and fruit in variety. Carrots were
shown in ten varieties, and were very fine ex-
amples, being clean and of perfect shape. There
were some grand Maltese Parsnips and Prizataker
and Model Leeks, Onions also being very fine ;
Cauliflowers' were rather too large for table;
Celery was not large, but of good quality, the
variety being Standard-bearer. Salads weie well
represented, Duke of York Tomato being very
fine. Grapes were good, the Black Alicante and
Golden Queen being well finished. There were
some fine Medlars, with Apples, Pears, Q linces,
Melons, Nuts in variety, and Oranges. The gold
medal awarded was well deserved. From Earl
Percy, Syon House, Brentford (gardener, Mr.
Wythe8),"came 100 varieties of Apples and Pears,
nicely arranged with coloured leaves against a
background of fine-foliaged plants. Pears were
shown in grand condition, being noticeable for their
clear skins and absence of roughness. There were
very fine examples of Beurre Diel, Bsurr^
Clairgeau, Beurri< Bachelier, B. Supsrtin,
Brown Beurre, Doyenne du Comice, Emile
d'Heyst, Durondeau, Marie Louise, Marie
Benoist, Nouvelle Fulvie, and Beurre Baltet.
Of the newer varieties there were Princess, Mag-
nate and Conference, with excellent examples of
Uvedile's St. Germain, Catillac, Verulam and
Bellissime d'Hiver. The Apples staged were ex-
cellent, both dessert and cooking being well re-
presented (silver-gilt Knightian medal). Mr.
Hudson, Gunnersbury House, Acton, sent some
two dozen fine fruits of the Nawton Wonder
Apple from trees planted scarcely two years, re-
ceiving a cultural commendation, the same awsr 1
being given for some half-dozen varieties of Peas
in quality equal to midsummer sorts. Bountiful,
A 1, Duchess, Empress of India, Criterion and
William I. were the varieties staged. Sir Tievor
Lawrence, Bt. (gardener, Mr. Bain), sent a new
French Ce'eriac, a dwarf, much variegated form,
also the old type for comparison. This was askel
to be sent to Chiswick for trial. Mr. Wythes
sent a new seedling Potato, a late variety named
Syon Maincrop, which was asked to be sent to
Chiswick for trial. Mr. Green, Wisbech, sent a
kidney Potato, Green's Surprise ; this was referred
to Chiswick for trial. Mr. Tallack, gardener to
Mr. E. Dresden, Livermere Park, Bury St. Ed-
munds, sent a promising Apple, Livermere Park
Favourite, a very excellent fruit, but not quite at
its best. This will be shown again in a riper
state. Mr. Ross, Welford Park, Newbury, sent
two very good seedling Apples— Surprise, from
Northern Spy, and Ross Pearmain, from Golden
Reinette. The committee desired to see them again.
He also sent a new Pear, the Popham From
Messrs. Laing and Sons, Forest Hill, came several
new Apples. Mr. Hall, Sunderland, sent an
Apple, but it was too much like Cellini to be con-
sidered distinct. Mr. G. Lovelock, Normanton
Park Gardens, also sent a new nice-looking
dessert Apple. A new Blick Muscat Grape
named Lady Hastings was sent by Mr. Shingles,
Melton Constable Gardens, but the bunch sent
had been damaged in transit. Threa varieties
of Grapes came from Mr. Maher, gardener
to Mr. A. Waterhouse, Vattenden Court, New-
bury. Melons were sent by Mr. Harris, gardener
to Mr. P. Crowley, Whaddon House, Croydon,
and Mr. G. Falfoid, West Park Gardens, Salis-
bury, and a new fruit jelly of first-rate (jaality
from Mr. R. L. Proudlock, the Government
Botanic Gardens, Ootacamund.

The prizes for Pears and Apples offered by the
Messrs. Veiteh, flavour to be the _ chief test,
brought forth a strong competition, eight exhibi-
tors staging for Apples. Mr. Wythes, Syon,
was first with very fine Cox's Orange, grown on
bush trees on Paradise stock, and Mr. Herrin,
Dropmore, second, with Ribston Pippin from a
standard. For Pears, Mr. Herrin was first with
excellent DoyenncS du Comice from a wall tree on

322

THE GARDEN.

[October 17, 1896.

the Quince, JJr. Powell, Il8iD>:ton Gardens,
Dorset, being second, with Thompson's, also from
a wall tree on the Quince.

UNITED HORTICILTURAL BENEFIT AND

PROVIDEXr SOCIETY.
The tenth annual dinner of this flourishing insti-
tution was this year held at the Holborn Res-
taurant on Wednesday, October 7, Mr. W. J.
Nutting (of the firm of Messrs. Nutting and Sons,
Barbican, EC.) being in the chair. Among
friends and supporters of " The United " we noted
Sir Clarence Smith, Messrs. Baker (Thames Bank
Iron Company), J. O. Veitch, A. F. Barron,
G. InLrram, H. J. Laing, G. Wythes and H. B.
May. Over :i hundred sat down, and we have no
doubt but that, had the weather been favourable,
the company would have been more numerous.

The usual loyal toasts having been given, the
chairman proposed " The United Horticultural
Bene6t and ProvidentSociety," congratulating the
members on its success. The society in 1S70 had
only forty-two members, but now there are on the
list 651 members — an addition of 84 since the last
dinner. In the year 1S67 only £-l()"J stood to its
credit, and now there was a sum of £10,000,
which, according to the present market value,
was equal to flo,6iiii. On looking through the
books, he found th:»t one member had just with-
drawn £S2 Ills., the actual sum paid by this mem-
ber having been £57 6s. I'd., the interest from
1S70 (the date of his joining) amounting to
£2S 7s. 9d. Mr. Nutting called special attention
to the convalescent fund, which was started by
Mr. N. Sherwood, who sent his usual donation of
£5 5s. He also asked the secretary to add his
name to the subscribers to this fund. He coupled
the toast with the name of Mr. J. Hudson, the
secretary, who, in replying, said that the society
aimed at self-help, and be hoped that these annual
reunions would be the means of additional mem
bers joining. The society this year had been able
to increase the sick pay from 16s. to ISs.
on the higher scale of payment, viz., 9d. per week,
while to those who pay the lower scale, viz., 6d.
per week, the sick pay had been increased from
ios. to l"2s., and this without any addition to the
members' weekly subscription. Mr. Nathan Cole,
in proposing " The Honorary Members, Life Mem-
bers, and Visitors,'' coupled the toast with the
name of Sir Clarence Smith. Mr. Cole said that
to the honorary and life members the society
owed a great deal. The benevolent fund, which
has been largely assisted by them, has been in-
strumental in alleviating many cases of distress,
and he hoped that the list of honorary members
would be still further increased. Sir Clarence
Smith in felicitous terms replied to this toast,
and in doing so referred to the moneys of the
society, which were carefully invested by the
trustees. He considered the United a thoroughly
sound and well-conducted institution, and strongly
impressed on all gardeners the necessity of at
once becoming members. Mr. J. H. Veitch also
suitably replied, after which Mr. H. B. May pro-
posed " The Chairman," who briefly thanked the
meeting for their acknowledgment of his ser-
vices, adding that Mr. May had kindly consented
to preside at the annual reunion in 1S97. Mr.
Wheeler then proposed " The Press," to which toatt
Mr. Gordon, of the O'ardeners' Ma'ja'ine, replied.

Thanks are due to Messrs. Segar and Wills,
B. S. Williams and Son, Cannell and Sons, and
John Laing and Sons for the plants and flowers
for the table, and also to Miss Hudson, who
decorated the tables with flowers and coloured
foliage in a tasteful

GardeneiB' Koyal Benevoleiit Institution.
— We understand that Lord Rothfchild will pre-
side at the fifty-eighth anniversaiy festival dinner,
to be held come time in June next year, in aid of
the funds of this excellent cbaiity. .June next
being the month in which, if spared, the Quten
— who for a number of years has been the gracious
patroness of the institution— will complete the
sixtieth year of her prosperous reign, we trust

that under such prospective, happy auspices Lord
Rothschild will be enthusiastically supported on
the occasion, and the charity's funds greatly aug-
mented by his influence and services in its behalf.

Obituary.

MR. P. WHITTON.
We regret to announce the death of Mr. P. Whit-
ton, a well-known Scotch gardener, on October 5,
in the seventy-sixth year of his age. He had
been at Methven Castle, near Perth, for nearly
fifty years. Mr. Whitton was a good all-round
gardener and a member of the Royal Scottish
Arboricultural Society, and there is strong
evidence of his love of trees and shrubs at
Methven in the fine collections seen there. Many
fine specimens, now over Co feet high, were planted
by him from cuttings propagated by him. The
CedruB Deodara avenue, commonly called the
Simla walk, from the fact that the plants were
raised from seed sent home by Earl Elgin, when
Viceroy of India, to his cousin, Mrs. Smythe, and
raised by Mr. Whitton, enhanced its beauty and
interest very much. His funeral was attended
by many gardeners from all parts of Perthshire
and adjoining counties. Of Mr. Whitton's five
sons, two followed their father's profession, one
James — now being the superintendent of the
Glasgow public parks, and the other the manager
of a tea plantation in India.

BARON SIR FERDINAND VON MUELLER.
The name of Baron Sir Ferdinand von Mueller,
K.C.M.G., F.R.S., the eminent Government
botanist of Victoria, Australia, has been intim-
ately associated with the progress of science
and exploration in Australia, and especially
with the development of its vegetable resources.
He was born at Rostock, in Germany, in June,
I. He obtained a training in pharmacy,
and in his leisure time devoted himself to
the study of botany and chemistr}'. In
1 47 he studied at the University of Kiel,
where he took the degree of Ph.D. For several
years he investigated the botany of Schleswig and
Holstein. In 1847, in order to counteract a he-
reditary tendency to phthisis, he emigrated to
Australia, and at once entered upon the explora-
tion .and development of the continent which
have only ceased with his death. From 1.S4S to
8.52 he travelled over 4000 miles mainly for
botanical purposes. In 1852 he was appointed
(iovernment botanist to the colony of V'ictoria.
In 1855-56 he accompanied as botanist the
expedition under the command of A. C. Gregory
for the exploration of North and Central Australia,
and was one of the four to reach Termination Lake,
n Central Australia. Some 60110 miles of pre-
■iously unknown land were traversed, and col-
lections made of the various forms of vegetation.
On Mueller's return to Melbourne he was ap-
pointed director of the Botanic Garden of that
city. In this office he rendered immense services
not only to Australia, but to many other countries.
He had a leading hand in introducing that most
useful of Australian trees, the Eucalyptus, into
Algeria and elsewhere, and was the first to raise
the great Victoria Regia Water Lily. Not a few
Australian industries are largely indebted to him
for their development. It was also partlj' due to
his suggestion that the camel was introduced into
Australia and first used for exploring in 1860.
His own travels in Australia for botanical pur-
poses, on foot and on horseback, covered some
25,0(10 miles. After he had ceased, owing to his
official duties, to be able to travel, he had a
directing hand in many of the important ex-
peditions that went out from Victoria as well as
other colonies.

In recent years Baron von Mueller was greatly
interested in the promotion of Antarctic explora-
tion. He was a voluminous author, the titles
of over a hundred papers by him being given in

the Royal Society's list. His "Fragmenta Phyto-
graphi.-e Australia>" covers about a dozen volumes.
He co-operated with the late Mr. Bentham in
compiling the "Flora Australiensis," which ex-
tends to several volumes. He is also the author
of works on the " Plants of Victoria,' on
Eucalyptus, and other botanical subjects. Few
men have received so many honours as the late
baron. He was made a Fellow of the Royal
Society in ls61, and in 1888 the society awarded
him one of its Royal medals. He had been a
Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society since
18.58. Personally, Baron von Mueller was a man
of a warm heart and great kindhness of nature.
He Wis a voluminous correspondent, ever ready
to help his friends, and has rendered services of a
high order to Australia, in the history of the ad-
vancement of which he cannot but be remembered.
— Times. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The weather in West Herts.— A week of
changeable weather as regards temperature. For
instance, on the .3rd inst. the highest reading in
shade rose to 62°, but two days later never ex-
ceeded 53°. Again, on the night of the 2nd the
thermometer exposed on the lawn fell only to 53°;
whereas on several other nights the same ther-
mometer showed readings within a few degrees of
the freezing point. At 2 feet deep the ground is
now 2°, and at 1 foot deep 1° above the October
average. Some rain has fallen on each day as
yet this month, the total measurement amounting
to about I ] inches. The winds were, as a rule,
high, and came almost excludvely from some
westerly point of the compass. On the 5th the
sun shone brightly for 8| hours, but on no other
day this month has the record reached an hour. —
E. M., Berk-hamsled, October 10.

The weather remained warm until the

lltb, when a considerable fall in the temperatuie
took place. On the itth the highest reading in
shade was 61°, but on the 12th the shade tem-
perature never rose higher than 45". During the
night preceding the 8th the thermometer exposed
on the lawn fell only to 47°, but since then all the
nights have been cold, and on one of them the
same thermometer showed 2" of frost. At 2 feet
deep the ground is now about 1 colder, and at
1 foot deep about 2° colder than the October
average. Since the month began rain has fallen
on ten days, to the total depth of 2 inches. There
was a heavy downpour frr a short time about 7 30
a.m on the 10th, when for five minutes the rain
was falling at the rate of over an inch an hour.
There has been very little sunshine as yet this
month, the average daily record only amounting
to 2J hours, but in this respect the past week
shows a great improvement on the previous one.
— E. M., Berkham.'^ted.

Theobroma Cacao [W. D. Bechlt).—Theie
are no signs of fungoid disease on the Cocoa leaves
sent, nor are the blotches due to the attacks of
insects. It is not unusual for Theobroma to be
afi'ected in this way under cultivation in this
country. Some defect in the conditions— i.e., im-
proper soil, imperfect drainage, excessive mois-
ture or insufficient light— may cause the blotches.
— W. W.

Grub on Apple tree.- Can you give the
name of enclosed insect ; it was taken from an
Apple tree?— 0-\KENHE.\D & Co.

*,* The caterpillar you send is that of the pale
tufsock moth (Dasychira pudibunda), a common
insect. The caterpillars feed on various trees
and are sometimes common in Hop gardens, where
they are known as " hop dogs."- G. S. S.

Names of plants.-

I.— Calanthe veratri-

Names of fruit.— Constant Reader.— Apyles, 1,
probably Grenadier ; 2, Red Astrachan ; .3, King of the
Pirpiiis ; 4, Emperor Alexander ; 5, Lady Henniker :
6 Northern Greening. Pears, 1, Pitmastou ; 2, Beurre
Kance; 3, Beurre Bachelier ; 4, Beurre Diel; 5. Marie
Louise d'Ucele; 6, probably Benrre Hardy ; 7, Beurre

BoECi 8, Easter Betirre. Edxi-ard Williams.—

Apple Hamblcdon Deux Ana.

THE GARDEN.

323

No. 1301. SA TURD A Y, October 24,

"TbUlsanArt
Which does mend Nature : change it rather ; but
The Art itself is Natcbe. "—SAa*Mpear«.

Orchard and Fruit Garden

FORCED PEACH TREES AND
MOISTURE.
That forced trees frequently suffer from want
of moisture at the roots is well known to most
growers, and in many cases the fault of dry
roots is not intentional, as the surface, from daily
syringing, may be moist when the roots lower
down are very dry, this causing bud-dropping.
Since I have paid more attention to moisture
after the crop has been cleared, the trees ha
suffered but little from bud-dropping. It is
surprising what quantities of water Peach
borders will absorb after the crop is cleared.
As most growers are aware, it is the earliest
forced trees which drop their buds. In many
cases Chrysanthemums are placed in fruit
houses at this season, and some cultivators may
think the moisture from the frequent water-
ing of the plants is sufficient for the roots.
Doubtless such is the case at the season
named if there has been no previous ne-
glect, but in many cases, owing to free
drainage, the trees have suffered and the
fiuit-buds are not well developed in con-
sequence. Not only is a thorough Watering
conducive to a full crop of bloom, but I am of
opinion that with the roots always active dry-
ness should never be allowed, and at the fall of
the leaf it is as important to keep roots healthy
ss at other seasons. Recently having to make
some alterations in a Peach house necessitating
removal of young trees only planted two years,
but which had made a splendid growth, I was
[ urprised to find the lower portion of the border
dust dry, though the house had been hosed
freely and abundance of water, as I thought,
given. The surface was hard in consequence
of having to use the border to stand other
plants on, and the moisture given had run
away in a certain direction. Had these trees
cast their buds I feel sure no one would have
imagined the cause. This I note to show how
soon one may be deceived, and the importance
of ascertaining if the moisture given has reached
all parts of the border. With young or vigor-
ous trees and a light soil more moisture is re-
quired, and I would strongly advise loosening
the surface in the case of hard or trodden
ground to admit the moisture freely. One year
I lost a great portion of a crop of Cherries
simply because the roots of the trees some dis-
tance down were in such a dry state. I have
been more careful of late years. Doubtless,
owing to the great heat and scarcity of moisture
earlier in the season. Peach trees this year
will need more care to prevent bud-dropping.
Given ample supplies of water there should be
grand crops next year, as the wood is firm
and the buds prominent. S. H. M.

Apple Professor. — Has any correspondent
bad any experience with this Apple, or know any-
thing of it'.' 1 have two young trees in fruit, and
it appears to be a good variety, being of good size
and excellent quality. Its value lies in its earli-
ness, as with me it was fit for use in the latter
part of July and early in August, before Keswick
Codlin and Ecklinville Seedling. From what I
can see. Professor seems to be a more desirable
variety to grow than Keswick Codlin.— A. YorNi

Pear Triomphe de Vienne. — A bush tree of
Pear, received under this name, which was planted

about four years ago, has during the last two
seasons produced some exceedingly fine fruit.
This year the eight fruits borne weighed exactly
8 lbs., the largest turning the scale at IS ozs.
In 1895 the same number, of the same total
weight, were borne, but the largest individual
fruit weighed as much as 26 ozs., the rest ranging
from 13 ozs. to 15 ozs. I have not on either occa-
sion tasted the fruit, and so cannot speak as to its
flavour. In appearance it is strikingly handsome,

,^PP'

nfers, ripens in the open
-7. F.

and, as " C. C
during September,

Apple Golden Beinette. — This old favourite
is likely to be lost sight of in the rage for big
fruits. It is one of the best Apples as re-
gards flavour and may be classed as ecjual to a
Ribston if the fruits are well grown and not
gathered too soon. In colour and size it much
resembles King of the Pippins, and for dessert it
is superior owing to its long keeping and better
quality. My trees are old standards, and grown
tihus the fruit colours grandly. I admit, as re-
gards size, it cannot compare with that from
smaller bush trees, but standard trees crop
grandly in mcst seasons, and the fruit may be
kept till March in a cool store. I have noticed that
this variety grown on the Paradise stock in dwarf
form does noc keep so well as from standard trees.
In seme mild distiicts the fruits have a few russet
markings and it is known as Russet Pine, but I
find the golden colour free of ruEset is the most
liked.— W. B.

Apple Golden Winter Pearmain.— I re-
cently saw seme very nice fruit of this variety. I
used to grow it largely in the west midland dis-
trict and it was noted as ever-bearing, in fact
equal to King of the Pippins, which it closely re-
sembles. In many paits it is known as Golden
Pearmain, and I am aware in certain districts it
is not considered to bs of good quality. I think
soils must have a great deal to do with this, as in
Devon it is very good and equal to King of the
Pippins. I always obtained the best fruits from
standard trees. There is no difficulty in keeping
the fruit well into midwinter. I do not class it as
first-rate for quality, but for its usefulness and its
free bearing it ought to find a place. — W. B.

Half pruning Vines. — The old practice of
half pruning the laterals of Vines as autumn ap-
proaches is not generally followed now-a-days,
yet I think it is productive of good under certain
conditions. When the Vines have retained all
their foliage and are healthy, reducing the
laterals to half their length just as the leaves
are changing colour has the effect of plumping up
the eyes at the base and of hastening maturity
and rest ; it also lets in sun and light and helps
such varieties as Gros Colman and Barbarossa to
lay on colour. Vines, however, which, owing to
bad attacks of red spider or insufficient ventila-
tion, have lost the best of their foliage, should be
left as they are, as if pruned back and a period of
mild, stufly weather follows, the bottom eyes are
apt to start into growth, which of course is a great
evil.— C. C. H.

Propagating Gooseberries. — Previous to
visiting a Iccal nureery of no great pretensions
last autumn, I was under the impression that
Gooseberry trees were produced by the ordinary
mode of cuttings only. In this nursery, however,
were a number of old Gooseberry trees which were
mounded up with soil, presenting a strange
appearance, the points of the shoots protruding
through the soil. I was informed that this was
the way they raised all their stock, the mound
remaining undisturbed till the following Novem-
ber, by which time the innumerable twigs had
emitted abundance of rootlets into the mound,
these springing principally from the junction of
the old and new wood. When separated from
the parent bush they are planted out into nursery
beds.— J. C.

Early ripened Muscats. — Muscat Grapes,
to ensure first-class iiuality and long keeping,
ought to be quite ripe by the middle of Septem-
ber. In gardens where fuel is grudged and houses
are not started till, say the middle of March, the

Grapes, especially if the summer is an indifferent
one, are more often than not found in a semi-ripe
state at the date named, and wholesale shrivelling
invariably takes place. I think that, even with
well-ripened Muscats, this evil is encouraged by
admitting front air during autumn. The skin of
this luscious Grape is very sensitive and will not
ftand currents of cool air when in a ripe state. I
have a Vine of Boyal Vineyard which in previous
years has been started the first day of February,
the fruit being ripe by the middle of September.
This year, however, it was started later by a fort-
night or three weeks, and the month of September
having been exceptionally wet and sunless, the
bunches of this highly-flavoured Grape are even
now— the second week in October— on the unripe
side, and several berries here and there are giving
way. This Grape requires even more heat than
Muscat of Alexandria. In some gardens where
the Grapes are marketed there is still thac un-
willingness to start the Vines in good time in
spring, coal being a consideration ; whereas firing
has to be resorted to to induce the berries to
finish respectably. From a monetaiy point of
view alone early starting has the advantage.— >i.
Stra-wberiy growing in East Anglia.—
Until lately I was not aware that Strawberry
growing for market had become such an important
industry in East Anglia. More are, I think,
grown in Norfolk than in Suffolk, and one indi-
vidual alone, who previously had a large area
planted with this fruit, has this year planted
20 more acres. I was under the impression that
the fruit from that district was all sent to London,
except, of course, that required for the wants of
Norwich, Ipswich and the east coast watering
places. I am informed, however, on good
authority, that a great percentage of it finds its
way to Scotch towns such as Glasgow and Edin-
burgh. On learning that it travelled such a dis-
tance I was led to ask how it was packed, and
was told, in very shallow wooden trays, half-a-
dozen of which were tied securely together, the
bottom of one tray forming, as it were, the top for
the other. As to varieties. Sir Joseph Paxton and
President are the favourites, Sir Harry also be-
ing crown. No doubt that fine Strawberry Gun-
ton Park— which had its origin in that county-
will also be grown, as I learn that market growers
generally are taking it up, especially in the neigh-
bourhood of London. Where the soil suits Sir
Joseph it is likely to remain a favourite, as, in
addition to the size and colour of the fruit being
just such as take the eye of the public, it is very
firm, and therefore well adapted for travelling.
Raspberries and Black Currants are also largely
grown in the eastern counties, the soil and climate
apparently suiting them well.— J. Ckawfokd.

MELONS AND WIREWORM.
The wireworm is ss injurious to Cucumbers as to
Melons, and for years I found pot Strawberries
suffered also from the same pest. The worst of
this pest is that it allows a certain time to elapse
before it begins to rob the plant of its roots.
From cloee observation I note wireworm keeps
pretty near the surface when most active. I also
note it does greater injury in light soil, especially
after a dry season. I am aware it is difficult to
prevent the pest being introduced into a house
if one follows the usual advice of stacking a good
quantity of turf during the winter for use the
next season, as wireworm is surely encased in the
turf, and when placed indoors soon increases, and
the roots become a prey to its ravages. With
open-air crops one can use stronger measures,
such as gas-lime, soot and other aids to effect a
cure, but indoors with a small body of soil these
are but poor remedies and frequently injure the
plant. My advice is not to rely upon the top spit
so often advised. In the case of Melons or Cucu m-
bers one is not so dependent on soil containing
much fibre if the whole mass is so made up as to
be solid, or contain suflicient food to build up the
plant. My plan is to depend upon the soil after
a good top spit is taken off, and for the plants
named it answers thoroughly. One can always

324

THE GARDEN.

[OiTOBER 24, 1896.

make up soils to contain sufficient food to feed the
plants, and for Melons one need not be eo par-
ticular, as a firm or holding soil, not necessarily
rich, is the best. From careful observation I find
the larv.T? do not enter the lower soil in any (juan-
tity : if they do they are so minute that they are
unable to do much mischief, and this soil, which
is often put to inferior uses, is of great value for
the purpose named. It is not necessary to stack
it, as there is no grass to decay, as with the top
spit. For Strawberries much the same soil is suit-
able as for Melons, and though the pest is less
troublesome — as the roots are not so succulent as
those of Melons or Cucumbers— the worm causes
flagging and badly-finished fruits. There are few
things more annoying to the grower than to find
a goodly portion of his plants collapse after a little
bright sunshine, and, upon examination, to find
that the damage has been caused by wirewoim.
G. Wythes.

APRICOT CULTURE.
Rain having fallen in abundance during the past
few weeks. Apricot borders are sutiiciently moist
enough now for root-lifting to be done where
necessary without any ill effects arising there-
from, provided it is carried out in a proper man-
ner. Root-lifting may have become necessary
from two causes, one of which is a too rich border,
which may have been either made so at the time
of planting or by annually digging in large ([uan-
tities of manure from the surface for growing
various crops of vegetables. This renders the
trees unfruitful by causing them to make gross
succulent growths which never ripen, and gum-
ming and other disorders to which Apricots are
prone soon follow. The other cau.-ie is starvation,
which may arise through the trees having ex-
hausted all the good properties in the soil in
which they are growing, or through their being
planted in unsuitable or poverty stricken soil at
the outset. But for every tree met with suffer-
ing from this cause, there are hundreds to be seen
in the condition first mentioned. Apricots are
largely grown by cottagers in this district, and
have often noticed -nhat short-jointed, fruitful
wood they make. Xow the majority of these
trees are planted in whatever soil happens to be
at hand, which is more often than not the red
loamy soil of the district — some of the more in-
telligent mixing turf dug up from their orchards
with the staple— and being trained on the fronts
and gable ends of the cottages, according to posi
tion, the root-run is gererally restricted by pave
ments or footpaths. It, therefore, follows that
the roots, once they have taken full possession of
the soil, cannot get far away, owing to the fi
nature of the ground under these pathways, and
such that are able to enter it are fibrous, and
strong roots are absent, hence the fertility of the
trees. The majority water their trees most
assiduously and generally secure good crops of
fruit.

One often hears the remark passed by people
that Apricots will not succeed so well now as
formerly, and ([uote instances in support of their
statements. I always meet these statements wit
a counter one, to the effect that wherever they
succeeded in former years they may be made to
do so now if they are cultivated and treated in a
rational manner. It is not so much localities and
seasons that are at fault as is the culture, al-
though such is the plea generally put forward as
a reason why the Apricot is a failure where it
was a success formerly. Certainly the Apricot
has had more care bestowed upon it during the
past few years, but at one time, like the Peach
and Nectarine, it was sadly neglected and quite
given up by some people. Of course, there are
gardens where it is useless to attempt growing
the Apricot outdoors, but this has always been
the case, and will remain so. I know of several
.such cases myself, and am acquainted with a cer-
tain locality where in one garden no amount of
persuasion and good culture can induce the trees
to grow and do any good, while within a distance
of ten or twelve miles Apricots do well.

To check rank growth, nothing is so effectual
as a partial lifting cf the roots, and if done early,
the severance of the larger roots will assist the
trees to ripen their wood and also to plump up
the buds. The carrying out of this partial lifting
is the same as practised with other fruit trees,
and care should be taken to preserve all the
fibrous roots as much as possible while the work
is going forward. The soil thrown out should be
removed altogether it much humus is present in
it, replacing it with a similar compost to that
used for Peach trees. Only part should be re-
tained in any case, and place this at the top,
putting the new compost about the roots. Trees
in a starved condition should have all the new
soil if practicable, but the roots of the trees
should not be bared entirely, it being always best
to leave a fair-sized ball of old soil, so that the
roots near the stem are not disturbed. The new
soil should be placed all round the ball and the
roots carefully laid out in it as it is wheeled in.
In all cases the soil must be made as firm as pos-
sible while filling in, and to settle the soil about
the roots, water thoroughly. Where severe mea-
sures have to be adopted, syringing of the trees
may become necessary to prevent the trees flagging,
and after finishing off the surface of the borders,
mulch with long litter. With regard to

Soil for Apeicots,
lime should largely enter into its composition,
and when it is not present the deficiency should
be made good. Calcareous loams will not need it
beyond lime rubble being provided in sufficient
quantity to ensure porosity of the mass, or char-
coal, road sand, or wood ashes, with brick rubbish
broken up small, will answer equally as well.
Loams of an opposite nature should have a liberal
addition of old plaster or old mortar and bones
and bone-meal also, and wood ashes may be in-
cluded if the soil is heavy. Sandy loams require
dried clay or marl to render them more holding,
and to enrich them, bones and bone-meal. An ideal
compost for Apricots is a fresh-dug, moderately
heavy calcareous loam chopped up fairly small,
with wood ashes and lime rubble mixed with it in
the proportion of two barrowloads of each to every
cartload of loam, adding half-inch bones and bone-
meal if the soil is poor in quality. Stable or farm-
yard manure should not be used for mixing with
the compost under any consideration, as the em
ployment of it only leads to excessive growth and
induces sterility. Manure of this description used
in the right place — that is, on the surface of the
border as a summer mulch — does an infinite
amount of good by feeding and enticing the roots
to the surface and conserving moisture. The
Apricot no more requires a soil made rich by the
addition of farmyard manure than does a Peach
tree or a Vine, and what good cultivator would
think of employing it when forming Vine and
Peach borders ? When the trees have an excess
of manure by its being dug in from the surface,
the remedy is only too obvious, and it is prefer-
able to give up the greater part of the border to
the trees than run the risk of injuring them.
Apricots are such delicious fruits and so much
sought after — there never being any too many of
them — that they are worth expending all this
care upon them, and after all they do not require
so much care and attention in the long run as
Peach trees do. A. W.

Stoke A'dilh.

variety and should have the shelter of a wall in
cold districts. It also succeeds better on the
Pear stock than on the Quince. When worked
on the latter, the fruits crack and are altogether
unsatisfactory. On the Pear stock the tree grows
well and crops abundantly when established. It
has white flesh, which is buttery, and the flavour
is rich and somewhat musky. It is in season
during the latter part of December and the early
part of January. — A. W.

Pear Beurre Superfin. — A large autumn
Pear ripening during October, and sometimes not
until November should the season be a late one.
The fruits vary in appearance according to the
position in which they are grown. On a wall the '
skin is brighter looking and almost free of russet
patches, while on bush and pyramid trees the
fruits are generally heavily coated with brown
russet. The flavour is very luscious and rich.
As a bush it is exceedingly fertile when double-
grafted, and then grows most vigorously. It is
also a good kind for cultivating as a cordon or a
pyramid, and succeeds well on the Quince. —
—A. W.

Cherry Bigarreaa. — This is a favourite old
variety of Cherry suitable for growing in any
form of tree, and is worth a place in the orchard
house. It is a fine-looking fruit, and grows to a
large size on wall trees and bushes, and is a profit-
able market variety. The colour is a reddish yellow
or amber colour, marbled with red, flesh firm,
yellow, and of excellent flavour. When grown as
a bush the summer shoots should be pinched to
obviate the necessity of winter pruning, which
keeps the trees from gumming, a disease to which
this variety is particularly liable if subjected to
hard pruning. The habit of growth is spreading,
the branches of standards and bush trees having
a tendency to droop. — S. E. P.

Cherry May Duke.— One of the best Cherries
for general use. It is, moreover, a very early
variety, coming into use immediatel3- after Early
Rivers and Werder's Black. If planted against a
wall having a south or western aspect, the fruit
ripens about the third week in June, and ten or
fourteen days later on an east wall. It is a hardy,
vigorous-growing kind and succeeds well as a
standard, bush, cordon, or trained tree against a
wall. It is also a heavy cropper and an excellent
market variety. The fruits are medium sized to
large, blackish red in colour when allowed to
hang until fully ripe, while the flesh is purplish,
juicy, and richly flavoured. If gathered too early
the flavour is somewhat acid. — Grower.

Cherry Bigarreau Napoleon.— A first rate
Cherry and a good variety either for walls or the
orchard house. Grown under glass, the fruits
attain a large size, are delicious when fully ripe,
and hang in good condition for a long time. On
an east wall it succeeds Bigarreau and Black
Bigarreau, and ripens before Late Duke. It is
therefore most useful in helping to prolong the
season. As a cordon the tree is prolific, but
should not be too restricted, or the trees soon
start gumming.— Grower.

Pear Hacon's Incomparable.- In shape
this is rather remarkable and might easily be
mistaken for an Apple. It is a good garden

PALE COLOURED PEACHES.
Aii'EARANCE counts for so much nowa-days, that
Peach planters are very apt to ignore the paler
and more delicately skinned varieties, preferring
those of a more brilliant outward appearance.
Now although high quality is to be found in
many of the crimson faced Peaches, yet the rigid
adoption of such a rule would mean the exclusion
of varieties which for lusciousness and richness of
flavour are unsurpassed, if equalled, liy any of the
higher coloured section. Take, for instance,
Rivers' Early York, a rather small Peach, it is
true, but what crimson variety of its season can
surpass it for flavour, to say nothing of its excep-
tionally free setting and yielding character? I
consider Early York ought to be included in the
most select list to follow Amsden June and the
rest of the American kinds. Both Grosse Mig-
nonne and Early Grosse Mignonne will hold their
own against all comers for flavour, the skins of
both being as thin and the flavour as rich as in
the old Noblesse. Where there is plenty of room
both varieties may well be grown, but the earlier
one is the more reliable of the two, not having the
objectionable habit of casting its fruit the original
Grosse Mignonne has. All gardeners know the
quality of the old Noblesse, and if started at the
end of November it will ripen by the end of May,
and when staged in good condition for competi-
tion at that date takes a lot of beating. Unfor-
tunately, however, it is somewhat shy in bearing

October 24, 1896.1

THE GARDEN.

525

but if only half a crop can be secured it pays to
grow it. A later raised form called Alexandra
Noblesse is certainly a rather freer bearer, but
in my opinion the flavour is not so rich. Sea
Eagle must be classed amongst pale Peaches,
although fruit well exposed to the sun on the
upper side of the trellis takes on a pleasing
pinkish tint, rendering it very suitable for exhibi-
tion. Probably more trees of Sea Eagle have
been sold during the last two or three years than of
any other variety ripening at the same date. The
flesh of most thick - skinned Peaches is under
average in quality, but that of Sea Eagle should
please anyone. Vigorous in constitution and an
enormous cropper, it is certainly an amateur's
Peach. Princess of Wales, another of the same
category, fully deserves its popularity, being as
an all-round Peach hard to beat in early autumn —
in fact no collection is complete without it. Per-
haps the most serviceable of the rest of the late
ripening pale coloured Peaches is Golden Eagle, as
it bears freely and ripens well out of doors in
average seasons. It is a large lemon-coloured
variety. J. Cr.vwford.

PEAR DOYENNE DU COMICE.
J. Crawford, in The Gardex, Oct. 10 (p. 29.3), is
quite right in his remarks that this (the best of
all the November Pears) does well as a pyramid
tree. Although I have it in different situations
on the walls, the finest fruit I have ever grown
has been and still is from a pyramid tree, on the
Quince stock, planted in 185.S. The tree came
from Guernsey, from a friend of the late Sir T. D.
Acland, Bart., and I believe it was some years
afterwards before this sort appeared in the
eerymen's fruit catalogues. I first exhibited fruit
of it at the Devon and Exeter Horticultural
ciety's November show in 1864, when it was
awarded a prize for its excellent (juality
Afterwards at South Kensington it was awarded
the first prize for (juality in three consecutive
years, twice out of three years the fruit came
ifrom the above-mentioned tree, twenty- ore and
twenty-seven other dishes being in competition.
This tree is now more than forty years of age ; it
is in the most perfect health, and carries a good
crop of fruit yearly. The finest fruit is still on
the tree (October 13), all in bags to protect it from
the tomtits. All the second sized fruit has
been gathered, and is now being sent in for des-
sert, as Pears are ripening much earlier than
usual this season.

I mention the above circumstances to show we
have in this case both size and quality of fruit
and also longevity on the Quince stock. I recol-
lect many years ago sending a premature fruit— a
windfall from the same tree— to a fortnightly
meeting at South Kensington weighing 1 lb. 4 oz.
The only advantage of growing this sort on walls
in my case is that the fruit is more secure from
wind, many having been broken clean off, spurs,
branches and all by the late terrific gales, and to
protect from birds by netting the fruit, the tom-
tits being especially fond of this sort. From the
tree above mentioned grafts were freely given to
several nurserymen and to all others who applied
for them when the quality of the sort became
known. I may add for fertility and quality I
prefer to grow all Pears on the Quince stock.
Kitterton, Exeter. JoHS Garlasd.

NOTES ON STRAWBERRIES.
Mr. J. C. Tallack in criticising my notes (p. 3o4)
seems to imply that gardening, as far as the culti-
vation of the Strawberry is concerned, has fallen
to a low ebb at Stoke Edith. That such is not
the case my gardening friends and others who are
in the habit of visiting here know full well. With
regard to the various measures and remedies re-
commended by Mr. Tallack, I will only say they
have all been adopted long ago, and with ex-
cellent results, evidence of which is to be seen in
the abundant crops of fine Strawberries annually
produced by the plants. If Mr. Tallack will read
my notes again he will find that I did not refer to

the decadence of the Strawberry generally. I
mentioned kinds which do not succeed here, and
those which have been discarded either through
deficiency in size and colour, or want of flavour. I
still adhere most strongly to all the facts stated in
my notes, as I find the varieties mentioned in the
final paragraph to be decidedly the best for my
purpose. — A. W.

• The remedies Mr. Tallack suggests at

p. 304 are such as are instilled into the minds of
schoolboys in their first lessons in the principles
of agriculture or horticulture, and are therefore
not likely to have been neglected in so well-
ordered a garden as that at Stoke Edith. I know
from pergonal experience that the virgin clay soil
has there been dealt with in a most successfu'
manner. The fact that it can be dug in mid
winter within a few hours after rain, wilh no in
jurious effects abundantly proves this. Mr.
Tallack will surely admit that a soil which pro-
duces one crop, or one variety of a crop, in a state
verging on perfection, may be entirely unsuited to
others. Certain chemical elements essential to
colour, &c., may be wanting in the soil. This
would naturally lead to a greater amount of
success with a highly coloured fruit than with
one, like President, predisposed to paleness. I
know, for instance, that " A. W." can produce
magnificent specimens of Sir Joseph Paxton and
Oxonian, whilst in my own garden the former va
riety rapidly dwindles away. The main point at
issue between " A. W." and Mr. Tallack seems to
be whether we should be satisfied with growing
those varieties which we can produce in perfec
tion on a soil already possessing general good
([ualities, or whether by special (and perhaps
costly) treatment we should try to make it
capable of growing any variety we hear well
spoken of, which may, or may not, be slightly
better or more fashionable than those we already
produce. In other words, is it better to adapt
our crop to the soil, or our soil to the crop? In
conjunction with many other amateurs I am
curious to hear the opinion of others on th:
matter.— J. T., Tarrhujton, Ledbury.

SHOWY APPLES
" C. C. H." (p. 244) notes the value of Apple Red
Astrachan for its appearance only. I (luite agree
with him as to its uselessness from a cropping
point of view, and there are several others in the
same category. I think, with so many varieties
in cultivation, there would be no loss if these
kinds were omitted from catalogues altogether,
as they are described in such glowing terms that
anyone not well acquainted with them, who may
plant several trees, is disappointed, as in many
cases they give a poor crop and the fruits are of
poor quality. Take the description of the above
variety ; large, beautifully coloured, handsome
shape, flesh delicate, and richly flavoured. In
my opinion this is most misleading. I note Mr.
Barron gives a different description in his
"British Apples." He says it is medium sized,
flesh white, brisk, acid, a first early, but of second
quality and a shy bearer. In these days when
gardeners are expected to produce so much, we
do not want to encourage these poor kinds when
there is no lack of varieties of superior quality
and more productive. Take the much over-rated
Worcester Pearmain. In my opinion, this is not
deserving of a place as a first quality fruit, a
position it holds in several lists. I consider
Duchess of (Jlouoester superior as regards flavour,
but even this showy Apple a week or two after
beicg taken from the tree is useless. Another
showy fruit— Mr. Gladstone— is of so poor flavour
that I would not plant a single tree. I admit its
earliness, but earliness is only one point, and
quality is required. I am aware it received a
first-class certificate from the Royal Horticultural
Society, but that was when the committee must
have been in a liberal mood ; far better fruits
have been passed over. This is doubtless a
good market variety, but my advice to private
growers who study quality is not to grow this
in any quantity. Fortunately, these showy fruits

may be put to a good use ; such kinds as fruit
freely in standard form, like Worcester Pearmain,
Mr. Gladstone, and Duchess, are most ornamental
for shrubberies. The trees when in bloom are
beautiful, and the fruit, being so bright, is very
effective at a season there is none too much colour
in the kept grounds. I am aware by recommend-
ing showy fruits to be grown thus I may be taken
to task, but my remarks only apply to the early
July and August Apples, those not worth storage.
Duchess is a delightful fruit grown on a standard.
It is not a gross grower, and so well adapts itself
to this mode of culture that it may be grown in
gardens of limited extent. It is of better tLuality
than Mr. Gladstone or Worcester Pearmain. Most
of the very much praised or showy fruits are de-
ficient in quality. Fortunately, many of our late
and mid- season kinds are of better quahty. Kmg
of the Pippins, though it may not be classed
as of the best quality, is so superior to the early
kinds named and it so rarely fails to crop, that I
class it as one of the most profitable Apples

grown.

W.

Flower Garden.

NEW HARDY WATER LILIES.
Towards the close of last year when describing
the greater number of the Nymphwas raised by
M. Latour-Marliac at Temple-sur-Lot, I men-
tioned two novelties of great beauty and very
free-flowering. These two plants, which form
the subject of the present article, the fortunate
raiser has named— one after Mr. W. Robinson
(proprietor and director of The Garden), and
the other in compliment to the editor-m-chief
of the Revue Hortkoh. These two varieties are
now in commerce, and cut flowers of them have
traveUed from the confines of Lot to Paris
without flagging, which deserves to lie men-
tioned amongst their good qualities. This year
I have seen them again in bloom. From the com-
mencement of summer they continue to pro-
duce an uninterrupted succession of flowers,
each of which continues unfaded for several
days. The following are exact descriptions of
these two fine varieties : —

Nymph.i;a Robinson iana.— Limb of leaf orbicu-
lar, 7i inches broad, and neither emarginate nor
peltate ; sinus scarcely visible at the junction
with the leaf-stalk ; lobes somewhat equitant (the
sinus twisted towards the middle), very obscurely
mucronate and with distinct nerves or veins on
the upper side ; colour lively green, with spots
very unequal in size, of a dull, dark violet hue,
and disposed in a somewhat radiating manner ;
under side of a deep red colour, spotted all over
with dark violet, veined with vermicular mark-
ings. Flower-stem cylindrical, brownish red
with a darker streak and pale at the top, which
is hollowed out into a cup, forming an enlarge-
ment under the calyx. Sepals oval acutish con-
olive-coloured on the outside, pale and rosy
at the edges, lilac on the inside, over 2| inches
long and I4 inches broad. CoioUa very broadly
cup-shaped, spreading : petals ovate-acute, con-
cave, unguiculate, 2t inches long and from 1 inch
to li inches broad, of a fine purplish violet-red
colour, dotted with pale grey, the central petals
much deeper in colour and shorter. Stamens
forming a broad flat crown (the outer ones peta-
loid and verv much dilated), of an orange-red col-
with d4curved anthers, which are deep red
at the edges and yellow on the inner part, btig-
matic elevation funnel-shaped, with a spheroidal
umbilicus in the centre, furrowed, and of a deep
yellow colour, the upper surface very much in-
curved and of a deep red colour.

Nymph I'i ANOREANA.-Limb of leaf elliptical,
not emarginate nor peltate, 8 inches in diameter,
with equitant lobes forming no apparent sinus,
notched towards the middle terminating in a
thick oblique point, and bordered and shghtly
spotted with dark brown ; under side havmg the

326

THE GARDEN.

[October 2-i, 1896.

mid-rib and the principal veins broad and promi-
nent at their points of commencement, but
becoming sunken and reticulated as thev approach
the margin of the leaf, of a pale red colour, marked
all over with email spot? of a dark vinous blood
colour. Flower-stalk cylindrical and slightly
ribbed, of a deep reddish' brown colour, very pale
in the upper part, a? is also the sijuare flat base
of the calyx. Sepals lanceolate, of a pale rosy
green colour on the lower part with a broad rosy
band at the margin, passing into reddish, deep
olive-green on the upper part, obtuse and in-
curved, of a soft lilac-rose colour on the inside,
nearly -2^ inches long and about 1 [ inches broad.
Flower of a handsome regular cup shape ; petals
not very numerous, oval-obtuse, concave, with a
broad white claw, from about 2j inches to nearly
24 inches long and 1 inch broad, the central one's
broadly oval or obtusely rhomboidal : all of a fine
violet-red colour, which is deeper about the centre
of the petal and gradually becomes lighter
towards the top. Stamens with short, lanceolate
filaments and golden yellow anthers, which in the
upper part are incurved and of an orange colour.
One interesting peculiarity of these two vario-
tie.'; is that they produce flowers which remain
open during a greater part of the day than those
of many other kinds of Water Lilies. For
instance, the flowers of the charming North
American Nymphjea odorata rosea close about
2 p.m., while the flowers of K Robinsoniana and
X. Andreana, growing close by it, kept open
until 5 p.m. or even later. Among the good
qualities of these handsome hardy plants is their
production of a continuous succession of flowers
all through the summer, and I am acquainted
with several places where pieces of water are
enriched and ornamented in the highest degi
by these Nymphwas. They should, as I have
already stated, be planted fully exposed to the
sun, and on the bottom where the water is of
no great depth— 10 inches to 20 inches will

suflice and ensure a ready supply of sun-heat

in a mixture of pond-mud and manure. Gold
fish placed in the water will prevent the growth
of confervic and other water weeds —Ed
A-VDR^, in Heme Hvriicjle.

Two good Salvias for tke flower garden.
—After the long spell of dry weather, followed by
coatinued rain, no two tender plants have given
su:h a splendid bit of colour a9 Salvia Betheli and
S. splendens. I have them growing in a border
under a south wall, in front of the abbey. Large
mis=eB of them, associated as they are with yel-
low and white Marguerites, white Tobacco, and
miny other things, are very beautiful. It seems
strange these Salvias are not more grown in the
open air, as nothing is more telling in autumn
Many of the Sah-ias bloom too late in autumn to
be risked in the open, but this is not so with the
two under notice. My method is to keep three
or four old plants in a cold greenhouse throuf^h
tae winter, and from these 1 gat the cuttings from
for growing in pots. These old plants are planted
out with other tender plants in 8prin<j. They
qaickly start into growth and begin to bloom by
tae end of July, continuing till deftroved by
frost. Cuttings put in early and potted bn so as
to get strong plants do just as well. Some years
ago I saw S. splendens in Purbeck Isle in Oc'tober
a perfect mass of bloom.— Dor.set.

Carnation Uriah Pike.— The excu
dulged in by Mr. Smith at page 2.3o of Tu
DEx are no answer to my challenge at pa^e lOs of
the same publication, and to which I still strictly
adhere. It is doubtless very convenient to Mr".
Smith at thi.- moment to relegate Uriah Pike to
the ranks of the border Carnation pure and
simple, and tosoabeolutely ignore the pronounced
perpetual habit of the variety, which is one of
its most distinguUhing characteristics. To de-
monstrate this natural and unmistakable character
1 am prepared to show at the meeting of the
K.U.S. on October 27, or at an v subsequent meet-

ing during the present year, a dozen or two
plants in full bloom that have been grown from
cuttings after the manner of Tree Carnations
generally, and, of course, in no wise specially pre-
pared for this particular purpose. And with such
explicit faith in the identity of his now smooth-
edged crimson Clove with Uriah Pike, it should
be quite easy for Mr. Smith to stage an ei|ual
number of plants in full flower on the same short
notice with myself. If Mr. Smith cannot do this,
where is the wisdom or consistency of comparing
his purely border Clove with the perpetual-
flowering Uriah Pike?— Georce Mav, The Xur-
series, Upper Teddingion, Middlesex.

LILIUM CANDIDUM.

I AM very much indebted to several correspon-
dents for recording their experiences with the
above Lily, and particularly to those who, having
put on one side the old theory that Lilies must on
no account be dried, have given the sun-drying
theory a trial. In years past several correspon-
dents have written in confirmation of the drying
process and its efiicacy, and (|uite recently
"S. W. F." and Mr. J. C. Tallack have given
similar testimony. At page 285, however, Mr.
Engleheart's experience is a purely negative one.
Seeing that Mr. Engleheart has tried this lifting
and b.aking again and again absolutely in vain,
I feel more than ever interested in the matter, and
also not a little puzzled at so complete a failure in
Mr. Engleheart's case. And here I would like to
mention that the period of rest out of ground
should be fully six weeks, and better still if of
two months' duration, dating say from the first
week of August, the time which Mr. Engleheart
wisely gives for the removal of this Lily in any
case. To be effectual it appears to me that the
drying has to be responsible in this particular
species of Lily for the loss of its radical leaves
which appear so quickly after flowering in bulbs
that are healthy and not disturljsd. Indeed, I am
gradually inclining to the notion that the pre-
sence or absence of these radical leaves may have
something to do with the disease, or at least its
most virulent attacks. That is to say, I deem it
possible for these leaves to constitute the resting
ground for the disease germs during winter, and
that one of the results of the lifting and drying is
to denude the bulbs of such leafage for the time
being.

Here I would like to ask Mr. Engleheart
whether the bulbs lifted and dried by him pro-
duced their autumn leaves or not, and, again,
whether this is so in the cottage gardens to which
reference is made and where no disease appears
year after year. One of the chief puzzles in re-
gard to this disease is that the plants are ruined
time after time, while in another instance quite
near no disease is known or felt at all.
While at Claremont in the summer of this year
the same thing was also apparent, one clump
being badly affected and another quite near with
little or no disease at all. Where no treatment of
any kind will induce this Lily to attain its old-
time perfection the loss is great indeed, as we
have nothing that can vie with it in the tall
of its exquisitely pure and chaste blos-
soms, and those who by any orthodox methods or
the reverse can produce them without spot or
blemish can have nothing finer among the whole
range of hardy bulbous plants flowering in July.
One of the worst cases of disease in this Lily I
have ever seen was in an old and well-known
garden^at Sunbury on-Thames nearly ten years
rm J .... ^j ^^^ finest

similar experience in his garden where the soil
and other conditions for growth are just the re-
verse of those quoted above. Finally, I can only
add that the soil of the garden where I made the
first few experiments in sun-drying the bulbs of
this Lily was perfectly dust-dry nearly a foot
deep, much drained by some 5 feet of gravel and
sand below, and without shade.- E. J.

I have taken a great interest in the dis-
cussion going on in The Garden in connection
with Lilium candidum, and as I have not £een
this Lily so finely grown anywhere, perhaps you
will allow me to give the system adopted here.
The soil is of a dark adhesive nature, and in form-
ing the clumps I prepare the ground by trench-
ing 2 feet deep, filling in one half after' it is tho-
roughly mixed with peat litter manure. I then
put in half an inch of burnt soil, half an inch of
soot, and a good sprinkling of charcoal. The
bulbs are then placed on this 2 feet apart, and
the remainder of the soil, being thoroughly mixed
with peat manure, is filled in. An important
point is to transplant immediately the flowering
is over. I had occasion to remove a large number
of this Lily which were planted three years ago,
and the bulbs were healthy, with strong, vigorous
roots simply revelling in the above compost. I
had the spikes 5 feet to 6 feet high carrying
fifteen and sixteen blooms, and a few as many
as nineteen blooms. A large quantity are grown
in all exposures with equal results. I adopt the
same system in growing the Martagon Lily, and
have had magnificent spikes over 7 feet high, each
producing from eighty to 100 blooms. — Charles
Cole, Boss Hall Gardens, Paisley.

ago. This garden contained

masses of this Lily, which quite suddenly without
disturbance or experiment of any kind became an
entire failure. This I attributed at the time to a
garden in which shade was rather abundant,
accelerated by moisture and close proximity to
the river. Yet these same clumps had been
always a splendid success hitherto, and no cause
could be given for the failure, which was com-
plete. The whole subject is rendered much more
diflScult by Mr. Engleheart having a precisely

DAHLIAS.
Although these tender flowers have been bloom-
ing so late as to enable remarkably fine displays
and good lilooms to be exhibited at the Drill Hall
on the l.'Jth inst., yet is it obvious that their
beauty is over. On the whole. Dahlias have had a
good season. Flowers have been abundant and
good, and they have assisted in a remarkable way
towards indoor, church, and other decorative
work. Rather than wait until the frosts come
and blacken the plants, rendering them unsightly
and off'ensive, it isjwiser to cut away the growths
at once. Remove all stakes, see before lifting to
the labels being stout, well written, and properly
affixed to each stem, and then get the roots up
ready for winter storing. Where the ground is
very wet it may be thought wisest to throw heaps
of coal ashes over the roots and let them remain
until the soil has become drier, (ienerally it is
best to lift the roots at once, doing so with all
possible care so as to prevent root breakage,
removing with a pointed stick all the soil attached
which may be thus dealt with, and then getting the
roots thoroughly dried. It is a very good though
old-fashioned plan to turn the roots with the
stems downward in a dry place for a short time,
so that any moisture which may have collected in
the hollow stems will run oft". Where moisture is
allowed to settle in these stems, decay of the
crowns invariably follows. After the roots have
been fairly well dried, but not so much as to cause
shrinking, the best course is to set them closely
nto shallow wood boxes of such sizes as may be
convenient, then a covering of sand, fine ashes, or
cocoa fibre it-fuse may be placed about the roots, so
that every crevice is filled and air is excluded.
The crowns should be ijust covered, but the cut
stems and labels affixed may project. So stored
the roots may be placed in any moderately dry
shed or outhouse, anywhere in fact where the
atmosphere can be occasionally changed and dried
and where frosts are excluded. Those who would
like to have Dahlia roots for their own storing,
but have none, can purchase what are known as
pot roots. These are in 3-inch pots usually. If
early in the spring these are put into larger pots
or planted up closely in a soil bed under glass
and assisted by warmth and moisture, they will
give some shoots which can be made into cuttings,
and thus give stock, A. D.

October 24, 1896.]

THE GARDEN

3-27

oUi$ White Lady. From ioicers sent ly Messrs. Haage and Schmidt, Erfurt.

GLADIOLUS WHITE LADY.

The spike of Gladiolus we figure to-day
was one of three sent to us by Messrs. Haage
and Schmidt, Erfurt. It is a seedling gan
davensis raised by them between the varie-
ties lactea and Blandine, and has been
appropriately named White Lady. It will
be put into commerce thi.s season. The
flowers are pure white, with a slight tinge
of pale yellow on the lower petals, the buds
light yellow. It is said to be a robust
grower, and has a distinct light-coloured
bud. It grows from 2 feet to 3 feet high,
and is certainly the finest white Gladiolus we
have seen.

HARDY PLANTS FOR EXHIBITION.
Will you please give me the names of suffi-
cient hardy plants to grow to furnish an ex-
hibition board of cut flowers (twelve bunches
in six distinct species), to be in bloom the last
two weeks in July and the first two weeks in
August? Also the dimensions of board to ex-
hibit them on and what cups to use for same.
-J. L. R.

*,* Assuming that " J. L. R." intends ex-
hibiting on the dates named, it would have
been much better had he enclosed a marked
copy of the schedule, that we could acquaint
ourselves with the exact wording of the class
or classes in which he intends to compete.
" Twelve bunches in six distinct species " is a
most unusual requirement of any schedule,
and we imagine that twelve bunches in six dis-
tinct varieties is really what is meant in this
case. Again, the term " hardy plants" may
be very widely interpreted, inasmuch as Roses,
Carnations, bulbous plants in great variety
may justly be included as among the most
worthy of " hardy plants," and yet be quite-
outside the requirements of any particular
schedule. We append, however, a list of the-
most useful of hardy border perennials flower-
ing at the time stated, as we consider these
the most likely to meet the requirements of:
our correspondent. Hardy plants for the last
two weeks of July : Galega oificinalis and its
variety. Coreopsis lanceolata and Coreopsis
grandiflora, Gaillardia grandifiora, Erigeron
speciosus. Campanula grandis alba, Aquilegia .
chrysantha, Campanula persicifolia coronata
alba and C. p. alba grandiQora, Geum cocci-
neum plenum, Lathyrus latifolius albus, Mo-
narda didyma, Pentstemon barbatus, Polemo-
nium Richardsoni, Hemerocallis Thunbergi,
Alstrtemeria aurantiaca, Helianthus Bouquet
d'Or, Helenium pumilum, Heliopsis scabra,
Scabiosa caucaeica. Lychnis chalcedonica,
Spiraa venusta. Chrysanthemum maximum.
Chrysanthemum maximum filiforme (whits),
Harpalium rigidum (gold), &c. Many of the
foregoing, by their free, profuse flowering, can
be depended on also for the first two weeks
in August, with the following additions, which
are later in flowering : Gaura Lindheimeri,
Centaurea macrocephala. Phloxes, Tritomas,
Aster Amellus, Rudbeckia Newmani, Statics
latifolia, Echinacea purpurea and others.
Then, if bulbs were admissible, many Lilies may
be added also.

To the latter part of the query — viz., the
board to exhibit them on and the cups, &c,
— we must say that we do not favour either
cups or boards for exhibiting hardy flowers in
bunches; indeed, it would be impossible to
exhibit a representative bunch of the majority
of the best hardy flowers in this way at all.
A much simpler way is that of using stout
earthenware jars, such as are in use by the
Royal Horticultural Society.— Ed.

Gynerium argenteum. — The severe winter
of 1894-95 played sad havoc with this, in many
cases killing it outright. This happened in my
Cise. It seems somewhat strange, too, that
the plants should succumb so easily to cold

328

THE GARDEN.

[October 24, 1896.

weather, when the protect! ve nature of the plant's
habit is taken into account. Large specimens
have a th-ok coat of dry stalks surrounding them,
for the riddance of which in spring some owners
resort to the unnatural course of setting them on
fire. I saw a plant near the railway at Dawlish,
in Devonshire, early in October with some beauti-
fully-developed heads, and of a very clear colour.
I was surprised to see them so perfect near the
coast, where they were subjected to the violence of
the late storms! The plant was not over-large
and the plumes were very dwarf, which probably
accounted for their fine condition after such tem-
pestuous weather. Near the coast, frost does not
have the same effect as farther inland, and it
would be interesting to know from other inland
readers the condition of many of the large speci-
mens scattered throughout the country. I had
several plants on the lawn and in borders, one of
them in particular being a fine specimen, but I
waited in vain to see the young leaves spring
from the thickly covered crown in the spring of
1S9J.— \V. S.

Pentatemons. — Pentstemons are so readily
raised from cuttings inserted in a cold frame
under exactly similar conditions and at the same
time as Calceolarias, that, except as a means of
raising new varieties or of replenishing stock
which mav have become diseased, I hardly think
it advisable to grow seedlings as recommended in
some recent notes, for they cannot be depended
on to come true, and by trusting to seedlings,
although good varieties may be raised, the fine
colour effects which may be obtained from plant-
ing stock of approved varieties raised from cut-
tings are, to say the least, uncertain. Another
advantage added to this certainty of correct
colouring is that plants raised from cuttings can
be planted out in March without fear, while seed-
lings raised under glass would at that time be
occupying valuable room and adding to the many
things requiring daily attention. Seedlings are,
of course, useful for supplying cut flowers and
also as stock plants to supply cuttings of any
good form that may be raised, but though a very
large percentage will flower in their first year, a
few will fail to do so and cause blanks in the
group or bed, while incongruous colours will cer-
tainlv be brought into juxtaposition, so that it
will hardly be wise to trust to them wholly and
overthrow the good old method of perpetuating
fixed varieties.— J. C. T.u.l.\ck.

LOBELIA GERARDL
The hybrid Lobelias which have been obtained
by crossing with the large-flowered species are
many in number, but I do not know of any
which in stoutness of stem and abundance of
flowering sprays is equal to the form raised by
Messieurs Chabanne and Goujon. The pollen
parent of this new form was that superb variety
of Lobelia cardinalis named (,iueen Victoria, the
seed parent being an improved variety of L.
syphilitica, with taller and more robust flowering
stems than those of the typical species. The
raisers named the hybrid L, Gerardi in compli-
ment to Mens. Gerard, director of the botanical
collections in the park of Tcte d'Or, under whose
supervision the experiments and culture were
carried on.

Lobelia fierardi is a vigorous growing and very
continuous flowering plant. Before the flowering
stems make their appearance it forms a rosette of
leaves of a very pure green colour, and resembling
the rosette of the wild Chicory. The running
roots are abundantly furnished with fibres.
When fully grown the plant attains a height of
from 4 feet to nearly .5 feet ; the etroD<iest flower-
ing stems are as thick as one's thumb at their
base, and branch with from twelve to fifteen
clusters of fine broad flowers, which all bloom
together, the whole forming a compact, rigid
pyramid needing no stake or prop to support it.
AH parts of the stems and leaves have lost the
reddish tint of the Queen Victoria and also the
.somewhat glaucous hue of L. syphilitica, and are
of a fine green colour ; the calyx, however, is

slightly reddish and ciliated on the margin of
the sepals.

The flowers, which are of a bishop's violet
colour, take on more or less warm tones in indi-
vidual plants. The lower lip spreads out its
three petals, well separated in the fore part and
united behind ; at the lower part of these, follow-
ing the line of union, and coming, as it were, from
the throat of the flower, are two triangular white
markings, which relieve the sameness of the violet
colour. The two back petals, which are narrow,
as in L. cardinalis, stand erect. The staminal
tube, which is of the same colour as the corolla,
emerges from the throat of the flower, and through
it projects, to the length of a few millimitres, the
recurved style. At the extremity of the flowering
stems a store of unexpanded flower-buds provides
for the continuance of bloom throughout the whole
summer. During the entire summer of this year
a group of Lobelia Gerardi in the Ecole florale
of the Botanic Garden at Lyons continued in
flower, growing very vigorously and densely, and
showing visitors how valuable this new hybrid is
as an ornamental plant.

The plant to which it shows the greatest re-
semblance is figured in the Bot. Ma;/'., pi. .3604,
under the name of Lobelia syphilitica hybrida.
Dr. Hooker says of this plant that he does not
know whether the crossing was effected with
Lobelia cardinalis, L. fulgens, or L. splendens.
Lobelia Gerardi is distinguished from it by the
darker colour of its flowers (which are still darker
than the flowers of L. syphihtica), by the two
white markings at the base of the lower lip, and
by its essentially perpetual-flowering- habit —
features sufficient to clearly indicate a distinct
garden variety. — C. Sauvaceau, in Bevue
Horticoh.

FLOVVER GARDEN NOTES.
In the notes from New Jersey on some hardy
plants that appeared in The Garden on October
3, I see A. Herrington indicates the part each
particular plant takes or is likely to take in the
flower garden. This is emphatically a step in the
right direction, and one I should like to see fol-
lowed in all cases where attention is drawn to
hardy flowers that are comparatively rare. I do
not mean by this, rare or scarce varieties of well-
known species. One knows as a rule how to deal
with them, but species of which there may be only
one or two varieties in cultivation in this country
that are unknown in the average garden, and that
may possibly be more suitable to till a tiny pocket
in a rockery than a space on an open border. In-
formation of this kind is specially required at this
season, when beds and borders have to be newly
planted or remodelled, and one is anxious not to
make any mistake in the arrangements. It is
always a safe rule when acquiring any plant with
whose habit and constitution one is not conversant
to give it a place on a special border set apart for
odds and ends until a clear idea can be formed as
to the sort of position it may permanently occupy.
In the matter of the general planting of hfirdy
flowers, it is not too much to say that although we
have made great improvement in this matter,
there is still much to learn, and all species,
whether of dwarf, medium or tall habit, .should
have such positions assigned them as they are best
qualified to fill. Take the dwarf edging plants,
for instance. There are some that can be worthily
used for bold grouping on large borders in front
of taller subjects, and there are others only fit for
very small beds. Unless one is prepared to work
up a large stock and plant in considerable num-
bers, the annual growth made by this class of
plant is so scanty that thick planting in quantity
is absolutely essential to secure a good display.
The soil has to be reckoned with in the case of the
majority of plants, and makes a lot of difference
in the annual growth made. In the case of the
taller things, how not to plant them was well
illustrated in the article on Starworts (p. lid.S),
and when reading anything of this kind one is
sorry that the effectiveness of certain things
should be utterly ruined, simply because the

planter fails to understand the nature of the
things with which he is dealing. There are two
points in this same article with which the ma-
jority of gardeners will hardly agree : firstly,
as to confining the flower (necessarily with
a little latitude) to the season of Michael-
mas. I find, on the contrary, that the most
useful varieties are thote that commence flowering
say the first week in October and go on until No-
vember is fairly well advanced, or even that hardly
begin to expand before the end of the former
month. No disparaging note is hereby sounded
against the earlier varieties which are (many of
them) very beautiful and make a fine display, but
surely about the most welcome of all flowers are
those that are at their Ijest when other things are
very scarce, and from this particular standpoint
we have nothing to equal the late Starworts.
Again, I think it is possible to group varieties of
all heights, right away from dumosus to the
tallest of the Novi-Belgii section, always provided
one has plenty of room and any staking that may
be required is carefully performed. I would sug-
gest to those who have not tried the experiment,
a partial early heading back of the taller sorts.
If, for instance, there is a mass of Diffusus hori-
zontalis flanked and backed by, let us say, Robert
Parker, the outer portions ot the clumps of the
latter can be taken back, leaving the centre to go
up, the effect produced will be all the better,
staking is reduced to a minimum, and yet the
stronger sort will not encroach on its neighbour.
I would not for a moment recommend a close
association of the tall sorts of stiff, erect habit,
that throw nearly all their flower at the extremity
of the plant, with sorts not more than a foot or so
in height. This is an ugly style, sufficient to
bring the grouping of Starworts into bad repute.

Autumn berkies, h'ruit, and foliage. — The
early season of 1896 being remarkable for a
good set of flower on fruit and berry-bear-
ing trees and shrubs, these are playing a not
unimportant part in the autumn decoration of
flower garden and pleasure ground. I find the
birds, lacking the foresight to leave supplies for
bad weather, have already attacked the berries ;
trees of the Mountain Ash that were very full are
completely cleared, and the various forms of
Cratagus are vanishing daily. The white and
flesh coloured varieties of Cydonia japonica set
thickly, and there is a brave display of fruit just
now putting on the yellow tinge. The Siberian
Crab is fruiting freely and is an attractive autumn
tree. It makes a fine shapely head, and might be
more often included in ornamental planting, a re-
mark thac also applies to the Medlar. With the
fall of the leaf the bladder-like seed vessels of
Staphylea triloba and Colutea arboretcens are pro-
minent, and are for this peculiarity always worth
a place among the better shrubs. Not within the
last few years have the various forms of Vitis
been so fine or the duration of the highly coloured
foliage so well sustained, large plants of Vitis
inconstans being specially noticeable. This sus-
tained effect is, by the way, wanting in the
majority of exotic trees. Gingko biloba is an
instance of a tree that one would like to retain a
long time in the full glory of its autumn coat,
but the leaves are down almost directly they
attain the rich golden hue. The foliage on hardy
Azileas promises to be very fine, and, given an
absence of frost, should last out well. The beauty
both of flower and foliage which is a character-
istic of these plants, places them quite in the
front rank of hardy shrubs. E. Burrele.

Claremoiit.

Staking Michaelmas Daisies. — In Mr.

C. W. Dod's interesting article anent perennial
Asters (p. 268), he touches upon the subject of
staking, a subject that has moie to do with the
appreciation or the reverse of these beautiful au-
tumnal flowers than many imagine. Time after
time one's sense of beauty is violated by obferv-
ing the tightly tied sheaves alluded to in the
opening paragraph, liaund immovably to rude
stakes, the flower-heads, a confused and inartistic
mass, the majority of the blossoms, allowed to ex-

October 24, 1896.]

THE GAPvDEF,

329

pand before they were raised and fettered, turn-
ing their faces inward. Contrast this picture, in
which the latent beauty has been marred and
hidden, with the vision of "sweetness and hght '
presented by the same flowers growing naturally,
and apparently without artificial support, spread-
ing their bloesom-laden shoots aloft and abroad.
As is noted, if these Starworts are growi m
front of a sheltered shrubbery, in which position
their blooms, with the dark background, are set
oflf to the best advantage, they will reed but
little staking, but in many cases they have to be
planted in the open border, where some support is
a matter of necessity. In such a position, if
several green-painted Bamboo canes are thrust
into each clump while making growth, the outer
canes inclining somewhat from the central, the
plants will grow naturally among the supports,
which may be looped loosely together with tarred
twine, and which, while allowing a free habit of

Chrysanthemums.

CHRYSANTHEMDMS IN VASES.
The value of the Chrysanthemum for decoration
is eich year becoming apparent. There are in-
dividuals who treat with scorn such illustra-
tions as are to be met with at exhibitions in
which Chrysanthemums alone are allowed in
the arrangement of epergnes, &c. The manner
in which these are filled at many of the exhi-
bitious some are inclined to unjustly condemn,
giving as a reason the large size of the epergnes
used together with the amount of table space
they each occupy. There may be a little cause
for complaint regarding the latter point, but
such critics should remember that when such
receptacles are used the stands would be so ar-

Chrysanfh

growth, will prevent the outer shoots from being
broken oflf or bent to the ground. It must be
allowed, however, that no staking, with whatever
care it is carried out, will safeguard the plants in
a gale such as that experienced on September 25,
the furious gusts, travelling with a velocity of
sometimes nearly eighty miles an hour, destroy-
ing the results of hours of labDur in a few seconds.
Fortunately, such gales are rare until the Star-
worts are past their best. — S. W. F.

Gynerium elegans. — This is an elegant
grass, and one deserving a special position. The
long graceful leaves are not more than two-eighths
of an inch wide at the broadest part. A three-
year-old clump will producs a doz^n handsome
plumes, reaching to a height of 7 feet from the
ground. These plumes combined with the ele-
gant foliaje present a fine object. It should be
given a fairly moist position in soil rather inclin-
ing to a heavy loam. — P.

ranged that the proper amount of table space
only should be utilised. Fortunately, the
practice of exhibiting Chrysanthemums ii
vases is now receiving a larger share of atten
tion, the schedules of the foremost societies in-
cluding classes in which exhibits of this kind
are catered for. In this respect' the utility of
the Chrysanthemum is likely to be better illus-
trated, and the best interests of the different
societies consequently enhanced. Very hand-
some indeed have been the vases shown at
the exhibitions of the National Chrysanthemum
Society for some time past, a charming associa-
tion of suitable foliage with the blossoms used
in many instances building up an ideal pic
ture.

In arranging a vase, no matter whether it be
large or small, or there be more than one col-
our used, it is of the highest importance, if good

results are to follow, that a proper blending of
the colours be carried out. Many lovely
flowers when arranged without regard to the
order of colour, instead of giving pleasure to
those whose privilege it is to look upon them,
invariably do just the opposite. Therefore,
to achieve success, it is important that in plac-
ing Chrysanthemums in vases a wise choice, in
which the colours used would pleasingly asso-
ciate, should be the first consideration.

One of the richest and at the same time most
brilliant harmonies of colour, is yellow and
orange in equal proportion, with a few pieces
of bright crimson or scarlet interspersed here and
there. The few blossoms of the brilliant colours
should give the necessary finish to a combina-
tion of this kind. These three colours are seen
in the ever-popular orange Source d'Or, the
rich yellow of Sunflower, and the bright crimson
is valued in the Japanese-like pompon Vesuye.
Of course there are many other varieties which
would give the same colours as represented by
the foregoing. The association with flowers of
the colours mentioned above, of foliage with the
glorious autumnal tints, a few pieces of long
feathery grass and selected fronds of light
green-coloured Asparagus plumosus to overhang
the sides, should meet the needs of those who
have to arrange large vases for sideboards and
other positions. Flowers of lilac or mauve
should be used with those of a purple cr
amaranth colour, while those of the purest
white are seen to advantage with either of these
latter colours. Bright green foliage, as well as
that in which a silvery or a variegation of this
colour is obtainable, is generally highly valued
for these hues. White flowers are seen to
advantage when a striking contrast can be
brought about. Such foliage as that of the
beautiful Prunus Pisaardi, Mahonia aquifolia,
deeply tanned pieces of tome of the newer
forms of the Oak, and fronds of difierent types
of the Ampelopsis should give an idea of suit-
able subjects to use. White and pale yellow
are a chaste combination for use during the
daytime, any light green foliage associating
prettily with it. Light yellow and bright pink
are very pleasing though rarely seen. With
many of these colours, some of the rich scarlet
berries which are always obtainable during the
Chrysanthemum season, will often lend addi-
tional beauty and attractiveness.

The accompanying illustration shows how ad-
mirably suited for small vases, tubes, &c., are
Chrysanthemums when two or three blossoms
are placed in them, and a few buds and foliage
fixed in an easy and graceful manner. A
spray or two of some of the decorative sorts,
treated in like manner, is also very pretty, the
small lateral growths, each carrying a bud,
some just showing colour, giving a finish which
improves them very much. Large exhibition
flowers are very pretty when placed in small
glass tubes with a few leaves still adhering to
them. Dotted about on the dinner-table, or
placed on the mantelpiece, and the numberless
little contrivances which are now so often used,
these large flowers are greatly admired. The
only disadvantage in retaining the leaves on
the large blossoms is their tendency to become
quickly exhausted. Because of this failing it is
often better to strip the stem of its foliage and
replace this with many of the beautifully toned
kinds of leaves already alluded to. By adopt-
ing this plan the flowers will keep comparatively
fresh for a long time. D. B. Crane.

Chrysanthemum Notaire Grcz. — This va-
riety stands out prominently from among the new
continental sorts, and as a sort for the hardy
border it is excellent. The plant attains a height

330

THE GARDEN.

[October 24, 1896.

of about 4i feet, and is of a desirable form of
growth. The beautiful ehade of lilacmauve
which this variety possesses is hijrhly esteemed,
each spray of blossoms forming ^uite a pretty
pic are, each flower produced on a long foot-
stalk. One trade grower describes this variety as
an early James Salter, as it resembles that variety
in colour, but is <|uite a fortnight earlier. —
A. R. H.

Chrysanthemnm Piercy's Seedling.— This
variety is largely used in the open air at Water-
low Park. Highgate. During the present season,
this old variety appears to have done extremely
well, the wet weather through the early antumn
appearing to suit it admirably. The most strik-
ing characteristics this season are its large
blossoms, which are best described as bronzy-
yellow, and its wonderfully fr.o growth. Several
of the plants are from li inches to a foot taller
than 1 have seen them for three or four years.
This was the first seedling raised by Mr. W.
Piercy, and was from seed sent to the raiser from
a friend in America. It has now been in commerce
from thirteen to fourteen years, and has out-
lived many other sorts. This variety usually
attains a height of about 211 inches.— D.

Specimen plants at Highgate. — Most Chry-
santhemum growers remember the magnificent
collection of nine plants which secured for the
grower, Mr. J. Brookes, the valuable prize offered
on the occasion of the Centenary Exhibition, in
November, 1S90. In view of the importance of
the compstitions on the occasion of the National
Chrysanthemum Society's jubilee festival, it may
be interesting to readers of The G.irden to learn
what are the prospects of this grower, judging
from his plants at the time of penning this note.
The collection at the Grove, Highgate, comprises
some two dozen plants, and includes both Japanese
and pompon sorts. The best plants range from
5 feet to 6 feet through, and are studded with a
large number of erect shoots, each carrying buds
in various stages of development. Each plant is
clothed with fresh and healthy-looking foliage,
the growths tied in such a way that no stiff-
ness is noticeable. Several cl the varieties should
be in the pink of condition by the first week in
November, while one or two are just a trifle late
and need careful treatment to bring them on in
time, w ithout spoiling the character of the flowers
or the plants. The most promising sorts are Gloire
du Rocher, Mme. Octavie Mirbeau, Col. W. B.
Smith, Mme. Bertier Rendatler, Edith Row-
bottom, Maiden's Blush, Mrs. G. J. Beer, Chas.
Shrimpton, Marcjuis de Paris, and International,
which will hardly be ready in time, but gives
promise cf developing into a magnificent speci-

NEW CHRYSANTHEMUMS.
OcE.\.SA must not be confused with the single-
flowered variety of that name, as it belongs to
the Japanese section, and is destined to rank
among the best of yellow-flowered varieties in the
incurved section. The blooms are of full size, the
incurving florets sharply pointed, in colour soft
yellow on the reverse side, the inside or body of
the flower of a rich golden hue. Another pleas-
ing point about this Chrysanthemum is the dwarf
habit of its growth, fully developed blooms are
obtainable from plants not more than a yard
high. .Surprise is an October flowering variety,
the blooms developing readily and naturally at
that time. The growth is all that can be de-
sired, being dwarf and stocky, the plants carry-
ing good foliage ; the colour an extra deep
amaranth. Mme. Auguste de Lacvivier has flat
florets, which incurve slightly at the tips as they
expand, becoming flatter with age. The colour
ia distinct — a rich salmon-red, edged and pointed
gold. This promises to make a handsome show
bloom. Graphic is developing this year ex-
tremely large solid blooms of a pleasing blush-
tint colour, with just enough pink on a white
ground to render it pleasing. The florets are
somewhat rough and irregular, which detracts
slightly from its appearance. Altogether the

variety lacks the grace of many Japanese flowers.
T. B. Haywood is another Japanese variety,
much too close and short in the floret to ever
become popular according to the present-day
requirements of this section. The colour cannot
fail tobeaiipreciated — white, delicately tinted with
pink. Wood's Pet belongs to the popular type
of Japanese blooms, its florets drooping grace-
fully, the body of the bloom being thoroughly
well built up. The colour is rosy amaranth.
Modesta is of American origin, having exceedingly
rich orange-yellow, curly petals, which are nar-
row and droop gracefully. Mme. J. Smeers is
described by M. Calvat as a seedling from Pelican,
which it resembles in the manner in which its
florets unfold. The blooms promise to be of full
size, the white incurving florets are slightly hir-
sute. The peduncles are extra long and stout for
so weakly a growing variety. Mrs. John Shrimp-
ton bids fair to come up to the high opinion
formed of it last season. The semi-drooping
florets are golden buff, striped faintly with orim-
sonred. In formation as well as in growth it
much resembles Mrs, Falconer Jameson. Crim
son King, a seedling raised by Mr. N. Da\ is,
gives great promise. As its name implies, it is
crimson in colour. Emily Silsbury is one of the
finest of early October Japanese varieties we
have. The flat ivory white florets are sufficiently
numerous to build up a full solid bloom. Lago
Maggiore, although pretty in its tint of colour —
rich orange-jellow — does not as yet promise to be
large enough to take front rank in the Japanese
section. E. Molyneux.

EARLY CHRYSANTHEMUMS.
When walking round the recent show at the
Royal Aquarium and carefully observing the mis-
cellaneous exhibits staged by different trade
growers, I was forcibly impressed with the deco-
rative value of the hardy outdoor Chrysanthe-
mums. It seems but a short time since that com-
plaints were being continually made of the poor
colouring of these useful autumn flowers. This
charge cannot longer be made, for on the occasion
here referred to there were certainly five trade
growers each representing the early sorts in
capital condition. There were, however, two ex-
hibits which specially took my attention, and these
were set up by men who have devoted considerable
time and interest to develop and popularise the
early-flowering Chrysanthemum as a hardy border
plant. In their stands were to be seen quite a
large number of sorts, which to most people were
absolutely new. These sorts, through want of a
favourable opportunity of exhibiting- them, have
been kept in the background. Fortunately, the
late October show presented the chance, which
luckily was taken advantage of, and a good few
growers were impressed with the useful character
of these flowers. The difficulty appeared to be
to find blossoms of dull and uninteresting colours,
for the brilliancy of some sorts was marked even
under the dingy looking roof and dull light of the
Royal Aijuarium. In these two instances the
plants had passed through all the stormy weather
of the last few weeks without any falling off in
their attractiveness, and considering this impor-
tant fact, the display was of exceptional merit.
In my own garden the free-flowering character of
the early sorts has been seen and appreciated by
many desirous nf having a display in the open
border during the autumn months, and at a
time when other occupants of the hardy border
are looking cheerless and uninteresting. Again,
reverting to the display at the October show, it
may be well just to refer to a few of the most
striking and useful Japanese sorts exhibited
there : Harvest Home, crimson and gold, free, bushy,
about 3 feet in height ; Bronze Prince, an English
seedling, a beautiful bright bronze, height about '2J
feet ; Lemon Queen, a very freedeep lemon-yellow,
nice bushy habit, height about 3 feet. Mme. Car-
miaux, a beautiful white, reflexed Japanese, keep-
ing fresh in a cut state for several days, dwarf
habit. Edie Wright is another English seedling
of a pleasing shade of pink, passing with age to

nearly white, very free flowering, bushy habit,
height about 3 feet. Claret Belle is of a pretty
shade of claret-crimson, true Japanese form, nice
free habit, flowers on long footstalks and extremely
pretty under artificial light ; height about 4 feet.
Bronze Dwarf, a variety of English oriyin, is of red-
dish bronze in colour, with florets of medium size,
strong, bushy habit, height about 2h feet. Mme.
Marie Masse, one of the best, is very free, colour
pinkish mauve, gran 1 bushy habit, height about
2 feet. Mme. la Comtesse Foucher de Cariel, one
of the brightest, is reddish orange, of very
free, strong bushy habit, height about 2 feet.
Gloire de Mezin, although rather old, is yet very
little known ; flowers large, and the colour best
described as red-bronze ; height about 31 feet.
Orange Child is the nearest approach to the in-
valuable Source d'Or, being quite three weeks in
advance of that variety ; colour rich orange, free
flowering, height 3 feet. Ambroise Thomas is a
variety of French origin and useful as a market
variety : colour transparent bronzy red, pretty
narrow florets, wonderfully free and nice bushy
habit, about 3 feet in height. Another good
French novelty is Franjois Vuillermet, a lovely
silvery pink, with broad florets, nice branching
habit, extremely free and dwarf. Mme. Armand
Groz, pale primrose-yellow, flushed blush-pink —
t|uite a new shade— literally covered with pretty
blossoms, is one of the best, bushy and dwarf.
Another striking kind is Mens. M. G de Dubor,
a beautiful yellow flower heavily flushed with
bronze, about 3A feet high. A capital variety
for evening use is Coral Queen, a warm shade of
salmon terra- cotta, of true Japanese form, pretty
narrow twisted florets, blossoms produced in
lovely sprays, with a useful footstalk. It is of
fairly good constitution, height about 5 feet. A
pretty buttonhole flower is Ivy Stark, orange-
yellow, of most exquisite form, dwarf. One of
the brightest sorts is Prefet Cassagneau, some-
what resembling an early Cullingfordi, pretty
shaped flower, colour rich crimson. A companion
to the last-named is the old Roi des Prt^coces, one
of the brightest crimsons, following beautifully
after the finish of Harvest Home, of nice bushy
habit and free flowering.

These are a few of the good soits that every
garden should possess, being a selection in which
the shades of colour and variety in form are
pleasingly diverse. The N.C.S. would do well to
institute a class for about a dozen bunches of these
sorts at their October show another year.

D. B. CK.iNE.

ChTysantliemum Beauty cf Teignmouth.
— This Japanese variety is the best of its colour —
rich amaranth-crimson. The bloom is large and
capitally formed, and the growth dwarf, with
foliage of particularly large size. It probably
originated in Australia, Pride of Madford from
that source being the same thing. It has, how-
ever, been certificated under the former name. —
H. S.

New out-of-door Chrysanthemums.—
Mme. Casimir Perier is a reflexed Japanese
bloom reminding one very much of Golden
Christine in colour, with a gold and rose shading.
Ambroise Thomas has long thread-like petals,
orange-red, tinted with amber. In Lemon Queen
fully developed blooms are, as its name implies,
lemon-yellow, those unfolding are orange-yellow.
Ivy Stark is a seedling from Cornucopia : the
narrow petals orange amber, each one tipped with
gold.— E. M.

Chrysanthemum Souvenir de Petite
Amie.— I have often noted the fine qualities of
this variety. In habit of growth it is perfect, with
short stems, stiff shoots and capital foliage.
Plants that have been cut down are no more than
18 inches high, and studded with well-formed
flower- buds. Others which were planted in the
ground make fine bushy specimens potted up.
They scarcely feel the shift, so well does it root,
and when grown to produce large blooms this
kind is invariably picked out of a ccllection as
one of ideal growth. The flowers are pure white,

October 24, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

331

of recurving form and first-rate substance. When
better known it should take a leading position as
a market sort to bloom during October.— H.

Chrysanthemum W. H. Lincoln.— Although
this variety has been in cultivation a considerable
number of years, it should not be discarded in
favour of newer kinds. It is a fine amateur's
flower ; anyone may grow it successfully. It
matters little what bud is selected, all seem to
open well, and it may, by choosing these at dif-
ferent dates, be had in bloom from early October
up to Christmas. The yellow colour is pure and
the flowers of handsome shape. Its habit is ex-
cellent, strong and healthy looking. I saw plants
of it the other day barely 12 inches high from the
pot bearing nice blossoms. These, of course, were
cut down specimens. — H.

PROSPECTS OF THE SEASON.
The long spell of wet weather we have experienced
is certain to have a bad effect on the flowering of
Chrysanthemums, and I expect to find the blos-
soms of 1896 scarcely up to the average of last
year, when the flowers of the Japanese varieties
especially were of very high merit. Excesi
moisture has caused the top growth to run
soft and badly ripened, hence small blooms may
be looked for in the case o: those selected from
late-formed buds. Cultivators who have been con
tent to feed their plants moderately will, I should
say, get the best of matters when the final test
comes. From such plants we shall find that the
blossoms, if not unduly large, will be of good
substance and highly coloured, and free,
from damping.

Everywhere one may observe the growing
popularity of the ragged-shaped Japanese kinds,
which promise, indeed, to finally drive every other
class almost out of the field. I note also a grow-
ing dislike to the tall-growing sorts, any Chry-
santhemum plant that grows above 5 feet high
requiring so much labour in the way of securely
fastening, and inconvenience in doing the neces-
sary work of disbudding and so on.

It seems to me that the time has now come
when the floral committees ought to know more
about new varieties than is now the case. Some-
thing of the habit of growth should ba inquired
into before awards are made, so that buyers might
be spared an unusual number of disappointments.
It says much for the power of those bodies—
the RH.S. and N.C.S. committees — that
anything in the way of new Chrysanthemums
which gains their certificates is anxiously
sought over a very wide area. Another notable
fact is the ever-increasing number of boni'i fide
amateurs who grow the Chrysanthemum. This is
as it should be, but the most striking fact is that
they grow the flowers well. It is an admittedly
difficult subject to do, or at least I will not say
difficult, but one that requires a long season of
constant attention, and must therefore take a
considerable portion of the spare time of the
grower. That being so, I join with them in their
desire to get more inducements at the National
show than are now held out to them. The com-
plaint is general that at the forthcoming jubilee
exhibitions their needs are but scantily met. At
least a gold jubilee medal might have been
afforded the amateurs. It is unfair to think they
can exhibit in the large classes against the very
best growers. The conditions are so unequal that
the chances of success to the amateur are very
remote indeed. I fancy that in time the present
arrangements of Chrysanthemum shows will be
altered. Growers for sale should have an oppor-
tunity of exhibiting the flowers in a cut state
without coming into opposition with the private
grower, and these in turn may be prevented from
sweeping the board by some such rules as are
adopted with much success in the Rose-exhibiting
world.

New Chrysanthemums are not le?s numerous
this year than heretofore, and it would be well if
those who introduce novelties for the first time
into England would give some indication of the
characteristics of each plant, especially in its

growth or time of flowering. Thus disappoint-
ment would be prevented in the case of those
pay a considerable sum for a new sort and find at
the end of the season the same may require that
the plant be topped in early spring to obtain
specimen bloom. Up to the present lime there
has not been anything open ot wonderful excel
lence. Calvat's" Australian Gold gives every
promise of fulfilling expectations. Baronne Ad
de Rothschild, Western King, Simplicitj', M
Edouard Andre, Miss J. Lewis, and Ma Perfection
(incurved) are promising too. Th^se of last year,
such as M. Chenon de Ltiohe, Mme. E. CapiDant
Edith Tabor, and others are in the same category
Phu'bus is everywhere grand and is without doubt
a magnificent Chrysanthemum. Older sorts, like
Col. W. B. Smith, Lord Brooke, Hairy Wonder,
Edwin Molyneux, and Mme. Carnot, will keep
up their reputation as popular flowers. Mile.
Therese Rey, Viviand Morel, and Chas. Davis
appear less tine than usual. The Anemone pom
pons are not often seen, and it seems that whilst
the rage for large blooms lasts they must remain
in the background. H. T

INCURVED CHRYSANTHEMUMS.
It is pretty generally admitted that this class is
less well cultivated than even a few years back.
Why is this ? Not surely because their trim and
formal blossoms are unpopular, at least among
those growers who exhibit at shows. It is, I
know, the ambition of many to stage these in
their best form. It is agreed that the incurved
blooms try the skill and patience of the cultivator
to a greater degree than do those of any other
type. Since the introduction of so many marvel-
lous sorts of the Japanese class what florists call
perfect shaped blossoms like the Chinese Chry-
santhemums are gradually becoming over-
shadowed ; and the former have, I think, had some-
thing to do with the falling off in culture of the in-
curved flowers. The desire to obtain blooms of
huge dimensions has probably been the means of
a like ambition to get large size into the latter
type, consequently the plants are overgrown.
Coarse, soft stems will not produce fine incurved
Chrysanthemums. Blooms from such growth are
broad, it is true, but flat and ill-shapen. Those
growers who have excelled in obtaining fine speci-
mens have always been particular that ripe,
medium-sized stems should be sought. Again, 1
fancy topping the plants at certain stages of their
growth has latterly been too often the cause of
failure. This item was unknown to cultivators a
dozen years back. Firm potting, ordinary soil,
and a steady uninterrupted growth were the tenets
of culture then. A leading division of incurved
flowers is that known as the Queens. The first,
namely. Queen of England, was raised from seed
somewhere in the fifties. It sported a white,
named Empress of India, and a buff-yellow,
golden (,|ueen of England. These in turn
sported at various times, so that we have
now nearly a dozen in the family. Besides those
already named there are Golden Empress of India,
Lord Alcester, Alfred Salter, John Doughty, John
Lambert (an improved Golden Queen of England),
and Mrs. Robinson King. These are all distinct and
first-rate varieties. Good specimen blooms of this
class are not less than 5 inches across and nearly
4 inches deep. They should be solid and ball-
shaped, the petals clean, evenly arranged and of
good substance. Lord Alcester is perhaps the
most model-like of any. In fact it is the finest
incurved Chrysanthemum in cultivation.

It cannot be said that our new sorts reach the
above standard. Globe d'Or, Chas. H. Curtis, J.
Agate, and Major Bonaffon, were seen in good con-
dition last year, but not one of them is so perfect
a flower as a well grown " (^>ueen.'' Next in im-
portance is the group which has sprung from the
variety Princess of Wales. This is a particularly
neat set, good blooms of which are not so large as
in the foregoing, but scarcely less attractive.
Mrs. Heale, Miss M. A. Haggas, Mrs. J. Coleman,
Lucy Kendall, and Violet Tomlin are all distinct
flowers of the type. They have rather narrow

petals which build up into a shape slightly
pyramidal. Very strong plants of this family
seldom produce perfect flowers. From such we
usually find a superabundant number of florets ;
these refusing to open in a characteristic manner.
Of the Princess of Teck family there is also a long
list. Hero of Stoke Newington, Lady Dorothy,
Charles Gibson, and Mrs. Norman Davis are the
best. These varieties are somewhat late, and
consequently there is a difficulty in getting them
open in time for the early November shows.
1 hey are, however, so neat and pretty that every
ettbrt must be made to obtain them for exhibition.
The foliage of this group is very dense, and there-
fore it is needful to give them the sunniest posi-
tions during summer for the purpose of obtaining
ripe growth. I would grow them near a wall if
possible. Jeanne d'Arc and Brookleigh Gem are
also two good sorts, but from early buds the
flowers are rot of nice shape. Mme. Darner is one
of the few excellent kinds raised in France during
recent years. Lord Wolseley, Prince Alfred,
Robert Petfield, Nil Desperandum, and a few
others are first-rate varieties.

Incurved Chrysanthemums are deficient in
colour, that is, there are no rich crimsons and
similar shades among them, Mons. R. Bahuant,
Refulgens, Baron Hirsch, C. B. Whitnall, and
the like being far from perfect types of the flower.
Mrs. R.C. Kingston, of American origin, is not at all
a bad sort of recent raising, but as 1 have already
remarked, the advance in superior kinds is very
slow. I have seen several collections of Chrysan-
themums where incurved varieties are well repre-
sented, and, I think, in better condition than
usual. The large Jubilee class of the National
Society should prove tempting and bring good
coin petition, although sixty specimens of incurved
blooms is a number that will tax the resources,
not to say the patience, of even the largest
growers. C. W.

LAROE CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN VASES.
Althoui;!! the display of Chrysanthemums at the
October show of the National Chrysanthemum
Societv- was considered, by those competent to
re, to be of a somewhat meagre character,
chore were features in the exhibition which

pecially deserved the attention of those who
have the best interests of the society, and also
the flower, at heart. That to which 1 more par-
ticularly refer is to the class in which two vases
of Chrysanthemums, each to contain twelve large
flowering varieties, with suitable foliage in addi-
tion, were asked for. This class was only insti-
ted last year, but the present year has shown
the wisdom of retaining it in the schedule.
There were in all five competitors, and the dis-
play made by the ten vases was certainly interest-
ing. Vases of different designs and patterns
were utilised, a pair of oriental vases of large size
being most conspicuous. Flowers of handsome
form and large size were arranged with grace and
beauty, a proper regard for a pleasing blending
of the colours being in most instances observable.
Perhaps some of the vases were rather smaller
than the merits of the case deserved, a larger
being calculated to set the blossoms off to
greater advantage. The addition of bright pieces
of autumnal foliage, as well as a number of bright
green fronds of Ferns, Asparagus, and similar
material, enhanced the beauty of the arrange-
ment very considerably. The long drooping
foliage of Ampelopsis, .Smilax, and other elegant
hanging material could not be used with advan-
tage in the smaller vases, and consequently a
finishing touch seemed lacking. The large
oriental vases already alluded to were the excep-
tion, and in these the drooping foliage and some
prettily toned Bracken lent attractiveness to the
picture. Apart from this one failing the display
was highly meritorious, and emphasises the
necessity for giving still further encouragement
to this form of exhibiting large Chrysanthemum
flowers. There is little doubt that the general
public are interested in this more natural
system of exhibiting the blossoms, as by its

832

THE GABDEN.

[October 24, 1896.

adoption the value of large flowers for filling
vases as drawing-room decorations, and also
for sideboard use, is clearly demonstrated.
After all, the majority of people prefer to
grow their flowers for the pleasure they derive
from seeing them in their own homes arranged in
a variety of ways. At each of the Jubilee shows
there are classes of a similar character, and others
in which the useful little pompon flowers are pro-
vided for. Gkower.

New Chrysanthemums.— Xew varieties are
always interesting, especially when their source
is a well-known one. From France we have of
late years been accustomed to obtain varieties
which show a distinct advance on existing kinds,
to wit, Mme. Carnot, M. Chenon de Leche,
Reine d'Angleterre, le Moucherette, and Directeur
Tisserand. This year we are promised several
new kinds, some of which cannot fail to be of in-
terest, and useful, not only to the e.xhibitor, but to
those who love fully developed blooms for home
decoration only. Mme. Gustave Henry promises
to become an aciiuisition to an already long list
of Japanese varieties. The opening blooms
remind one somewhat of those of Stanstead White
in its best form. The long semi-incurving florets
are creamy white. The bloom when fully devel-
oped promises to be extra large, and. what is an
important phase in this variety, such blooms are
produced by plants under a yard high. M. E.
Rosette is unique in the length of its peduncles,
plants growing but '.i feet high have the flower
stem nearly as long as the plant itself. The
florets are narrow, twisting irregularly and fluted.
The colour is pleasing, opening sulphur white and
changing to pure white. Le Chartreux belonjrs
to the .Japanese incurved section, perhaps it is
too much of that form to be really efl'ective. The
colour — rose-pink, silver reverse, is pleasing. We
have none too many bronze - yellow i flowered
varieties even in the Japanese section ; therefore
Roger de Cheielles will be welcomed if its ulti-
mate development warrants its present form.
The florets are semi-incurved, the bloom of large
size. Edith Tabor promises to maintain the
high opinion formed of it last year. It is of easy
growth, as a yellow flowering variety it will be
conspicuous in many winning stands this season
Amongst early flowering Japanese varieties Bar
bara Forbes is an acquisition, the creamy white
loosely incurving florets form a massive bloom th
first week in October, or even during the last half
of September.

SHOUT NOTES.— CHRYSANTHEMUMS.

Chrysanthemum Comtesse Foucher de

Cariel.— The cMour of this early-flowering sort is a
terra-cotta bronze. It has a dwarf , bushy habit, and
is altogether an acceptable variety for outdoor growth.

Chrysanthemum Surprise.— This variety,
though not thought highly of last year, has developed
into one of the best of its type, a deep reflexed Japan-
ese bloom of a briijht amaranth colour. The plant
doea not grow 3 feet high.

Chrysanthemum Mile. Eulalie Morel.-
This is a first-rate early-flowering variety. It grows
in a bushy form about 2 feet in height, the blooms well
formed and of good size. In colour, its shades of
mauve and yellow make a pretty contrast.

Chrysanthemum Oceana.— This Australian
variety promises well. It is a large, broad-petalled,
incnrving Japinese. The colour, bright yellow, is
clear, and thi- flowers have a beautiful finish. In habit
of growth it is dwarf and strong, with nice dark green
foliage.

Chrysanthemum Emily Silsbury.— This
Engli.ih raised sort is valuable for blooming in Octo-
ber. I should, however, think more of it if the con-
stitution of the plant were a little stronger. The
flower is large, well formed, and the petals are of un-
usual sabstance. Colour creamy white. — S.

Chrysanthemum Pallanza.— This variety
and Sunflower (an old favourite) are so much alike
that it will be unwise to exhibit them in the same
stand as distinct sorts, that is when grown from early
buds. From late ones Pallanza is deeper in colonr

ban the variety

I also less droojiing in form.

Chrysanthemum Mme. Gustave Henri is

among the first of M. Calvat's IS'JG varieties that has
been exhibited. The blooms are large and deep, the
florets having a tendency to curl at the tips, thus
forming a loosely. in curving flower ; colour creamy-
tinted white. Its habit is dwarf and altogether excel-
lent.

Ch'veanthemum Byecroft Glory —As a
bronze-yellow for October flowering, this kind has no
equal, that is for the supply of a quantity of medium-
sized blooms. The plant forms a handtome bush and
is of easy culture. I would strongly recommend this
to anyone for general growth as a pot plant. The
variety does not lend itself to the production of large
blossoms.- H.

Chrysanthemum Phoebus.— In every collec-
tion I have seen this year this tine yellow sort :s most
promising. It is easily distingoished by the paiticu-
larly dark green foliage, and its blooms are opening
witli regulftrity. The fine pearly finish to its florets
is another characteristic. Its drooping formation is a
type most esteemed, and it should be seen in abund-
ance at the coming exhibitions. — S.

Chrysanthemum M. Cbenon de Leche.—
Among the newer varieties I expect this to come to
the front. The combination of its colours makes the
shade known as crnshed-strawberry. Tt has a very
dwarf habit of growth. The flowers, recurved in
form, are very large and handsome. Jlany plants of it
are barely 2 feet high, so that tho;e who object to
tall sorts should make a note of this, one of the best
Chrysanthemums yet raised.— S.

Chrysanthemum Mutual F/iend.— This is
an excellent white variety. The flowers open with a
slight tinge of pink in the petals which gradually
fades, and they finish very pure in colour. Not the
least of the merits of this sort is its dwarf habit of
growth and capital foliage. I have tried it planted
in the open for the purpose of litting. It seems use-
ful for the purpose, and lifts with a good ball. The
form of the bloom is broad and spreading, hut not
overdeep.-II.

Flowerless creepers. —Having recently paid
a visit to the south coast and the Isle of Wight,
I have been wondering how the sea-side towns
and villages there would look if devoid of the
fresh and green or golden colouring of the various
kinds of Japanese Euonymus so extensively used
there on cottages, villas and bare walls generally.
These Euonj muses form quite a feature near the
sea and withstand gales and salt fpray at times
when most other wall shrubs succumb or are ren-
dered leafless and bare. But we have a host of other
tine-foliaged climbers, such as Aristolochia Sipho
and the great-leaved Vine of Japan (Vitis Coig-
neti*), that could not well be spared from our
gardens, and one shudders to think what Lon-
don and its suburbs would be without the Vir-
ginian Creeper or the Vine. One of the freshest
and best of all wall shrubs is the common Fig

tree, and seeing the luxuriant way in which
thrives in the close and dusty areas, even in the
very heart of the city, the wonder is that it has
not been more generally planted. The Fig and
the Mulberry are without doubt two of the best
of town trees for limited areas where something
green is required. — Veronic.v.

Damage by water rats.— On pajre 248 a
note appears alluding to the destruction of the
newer Water Lilies by rats, which, where they
abound, create havoc not only in the water and
bog garden, but also in the herbaceous border. In
my own garden these pests used to bite ott' the
fronds of Osmunda regalis, that grew by the side
of a streamlet, apparently from sheer love of mis-
chief, as the fronds were left where they fell, the
stems being simply gnawed through. Harts-
tongue Ferns were also treated in a similar
manner, and Hemerocallis and Leucojum astivum
growing on the bank, were also attacked. A
large clump of the variegated Water Flag, which
grew close by the side of the opening through
which the water made its underground exit from
the garden, was bitten off about 4 inches from the
ground level during an autumn night. In all the
foregoing instances the plants, being rarely more
than 1 foot from the water, were within easy reach

of the rats. One December's night, however, the
ravagers made a foray in the herbaceous border
111 yards distant, where they dug up and carried
away a batch cf Campanula pyramidalis that had
been planted two months earlier for flower-
ing during the ensuing ^ear. In all cases but
one, where a portion of the root was left, not a
vestige of the plants was to be s^en in the border,
but a few leaves by the runnel's side betrayed the
identity of the delinijuents. This occurrence
altered my views as to the wanton destruction
theory, the roots being evidently carried off to pro-
vision the waterside larder. Where water-rats
are not resident in a garden, but arrange incur-
sions from neighbouring territory, it is difficult to
make much impression on their numbers : at
least, this has been my experience. — S. W. F.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1089.

CUSHION IRISES.

(with A COLOURED I'LATE OF IRIS ATROFV.SCA.*)

These Cushion Irises as a general rule are only
rarely grown with continued success. Yet their
beauty is so great that some enthusiasts con-
tinue to experiment year by year in the hope
that they will render the culture of these lovely
flowers fairly easy. It was by mere accident
that, upwards of twenty years ago, I got what
proved a valuable hint with regard to this very
group of Irises. The species was the well-
known Susiana, and, anxious to do my best
with it, I had given the plants special treat-
ment and grown them in pots. 1 had only a
few plants at the time, and though some made
capital growth, I was not successful in getting
even one flower. Late in spring, however, the
frame that had protected the plants during
winter was required for other things and the
plants were placed outside. By some means
two of the plants were turned on their sides,
and possibly were in this position for some con-
siderable time, but on being discovered they
were decidedly superior to those plants which
had been receiving more or less daily attention,
and where a more or less growing state had
been kept up. When later in the year the
plants were repotted, the difl'ereuce was so
marked in these two plants that I was naturally
led to consider the advisability of drying the
plants ofi' periodically, with the best results.
In May, 1875, I exhibited, as one of eighteen
plants at South Kensington, a specimen of I.
iberica (unfortunately reported as Iberis at the
time) with eleven expanded flowers and others
to follow. The plants were lifted from a bed I
had treated in the following manner : Having
regard to the dwarf stature of the plant and
the admirable way in which I had noted some
of the commoner kinds of dwarf Iris succeed
as edgings, the soil given to I. iberica was,
when trodden down firm, only about 3 inches
deep. This amount of .'oil, placed on a hard
coal ash bottom, was made very firm, and when
finished, the surface above the surrounding
level would be about 5 inches or (i inches.
About 100 plants were included in the original
planting, and in the first season made fair pro-
gress. The second year the plants had formed
compact little tufts, some of which carried as
many as four of their dwarf spikes, exceedingly
beautiful amid the gracefully arching leaves of
this species. The position these occupied was
in full suD, the surface slightly sloping, and the
soil pure loam, with brick and old mortar

* Drawn for The G.41iden by II. G. Moon in
Mr. Perry's nursery, Winehmore Hill. Lithographed
and printed by J. L. Goflart, successor to GuiUaume
Bevereyns.

IRIS ATROFUSCA

OcTOBKR 24, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

333

Tubbish added. In planting, care was taken they may be planted later with success, it would
to make the surrounding soU as hard as not be advisable to start much earlier than the
possible without injuring the tiny rhizomes, time named. Exceptionally firm planting I am
Very solid planting and only a minimum of soil, inclined to regard as most important, and for
so to speak, and this by no means rich, are those I have grown I have closely practised it.
points of considerable importance in their cul- so much so indeed, that upon more than one
ture. Indeed, in this connection I have won- occasion I have trodden down the soil between
dered whether anyone has attempted to grow the rows of the small-growing I. iberica. A
any of these Cushion Irises as an edging against solitary tuft of this dainty gem among Irises
the gravel path. Take I. nudicaulis and others may be grown wedged as it were between two
near akin, all of which I have seen flowering small blocks of sandstone, the two blocks de-
each year in this very position, and always in scending say a foot into the earth, and meeting
much finer condition than in any border or pre- in wedge shape below would form a cavity for
pared ground. Of course, I. nudicaulis is so the ^soil and the plant, while above, a small
distinct and so easily grown anywhere, that I piece of glass would throw off the wet when
by no means pretend to compare it with any this was not required by the plant.
of the lovely things in the Oncocyclus group. To attempt to describe the lovely forms of
There is another point that I do not remember these Cushion Irises is next to impossible,
-to have seen noted, and that is the desire to The year 1896 has been especially fruitful in
seek the side of some hard substance. For in- exhibits of these, several kinds having been ex-
stance, iu growing I. Susiana in pots, placing hibited at the Temple show, Mr. Lynch bring-
three of its roots in a 0-inch or
7-inch pot, I have always put the
.Showing point near the side of the
pot, and invariably I find the roots
descend down the side, so much
so that the majority of the root
fibres occupy this position. It is
not a rich or elaborate mixture of
soil that these beautiful Irises re-
quire so much, perhaps, as distinct
treatment while growingand equally
so while resting. And, again, the
soils of various gardens, as also the
gardens themselves, are so varied,
that what could safely be recom-
mended for one may mean utter
failure in another with such fasti-
dious subjects as these Irises. In
a garden where the soU is mostly
clay and very heavy and retentive,
I would raise the bed in which
they were intended to be grown
at least 0 inches, and further by
means of a good hard bottom of
coal ashes, or the like, endeavour
that the Iris roots should be kept
from contact with the clay. Such
a raised bed, or a contrivance of
a very similar kind surrounded by
boards or planks 0 inches deep, may
■often have been seen in hardy plant
nurseries. Two of these, one
above the other, will admit of the

necessary amount of soil, the drainage be- | ing from Cambridge the lovely I. Korolkowi
low, and head-room above to place a spare light from Turkestan, as well as the beautiful I. Lor-
over the subjects when signs of maturity | teti, best described, perhaps, as a pink Susiana.
arrived ; or the plants may at planting time be j The flower is of noble size and of unique beauty,
so arranged that a handlight may be placed over A monster flower of this same kind came also
each kind separately. In the light soU ot the j from Mr. G. F. Wilson, Weybridge. These
Cambridge Botanic Garden, Mr. Lynch did not, ' magnificent flowers were a great attraction,
at least some years ago, find it necessary to and, judging by the somewhat deeper tone of
raise the soil, but planted on the ordinary level colour, andassuming that the flowers were from

ported plants, the difl'erence in colour aS'ords
me hope of their being seedlings. And if

ion for I. iberica, I.lGatesi, I. lupina, I. Korol-
i, I. Leichtlini and others. I. atrof usca, a new
species, is beautifully depicted in the plate with
the present issue. At a glance the character-
istic shortness of the falls, as also the greater size
and breadth of the erect segments, can be seen.
The falls are of a rich dark velvet and the
standards of mahogany and claret, passing away
to lighter shades as varied as they are remark-
able. The new-comer possesses a vigorous
habit and is said to attain 3 feet high. It will
doubtless prove a useful addition to this very
remarkable section of the Iris family.

E. J.

Iris atrofmsca.

several kinds with a fair amount of success.
covering them with bell-glasses during the rest-
ing season. Had I a choice of positions I
■would certainly select the raised border with a
sunny aspect, and where I could deluge my
plants with water in March, AprU, and May,
should this be needful, and yet feel that it

this be so, it is just possible that when we come
to raise these lovely things from seed ripened
in this country the seedlings may assume a
greater vigour of growth as well as of constitu-
tion, and be more easily cultivated generally

would quickly pass away without in any way ' than is now the case. On May 5 last, at
souring the soil. The soil may be very gritty Drill Hall, Professor Foster exhibited a most
loam, one freely charged with road sweepings or interesting series of hybrids of these flowers,
■charcoal dust will do well, or failing this some Some of the finest forms of this lovely group
pounded brick and mortar rubbish will answer have been referred to of late, but the most
the same purpose. In some districts burnt encouraging news is contained in The
ballast is abundant, and this is excellent for Garden of May 30 (p. 413) of the present
many things that are not the easiest of subjects year, having reference to their success in the
to manage. north of England. Itesides those already named

Then as to time of planting, from the begin- in these notes that should be in every collection
ning to the end of October is good, and thcu^h ; of these plants, are I. paradoxa, a nice com-

The Week's Work.

HARDY FRUITS.
Gooseberries. — In every garden there should
always be a good quantity ot these. The large
early ones come in for gathering when green ;
some are valuable for dessert when ripe, while
others are useful for preserving. In some gardens
it is difficult to find room to grow everything re-
quired, as the demand farexcesds the convenience
for production ; but with a little forethought it
is astonishing what an amount may be grown on
a limited space. If cordons are planted against
low fences or along the edges of walks, they take
up but little room and will give a quantity of fruit.
As the season has now arrived for taking such
work in hand, it is advisable to consider the best
form of tree to plant, with a view to securing the
greatest possible return. It is a common practice
to see cordons of both Apples and Pears growing
alongside the garden paths as espaliers. If some
of such space were devoted to Gooseberries they
could be readily netted, and therefore made proof
against birds where these are troublesome. It is,
however, necessary to protect the buds as well as
the fruit if there is to be a full crop. If trees are
up on single stems they should be planted
about 15 inches apart in the row, that the air and
light may have full play on the fruit. I should,
however, prefer to plant two rows 30 inches apart ;
these could then be easily protected with small
meshed wire netting. Where room can be afforded
cordons should also be planted on north walls and
similar positions where the fruit can be protected
from the autumnal rains. Before planting, the
ground should be dseply dug and well manured, for
"tis astonishing the amount of nourishment a heavy
crop of Gooseberries requires, and unless the soil
is fertile the trees soon get worn out, therefore
require replanting. Where there has been a severe
attack of the saw-fly, it is a good plan to take up
the bushes and remove the surface soil from about
their roots, after which they ought to be taken to
a fresh piece of ground and replanted, the ground
on which they were growing being trenched, that
all larviv may be turned under to a considerable
depth. Where the bushes are not removed it is a
good plan to dig amongst them and turn the
pupa' of these under, then, if a mulch is put on it
is seldom they find their way through. The
pruning of (iooseberries may be commenced at
any time, the bushes being afterwards dressed
with soot and lime to make the buds bitter and
destroy the scale, should there be any. It will be
necessary to repeat the dressing should birds be
troublesome.

Raspberries. — Where not already done, the
old canes of these should be at once removed and
a sufficient quantity of the young ones selected to
take their places. Do not attempt to shorten
them at the present time, as this would in all
probability cause the top buds to push should the
autumn be mild. When planted in clumps, four
or five of the best canes should be selected, and
these should be tied up, first ascertaining if the
stakes are sound. All suckers between the rows
should then be dug up and the ground given a
good top-dressing. Where single rows are grown
I a selection of the best canes should be made, and
these being tied up, all others ought to be re-

334

THE GARDEN.

[October 24, 1896.

moved. Young plantations may now bo made,
choosing short, well-ripened canes for that pur-
pose. Of varieties I have tried, none excel
Superlative. Raspberries like rich, fertile ground
and plenty of room, that the canes may become
well ripened. For these who only want a limited
ciuantity, a single row running north and south
will be sutiicient.

MoRKixo CuKKKiKS.— Trees of these growing
against north walls should receive attentiun at the
first favourable opportunity, and before the
weather gets too cold. As soon as the leaver have
fallen the trees should be taken down, that both
they and the wall may be washed to free them
from insect pests that may be lurking in aiiy
crevices. Do not attempt to draw the nails, as
this would in all probability make holes in the
walls, which would form a harbour for other
pests. If they are given a gentle tap on one side
they will break oil clote to the brickwork, in
this way no dietigurement will be caused ; whereas
if they are drawn out, small portions of the bricks
and mortar are brought with them, causing the
face of the wall in the course of a few years
to present a dilapidated appearance. Many of
the nails may be used over again if they are
heated sufficiently to destroy injects. The walls
should be thoroughly washei with a strong solu-
tion of some insecticide or soft soap water, to which
a little petroleum has been added, taking care to
work it well into all crevices. The wood, too,
should be carefully paint ed with the same solution,
after which nailing may be commenced. To some
this may seem a waste of time, but from experience
I find tliat trees so treated are seldom attacked to
any extent with the black fly the followin;j: season.
Having secured the leading branches, which
should radiate as evenly as possible from the
main stem, the side shoots may ne.xt be laid in.
If the trees have been properly looked after dur-
ing the summer no pruning will be needed, but if
this has been neglected, then it will be found that
two or three shoots have usually sprung from the
leading bud of the previous year, and will be at
the base of this season's growth. Most, if not all,
of these should be removed. I am no advocate
for spurring Morello Cherries, and, therefore, re-
commend ttiat all such shoots be cut off close to
the old wood ; in this way the trees are kept close to
the wall and the fruit far better protected. Each
growth ought to be allowed a distance of at least
3 inches from its neighbour, so that before com-
mencing to nail, a calculation should be made to
eee that there is sutiicient wood to cover the space
evenly, that when finished the tree may present a
uniform appearance. When all the leading
branches have been nailed in, commence at their
tips to lay in the side shoots and so work your
way down to the base. In nailing it should
always be borne in mind that the wood has to
swell ; therefore sufficient room should be left in
the shreds for that purpose. The nails, too,
ought always to be driven into the wall on the
opposite side of the shoots to which it has a ten-
dency to grow, that its pressure may be on the
shred instead of the nail. It is a great mistake
to use more shreds than are actually necessary to
keep the tree to the wall, they being a harbour
for all kinds of pests. Stout wood should either
be made secure with narrow leather shreds or
golden Willows ; the latter if used green may be
tied like a piece of string, and last for one season
When finished the trees ought to present a neat
and even appearance, all the shoots being quite
straight ; the points of them ought to be so placed
that if extended an indefinite length they would
not come into contact with each other. When
walls are wired for Morello Cherries, the wires
ought not to be at a greater distance from each
other than 4 inches, otherwise it necessitates the
use of a considerable amount of twine to keep the
shoots straight. In tying them in care must be
taken not to tie them too tightly, or the material
used will cut into the wood. Where it is con-
templated planting trejs against walls sufficient
space should be allowed between them to admit
ot an extensive growth. Those planted against a
wall 16 feet high here ten years ago have reached

the top and their shoots meet, though the trees
are 30 feet apart, thus showing the necessity for
ample space. These trees are covered every sea-
son with fruit from their tips to their trunks
even when severe frosts have been experience '

pring.

H. C. Prinski'.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
Root mors. — The lifting and storing of the least
hardy members of the root crops will now claim
early attention, and on the means employed de-
pends largely the quality of the roots later on
when these form to a great extent the mainstay
of the garden. It often happens that well-grown
roots are spoiled in quality by the methods used
or the time chosen for storing. As a general rule
the later these can be left in the ground untouched
the better they will be, and as a matter of fact
such things aa Jerusalem Artichokes, Parsnips,
Salsafy, fccorzonera, and Chinese Artichokes are
best when taken direct from the ground to the
kitchen, and as these are all thoroughly hardy
this is the best course to pursue until alter the
turn of the year with all such, simply covering on
the approach of severe frost a sufficient portion of
each plot with a few inches of long litter, enough
to keep the frost out of the ground and to make
lifting an easy matter. Those roots, however,
which have to be dealt with now are

Cakrots. — These should be lifted on a dry day
and when the soil is in a sufficiently dry state to
allow the roots to be lifted clean. Careful lifting
is requisite to prevent bruised or broken roots.
The leaves should be cut oti close to the crown
and the roots sorted over, putting all those which
show signs of incipient decay at the crown or
traces ol injury from grubs — in fact, all roots
which are in any way damaged, on one side for
present use in soups, &o., only reserving those for
the store proper which are perfect in all ways.
Where there is a properly constructed root cellar,
i.e., one which is cool, dry, and not too airy, the
roots may be at once packed neatly in this, but
such cellars are not common, and other means
have to be lound in the majority of gardens. The
best alternative, and one which keeps the roots
equally well, if not better than most root stores,
is to build them in the form of a clamp, as recom-
mended a week or two back for Potatoes, choos-
ing for the purpose the coolest available spot on a
dry bottom, where shelter from rain or snow is
possible. I do not practise the method generally
recommended of putting sand or dry earth among
the roots, but give particular attention to careful
building of the clamp in sharp- pitched ridge form,
with the crowns of tne roots all looking outwards
and fitting them all as closely together as may be.
Only when the roots are touched liy the grub do
I pack anything between them, but in sucn a case
I give, and recommend others to give, a good
heavy dusting of dry wood ashes as each layer of
roots is put on ; this prevents the injury from
spreading further, or at least from spreading
rapidly. As a covering to the roots I use
Bracken, which is further covered with soil, and
enough is put on to prevent evaporation and
consequent shrivelling, which would spoil the
cjuality.

Beet is treated in much the same fashion, but
the leaves are wrung, not cut off, as cutting
would cause bleeding and thus spoil both colour
and texture, and for tbe same reason increased
care must be taken not to bruise or break any
portion of the main root. Should the roots have
tangs these should not be removed at the time of
pulling the crop, for the more nearly entire the
roots can be stored the better they will be when
cooked. Long Beet that has been well clamped
up is generally pronounced to be of better
(juality than new roots of the Turnip rooted sec-
tion, thoretore I take extra pains to bring them
through in plump condition, and bridge the
season with the long varieties only. Any coarse
or overgrown rooti should lie discarded before
storing, as such are never satisfactory, and I am

glad to find that these are not so cDmmon as
they were last year.

TiKNii-s.— Only those Turnips which are full
grown should be lifted and stored as yet, and un-
" 3SS this is the caee with the bulk of the crop,
ery little trouble need be taken with them, as
early stored Turnips rarely remain of good quality
for long, and it is far better to depend on those
ater roots which are still not fully grown. Big
roots cannot, however, lia kept in the ground

ithout quickly becoming spoiled, and the or-
dinary garden Turnips are especial sinners in this
way, as they soon get woolly and dry, so it is
better to get them up, tiim off the tops close
down to the crown and place them in a heap,

here they may be covered with a sufficient thick-
ness of dry leaves to prevent them from shrivelling,
nd used from as occasion offers as long as they
keep good and crisp. White skinned Turnips
have run pretty much to leaf growth during the
recent dull, wet weather, and the best keeping
variety will probably be, as, indeed, it usually is.
Chirk Castle Black Stone, which is forming excel-
lent roots and burying itself under the surface in

i characteristic manner.

Globe Artichokes. — The growth of these
plants like that of most others has baen gross and
sappy during the past few weeks, and the plants
are being, in consequence, liut ill-prepared to go
safely through a severe or even a wet winter.
Few plants vary so much when raised from seeds
as do these, and the chances are that fully 75 per
t. raised in this way will be worthless, so that
it is bad policy to depend on seedlings, and
once a really good strain is secured, it should not
lost sight of. Where there is any danger of
the plants dying out if left in the open during
winter, as they sometimes will in low-lying cold
districts, strong offsets should be taken off now
from the established stools, potted up, and
wintered in a cool and dry house or frame, where
they will be safe from drip, and can be protected
from very severe frost. The suckers should be
taken otlwith a few roots attached, and potting,
unless the potting soil is quite dry, should not
be done until all bleeding from the point of sever-
ance has ceased. It will be well also to dust a,
little dry lime on the cut surface, as this will pre-
vent decay. Another method of preserving a
choice stock of these Artichokes is to lift whole
stools and winter them in boxes under glass, or
the stools may simply be packed close together
and have their roots covered with dry soil or coal
ashes. This, however, is a laborious method,
especially when the stools are old and big ; but it
has its advantages, as the suckers can be taken off
from the stools and potted in the spring, when
they will be more certain to succeed than they are
when taken off at this time of the year. As re-
gards the treatment of old stools left to winter
in the open, I do not advise that these shall be
protected for some weeks to come, for when the
protecting material is put on early it is apt to get
eoddened, and in this state is far more dangerous
to the plants than full exposure would be. Heads
which are fully grown or big enough for use should
be cut on a dry day and put in a cool place,
where they will remain for several days fit for use.
Parsley. — At this time of the year the older
Parsley leaves frequently fog ofif, and if they are
left on the plants the injury spreads to the younger
sprays. It is an excellent plan to go over the
breadths now and pick off as many of the older
leaves as can be spared, leaving the plants with a
somewhat bare appearance, from which, however,
they soon recover. This denuding plants of foliage
seems on the face of it fjuite wrong, and would be
so with most plants, but with Parsley it only
appears to give a decided impetus to the forma-
tion of new leaves, which will remain green and
bright throughout the winter.

L,i\M. —October is by far the best month in
which to cut and stack loam, especially where this
can be got from a recently-fed pasture ground;
and I advise that the work be seen to as soon
as may be, as the soil will then become mellow arid
pleasant to work with by the time it is wanted in
bulk next spring. J- C. Tall.\ck.

October 24, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

335

SEPTEMBER IN SOUTH DEVON.
DcKiNii the past September, rain has fallen on
twenty eight of the thirty days to the amount of
5-4o inches, against 0 28 of an inch on two days in
September, 1895, and an average for the month
of '2'23 inches. In the first nine months of the
present year 14 62 inches have fallen, against
16 83 inches for the same period in 1895, and an
average of 23'04 inches, so that during the past
month we have pulled up 3 22 inches on the
average fall for the nine months, and .j'lT inches
on the 1S95 fall, which latter we are now but 2 '21
inches behind. In the first nine months of 1895
there were ninety rainy days, while this year
there have been 108 in the same period. The
mean temperature for the past month has been
519^, which is 0'3'-' below the average for Septem-
ber, and 3 0° below the reading, 60 9", for the
month in 1895. The lowest temperature in the
screen was 45 6" on the 21st, the lowest on the
grass, 40 4°, being recorded on the same date.
The highest screen reading was 67 '1° on the 26th,
and the highest in the sun 114 0° on the lOrh.
The mouth has been a very sunless one, only 105
hours' sunshine having been registered, compared
with an average of 164 hours 25 minutes, and a
record for September, 1895, of 213 hours 45
minutes. For the whole nine months we fall
slightly below the average of 14S0 hours 10
minutes, 1409 hours 25 minutes having been re-
corded during the present year, and the unusual
amount of 1644 hours 15 minutes in 1895. The
wind has been particularly boisterous, the total
movement being 8689 miles against 3175 miles for
September, 1895. The greatest movement re-
corded in the day was 784 miles on the 25th, and
the greatest hourly rate was reached between
2 and 3 p m. on the same date, when a speed of
46 miles was attained, the velocity in some of the
gusts, however, running up to a rate of between
70 and SO miles per hour. The direction of
the gale, which was the heaviest of the year, was
from west to north-west. During 25 days in
the past month the wind has been from south
or west, and for the remaining five days north to
east. The total horizontal movements for the
nine months have been 58,584 miles in the present
year, and 56,920 miles in 1895. The mean
humidity of the month has been 87 per cent.,
against 80 per cent, in September, 1S95. The
ozone percentage, 66 7, ranged fiom 5 per cent,
with east wind to 85 with south-west. The gale
of the 25th wrought dire havoc in the garden.
Tall Starworts and perennial Sunflowers were
levelled to the ground, climbing Roses and
creepers of all descriptions were torn from the
walls, while the tuberous Begonias, then a
glorious breadth of scarlet, were torn bodily from
their bed and scattered broadcast on the lawn.
The wind, which during the night had blown
from the south-west, veered with daylight to
north-west, and, with the mercury rising at the
rate of one-tenth of an inch per hour, roared down
the deep valley with ever- increasing force, the
crash of falling trees and the rending of giant
branches rising ever and anon above the tumult
of the storm, that before it moderated, which it
did during the afternoon, had blocked all the in-
tersecting roads with prone trunks and torn limbs
of Elm and Oak, while the lanes were littered with
£ull-foliaged boughs and myriads of scattered
leaves. On examining the effects of the gale, one
was struck by the seemingly capricious manner in
which the wind had used its strength ; here, in an
apparently sheltered corner surrounded by neigh-
bouring trees, some of which had been broken by
its fall, lay a large uptorn Elm, while just in the
track of the storm an eciually fine specimen was
not bereft of a single branch. Elms, which
flourish in large quantity in this locality, were the
chief sufferers, and in an adjacent park the sym-
metry of many noble specimens which are still
standing has been ruined by the loss of huge
limbs, while in this respect some of the old Oaks
have also fared badly, and Spanish Chestnuts
have suffered serious disfigurement. The Ashes,
of which there are several fine examples around,
show but scant sign of damage, the tempes.

meeting with but little resistance as it tore through
their loose-spreading branches. A fine Sycamore
with a wide spreading and thickly-growing head,
which stood alone on a hillside exposed to the full
force of the gale, was absolutely unharmed, though
at times, as a more furious gust than usual caught
its heavy top, it seemed as though it must be lifted
bodily out of the ground.

The Michaelmas Daisies have afforded their
ever-attractive display in the garden. The large
flowers of Aster Amellus bessarabicus are a great
advance on those produced by the type. A.
Novi-Belgii Archer-Hind, Robert Parker and
Harpur-Crewe are exceedingly handsome, though
this September the two former had not attained
the zenith of their beauty when the storm swept
down upon them, of which attack not even the
most careful re-arrangement of shoots and addi-
tional deftly hidden supports have obUterated the
effect. A. niveus and A. polyphyllus, or a Star-
wort that I have under that name, are two good
whites coming into bloom slightly later than
Harpur-Crewe, while Pluto and Flora, different
shades of lavender-purple, form fine masses of col
our. The lovely A. ericoides, with its spreading
shoots studded with minute white blossoms, should
be in every garden, and A. cordifolius elegans, not
far removed from ericoides in habit of growth and
having flowers of light lilac, is almost equally
charming. A. diffusus horizontalis has less beauty
to recommend it, but as an old-fashioned flower
is probably to be found in more cottage gardens
than any other Starwort, thoueh in some districts
the native A. (or Chrysocoma) linosyiis, commonly
called Goldilocks, runs it hard. A. dumosus
very dwarf growing variety, often not exceeding
1 foot in height, does well in the rock garden,
producing a solid mass of flowers, haunted
throughout the day by an ever-shifting company
of l.)ees. One of the finest Asters is A. puniceus
pulcherrimus, a strong-growing variety that bears
a profusion of blossoms of a faint lilac, almost ap
preaching white in colour. The individual flowers
areofgoodsubstanceandsizeandaremany-pe tailed.
Whilst writing on this Aster I ma}- mention
that if Starworts are used for indoor decoration,
for which their exquisite colour gradations and
the grace of their tall branching flower-shoots
render them so well fitted, the stems should be
split up for some inches with a sharp knife into
four sections before they are inserted in vs
Happening the other day to place a spray of the
last-named Aster in water without splitting thi
stem, I found the next morning the flowers with
limp and drooping petals, an eyesore rather than
an object of beauty ; removing the spray, I treated
it as before described, with the result that by
evening the flowers had regained their freshr
which they subsequently retained for six days.
The Novie-Anglia; section of the Asters, which
often expand their blooms so tardily that they
are marred by frost, forwarded by the hot
summer, commenced to flower freely in Sep
tember. Ruber, a red, and Melpomene, a dark
purple, are two of the best of this section
Achillea ptarmica fl.-pl. The Pearl has not been
flowerless, and the white Japanese Anen
Honorine Jobert has provided a constant supply
of snowy blossoms for the house. Campanula
turbinata and its white variety have given a
sparse autumnal blooming, and here and there a
stray Delphinium spire towers aloft in the herba-
ceous border. The Marguerite Carnations have
come into profuse flower, which has, however,
been somewhat damaged by the constant rain.
On the clumps of Funkia ovata and F. o. varie-
gata a few lilac-blue flower-scapes have remained,
and the last of the Cape Hyacinths (Galtonia can-
dicans) have contrasted their ivory bells with the
blue of Salvia patens or the dazzUng vermilion of
Lobelia cardinalis, the tall spikes of which, ar-
ranged with large, sulphur-hued Paris Daisies,
forming a charmingly artistic decoration. A
reddish-purple hybrid from Lobelia syphilitica
and a particularly pleasing bright pink variety
called L. rosea, supposed to be a cross between
L. syphilitica and L. cardinalis, have also been in
bloom. The Gaillardias have continued their dis-

play throughout the month, which has also been
brightened by the Helianthus family, of which the
brilliant yellow H. Uvtiflorus, with its large flowers
borne on stems 7 feet and more in height, has been
the most effective, the varieties of H. rigidus and
H. multiflorus being past their best ere the month
was many days old. Giant bushes of Hydrangea,
the massive blossoms in some cases of a light
blue tint, lighten tree-embowered drives with
breadths of tender colour, while against a dark
evergreen background the scarlet and gold
flower - heads of the Kniphofias flame, and
the red Geum still bears belated blooms that
make vivid notes of colour. The double Matri-
caria, with its Fennel-like foliage, has remained
in bloom throughout the month, as have Oxalis
floribunda rosea. Plumbago Larpenta- and Poly-
gonum capitatum. Herbaceous Phloxes, Pent--
stemons and the tall (Enothera Lamarckiana,
though in flower during September, lessen their
display with the waning month ; but the white,
slender-rayed stars of Pyrethrum uliginosum,
lightly poised on long foot- stalks, are at their
best, while the golden, black-centred blossoms of
the handsome Coneflower (Rudbeckia Newmani),
a breadth of warm yellow, seem to revel in the
moisture, and a still brighter note of orange is
given by the showy calyces of Physalis Alkekengi.
Sedum Sieboldi has produced its large heads of
rosy lilac flowers, and the dark purple blooms of
Stokesia cyanea h.ave contrasted with the scarlet
blossoms of a neighbouring plant of Zauschneria
californica, while Veronica multifida has perfected
a crop of autumnal bloom.

The weather of the month has been sadly against
the Roses, but flowers from certain of the Tea
section in sheltered situations were to be culled
on most days. Of annuals, the miniature Sun-
flowers and Sweet Sultans have been amongst the
most showy. The sweetly-scented blossoms of
Escallonia moutevidensis have during the sunny
glimpses attracted, as usual, the handsome red
admiral butterflies, the scarlet and black of whose
livery were shown off to the best advantage by the
creamy masses of flower. Bushes of the Rose of
Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) have been covered
with their purple and white blooms, the latter
variety being by far the more ornamental ; while
the orange berries of the Sea Buckthorn (Hippo-
phae rhamnoides), borne in thick clusters amongst
the glaucous foliage, have had an exceedingly
pleasing effect. The standard Magnolia grandi-
flora has bloomed as profusely as in the preceding
months, the blossoms, however, being rather
smaller. The fruit of the Passion Flower has
changed tint early this 3'ear, for before September
had well commenced its reign the orange globes,
like fairy lamps, were hanging in hundreds
amongst the dark greenery. Tropaolum speoio-
sum, though still in bloom, is not so conspicuous
as earlier in the season, but T. tuberosum is at its
best, and where it flowers freely has wreathed
paling and wall with scarlet and gold. Solanum
jasminoides, lavish of bloom as ever, was in many
cases damaged by the gale, large breadths of
flowering shoots being torn from wall and arch-
way.

Apples from young bush trees on the Paradise
stock have been a good sample, and quite up to
the average in quantity as well as quality. Bis-
marck has been particularly prolific, while many
of the fruits have turned the scale at 1 pound.
Peasgood's Nonsuch has borne handsome fruit of
the same weight, while Bramley's Sesdling has
produced even heavier examples. Lane's Prince
Albert has a quantity of three-quarters of a pound
fruit, while Cellini runs up to 11 J ozs.. and King
of the Pippins to 10 ozs. Cox's Orange Pippin was
a fair crop, some reaching 8 ounces. All the
Apples were clean and well coloured, and showed
no signs of fungoid growth. S. W. F.

Cotoneaster horizontalis (Decaisne). — Al-
though at present one of the most uncommon of
Cotoneasters in nurseries and gardens, there is no
species in cultivation more handsome than this
and none so distinct in general character. It is,
however, becoming better known, and there is no

336

THE GARDElvT.

[October 24,

doubt that in a few years' time it will be as popu-
lar as any. Its most distinctive feature i? its flat,
horizontal habit, the branches standing out
rigidly and being arranged in a distichous manner.
Grown against a wall— which is advisable on
account of the greater crop of fruit it produces
there — it does not need any support, its branches
following the wall just as they follow the sjrface
of the ground in the open. The young wood is
covered with a thick brown tomentum, and the
leaves, which are about one-third of an inch long,
broadly ovate and pointed and of a dark lustrous
green, are so abundant as to leave scarcely an
empty space. Like many of the Cotoneasters, it
is evergreen in mild winters. The small white
flowers are borne in May and the plants at that
time are very pretty, but they attain their greatest
beauty in autumn, when the branches become

now several thousands in bloom, notwithstanding
the severe weather. The Italian Aster, with its
varieties, is far handsomer than any of them, and
A. acris is more beautiful in colour.

Stove and Greenhouse.

ALOCASIA METALLICA.
This species was introduced from Borneo about
ISGO, being one of the many excellent things
sent home from time to time by the travellers
employed by Messrs. Hugh Low and Co., of
Clapton. It was in the nurseries of this old-esta-
blished firm that I first saw it under cultivation
early in 1801, prior to its being sent out. It

its leaves so long or in so perfect a condition
under good cultivation. It is not predisposed
to damp ofl" at the points of the leaves as in A.
Lewi, the white or silvery margin of the
latter being more liable to this failing, nor is
it a plant that is at all liable to attacks of
insect pests. It has the essential properties of
a useful decorative fine-foliaged plant, whilst
it is quite small, and if grown as such now-a-
days and associated with the new race of
Caladiums quite a pleasing contrast would be
afforded. For this purpose the .small bulbils
should be chosen in preference to the larger
and more fully matured ones. These latter will
yield much the finer foliage, but the habit will
not be nearly so good. From three to five of

Alocasia metallica. From a photograph sent hy Mr. B. Warner, Inwood, Blandford.

thickly covered with bright red, almost scarlet, .
berries. These are Pear-shaped and scarcely so
large as the Cratitgus Pyracantha berries. This
species can be increased by means of seeds and
cuttings, the latter being made of nearly ripened
wood with a slight heel attached and put in dur-
ing August. It is a native of the Himalaya and
quite hardy.

Seedling Starworts.— Whoever started the
raising and naming of seedlings of the common
American Starwort has done no good to flower
gardening. Those who grow these Starworts in
quantity find seedlings coming up in all direc-
tions, some of them handsome plants, but to
name them is a mistake. Mr. T. Smith has just
sent us from Xewry a very bright lot, but in no
case are they better than and rarely so good as
the wild types. They are mostly forms of the
New York Aster, and they are in every case in-
ferior to the European Asters, of which we have

was with no small amount of astonishment that
this handsome fine-foliaged plant was viewed,
being so entirely distinct from anything else
belonging to the same genus or any allied one
as the Caladium. From that time to the pre-
sent it has not been surpassed in the richness
or beauty of its foliage by any other species.
True, we have A. Lowi, A. Sanderiana, A.
Thibautiana, and other kinds, all distinct,
but none of them equal to A. metallica, or
A. cuprea, as it is sometimes called. It has been
used for hybridising, one of the best kinds
raised being A. Sedeui, which was the result of
crossing it with A. Lowi, another result of the
same cross being seen in A. hybrida. A. Chel-
soni owes its origin to the crossing of A. metal-
lica with A. longiloba.

The durability of the foliage of A. metallica
is very great, for no other species will retain

the former when well established in a C-incb
pot will be most efi'ective, or if smaller
examples be needed then grow them singly in
smaller pots. When pulling an old plant to
pieces it is easy to obtain a good supply of these
useful bulbils for this purpose. In the

Cultivation
of large or medium-sized plants it should be
made an important item of culture to shake out
the plants once in two or three years, completely
denuding them of the soil, which by that time
will have become sour or be otherwise ex-
hausted. The old bulbs will also bear shorten-
ing below where any fresh roots are likely to be
emitted. All decaying roots or other matter
should be removed, and if needful a washing
should be given in tepid water, after which
silver sand should be shaken over the bulbs.

OcTOBEE 24, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

337

In making up a plant the bulbs should be re-
gulated according to sizes and in numbers
according to the size of plant that is required,
as any after shift need not be attempted if the
plant thrives well. It is not advisable to over-
crowd, in any case better dispense with some of
the stock than do this. Large pots or tubs, or
what is better still a shallow pot, will suit this
plant when specimens are needed. Whether
in this way or as plants of intermediate size, an
abundanceof drainageismostessential. Ordinary
pots may have smaller ones inverted in them,
and then a plentiful supply of clean washed
crocks on the top. A layer of fresh Sphagnum
Moss is the next article to use ; this will assist
fresh root action and also prevent the soil from
passing downwards in small particles to a great
extent. Peat, as used for Orchids, broken up
roughly with a free mixture of charcoal,
silver sand and Sphagnum, is the best
compost to employ. Do not use either loam or
leaf soil in the culture of this species. The
process of making up or repotting is very
similar to that obtaining in Orchid culture, care
being taken to keep the whole well elevated
above the pot. 6 inches being none too high. A
surfacing of Sphagnum should be given as a
finishing touch. The treatment of smaller
plants should be similar, the few leaves that are
in any case then remaining should be supported
with sticks. Bottom-heat is most essential
from this time onwards until root action is
once more going on freely, then it may be dis-
pensed with. The following season the surface
soil should be carefully removed and fresh
material of a similar nature added. When
growth first commences it will be flowers more
often than not, these should be pulled out at
once so as not to exhaust the plant. When well
established, liquid manure will greatly assist the
growth, but let it be given occasionally rather
than frequently. The warm stove is the best
place for Alocasia metallica, with shade during
the sunniest months of the year. The minimum
temperature for the winter should not be lower
than 60°. The moistest part of the stove is
always preferable. Southron.

Lily of the Valley forced.— The beauty of
the second prize group of plants at Derby show
was greatly enhanced by a free admixture of Lily
of the Valley, some of the spikes having as many
as a dozen bells, all fully developed and of snowy
whiteness, the delicate green foliage setting the
flowers off to advantage. These were tastefully
arranged in JIoss around the base of the smaller
mounds in the most conspicuous positions.
These fine spikes were, no doubt, produced from
the frozen crowns. Although I have never tried
them myself, I am informed that very little heat
indeed ia required to induce the crowns to throw
up the blooms, which seems quite feasible, con-
sidering the long rest they have had. — J. C.

Stenotaphrum americanum variegatum-
— This is far better known in gardens as Steno-
taphrum glabrum variegatum, but in the " Dic-
tionary of Gardening " its correct name ie given
as above. It is a creeping grass, which produces
a tuft of leaves at every node. When running
along the ground, roots are produced from the
lower part of every tuft, so that it will soon cover
a considerable space. It is not, however, in this
way that the Stenotaphrum in question is parti-
■cularly valuable, but it forms a first-rate basket
plant, which with but little trouble is effective all
the year round. Id the reptile house at the
Zoological Gardens the green-leaved form is par-
ticularly noticeable, for a large hanging-basket is
completely filled with it, and the thong-like
•stolons with their tufts of leaves disposed at
regular intervals hang down for 4 feet or 5 feet.
This Stenotaphrum will grow in a greenhouse,
though it thrives better with a little more heat,

and it gives very little trouble at any time pro-
vided it is regularly supplied with water.— H. P.

Carnation Miss Johffa. — I fear that, owing
to the heavy rainfall during the past few weeks,
the death-rate amongst plants of this Carnation
will have been greater than usual. Under such
conditions they soon take on a sickly whitish
colour, and then nothing will save them. My
plants were laid on their sides for some days,
which is imperative during extra rainy periods if
they are to be saved. In such wet weather as
we have experienced of late the necessity of
plenty of rough ashes beneath the pots is proved,
as where these are deficient, the pots, becoming
heavy by being saturated, are forced into the
ground, with the result that the hole at the base
is often completely blocked with soil, making
the escape of superfluous moisture impossible. I
am now (October) housing all the winter flower-
ing Carnations, and they will be kept as cool as
possible day and night and fumigated at once. —
J. C.

Carnation Dake of Fife. — Although very
shy of buying new Carnations as a rule, I think
I shall next season grow Duke of Fife, as from a
specimen I saw a few days ago I consider it a fine
variety. The plant in question was only in a
4J-inch pot, but was exceeding!}' healthy and
covered with bloom-buds, two fully expanded
flowers being on it. In growth and general habit
the plant favours Winter Cheer, but the colour of
the flowers is a lighter red, much in fact in the
way of that of Alegatiere. Winter Cheer, al-
though an unquestionably fine variety, has in the
hands of some cultivators a nasty trick of turning
up at the edges and becoming black when three
parts expanded. — J. C.

ERANTHEMUM ANDERSONL
Some of the Eranthemums are remarkably pretty
flowering plants for the stove, and included
amongst them are very diverse forms, while their
season for blooming is also variable. Ona of the
most attractive just now is Eranthemum Ander-
soni, the subject of a coloured plate in The Gar
DE.N-, January 6, 1894. It forms an erect growing
plant furnished somewhat sparingly with large
oblong leaves, while the shoots are terminated by
long spikes of closely packed blossoms. The indi-
vidual blooms are about an inch across, and pure
white except the lower lobe or lip, which is
exquisitely blotched with rich purplish lake, that
contrasts markedly with the rest of the flower. It
usually blooms in the latter part of the summer
or in the autumn months, but will sometimes
flower in the spring. This Eranthemum does not
naturally form a busby specimen, and if stopped
too freely during its early stages an increased
number of shoots is obtained at the expense of
blossoms, as the large massive spikes borne on
the strong shoots are much more effective than
the poor weak ones which result from over stop-
ping. Though this Eranthemum may run up
rather tall it is extremely useful in this state for
grouping. Propagation is best carried out in the
spring, and cuttings root readily enough. It is a
native of India and was introduced into the
country nearly thirty years ago. Another
species now in bloom is E. albiflorum, a sturdy
growing upright habited kind, which flowers
treely when little more than a foot high. The
foliage of this is of a very deep green, while the
terminal panicle of blossoms is not unlike a cluster
of white Lilac. The above are the only two
species just now in flower, but the earliest
blossoms of Eranthemum pulchellum will not be
long before they expand. This is perhaps the
most generally useful of the whole genus, as the
plant is naturally of a bushy habit, while the
flowers which are of a beautitul blue colour are
freely borne in the depth of winter. Another de-
sirable member of the genus from a flowering
point of view is E. aspersum, whose blooms are
borne in small axillary clusters. They are not
unlike those of E. Andersoni, except that the
purple marking extends over the whole of the
flower. This blooms in the spring, and so does

the large-growing E. cinuabarinum, which will
run up to a height of 4 feet to o feet. The flowers
of this, which are borne in lorg branchirg terminal
panicles, are large and of" a bright magenta
crimson colour. It is a valuable decorative plant
in the spring. Besides these remarkable for the
beauty of their blossoms there are some whose
foliage is the principal claim to recognition, but
they are not so popular now as when first intro-
duced, for most of them were sent here from
Polynesia about the time that variegated leaved
stove plants were so popular. The most notable
of these are E. reticulatum, with broadly lanceo-
late leaves of a bright green tint, and heavily
veined with gold, certainly a very bright and
effective plant, while in albo marginatum the
broad deep green leaves are edged with white, and
those of E. atropurpureum are of a uniform rich
purple tint. A curious combination of hues occurs
in E. tricolor, the oblong-shaped leaves being
marked with olive-green, greyish-purple, and
salmon-pink, in ever-varying combinations. All
of these Eranthemums are of very easy propaga-
tion and culture. H. P.

Seedling Fuchsie s.— Fuchsias are so readily
propagated from cuttings, and there are so many
recognised varieties of undoubteil merit, that the
fact that they can be easily raised from seed is
very generally overlooked. If the seed is sown
early in the year and the plants shifted on as re-
quired, by midsummer many of them will be good
thriving specimens in pots 6 inches in diameter.
Then during the latter half of the summer they
will flower freely and continue till autumn is well
advanced. It may be said that with the many
varieties we have there is no need to increase the
Fuchsia by raising seedlings, but when a batch is
obtained in this way it is always very interesting
to watch the development of the young plants.
There is a great tendency in seedlings to run up
tall, but when cuttings are taken from them and
struck, the plants so obtained are usually of a
dwarfer and more freely branching habit. Some
of these seedling Fuchsias are from their vigour
first-rate subjects for the pillars of a conservatory
or for similar positions. — H. P.

Oxalis cernua (Thunb.).— Your correspon-
dent who describes his cultivation of this plant
may like to know a curious fact about its distri-
bution in the northern hemisphere. It is a native
of the Cape of Good Hope and is trimorphic, i.e.,
it is like our Loosestrife in having three forms of
flowers always on different plants, with stamens
and styles of dift'erent lengths, requiring insects
to convey the pollen from any one of the three to
another flower having the pistil of the requisite
length. Now, no botanical author previous to
this century refers to it as growing in the north.
The first to allude to it is Father Giacinto, who
saj-s it was cultivated at Malta in 1806. Only
one of the forms is known there, though it now is
everywhere all over the inland as a most trouble-
some weed. Not contentad with carpeting the
roadsides in lieu of grass, it clothes the tops of the
walls and invades the fields, which sometimes are
as thickly filled with it and look as yellow as a
field of Buttercups. From Malta it quickly spread
to the African coast and was recorded in 1824.
About this time it arrived in Egypt, being intro-
duced with the Mandarin Orange, faccidentally,
no doubt, by Youssuf Effendi. It occurs now
in the Orange gardens of Cairo. In 1826 it ap-
peared at Gibraltar. It is also now to be found
at Cannes, Naples, Sardinia, in some of the Greek
islands, and Morocco. It is propagated entirely
by bulbils, as it has never been known to produce
any seed in any locality on either side of the
Mediterranean region. It is remarkable for pro-
ducing a double form, which is very common in
Malta and elsewhere, but not to such a degree as
the single. It has thus extended itself from one
end of the Mediterranean to the other in ninety
years. — George He.vslow.

The weather and the crops.- 1 never re-
member seeing winter vegetables in such a soft
and sappy condition at this time of year. Indeed,

338

THE GARDEN".

[October 24, 1895^

it is quite evident that unless a change quickly
occurs, and that, too, a somewhat lasting one,
things in general will stand the winter badly
should such be at all severe. Young Strawberry
plants are yet growing freely and the crowns are
anything but plump, while some sorts grown in
pots for lorcing are splitting their crowns badly,
the earliest potted looking anything but likely
subjects for placing in the forcing house in \ovem-
ber. Where misetiief was apprehended and the
eailie>t batches were placea in pits, and thus
sereciK.i tiLim the drenching rains, much advan-
tage will hove been gained, and fewer blind plants
may be expected. Winter Spinach'is in a soft,
flabby state, and will get a severe check should
sharp frost soon come. Seakale, too, is actually
making a second growth from the crown and will
be useless for early forcing. The best way to
fortify one's-self against a wet, backward autumn
is to plant a good batch on a south sunny border,
and then if heavj- rains and a scarcity of sunshine
occur in September, to thrust the spade down
deeply at the side of each plant in oroer to sever
the tap-ioot and thus prevent a secondary growth.
Even young Lettuces, Cauliflowers and Endive are
none the better for being so luxuriant at this date,
a fact which should induce gardeners to give pro-
tection in pits and frames as soon as possible. —
J. C.

Cuphea platycentra. — After a severe storm
of wind and rain it is pleasant to find a plant in
the open air that has not been affected. On look-
ing over the grounds on Saturday, after the
storm, I was surprised to see how fresh and
bright this Cuphea was. I have it planted in the
front of some shrubs, beside other tender plants,
such as Geraniums, Calceolarias, &c. These latter
were so dashea about that every bit of colour was
gone out of them. It is strange this is not more
grown at the present time. When planted in a
mass it is useful. It is of the simplest culture, as
it roots readily from cuttings in spring, and by
putting in a pot of cuttinga in autumn, keeping
them lu a cold house through the winter, a large
number of cuttings may be nad in spring. Many
years ago this anu some other kinds were largely

used. — iJORSET.

Ferns,
adiantum tenerum var.

FARLEYENSE.

Formerly, when Ferns were grown under
green glass and heavy shading this lovely
Maiden- hair was of no service outside the stove
fernery and much of its beauty was lost, as it
is only when well exposed to the light that the
young fronds have that lovely rosy pink hue.
Even when well exposed they soon lose the
colour if we get dull, damp weather. Another
advantage in growing it luUy exposed to the
light is that the fronds will last fairly well when
cut, and plants may also be used for decora-
lion except in very exposed positions. Since
many other Ferns have become so common,
florists have had to look for something fresh,
and A. Farleyense has come to the front, being
now used extensively by our London florists.

Although it may frequently be met with grow-
ing luxuriantly and appearing to give but little
trouble, there are many who fail to hit on the
right method of treatment. I find that when
plants do get into a weak, sickly state it takes a
long time to get them to make a good start again,
but once get them into a healthy state, with genial
surroundings there is little difficulty in keeping
them so. Like most other Ferns, it deteriorates
with age. Plants grown on fromsingle crowns
make the finest fronds. As no fertile fronds are
ever produced, it has to be propagated by division.
1 find it best to divide young plants. If aone before
the pots get too full of roots, they will soon start
away again ; but where only old plants are to

be had they may be broken up so as to secure
some good roots with each division, and then be
divided again after they have made a fresh
start, or some of the crowns may be taken oft'
and all the fronds cut away. If put into Sphag-
num Moss, peat and sand in equal parts and
kept close, giving them similar treatment to
young seedlings, they will start away and may
be potted singly after they have made a few
fronds. By this method it takes some time to
establish useful sized plants. 1 therefore prefer
to divide young healthy plants. The compost
for potting should consist of good fibrous loam,
e horse manure which has been well dried,
cleansed from worms and other insects, some
sand, or if the loam is heavy and not much
fibre in it, a little good peat may be added, but
it is quite unnecessary to use peat if the loam is
good. Care should be taken that the compost

neither too wet nor too dry when used
for potting. Good drainage should be given,

I in potting, the plants should be kept

healthy where the temperature has often fallen
much below 50' in winter. It is not so much
heat that is required as a regular tempera-
ture, and where it cannot be sustained it is
better to keep the plants on the cool side than
otherwise.

I may add that where large specimens are tO'
be grown they should be potted on from time
to time, taking care that it is done before they
get too much pot-bound. A. Hemsley.

Kitchen Garden.

DWARF BEANS FOR SUCCESSION.
The past season has not been one of the best
for dwarf Beans, the atmosphere having been
too dry for the setting and swelling of the-
pods, even where mulching was practised and
artificial watering resorted to. The earliest

Adiantum tenerum var. Farleyense. From a pltotograph sent hy Mr. John Cowlard.

fairly well down, but not buried too deeply.
The new soil may just cover the crowns, and
should be pressed moderately firm. Few plants
require more care in watering than A. Farleyense.
Newly-potted plants, or those which have few
fronds, will not require much, while healthy
pieces with large fronds and the pots filled
with roots will take more water than many
plants. I believe that letting the plants get
too dry is often the primary cause of their being
unhealthy. It is easy to tell when a plant
has been too dry, although no outward sign
may be visible. On examination the under
fronds will be found to be shrivelled up, and if
these are left they cause damping as soon as
they get a little moisture on them, and this
evil will extend to the young fronds that are
just starting up. Weak liquid manure may be
used after the pots are well filled with roots.
A. Farleyense should never be grown under the
shade of other plants or crowded. It may be
stood up on inverted pots or suspended from
the roof with plenty of room for the air to cir-
culate round it. In a temperature of from 00°
to 70' the plants will continue to grow through-
out the winter. I have kept Farleyense

lots which were sown and brought forward
under glass until 4 inches or 6 inches high and
then planted out on warm, sunny borders,
matured their crops before the drought set in,
but those sown in April and May in the usual
way felt the lack of moisture very much, the
pods not swelling to their normal size and lack-
ing quality, the plants also giving up before
their usual time. There is, however, a great
difference in varieties for withstanding a try-
ing summer, as much difference in fact as there
is in Peas. I think gardeners are indebted to
Mr. Wythes for bringing so prominently to
their notice the good qualities of that not too
well-known variety — Mohawk, or Six Weeks,
as it is sometimes called. This Bean is as good
for early supplies out of doors as it is for forc-
ing under glass. The pods, which are pro-
duced in great numbers, are of a pleasing colour
and first-rate quality, as good in fact as most of
the later larger podding sorts, which are gene-
rally supposed to surpass the shorter earlier
varieties. Certainly all those who have not yet
tried it for both purposes should do so an-
other season. Another excellent sort for first
sowing is Newington Wonder. This Bean,

October 24, 1896.J

THE GARDEK

9,:- 9

which quickly became popular when first
sent out a quarter of a century ago, seeraa
now to have gone almost out of cultivation,
the reason probably being the rage for novelties.
Those who wish for quantity and quality com-
bined should include Newington Wonder iu
their first sowings. Osborn's Forcing, althougli
a, capital Bean for early work under glass, is
not, I think, equal to the two foregoing for out-
door purposes. For secondary sowings I still
place Sion House in the front rank, for no
better Bean can possibly be grown, and when
quality is taken into consideratii^n I do not
think any other sort can touch it. It also
stands a dry sunimer as well as any. A Bean I
grew out of doors on a south border this year,
and which I have before praised as a good
successional forcer in an intermediate house, is
Webb's Victoria. This I shall certainly grow
another year, as it is excellent in every way, its
dark green pods being very striking. When
exhibiting I used to show this variety at June
shows in preference to Canadian AVonder, the
pale colour of the later sort telling against it.
I have never been able to grow the much
praised Ne Plus Ultra satisfactorily either in
pots or in our light soil out of doors, and have
now abandoned it ; some gardeners, however,
succeed very well with it. Another grand
Bean for later crops, which, like Newington
Wonder, has lately fallen into disrepute, but
which, in my opinion, is quite equal to
Canadian Wonder for cropping, whilst for
colour it completely beats it, is Negro Long Pod.
For hot, dry soils this is the variety to grow.
As the season advances and sowings are made
to finish up the season, the early dwarf sorts
above mentioned had better be used.

J. Ceawford

Exhibiting Tomatoes.— If "J. C.'s" advice
(p. 243) was taken, and excellent it is, it would be
impossible to show a cracked fruit. How often
does it happen that when judging, one comes
across one fruit out of several, oftentimes more,
that are past their beat. I admit it is the bus
ness of judges to detect these defects, but he
often does it happen that judging is obliged to be
hurriedly done, exhibitors being allowed to stage
long past the time, and it is impossible for the ex-
hibits to be as carefully examined as one would
wish. Under existing conditions exhibitors will
continue the objectionable practice, as bj' so doing
there is less fear of defects being seen.— W. S. 11

Mammoth Cauliflowers.- 1 am not a lover
of huge CauUflowers, and find that they are not
at all profitable at any season, as at this date few
care for them, being overgrown and strong]}-
flavoured. Doubtless for market it may be neces-
sary to hare vegetables large, but I fail to see
their utility in private gardens. It may be urged
that smaller types are less reliable, butsuch is not
my experience. I find Eclipse, Magnum Bonun
and Walcheren equally as reliable as the large:
kinds, and for what may be termed autumn sup
plies we have splendid types in Michaelmas White
Broccoli and the Autumn Self-protecting. The:
grown on rapidly and not sown too early in the
spring are far superior in quality to the huge au-
tumn Cauliflowers sown in heat and kept growinff
all the summer. -W. I. M.

Autumn Giant Cauliflowers. — Although

vegetables generally have made great progress
since the rain set in, none appear to have responded
so freely as these autumn Cauliflowers, their
growth, both in leaf and flower, has been very
fine— that i?, in the earlier batches. Later ones
are coming on well. I have never had finer hea Js
than I am cutting at the present time (Septem-
ber 30), and it only requires freedom from sharp
frosts to give the desired succession. They will
be particularly welcome now Beans and Peas are
nearly over and Brussels Sprouts not yet ready.
Eclipse sown about the same time and planted on

adjoining quarters does not show any advance in
point of earliness. I am cutting fine heads of this
at the same time as the Autumn Giant, but per-
haps my stock is not true.— W. S.

Topping runner Beans. — Topping the run-
ner Bean at a certain distance from the soil is not
so much practised in private gardens as among
market growers, but it has much to recommend
it, as the crop is so good and the plants cover a
less space, requiring but few stakes ; indeed, large
growers use none at all. I consider topping an
excellent mode of culture for late supplies. By
advising this method, I am aware I lay myseif
open to criticism, as some may say why not grow
the dwarf variety and save topping. Many per-
sons favour the runner because the crop is
heavier and the pods do not age so quickly. In
the climbing runner we have a grand Bean for the
purpose named. This stopped at 2 feet from the
soil crops splendidly and is most suitable for au-
tumn supplies. By topping, the haulm is less ex-
posed to early frosts and the plants are readily
covered. The plants well repay the extra cost of
a few short stakes to keep them erect, as then
the pods are more readily gathered. Of course,
the plants may be topped at a shorter distance
than 2 feet, but I do not advise it. — W. S. M.

Tomatoes on ashes. — In a note in a recent
issue by "A. D." mention is made of Tomatoes
being a success at Gunnersbury House grown in
a bed of ashes by Mr. Hudson. I have grown a
heavy crop in the same manner this season, only
instead of the plants being in pots thsy were
planted in boxes about 5 inches wide, and the
same in depth. The soil used was nothing but
loam with a little burnt soil added. The roots of
the plants speedily found their way through the
bottoms of the boxes and spread in all directions
among the ashes, while the plants grew rapidly
and bore heavily, many of the individual fruits
attaining to a large size. The house is 40 feet
long and 8 feet wide, and the boxes were placed
close to the front wall on the ash bed and some 18
inches from the roof glass. The plants were
trained on strings under the roof and confined to
single stems. What support the plants found in
the ashes I am unable to say, but they certainly
looked as healthy as though liberal supplies of
rich soil had been placed within reach of the
roots, and no one could have wished for better
results as regards crop. The above Tomatoes
had manure water during the growing season.
The manure I prefer for Tomatoes is Peruvian
Guano, used in the proportion of 2 oz. to each
gallon of water.— A. W.

Notes on Beet. — In the interesting notes on
this subject contributed by Messrs. Wj'thes and
Crawford mention is made by both writers of
the Cheltenham Green-top variety. As I grow
this variety somewhat extensively I agree with
all Mr. Wythes has to say in its favour. I have
grown this kind for some years past, having dis-
carded all others with the exception of Dickson's
Reliance in favour of it. This latter variety is
similar in appearance to Cheltenham Green-top,
and the roots exhibit but little ditference in form
and are equally as well flavoured when cooked.
Cheltenham Green-top was sown this season on
a friable piece of ground, well worked during the
winter, and which was well manured in the spring
of last year. Although the summer has been so
hot and dry the roots will be quite large enough
by lifting time. I always store Beetroot in
clamps under trees in an out of-the-way part of
the garden, and the roots invariably keep well in
this cool position. I used to grow a Beet named
Frisby's Excelsior. In shape it was more like a
Carrot than a Beet, and although of fine colour
when cooked it did not find many admirers on
account of the slices being so small when cut up,
I had to discard it on this account, but all the
same it was an exceptionally fine flavoured
variety. I quite agree with both Messrs. Wythes
and Crawford as to the Egyptian Turnip-rooted
Beet being of poor quality. If sown on poor
ground it is not worth cooking, and on rich
ground in the generality of seasons it comes too
coarse and large. These Turnip-rooted Beets are

useful for filling up the gap after the winter
stored roots are past their best.— A. W.

Late Potatoes.— The getting up of late Pota-
toes where that work previously has been difficult
is giving much trouble owing to the rain. Very
recently I was engaged in getting up late stocks
from stiff soil left over from day to day in the hope
that the weather would improve, and then found
after one half the work was completed the plot
drenched with a cold heavy downpour ol rain.
There was no leaving the work, which had, in
spite of the mud, to be completed. I have the tubers
fairly dry now, but the soil is encrusted on them and
will be difficult to remove. It is, when tubers are
in such condition, very difficult to discern what
disease may be in them. No doubt the longer
they remain in the wet soil the worse their condi-
tion, but at least it enables the good to be selected
from the bad. The be3t course in getting up now
where the tubers are dirty is to throw them into
heaps of a few bushels, cover with mats or straw,
and allow them to so remain for a week or two,
unless their state should render occasional turning
needful. There is in the Potatoes this season
much of unseen disease. It is the knowledge that
scarcely any stock of late Potatoes is entirely free
from this defect that checks sale and causes buyers
to be very cautious. After being stored for a few
weeks, however, all really diseased tubers should
be fairly discernible and those may be picked out
and thrown away. Where soils are light and
loose or sandy it has been easy enough to get up
the late stocks in fairly clean as well as in sound
condition. — A. D.

Manuring Asparagus beds in autumn. —
I recently saw large bodies of decayed manure
being wheeled out to place on the surface of some
newly-planted Asparagus beds, which, owing to
drought, had made a weak growth. It had been
planted in April, and what little growth was made
had ripened early. Old customs are difficult to
break through, andafew moments' reflection would
convince anyone that heaping up large masses of
manure which remains io a wet, stagnant condi-
tion all the winter will act the reverse of what
was intended, as what few roots young plants
make will perish, the constant wet preventing
sun or wind drying the surface. In the case of
old beds, no manure is required at this season ;
indeed, I do not advise it in any shape or in any
kind of soils, as the more one feeds after the cut-
ting ceases in June so much the better. I have
scan it stated that food may be given light soils in
autumn, but I fail to s^e what good it will do.
As regards irrigation in dry springs from April to
September, I am a strong advocate for water. I
once had an opportunity of seeing the effects of
such irrigation from a sewage farm on a field of
Asparagus. The growth was remarkable. If we
could mulch our beds in June and apply sufficient
water the new growths have something to 8upp3rt
them, and as is well known the plant requires no
protection, so that there is no excuse for covering
now ; far better leave alone and fead during
growth. Last summer I found peat moss litter of
great service as a mulch on a light sandy soil.
This retained the moisture and the roots soon
laid hold of it. A good fertiliser was used before
applying the water if liquid manure was not avail-
able.—G. W. S.

Coarse Brussels Sprouts. — At p. 213 " A. D.'
and others note the growth of this vegetable, the
former also lamenting the grossness owing to too
much manure and deep cultivation. " W. S." notes
that his plants do not coma up to those of "J. C."
referred to at p. 1S4. Possibly he planted out later ;
mine are as described by "J. C." as regards free
growth, but not rank or gross, as I tike care to
plant only the dwarf kinds, but even then am
not safe, as some of the stocks have become so
much mixed that there is a certain percentage of
large kinds not nearly so good as one would desire.
Growers who sowed too early are if anything in a
better position than those who sowed in the open
ground and planted out in May, as these latter
have certainly dwarfer plants, but somewhat
stunted by drought and attacks of flj'. I would
not advise late sowing to cure the evil ; indeed.

340

THE GARDEN.

[October 24, 1896.

late eowing in such seaeons is equally injurious.
I would certainly advise "J. C.'e" method of
sowing in a cold frame and planting out on hard
larid. This I have follow cd in rich light ground
with much success, and have got a quantity of
sprouts with less grossness than if allowed a deep
or rich root-run. Requiring large quantities of
Brussels Sprouts, I have always grown them as
hardy as possible. Not only with sprouts, but
other green vegetables, mere sii'O is to be con-
demned and should not be fostered in any way.
\\ ith plants raised in heat and given such rich
soil there must be grossness at this season, with
losses later on if the winter is severe. I recently
noticed son;e huge Savoys with heads bursting,
and of course useless. Here it was the fault of
early sowing ; soil so alters the growth of vege-
tables that in all cases it is necessary to study the
seasons. I think Savoys in September useless,
being strong and of course much inferior to Cole-
worts ; on the other hand, to get Brussels Sprouts

Orchids.

PLEEOXES.
THoruH not large-growing plants, the Pleiones,
or Indian Crocuses, are among the brightest of
autumn and winter-flowering Orchids, and a few
masses tastefully associated with Maiden-hair
or other small Ferns are very nice for many
kinds of indoor decorations. They require th'
dressing of green as a relief to the bright mass of
colour, for at the time of flowering the plants
have no leaves. Their culture is not diflicult
and depends entirely upon careful attention to
details at the proper season, the principal points
bting noted below. Most of the species are
natives of the higher mountainous regions in
India, and consequently require less heat than
other Orchids from the same country that grow
in the moist, hot valleys. Pleiones will thrive
in company with Odontoglossum grande, but
the cool house proper is not quite suitable to
thtm, and if no intermediate temperature can
be afforded, they will be better in the coolest
part of the Cattleya house. In this case the
growth will be very free, but care will bo neces-
sary to keep them in their proper season. All
the species are most satisfactory when repotted
annually, the best time to do this being imme-
diately the flowers are past ; this of course pre-
vents all being potted at once, but the little
extra trouble is well repaid. In -shaking the
pseudo-bulbs out of the old compost, the last
season's roots will be found quite dead as a
rule, and of course of no further use to the
plant. If cut ofl' about an inch from the base
of the bulbs they will help to steady these in the
new compost, and to a certain extent may pro-
tect the young roots that will in some cases be
starting from the new shoots. Many grow
Pleiones in large flat pan.s, but I consider they
look much prettier four or five bulbs together
in small pots, and in no case plant more than
eight. In either case the treatment is the same.
The pots or pans should be filled two-thirds of
their depth with clean crocks, using very small
ones on the top, as owing to the nature of the
compost it is very apt to get silted down to
the drainage unless this is in very good order.
Good fibrous loam, peat and finely chopped
Sphagnum Moss will make a good com-
post, adding plenty of finely broken charcoal
and crocks. Cover the drainage with some
rough Moss and plant the bulbs evenly about
2 inches apart, allowing a slight rise to the
centre, as this shows the blossoms to better ad-
vantage. Fix the bulbs firmly, and make a
neat finish of the soil by clipping oflf any ragged
ends or pushing them in with the dibber, "f he

state of the young roots must be kept in mind
in watering afterwards. If these were showing
when the pseudo- bulbs were divided, a little
water must be given a day or two after repot-
ting, but if roots had not started to grow they
will be better without any water for a week or
ten days at least. Slight dewings from the
syringe may be allowed, as these keep the sur-
roundings moist and prevent undue evapora-
tion. But if the plants are healthy, it will not
be long before plentiful supplies will be needed
at the roots, for when these begin to run in the
compost and the leaves to uufolr", Pleiones are
almost aquatic in their requirements. Though
liking a good light, the sun must not be allowed
to shine on the foliage, as this at first is very
tender. A thin shade must be allowed them,
and the foliage kept free of insects all through
the growing season. When the leaves begin to
turn colour, usually in late summer, reduce the
supply of moisturt at the roots considerably,
but by degrees, as it is important that the
pseudo-bulbs get suflicient to swell up to their
full size. When all the leaves have fallen the
plants may be kept perfectly dry, and for pre-
ference placed in a sunny frame or on a shelf
near the glass, the new pseudo-bulbs by this
means getting thoroughly hardened and ripe
After a few weeks' rest, the young shoots con-
taining the flower and next season's embryo
growth will appear, and the plants may again be
placed in the growing quarters. It is not much
use watering the roots, as these have by this
time completed their work, but a little mois-
ture about the plants helps them, though there
may not be actual absorption. It is easy to
do too much on the other hand, and this is
worse than giving none at all, but by the time
the blossoms are showing there will, as a
general rule, be a few young roots. All the
Pleiones resemble Ctelogynes very closely in
structure, and l>y modern liotanists are in-
cluded in the genus, but the habit and manner
of blooming are so totally distinct that the
older name still obtains for garden purposes.
The species named below are the most gene-
rally grown, though several others are included
in the genus.

Pleiosk iiumilis is a fine and prettily marked
species flowering in early spring. The growth is
distinct from that of most of the other kinds, the
pseudo-bulbs being a bright yet deep green. The
flowers are borne singly on the scapes and are
each upwards of 3t inches across, the sepals and
petals spreading, narrow, and varying in colour
from pure white to light rose. The lip is very
beautiful and has a tubular base, the front por-
tion widely open, blush or pale rose, veined with
brownish crimson and yellow. It is found grow-
ing naturally at an altitude of nearly 80(111 feet in
Nepaul, and was introduced in ls.jb. There are
one or two named varieties of this plant differing
from the type principally in the disposition of
colour about the lip.

P. i.Ai^KXARiA is one of the most useful of all,
and also the most generally grown. It is now in
bloom, and where a fairly good stock of plants is
grown a display may be kept up for several weeks
by bringing them on in slightly different tempera-
tures. It has brownish green pseudo-bulbs and
flower • spikes carrying one or two blossoms.
These are of fine form and very bright in appear-
ance, the ground colour of the petals and sepals
being light rosy purple. The lip is white, orna-
mented with many yellow and crimson blotches ;
the throat yellow with raised lines of crimson-
purple. A native of the Himalayas.

P. MACci.ATA closely follows the last named in
its flowering season and is a distinct and very
easily grown species, thriving in the Cattleya
house. The flowers occur usually on single-
flowered scapes, and the sepals and petals are
white and have a distinctly frosted appearance
when first open. The lip is also white in ground

colour, lined and spotted with crimson, yellow,
and purple, though in the variety alba it has only
a yellow blotch in the throat, and no trace of any
other colour. Introduced by Messrs. Veitch and
Sons from the Khasia Hills in 1S50.

P. Wai.liouiana is a useful winter-flowerii g
species with large handsome flowers. These aie
of a dark rosy purple on the sepals and petals,
the lip being lighter and lined with white in front,
a broad stain of deep crimson in the throat and a
yellow centre. This is also known as P. pr;ecox,
and was introduced in 184G from the Khas a
Hills.

Oncidium tigrintim.— This I have seen
flowering finely in several collections this week,
the bright yellow fragrant blofsoms being favour-
ites everywhere. It is a capital plant for ama-
teurs, thriving well in the cool house m pots.
The flowers last a very long time, and being
large and borne a good many on the spike, are a
great strain on the plants. Wherever it is thougl t
the plants are not strong enough to stand the
strain the flowers should be removed and placed
in water. — R.

Cypripedium Spiceriannna.— Whatan easily
cultivated as well as most useful variety th:s is,
thriving well in a cool house along with the old
Cypripedium insigne, and coming into flower
at a period when Orchids are none too plentiful.
It, moreover, lasts in good condition for a long
period, and makes a brave show when associated
with tbe last named and Calanthes. Even very
small plants in 4^-inch pots are sending up half
a dozen blooms. An intermediate house should
be given if the plants are wanted to flower in
September ; indeed, I think that temperature
really suits it best. — J. C.

Grammatophyllum Ellisi. — The blosson s
of this Orchid last a long time in good conditicn
and are produced on large showy racemes. Each
one is about 3 inches across, tbe sepals and smalltr
petals being yellow, marked with reddish brown.
The culture of this plant is not so easy as may be
wished, and it dislikes being pulled about at the
roots. A rough open compost suits it best and
the pots must be fairly la r^'e, as itis a free-rootirg
species when in good health. Plenty of heat while
growing and a brisk, moist atmosphere, with
plenty of water at the roots must be given. Dur-
ing the restini.' season the water supply must le
greatly diminished, a drier atmosphere also tend-
ing to keep the growth dormant.

Zygopetalum Gautieri.— This is one of tbe
most striking Orchids now in bloom, and one tbrt
varies a good deal in the colour of its flowers. 11 o
sepils and petals are olive-green, blotched with
chocolate-brown, and tbe lip is purplish blue m
front, the crest a deep blackish purple. It does
well in an intermediate house, and is fretr in
growth and bears finer blossoms than Z. maxillarr ,
which otherwise it much resembles. It may le
grown in a basket or on blocks of Tree Fern ster ,
the natural roughness of the latter material makii g
a capital holdintr for the roots, which must 1 ■
kept moist summer and winter. Z. Gautieri is a
native of Brazil and was introduced in 1868.

Miltonia Clowesi.— This is rather a variable
species as regards size, and one of the best forms
I have seen was in an amateur's small collection
near Bristol recently. In this the blossoms had
very broad segments and a finely marked lip, the
washy purple tint pervading the whole of some tf
the varieties giving place to a pure white aper,
the base a pretty deep purple. The roots of M.
Clowesi are rather small, but grow very closely
together, and they like a rather finer com-
post than usual. Tbe giowth goes on late in
the season, and in consequence the moisture
must be ample during autumn and early winter.
At no time in the year in fact must the plant be
dried, enough water always being given to keep
the roots moist and prevent shrivelling of the
bulbs or foliage. — R.

Cypripedium Henry Graves.— This is a
really grand Cypripedium, a secondaiy hybrid,
raised in America by Messrs. Pitcher and Manda,

October 24, 1896.]

THE GARDEI^.

341

and first flowered by Mr. H. Graves, after whom
it was named. It is the result of crossing C.
Marshallianum and C. Lawrenceanum, the former
hybrid being the seed-bearing parent. The plant
was exhibited before the Royal Horticultural
Society in January, 1895. The growth is robust
and healthy, and as showing the vigour of the
plant, it is now producing twiu-flowered scapes.
The blossoms are large and very distinct. The
dorsal sepal is white, with a suflfusion of delicate
rosy pink that shades off to green at the base.
The petals are broad and well formed, darker in
ground colour than the sepals, and having many
spots and small blotches of brownish purple.
The pouch ie a light greenish yellow, and on the
upper portion there is a suffusion of deep purple-
rose. The throat is profusely spotted, and over
all there is a network of green and purple veins,
showing its relationship through two generations
to C. venustum. It is a truly handsome plant,
and a great acquisition to this already numerous
family. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Societies] and Exhibitions.

NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY.
We are requested to state, in reference to the
great jubilee exhibition which opens at the Royal
Aquarium on Tuesday, November 3, with a second
competition on Thursday, November .5, that all
entries for either show must be sent in to the
secretar}-, Mr. R. Dean, Ranelagh Road, Ealing,
by Friday, October 30, to enable the large amount
of clerical work to be got through in time. Every-
thing must be staged ready for the judges by 10. .'io
a.m. on the mornings of November 3 and Novem-
ber 5. All plants shown on November 3, with the
exception of the trained specimens in classes 2 and
3, all fruit and vegetables, also all miscellaneous
exhibits, must remain until the evening of Friday,
November 6. Cut flowers and table decorations
can be removed at 10.30 p.m. on the evening of
Wednesday, November 4. Strangers exhibiting
for the first time are informed that cards for
naming cut flowers, and pins for securely fasten-
ing the same to the stands, can be had at the
flower show office in the Royal Aquarium on the
morning of each show. The tables and other
parts ot the building will be roped off while the
judges are making their awards, and only those
privileged to be present while the judging is pro-
ceeding can be admitted within the enclosnres.
Exhibitors are requested to make themselves
thoroughly acquainted with the " regulations for
exhibitors," on pages 55 and 56 of the schedule of
prizes.

The jubilee banquet will take place in the
Whitehall Rooms of the Hotel Metropole at
6 30 on the evening of November 3, Sir Edwin
Saunders, the president, in the chair. Tickets
one guinea each, which can be had of the
secretary.

On Thursday, November 5, the exhibition will
be largely renewed, as competition will take place
in thirty-four additional classes, and immediately
the awards are made — both of November 3 and
November 5 — catalogues of the exhibits will be
issued with the names of the prize-winners. These
will be on sale in the building.

At 7 p.m. on the evening of November 5 a con-
ference meeting will take place in the library,
Mr. T. W. Sanders in the chair, when papers will
be read by Mr. George Gordon on "The types of
the Chrysanthemum and their characteristics,
with suggestions as to the adoption of a fuller
classification;" by Mr. Norman Davis on "The
points of quality, or properties of the various
types as exhibition flowers, and the values to
be apportioned to each ; " and by Mr. C. E. Shea
on " Setting up blooms for exhibition, and the
principles upon which an effective arrangement
of a stand is based."

The secretary of the National Chrysanthemum
Society offers admission tickets at a considerable
reduction in price to parties of not less than twelve
persons, members of affiliated societies, and the

main lines of railway are affording special facili-
ties for reaching London.

The Chrysanthemum Society of America desire
to offer a special prize of a gold medal to the
National Chrysanthemum Society, to be competed
for at the forthcoming jubilee meeting. In the
event of its acceptance on Monday evening next
by the general committee of the N.C.S., this
American gold medal (which is of the value of
£5) is to be awarded to the best twelve commercial
blooms — one variety, from any source — to be con-
sidered from an American point of view, viz., ex-
hibited in a vase (to be provided by the exhibitor)
with not less than 18 inches of stem, of a pleasing,
saleable colour, size and substance also to be
taken into account. Further particulars can be
obtained of Mr. R. Dean, the hon. sec, N.C.S.

The special prizes offered by the trustees of the
Veitch Memorial Fund on November 3 — viz.,
Nos. 19 and 20 on page 66 of the schedule of
prizes, and which are stated in error to be " open "
—can be competed for only by amateurs and
bond Jide gardeners ; an amateur being defined as
including any person not engaged in trade as a
dealer in plants or seeds. The Turner Memorial
cup and prizes — which by an oversight are stated
to be open to competition by nurserymen only —
are open to all comers.

A meeting of the floral committee was held on
Wednesday, October 21, at the Royal Aquarium,
Mr. T. Bevan presiding. The attendance of
members was good, and some very attractive ex-
hibits were staged by M. Ernest Calvat, Mr.
H. J. Jones, Mr. W. J. Godfrey, Mr. W. Wells
and others.

First-class certificates were awarded to the
under-mentioned varieties : —

Pride ok Exmouth.— A very large Japanese
flower, with long drooping florets, rather narrow
and twisted. This was shown by Mr. W. J. God-
frey.

Rena Dcla. — An incurved of medium size and
fairly good build. The colour is silvery white,
flushed and tinted rosy mauve, paling oft' to pure
white in the centre. Staged by Mr. T. S. Ware.

M. HosTE.— A large, coarse-looking Japanese
with rather broad florets, colour white, shaded
and streaked with purple. Exhibited by Mr.
W. J. Godfrey.

Pride of Madford.— A truly grand exhibition
Japanese incurved with very broad grooved
florets ; a solid, massive-looking flower. Colour
rich velvety rosy amaranth with a reverse of
silvery pink. One of the Australian seedlings.
From Mr. W. Wells.

The committee expressed a wish to see again
Marjory Kinder, a large yellow Japanese, and
Nelson, a Japanese incurved sport from Mme.
Ed. Rey, of a golden-bronze shade. A commen-
dation was bestowed upon Antoinette, a new
white Japanese of recent introduction. Other
promising novelties were Etoile Polaire, rosy
amaranth ; M. G. Biron, crimson ; Miss Muriel
Goschen, yellow ; Vicar of Exmouth, velvety
purple-amaranth; Warrior, and Frank Ashman,
all belonging to the Japanese section.

Gardeners' Boyal Benevolent Institution.
— The executive of the Sandringham Horticultural
Society have forwarded a donation of £5 5s. in aid
of the funds of this charity.

The Royal Horticiiltui al Society.— The
next fruit and floral meeting of the Royal Horti-
cultural Society will be held on Tuesday, Oc-
tober 27, in the' Drill Hall, James Street, West-
minster, 1 to 4 p.m. A paper on "Chrysanthe-
mums," by Mr. W. H. Lees, will be read at
3 o'clock.

The Crystal Palace Fruit Show.— It is quite
a pleasure to record a very great improvement in
the arrangement of the exhibits at the recent
show over that which took place last year, and
which came in for so much adverse comment.
This year it was possible to follow the schedule
class for class, and this made things much easier
for the ordinary visitor, the exhibitor and the
representatives of the press. There was a slight

falling off in the number of exhibits and in the
general quality throughout the show, but this is
easily accounted for by the season, which began
with a long and trying drought and ended with
long-continued dull and wet weather— and was in
no wise caused by lack of interest. Plums,
Peaches, Nectarines, &c., were scarce, the season
for these fruits being over ; but I do not think
this would justify the holding of the show at an
earlier date another year, as the date is most suit-
able for exhibiting Apples and Pears, and October
Peaches and the like are not generally so rare as
the}' were this year. Cannot the R.H.S. be in-
duced to increase the number of classes for single
dishes of Apples'; Those varieties selected for
the schedule by no means exhausted the list of
good standard varieties, and the generally ex-
pressed idea is, that in giving numerous prizes for
single dishes, societies appeal to a much larger
constituency than they do in the classes for col-
lections, and it is certain that the single dishes,
taken all round, usually contain the best fruits.
It was a matter for some surprise that well-known
and universally-liked varieties had to give way to
others that were newer and very little known.
This sort of thing is admissible in the case only of
a fruit which is destined by its superior qualities
to become a popular kind ; but, as a means of
pushing a new variety of doubtful merit, it should
be looked at in a different light by all interested
in the well-doing of the society.— Cornu wan.

Notes of the Week.

Aster cordifoliuf.— This is one of the most
profusely flowered of the Michaelmas Daisies, the
habit very light and graceful, and the soft mauve
shade very pleasing and delicate. It is abotft
2k feet high.

"Aster sagittifolius.— This is a neat-growing
form of Michaelmas Daisy, of erect habit and
pleasing, owing to its delicate blue flowers. It is
not generally seen in collections, but at Kew re-
cently we saw it in capital form.

Polygonum affine. — At the preEent time,
when flowering plants in the rock garden are
rare, the broad patches of leaves of this plant are
very effective. Any plant that performs a two-
fold purpose in this way should be noted now
and utilised in the future.

Erigercn mucionatue. — This is still very
pretty in the rock garden, the numerous Daisy-
like flowers expanding i|uite freely even at this
late date. On waim sunny exposures the plants
are quite gay with blossom, although they have
yielded flowers for weeks past.

Aster puniceus pulchellus. — A very distinct
form, though bearing of flowers somewhat
ragged in appearance. Notwithstanding this it is
effective, and by reason of its distinctness and
vigour, should find a place in collections of these
flowers. The individual blooms are white, with a
suffusion of lilac.

Dahlia Zimapani.— A handful of blossoms of
this beautiful annual Dahlia in Messrs. Barr's
staid at Westmintter last week was very showy,
the deep crimson- shaded flowers, each about
1| inches across on slender, wiiy stems, being
well suited to mingle with things of lighter hue
in vaees or the like.

Aconitum autumnale.— This is a bold and
satisfactory border plant for late autumn work,
and good established clumps of it in the border
just now are exceedingly effective. The plant
when fully grown is nearly 4 feet high, and its
compact heads of deep blue flowers are quite an
exception at this date.

Aster linosyris (Goldilocks).— A pretty and
interesting plant, more generally known as Chry-
socoma, growing about 2 feet high, the stems fur-
nished with narrow leaves and terminated by
small heads of golden flowers. Its dwarf, com-
pact, as well as distinct habit makes it a pleasing
plant in late autumn.

Poinsettias. — A fine batch of these valuable
midwinter flowers was noted recently at Syon

P42

THE GARDEN.

[OuToEER 24, 1896.

House, where Mr. Wythes devotes a large house
to the plants. At Syon these plants are grown
by the hundred, andtheir perfect condition is the
best proof of gccd treatment. A little later these
I'oins ettias w ill be of the greatest value.

Amasooia punicea.— Flowerir;.' examples of
this very rharming and elective plant were exhi-
bited by the Messrs. Veitch and Sons lately at
Westminster. The creamy yellow blossoms, with
slightly recuiving corolla, were in distinct contrast
to the brilliant crimson-brown of the bracts, the
colour e.xtending to the tips of the branches.

Violet Princess cf WbIsp.— From Messrs.
Cannell and Sons, Swanley, Kent, come some fine
flowers of this single Violet. The blooms are
large, rirh blue in colour and very sweetly
scented. They were gathered, we understand,
from the open ground. This variety should have
a place among the many good things we now have.
Aster Novi-Belgii denstip.— Among the
dwarfer and more compact-growing forms this is
a most useful kind. The shade of blue as seen in
the dense heads of blcom is also very good, and at
Kew, where !aige masses some S feet across repre-
sent this kind, it makes a fine display. In height
it is barely 3 feet, and therefore seiviceable in
many ways.

Bouvardia Bridal Wreath.— Among many
varieties of Bouvardias in iNo. 4 greenhouse at
Kew arc some capital plants of the above, pro-
ducing in welcome profusion their useful and
chaste blossoms. The large-growing kind, B.
corymbifloraHumboIdti, which forms quitea large
bush and is specially useful for early au t umn work ,
is also largely grown.

Kuiphofia Henrich Henchel.— As seen in a
large bed of Flame Flowers at Kew on the grass,
this variety carries a great profusion of spikes that
continue quite late in the season, and being of
naturally bold, vigorous habit and brilliant colour
is very useful. Another variety named Chloris, i
form of aloides, with almost clear yellow flowers
was also very distinct and pleasing.

Astrantia major. — Among many things that
were interesting in Messrs. Barr's exhibit at the
Drill Hall last week, a bunch of this plant was
noticed. The flower heads are pinkish white.
The foliage when fully developed is handsome
and efl'eetive, and for this reason the plant
worth growing. There is a variegated form of
this species that makes a splendid pot plant.

Salvia splendens grandiflora. — This magni
ficSTit variety was lately seen in a finely-grown
specimen at the Drill Hall from Sir Trevor Law-
rence. The spikes of flowers are of the brightest
vermilion, the individual blossoms arranged
rather full, dense spike nearly 8 inches long, and
the flowers being well retained throughout this
entin- length have a vivid and striking appearance.

Lobelia Gerardi.— This is said to be a hybri
having for its parents L. syphilitica crossed with
L- cardinalis variety. In tbe liunch of flowering
spikes exhibited by Sir Trevor Lawrence (gardener,
Mr. Bain) at the Drill Hall last week it was not
possible to trace the effect of the latter parent in
the least, while L. syphilitica was abundantly
apparent in folisge, flower, and growth generally
Phygelitis capcnsie.— Among late flowering
autumn perennials this distinct plant is always
of value, on account of the brilliant spikes of
bloom produced at this season of the year. Though
this plant is not seen so often as one would ex-
pect, it is easily grown in good sandy loam, fairly
deep, with good drainage. On very dry soils it is
better in a slightly shaded spot, though not to an
extent calculated to delay its flowering, which is
always naturally late.

Plumbego capensip. — Ouife recently at
Kew we noticed a very pleasing result from the
use of the blue and white foims of the above.
The main growths were trained to the rafters and
then allowed to hang down in a natural way.
The chaste blossoms were thus seen to decided
advantage, ijuite the reverse is the case when
plants of such beautiful and pleasing growth are

tied down to balloon trellises or the like, for
rarely is there any beauty in such.

Aster Nov8B - Anglise pulchellus. — We
were very much pleased recently to note the fine
efl'ect created by a large jiTOup of this distinct
Michaelmas Daisy quite high up on a railway
embankmert. The latter inclines at an angle of
or more and is about IS feet deep, the Aster
being planted a few feet from the top. With no
staking or tying of any kind the plants drooped
towards the platform, displaying the numerous
rcsy heads cf blossom to advantage.

the laying out of St. Giles's Churchyard, Camber-
well, at an estimated cost of £S0o, provided the
ground was transferred to the local authority for
maintenance under the Open Spaces Acts. Grants
of seats were made for sites at Canning Town and
East Ham. Among other matters under con-
sideration were schemes for the conversion of a
disused burial ground at Wandsworth and a
churchyard in Battersea into public gardens, and
for the accjuisiticn of vacant sites at Willesden,
Nunhead, and in the City Read, B.C.

Public Gardens.

CouEty CoBDcil Cbiysanlhemtm exhi-
bitions.—The Chrysanthemum exhibitions at
Battersea, Finsbuiy, Victoria, Southwark and
Waterlow Parks are now ojen to the puMic.

New park for Salford.— Sir Percival Hey-
wood has presented Salford with a new park, and
has also conveyed to the corporation, as a gift, a
plot of lard adjoining as a site for a free library.

The lake in Battersea Paik. — Hitherto the
water for this has been taken in from the Thames.
It is satisfactory to hear that the Parks Com-
mittee have been making a boring with the view
of getting a supply of pure water for the lake.

A new conservatory, stocked with Palms,
valued at £10,000, and supposed to be the finest
in the country, has just been erected in Sefton
Park, Liverpool, by Mr. Henry Yates Thompson,
and presented to the Lord Mayor of Liverpool as
representing the citizens.

A Eew park for Glasgow. — Glasgow is to
have a new park, the town council having agreed
to acquire a portion of the Tollcross estate, in the
east-end of the city, comprising a little over
82 acres. The purchase-money agreed upon is
£.300 an acre, or about fiO.iXlO.

New recreation ground.— The Parks and
Open Spaces Committee recommended that the
council should agree to the acquisition of certain
land consisting of 3 roods 1'2} perches of a disused
burial ground belonging to the governors of Guy's
Hospital at Nelson Street, Bermondsey, at the
price of £4600, and should maintain the ground,
when acquired, conditionally upon the Vestry of
Bermondsey and certain other public bodies con-
tributing the sum of £2300 towards the purchase
money, and to the laying-out works being carried
out at the expense of the Metropolitan Public
Gardens Association. The recommendation was,
after a short discussion, adopted.

Metropolitan Public Gardens Association.
— At the monthly meeting of this association,
held at 83, Lancaster Gate, W., (Jeneral Lowry
presiding, it was announced that the Whitechapel
District Board of Works had made a grant of
£101) towards the expenses of the association in
maintaining the Tower Gardens and Spitalfields
Churchyard, and that in respon.se to its appeal,
Mr. James Bailey, M.P. , had provided the asso-
ciation with £375 to complete the purchase of
some vacant land in East Street, Walworth, to-
wards which the London County Council and
the Newington V'estry have also jointly sub-
scribed £5<iOO. It was stated that the purchase
of the Home Field, Chiswick, 10 acres in extent,
which at the request of the association the Eccle-
siastical Commissioners had offered as a public
playing field, at a greatly reduced price, had
been agreed to by tbe district council, and that
the churchyard of St. Dunstans-in-the-East had
been opened to the public by Lord and Lady
Teynham. Satisfactory progress was reported
with regard to securing the churchyard of St.
James's, Pentonville, St. Matthew's, Bethnal
Green, and a disused burial ground in Nelson
Street, S.E., for conversion into public gardens,
and it was hoped that the association would soon
be in a position to commence the work of laying
out these grounds. It was decided to undertake

Obituary.

MR. HENRY TRIMEN, F.R S., F.L.S.
We regret to announce the death of this eminent
botanist, which took place at his residence in
Cejlon on the 16th inst. Born in London in 1843,
he was educated at King's College, and graduated
M.B. at the University of London in 1865. He
held the position of curator at the Anatomioil
Museum of King's College, and lecturer on botany
at St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, and was
senior assistant of the botanical department cf
the British Museum for ten years. In 1880 he
was appointed Director of the Botanic Gardens,
Ceylon, which post he had quite recently resigned.
He' was the editor of the Joiirval of Botavy from
1872 to 1879, the author of the " Flora of Middle-
sex," in conjunction with Professor Thiselton
Dyer, a " Systematic Catalogue of the Plants
of Ceylon," and also a "Handbook of the Flora
of Ceylon," besides many other papers. He in-
troduced into cultivation in Ceylon many useful
and valuable products of other countries.

Prunus amygdalus macroceipa. — The
plate of this which appeared in our last issue was
drawn from flowers sent by Mrs. Robb, Liphook,
Hants, and not in the Royal Gardens, Kew, as
stated in the legend.

The weather in "West Herts. — Since the
10th inst. there has not been a single unseason-
ably warm day and but two warm nights. On
the coldest day the temperature in shade at no
time rose above 44°, and during the previous
night the exposed thermometer registered T of
frost. The ground is now cold for the time of
year, the temperature at 2 feet deep bemg 3°, and
at one foot deep 4° colder than their respective
averages for October. There have been as jet
only four days without rain this month, but on
only one day has the rainfall exceeded half an
inch. The total fall amounts to rather more than
3 inches, which is about the mean fall for the
whole of October. On several days during the
past week the atmosphere has remained ex-
ceptionally damp. There has again been but
little sunshine, the average record being only two
hours a day, while on four days the sun shone for
less than an hour. All the Dahlias in my garden
were so crippled by frost on the night preceding
the 19th, that there is lillle chance of their yield-
ing any more flowers this year. — E. M., Berk-

sted.

Wames cf plants.— T/iomas Braid.— 1, Prunus
sp. ; tend when in flower or fruit; it ia quite impos-
sible for us to recognise the species from a dried
twig and a few shrivelled leaves j 2, Prunus ferotirja.

J. R. Droop— The Wayfaring Tree (Viburnum

Lantana).

Karnes of fruit.— Tavlur.—l, Gliu Mnrceau;
2, Beurre Diel ; 3, Emile d'Heyst; 4,'probably Easter
Beurre ; 5, Duchesse d'Angouleme ; C, Marie Benoist.

J. A. R. Greaves. — Pear Fondante d'Automne.

Hubbard. — Apples : 1, Warner's King ; 2, not

recognised ; 3, New Hawlhornden ; 4, AUiislon ; 5,
Pi arson's Plate; 6, Peasgood's Nonsuch; 7. York-
shire Beauty ; 8, Sirart's Prince Arthur ; !), Bismarck.

John T. Haijes — l,rear Marechal de la Cour ;

Apples : 2, Dutch M'gnonue ; 3, Tibbett's Pearmain ;
4, Alfrieton ; 5, Ffarn's Pippm ; 6, Northern Green-
ing ; 7, Kcdleatone Pij p'n.

THE GAEDEN.

343

No. 1302. SATURDAY Odobtr 31, 1896.

"This Is an Art
Which does mend Nature : change It rather ; but
The Abt itself is Nature."— S*a*«5)ear«.

Stove and Greenhouse.

WJNTER-FLOWERING PLANTS.
The demand for cut flowers in variety and in
quantity at all seasons of the year has led to
the largely increased cultivation of those soft-
wooded plants other than Chrysanthemums
that give a supply from the time flowers are
nearly over out of doors, say from the end of
September until Christmas, and there are few
gardens now in which one or more houses are
not devoted to them. In many cases one has
to put up with existing houses and make the
best of them. Ideal structures for the purpose
are span-roofed, with pathway in centre and
stages on either side fairly well up to the glass,
with plenty of means of ventilation and sufti-
cient piping to keep the thermometer up to 55'.
In a season like the present, with the autumn
rainfall much above the average, a little heat,
accompanied by a crack of air both top and
front, is advisable. A dry atmosphere is abso-
lutely necessary, or many of the flowers will
damp. If we had to rely on only one species
for this work, the choice would probably fall on
zonal Pelargoniums, and they seem to increase

in favour for the purpose proportionately
they decline for summer bedding. Simply for
a bright display the best singles still hold their
own, but for this, combined with endurance
both on the plant and in a cut state, pre-
ference should be given to the doubles. Free-
flowering varieties of dwarf, compact habit
should be selected. Cultural details are
of the simplest, viz., to put in good cuttings
early in the season singly in small pots, to pot
on when required, using about 6-inch pots for
the final shift, and as a compost nearly all loam,
to give close attention to the watering during
hot, dry weather, and to keep all flowers pinched
ofl^ untU towards the end of August. Bouvardias
come very closely after Pelargoniums as useful
winter-flowering plants, being specially in re-
quest for button-holes, sprays, &c. In common
with many other things, they can, if labour is
scarce, be planted out about the beginning of
June and lifted before the advent of frost.
Per.sonally, having to deal with rather a dry soil,
I plant them in shallow trenches in a part of the
garden where they are least likely to be afl^ected
by prolonged drought, and mulch heavily. A
batch of Eupatoriums is put out at the same
time and in the same way ; the fine heads of
white flowers contrast very efiectively with
ccarlet and pink Pelargoniums and scarlet Sal-
vias. The latter rank among the best of autumn
and early winter plants, and good batches of
splendens, Bruanti and Heeri are just now show-
ing to great advantage in association with Chry-
santhemums Mme. Desgrange and G. Wermig.
Fine stuft'canbeobtained by the planting-out sys-
tem if the plants are carefully lifted and receive
a little extra attention until they are well esta-
blished in the pots. A touch of blue is furnished
by the aid of Lasiandra macrantha and Brow-
allia f peciosa. I do not know if these are amen-
able to the planting-out system, having always
grown them in pots in company with the
Pelargoniums and winter-flowering Begonias
A word of praise must be added for Libonia
penrhosiensis, one of the freest and
during of all. It has just started into flower
ard will keep en till well after Christmas. If

kept in small pots it forms an admirable front-
row plant in connection with Primulas, Cycla-
mens and things of similar height.

Claremont. E. Bckrell.

Asparagus plumosus.— We recently noted
this plant in a Thameeeide garden employed to
screen a wall in a lean-to greenhouse, and the
effect was not only gocd, but at the same time the
plant provided a most welcome lot of material for
the furnishing of large vases ard the like. The
plant was in the first place trained to wires fixed
to the wall, and having occupied the same position
for three or four years, covers a good deal of space.
Moreover, the growths being trained eomewhat
thinly, or rather the continued demands upon it
not permitting of much crowding, each growth is
hardened by exposure to light, and therefore the
more durable when used for cutting.

Forced Lilac. — The production of L ac
flow era all the year round is not a mere form of
expression of a theoretical writer, but an actual
fact fully established by practical experience.
Last June 20 we again saw in one of the largest
forcing establishments of the Paris district two
houses filled with Lilacs in process of forcing, the
plants in one house just commencing to flower,
whilst those in the other house had hardly begun
to grow. The latter plants had consequently been
retarded for more than a month. It is well
known that even during the normal period of
Lilac bloom in the open air the florists prefer and
pay much higher for Lilac flowers grown under
"lass, because they are much whiter, more
numerous, last longer, and are more readily made
up into bouquets, &c. Last August we saw at
the Halles Centrales, Paris, the first bunches of
forced Lilac flowers which had been cut from
plants of the year, that is to say, from shoots
which had been fully developed in the spring.
These plants had thus come into bloom nine
months earlier than the flowering time of similar
plants grown in the open air— a wonderful di9"er-
ence ! This is one of the most interesting ex-
amples of the gardener's skill, and shows what
may be done by means of operations judiciously
carried out. As regards the forcing of Lilac, it
is well known that the plants which are to be
forced must previously have been kept fully at
rest, having been taken up and stored in a dry
place for several weeks. In the case of the early-
forced plants just mentioned it was necessary
that the ripening of the branches should be
hastened and the plants taken up and rested so
that thev might be ready for planting about
July 10.— i?erae Horticole.

Orchids.

NOTES ON ONCIDIUMS.
All through the year the blossoms of various
kinds of Oncidium may be seen, and it is doubt-
ful it a more useful genus of Orchids exists.
The only point that can be urged against them
is that many of the species contain a good deal
of yellow in some one or other of its tints.
But charmingly blended with these are many
difi'erent tones of brown, chocolate, purple and
crimson, and though it is usually easy to tell
an Oncidium at a glance, there is a great variety
in form and a wide difierenoe in the size and
disposition of the blossoms. Some are produced
singly on the scapes, others on long branching
spikes, while, again, the macranthum and lamel-
liaerum sections bear scandent racemes with
the flowers occurring at considerable distances
apart. Oncidiums are found growing naturally
over a wide area, embracing the cool hilly
regions of Mexico, Peru, and Ecuador, and the
dense tropical forests of Brazil, so that under
cultivation it is impossible to treat all alike,
The species named below are all now in flower,
and include some of the better known and most

useful kinds that should be represented in all
collections. A very old species, yet stiU one of
the best of all, is

O. CKisFUM, a Brazilian kind, introduced as far
back as 1830. The plant has a creeping wiry
rhizome, and from this the pseudo-bulbs proceed
at intervals. They are usually rough in appear-
ance and of a dark bronzy red, as are the leaves in
many cases. The bloom spikes precede the
growth and in strong plants attain a height of
about 2 feet, and contain upwards of forty large
ehowy blossoms. The sepals, petals, and lip are
brownish yellow, the former frequently spotted
with red, the lip having a bright yellow centre
and a few crimson markings about the column.
This plant has been frequently imported and is
consequently cheap and easily obtained. The
best way to grow it is in shallow wood baskets
suspended from the roof in a light sunny position
in the Cattleya house. The baskets must be filled
three parts of their depth with clean crocks, as
the roots do not require much compost. Equal
parts of peat and Moss with plenty of crocks in-
termixed will grow it well, and the rhizome must
be firmly pegged down or otherwise fixed so that
the roots may easily lay hold of the compost.
Not much water will be rciiuired during the rest-
ing season, but enough to keep the bulbs and foli-
age in good condition must be allowed. When
growing freely, on the ether hand, a full supply is
needed, and this must be continued until the
flowers are over. The plant is rather erratic in
its habits and often in the middle of wiiiter will
push flower spikes or growth. When this is the
case the treatment must, of course, be varied to
meet it, but if the plants keep naturally to an
annual routine of resting, growing and flowering,
they will be much healthier and more satis-
factory in every way. The species varies con-
siderably and a few named varieties have been
described.

O. EXCAV.\TUM is an easily grown, handsome,
and very free blooming species, with green, leafy
pseudo-bulbs about 6 inches in height. The large
branching inflorescence makes a bright and effec-
tive display, as on strong plants each spike will
carry scores of the bright yellow and crimson
blossoms. To grow this Oncidium well, a large
pot and good depth of rough open compost are all
that are needed. The roots are freely emitted
and run strongly among rough lumps of peat and
charcoal, and they have the rather unusual
faculty among Orchids of enwrapping the com-
post firmly, so that while growing it is almost
impossible to over-water it if healthy and well
established. It is not a fastidious plant as to
temperature, as it thrives either in the Cattleya
house or with the Odontoglots, though in the
former the growth is usually stronger. After the
blossoms are past and the pseudo-bulbs have at-
tained full size rather less water is required, and
during the winter the temperature ought not to
rise much above 50^ at night. It is found grow-
ing naturally at a considerable elevation in Peru.
Possibly there is not a more useful or free-bloom-
ing Orchid in existence than the good old

O. FLEXUosUM, the long branching panicles of
its pretty little yellow blossoms making a wel-
come addition to any group of flowering plants,
or in a cut state being in great request by
florists. It may be said to be the easiest of all to
grow, and it will flower freely either in the cool
or intermediate house. I always use plenty of
Sphagnum and charcoal for this Orchid, for al-
though the roots exist and the plant grows even
in a heavy compost, the difference between these
and others planted in a lightly made up medium
is very great, otherwise the simplest cultural de-
tails are all that are required to obtain capital
results. It is worth noting that if the flowers are
not required with very long stems these may be
cut off just below the bottom branchlets, when in
many cases they will break out and produce an-
other spike. 6. flexuoBum has been in cultiva-
tion since 1818, and is a native of Brazil. A form
of this Oncidium called flexuosum majus is a
superior plant to the type and a really fine Or-
I chid, very scarce in cultivation.

344

THE GARDEN.

[October 31, 189G.

©:- FoRBESi is a magnificent species and one
which is easily grown. Newly-imported plants
move along with vigour for a few years, but after
this the well known backward tendency sets in
and it soon begins to produco weaker growths
and smaller spikes of flower. This is often
hastened by thoughtlest-ly leaving the spikes of
flower too long upon the" plants, but in any case
it is a tricky subject. I have tried the plant in a
variety of ways and have been fairly successful
with it, but plants now flowering are certainly
not so good as they were three or four years ago,
and 1 fear it is only a (juestion of another season
or two before they go altogether wrong. A tem-
perature intermediate between that of the Cat-
tleya house and the cool houpe suits the plants
best, and the pots or pans used for it should not
be larger than is necessary to take them easily
and allow a little margin for compo?t. E(|ual
parts of peat and Mo-s, with crocks and charcoal
added, and good drainage must be given, and
care is necessary in repotting. It also thrives on
rafts lightly dressed with Mos.«, but gives more
trouble in wateiing when growing in this way.
A decided resting period is necessary after Moom-
ing, and during this time the lets water the
plants get the better, provided the pseudo-bulbs
are not allowed to shrivel. The bloom-epik
appear in the sheathing bases of the leaves and
carry a large number of flowers. These are rich
brown in ground colour and have the appearance
of being varnished. The margins to the segments
are bright yellow and wavy, and a few yellow and
red markinirs are usual about the rather promi-
nently raised crest. 0. Forbesi was named in
compliment to Mr. Forbes, once gardener to the
Duke of Bedford, in whose collection it first
flowered. It is a native of Mrnzil.

O. i.s< iKVi'M is one of the smaller- flowered
kinds, producing its blossoms on long arching
spikes that appear in early summer, but take a
long time to come to perfection. The flowers last
well in good condition and are white, with purple
bands and stripes, the lip usually pure white. It
is a Mexican plant and diplikes much heat. A
plant growing here in a cool fernery has twenty
spikes of bloom that have been open for nearly
six weeks. It is a free-rooting species and may
bs given medium-sized pots, the ordinary {)eat
and lloss mixture suiting it well. During the
time it is growing, plenty of atmospheric ami
root moisture is desirable, and if the plants while
in bloom are placed in rather drier ijuarters it
helps to steady down the growths just maturing.
It does not vary so much as most other Oncidiums,
but a pure white variety is in cultivation, though
RolHom seen. O. incurvum was introduced in
1845.

There are one or two other Oncidiums now
in flower, including the well-known O. tigrinuni
and its varieties, the Uutterfly species, O.
Kramerianum and O. Papilio, and a few late
plants of O. macranthum. R.

Cypripedium Harriaianum albo - pur-

pareum.— This hybrid is extremely variable, and
the preaeut variety is one of the darkest and most
beautiful of all. It is, unfortunately, rather rare
in collections, a much poorer form having often to
do duty for the true one. This has a very deep
purple tint on the dorsal sepal, and the lip is of a
beautiful vinous tint as seen in C. barbatum
nigrum. All the Harrisianum varieties are good
and useful Orchids, free-growing, and blooming
and thriving under the most ordinary cultural
cinJitions. It is one of the finest of the late Mr.
Dominj s hybrids and first flowered as far back as
1869.

LsBlia autumnalia auperba.— A beautiful
form of the darker variety of L. autumnalis comes
from a correspondent under this name. The
blossoms are each 4^ inches across, the sepals and
[»etal8 dark crimson-purple, the lip deeper in col-
our in front, with deep yellow crests. The col-
ouring of the whole flower somewhat resembles
that of L. anceps Barkeriana, but the flower is
much larger. L. autumnalis thrives well at the

coolest end of the Cattleya house if no Mexican
house is at command and if grown in pots it should
only have a thin layer of compost over good drain-
age. A light position and plenty of air are need-
ful and the roots must never be dried much.

Vanda Smderiana.— An enormous specimen
of this Vanda is at the present time in Hower in
the;collection of Mr. ,J. ( Jurney Fowler, (ilobelands,
South Woodford. The plant has seven growths
and twelve flower-spikes, carrying the extraordi-
nary number of l:{7 flowers of remarkable size and
good substance. I well remember the stir which
\ anda Sanderiana made when it flowered in 188.3
with Mr. Lee, Downside, Leatherhead. It then
carried three spikes of flower. The plant was
fully described in Tiik G.vki.kn, vol. xxiv. (p. •J6.3).
It was also figured and a coloured plate given in
Tiik Gauhk.n, vol. xxv. (p. liM).— Stkms.

Cochlioda rosea. — I recently noted a nice
piece of this pretty little Orchid in flower, and
although the blossoms are small and rather insig-
nificant in themselves, the bright racemes lend a
welcome bit of colour at this <lull season. C. rosea
is often called Ouontogloseum roseum, and like
the majority of this genus thrives in a cool, moist
house all the year round, this species being espe-
cially happy if it can be accommodated with a
I)08ition not far from the roof-glass, where the air
currents are free and the plants got a good light
without having the foliage scorched. Only small
pans or pots should be used, as the roots are not
very vigorous and the usual mixture of Moss and
peat over good drainage suits it admirably.— R.

Epidendrum fragrans.— The delightful per-
fume and singular form of the flowers of this Or-
chid make it worth a place. It is very free
blooming and of easy culture, rctpiiring only to
be potted in ecjual parts of peat fibre and Sphag-
num, and grown in a light position in the Cattleya
house. The young growths puch in spring and
soon form pseudo bulbs, and the (juaint-looking
flowers occur from a sheath at the top of these
The sepals and petals are creamy white, and, as
in ono or two others, the lip appears to be turned
upside down. The lip is while in ground colour,
the hollow portion beneath the column being
streaked with crimson-purple.

TRICHOSMA SUAVIS.
Manv amateur growers have been disappointed
on taking up the culture of this Orchid, which,
owing to its very free-flowering nature, often pushes
up its bloom spikes before the plant is really
strong enough to bring these to perfection. In
conseijuence the spike is hardly pushed above the
leaves, and two or three flowers closely huddled
together and showing no individual character are
produced. Such flowers of course are the reverse
of beautiful and should be picked oft before open-
ing, as their development only means a strain ujjon
the plants and serves no good purpose. But when
the plants get strong and well eelablished it is an
extremely pretty specie;^, tlie racemes being ter-
minal on the young growths and h;iving several
rather large flowers, creamy white, with a crimson
and yellow centre to the threo-lobed lip. The
flowers last fairly well and are very fragrant. T.
Buavis is an epiphytu, with stems about 0 inches
or rather more in height, crowned with a pair of
deep green leaves. It thrives well with the
Olontoglossums when healthy, though weakly or
newly imported plants are better for a little more
heat. The roots are rather largo and of the kind
that cannot stand a close, heavy compost. Clean
fresh .Sphagnum they delight in, and only a very
little rough fibrous peat need bo added to this,
with plenty of rough crocks and charcoal. A thin
layer of this sullioes, the drainage coming within
about !in inch of the rim of the pot for small
plants, those of larger size re<iuiring a little more
depth. Allow a fair margin in choosing the pots
in order to prevent frequent potting, for as
long as the compost is in good order this ought not
to be disturbed. When repotting it is usually best
to remove nearly or quite all of the old material
from about the roots, their habit being to pro-

duce a tier from each set of new stems, the old
ones not being very persistent. These of course
will be cut away, and by their removal make room
for now compost. This may be kept well up so
as to elevate the plants and throw otT superfiuoua
moisture. The best time to repot is when the
young growths are starting, and careful watering
is essential for a time. Every endeavour must be
made to induce a free growth, to this end giving
as much moisture to the roots as they can take
while growing and never allowing them to become
really dry at any time during the year. Once
get the plants into a free habit of growth and no
fear need be entertained as to a plenteous bloom,
for they are sure to flower from every strong t-hoot.
Thrips are sometimes troublesome, especially if,
the atmosphere is at all dry, but otherwise the
plant is singularly free from insect attacks. T.
suavis is the only known species in the genus, and
has been ascribed by various authorities to
Cnlogyne and Kria, from both of which genera
it dillers considerably. It grows naturally at con-
siderable elevations on the Khasya Mountains and
was introduced in 1840.

A NEW ORCHID PAN.
From Messrs. Roshcr and Co. of I|i9wich, come
samples of a new and improved Orchid pan now
being sent out by them in various sizes. It is
called the " Clozone," and should prove useful to
amateur cultivators of this family of plants. The
principal feature is a raised cone in the centre of
the pan, intended to do away with a good deal
of crocking, and also to ensure at'ration of the
roots, the inner tide of the cone being hollow.
The plants may easily and readily be fixed by
wiring them on, and the thickness of the compost
can of course be easily regulated. For this reason
the pans will be useful for such kinds as Onci-
diums of the crispum section, and many other
Orchids that do not require a great thickness of
compost. They should also prove of service in
establishing newly-imported plants, and it will be
an easy matter to add new compost as this be-
comes necessary, without unduly disturbing the
plants at the root. In principle it is an improved
adoption of the old pot block that some years ago
was much used for Orchids, but it has several
advantages over this, as will at once be seen when
using. The pans are pierced all round for wires,
in order to suspend them, and having seen plants
growing in this way in the collection of the in-
ventor, I may say that they have a very natural
and neat appearance. The larger sizes for stand-
ing on the stage are provided with feet about an
inch high, this allowing a current of air to pass
inwards and upwards to the roots — an important
point with the epiphytal section. The plants,
moreover, when once they obtain a hold of these
pans cannot pos.Mibly become loose at the root,
owing to sinking of the compost, as they do occa-
sicnally in pots or baskets. The absence of
crocks as drainage makes them very light, and
they are consequently easily dip[)ed or moved
about for examination, and tor the same reason
woodlice and other insects are not so likely to
harbour about them. Where room is scarce the
size of the base will go rather against their general
use, but, of course, if room can be found for them
the plants are all the better for standing well
apart. Although the plants referred to above had
only recently been put into the pans, it was evi-
dent that they liked their surroundings, the
roots in many cases being well through the com-
post and showing on the inner side of the pans.
Several Dondrobes had done very well, including
a piece of D. Iiavonianum with very long, well-
finished growths, D. I'hal.inopsis, D. nobile and
several others. I can safely recommend amateurs
who find a difllculty in keeping their plants well
drained and the compost sweet to give the " Clo-
zone " pots a trial. They are undoubtedly a great
help in this respect. H. R.

Epidendrum prismatocarpum.— The How era
of this Epidendrum, which are very handsome, are
freely produced and last a long time in good con-

:tober 31, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

345

dition. They occur at the apex of growth in
racemes containing from ten to fifteen each. The
sepals and petals are narrow and pointed, yellow,
with large spots of purple, the lip rosy purple,
margined with faint yellow. The pseudo-bulbs
are pear-shaped and bear several long green
leaves on the top. This species thrives well in a
fairly warm house and should be grown in pots in
a good open compost. While growth is active an
abundant supply of moisture is required, and,
being evergreen, it must not be much dried even in-
winter. It is a native of Chiriqui and was intro-
duced in 1S63.

Cyprjpsdium Charlesworthi (Rougham
Hall variety).— From Mr. H. Henley (gardener to
Mr. E. J. Johnstone, Rougham Hall) comes a very
remarkable form of this popular Cypripedium.
The dorsal sepal, petals and pouch are of the usual
form and colour seen in a good variety of C.
Charlesworthi, but the lower sepal is very large
and handsome. The centre of this is pale green
lined with a deeper shade, then a broad white
line on ecich side, with a rosy purple stripe.
Beyond this there is a wide margin of colour
exactly the same as that of the dorsal sepal, viz ,
a rosy white ground almost entirely covered with
bright rose-purple. The width of the sepal is
considerably over 2 inches, which naturally alters
the appearance of the flower. It is a striking and
quite distinct break from anything else that has
been described, and I have little doubt that the
variety will remain constant, as there are several
other blooms on the plant, including one twin-
flowered scape, all these being similar to the one
described.

CATTLEYA BOWRINGIANA.
The flowers of this fine species are very pretty
and effective, and serve to brighten up many an
Orchid house during the dull, dark days of the
present and succeeding months. It has long,
rather narrow pseudo-bulbs and leaves, the spike
occurring on the apex of the former and carrying
a considerable number of blossoms. Each of these
in a good form is from 3 inches to 4 inches across,
the ground colour of the sepals and petals being a
warm rosy purple, with dark crimson veins ; the
lip bright purple, with a white centre. The cul-
ture of C. Bowringiana is not at all diflScult. It
likes a full Cattleya house temperature, and on
several occasions this season I have seen the
plants doing extremely well in a temperature
bordering closely on that of the East India house.
Whether among growers in the vicinity of the
metropolis this was first done to get the blossoms
early and out of the way before the worst of the
fog season comes on, or not, I cannot say, but if
80 they have, fortunately, hit upon the right mode
of treating this pretty Cattleya. With regard to
repotting, the best of all times to do this, as I
have often pointed out when treating of other
species, is just when a flush of roots from the last
made bulbs is being emitted. Catch them at
once ; never, by any means, wait until they are
an inch or so long, for in this case it is impossible
to repot without seriously damaging them. Quite
recently I saw several fine plants that had just
been repotted, though the flower-spikes were well
developed and the individual blossoms could be
plainly seen. The young green points of the
roots were pushing vigorously into the new com-
post, and long before winter these plants will be
re-established in their pots, so that they will
hardly feel the removal. Had they been left
until the spring before being potted they would
certainly have had the growing season in "front of
them, but root action is never so brisk as
during early autumn. The best compost for it
consists of equal parts of peat and Sphagnum,
carefully shaking out the loose sand and dirt from
the former and all decayed portions of the Moss.
Keep it all in a rough open condition, and pay
especial attention to the drainage, as this Cat-
tleya when in full growth requires a very large
quantity of water. Even in the winter it will
not stand being kept very dry, shrivelled pseudo-
bulbs and weak growth in spring being the

inevitable result of this treatment. C. Bowring-
iana is an Orchid that has come rapidly into
favour, for though introduced not much more
than ten years ago by Messrs. Veitch from

and peat fibre, with abundance of charcoal and
crocks, will suit it well. The plants while grow-
ing and rooting freely must be very libt rally
watered, once a daj' being none too often while the

Honduras, it is now represented ik almost every weather is fine and even during winter, and when
collection of any size in the country. R. resting a fair supply is needed.

Cephalotus foUicularis. — In one of the
cooler Orchid houses at Cambridge Lodge is a
capital lot of this quaint pitcher plant. It is very
curious and beautiful, the leaves— about half of
which form pitchers— growing in tufts very closely
together. The pitchers are variously coloured,
usually deep green with a dark purple suffusion,
the front portion being overlaid with rosy pink
venations. The plants are grown in living
Sphagnum Moss, and this pushing up around
them makes a nice setting for the leaves. They
are potted as loosely as possible with plenty of
hard material to prevent the other particles of
the compost running closely together. A humid
atmosphere must always be kept up about them,
and this is usually managed by keeping them
constantly under bell-glasses and frequently
damping the Moss. The roots, too, will not thrive
if dry, and for this reason the drainage must be
ample, so that the water can pass quickly away.
No great difficulty will ba found in its culture if
these few points are attended to and propagation
of the plants may be eflected by division. This
ought to be done before the plants have made
much growth, and in separating and repotting
great cleanliness must be observed for the plants
cannot thrive in soddened and decayed compost.
C. foUicularis is the only cultivated species in the
genus, and is a native of Western Australia,
whence it was introduced in 1S22.

Nanodes Medusee. — A striking instance of
the peculiarities of Orchids I noted recently at
Cambridge Lodge, when Mr. Chapman called my
attention to two plants of this quaint species
growing side by side in baskets suspended from
the roof in the Cymbidium house. Each plant
had been treated exactly alike, and from their
proximity there could be little or no difference in
the atmospheric conditions ; yet one had grown
to a remarkably fine plant, with twenty-two
large, healthy growths clinging all round the
basket, while the other was making very little
progress — in fact, looked far from happy.
Another instance was seen in the same collection,
viz., Phaius tuberculosus. Among a batch of
this, plants side by side were quite dilferent ; the
one healthy and full of vigour, the other existing
as if under protest against the treatment it was
receiving. It is difficult to account for this state
of things, but, presumably, it is due to inherent
lack of vigour in the plant when imported which
does not at once show itself. The Nanodes men-
tioned is a pretty plant when well done, the pecu-
liar purple tint of the ([uaintly-formed blooms
showing up well against the grey tint of the
foliage. It delights in cool house treatment
when well established, and should not be over-
burdened with compost. It does not require any
resting season, and certainly no dry rest.— H.

Paphinia grandis. — This singular looking
Orchid is now in flower, the blossoms emitting a
very powerful though not very pleasant ecent.
The spikes push from the side of the last made
pseudo-bulb, the individual flowers being up-
wards of 5 inches across. The sepals and petals
are white, blotched with deep purplish-brown, the
lip also brown and dark purple. The plants
grow freely if suspended from the roof in a good
light position in the Cattleya house, but the
foliage must be shaded from bright sun as it is
very tender, especially when young. The roots
are impatient of anything close or decayed about
them, and cons£(iuently repotting must be seen to
at least once in two years. Care must be taken to
disturb the last formed tiers of roots as little as
possible, but the older ones will in most cases be
dead or nearly so. Wood baskets or pans may be
used, and in either case must be well drained and
scrupulously clean. Sound fibrous loam in the
proportion of one part to two each of Sphagnum

AMERICAN NOTES.
Thk various periods of extremely hot weather,
couplod with a lack of rain in the early summer
and also but little rainfall during August, have
combined to make it a rather hard season for
many plants in the vicinity of Philadelphia at
least. The growing weather and abundant rain
in July have, however, made the general condi-
tion of farm crops fair, and at the time of writing
(September 16) lawns are improving under the in-
fluence of late rains, and will soon lose the brown
and parched appearance so prevalent in the past
month where artificial watering was not regularly
given.

Clematisks.— Clematis Jackmani flowered very
freely with us the past season, and, indeed, stands
alone among purple flowering climbers for cover-
ing verandahs, pillars, or trellises, its great
masses of magnificent flowers continuing for a
considerable time, except when they are stricken
by an unusual heat wave. This Clematis is per-
fectly hardy in this latitude, though sometimes
going off as though blighted when in full growth
in the early summer. Clematis crispa and C.
coccinea are .also used to some extent for covering
porches, and while their flowers are not very showy
individually, the foliage is graceful and but little
troubled by insects. For quickly covering a
porth, an outhouse, or an unsightly fence three
other members of the Clematis family, viz. , C. pani-
eulata,C. flammula, and C. Vitalba, deserve special
mention. All of these are rampant growers and
very free flowering, C. paniculata excelling in ihe
latter characteristic. Some small plants that
were put out very late in the spring and iri
poor (( '1 have been wreathed with flowers for the
past V . . k or ten days, though the total length of
the growths on them is only from 3 feet to 4 feet.
RohKS.— Hybrid Perpetual Roses pioducod a
very fine crop of bloom this season, and in this
district at least there was less trouble than usual
with insects, but, unfortunately, a week or two
of very hot weather set in just as the Roses were
opening, and consequently the flowers were small
in most instances and the crop soon over. Aming
the Teas, Marie Van Houtte and Papa Gontior are
two of the most satisfactory we have for cutting
from during the summer, giving good solid buds
and being seldom without flowers. Some very
good flowers are ako seen on La France at the
present time, and last season I noted in the
open garden some plants of this noble Rose that
ere bearing some good blooms on December 1.
The Crai'E Mvkti.e (Lagerstro?mia indica). —
Some months ago a correspondent of ThicCarhkn
suggested the more extended use of this in Eng-
lish gardens, and noted its apparent hardiness in
some places there. This plant is perfectly hardy
in Washington, D.C., and in Philadelphia is
seldom severely injured by full exposure to the
winter, though it is not unusual to have the tem

perature fall to zero on one

or two occasions each

winter in the latter city. This refers to the type,
this being, I think, the hardier form, but the
white form is possibly more tender. In this cori-
nection I am reminded of a specimen of the ordi-
nary pink variety of Lagerstrcemia in the old gar-
den at Mount Vernon (the historic home of George
Washington), the plant in (luestion being a round-
headed bush, fully 12 feet high, and nearly or
quite the same in diameter, and at the time I last
saw it the upper portion of the plant was a com-
plete mass of clear pink flowers and was truly a
Bight worth going miles to see.

D.A.TURA coRNUCur-EA,-In The Garden of
August 22, 18i)6 (page 48), Mr. J. C. Tallack
notes with admiration some plants of this that
he had recently seen growing in a greenhouse.
Has this plant been tested in the outdoor garden

346

THE GARDEN.

to any extent in England ? Here it grows and
flowers outdoors just about as freelv as the common
Ihorn Apple, or Jamestown Weed "(Datura stramo-
nium), but possibly the average summer in Eng-
land may not be warm enough for its welfarl
iJatura suaveolens (or Brugmansia suavoolens)
al^o does well under similar conditions, producing
an abundance of ite large white trumpet flowers
dunng the summer.

HyukaNCEA PANICILATA i;R.\NDIKL<)RA AND H.

aoKTtNMA have as usual been our most showy
shrubs during the past month, but are now past
their best, the successive shades of colour of H.
grandiBora making it a most elfective plant either
as a single specimen on the lawn or in the shrub-
Dery. U. Hortensia is frequently injured by the
winter in this locality unless given some slight
protection but H. paniculata giandiflora is per-
lectly tardy, and when treated to severe pruning
in the spring and given abundance of water in dry
h^]y' '*"" '°''^'^'''' ^®'''°" ^"''^ ^° ^°"'«''

Cmirdoma rrr.EsiKNs is a comparatively rare
-North American shrub or small tree, of which
plTj^?t.°"^ ?^,°^ examples in Fairmount Park,
rhiladelphia The plants in question are from
iU leet to 12 feet in height and bushy. For a
number of years past they have not failed to yield
a succession of their sweet-^'cented white floweis
durirg July and August, just at a time when
nowering shrubs are scarce in our climate. Peaty
sou and the partial shade of some tall trees seem
to be favourable conditions for this Gordonia, and
so worthy a plant deserves more recognition than
seems to have been accorded it in our gardens.
ffolme^hur,/, Philadelphia. W. H. Tapmn.

[October 31, 1896.

Books.

THE ORCHIDS OF BURMAH.*
This work is avowedly a compilation especially

it is Inte^nd H°'"''^'t ^^"^ ^''^ i° ^"rmah, and
It IS intended mainly for the requirements of
students and amateurs who wish to study Burmese

?rant hr''"'^'"/?,'^''^ °' elsewhere.^ CapUin
tyrant has made full use of the Rev. Charles

Jn\t\f'''t °" 9'^J'''^' "' "'"^ '" Theobald's
n„n ^H f f '°"u' Burmah," and he has also

XeZh If/"""' the works of Jennings, Williams,
Aeitch.andfrom the Kew Bulletin, the BotavieaJ.
fya,,ne, and last, but by no means least, from
the "Flora of British India." The classification
wh7I«^'h^^""'°'f /'^ ""fi^'y **"^t of Lindley,
while the nomenclature is Hookers, the ck=sifica
tion from the " Flora of British India' bein^;
given in appendix A at end of the volume The
work consists of 4-4 pages and index, and there

ZZl fM'^°^T°^'l''^''^'"'^ ^"-""^ i" different
parts of the volume that might well have been
amalgamated in one place. «'"a\eDeen

The index shows at a glance how rich Burmah
really is in many of the Orchids now popular In

Bulhophy Hum Ca lanthe CVlogjne and Dendro!
lfM°™. ^ last-named beautiful genus over

IMJ species are noted as Burmese. Phal^enopsis,
Saccolabium, Spathoglottis, Thunia and Vanda
are other popular genera richly represented in
thie favoured land. The plan adopted is tn

or"v'.^%^j]l^";Z" 7'"''°' each g^enus, mor^
J\ V, I f V' J references to figures, &c., in
fn Mnt '^ K °"^"\ '""^ ,'^^ generic cha;acte; is
followed by an analytical key which is appended
For\h" 'T''T the cletermfnation of the^^peo es
For the benefit of Indian Orchid growers some
cultural details are added from Jennings' "Or

r;ic:?Sri?s.^^^°^ '"'"^ - '^'- -'I °^°-

a book that will no doubt be appreciated very

highly in Burmah and other parts of India, for
which It was primarily prepared. It contains
nothmg of great interest to European botanists,
and IS too strictly botanical in its tone and treat-
inent for amateurs and others interested in Or-
chids for their beauty only.

The work being merely a compilation is defi-
cient in many ways. There is no map of Burma,
and the localities or habitats given are of the
most vague and general kind. In no sense, ex-
cept as a descriptive catalogue, can the work be
considered as doing justice to the Orchid flora of
a peculiarly rich and highly favoured region.
1 here 18 nothing of the habits and natural sur-
roundings, nothing of the variations in different
localities, nor aught of the life history of the
Burmese Orchids, or of the insects that visit them.
It may be said that too much is expected, but if
ever a second edition is called for we sincerely
j!i^j ''" original chapter or two may be

added as to the native conditions under which
Burmese Orchids grow, such as altitude, aspect,
raintall, &c. A map indicating approximately
the local distribution of the genera or species, on
a similar plan to that employed in Veitch's
Manual of Orchidaceous Plants," would also be
a useful and important addition. In speaking of
the last named work (Veitch's Manual) in his
preface Captain Grant says he was told it 'was out
of print, which, we believe, is really not the case.
ihe Orchids of Burmah" is in type and in the
general excellence of its production a credit to
the native press of Rangoon. F W B

• "The Orchids of Burmah (includinz the AnH,.
man Isknds)." Described and compilfd from the
works ot various authorities by Captain BartleGrnnf
the Border Eegiment, Adjutant Kan« ,on v'i?„tee;

THE NARCISSUS, OR DAFFODIL.*
This is a handy reprint, with additions, of a paper
read by the anchor at Sheffield some months ago.
1 he history , culture, arrangement, insects and other
enemies, hybridisation and selection of Narcissi are
treated in an interesting and practical manner
Mr. Birkenshaw has charge of one of the most ex-
tensive private collections of Narcissi in the
north of England, where soil, climate and
system of cultivation alike feem to suit them ad-
mirably, though the position is an exposed one on
the fringe of the moors and the winter climate is
occasicnaly very severe. At Totley Hall the
finest of Narcissi are grown in broad masses of a
thousand cr more together on a sloping border,
that IS sheltered to some extent by higher ground
trees and buildings behind. It is not easy to for-
get the splendour of such groups as I saw there
last spring, the varieties being Emperor, Empress,
John Horsfield, Grandee, maximus. Sir Watkin
and all the best of the star or incomparabilis va-
rieties. In smaller quantities were all the choicest
of new kinds, such as Weardale Perfection, with
seven flowers and buds, Mme. de Graafl-, Glory of
Leyden, Lulworth and other rarities. Add to
these four two others, viz., Ellen Willmott and
Monarch, and you have the six best kinds known •
but the two last are not as yet in commerce, and
so not easily to be obtained. Ellen Willmott is
perhaps, the very finest Daffodil yet raised in
i^nglish gardens, and its raiser— the Rev G H
i.ngleheart-may feel deservedly proud of such a
success Other new kinds not as yet much known
are White (.)ueen, a broad star-like flower of
t,ucbaris-like proportions. Albatross and Sea
Gull are other fine white varieties of the incom-
parable race, and a very fine Daffodil (of vigorous
growth) for market work, is Golden Bell

Totley Hall is only a few miles from SheflSeld,
which IS quite a historical place so far as the
Narcissus is concerned. Until Mr. Engleheart
began rearing seedlings at Appleshaw, on the
borders of Wilts and Hampshire, nearly all our
finest English seedlings were raised in Lancashire
and in lorkshire or Durham. At Meersbrook
flan, near bhettield (now a public park, while the
old mansion forms the Ruskin Museum), the late

Mr. W. P. Milner grew a large collection of the
Backhouse seedlings, and it was from this place
that Mr. Peter Barr obtained the varieties that are
now so famous; hence it is pleasant to find Mr.
W. M. Milner following out what may be termed
a hereditary and instinctive love of these flowers.
The practical remarks as to the lifting and early
planting of the bulbs, as also the method of
storing them in shallow boxes or trays, will prove
useful to many readers, as also the original bits of
observation to be met with in this little handbook,
such as that on p. 29, concerning Weardale Per-
fection Daffodil, which at Totley Hall is very fer-
tile in bearing and ripening seed. The photo-
graphs add to the general interest of the pamphlet,
those of N. obvallaris, N. Mrs. Langtry, and N.
cernuus being especially good. Being'published
at a nominal price, this booklet will be easily
obtainable, and most useful to cottagers and others
who wish to commence the culture of Narcissi
and at the same time wish for clear and reliable
information concerning them. F. W. B.

THE LONDON BURIAL GROUNDS.'*
A VERY interesting little book. It requires a
certain amount of courage on the part of a lady
to take up such a subject. It is unfortunately
disfigured, like so many modern books, by thick
clay paper and process cuts, which are, however,
not quite so bad as these things generally are.
The book is in one way useful, as showing how
ugly and odious from the artistic point of view-
are the cemeteries of the present day. For this
ugliness there is no real need whatever, and there
is no reason why a high standard of beauty should
not obtain in our cemeteries, and why in the future
they should not be kept as beautiful gardens, as,
indeed, some of the cemeteries in America ha\o
already become.

The Narcissus or Daffodil "—being No. 1 of
Bigge and Son's Handy Series of Fruits, Flow
Vegetables. By T. W. Birkenshaw, head ea

FERNS AND FERN CULTURE.t
Under this very simple title a complete and
comprehensive treatise on the cultivation of
Ferns has been issued by Mr. J. Birkenhead,
of the well-known firm at Sale. The name of
the author is in itself a guarantee of the ex-
cellence of the work, and it is highly gratifying
to no ;e that such an extensive subject is tieattd
so satisfactorily in such a small compass by one
so well qualified to dn it. Many are the interest-
ing portions of the book, which does not com-
prise 1.30 pages ; but the most instructive is
perhaps that which, under the denomination of
section 3, deals with the composts for the various
genera, as the author gives lists of the names of
the various plants flourishing in the several com-
posts most adapted to their various requirement?.
This most interesting chapter is preceded by
section 2, in which the (lualities of the various soils
are satisfactorily demonstrated. Section 6 — de-
voted to light and means of shading Ferns — is also
exceedingly useful, and will be read with great at-
tention by all who are interested in Fern culture.
In the next section the complex questions of tem-
perature, ventilation and watering Ferns are
freely and extensively treated. The general cul-
tural notes are— as may be expected from the pen
of so eminent a grower— replete with valuable
hints which cannot fail to prove useful to the
general cultivator, and in particular to the ama-
teur, for whom the book no doubt is particularly
intended. Not the least important portion of the
book to Fern growers in general is section 10, in
which the whole of the Ferns known in cultivation
are divided into special sections with their various
uses. Valuable information respecting the cul-
tivation of Ferns in fancy ways, such as in hanging
baskets, on cork, rockwork. Moss-covered walls,
&c., is found in this unpretentious book, which is
well got up and well illustrated, and which should
be consulted by all concerned in the cultivation
of Ferns. G. S.

* " The London Burial Grounds." Illustrated. By
Mrs. Basil Holmes. London: T. Fisher Unwin.

t " Ferns and Fern Culture." By Mr. J. Birken-
head, Sale, Manchester.

October 31, 1896.]

THE GAEDEK

347

Trees and Shrubs.

THE BEECH.

(fagus sylvaticj
Beech, justly admired^

I have a more or less upward tendency, and form not seem to thrive well at a greater altitude
a symmetrical and majestic crown. Upon than 2000 feet. In Thuringia and among the
j young trees the hark is of a greenish grey hue, j Hartz Mountains, noble Beeches, 100 ftet in

but as the tree matures it assumes an Ash-grey
l) (colour. The leaves, when young, are soft and

for its stately delicate, and of a beautiful yellowish green

crown and beautiful green foliage, which ren- ; colour, but as the season advances they become
der it a desirable ornament in parks and large ; deep green

In October they become yellow

BppcJies at Blmr Brummond, Perth. From a photograph sent iy Mr. M. Jackson, Perth.

pleasure grounds, is found in most parts of and dry, shrivel up, and fall to the ground.

Europe, and is one of the handsomest and Upon young trees, however, the withered leaves

most valuable of our forest trees. Its trunk is often remain on until they are forced off by the

erect and massive, and its height is usually swelling of the fresh buds m spring. The fruit,

from 100 feet to 130 feet. The roots spread which is ripe in October, consists of rough

for 10 feet or 12 feet round the tree, but none spiny capsules, each of which contains two or

of them cro deeply under the surface, except three smooth triangular brown nuts,

the tap-root, which penetrates perpendicularly The highest elevation at which it is found is

into the earth for 3 feet or 4 feet. The branches 5000 feet above the level of the sea, but it does

height, are found at an elevation of 1800 feet.
The finest Beech forests in the world are situate
in the island of Rugen, on the dunes of Den-
mark and Mecklenburg, and on the plains and
low hills of Germany. It is in these regions,
where Beech forests cover many thousand
acres, that the tallest living Beeches are
to be found. In the last century. Beeches
174 feet in height were cut down in North
Germany, and at present many single
trees exist there which are 130 feet high
and 41 feet in circumference. Beeches
thrive best in a surface-soil of poor, dry,
sandy loam, with a subsoil of chalk
mingled with gravel, sand, and small
stones. Those trees which grow upon
mountain slopes, or on low humus-covered
hills, with a northern or eastern exposure,
yield the best timber. The Beech attains
its full height when about 100 years old,
and then lives in perfect vigour and health
for -200 or 300 years. Trees of this age
are generally from 10 feet to 15 feet in
circumference. In damp poor soils, Beech
trees frequently perish from internal rot
between their seventieth and ninetieth
years.

Of the common Beech some very orna-
mental varieties may be met with in cul-
tivation— as, for example, difl'erent kinds
of Weeping Beech, also the purple and
copper-leaved varieties, and the Fern-
leaved Beech, the leaves of which are cut
into narrow segments, resembling the
fronds of a Fern.

The timber, which is heavy, hard and
durable, is extensively employed in the
manufacture of numerous implements,
tools, and articles of furniture. On ac-
count of its brittleness and liability to the
ravages of insects, it is seldom employed
for building. Beech timber is especially
adapted for sub-aqueous structures, or for
positions in which it is not exposed to
the action of the atmosphere. As fuel
the Beech is very valuable, and is sur-
passed in heat-giving qualities only by the
Hornbeam and Maple. The charcoal of
the Beech is highly esteemed on account
of the equable heat which it emits. The
bark is useful to tanners, and from the
ashes of the wood excellent potash is ob-
tained.

In Denmark, Sweden, and some paris
of America the leaves of the Beech are
carefully picked, dried, and used to stuff
bed-ticks and pillows. The leaves and
ashes form an excellent manure for grass
and Clover lands, and the husks and nut-
skins contain a very poisonous material
known as fagin. The nuts themselves
form a favourite food of some birds and
quadrupeds, red deer being especially fond
of them, and they are also, in some
countries, boiled, dried in the open air,
parched by artificial heat, and ground
into meal, from which bread and soups
are prepared. The nuts have a pleasant
flavour and are very oleaginous. Con-
siderable quantities of oU, resembling almond
oil, are obtained from them hy pressing. The
best season for felling Beeches is the month of
December. , t. i x

The following description of the Beeches at
Blair Drummond, Perthshire, two of w-hich we
figure to-day is given in " Hunter's Woods,
Forests, and Estates of Perthshire " :—
Although Oaks are very numerous, the Beech

348

THE GARDEN.

[October 31, 1896.

is still more canspicuous. The finest are situated
along the side of the Teith, where there is a row
fully half a mile in length. These were planted
between the years 17-25 and ITSil All these trees
are large and are a great ornament to the river-
side. The sround at first was subject to the
periodical Boods of the Teith, but it has been se-
cured from the encroachments of the river by a
substantial stone-faced embankment. The largest
Beech in the row by the riverside uirths 20 feet
at 1 foot from the ground, and at tlie narrowest
part of the bole, about .'• feet from the ground, the
girth is 1.") feet 4 inches. Another girths IS feet
9 inches at 1 foot and IS feet 1 1 inches at 5 feet.
The girth of some of the others in the row is as
follows : At 1 foot, IT feet .'i inches : at 5 feet, 14
feet 2 inches : at 1 foot, 16 feet 1 inch ; at o feet,
12 feet 10 inches. Among the Beeches in the
grounds, three growing at the foot of a sloping
bank may be mentioned. The lartrest of these
girths IS feet 0 inches above the swell of the roots
and 15 feet 3 inches at 5 feet up, with a beautiful
clean stem of -J."' feet. In 1S60 this tree girthed
14 feet III inches at S feet, the present girth (1SS3)
being 10 feet, a irrowth of 14 inches since that
date. Of the other two, one girths 16 feet 10
inches above the swell of the roots and 14 feet 4
inches at 5 feet : the other, 15 feet 10 inches above
the swell of the roots and 14 feet .3 inches at 5
feet. All these trees are about SO feet high. An-
other tree, above the swell of the roots girths 20
feet (i inches, and at 5 feet the girth is 17 feet ^^
inches, with a good bnle of 12 feet, a spread
of branches of nearly 90 feet, and an entire heit;ht
of ah 5ut 70 feet. In IStiii this tree girthed 16 feet
1 inch at, 3 feet, the girth at that height from the
ground now (1SS3) being 17 feet 7 inches, being a
growth of 1 foot 6 inches since that date. There
is also a grove of large Beech tress growing to the
east cf Blair Drummond House.

FlantiDg Hollies.— There is a great diflferencs
of opinion as to the best time of year to move
Hollies, and. after all, a great deal depends upon
circumstances and the siza of the trees. My expe-
rience is that they do well, as a rule, if lifted just
as irrowth has commenced, say when about
1 inch has been made, and planted at once before
flagging takes place. This, however, has reference
only to plants that are near at hand. Those that
have to be procured from a nursery any distance
away, and that conseijuently are out of the ground
for a day or two, should not be removed when in
growth, as in nine cases out of ten failure is the
result. Hollies transplanted also when several
inches of new growth exist invariably go off in a
short time. When planted after growth has
started, Hollies should be watered once daily over
head with a rose ; this keeps the foliage fresh and
the roots get the moisture as well.— C. C. W.

Flower Garden.

CAPE BrLBS AT HOIME.
"DsDER the vague and general denomination of
Cape bulbs there is comprised a group of plants
of singular grace and beauty, all belonging to
the natural order Iridace;e, and more or less
closely allied. Of these, the more familiar are
the I.\ias, Sparaxis, and Montbretias or Trito-
nias, but there are included also some less
known, perhaps, but not less beautiful, such as
the Babianas, Antholyzas, Watsonias, Schizos-
tylis and others. Is it not somewhat surprising
that these — especially the latter-named genera
-should be comparatively so seldom grown,
for they are all so graceful in habit, so delicate
in form and so brilliant in the variety and dis-
position of their colours, that one might well
expect to see them as abundant in the border,'
as our English DaB'odils. They would, too
naturally follow these. Spjraxis begins to
flower, in a favourable year, the first week in

May or even earlier, and Ixias and other groups
follow on in succession up to the middle of June
or later, thus filling in the gap until the early
Gladioli are in flower, and making bright a time
of year when the herbaceous borders are by no
means too well furnished with a variety of
colour. Nor need the garden be without repre-
sentatives of this class of flowers for the rest of
the year, lor you may have Tritonias and Wat-
sonias, Antholyzas and Montbretias in flower all
July and early August, when their lordly rela-
tives the Gladioli and the beautiful Sparaxis
pendula will be in their full glory. These,
again, will carry on the succession until the
Sehizostylis (the latest of them all) begins to
bloom, cheering the declining days of autumn
with its crimson flowers till cut down by the
winter frosts. Each of these groups, too, is so
distinct and characteristic, that comparisons are
out of the question, and all deserve a place in
our gardens. It is then surely to be regretted
that they are not mo.e popular and more vyidely
grown, not merely in frames or in pots in the
greenhouse, but in the open border. It is not
everyone who has a frame to spare for them, and
many people do not care to grow plants that
need frame protection ; besides, it is only when
well established in masses or clumps in the open
border that they display the characteristic grace
of habit that is at least as great a part
of their charm as the brilliancy of their flowers.
I have heard that tbey may occasionally be
seen established in the open borders in some of
the south-western counties of England where
the conditions are naturally favour,ible, and no
doubt there are some admirers of these flowers
who have come to understand their wants and
who cultivate them with success. But from
the occasional paragraphs that appear in the
gardening papers it is evident that most people
find a difticulty not merely in growing them
satisfactorily, but in growing them at all ; and,
indeed, many who read these paragraphs form
such an unfavourable opinion of these Cape
bulbs, that they do not even attempt to grow
them.

The causes of their want of popularity are
perhaps several. They are not so well known
as they deserve to be. Then they are generally
considered less hardy than they really are when
rightly grown. You cannot grow them anyhow
and anywhere ; they need some special manage-
ment and soil and some attention, at any rate at
first. But the chief cause, I suspect, is the
trouble entailed by the orthodox method of
taking them up each year, storing them, and re-
planting them again in the autumn ; so that if
conditions and method of treatment be found
such that when once planted they would need no
further attention otherwise than the usual
routine of the herbaceous border, passing our
average winters without injury, and increasing
and flowering freely each year — if, in short,
they could be established in the open borders,
these Cape bulbs would undoubtedly soon be-
come the most popular of flowers.

Natural Condition.s.
It seems that the right method of treatment
is yet to be found. The observati.m and study,
however, in their native home of the condi
tions under which these seemingly delicate
plants are able to hold their own in the fierce
struggle for existence cannot fail to give some
hints towards the desired end, and it is here I
have something to say which 1 hope may be of
use in the matter. Of course, it will nor, neces
sarily follow that the conditions which suit
them in their own country will equally suit
I them under alien skies, and this can only be
I definitely settled by actual trial. There is also

the further question whether these natural con-
ditions can be reproduced in this country in the
open borders. I am hopeful that practically
they can. We have not, it is true, the balmy
clmiate of the Cape, but, for reasons that will
appear later on, I do not think that is so essen-
tial a condition as is generally supposed. I re-
cently spent two years in South Africa, and
while there I saw, in difl'erent localities and at
difl'ereut times of the year, representatives of
nearly all these groups growing wild. In some
favoured spots they covered the ground literally
like grass. I was so struck with their extreme
beauty when flow( ring thus in large masses,
that I took every opportunity to observe the
conditions under which they were growing in
order that I might, if possible, fathom the
secret of i heir successful cultivation. Leaving
out the question of climate, such conditions as
I found invariably present, and which I there-
fore conclude are the conditions essential to suc-
cess in the cultivation of these Cape bulbs are :
First, a perfectly drained, porous soil. To any-
one who has travelled in South Africa it would
hardly be necessary to point out how admirably
the formation of the country is adapted for
securing a well-drained soil. The great hei.»ht
—2000 feet to COCO feet- at which most of the
African continent lies above the sea, combined
with a very sandy, porous soil, does not give
the water much opportunity to lodge anywhere ;
and then, in addition, the country in many
parts is traversed by deep "kloofs." These
kloofs — so characteristic a featiire of South
Africa— are deep and comparatively narrow
water-worn clefts, with precipitous, almost per-
pendicular sides. Some that drain large tracts
of country are hundieds of feet deep, but they
are often perfectly reproduced in miniature in
the little tributary watercourses that may be,
perhaps, but 0 feet deep. The draining eflect
of this formation can be reidil'- tealised. On
the banks, extending almost to the veiy edge, of
one of these miniature kloofs near ihe western
foot of Table Mountain I saw a belt of Ixias
growing so thickly, as to almost hide the soil ;
and (the ground being level) it was noticeable
that they did not extend very far from the
edge of the bank, being superseded at a little
distance by grass and shrubs. In other parts,
as in the Kuysna district, the country is broken
by narrow, rocky spurs and deep gu lies that
run down from the forest-clad edge of the
mountain plateau. On the steep sides of these
spurs ihe drainage must be perfect, and here,
again, is another home of several groups of
these flowers. Here I saw in April (the South
African late autumn) a species of Antholyza in
bloom covering the hillsides with a mantle of
crimson and silver, and this was but one of
many such beautiful sights that may be seen in
the districts where various of these Irids have
taken possession of the soil.

Nati-re of the Soil.

Another feature that no one can be long in
Africa without noticing is the general sandiness
of the soil. Wherever I have found these
bulbs growing the soil has been of a coarse
sandy nature, generally h*rd and compact, and
yet extremely porous. So porous, indeed, is
the soil, that on the hiah veld the dust will
be blowing a few hours after even the heaviest
rain storms. The great underground rivers of
the Karroo and Kalahw, and the many in-
stances where rivers, full and broad at their
head, will diminish and even run dry on their
way to the sea are striking evidence in the
same direction. It is this prevalence of a
porous sandy soil and the formation of the
country so well adapted for securing a rapid

October 31, 1896.]

THE GAEDEK

349

and thorough drainage which brought me to
conclude that it is these conditions, far more
than the climate, that have made South Africa
the home of so many representatives of this class
of plants. I only came across three partial ex-
ceptions, a species of Hesperantha, asmall species
of Gladiolus, and Dierama (Sparaxis) pendula.
These, though growing in a very porous soil,
were at, the same time in a comparatively
low-lying situation that must have been moist
all the year round. I found them also growing
on drier ground, but less abundantly.

A THOROnOH RlPENIXG OF THE BuLBS.

In a warm porous soil the bulba can feel the
ripening influence of the sun more readily, and
at a greater depth than they could in a colder
and heavier soil. At any rate, so far as my
observation went, I always found them flourish-
ing most on slopes that faced the midday sun ;
indeed, with the exception of Babianas, I sel-
dom found them anywhere elae.

Depth of Soil Covering the Bclbs.

I never found a bulb of any of these various
genera less than G inches beneath the surface,
and I usually found them much deeper — Babiana
6 to !) in ches, Sparaxis pendula 9 to 12 inches, and
Antholyzi over a foot deep. It sounds a great
depth for such small bulbs, but the porous
nature of the soil must be remembered, and at
any rate in this country it would have, in addi-
tion to being their natural habit, the obvious
advantages of retarding somewhat the appear-
ance of the leaves above the ground in the
autumn and of making the bulbs more secure
against an exceptionally sharp fro^t. The value
of good drainage and a thorough ripening of
the bulbs is generally recognised, but the ad-
vantage and even necessity of deep planting, I
think, are not. At any rate, it is not generally
recognised that this is their natural habit, for
in nearly all gardening publications where
cultural directions are given for these Cape
bulbs you will find 4 inches to be the greatest
depth advocated, although at Kew they evi-
dently know better ; so I suggest that perhaps
this is one of the causes of frequent failure.
Tliese plants undoubtedly require abundance of
water when making their growth and flowering.
In their native country they flower during the
rainy season. But it will be superfluous to lay
much stress on this item when advocating their
cultivation in this country.

There is another point, viz , the chemical
composition of the soil. In the soil in which
these bulbs grow the sandy particles do not by
any means consist solely of silica. It is invari-
ably formed by the weathering and decomposi-
tion in situ of the older rocks (metamorphic or
igneous), the coarseness being due, I think, to
the finer particles being washed oflf the surface
of the steep slopes, and even of the more level
veld by the heavy rain storms. I believe that
the compactnpss and to a great measure the
porosity are brought about by the decomposing
felspar (silicate of potash) of the igneous rocks.
As this mineral slowly decomposes the silica set
free binds the other particles together, while
the base, combining with nitric or carbonic acid,
is dissolved, leaving minute spaces throughout
the soil. The felspar also provides a gradually
available supply of potash, and, together with
the various other minerals always present in
these older rocks, forms a complete and prac-
tically permanent medium, containing abund-
ance of all the constituents except nitrogen that
plants need for their growth. The nitrogen they
no doubt obtain from the decayed leaves and
grass that are washed over them, and I am in-
clined to think that they do not require so much

of that constituent as most plants do. Neither
do they require or thrive in a soil containing
much lime ; indeed, I think they prefer a soil
without any, or hardly any, lime in it. With-
out going any more into detail about this most
inteiesting question of plant foods, I may, how-
ever, suggest that when preparing the borders
for these bulbs, instead of using only silver or
sea sand to make the soil porous, the addition
of a proportion of coarse granite chippings from
the stone-cutting yards or quarries would very
probably materially contribute to the succe.>s
and the permanency of the planting. This use
of granite chippings has hitherto generally been
confined to supplying the special wants of certain
rock garden plants, but I believe it would also
prove beneficial to many border plants, at any
rate in the eastern half of England, where the

they will vary, too, somewhat according to the
nature of the ground and the fancy of the gar-
dener. I may, however, suggest, as the result
of my own experience, that, m addition to the
ordinary underground operations, it will be
found advantageous, if not necessary, in most
parts of this country to raise the border above
the surrounding level in order to secure the
exceptionally perfect drainage that these bulbs
seem to require. The total depth of soil
should certainly not be less than 18 inches, or,
better still, 2 feet.

No fresh stable manure should be mixed with
the soil in which these bulbs are planted. This
is simply fatal. I also think it is better to
use no manure of this nature at all, even if
well rotted. Judging from the soil in which
they grow in their own home, I should say they
do not require or like a soil containing
much humus. There was sometimes a
peaty layer on the surface, but the
bulbs, except in the case of Dierama
pendula, were always well below it.
if any manure be used, I would advise
an artificial manure of a slow-acting,
permanent kind. I think also a mulch
of 2 inches or 3 inches of decayed
leaves every year about the end of Oc-
tober would be very beneficial.

Byfleet, Surrey. A. J. Blis,s.

CRAMBE CORDIFOLIA.
This interesting member of the Seakale
family, commonly known as the heart-
leaved Colewort, has been more of a
puzzle to me than anything I have
grown. Seeds were started in the spring
of 1803, producing in my trial grounds
ordinary looking coarse-leaved plants
of no ornamental value. The next
year, having two vacant spaces in my
shrubbery of say 3 feet each in diameter,
I planted a Crambe in each, and my
trouVile soon commenced. The plants
threw outleavesof enormous size, which
before the summer was over each mea-
sured over 5 feet in width, overcrowding
everything. I was in a predicament,
as there were choice plants in danger.
I saw at once that standing alone on
the lawn it would produce a grand
eflect, but where it was it was decidedly
out of place. That fall I chose a spot
near a large rock at the base of which
was a water-tap. I dug a hole 2 feet
deep and as wide, made a basin of
coarse gravel at the water-tap to catch
the drip, and connected it by 3-inch tile
pipes with the bottom of the hole, then
mounded up the soil some 15 inches
Cramhe cordifolia a* Eganrlale. From a phntograph sent ^bove the trround level, banking up the
fcy Mr. W. C. Egan, Highland Pari, III., U.S.A. ^jj^^ ^j^j^ g^j, the object being to

raise up the plant so that its enor-
soil is chiefly composed of the more recent de- mous leaves, which I anticipated, would show
posits. Although, it is true, I have tried to oflf to advantage. One plant was put in
minimise the influence of the climate, I will not and protected for the winter. Early next
pretend that a genial climate, such as is found spring— 1895- it showed itself, and before the
in most parts of South Africa, does not to some end of May it threw up four flower spikes,
extent contribute to the freedom and vigour Here was a quandary. No literature at my
with which these bulljs flourish there. We command mentioned any especial features ot
may, however, to some extent imitate this cli- its bloom. I imagined that if I let it bloom xt
mate in our gardens by planting the bulbs in a could not produce its enormous leaves, and 1
border under a south wall, protected also from started to cut them. After one was out I re-
the east winds, which in the spring are far more pented and allowed three to remain, but my
likely to do harm than the frosts in winter. conjecture was right, as the leaves were under

These, then, are the conditions which, from 2 feet in diameter, but on June 10, when photo-
observation in their native country, seemed to graphed, it presented a magnificent picture,
me to be essential to the successful cultivation ' The bloom stalks were 7 feet high and branched
of these bulbs. Of the methods of securing over 0 feet in diameter. The individual
them in our gardens I need say nothing here ; flowers are white, small, numerous, and dis-

350

THE GARDEN.

[October 31, 1896.

posed in much- branched panicles. After bloom-
ing the stalks were cut, and the plant looked
well the remainder of tlie season, the leaves not
growing any larger. This spring the plant
seemed to start all right, and 1 looked for even
an improvement on last year's grandeur, but
in a short time the If aves turned yellow and
drooped. Upon examination I found the heart
of the crown rotted, the decay seeming to fol-
low down the hollow bloom-stalk and reaching
part- way down the side shoots. Just below this
decay new eyes were breaking out. These roots
were planted out elsewhere and some are pro-
ducing plants. A blooming plant I gave to
Lincoln Park acted in the same way. The
roots are long and fleshy, and all broken ends
left after removal produce a plant. To sum up
my experience with this plant, it seems that
the first year from seed it assumes an ordinary
form, producing enormous leafage the second,
and blooming the third, after which it dies at
the crown and reproduces itself from the old
roots beyond the decay. Plants from broken
roots bloom the second year. It has proved
hardy even without protection.

Ilinhhind Park, III. W. C. Egan.

and many other water plants. I mention these to
how that I think Nelumbiums cannot be grown
uccessfuUy outdoors without some special ar-
angements are made for keeping the water

wanu. In the pond Mr. Meyer speaks of, the

steam keeps the water warm. — \V. G. Towxsknd,

SaiidhtirsI Lodge, Berhf:.

Aubrietias. — These are lovely spring
bloomers, but always do best when propagated
from cuttings if it be desired to increase special
varieties. A few, such as violacea, Hendersoni
and Leichtlini, seed somewhat, but the first the
most freely. Each one from seed fairly repro-
duces its kind, but it is wisest to depend on cut-
tings for the perpetuation of character. It is a
good time just as young shoots are being thrown
up profusely from the crowns of the plants in the
spring to thin them out and insert them as cut-
tings in sandy soil under handlights, or else in
shallow pots or pans and stand in a frame. When
rooted and planted out in a nursery bed G inches
apart, they make first-rate stuff for transplanting
in the autumn. Old clumps may be lifted in the
autumn, pulled to pieces and replanted, but these
seldom do so well as plants from cuttings. Seed
should be sown in a cool frame or house in May
to give strong plants by the autumn.

Forget-me-nots. — No spring-blooming plant
ie more beautiful when in bloom than is Myosotis
dissitiBora ; no hardy plant so unsatisfactory
when increased through the agency of cuttings.
Vet no plant, not even the Watercress, will m-
crease through such agency more readily. When
in the autumn clumps are masses of shoots, each
one showing incipient stem roots, it is but needful
to pull these otf and dibble them in, and they are
well rooted in a couple of weeks. But all such
plants are singularly unreliable. Some do well,
some do the reverse. Even the best, honever,
never bloom well or consistently, hence they are
in the spring very disappointing. There is no
way to get this lovely Forget-me-not in good
form so surely as by raising from seed. Seed town
early in August in the open ground always fur-
ni:Thes strong plants to put out in October. These
all do well and bloom profusely. Even the iDm-
mon sylvatica is best got from seed ; so also is the
rich deep blue Victoria. There is therefore no
reason why these pretty plants should not be
abundant in gardens in the spring.

Nelumbiums.— I was much interested in Mr.
F. W. Meyer's account of Nelumbium speciosum.
I have tried to establish Nelumbium speciosum
and N. luteum in the ponds here this summer, but
have entirely failed. They refused to make any
growth after they were placed outdoors. As long
as they were under glass they grew, but when
placed outdoors in June they began to go back
and at last died. In the same pond were grow-
ing N'}-mph:La Chromatella, X. Marliacea carnea,
N. odorata sulphurea, N. o. rosea, X o. Ex(|ui8ite,
N. Laydekeri rosea, and others, also Limnocharis
Humboldtiana, Villarsia Humboldtiana, Ponte-
deria cordata, Sagittaria montevidensis. Arums

FLOWER GARDEN NOTES.
Thk best annu.\ls.— One of the points to be
learned from the season of 1S96 in connection
with flower garden work is the advisability of
confining ourselves as much as possible to the
better class annuals, these that are of most en-
during habit. I notice in nearly all the best
catalogues that the compders of the same have
come to recognisa this, and lay special stress on
any species or variety of the same that, given
careful cultivation, can be guaranteed to flower
more or less freely from the beginning of June
till the advent of frost, and a still more hard and-
fast line might well be drawn between these and
others, which, however beautiful they may be in
themselves, are so short-lived as to be of very
little use for any prominent place in the flower
garden or, indeed, for any part of the same, un-
less circumstances only demand a very brief dis-
play. Really, now that such excellent strains of
Begonias, Carnations, Phlox Drummondi, Petu-
nias, Autirrl.inums, Pentstemons, and the like are
procurable from seed and can be flowered freely
and successfully all through the first season, it is
probable that they will gradually supersede those
that are of less enduring habit, especially when
we bear in mind the fact that in the majority of
cases they are as acceptable in a cut state as on
the open border. It may be objected that the
necessity of sowing under cover to ensure early
flowering causes them to give considerably more
trouble than those things which may be sown in
the open and thinned out to the distance re-
quired for the development of individual plants.
This is 80, but it must be remembered that with
the former when they are once planted the bed^
are right for the summer ; whereas with the
others, provision has to be made for refilling the
beds when their beauty is at an end. Take the
case of (Jypsophila elegans, one of the most
beautiful of annuals, for example ; it was all over
this year by the beginning of August and had to
be removed. Nor do the majority of the better
class annuals mentioned above give much trouble.
Nearly every garden has a fair share of suitable
leaves to generate a slight warmth, and if a bed
ie made up say about the beginning of March,
the warmth will be suiiicient by the third
week in the month to allow of the seed being
sown. I should place the stocks, of which
Princess Alice may be taken as a type, ijuite at
the top of the tree among the best annuals, bond
fide annuals that is, and not those that are
sown in autumn and wintered in cold pits.
Given a selection of the best things it must not be
forgotten that they want doing well. Of some
things it may be said that they flower best on
poor soil, but of the majority it is certainly rea-
sonable to infer that a plant that is to occupy a
certain position for four months and is likely to
flower continuously nearly the whole of that time
will only be able to do this on a bit of good soil.
The feeding of the soil will naturally depend on
circumstances. Beds that have c -irried Wall-
flowers all through the winter and spring and are
very dry, will take a very fair dose of rather strong
manure. I have drawn attention to a few of the
best annuals at this particular season to show
how much may be done with them, and to ob-
viate the necessity cf storing away a lot of stuff
for spring propagation.

Woi;k for October. — In addition to the plant-
ing out of those things that have been raised either
from seed, cuttings, or layers to furnish a certain
number of beds for the winter and to flower more
or less early in the coming spring, other work
that may be taken in hand, if time permits, will
be the altering or entire replanting of what are
to be practically permanent beds. I am, for

instance, this week splitting up clumps of good
Pyrethrums and making bold groups of them in
two large beds, filling in with Tufted Pansies that
have been lifted from places wheie they will not
be wanted another season, and that are now cut
over, divided and replanted, breaking up old
plants into about three or four pieces or leaving
them entire aa their condition .admits or may re-
quire. A rather strange experience may, by the
way, be chronicled in the matter of the-e Pan-
sies. Nearly all the sorts made vigorous growth
after the rains that commenced about the middle of
August, but William Niel and Lilias did not move,
only by the tiny growth springing out from the
base can it be seen they are alive, and yet all the
sorts are growing in the same long border. A
broad edging of the old double Chamomile that
has served to face long, straight herbaceous bor-
ders is getting ragged, and this will be lifted,
pulled to pieces and replanted, an operation that
must be carefully performed, as there are rows of
Crocus on either side that push up through the
Chamomile. Batches of the dwarf Phlox setacea
in variety that were struck earlier in the season
may be planted out at any time. They make nice
f arpet plants for Spanish Iris and will also do well
to fill in round clumps of the large flowered mem-
bers of the latter family. Addition to the stock
of silvery Veronicas can be made if necessary bj-
pulling old plants to pieces and dibbling in the
cuttings firmly in the open where they are to re-
main. I have marked some of the best of the
Starworts with the view to increasing the stock
by division when the flowers are over. Although
those of delicate graceful habit, as Tradescanti,
for instance, are perhaps the most serviceable,
others that are distinct in colour should not be
forgotten. Nova'-Angli;e pulchellue and lavis
formosis.-imus are two varieties that are always
welcome, and the rich colour shows oft to great
advantage when the branchlets are nicely ar-
ranged in suitable vases. They last fresh a long
time, as individual blooms can be nipped out as
they go off, leaving the rest of the spike intact.
The absence of frost in the autumn of 1896 is re-
markable: as yet (October 16) we have only had
2" and nothing is injured. The heavy rains have
been responsible for the disappearance of flowers
on all the Pelargonium family, but Begonias,
Fuchsias, Ageratums,Echeverias,&c., are still gay.
So also among larger things are Marguerites and
Dahlias, although the latter were broken about a
lot by the tremendous gales, except where all shoot s
were securely fastened. A lot of staking and
tying has been necessary this year. The height
of many things can, as mentioned in previous
notes, be restricted by pinching back the growth
at an early stage, but with a considerable width
of border this is not always advisable.

Claremont. E. Burrell.

Anemone Lady Ardilaun. — This semi-
double variety of Anemone japonica is not in all
soils an improvement on the old white kind,
which in its pure and chaste flowers is singularly
beautiful. In the above plant the additional
petals are by no means always of good form ;
indeed, in many instances thfy are short and dis-
torted. Whether this defect is general or not, or
whether it be a resultof the exceedingly drv, pro-
longed heat of the year, I am not aware. — E. J.

October Irises —Perhaps the rarest, or at
least most unexpected, flowers of the week were
some blooms of Iris in Messrs. Barr's group
at the Drill Hall on the \9.i\\ inst. There
were three varieties, viz., Florentina, Purple
King, and Gracchus, all well-known kinds, but
certainly possessing novelty in the middle of
October. Of the last named we were informed
that quite a large gathering had been cut a week
or so back, and unseasonable though thty are, the
flowers are welcome notwithstanding.

Aconitum Fischeri— The majority of the
Monkshood family flower early in the summer
months, but this rne is an exception and an
autumn bloomer. The plant grows .'ij feet high,
the large hooded flowers being of a clear blue and

OCTOBEE 31, 1896.]

THE GARDEN,

351

shaded pale blue. Another kind bearing it com-
pany is A. Fortunei, which is only about 18 inches
high ; this is also a blue-flowered species, and the
same remark applies to A. autumnale, which
bears a strong resemblance to the first named in
habit and freedom of flowering, but the flowers in
the latter are more violet in shade.

Campanula seedlings.— Several seedlings
from Campanula isophylla crossed with C. car-
patica continue to produce flowers in wonderful
profusion long after the parents have ceased
flowering for the year. This is particularly
noticeable in one dark blue form that appears
about intermediate between both parents, that is
so far as the foliage and stems are concerned. The
flowers, which are smaller than those of either
parent, appear to come in almost endless pro-

Helianthus Maximiliani.— The most strik-
ing plant I saw in the middle of October in the
garden attached to the Geneva exhibition wf
Helianthus Maximiliani. I have no doubt that
was correctly named, as it answers to the charactei
given in Asa Gray's "Flora of North America,
baing of more robust build than the nearly allied
H. giganteus. The plant consisted of several
stout stems about 8 feet long, which were not
tied to stakes, but left to arch over, so as to pre-
sent all the flowers, which extendtd over half the
length of the stalks, on the upper side. It was
growing amongst the exhibits of M. H. Correvon,
of Geneva. H. Maximiliani makes a poor .'how
in my garden in Cheshire. Its superiority at
Geneva may be partly owing to the sunny cli-
mate, but I think it was a better variety, the
selection of variety being of great importance in
the perennial Sunflowers. — C. Wolley-Dod, Aix-
les Bains.

Kitchen Garden.

NOTES ON CARROTS.

With those who have to produce this indispens-
able vegetable for use by first-rate cooks, quality
is the main consideration. I am not as conserva-
tive respecting the merits of Carrots as of some
other vegetables, believing that many of the new
strains both of the long and short sections that
have been introduced of late years are really in
advance both as regards flavour and colour, to
say nothing of the more perfect symmetry
and suitability for the exhibition table.
Moreover, those gardeners having rather shallow
soils to deal with may now grow Carrots to
their hearts' content, there being so many fine
strains of the stump-rooted section, whereas
many of us can remember the time when there
was very little choice in short varieties, the old
Short Horn having to be grown by everybody.
There might be a worse Carrot than this, but its
chief drawback lies in its somewhat prominent
core, which means waste, as cooks often discard it,
using only the outside, which becomes soft much
sooner when boiled, the centre, they say, spoiling
the soup. It has a splendid constitution, and
keeps plump and sound much later in spriry; than
some of the newer sorts. Market growers still
cling to it on account of the weight procurable
per acre, just as the}- do to the old AltringI
and Long Red Surrey, which rc(|uire of course a
deep soil to prevent crooked, ill-shaped roots. I
have forced Carrots early for many years, and
have tried most of the new sorts as they appeared.
Parisian Forcing I believe to be the very earliest
Carrot in existence. In form and colour it
favours the old French Forcing, and is probably
nothing else than an improved form of that
standard sort. When cooked it is of a sweet,
nutty flavour. For a second early variety
the popular Nantes is hard to beat if colour and
quality alone are taken into consideration, but I
have proved that a variety called Market Fa-
vourite, and which has been in commerce about
six years, will beat Nantes by from ten days to a
fortnight in coming into use, besides which it is

of excellent flavour and has a very small core.
When exhibiting I used to grow Market Favourite
in a frame, splendid examples being forthcoming
by the end of May from February sowings. Some
gardeners think it is identical with Early Hem.
I do not. If the two were grown together, their
distinctness would be seen by the difference in
date at which they are ready for drawing. It is
a trifle shorter than Nantes, but much thicker,
and is stump-rooted. This varietj- is also unsur-
passed for early outdoor sowings. One of the
very best Carrots in the stump-rooted section for
general use is Scarlet Model, which, although
growing a trifle longer than the rest of its class,
IS just the Carrot for shallow soils and keeps
sound for a long period. Coming to the interme-
diate section, gardeners used to think that James's
strain would never be superseded, but Matchless
Scarlet and the new Intermediate are certamly in
advance of that popular market lUrrot— at any
rate, so far as appearance is concerned — though 1
fail to see the least difference in quality. Where
old Carrots are required in tjuantity very late in
spring, a few rows of both the Long Red Surrey
and Improved Altringham may well be grown, as
in my opinion they have no equal for keeping. A
dry store is ruinous to Carrots, both firmness and
flavour leaving them under such conditions. The
best way by far to keep them is to clamp them
the same way as Potatoes, first covering them
with a little rough litter or, better still. Bracken,
and finally with a few inches of soil. A few roots
can then be taken into the root shed at intervali
for use in severe weather. A Seakale or Rhubarb
pot, if inserted at the top of the clamp, will act
as an air shaft and can be stopped in very severe
or snowy weather, if thought necessary, by thrust-
ing in an armful of straw or Bracken. I find
Short Horn or stump-rooted Carrots do well on
ground that has carried a crop of Peas during
summer, for which it was well manured, this being
ridged up during winter in order to get it well
pulverised and sweetened by frost and wind, soot
being freely sown broadcast once or twice where
wireworm are troublesome, so that the rain can
wash it in. J. Cr.\wford.

from the R.H.S., September, 1895, and this award
has been confirmed by the fruit and vegetable
committee again this year. This decided acquisi-
tion was raised by Mr. G. Wythes, Syon House
Gardens.

The Potato disease.— I am sorry to say that
the Potato disease is very prevalent in this dis-
trict, all field varieties lieing equally badly
affected. The only thing farmers can do is to
lift at once, as if left in the ground matters will
only become worse. I think it would be wise for
those who have plenty of spare outhouse room to
store the tubers in these, covering lightly with
straw or litter, so that an examination can be
made occasionally. When clamped in the ordi-
nary way the tubers in such seasons as these
quickly affect each other, and wholesale rotting
occurs. Good, sound Potatoes will this season
pay for looking after. In Lincolnshire, from the
fact that much corn is still out, many orchards
literally stripped of fruit by high winds, and the
Potato disease rampant, tbe small holders with
which that county abounds will suffer.- J. C,

Club in Cabbages. — Will some reader kindly
enlighten me as to the cause of canker at the root
of Cabbages? It has almost destroyed this valuable
crop on my farm this autumn. Is the cause to be
sought for in the ground or in the season ? Last
season the same land produced a splendid crop
of the same Cabbage (Drumhead). Plants in the
seed-bed were similarly diseased.- Dey.

Coarse Drumhead Cabbage. — With so many
good types of Cabbage to select from, I fail
to see what good results from growing huge
Drumhead Cabbage or Savoys that require di-
viding into three or four pieces before they can
be cooked. I am not a lover of hard, yellow-
hearted Cabbage, and I hailed the advent of the
small, compact kinds, like Ellam's, Little Pixie,
Tom Thumb, and Little Gem, splendid types for
use at any season. I am aware large, coarse
Cabbages are in demand in large towns, but my
note more concerns Cabbage for home use and for
daily supplies, and here, 1 think, the huge kinds
should not find a place, as they exhaust the soil
too much and are so long in coming to maturity.
— W. I. M.

Potato Syon House Prolific— This new
Potato is worthy of the attention of all growers
on the lookout for a really first-class variety.
There are few among the many new sorts, which

STORING ONIONS.
It would be interesting to know what amount of
frost Onions will stand without injury to their
keeping afterwards. That they will withstand 2°
or 3° without any ill results, if at the same time
they are kept perfectly dry, is a well-known fact.
Two seasons ago my supply of Onions having run
short I had to purchase some, but which had at
the same time been subjected to several degrees
of frost for weeks together, and although these
were apparently sound when bought, it was not
long before they commenced to decay. I know
there is an impression abroad that Onions will
actually withstand, practically speaking, an
almost unlimited extent of frost, but I think this
statement must be received with caution. If
Onions are thoroughly well ripened and stored in
a perfectly dry and eoolstore, they will keep until
far on into the succeeding summer. In this garden
I have an admirable Onion store, it being in a
range of offices facing the north. It is perfectly
dry and cool, frost being kept from entering by
placing well-fitted shutters against the windows.
That Onions will keep well in this structure may
be judged from the fact that, although last winter
and early spring were so mild and the succeeding
summer so hot, quite a large quantity of Brown
Globe perfectly sound was turned out in August
when the structure was being cleansed so as to
be in readiness for the present season's crop. A
close and warm store is the worst possible. Far
better in these cases rope the Onions and hang
them up under the shelter of a dry, open shed, and
if the frost is likely to be severe or prolonged, they
may be taken down, laid closely together on clean
straw and further covered with like material. As
the frost goes, then return them to their former
position, when the cool and dry air playing about
the bulbs will ensure their keeping thoroughly or
as long as old Onions are required. Onions should
be well ripened and sound this season, the early
season favouring early sowing, with the result
that the ripening was thorough and also allowed
of their being harvested before the rains came.
Thorough ripening is most essential to success-
ful keeping. A. Young.

Potatoes— change cf seed.— The results of

^ ._.. ^ _, , I a trial which I conducted during the past season

have of late years been distributed, which pos- 1 on stiff loam with respect to the value or other-
sess so many sterling qualities. The tubers are | wise of changing seed tubers from one soil to
very handsome, pebble shaped, of good size, with ' '

fmall eyes and rough skin. As its name implies,
it is indeed most prolific, and although one of the
last to be lifted, there was not the faintest trace
of disease. It is an excellent all-round sort and
compares favourably with many Potatoes which
have for years held the foremost positions. Re-
garding its value for the dinner-table, the quality
is excellent, the flavour being all that could be
This variety received an award of merit

another may not perhaps, because of the weather
experienced" during the growing time, be regarded
as conclusive, but so far it serves to show that
change produced no beneficial results. I planted
seven varieties, all fairly strong growers, tubers
having grown last year on chalk, sand and bog.
The results when the various varieties were lifted
showed not an atom of difference in favour of one
variety over another. Practically all were so
alike in produce that there was nothing to choose

352

THE GARDEK

[October 31, 1896.

between them. I am fully aware that such re-
sults are diverse from what are generally looked
for, there being strong bias in favour of chatige
of seed. Having had to grow the same varieties
for seed on the same soil for many years, I never
had much faith in the change of seed theory. I
have, however, a good deal of faith in the way
seed tubers are stored during the winter, and if
anyone wishes to make e.\periments of a similar
nature, he should obtain the tubers at once from
diverse soils, winter them, planting sets of the
same size in each ca.oe and number, also giving to
all just the same conditions. That is the way to
put this matter of change of seed to a practical
test— A. D.

Disease in Potatoes.— I am not sure if the
haste often displayed in lifting late Potatoes is
conducive to good keeping. I am aware there is
a serious objection to leaving the tubers in the
soil too long, and in certain seasons after much
rain many kinds grow out so badly that there is

past season has been bad in respect to most root
crops, and in rich soils the roots of early-sown Beet
will be of an abnormal size and, in my opinion,
almost worthless, as a root the size of Dell's Crim-
son is large enough for most purposes. Huge
roots are mostly deficient in colour. Beetroot
is much hardier than is often thought. I am never
in a hurry to lift it, and, no matter how well
grown, if placed in a warm place flavour is soon
alfected. Those who have but little convenience
for storini; may with advantage clamp the roots
under trees or on a north border, and will find
them keep well. In severe weather it is an easy
matter to give extra protection in the way of
Bracken or litter. For years I stored the roots in
a disused ice-house. — G. W.

Turnip -rooted Beet.— I note "A. D.'s" re-
marks (p. --'Ol), and am not at one with him in the
conclusions he draws as to the value of the
Turnip rooted Beets, as I find they require dif-
ferent treatment from that given the long-root-

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1090.
DELPHINIUMS.

(with

COLOURED PLATE OF, 1,'d. TEUE BLUE J
2, D. liEAlTY OF LAN(!1>0RT.*)

During the past twenty years we have paid
special attention to the cultivation of Del-
phiniums, and during that time they have im-
proved in quality and increased in popularity.
We collected from every source the best known
varieties which were known at that date. We
did not, however, rest content with the varie-
ties which then existed, but took in hand
regular and systematic fertilisation of the finest
varieties, having in view richness and variety of
colour in the sepals, the distinctiveness arising

a lo?a of quality, so that the grower must either
lift the tubers or allow them to make a second
growth. This year I have seen serious losses
caused by too early lifting, as tubers quite sound
when lifted have decayed badly in bulk, though
properly handled and not heated in any way.
Few can store thinly in dark, airy sheds or
cellars ; here there is lees fear, as the tubers dry.
I have come to the conclusion that, where there
are Urge quantities it is best to lift at the proper
season, as though some tubers decay in the soil,
fewer are affected than when lifted early and
placed in heaps. When the tubers are lifted at
this season the worst of the disease is past, and
there is less trouble, as well-matured tubers will
keep.-W. S.

Storing Beet. — Few roots are sooner affected
than Beet, and the value of a cool store if great,
as, with care in lifting, good firm roots may be
hsd till the new roots come in next season. The

ing kinds and are more valuable in certain soils.
I once had poor, stony land which prevented
deep rooting crops thriving, and my plan was to
make three sowings of this useful vegetable. By
so doing 1 got roots all the year round, and,
strange to say, of better quality than those grown
in richer soil, which is the fault in man}' cases.
I am inclined to think " A. D." would value this
Beet if he only grew it in his part of the country
as a very early or very late crop. From June to
September, growth is too gross on certain soils,
whereas sown in March for May supplies the
quality is superior. The same remarks hold good
in the autumn, as seed sown in autumn gives ,
roots of medium size, and all one may desire as
regards colour and quality. I have freiiuently
noticed in dry summers the leaves of Beet soon
droop, and if this happens the colour is poor.
For early use the Turnip-rooted Beet is very use-
ful if sown under glass and planted out. — W. I. M.

from large white centre petals, size of indi-
vidual flower, and symmetry and length of
flower-spike. The results astonished even our-
selves, for we advanced, especially in point of
size and in beauty of richness and colouring.
In the year 1885 we noticed for the first time
flowering amongst other new seedlings some-
thing which we had never before observed, viz. ,
a white or creamy white variety of apparently
exactly similar habit to the densely flowering
hybrids surrounding it. We took great care to
give this novelty plenty of space and attention,
with the result that, having fertilised it with
its own pollen we were successful in saving

* Drawn for The Gabden by H. G. Moon from
flowers sent by Messrs. Kelway and Son, Langport.
Lithographed and printed by J. L. Goflart, successor
to Gaillaume Severeyns.

«

J>

GROUP OF DELPHINIUMS :
l.TRUE BLUE. _ 2. BEAUTY OF LAN GP CRT

October 31, 1896.J

THE GARDEI^.

353

DeVphinium Beauty of Langport.

seed from it. This variety is the one we now but of these only two turned out to be other-
call Beauty of Langport. From the seed we wise than blue or purple varieties. However,
saved we raised a fairly large batch of plants, we propagated from Beauty of Langport and

from the other two seedlings of the
following year, one of which we named
Primrose and the other Princess of Wales.
From large batches of seedlings from
these varieties we have since secured
other white or cream - coloured kinds.
The varieties appear quite fixed in charac-
ter, but do not come true from seed, as
99 per cent, of the seedlings revert to
the blue forms. The white Delphiniums
are similar to the beat of our blue-shaded
kinds, but in foliage they differ some-
what in the extra gloss and metallic green
of the leaves, which remind one of those
of Aconitum Napellus. None of these
white kinds have yet shown any trace of
blue in the sepals, but the petals which
form the eye are variously white, brown,
yellowish brown or sulphur-coloured, as
in the blue and purple varieties.

Any garden soil suits Delphiniums and
they thrive in almost any position. Tliey
may be planted at any time of the year,
provided that in summer the plants are
not too forward and that they can be
well watered in if the weather be dry.
The soil should be deeply dug or trenched,
the latter being preferable, and plenty of
well rotted manure should be added.
Copious waterings in summer will be
attended by increased size of spike and
flower. Coal ashes strewn over the crowns
will protect the plants from slugs through
winter and spring, and a succession of
flowers may be expected from about the
middle or end of May to early in the
autumn. The effect of Delphiniums
is exceedingly fine when they are either
planted in lines as a background to a
flower border or in groups of say three
plants alternately with other tall herba-
ceous plants of contrasting hue. They
should have a fair amount of room, from
about 2; feet to 3.| feet apart, and look
well arranged in beds with about this
distance between each plant. The newer
kinds far outshine most of the older va-
rieties. No amount of liberal treatment
will causa the smaller-flowered kinds of
some years back to develop into the gor-
geous hybrids of to-day. A very good
and up-to-date selection is represented
by the following : —

Beacty of Langpokt.— The new creamy
white variety ; yellow centre, semi-double.

Primrose —Another white variety with
a yellow centre ; single flowered.

Princess of Wales.— White, black eye,
single flowered.

Albert Edward.— A handsome deep
plum colour, with violet edges to the sepals,
black eye, semi-double.

MON0MENT. — A shade of lavender with
a blue centre, semi-double ; a very sym-
metrical spike.

Mr. Crompton Roberts has a ring of
petals overlapping the sepals, the former
rich purple, the latter brilliant violet-blue,
the eye brown, barred with black ; semi-
double.

The Rev. J. Stcbbs.- Of an attractive
light blue colour, tinged with lavender-pink,
the centre or eye brown ; semi-double.

Sara. — Sky-blue, veined rose, white
centre, exceedingly handsome, well-formed
spike.

Dr. Mead. — Violet, inner petals rose
and lavender.

King of Delphiniums. —Gentian-blue
and plum, white eye, semi-double; an im-
posing variety.

Triumph —Violet, inner petals plum, semi-
double.

354

THE GARDEN.

[October 31, 1896.

WoMiEK. — Blue, inner petals lavender, semi-
double.

Britannia. — Ileep blue, with a large white eye.

Tkvk BLrE.— Brilliant blue, with a black centre,
sinsle-flowered. Kki.way & Son.

L awjyor!.

The Week's Work.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
Cfjj;rv. — I always put otT the earthing of Celery
as long as I dare, and until November is in only
earth sutBcient to supply the demands. Having
a big breadth with which to deal I take from this
date every advantage of fine weather when the
soil is dry enough to crumble and the plants free
from hanging wet to bring the earthing of the
main crop to a close, t^rowth has been vigorous
during the past few weeks, and with rows only 4
feet aeunder, it will be necessary to go deep down
to find sufficient soil for banking up almost to the
tips of the leaves, this being the method which I
favour to keep the plants from injury by frost or
by excessive wet. Exclusion of light and conse-
quent reduction of the liability to rapid thaws are
the most important factors in the former case, and
bringing the ridge to a sharp pitch does all that is
necessary in the way of throwing off heavj' rains.
Given proper ridging in suitable weather. Celery
proves as hardy as any vegetable that is grown,
and I have never yet found ihe necessity for pro-
tection by bcanU, Bracken, straw, or any other
of the generally recommended prottutive materials,
only in the cafe cf a severe frost setting in is it
advisable to use anything of the sort, and then it
should only be used as a means of keeping the
frost out cf the ground on that portion of the
crop which will come in for use during the time
the frost lasts, the bulk being allowed to take its
chance without covering. During the long frost
of January and February, 1S95, when the theimo-
meter fell more than once to 7° below zero, the
Celery here was entirely unprotected except for
the soil banked round it, but I was able to dig
eicellent sticks until the middle of April, while
ecme near by which was protected during the
frost rotted directly the thaw came, as drip then
found its way into the hearts from the protective
material. Of course with boards nailed together
at right angles and placed over the rows, this
would not have happened, but I hold that these
are a needless expense, and that the Celery is
equally safe without ouything of the sort. For
heme supply during a liost it is much the best
way to lilt acd store in a shed a gocdly number
of plants, packing them closely together to pre-
vent anytbirg in the shape of drying or flagging.
In ccrr.pletitg the work of ridging it is best to go
first cf all over the plants and givo each a tie
with matting, cr some substitute, near the top,
keeping the cuter stems straight and arranged
uniformly round the inner leaves, and then to
bank up with finely broken soil which must be
well closed in round each plant, leaving each ridge
in an inverted V-shape with only just the tips of
the leaves peeping out at the top. The soil should
be patted over with the sjade as the work pro-
ceeds, this will prevent it from running back into
the trench, ar.d also give it a smooth surface
from which rain will run cff as it falls. It
is a mistake to leave any of the main
leaf stems exposed when finally earthing up any
Celery which is expected to" stand well into
the winter, as these are sure to succumb to frost,
and the decay will be carried downwards to the
edible portion of the plants. Another mistake far
tco common is finishing cfiT the ridge with a table-
like top, as this cannot throw off the rains, and the
soil close to the plants gets sodden. Ridges are
frcfjuently firished off in this way or with the
pitch not sufficiently sharp, when the rows are
given a considerable inteivenirg space, and some
gardeners follow this plan from an idea that a big
body of toil is necessary to keep out frost, but I
find, in practii-e, that it has no advantages, and
some disadvantages as already shown. If worms

or slugs are plentiful it may be advisable to dust
round the plants with soot preparatory to earth-
ing them, but I advise thi* only in the case of ex-
ceptionally bad cases, as heavy doses of soot are
liable to spoil the flavour. Lime is sometimes re-
commended for the purpose, but is next to useless
in the limited (luantities which may be used, as
the slacking which takes place directly it comes
into contact with damp soil destroys its virtues.

MrsuRooMs, — Recent long • continued wet
weather has made the collection of manure in good
condition for Mushroom beds somewhat dilhcult
where this operation has to be carried on in the
open. It is in such cases that the method which
I recommended some months back of allowing the
manure to remain in the straw until sufficient has
accumulated to form a good bed is especially
valuable, as such manure seldom gets in a sodden
state and can be soon brought into proper condi-
tion by the usual means of heaping and turning,
the only thing necessary being to turn the manure
daily instead of at intervals of two or three days,
until it is fit for use. Beds made up from this
time onwards are of the greatest importance, as
they will come into bearing during the dull season
when choice vegetables are scarce. Where there
is no Mushroom house proper it will be necessary
to make the beds somewhere within reach of arti-
ficial heat, and some such place may be found in
most gardens near the boilers, or in sheds at the
back of stoves or forcing houses. One of the most
successful private growers of Mushrooms I know-
makes many beds in stokeholes, but these stoke-
holes are large ones, well below the ground level,
and so arranged that the beds are well away from
the fireplace and from draught. No hard and
fast rule as to temperatures can be Laid down,
Mushrooms being very accommodating in this
matter, but it is well to try and get a minimum
temperature of 5.3 , as this will bring the beds into
bearing within a reasonable period, say from six
to eight weeks, while there is no dependence on
the time taken by those in a lower temperature.
Spawn when the heat of the bed is on the down
grade and has reached somewhere about 91)", and
do not be too sparirs' of spawn nor break it into
pieces smaller than about the size of large hen's
eggs. Beds made about 15 inches deep at the
back come into bearing (juicker and last longer
than do shallower ones, and with plenty of ma-
nure at hand this is the depth I recommend. See
that the bed is made firm, and close the manure
well in round each lump of spawn. Soil over
with sweet loam or ordinary garden soil directly
it is certain that there will be no further tendency
to an internal rise of temperature. All beds in
exposed places or fluctuating temperatures should
1)0 well covered with two or three thicknesses of
mats. Set traps of scooped out Potatoes or pots
lined with Moss to catch all woodlice in the
neighbourhood of the beds, as it is short-sighted
policy to give these pests full license until the
crop is showing, for they will be sure to attack
and spoil the tiny buttons directly they appear.
Gather all Mushrooms that are fit on bearing
beds daily, wrenching them bodily out and filling
up the holes so made with soil. This method
may spoil a few of the smaller buttons on each
clump, but is the most economical in the long
run, as old stems when allowed to remain appear
to paralyse the whole clump and prevent any
further development. Take advantage of any
wholesale clearance of a crop to water with tepid
water through a fine rose any bed which appears
at all dry. A handful of salt or half a gallon of
stable drainings to each big pot of water will
have a beneficial effect.

Cabbace.s,— A further planting of Cabbages
may be made from the second autumn sowing,
following similar lines to those recommended for
the earlier lot. It is just possible that the smaller
plants will he more successful than the larger
ones this year, the latter having grown freely and
got into a sappy state may succumb to se
frost if we get it. At present they look well and
of excellent colour, but spare ground being plen-
tiful and planting quickly done, it is wise to pro
vide for contingencies, and should more ground

be occupied now with Cabbages than can be
afforded them eventually, it is essy to do away
with the least likely lot later on in tim9 to utilise
the ground for other crops.

SuNDRiK.s. — Winter Cucumbers should have
frecjuent .attention to the lateral growth which
will be forming, tying this out to the wires and
stopping where requisite. Little, if any, syring-
ing will now be needed, as this has a tendency to
produce flabby leaves, and it is better to keep
down insect pests by vaporising or fumigating
than to trust too much to the syringe. Look
well after Tomato plants still in bloom, and do all
possible towards getting a good set before the
end of the month, tapping the bunches at midday
when the weather is bright and keeping a dry,
airy, and buoyant atmosphere at all times. There
will be but little chance of obtaining a set of
fruit during the next month or two. Water care-
fully, but on no account allow the plants to be-
come dry, as this will prevent the fruits from swell-
ing away kindly. Where the earliest Rhubarb is
forced on the ground where grown it will be time
to collect leaves for mixing with the manui-e
when wanted, as forcing beds for such a tall-
growirg subject as Rhubarb swallows up a con-
siderable amount of forcing material, and this
should always consist largely of leaves, which
render the bed easy to manage as regards tem-
perature. J. C. Tai.lack.

FRUIT UNDER GLASS.
Pot Vines. — Where (Jrsiies are reciuired early in
the season it will be necessary to commence forc-
ing. If pot Vines have been prepared as pre-
viously advised they may now be taken into the
house where it is intended they are to ripen their
fruit. It is not actually necessary that bottom-
heat be afforded them, but if this can be supplied
so much the better, as root action will be more
active during the dull days, therefore a freer cir-
culation of sap. There is, however, always a
danger of having the young active roots burnt
when too near the hot- water pipes, but if pro-
vision be made against this a more uniform heat
may be maintained about the roots than is the
case when the pots are either stood on slates or
plunged in leaves. Unless the canes are well
ripened there is a dilliculty in getting them to
break regularly, for be it remembered they are
being forced into growth at least four months be-
fore their regular time. If the soil about their
roots be warmed to about 5'<^ the sap will com-
mence to circulate, so that root action will be a
little in advance of the growth. It is when heat
is applied to the house while the soil at the roots
is of a lower temperature that the sap fails to re-
spond, hence the weakly growth at first. Having
placed the pots in position tie the canes down
along the front of the house in a horizontal
manner. They should be at least .'! inches from
each other, so that when the buds begin to push
no injury may be dene to any of them when it be-
comes necessary to tie them up to the wires. Fill
in all round the pots with leaves that a gentle
heat may be generated to assist in swelling the
buds. The house may be kept closed altogether
in dull weather, but a little air should be admitted
on bright sunny days to prevent the temperature
running up too high, as when this happens undue
excitement of the sap is caused and the buds break
irregularly. Close watchfulness is needed, for
when the buds begin to swell there should at all
times be a circulation of air, but this should be so
regulated that cold draughts never come into con-
tact with the canes. Very little, if any water
will be needed at the roots if the soil is fairly web
at the time the pots are taken indoors, but care
must be exercised in this respect or the roots at
the bottom of the pots may suffer from lack of
moisture, especially where there are hot-water
pipes beneath.

Permanent Vines. — Where it is contemplated
destroying a house of Vines next season it is ad-
visable, it possible, to take a crop first, for if the
Vines are started now, the Grapes should be ripe
I sufficiently early to admit of a new border being

October 31, 1896.]

THE GAEDEK

355

made, and yourg Vines planted to take the place
of the old ones, with every prospect of their
growing strong enough to fruit the following sea-
son. Where Vines are forced very hard they will
not continue to give satisfactory crops for man^-
years, therefore it is always well to have a supply
of young canes in readiness to take their places,
that there may be no blanks. Vines of this de-
€cription will start more readily into growth than
young ones in pots, they having been previously
forced. If the borders of such are outside they
should be covered with fermenting materi?.! to
keep them warm, for unless root action be active,
shanking is sure to take place, as there will not
be eutEcient sap to supply the needs of the plants.
Late houses. — Those in which ripe fruit i^
hanging must be well looked after, especially
where the borders are outside, for with the
amount of rain that has fallen, the borders
must be thoroughly soaked. If a too moist
atmosphere be maintained, the berries will ba
sure to crack, especially where the houses are
situated in moist places where fogs are prevalent.
It is well to have a gentle heat in the hot-water
pipes, just sufficient to counteract the moisture
in the external atmosphere, that no moisture settle
on the berries. At the same time great care must
be exercised, for if the temperature is kept too
warm and dry, shrivelling will soon take place.
Where Grapes are required to hang for a con-
siderable time, too much pains cannot be exer-
cised in keeping the houses at as even a tempera-
ture as possible. Do not allow any dead leaves to
lie about, and if a rotten berry present itself, at
once remove it. Where the bunches have been
placed in bags to protect them from wasps, these
may now be removed, for if kept in them the
air does not circulate freely amongst the berries,
and if one gets damp, the others soon decay.
Houses from which the crop has been cut should
be thrown open, that the Vines may have a rest
When the leaves have fallen the rods should b(
pruned and the houses made clean in readinesi
for starting again.

PE.iCH HOI SES. — If Peaches have to be ripened
in May, it will be necessary to prepare the first
house for forcing. No stone fruit will stand much
fire-heat till the fruit is set, therefore, where this
have to be provided it is necessary to commence
in time. Before doing so see that the house is
thoroughly cleaned. All walls should be white-
washed, the woodwork and glass washed down
with soft soap water, the trees painted with some
insecticide to rid them of any vermin and neatly
tied in, after which the border should be
slightly forked over and given a liberal watering.
Where this has been done as already advised, the
house may be shut up and started gently, for if
undue forcing takes place the buds are sure to
drop before they expand. It is not wise to
attempt forcing thus early unless the houses have
previously been forced, as the trees will not have
been sufficiently rested to cause the buds to swell
without much file heat. Old trees that have been
gradually forced for several years will readily
respond to heat, but young ones that have only
shed their leaves a short time reijuire much more
warmth to induce the sap to flow freely, and if
this be given with undue haste it is seldom the
blossoms expand. In forcing Peaches it should be
borne in mind that naturally they bloom in
a low temperature, and before root-action is very
active, the soil usually being rather cold. For
this reason bottom-heat should never be applied
when forcing, neither should the temperature be
too high till the fruit commences to swell. Forty-
five degrees at night, or even le?s when the
weather is very cold, will be ample, but on warm
nights the thermometer may be allowed to run up
a few degrees without doing any harm. Some-
times during November we have bright sunshine
with cold nights, at others it is dull and foggy,
therefore the cultivator must be prepared for these
sudden changes if he would have anything like an
even temperature in his houses.

Pines. — Any plants now ripening their fruit
should be kept dry, for as there is less sun-heat
the flavour will be much improved if only suffi-

cient water be given to keep the plants healthy.
Those approactiing the ripening period should
occupy the warmest position in the house if there
is any diflerence. As the days get shorter and
the sun declines in power less water will be
needed. At the same time, the plants must not
be allowed to get too dry, otherwise they may
start into fruit before they are required. It is
only by carefully watching both the temperature
and watering that the most satisfactory results
are obtained. To overwater when plants are not
in active growth would cause the roots to decay,
while if they become too dry a check is given
them in another way. The young stock should
be looked over to see that there is no mealy bug
present, for if this be allowed to make headway
the plants never grow satisfactorily. If more
plants have been rooted than there is room to
winter without overcrowding, better throw the
surplus stock away at once than spoil the others
by causing them to become drawn.

H. C. Prinsep.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

PORTABLE ROOFS FOR FRUIT HOUSES.
W'hile fully appreciating the great improve-
ment made in horticultural buildings generally
during recent years, especially with those
erected for the cultivation of Orchids and other
plants, 1 have thought that the present style of
building fruit houses is wrong, and causes a
deal of labour and trouble to the grower,
he being unable to carry out that which is
most conducive to the health and vigour of
Vines and other fruits under his charge, viz. ,
full exposure after the crops are gathered. 1
allude to vineries and Peach bouses not fitted
with portable roof lights, which used to be
more frequently seen. The three main
points that may be advanced in recommending
the continuous fixed roofs now so generally in-
troduced are lightness, neatness, and cheap-
ness, and of these probably the last carries
most weight when estimates are furnished for
the erection of new houses. It may be further
urged that fruit is as well grown under such
roofs at the present day as it was formerly
when portable lights were more common.
Granted ; but I know for a fact that one of our
largest and most successful fruit growers re-
grets that he cannot remove the roof lights
from his fruit houses in autumn, so convinced
is he of the benefit derived by Vines and other
things from full exposure for a few weeks at
that season. Nurserymen recognise the im-
portance of this to thoroughly mature and rest
their pot Vines which have been grown ex-
pressly for the production of early Grapes, and
so, I believe, do most gardeners, who would be
only too pleased to put it into practice would
their houses admit of it being done. Although
both Vines and Peach trees submit to forcing
with the best results, and the same may con-
tinue for years to supply good crops of early fruit,
they are, nevertheless, growing under uunatural
conditions, and must sooner or later succumb
to weakness. To assist such to meet this high-
pressure system of growth, it is necessary that
every means should be employed whereby they
can receive both a long and thorough rest.
Houses containing both Vines and Peach trees
that are required for starting, say, at the new
year, should not be used for storing tender
plants which will require fire-heat at the first
approach of autumn frosts. The earlier the
lights can be removed and the longer they re-
main off the better, as such trees are easily
excited, which may make all the difference
between a good crop and a poor one. To illus-

trate this we have only to look back to
early Peaches last spring. How general were
the complaints then, not only of the buds
dropping, but even the fruit after it had
attained a considerable size and all was
thought safe. What was this attributed to >
In the cases which came under my notice
the growers agreed that the trees were un-
duly excited by the exceptionally hot weither
we experienced the previous September, follow-
ing as it did several cool dull weeks. This un-
doubtedly was the forerunner of what followed,
but I should say that had it been possible to
have removed the roof lights at the time and
fully exposed the trees, fewer failures would
have been noticed, as the night dews and autumn
rains do much to strengthen and invigorate
fruit trees that have been subjected to several
month's forcing. The main leaves increase in
texture, and the fruit buds become stronger and
more prominent while a touch or two of frost
acts as a purifier, and insures the trees going
into a perfectly dormant state.

When the roof lights cannot be removed and
full ventilation is admitted at both top and
bottom of the house, a keen draught is often the
result, which if allowed to go on day and night
for any length of time must seriously act upon
the immature wood and foliage, pa,rticularly so
if the borders are dry, and the roots suffering
from the want of moisture. Portable lights as
well as proving of advantage in the way ex-
plained above, mean a great saving of labour
also, as syringing the foliage and watering bor-
ders are to a great extent dispensed with, which
is no small matter where there are a number of
houses and none too many men to attend to them.
Again, as a set off against the extra cost the port-
able roofs entail when the houses are built, it
must be remembered that they can be made to
do doubledutyas it were, as from August on wards
they can be used most profitably in assisting
later crops growing against walls, not only in
hastening their ripening, but also in greatly im-
proving the flavour of the fruit. Daring the
last six weeks 1 have found them most valuable
in protecting the latest varieties from the con-
tinuous rains and cold winds, and by suA pro-
tection the fruit has attained the finest size,
colour, and flavour, which it certainly would
not have done in such inclement weather.

Ooodu-ood. R. Pakkee.

Pear Princess.— This is a very fine Pear that
succeeds well on the (,>aince. It greatly resembles
Louise Bonne in appearance, but in my opinion
surpasses it in point of flavour. I have it only as
a cordon, and cannot therefore speak as to its
merits when grown in any other form of tree. As
a cordon I am quite satistied with it, the fruits not
only growing to a large siza, but the flavour is
really delicious. It is rather capricious as regards
the time of ripeniny-. I have had it at Christmas
time in good conaition. Last year it ripaned
earlier or some time during November, and this
season, owing to some extent no doubt to the
great heat, the fruits were ripe and over by the
first week in October. Oa a warm soil it may be
planted without the shghtest misgiving as to its
succeeding. — S. E. P.

Vines in an upright position. — Some years
ago I visited the immense Grape-growing esta-
blishment of the Messrs. Rochf jrd, near Hodrles-
don, Herts, and there saw a huge vinery, which
was formerly in three divisions, but by tiking
the latter away it was converted into one. It
contained Black Alicinte andGros Colmaa Vines,
these being grown, not in the usual way, but in
a perfectly upright position, each Vine, if I re-
ber right, being supported by a stout stake,
Hollyhock might be. The Gros Col man was
anything'but satisfactory so far as colour went,
and I was informed by the foreman that the

356

THE GATJDEN.

[October 31, 1896.

Vines were to come out after the fruit was cut.
The Alicante looked much better: in fact, the
fruit was then (the tirst week in September)
-ilmojt fiiiisheci. The crop in this structure would,
it was estimated, weigh 10 tons. It appears,
however, that the extra amount of sunshine that
season enab'o.i the Alicante to colour well, but
that since then, owing to less favourable seasons,
and the fact that the foliage on the top part of
the Vines unduly shaded the bunches on the
lower, the crops have been less satisfactory, and
the ^\stem has conseiiuently been entirelv aban-
donei.1. About a year after seeing these V'ines I
was shown a similar lot in the vineyard of Mr.
Church at Beacon Ash, near Norwich. The
Vines were, I think, only two years old and were
all Alicante, colouring having only just com-
menced at the time of my visit. It would be in-
teresting to know if these Vines are still in exist-
ence, or whether they failed after the first year or
two. If planted far enough apart they might
continue to thrive fiom year to year, but owing to
the limited distance market growers are obliged to
give in order to make it pay, a minimum amount
of sunshine and light is all that can reach them. —
J. Cka«k^kii.

Pear Passe Colmar.— A good December Pear,
and a variety that grows and crops well either as
a bush or trained tree against a wall. I have had
this variety in fine condition at Christmas in south
Lincolnshire, the tree growing on an eastern
aspect. Trained on a wall, the trees are very pro-
lific, and there is a ditferencs in size as well as in
appearance in the fruits when compared with
those gatheiti from bushes in the open f^^ar-
den. In the Utter case the fruits are smaller and
covered with rich brown russet, while in the
former they are large and clean, and seldom have
any, or but few, patches of russet on them. On
the whole, I am inclined to think th.at those
gathered from bu^h trees are the more highly
flavoured. Generally speaking, most I'ears are
more highly flavoured if they have russet skins.
It succeeds better on the Quince than on the
Pear. On the latter stock the roots are apt to
get down into the subsoil, and when this occurs
the fruits become gritty and worthless. — A. W.

Apple Grenadier. — This Apple is thought
very highly of and is largely planted in some
parts ot Cheshire for market. The fact of its
succeeding so far north stamps it at once as
bexg a very hardy variety — a fact planters should
make a note of; and I have also seen it in fine
condition in Lincolnshire. It is a first-rate kind
for growing in small gardens, as trees fruit
freely in a small state, and where they have room
for extension they make fine bushes and pyramids.
As a standard I have had no expeiience with it,
but the other day I saw a fine lot of healthy trees
grown in this form, which proved that it must
be also good grown ia this way. It is an early-
ripening Apple, earning into use during Septem-
ber and lasting well into October. The fruits
grow to a large sizs and are first-rate for cooking.
It was given a first-class certificate at the Apple
Congress in 1S83.— S. E. P.

Plum Coe'a Late Red. — "A. W." (p. 26."))
rather underestimates the merits of this very late
and valuable Plum. It is medium-sized and not
small ; but of course Plum growers are familiar
with the fact that the size of Plums is largely de-
termined by their numbers as well as the charac-
ter of the variety. The more fruit in a given
area, the smaller as a rule, but under ordinary
conditions as to cropping and culture, Coe's
Lite Red is quite up to medium size. As to
quality, perhaps, few would call it first-rate as
compared with the same raiser's Golden Drop. It
is an excellent Plum either for cooking, preserving
or dessert. It is a freestone with yellowish
flesh, firm and juicy, with a sweet sprightly
flavour. This Plum varies considerably in quality
with the seasons. Sites, soils and size and form
of trees also affect the quality of this and other
Plums. It does well as a cordon, a bush, or on
walls, and as a standard also in warm localities
and on walls on every aspect in the majority of

gardens, hanging frequently on cool walls until
the end of November, especially when the latter
are furnished with projecting copings, to assist
in keeping the Plums dry. For a reliable late
Plum on walls, notwithstanding the Monarch and
Late Duke, one cannot well dispense with Coe's
Late Red. No garden should be without one or
more trees of Coe's Late Red or Coe's Golden Drop
Plums, the latter without doubt the finest I'lum
in cultivation, and which can also be kept for
months after it is ripe. — D. T. F.

AMATEURS' VINERIES.
Many private gardeners are apt to leave too
many bunches on their Grape Vines, but ama-
teurs err to a still greater extent in this re-
spect. I never miss an opportunity of impress-
ing on the minds of the latter the evils of over-
cropping. I am sometimes asked what I
consider a too heavy crop, and when, there-

Instead of being content with a bunch on every
second lateral, or at the very least with one to
every foot-run of rod, there were two bunches
on many of the growths, and in all probability
all that showed were left. Thanks to good
attendance, this including plentiful supplies of
water and liquid manure, the berries were
larger than might have been expected, and the
Black Hamburgh seen in the foreground pro-
mised to ripen fairly well. Not so the Foster's
Seedling observable at the other end, and, un-
less I am much mistaken, this would be poor
in colour and quality. Mr. Sudbury did not
appear greatly alarmed at my predictions of an
early breakdown of his Vines, and says he shall
start afresh when they are worn out.

W. I.

Cherry Kentish Red. — Before the Morellos
come in the Kentish Red is the only variety suit- I
able for cooking, as however good the Sweet

^

^^SB

r .^■■'^

^:^#€Ef ■■ ^ ^M

p^mk

& ..^^^§

_. - / / -.. J'«ffi^MwS^??r2Jfl

nj at HaUtead, Essen. From
Mr. W. Iggulden.

photograph sent by

fore, I saw the vinery of which an illustration
is here given, it occurred to me that this was
too good an opportunity to be missed. The
photograph very plainly shows what may safely
be set down as an injuriously heavy crop.
Market growers are noted for leaving excep-
tionally heavy crops on their Vines, but I never
saw anything they have accomplished to equal
Mr. Sudbury's achievement. It appears that
this gentleman's Vines have only been planted
about four years and have previously borne
heavy crops. The varieties are Black Ham-
burgh and Foster's Seedling. They were
planted in a well-made border, in which ground
bones were freely used, and are in an unheated
house. So very thick were the bunches that
they actually touched each other at places.

Cherries are for dessert, they are useless for pud-
dings and tarta. I can, therefore, bear out the
high estimate " S. K. H." (p. 2G.'!) gives of it. It
is not, however, cared for here for bottling, the
Morello being the only variety used for this. I
have three or four large standards besides smaller
trees, and they crop most profusely. I do not
think it would be advisable to plant this variety
largely in private gardens, two or three trees being
quite sufficient.— A. Y., Witley Court.

Plum Mcliaughlin's Gage. — This Plum is
of excellent flavour. Its flavour, however, is not
its only good quality, as a Plum might possess this
characteristic, yet not be worth growing, being
weakly or shy bearing. This Plum is not one
of those, as it is a healthy grower and a free bearer.
I have it growing in the open as a half-standard,
and I have been particularly impressed with it

October 31, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

357

this eeason. Allowed to have ite head the tree
bears freely. Trees crrown as so-called pyramids
in the open never bear well on account of the
hard cutting in they are annually subjected to.
Under such treatment they take on a gross and
unfruitful habit. The soil my trees are growing in is
inclined to be heavy, and on the new red sandstone
formation, consequently this may have something
to do with its success. All Plums with me this
season have fruited and ripened up splendidly.
This has' teen quite an ideal Gage season, the
tropical summer having suited them admirably.—
A. YocNii.

The best Red Currants.— There cannot be
any question about the varieties of Red Currants
being "a little mixed," and I quite agree with
" W. I." (p. 264), that if the R.H.S. has not al-
ready initiated a trial of Currants, they ought to
take the matter in hand soon. It is very evident
that at present they are in great confusion, no
other kind of fruit perhaps being so much so.
The colour of the fruit perhaps is answerable for
much of this, and, what is more, superior cultiva-
tion on good soil, as it is well known ho'" much
the size of Red Currants is increased by free
manuring. Anyone can soon test this by setting
a few trees apart and feeding them with liquid
manure or other approved fertilisers. In this
garden there is an excellent variety, which at one
time was thought to be quite distinct. It is a
very superior Red Currant. A trial would settle
much of this confusion as to names, pr'
growers sending trees to Chiswick as well ai
trade. — A. Young, Willey Court, Stourport.

the

other." Eating varieties must not be large, and
should either be yellow when ripe- Yellow In-
gestre and Summer (}olden Pippin proving
the most popular of that colour- or else as red as
possible. Red Quarrenden, Worcester Pearmain,
and Duchess Favourite being named as most
popular and, therefore, profitable. Cooking
Apples that are large, not too flat and green,
find the most favour, and none more so than the
Codlin family, including Keswick, Manks, Lord
(irosvenor. Potts' Seedling, and Lord Sufiield, to
which may be added Warner's King and Stirling
Castle. W. I(.u,

iULDEN.

TWO OVER-RATED APPLES.
For several planting seasons past, I, in common
with several other writers, hive strongly recom-
mended Ecklinville as one of the few cooking
varieties that everybody ought to plant, mat ket
growers being particularly advised to cultivate it
extensively. Judge then of my surprise when in-
formed by an Essex fruit grower on a large scale,
and who also is a London salesman, that we have
done wrong in so pushing this variety. So poor
an opinion has he formed of it, that he would not
plant any more trees " if they were given him,"
and he also contemplates heading back and re-
grafting all the trees he now owns of it. No fault
could be found with these trees. They are fairly
robust, rarely fail to bear well, and were heavily
laden with iine fruit when I saw them. What
then is the trouble ? The reply was to the point
— "No market value to-day." It appears that
it is too soft, and if the sieves are heaped— as they
must be to sell readily — the fruit bruises badly.
Buyers who are principally retailers also find that
it soon becomes of a bad colour, even in the case
of the fruit in the lower part of the sieves. Sales-
men had hard work to get Is. (id, per half sieve
for Ecklinvilla at a time when Stirling Castle sold
readily at 2s. In the latter popular variety we
have an Appls equally as easily grown, also crop-
ping heavily, the fruit being large, well formed,
and cooking admirably. It is therefore recom-
mended by my friend fov planting by all
classes of growers in preference to Eeklin-
ville. The other variety even more forcibly
condemned by more than one Essex grower of
experience is the Duchess of Oldenburg. No
fault is found with the productiveness of this
variety — in fact, it is one of the most reliable in
this respect, but it is considered " a miserably
soft thing " and no good. Salesmen say it has
to be sold cheaply, or at Is, ,31. per half sieve,
when better varieties were fetching 9d. more.
This was to have been the coster's Apple, but no
coster of repute will buy it so long as other varie-
ties are available. Duchess of Oldenburg is not
good enough to sell as a,n eating variety, and
shrinks badly when cooked.

Not so very many years ago my E=sex friends
were of opinion that the Apples which sold the
most readily were those suitable for either eating or
cooking, such as the Duchess of Oldenburg, and
if coloured, so much the better. They now state
that Apples must be either " one thing or the

PLANTING PEACH TREES -SELECTION OF
VARIETIES.

Resujiing my notes on this subject, the selection
of varieties suitable for planting under glass next
claims attention, and, assuming that three houses
are to be planted in order to maintain an unbroken
supply of fruit from the time the earliest are
ready for gathering until the outdoor Peaches are
ripe, the following will be found some of the best
varieties in cultivation. To make the selection
more comprehensive, I will divide the list into
three classes, viz , early, mid-season and late.
Taking early kinds first. Hales' Early, Alexander,
Waterloo, Amsden June, Condor and Royal George
are all good forcers, and they crop well. Condor
will succeed the first four varieties named, with
Royal George bringing up the rear. For second
early or mid-season kinds. Royal George, Stirling
Castle (which is much like the preceding), Grosse
Mignonne, Violette Hative, Crimson Galande, Dy
mond, Magdala, Belle Beauce, Noblesse and Belle
garde are some of the best. For late work. Princess
of Wales, Barrington, Exquisite, Thames Bank,
Sea Eagle, Gladstone, Nectarine and Walburton
Admirable are all good reliable sortp, the three
last named and Thames Bank being particularly
rich flavoured when well cultivated. Although
not my intention originally to do so, I give a list
of Nectarines divided in the same order. The
three earliest are Advance, Early Rivers and Lord
Napier. As the new variety Cardinal will not be
sent out until next year, I have not included it.
For second early or mid-season sorts, Goldoni,
Bardwick Seedling, Elruge, Stanwick EIruge,
Dryden, Downton, Pitmaston Orange and Rivc-s'
Orange are all reliable. For late crops, Spenser,
Pine-apple, Humboldt and Victoria are the best.

In suitable localities, where much Peach grow-
ing under glass is carried on, it is generally the
rule to hold a good stock of trees in reserve out-
doors, and then a tree, or trees, as the case may
be, is always ready to hand for lifting, either to
fill up gaps or to plant new houses with, and a
considerable gain in time is the result. Where,
however, this cannot be carried out, either from
adverse climatic conditions or other circum-
stances, the necessary number of trees must be
purchased at a nursery, and they should be per-
sonally selected if many are rec|uired. When
selecting avoid old "cutback^," as maidens are
preferable to these, and would prove far more
satisfactory in the long run. I prefer twoyear-
old trees with good, clean, healthy-looking stocks,
and such as seem likely to keep growing and keep
pace with the scion. Stocks that are hide or bark-
bound — evidence of which is seen by the scion
overswelling the stock— should also be avoided, as
likewise should any showing signs of gumming.
When the trees are grown at home

Lifting
may be done towards the middle or end of
October, according to the season, and if carefully
done a full crop of fruit may be secured the tirst
season. Trees procured from a distance cannot
of course be litted until the leaves drop, which
takes place much earlier in some seasons than
others. But, however, this should not delay the
preliminary operations of border making and
other work connected therewith. Lifting must be
carefully done, and the larger the trees the grew ter
need for vigilance in the matter. Supposing a
tree with a spread of branches covering an area

of 100 square feet of wall space is to be lifted, it
need hardly be stated that such a tree would
possess an abundance of roots, the majority of
which it would be necessary to save. In such a
case a trench should be opened out some six or
eight feet from the wall and sufficiently deep
to get under all the lowermost roots. Then the
soil should be carefully worked away from among
the roots until a ball of soil about three feet in
diameter remains. With the aid of three or four
digging forks the ball should be loosened and
unseated, and then loaded on to a handbarrow, or
into a strong mat, and the tieo transferred to its
new position as quickly a,s possible. Of course
the tree must be unnailed and loosened from the
wall previous to lifting, taking care to tie the
branches together in such a manner that they will
not be broken during transit. A hole large enough
to enable every root to be laid out properly will
have been dug in readiness, and as soon as the
tree has been placed in positioa— after ascertain-
ing that the hole is neither too shallow nor too
deep, spread out the roots in all directions, and
cover with some of the finest of the soil. The
roots must not of course be laid out all at one
time, but in the various layers of soil and at their
proper levels. After the roots are all covered
over give a thorough watering, fasten the main
branches provisionally to the trellis and then
proceed with the lifting of anothtr tree. This
will give time for the water to pass through the
mass of soil and also settle it firmly about the
roots, and the finishing off can be done at the
conclusion of the lifting. The same care should
be exercised when planting trees procured from a
nursery, and both these and the preceding should
have all mutilated portions of roots trimmed off
or shortened back as the case may demand
before planting. Established trees when planted
in the manner indicated invariably succeed well
afterwards, and a failure seldom occurs when
proper precautions are taken. A. W.

FIGS IN PLANT HOUSES.
M.\NY gardeners with small glass acoommodation
are debarred from trying their hand at Fig cul-
ture, from the idea that this fruit neels a house to
itself, and will not bear satisfactorily associated
with plants. But although both Vines and
Peaches do indifferently in houses where a quan-
tity of plants is al-o gro>vn, mainly on account
of too much moisture being pre-ent when the
trees are in bloom, Figs, differing from these two
fruits in their atmospheric requirements at that
somewhat critical period, will not only grow
freely, but fruit well, too, in intermediate houses
and cool greenhouses, provided a sufficiently light
position be afforded them and ordinary cultural
details be attended to. I do not altogether agree
with the plan, sometimes recommended, of putting
Figs in plant houses containing a stage on the
back wall, as although the stage may be of mode-
rate height only, it is sure to hinder the sun from
shining on the wall with sufficient power to in-
duce a stocky, fruitful growth. Even when Figs
are planted on the back walls of vineries, and the
trellis supporting the Vines is cut short at soroe
2 feet or 3 feet from the top of the roof glass, in
order, as the cultivator thinks, by the admission
of light and sunshine, to secure a maximum crop
of Figs, we find in more instances than not a
half barren condition, the m.ijority and best of
the fruit being found at the top of the wall, where
growth is made in the full glare of the sun. My
advice is to allow the stage to extend as far up
the house as possible, so aa to accommodate
plenty of plants, and to utilit-e the two lights im-
mediately over the pathways at each end of the
house for" growing Figs, fixing an ordinary trellis
for training the trees to. In this caee a border
is not necessary, the trees doing well and remain-
ing fruitful for a great number of years if planted
in slate boxes, 3 feet (i inches in length, 2 feet
6 inches in depth, and the same in width, pro-
viding 6 inches of drainage and planting in a
good holding loam with a sixth part old mortar
rubbish and a sprinkling of bone meal. The slate

358

THE GAKDEK

[October 31, 1896.

boxes must rest on strong iron supports opposite
the front lights. In such a limited area all the
roots formed are fibrous, and no rank growth and
disappointment year after year, as is often the
case with border trees, need be apprehended.
Negro Largo and that shj, but grand variety.
Castle Kennedy, do well treated in this way. I
have one large' tree of Brown Turkey which is
planted in a small brick pit at the back of the
house, the growth being trained up the back wall
and down the roof to the front, but then it took
several years for the tiee to reach the top of the
wall, whereas, if planted in front as described,
well-matured, fruitful wood is generally foimed
the first year. I have planted in boxes and trained
up a trellis under the two end lights of an old
greenhouse, which, being filled with Azaleas and
Camellias, is kept ijuite cool — one each of Brown
Turkey and W hite iMarseilles. The former ripens
its fruit in August, and the latter— which under
ordinary border treatment is often gross in growth
and difficult to fruit— follows it from the middle
to the end of September. If the roots are well
supplied with moisture when the trees are eeta-

though cordons produce the largest fruit. The
season is given as October, but this year I shall
not have any fruits left for that date. "A. W."
(p. '245) notes the value of this variety, and I

agree

jsh culture is advisable.

one gets a fair crop yearly, and of better flavour.
My cordon trees of this variety also do well, but
the fruits lack the flavour of those more exposed.
In what may be termed a poor soil it is one of
the most reliable kinds I grow. — L. M.

Pear Knight's Monarch. — My experience is
much the same as Mr. Crawford's (p. 304) with
regard to the above Pear. I have some old bush
trees that crop very freely, but the fruit generally
falls early. Those stored always ripen and are of
good flavour. The soil here is light, which I
thought may have been the cause of the fruit
falling, as I have seen it stand well in heavier
soils. — J. Hii.L, Babraham.

I have this Pear both on a wall and as a

pyramid. It is a first-rate bearer as a pyramid,
but the ripening is uncertain in some seasons.
This year the fruit was quite ripe and very juicy

Water qarden at Castle Martyr, Co. CorV. From a photograph sent hy
Mr. W. M. Smith, Clarence Lodge, St. Luke's, Cork.

blished, and when bearing freely mulched and
stimulated, few failures will have to be recorded,
as the moderate amount of air during the earlier
part of the year, and the increased supply as the
season advances, needful for the inmates of both
intermediate and cool plant houses, suits the Fig
also. There are few gardens, indeed, where there
are sufficient Fig houses to ensure a constant
supply of fruit from, say. May to October, even if a
second crop be taken from the trees ; but by a
little stratagem, and utilising vacant spaces in
plant and other houses, it may be easily accom-
plished. J. Crawford.

Pear Jersey Gratioli. — I have never had this
variety to good for many years as it is this season,
and though much earlier than usual the flavour
has been very good, and fruits from bush trees
have been of firstclass quality. I am aware in
certain seasons this Pear does not have the good
character described above, as I have had it some-
what gritty, but this year the fruits are melting
atd very richly flavoured. In a light soil resting
on gravel I get fruits of fair size on pyramid trees,
acd it ia theee latter which have the best flavour,

by the middle of October. I always defer gather-
ing as late as possible. As soon as the fruits
begin to fall off they must be at once gathered, as
they grow, unless thinned, in clusters of four or
five together, and being very short in their stems
they support each other. As soon as one falls the
rest are more liable to break off by their own
weight. I have grown very fine fruit on the py-
, ramids, but the trees, being on the Pear stock,
require occasional root pruning to make them
more prolific. — John Garland, Kilhrton, Exeter,

On page .'!04 information is asked respect-
ing the premature dropping and the general
quality of this Pear when grown as an espalier
or pyramid. In the latter form I have no experi-
ence of it, but several old trees growing in the
espalier form usually crop very regularly here, but
many of the fruits are too small to be of any use,
which fault, .added to that of the greater part of
them falling from the trees befor.3 they reach
maturity, and consequently .shrivelling instead of
ripening afterwards, renders the variety of little
value. It was formerly grown here upon walls,
I but the reasons mentioned and the fact that it

comes into use at a time when there are many
finer and more certain sorts in season, have led to
ts being discarded. — James Day, Gallouav House
X.B.

Cleaning "Walnuts.— The plan recommended
by "J. C." to clean Walnuts is right as far as it
goes, but I find it best to put some dry sawdusb
in the bag with the Nuts and then jostle in the
way he suggests, turning them out into a sieve to
sift the sawdust from the Nuts, which will then
be found (|uite clean and dry. It is not a good
plan to dry them in the sun.— J. N.

OPEN-AIR VINES.
These are very much neglected, now that glass is '
so cheap, and it is rare to find them in the
flourishing condition one used to see them some
thirty years ago. No one appears to take up the
cause of open-air Vines, and the specimens one
generally finds on cottage walls covered with
mildewed bunches only help to deepen the con-
viction that no good can come of any attempt to
improve on the present hopeless position. During
the present year I happened to be in a Suffolk
village where one of the oldest inhabitants had
been noted for his open-air Grapes for at least
halfacentury. I was agreeably surprised to find
that his walls were clothed from base to summit,
not only with fine healthy foliage but also with
splendid bunches of Grapes on every shoot ; in
fact I have never seen such a weight of Grapes on
a given space of wall before or since. The follow-
ing is briefly the routine of culture that ended in
such excellent results year after year. At the
winter pruning, usually done in December, all the
old wood is cut clean away the same as it is in a
Raspberry plantation, simply shortening, and
securely fastening the young rods in position.
The border for about 4 feet fiom the base of the
wall is lightly forked over and a good coat of
manure spread on the surface. It is left in this
condition until active growth commences in
spring, when the young vigorous rods push out
two or three shoots from each joint. These are
reduced to one, and directly the bunches are
visible the shoots are stopped at one joint beyond
the first bunch ; terminals as well as side shoots
are treated the same, and one good shoot is
selected as near to the base as possible for grow-
ing on between the fruiting canes for next year'8
crop. This rod is carefully trained in and fas-
tened to the wall until it has attained the desired
length, when it is stopped, and all laterals kept
closely pinched in during the season, in fact the
culture is exactly similar to that of a well cared
for vinery. Thinning of both bunches and berries
is performed with as great care as in vineries,
having regard to the size that the hardiest kinds
of Grapes attain, but it would surprise many to
find what bunches, even the Sweetwater and
Foster's Seedling will finish oif when well cared
for, while Black Hamburgh and Black Cluster
carry very handsome bunches. After thinning,
liquid manure is given freely up to the time
the colouring commences. Mildew and other
evils rarely appear. J.iiiEs Groom.
Gosijort.

CASTLE MARTYR.
Castle Martyr, the seat of the Earl of
Shannon, is situated about 20 miles east of
the city of Cork, and has for the past century
been famed for its gardens and pinetum. The
grandfather of the present owner devoted much
of his time and money in improving the estate,
especially around the old castle and deer park,
planting thousands of ornamental trees and
shrubs. Every plant in his time worth growing
was bought not considering the cost. All
kinds of cone-bearing trees do remarkably well.
Araucarias were planted by the hundred, and
are now giants in the pinetum. They for
many years have borne fertile seeds, which in
their turn have made fine specimens. Most
other species of conifers; and shrubs do equally

OcTOBEE 31, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

359

well. Like many Irish gardens, Caatle Martyr
has for same years been sadly neglected, but
sufficient remains to show what a picturesque
old place it is. W. U.

Societies and Exhibitions

ROYAL HORTICULTtJRAL SOCIETY.

October 27.
This exhibition was much smaller than usuab
but throughout the show the <|uality was very
high. Chrysanthemums and Orchids were the
principal flowers shown, choice specimens of both
these charming and popalar flowers being in great
abundance. In a small group of Orchids from
the HoUoway Nurseries two plants of the strik-
ingly- handsome Oncidium Forbesi were con-
spicuous. In a showy group of beautiful Orchids
from Upper Clapton' Cattleyas in great variety
were noticeable. A large collection from Mr.
R. J. Measures contained a fine plant of Oncidium
macranthum and a well-flowered example of
Cypripedium Henry Graves, a very charm-
ing softly tinted variety. Cattleya Dowiaca
aurea was plentiful in a group of choice va-
rieties from the Royal Exotic Nurseries. In |
the group from St. Albans there was a plant of ,
Odontoglossum bictonense album, a very lovely 1
flower with light chocolate- coloured petals and
pure white lip. Swainson'e Cattleya labiata
(Sander's type) was also admirably shown. From
the Earlswood Nurseries came Chrysanthemums,
notably Calvat's Australian Gold. A dazzlingly
brilliant group of Pelargoniums (winter-blooming
zonals) came from the Royal Gardens, Windsor ;
more Chrysanthemums from Messrs. Cannell and
Sons, ana handsome groups of stove plants of a
decorative order from the Roupell Park Nurseries,
Forest Hill, and Syon House. Only a very small
quantity of fruit was shown, and this consisted
of Grapes and Melons from Worksop, and a few
excellent dishes of Apples and Pears from Syon
House.

Orchid Committee.

At the commencement of the business of this
committee, Mr. Gurney Fowler proposed and Mr.
De B. Crawshay seconded a resolution, which was
carried unanimously, to the effect that the com-
mittee recommend that the council should au-
thorise that paintings be made of all Orchids
gaining certificates, and that these paintings be
kept for the purpose of reference. It is thought
that if the proposition is accepted it will etfec-
tually solve the very vexed question of the same
variety appearing before the committee and some-
times obtaining a certificate under a different
name.

First-class certiticates were awarded to the
following : —

Cattleya labiata (R. J. Measures' var.). —
This is a distinct and lovely variety ; the sepals and
petals are pure white, of good form and substance,
the lip pure white, much fringed in front, veined
with distinct rosy pink. The side lobes are
white, shading to lemon-yellow at the base and in
the throat. The colouring is uni(|ue and we have
seen no Cattleya to approach it either in colour or
distinctness. The plant was from an importation
and first flowered two years ago, when it received
an award of merit. From Mr. R. J. Measures.

Cattleya le Czar.— This remarkable plant, a
supposed natural hybrid between C. labiata vera
and C. granulosa, was imported with a small
batch of these two species from Pernambuco. It
has a striking resemblance to Cattleya Victoria
Regina. The sepals are rose, shaded with a
bronzy tinge. The petals are about 4 inches long,
brighter rose than the sepals and faintly shaded with
the same bronzy tint. The hp is crimson-purple,
margined with rose, the side lobes rose-purple
shading to brown, which has a sufl'usion of yellow
at the base. It is a desirable variety, having the
combined characters of the two lovely species
named. From Messrs. Linden, Brussels.

Awards of merit were adjudged to the follow-
ing :—

Cattleya Elvixa. — A beautiful hybrid raised
by Mr. Seden between Cattleya Trian;v and C.
Schilleriana. The sepals and petals are rose-
purple in the centre, shading to pale rose at the
edges ; the lip open in front, partaking of the
character of C. Schilleriana in shape, rich crimson-
purple margined with white, the side lobes rose-
purple shading to white, and heavily suffused at
the base with orange-yellow. It is one of the
most distinct hybrids we have seen. From
Messrs. Veitch and Sons.

Cypripedium Reimna, the result of crossing
C. Leeanum and C. Fairrieanum, is one of the
most distinct and beautiful of the Fairrieanum
crosses ; it is intermediate in character between
C. Arthurianum and C. Niobe. The dorsal sepal
is white at the tip, shading to green at the base,
lined and spotted with dark brown ; petals pale
green, lined with dark brown, the lip green,
suffused with brown. From Messrs. J. Veitch and
Sons.

Botanical certificates were adjudged to Res-
trepia antennifera, a well-known large flowered
variety, yellow, heavily spotted with brown on
the lower sepals, the" dorsal sepal and petals
white, spotted brown, and Restrepia Falken-
bergi, a variety with smaller flowers, the lower por-
tion of the flower yellow, thickly lined with reddish
brown, and having a sufl'usion of crimson at the
base on the outside of sepals, the upper sepal and
petals purple, mottled and margined with white.
Both from R. J. Measures.

Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons were awarded a
gold medal for a large group, consisting princi-
pally of Cattleya labiata autumnalis. Cattleya
aurea was also represented, as were many of the
leading Cypripediums, prominent among them
C. cenanthum superbum, C. Arthurianum and
C. tessellatum porphyreum with two flowers, still
very rare, and one of the most distinct. Amongst
the numerous hybrid Cattleyas was La-iio Catt-
leya Statteriana, a cross between L. Perrini and
C. labiata ; sepals and petals delicate rose, the
lip rich crimson-purple, this colour extending to
' the side lobes. The front of the throat has
tracings on each side of a lighter shade of colour ;
it is a distinct and desirable variety. There was
also a fine plant of Cattleya Patrocini, a supposed
natural hybrid between ('. guttata and C. Lcd-
digefi. Dendrobium Johnson*, pure white sepals
and petals, lip white, the side lobes spotted
and striped with violet-purple, and a fine
plant of Miltonia vexillaria superba, with
five spikes of flower, were also shown. A
silver Flora medal was awarded to Mr. R. J.
Measures, Cambridge Lodge, Camberwell, for a
large group consisting principally of good forms
of Cattleya labiata autumnalis. One of the most
striking amongst these was C. labiata superba,
the sepals and petals remarkably broad, of a deep
rose-purple colour, the lip rich crimson-purple,
which extends well into the throat, dilogyne
fuliginosa, a grand specimen, had upwards of 100
' expanded flowers. Amongst the numerous Cy-
pripediums were Mrs. Chas. Canham with fifteen
flowers, C. Arthurianum with eight flowers, a
well-flowered plant of C. tonsum, C. Henry Graves,
and C. Allenianum superbum, certificated last
i year, several Masdevallias and Restrepias, and
forms of Lailio-Cattleya elegans were well repre-
sented. Mr. T. Statter also received a silver
Flora medal for a group consisting principally of
cut Cattleya aurea. Dendrobium Phalaenopsis
was represented by upwards of a dozen spikes in
a variety of colour. Cypripedium callosoFairrie-
! anum, C. Memoria Mcensi, like C. Lathamianum,
with a purple dorsal sepal ; La-lio-Cattleya Arnold-
iana superba, a remarkably large - flowered
variety; L.-C. Stanlej-ana, a variety of L. C.
Clive, recently certificated ; a cut spike of C.
Johnsoni and its variety Ashtoniana were also in-
cluded. M. Georges Mantin was awarded a silver
Banksian medal for a small group consisting of
six plants of Cattleya Mantini (C. Bowringiana x
C. aurea) well flowered, L.-elia Behrensiana, sepals
and petals rose, lip purple in front, shading to

rose, and having a little yellow at the base of the
throat ; and Lselia balairensis, in which the flowers
did not appear to differ from those of L. autumnalis.
A bronze Banksian medal was awarded to Mr.
H. J. Elwes for a group consisting of interesting
and botanical Orchid s ; amongst these were Dendro-
bium Aphrodite, sepals and petals creamy-white,
lip creamy-white in front shading to deep orange-
yellow : Cycnoches Loddigesi, sepils and pstals
brown, lip greenish-white, mottled and spatted
with dark brown : Arundina chinensis, with nine
spikes of flower ; Saccolabium bigibbum with
nine spikes, and numerous other varieties. Mr.
F. Hardy sent Cattleya Hardyana (Wrigley's
variety), a distinct form with mottled sepals and
petals ; Pleione maculata alba with two flowers ;
Cattleya labiata alba, pure white sepals and petals,
lip white with orange-yellow disc; Cattleya
Massaiana and numerous forms of L pumila. Mr.
C. J. Crossfield, Liverpool, sent a good form of
Cattleya labiata.

Mr. W. C. Clarke sent a hybrid Cypripadiurn
said to be a cross between Argus Moensi x vexil-
larium, but no trace of the latter parent could be
discerned. It had a good deal of the character of
C. Youngianum. Mr. C. J. Ingram sent Cattleya
caUistoglossa (Ingram's var.) and Cattleya Gazelle,
referred to in report of last meeting. Mr. W
Lane, Ascott, sent a beautifully flowered plant of
Cattleya Bowringiana, for which a cultural com-
mendation was awarded. Sir W. Marriott, Down
House, Blandford, sent Cattleya La Belle, pa.e
rose sepals and petals, lip crimson-purple in front,
shading to yellow in the throat. It is a cross be-
tween C. gigas and C. Loddigesi. Messrs. Hugh
Low and Co. sent a small group consisting prin-
cipally of Cattleya labiata and some good forms of
C. aurea, Cycnoches chlorochilon, Oncidium orni-
thorrhynchum album with five spikes, Cypripe-
dium Arthurianum, and a new Dendrobium in the
way of D. Leeanum. Messrs. B. S. Williams and
Son sent a small group consisting principally of
Cattleya labiata, Oncidiums, and Cypripediums in
variety. Messrs. F. Sander and Co. showed a nice
batch of Cattleya labiata which included two white
forms with a suffusion of colouring on the lip
named The Bride and The Pearl. A fine plant of
Dendrobium Johnsona- with four spikes and
Phaius Ashworthi, a cross between P. Manni ana
P maoulatus, sepals and petals golden-yellow
lined with a brighter shade, the lip brown lined
with the bright yellow of the petals, were aho
shown here.

Floral Committee.
A first-class certificate was awarded to—
Sarracenia Saxder.k (S. Drummondi albax
S. Cooksoni), in which the white portion of the
top of the pitcher and the lid, as seen in b.
Drummondi, ai e deeply veined with vinous purple ;
the growth is good and the habit all that one
could desire. From Messrs. F. Sander and Co.,
St. Albans.
Awards of merit were voted to the following-.—
Chrysanthemum Elsie Teiohmann (Japanese),
of which a finely-grown plant not 3 feet in height
was bearing as manv flowers, which are large and
full, slightly incurved, with long petals. The
form is not at all formal, the colour being white,
with pale sulphur centre. From Mr. C. E. Shea.
Chrysanthemum Fkide (ip Exmouth (Japan-
e=e\— A large and very full flower, the extremi-
ties of the petals tinted with rosy lilac, but
otherwise white, with the centre of a pale straw
colour. From Mr. W. J. Godfrey, of Exmouth,
and Messrs. H. Cannell and Sons, of Swanley.

Chrysanthemum Mrs. Oporto Tait (Japanese).
—A very handsome variety, and an acquisition to
the front row on any board of cut blooms ; the
colour is a deep golden yellow, the petals, long
and broad, being disposed in the way of those of
Thunberg ; it is of medium size. From Messrs.
H. Cannell and Sons.

Chrysanthemum Australian Gold (Calvat)
(Japanese).— A distinct variety of large size, very
full, and of good form; the petals rather narrow,
but of extra length ; the colour a pale golden
yellow. It was shown both as plants and cut

360

THE GARDEN.

[October 31, 1896.

blooms. From Mr. Wells, Earlswood, and Mr.
W. J. Godfrey.

CiTKVsANTiiEMrM Mrs. J. Lewis (.Japanese). —
A remarkably fine show variety, of large size and
the purest white: the petals broad, the build of
the flow ers being very massive and of great depth.
From Me.=srs. H. Cannell and Sons and Mr.
W. J. Godfrey.

CHKYSANTHEMrM Mr. James Mtbray (in-
Curved).— A very compact flower in the way of
Empress Eugenie, but larger, fuller, and of much
deeper colour. From Mr. R. Owen, Maidenhead.

Xekine FLExi-o.-^A MA.TOR.— A very free-flower-
ing variety of dwarf habit and with good trusses,
the petals long and narrow, the colour a rich
shade of pink. From Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bur-
ford Lodge, Dorking (gardener, Mr. Bain).

A splendid group of Crotons came from Syon
House and formed a very striking and beautiful
feature on one side of the hall. All the plants
were in fine condition, very healthy, and highly
coloured. Flamingo, Reidi, Variegatus, Mrs.
Swan, Queen Victoria, Disraeli, and 5lrs. Dorman
were among the numerous notable plants (silver-
gilt Banksian). Other good decorative material
Cime from Messrs. John Peed and Sons, West
Norwood, forming a pretty aud tasteful group.
Drac*na8 were good and well coloured (bronze
Banksian). A handsome group of decorative
stove plants was st.iged by Messrs. John Laing
and Sons, Forest Hill. A few Orchids, Crotons,
and Dracanas in good condition and well coloured
were the principal contents of the group (silver
Flora).

One of the most showy exhibits in the hall was
a large collection of zonal Pelargoniums from Her
Majesty the Queen, Royal Gardens, Windsor.
The variety was large, the plants all dwarf,
sturdy, with excellent foliage and handsome
bushy flower-trusses. Some of the most attrac-
tive varieties were Barbiget, a pleasing shade of
light pink ; Lady Reed, white, with salmon
centre : Lady Russell, clear bright pink ; White
Lady, Luther de Medluc, rich mottled salmon ;
John Gibbons, vivid scarlet ; La Bruant, a fine
scarlet semi-double ; and Marquis of Dufl'erin,
rich purplish crimson (silver Flora). A collection
of beautifully-berried Pernettyas in many shades
of pink and red came from Mr. Anthony Waterer,
Knap Hill Nurseries, who also showed some beau-
tiful specimens of the Scarlet Oak, which attracted
considerable attention (bronze Banksian). A group
of seedling Nerines, comprising several very charm-
ing colours, was sent by Mr. H. J. Elwes, Coles-
bourne, Gloucester (silver Banksian). Some very
fine Nerines were also shown by Sir Trevor Law-
rence, the flower-trusses remarkably full, the
colours soft and very pure. N. cinnabarina, a
fine red ; N. flexuosa major, soft rose-pink ; and
N. Meadowbanki, a vivid salmon, were perhaps
the finest.

Several varieties of Chrysanthemums, new
kinds, were shown by Messrs. H. Cannell and
Sons, Swanley, Kent. The finest were Pride of
Exmouth, a very lovely white Japanese, a full,
shapely bloom ; Mrs. J. Lewis, also a large pure
white ; Mrs. Oporto Tait, a fine golden yellow,
with thick twisted petals, and Robert Powell, a
handsome flower, bronze and yellow. Chrysan-
themums were admirably shown by Mr. W. Wells,
Earlswood Nurseries, Redhill, Surrey. The most
conspicuous feature in a group of splendidly
grown plants was Calvat's Australian Gold, av6ry
handsome and showy Japanese variety of beau-
tiful deep golden colour. Many of the plants
bore blcoms of a paler hue through having been
unduly forced, but one or two flowers of the na-
tural colour sutEced to show the exceeding beauty
of this variety. John Shrimpton, a rich maroon ;
Mons. Cht non de Leche, a very pleasing yellowish
terracotta ; Lord Justice Lopes, a beautifully
shaped flower of soft rosy lilac colour, and Harry
Johnson, a small bronze-yellow incurved, grown as
a bush plant, were also good (silver Banksian).
Some very fine Chrysanthemum blooms were also
shown by Mr. Godfrey, of Exmouth. The beau
tiful Australian Gold was in splendid condition.
Pride of Exmouth, a very shapely lilac flower.

slightly hairy ; La Garonne, a large ragged bloom,
of soft dull lilac colour ; and Antoinette, a very
beautifully formed white, were also exceedingly
good. Mr. Andrew Pears, Grove Bank, Isle-
worth, sent a large group of Chrysanthemums,
many of them fine old varieties, well grown and
well flowered (silver Banksian).

Fruit Committee.
This was one of the smallest meetings of the
year. Seedling Apples were plentiful, Melons
also, but of poor ([uality. Twenty-four nice-look-
ing fruits of a Melon named Osberton, but much
like Hero of Lockinge in every way, were sent by
Mr. Crasp from Osberton Gardens, Worksop.
Considering the late period for Melons, they well
deserved the silver Banksian medal awarded.
The above Melon was also sent for a certificate by
the same exhibitor, also a small fruit of similar

appearance,

but not netted. This

named

Gateford Hall. Mr. Crasp likewise staged three
bunches of Golden Queen Grape, excellent in
berry and bunch and well finished. Pods of
Vanilla were also staged by Mr. Crasp. Mr.
Wythes, gardener to Earl Percy, Syon House,
Brentford, showed a seedling Melon, Syon Fa-
vourite, but over-ripe. A new seedling Apple
was sent by Mr. C. Stubbing, Brookside, Cam-
bridge, but the committee considered it a good
Cox's Orange. From the same exhibitor was
sent a very nice Grape— a Sweetwater. It is
stated to be an excellent outdoor variety.
No particulars as to growth were given, but the
impression was that it was a valuable addition if
such bunches could be grown on open walls. Mr.
Crook, Forde Abbey Gardens, Chard, sent a seed-
ing Apple of nice appearance, but lacking flavour.
Seedling Apples also came from Mr. Dale, Aske-
ton Nurseries, Harrogate. Mr. G. Lee, Cleve-
don, sent a seedling Apple much like ( ol.
Vaughan, very firm and sweet. A very pretty
Apple, a cooking variety, somewhat like Welling-
ton in shape, but of better appearance, was sent
by Mr. Menzies, gardener to Mr. W. R. Banks,
Kingston Lacy, Wimborne. The secretary staged
three Pears, the result of growing three kinds on
one shoot. The fruits were so much altered in
flavour and character that it was difficult to tell
them. Pitmaston Duchess, Beurre Diel, and
Emilie d'Heyst were the varieties grafted on
Doyenne du Cornice. The dwarf new variegated
Celeriac was shown from the society's garden in
fine condition, also a new red very dwarf Cabbage
named Red Black Short Stem. A new Celery,
Barr's Self-blanching, a very dwarf distinct type
with pink stalks, was also shown. This promises
to be a good dwarf form. Its sturdy habit and
thick stalk should make it useful.

For the Messrs. Veitch's prizes, Mr. Wood-
ward, gardener to Mr. R. Leigh, Barham
Court, Maidstone, was first with grand Doyennt;
du (3omice grown on cordons, the same exhibitor
being second with Beurr<5 Superfin, shown in fine
condition. It is only fair to add that Mr. Wythes,
Syon, was an ea.sy second, with fine Doyenn.'
du Comice, but the rules of this competition do
not allow the same variety to get two awards.
Mr. Woodward was first with Apples, staging an
excellent dish of Cox's Orange, Mr. Herrin,
Dropmore ( hardens, being a good second, staging
Ribstor. The other varieties of fruit staged on
this occasion were Beurr6 de I'Assomption and
Beurre Diel Pears and American Mother Apple.

The lecture on "Chrysanthemums" by Mr.
Lees was read by the assistant secretary. This
makes such papers less interesting, as any points
which may require more than passing notice can-
not be discussed. The notes sent were concise
and of much value to growers. At the com-
mencement the lecturer stated he would princi-
pally go into culture. He noted the great strides
which had taken place since the last R.H.S. con-
ference at Chiswick, and briefly referred to
the new kinds introduced since that date (1889).
There has been a wonderful improvement in the
Japanese section, as varieties introduced in '.
were now rarely seen and some quite lost. An

891 variety of great merit he only saw staged in
one competition last year. The French raisers,
otably M. Ernest Calvat, had sent out some very
ne varieties, many of them, unfortunately, bur-
dened with long names. In the incurved section
little |)rogro3s had been made, as varieties
introduced thirty years ago were still good. He
noted the value of the single kinds for decoration,
as they were most useful grown in small pots for
grouping and other purposes. Few flowers lasted
longer and none are more useful. The reflexed
type had nearly been driven out of cultivation.
The Anemone section deserved better treatment,
and though they had been neglected, they were
very pretty, and there were some really good
kinds when well grown. He noted the value of
early border varieties, which bloomed from
August to November ; indeed, were these grown,
a handful of flowers could be gathered well into
November after most of the hardy herbaceous
plants were cut down by frost. In these days
with so many new varieties continually coming to
the front, it was dirticult to know what to grow,
as till a new kind was thoroughly proved no one
was sure if it was a sufficient advance on older
kinds. Our home raisers of these flowers had of
late years given us a grand lot of flowers of
sterling merit; indeed, no less than lOM new
Japanese varieties were sent out last year. Out
of this number, thirty-six got first-class certifi-
cates. He would like to see new Chrysanthe-
mums judged by the R.H.S. new code of rules,
as this would enlighten the intending grower
as to the new variety's qualities. At times

found new kinds most difficult to gr

On

the other hand, he advised a fair trial before
ning. One season was not enough, and
one required to know the habit of growth and way
to grow the plant. He advised propagation from
the middle of December to the end of January,
selecting the early kinds for the later date. The
alue of sturdy cuttinf^s could not be overrated,
s it was important to get sturdy plants from the
start. The compost should be light or sandy soil,
coarse sand and leaf-mould, inserting the cuttings
into small pots in a temperature of 4.5'^ or 50"
in a frame close to the glass. They root in about
four weeks, and as roots increase, give more air,
damp over the tops daily, and repot in a compost
of loam three parts, with sharp sand and leaf-soil.
Replace in same house and temperature and grow
on, avoiding draughts and watering sparingly till
growth increases. At the next potting use more
loam and less leaf-mould and sand, and in all cases
firm potting is essential. In giving water care
should be taken that it is not given in driblets,
as a thorough soaking is necessary atall times. In
reference to pinching or stopping, much depended
upon the variety. He considered more attention
to this point in the spring as important to the
exhibitor as taking the buds. He went into the
various modes of growth. Late August buds do
not expand freely ; on the other hand, too early
buds were failures in many cases. He also wf nt
at length into the peculiarities of several kinds,
and the necessity of bud selection at the right
moment, naming August 15 as a date many kinds
could be relied upon. In the gross-growing
Etoilede Lyon, the buds, if taken at the earlitr
date in August, give coarse flowers of bad colour.
The middle of May was a good time for commenc-
ing repotting, and he advised Kl-inch pots for the
large kinds and ,S-inch for others, it being impor-
tant to have roots in plenty before repotting. For
the final shift, more manure could be given, the soil
consisting of three parts heavy loam to one of
leaf-soil, decayed horse manure and bone meal,
with a portion of old mortar rubble added to
keep the soil open. Soot or fertilisers he did not
advise; these could be used later in a liquid state
or as a top dressing. Firm potting was most im-
portant, and sutticient space should be left to allow
of surface dressings. Plants should be stood in
rows 5 feet apart, facing north and south. Feed-
ing should begin the third veek in July, and he
advised change of food weekly. He liked cow
nianure and soot water, condemning overfeeding
with rich fertilisers, as this caused damping of

October 31, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

361

blooms. Incurved types could be fed longer than
Japanese, but given less up to a certain stage. He
housed in the middle of September or a little
later, and advised a little warmth to open the
buds and check damping. He also dealt in a clear
manner with the various diseases Chrysanthe-
mums are subject to.

NATIONAL CHKYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY.
A VERY bujy and largely attended meeting of the
general committee of this society was held on
Monday evening last at Anderton's Hotel, Fleet
Street, Mr. B. Wynne occupying the chair.
After reading the minutes of the former meeting
and saying a word or two of welcome to the repre-
sentatives of the affiliated societies, the secretary
(Mr. Dean) read a rough financial statement,
which was satisfactory in every particular, with
the exception that a small additional sum is re-
quired for the special jubilee fund, which has not
yet quite reached the amount that is necessary.

The report of the jubilee sub-committee was
then rendered, most of the matter dealing with
the preparations for the grand banquet to be held
at the Hotel Metropole on the evening of the first
day of the show. Sir Edwin Saunders will occupy
the chair, supported, it is hoped, by Sir Trevor
Lawrence (president of the R.H.S.), the Dean of
Rochester, Mr. C. E. Shea, Mr. C. C. Paine, and
other influential gentlemen and friends of the
society.

Mr. Harman-Payne, as foreign corresponding
secretary, made a somewhat lengthy report in
reference to the interest that the jubilee gathering
is exciting abroad. A communication was read
from the Christchurch (N.Z.) Chrysanthemum
Society, announcing that that society would be
represented at the conference by one of the vice-
presidents (Miss M. M. Blyth), who would be
able to give a very authentic account of Chrysan-
themum cultivation in that colony. Another
communication was read from the Cambridge
(N.Z.) Society, with £1 Is. for the special jubilee
fund. The secretary adds : " At this end of the
globe great things are expected from the jubilee
meetings, and the reports thereof are eagerly
waited for." The secretary of theFrench N.C.S.,
who has given publicity to the English society's
jubilee circular in the new publication, " Le
Chrysanthtme," expressed satisfaction at the
three great National Chrysanthemum Societies of
America, France, and England being brought
into close connection by Mr. Payne, and requested
his name to be placed on the list of members so
that the union might be still closer. M. Rivoire's
name was therefore included in the list. A further
item of interest in the foreign department was the
reading of the letter announcing the offer of the
American Chrysanthemum Society's gold medal
for competition already alluded to in these
columns last week. Mr. Payne then, in the
capacity of secretary to the catalogue committee,
reported upon the completion of the work, and
briefly reviewed some of the more important
alterations. It was proposed and seconded that
the thirty experts who sent in returns from which
the work has been compiled should receive a
hearty vote of thanks for their assistance, and that
each should also be presented with a copy. Be-
fore concluding, Mr. Payne said that he and
several other members of the society hoped about
the middle of November to make a short tour
round Belgium and the north of France, and to
visit some of the leading exhibitions and growers
there. It was resolved that any members finding
it convenient to accompany him should form an
ofiicial delegation to such foreign shows as they
might visit.

New members were e'ected, bringing the total
for the year up to 167, and the Launceston Fruit
and Chrysanthemum Society was admiltel in
affiliation. The members of the catalogue re.i-
Bion committee were awarded medals for their
services in producing the new edition.

On Wednesday last the floral committee'of this
society held a meeting at the Royal Aquarium

Westminster, Mr. Harman-Payne presiding. Ex-
hibits were sent from Messrs. Canned and Sons,
Mr. E. Beckett, Mr. C. Lawton, Mr. T. S. Ware,
Mr. W. Seward, Mr. W. J. Godfrey, Mr. C. Gib-
son, Mr. R. Owen, Mr. W. Wells, Mr. H. Shoe
smith, Mr. Norman Davis, and also from a French
exhibitor, M. Qu^tier. There were some excel-
lent blooms staged, the iiuality generally being
of a very high order of merit.

First-class certificates were awarded to the fol-
lowing : —

Royal Sovereign. — A very large, golden
yellow Japanese, with rather medium florets,
grooved and deeply veined, and of great length,
reverse waxy yellow. A noble and massive look-
ing bloom. Sent by Mr E.Beckett.

Mrs. J. M. Lewis- — A seedling raised by
M. Ernest Calvat, and shown by him last year.
The present blooms were staged by Messrs.
Cannell ; they are of the Japanese type, big and
solid. The florets are broad, curly, and inter-
mingling; colour pure white.

AcsTRALiE. — A colonial seedling of gigantic
proportions. It is a massive Japanese incurved,
with broad, heavily-grooved florets; the colour is
a dull parple-amaranth and the reverse silvery.
Blooms were staged by several exhibitors, but
Mr. W. Wells secured the award.

N.iTHAN Smith's White. — A Japanese of good
size with notched florets of medium width. Colour
pure white. Shown by Mr. Norman Davis.

Modesto. — Another magnificent Japanese in-
curved, of great depth of build. A big, solid-
looking flower with grooved florets, boldly in-
curving, the colour a very pure shade of rich
golden yellow. From Mr. N. Davis.

Western King.— This, like the two preceding,
is of American origin. It is a Japanese incurved
with curly pointed florets. Colour pure white.
Also shown by Mr. N. Davis.

John Neville.— A Japanese with very long
florets, which are twisted and drooping. It is a
fine distinct novelty. Colour rich reddish car-
mine, with reverse of deep old gold. Exhibited
by Mr. W. Seward.

George Seward. —Another very fine distinct
•Tapanese having long drooping florets ; colour a
very beautiful shade of golden bronze, streaked
carmine, reverse old gold. Staged by Mr. W.
Seward.

Among other interesting novelties was Beauty
of Framfield, a very distinct single-flowered
Japanese variety, with long flat florets of a rich
shade of velvety crimson. A. H. Wood, a pale
yellow sport from Primrose League, was large and
spreading. Robert Powell, a big, solid, incurved
Japanese, colour golden bronze reverse, inside
carmine-chestnut, was very fine ; so, too, was
Ernest Cannell, of ordinary incurved form, full
and double ; colour pale ochre yellow. The com-
mittee wished to see again Thomas Bevan, a
sport from Mrs. Airdrie. Several others were re-
garded as promising novelties, viz., Mrs. Oporto
Tait, Eva Knowles, La Garonne, Belle Mauve,
Elthorne Beauty and May Neville. A large deap
flower called La Perle d'Alg^rie was staged. It is
in form somewhat similar to a white Guernsey
Nugget. This the uammittee wished to see again.
M. Quetier sent from France three blooms of a
pale yellow sport from the hairy variety Enfant
des deux Mondes. The conditions under which
it had been grown did not enable the committee
to judge of its merits.

The weather in West Herts.— Another
cold week, and the third in succession ; indeed,
there has not been a single unseasonably warm
day since the 10th inst., and only two warm
nights during the same period. On the night
preceding the 28th the exposed thermometer
showed 9° of frost, making this the coldest night
as yet this autumn. At both 1 foot and 2 feet
deep the ground is now about 3° colder than is
seasonable. Only about half an inch of rain has
fallen during the past week, bringirig up the
total for the present month, as far as it has gone
28thh to 31 inches. There has lately been a

capital record of sunshine, the average daily
duration for the week amounting to rather more
than five hours. My Dahlias were entirely killed
by the frost above mentioned, which occurred
during the early morning of the 28th. This is
three days earlier than the average date of their
destruction in the previous eleven years, but five
days later than last year. — E. M., Berlchamsted.

Notes of the Week.

Galanthus nivalis octobrensis.— This in-
teresting variety is flowering in the rock garden at
Kew. It is interesting from the fact of its bloom-
ing in autumn, and nothing more— indeed, it is a
poor flower by itself.

Nymphsea Lotus rubra. — This is the hand-
somest of the stove aquatics now in flower at
Kew. The flowers are of large sizs, and their
brilliant shade of colour must effective. Such
handsome things are of considerable value at the
present time.

Aster turbinellus. — This is one of the most
graceful and elegant of all the Michaelmas
Daisies, and one also that makes a charming pot
plant when the cuttings are rooted in March or
April for mixing with other things in the green-
house in autumn.

Fruiting of the Pomegranate. — It may in-
terest your correspondent from Devonshire to hear
that the Pomegranate has fruited here three times
in the last four years in Oxfordshire. It is on an
open wall facing south, and has never had the
slightest protection. — Oxox.

Kniphcfia Nelsoni. — This dainty gem among
the Torch Lilies is also one of the most profuse in
its flowering— a most desirable characteristic. A
fine tuft of it in the Kew rock garden, which has
been in flower for some time past, still displays
its inclination to bloom with the closing days of
October.

Pinguicula caudata. — This brilliant spe-
cies is well grown at Syon House ; indeed, several
fine plants we recently noted there were as re-
markable for their handsome foliage as the highly
coloured blossoms. The shade of colour at this
season is always welcome when such things are
not plentiful.

Begonia ascotensis.- This and the well
known variety Knowsleyana are especially valu-
able for early autumn in small pots in the green"
house, where the pink and roej' white flowers
respectively are very useful. In a cut state, too,
the sprays of blossom are very pleasing arranged
with other things.

Hydrocleis Humboldti.— A very pretty and
interesting aquatic for the warm house, and
though not very free flowering at this late date,
the few blooms that expand are welcome on the
surface of the water when such things are rare.
In colour the flowers area pleasing canary-yellow,
tinted with orange at the base.

Cimicifuga simplex is a very pretty and
effective species with erect spikes of creamy white
flowers, the latter borne in rather compact and
dense spicate racemes, in this resp3ct bearing
some resemblance to C. cordifolia. The species
under notice appears to be much taller. The
above plant is now in flower at Kew.

Hedychium coronarium. — Where pure
white and fragrant flowers are valued at this sea-
son this plant should be grown. In the aquatic
stove house at Kew large plants of it are now in
flower, and, where similar treatment can be
given it, this fine East Indian species should
always be grown. Heat and moisture are the
chief items to its successful culture.

Nerine undulata.-A batch of this pretty
and interesting species is flowering in pots at
Kew, so arranged as to show its character when
grouped together. Compared with the more
showy kinds this species is not at all brilliant,
yet the wavv perianth divisions are very pleasing

THE CtAPvDEK

[October .Tl, 1!

in their delicate pink hue, and for vases would
certainly be productive of good effect.

SeadlingPernettyas.— Mr. Anthony Waterer
had a beautiful lot of these plants at the R.H.S.
meeting on Tuesday, the plants nifisses of their
various coloured bsrnes. The plants, of which
there were several dozen, probably were lifted
from the open, and showed clearly how valuable
such things are at this season. The berries were
of several shades of red, violet-purple and snow-
white.

Pear Tricmphe de Vienne.— I have this here
as a low cordon 15 inches from the ground. The
fineyellowand brcnze fruits had to be laid on pieces
of slate, as they were io lort;. The flavour is
superb, and in this hot season it could have been
eaten from the tree. I am pleased to hear that it
does so well as a buth. My trees are on the Quince,
which I consider a fine etcck.— Arthur Hales,
A.rmin^tti:

Apple Professor. — A. Young wishes to known
about this early Apple. I have it here as an
espalier, in which form it never fails to give a fine
crop. It stems to me to be much after the old
Manks Codlin, not nearly so soft as Keswick. It
keeps fairly well and "cooks wel'. The growth
of the tree is sturdy, and in the form I have it
it does not want much pruning.— AuTiirK H.^lks,
Chnttan Ganhn^, Axminsta:

Phlcx airoena.— The rich masses of flowers
produced by this alpine in spring render it one
of the most popular of its genus, and in cer-
tain soils it continues to bloom for some time dur-
ing the summer. In this part of Middlesex this
species is generally a profuse bloomer, and is still
producing a few of its flowers, that are quite
welcome if not numerous. Many clusters of buds
will, I fear, be unable to expand.— E. J.

SeedlirgNerinee.- Judgingbythefrequenc.
of the exhibits of these beautiful bulbous plants
of late at the Drill Hall meetings, Nerines are
being more freely grown than formerly, and may
in all probability become popular. On Tuesday
last Mr. H. J. Elwes, Colesbourne, had a very
pleasirg variety of these, showing how well they
are adapted to hybridising. Xor is this all, for
the plants are so nearly hardy that anyone with a
small greenhouse may grow them.

Rosa indica sanguinea.- Despite sharp
frosts on several nights of late— as many as 9'
heirg registered— this pretty Rose flowers on
with its wonted summer freedom. Near the end
of the Palm house in the Royal Gardens at Kew
are beds devoted to this variety, as also the
typical species, the plants being jet crowded with
blcsfcm and buds in great numbers. Cramoisi
Superieur is also flowering in company with White
Fairy and Mme .J. Schwartz, beds being devoted
to each kind.— E. J.

Sax;fraga Fortune! is the latest flowered of
this extensive genus of hardy plants, though
there is r.o absolute certainty in all gardens of
the perfect hardiness of this species. In any case
it would be unwise to leave all the stock exposed
during winter, and, indeed, taken all round,
the plant is better suited to the cool greenhouse,
where it may receive protection. The floweis are
white, rather small, though very numerously pro-
duced on erect panicles above the somewhat fle.-hy
and di.-titctly toothed leaves. Well grown, it
makes a capital pot plant in the cool house till
quite late in autumn.

Nense flexucsa major —This is one of the
most freely flowered of all the Nerines, and was
exhibited at the Drill Hall on Tuesday by Sir T.
Lawrence. The group contained something like a
dczen famplesof thiskind alone, several plants hav-
ingfivespikes each of pretty pink flowers. Theplant
is only l.j inches to IS inches high, the umbels
freely flowered and compact. Several examples of
N. Meado«banki were also included in the group,
the flowers being of a rich salmon orange hue and
with larger umbels of flowers. The plants were
mostly in 4 inch and .5-inch pots, an item much
in favour of growing them in quantity.

Abutilon Golden Fleece.— It is only rarely
we see the value of the let-alone principle so fully

demonstrated as is the case with this plant in the
Royal Gardens at Kew. Throughout the whole
summer this variety has been loaded with its
flowers, and even now (October 24) there must be
iilO oroiUl fully expanded blossoms. The speci-
men is planted out beneath the stage in one of
the greenhouses and trained near the glass, where
it is allowed its own way. The result is that a
space at least 10 feet square is covered by the
plant, which has yielded so abundantly of its
flowers without any sign of abatement.

Franthem-um tuberculatum. — This is a
most distinct and pleasing plant of fub shrubby
habit now flowering at Kew in the No. 7 range.
The plant in question is rather more th'in a foot
h'gh, and assumes at that height a somewhat
horizontally branching style of growth from which
spring almost endless numbers of pure white
flowers, the latter being produced from the slender
twiggy branches of which the plant is composed.
The flowers are about 1 J inches across, very pure,
nnd partake somewhat of the white Jasmine or
Rouvardia corymbifli ra Humboldti in their form.
It is evidently a profuse flowering species and ex-
rfedingly neat in appearance. It is a native of
New Caledonia.

Pleroma (Lasiendra) macranthum. —

imong

and winter-flowering plar
having blue or violet flowers this, of which
plate appeared in The Garden, August .5, 1S93
(p. 120), is, perhaps, the most worthy pnd r
handsome. The flowers are large and of the
showiest description, brilliant indeed in the rich
ness and intensity of the violet-purple hue, that
makes it a most desirable greenhouse plant at
this time of year. Not only are the flowers large
and handsome, but in the case of two or three-
year old plants are produced in considerable pro-
ifusion for a long time. The plant succeeds bett
when planted out, and for training to a roof or
the end of a greenhouse is ore of the best that
could be named. .Just now in the large green-
house at Kew a capital specimen covers several
feet.

Begonia Hasgeana.— The true character of
this handsome Brazilian plant is abundantly
demonstrated in some large examnles of it now
flowering in the Begonia house at Kew. Why so
bold and striking a winter flower should not be
generally known and grown is diflScult to under-
stand, as it is certainly among the most attrac-
tive of the genus now in bloom. The foliage is
rather large and abundantly produced, and forms
handsome specimens, some .3 feet high and, per-
haps, the same through. Overlappircr this wealth
of handsome leafage are the immense pink and
white trusses of bloom, produced on peduncles a
foot long and making a most attractive plant at
this time. Externally near the base the flowers
are rather heavily flushed with rose and bearded
to about one half their depth. Such a fine plant
deserves to be largely grown in gardens.

Japanese Irises.— I send you a photo of a bed
of Iris K;impferi growing alongside my piece of
ater, and where the roots are always in moist
)il. I have others growing in the water at the
edge of the lake, the water being fully 12 inches
deep ; here they also do remarkably well, if not
better than on the banks, as they flowered beauti-
fully this year. The great difficulty I have to
contend with is from the water rats, which burrow
from the edge of the piece of water till they under-
mine and eat the roots of the Iris. I have now
stopped this by putting wire and slates 18 inches
down into the ground all round the beds. This
year, although I wired in all the plants growing
in the water, the rats climbed over the
and ate almost every flower-stalk just as they
were coming into flower, leaving the leaves,
which, however, they proceeded to eat after
finishing the flower stalks. I trapped and shot
the rats, but they were exceedingly numerous and
I could not stop them in time. I shall now have
to discover some other means of protecting the
Irises. They are worth protecting, as 'they are
the most beautiful of the Iris family when well
grown, and that is with moisture and sun. I have

in my beds every colour almost, some very beau-
tiful. — Georoe Dixon, Astle Hall, Chelford,

*,* The photo showed a dense group of Iris,
prettily massed beside water. — Ed.

lilium Lowi.— I send to you what I think
may safely be called the last Lily of summer. I
have frequently come across what I imagined
would be the last Rose of summer, when a
later one still has appeared to rob it of the dis-
tinction it had too prematurely obtained. There
is little fear of that, I should think, with the
Lily I send you. I never was more surprised by
anything in my garden than when returning
home a few days ago after a long run on the
Continent I found myself greeted by the smiles
and the magnificence of some Lilies from
Burmah which were still in full blossom. In
the first place I did not know that Burmese
Lilies are so grand as they certainly are, and
in the second I had little expectation that
in such a difficult year as this has been the
bulbs which I received from Burmah in the spring
would do their work so well. They were kindly
sent to me in March by Captain Grant and were
all potted and covered over with cocoa fibre ; as
soon as they had moved a little and the roots
were sufficiently strong they were carefully
planted in a bed which has been devoted to a col-
lection of Indian Rhododendrons, and were then
left to themselves. The weeks and months we
had, during part of the spring and the whole of
summer, of unbroken and absolute drought seemed
to be terribly against them, and when I left home
in early August I thought that all Lilies must be
failures this year, as up to that time they had
been. Judge of my surprise, therefore, when at
this late period of "the year I came back to find
Lilium Lowi and L. nepalense as happy as though
a midsummer sun was shining on them .still, cr cs
though they were actually at home in the high-
lands of Burmah. Good as the blossom is which
I forward to you in the last half of October, it is
not so good as several others which preceded it.
The point of importance about the Lilies of course
is if they will continue to live on in the Isle of
Wight, but that will be soon put to the test. If
they will only not follow the example of Lilium
auratum they will be of great value. If they will
he contented with the treatment which Lilium
Henryi cheerfully accepts, it will be all right.— H.
Ewr.A.NK, St. John's, Erjde, Isk of Wiyht.

Public Gardens.

The Postmen's Park.— An appeal is made
for £i;0nO, the balance of a fund required to pre-
serve and extend the St. Botolph's, Aldersgate,
Public Garden, adjoining the General Post Office
at St. Martin's-le-Grand. This is one of the few
spaces in the City of London, and is much fre-
(juented throughout the year, especially by the
post-otfice emploj.-. The Treasury, through the
efforts of the Postmaster-General, have agreed to
contribute £.'50tn; the owners themselves will
give £11100. The Earl of Meath, chairman,
Metropolitan Public Gaidens Association, S3,
Lancaster Gate, London, W., will acknowledge
contributions.

Tecoma Smithi.— Will any reader of The
Garden kindly tell me the treatment necessary to have
this plant flower the tirst season when raised from
seed? — A. N.

Names of plants. — iawfeerTiMrs*.- Probably

Berberis Thuntergi ; kindly send when in bloom.

4 J ij—\, Iris fa-tidissima ; 2, Aster ericoides; 3,
Aster Amelbs; 4, Aster Novi-Belgii; 5, Pjrelhrum

uliginosum ; G, Euonjmus europajus. J. H. Droop.

— Viburnum Opulus.

Names of fruit. — Constant Reader. — Pear

Marie Bennitt. Polqwin, Bodmin.— 1, Pear Mane

Louise d'Uccle; 2, arrived in a pulp; 3, Autumn
Bergamot ; 4, Becrre Bance ; 5, Fcndante du Com.ce ;
6 Beurre de Ghelin ; 7, Marie Benoist ; 8, rotten.

THE GARDEN.

363

No. 1303. SATURDAY, November 7, I89B. Vol. L

"This is an Art
Which does mend Nature : change It rather; but
The Abt itself is Natobk."— SAoiMpeore.

Orchard and Fruit Garden,

APRICOTS.
To THE Editor ok The Garden.

Sir,— I always read with interest anything ap-
pearing in The Ga rdek on the Apricot, as I esteem
it the best of stone fruits, and think that a well-
ripened Apricot from a south wall is superior to
anything that can be produced under glass. I
agree with your Stoke Edith correspondent that
it is begging the question to say that the Apri-
cot has left ofl" ripening in England, although
quite recently a large nurseryman of this dis-
trict said to me, " Oh I do not plant Apricots ;
they no longer ripen in the open in this
county." If our earth be trending again toward a
glacial epoch, as some philosophers tell us, it is
ridiculous to think that a generation would
show a perceptible diflference. That the Apricot
is not the common fruit it was is an observed
fact, and so an empirical excuse has been made
to do duty for an explanation.

When I was a boy, some thirty-five or forty
years ago, I remember two farmhouses in the
county of Gloucester with Apricot trees planted
against their gable ends. I cannot even name
the aspect or the soil, although the one I more
particularly remember, which was situated on
the borders of Worcestershire, was on a clay
farm, and was therefore doubtless growing in
soilof a clayey nature. This tree covered the
entire end of the house, reaching right up under
the pointed eaves, some 30 feet or more high.
It always bore fruit, but had a full crop about
every third year, and then it was a picture. It
is a golden vision I shall never forget. It was
loaded and crowded with fruit from the ground
to its topmost twig. I do not like to trust my
memory with the quantity, but I know it was
measured in bushels. It may not have been
desseit fruit, though I thought it perfect, but
it ripened thoroughly and must have been ex-
cellent for preserves. I am quite able to say
that a good deal of it was not small. Now one
thing is very certain about this tree : of what
we call culture it had nothing. On a frosty day
a farm labourer may have gone up a ladder and
have done something which he called pruning,
and it may have had an cccasional nail ; for the
rest it grew out of a trodden path. Where are
such giants to be found in these days ? As a
farmhouse and cottage fruit, as far as my ob-
servation goes, the Apricot has clean gone out
of cultivation. It may be rather profane, but
is it very wicked to suggest that, what with
coddling and fads, it is being cultivated out of
existence ? We interfere with Nature too much ;
we cannot leave things ah ne ; we have more
knowledge, but I doubt if we have more
wisdom. My suggestion is rank heresy I know,
but I offer it as at least as good an explanation
as the left-off- ripening theory.

The moral of it all is, that when I want a
couple of dozen pounds of fruit for Apricot
jam, 1 have to send to London for rubbishy
French stuff of a pale lemon colour and about
the size of Walnuts, for which I have the privi-
lege of paying Is. a pound. R. P. S.

South Hants.

Grape sports.— Grape sports seem to crop up
periodically in different places, but it would be

interesting to know to what extent they become
fixed. I see at Chiswick there is now a Muscat
eport. My impression is that after a season or
two the sports revert to the original type. A
few years ago one appeared in this neiahbour
hood, and there was no mistaking the distinct
ness of the bunch upon the particular spur where
it originally appeared, and for a few years it was
clearly distinct. The other day I saw it again,
but the distinctnefs had disappeared. In the
caee of flowers sports are easily fixed, but it does
not appear so in fruits. — A. VouKii.

Pear General Tod'leben. — In a favourable
reason the flavour of this Pear is really good, but
in a cold, wet one it is very unsatisfactory. The
tree makes a first-class cordon on the Quince ; it
then bears tieavily, and the fruit ripens during
November. Although not a first-rate Pear, one
tree at the least, if only a cordon, should be in
every collection where the soil is warm and position
good. I would not advise it being planted on
co'd, damp soils. The fruit is pyramidal, gener-
ally irregular in outline, being larger on one side
ban the other, the skin Dale yellow when ripe
nH regularly dotted with light brown spots. —
A. W.

Apple May dueen. — Some Apples under the

above name were sent me a few days ago by a

eentleman who grows fruit largely for my opinion

of them. He stated it was an old Worcestershire

ty, and one that kept remarkably well — in

fact, until the end of May — hence the name. It

such a fine flavoured, highly coloured Apple

that I think it worthy of a note, and being such a

"ong keeper irto the bargain, it; should be made

more widely known. In shape and appearance

the fruits somewhat resemble Pearn's Pippin,

ut there the similarity ends, for May Queen has

crisp eating flesh, with a rich sugarv flavour

much like Cox's Orange Pippin. Richly flavoured,

late dessert Apples are not plentiful, and this

riety should prove a valuable addition. The

fruits sent me are rather small, but this can be

accounted for through the drought, and very

likely the trees are old also, and no doubt fruit

would grow to a much larger size on younger

trees— A. W.

Apple Golden Spire. — An excellent Apple
and one that is held in high estimation by market
growers on account of its handsome appearance.
Although the fruits are by no means large when
mpared with many other well-known Apples,
they are very attractive, and it is this fact that
renders them so valuable from a market point of
lew. Golden Spire is also grown extensively in
gaidens for private consumption, and it is fre-
ntly to be met with in fine form in collections
of Apples on the exhibition table. It is a Lan-
cashire variety and is still largely propagated and
distributed in that and the adjoining county of
Chefhire, both for planting in market and private
gardens. It is a solid conical-shaped Apple, com-
ing into use about the end of August, and is su-
perior in keeping qualities to many of the early-
ccoking kinds, as it will last in good condition
itil Christmas if required. The habit of growth
rather peculiar, as the shoots made annually are
spindly looking, although healthy, and contrast
favourably with those of more robust- growing
kinds. In cropping it is all that can be desired,
for the trees bear most abundantly. — Grower.

Pear Williams' Bon Chretien. — No ear-
den is complete without a tree or more of Bon
Chretien Pear, but, to have it really at its best,
t must be grown in the open, then, if gathered
before it will part readily from the tree, the
flavour is very good ; in fact, three or moregather-
ngs may be had so as to prolong the season. To
leave this Pear on the tree until the fruits will
part readily is a great mistake, for, if so, they
become mealy and decay quickly ; whilst on the
other hand, if the gathering is done as I suggest,
the fruits ripen up fine-grained and juicy. It is
waste of spare to grow it as a wall tree, as the
fruits are much better flavoured grown in the
open, and besides, the trees crop much more

if grown as a standard this tine September Pear
will crop as freely as any of them, and for market
is much the better class of tree to adopt.
Williams' Pears have sold well this season, any-
one in this district having a supnly readilv se-
curing quite good prices. — A. Yonxo, Withy
Court.

FRUIT-GROWING UNDER DIFFICULTIES.
In the grounds adjoining the private residence of
Mr. T. Ridgwell. Oreett, Essex, an orchard has
been formed under very peculiar circumstances
and under great ditticulties. The site is a
moderately steep slope to the south-west, and
from the surface to a depth of 12 feet little else
but gravel or smooth pebbles could at one time
be found. Gravel could be quarried in any part
of it profitably. It would have been an act of
madness to attempt fruit culture on a fairly large
scale in such material as this, but not to be
beaten, Mr. Ridgwell has carted clay, loam, road
trimmings, manure that was collected at odd
times and from a variety of sources, and this
compost was freely mixed with the ordinary soil
wherever trees or bushes were planted. As far
as the surface is concerned, it seems all stones
now, but a cloeer examination discloses better
what has been done. It is about half soil to a
distance of 3 feet from the stems of fruit trees
and rather less was given to the bushes. Long
rows of standard Plums and Apples, bush trees of
the latter, thousands of Gooseberry bushes, and
Raspberries alfo in large quantities aie all in a
prosperous condition, and even Aspar.agus, Let-
tuces, and other vegetables in the spaces between
were presenting a happy appearance, though it is
only fair to add that solid manure is annually
ploughed in freely and heavy mulchings of the
same arplied.

The question is. does it pay to expend so much
in " making" land when there is so much ground
idle in Essex and elsewhere ? Mr. Ridgwell has
good reason to think it does, and he is the wrong
man to indulge in costly experiments without good
grounds for believing they will pay well in the end.
Of the crops of Gooseberries I can say nothing be-
yond remarking that their present condition fully
bears rut all I was told as to the grand crops
those five ard six-year-old bushes produced this
year. The Plums were also nearly over, bnt there
had been heavy crops of Victoria. Mnnarrh, Mit-
chelson's. Pond's Seedling, and OuUm's Golden
Gage gathered from the trees, and yet good growth
is observable on most of them. The Apple trees
have done remarkably well. Pott's Seedling.
Warner's King. The Queen. Lord Grosvenor. and
other popular cooking varieties were remarkably
fine in spite of the weight of crop= and the dryness
of the season, for the Orsett district, as I happen
to know, is a dry one. Peasgood's Nonsuch was
grand. The largest fruit measured 14^ inches
round and weighed 1 lb. .3 czs., and there were
many more fine fruit of this variety. Of the
dessert varieties Cox's Orange Pippin is the
greatest success. I never saw better crops of
this variety. Bushes on the English Paradise
stock are from 4 feet to 5 feet high and as much
through. There were scores of these carrying
four to five dozen large, highly coloured fruit

apifc

nd where they are not growing quite so

strongly the crops were still heavier. I have seen
this grand Apple under a variety of conditions in
different parts of the country, but Mr. Ridgwell's
trees eclipsed anything I had previously met with.
He ought to have followed Mr. Archibald Weir's
example at Ottery St. Mary, Devonshire, and
planted Cox's Orange Pippin to the exclusion of
all other sorts. It would have been a commercial
success. Strawberries can also be grown profitably
mixture of stones and soil. Below the
orchard I have described there is another stretch
of gravelly ground, and which, in the course of
quarter of a century, has been gradually improved
by the addition of soils and manure, or sufl3ciently
so to make it capable of producing both early and
heavy crops of vegetables, notably Peas and

freely. It is said to be rather a shy bearer, but ' Strawberries. Although what we may now term

364

THE GARDEN.

[November 7, 1896.

the rainy season had not long set in, the rows of
Sir J. Paxton, the variety ^rown as being best
adapted to the soil, were full of life and runners
plentiful. They had borne good crops and paid
well in spite of the great heat and dryness felt
about the time Strawberries were ripening. I am
thinking that of the two evils, too much clay or an
excess of stones, the former is the worse or the
slower to ameliorate. \V. Icctlden.

THE MYROBALAN AND MIRABELLE
PLUMS.

Replying to a question of ours as to the con-
fusion between the Myrobalan Plum aud the
pretty little Mirabelle Plum, so much grown in
certain parts of France, M. Charles Baltet, of
Troyes, writes as follows ;—

The Myrobalan Plum tree (Prunus Myrobalana),
a native of Eastern Asia, and sometimes termed
the Cherry Plum, ie a distinct species which is
employed in France as a stock for grafting Plums
and Apricots. The Peach will grow upon it, but
the graft is not long-lived unless when double-
grafttd on the Damson (Prunus damascena).
The Myrobalan Plum is multiplied both from seed
and cuttings and thrives in dry or calcareous
soils. Nurserymen grow two forms of it— a red-
flowered and a white-flowered kind. The latter
kind has the advantage of being le^s branching in
habit, and consequently does not give so much
trouble in the operation of heading down. The
other kind, however, is more vigorous in growth
and is the kind most generally used. The purple-
leaved Plum (Prunus Pissardi), which was intro-
duced from Persia some years since by M. Pis-
sard, is a variety or form of P. Myrobalana.

On the other hand, the Mirabelle Plnm is a
variety of the wild Plum (Prunus dome^tica), yet,
like the Reine Claude and the Quetsche, it con-
stitutes a race which reproduces it-elf pretty
regularly from seed, heeled cuttings and stool
layers. In Lorraine al?o, where the Mirabelle
Plum is very extensivfly cultivated, there are
forms of it which have been obtained bv selection
and which are propagated from cuttings put in in
autumn. These are known as the Bu.\icres and
the Ronvaux Mirabelles, and, if necesrary, may
be used as stocks for the other sub varieties of
Mirabelle. The Mirabelle Plum tree being usually
of only moderate vigour of growth must, if tall
stemmed trees are wanted quickly, be double-
grafted with a tall-stemmed variety intervening
as a "medium" (to use Mons. Carriere's expres-
sion) between it and the terminal graft. The
Myrcbilan Plum tree, being of very vigorous
growth, when headed down furnishes luxuriant
stems which in the first year of their growth may
be grafted with the .Mirabelle. The result wiil
be like some forms of the wild St. Julien Plum or
of those varieties which, growing rapidly, can be
used as the intermediate scions in double-graft-
ing, such as the Qjetsche, Reine Claude de
B»vay, Siinte Catherine, and Belle de Louvain.
Tried in forcing, the Mirabelle, being employed as
the stock, has this drawback, that its speedy de-
foliation prevents the sap from flowing for a suffi-
cient length of time in the plant. .Several sub-
varieties of the Mirabelle are in cultivation, such
as Petite Mirabelle or Mirabelle de Metz ; Grosse
Mirabelle (al-o called Drap d'Or and Mirabelle
de Nancy), and the late Mirabelle known as Mira-
beUe d'Octobre. All of these are in great demand
for use as fresh fruit, and also for making preserves
sweetmeats, pastrv, dried fruit, &c.

Cherry Late Dnke is a good kind to grow
either against a wall or as a bush tree. The best
aspsct for it on a wall is that facing east, when it
ripens about the middle of August, or a little
later in some seasons. In addition to its usaful-
ness as a dessert kind, it is also a good cooking
Cherry, and should be in every garden where this
fruit is found to succeed. The fruit is large,
bright red in colour, flesh yellowish, juicy, with a
ri<<h, refreshing flavour when thoroughly matured.

If gathered too early the fruit is apt to be rather
too acid. I saw some hundreds of bush trees of
this variety a few days ago in the most robust
health in a nursery, and an inquiry elicited an
answer that it is a kind largely in demand for
planting.— A. \V.

A remarkable house of Grapes. — At
Leadenham Hall, Grantham, there is now a
wondeiful house of (iiapes, the varieties being
Black Alicante and Lady Downe's. The crop is
the more interesting from the fact that the Vines
are very old, forty jears at least, and were lifted
fifteen years ago and the roots laid in partly fresh
compost, with a little bone meal added, being at
that time next to useless. Mr. McKelvie, the
gardener, after completing the relaying in early
spring, allowed the Vines to come on very
gradually, in fact naturally, taking care to shade
the house from strong sunshine to protect the
young weak growths for a time. They made
good wood that season, and the following one bore
a grand crop of Grapes which they have continued
to do for the past fifteen years. The laterals are
rather closer together than is usually thought
wite to have them, but from every one of them
hang heavy bunches coloured like Sloes. This
ca'e goes to prove that very old Vines may some-
times be lifted with good results.— C. H.

Pear Doyenne du Comic a. —I can iiuite
bear out what Mr. Crawford says as to the value
of Doyenne du Comice Peir for growing in the
open, that is, when the soil is suited to it. In
this garden it succeeds admirably grown in the
open, but at Abberley, with a soil of quite a dif-
ferent nature, it did not succeed nearly so well.
The fruits were of excellent flavour, but they
uifd to ba small and scarred. Where it will
succeed in the open one cannot have too many of
this grand Pear, as quite a long season may be
maintained by gathering at intervals. I do not
think there is another Pear from which a suc-
cession of fruit of good quality may be maintained
for so long a pericd. Unlike the majority of other
Pears, the fruit holds on to the trees without
dropping, so as to enable this succession to be
kept up. The fruits do not become so large as
when grown against a wall, but (luite large
enough for dessert ; in fact, except tor making
an imposing dish for dinner parties, these large
Pears are little cared for. For grafting on to
established trees of worthless varieties it is an
excellent Pear, this double grafting having the
effect of favouring precocity in bearing, no mean
consideration for this grand Pear.— A. Yorsc;,
]yitley Court.

VARIABLE QUALITY IN PEARS.
No doubt Pears are more easily affected by
weather changes than almost ary other outdoor
fruit as regards the quality. A hot summer, such
as we have had ths year, develops in Pears a
flavour that is totally unknown in sunless and wet
seasons. Of this I have proof this year in compar-
ing some s-oits with those of last autumn. It is
true there are some kinds not so easily influenced,
notably the summer Pears, such as Doyenne d'Ete,
Jargonelle and Williams' Bon Chretien. The last-
named is very uniform, no matter what the
weather may be. Thompson's last year was
praised by some and disparaged by others. I
found it certainly wanting in point of flavour
myself, while from the same tree this autumn its
quality and general appearance are all that can
be wished for, and anyone inclined to condemn it
from the experience gained in a season like that
of 1895 would certainly give another verdict this
year. Althoip Crassane is another that with me
is much better this autumn than last and has
matured earlier than usual. This is a very juicy
Pear and is much liked at the table on that
account. Thfit unusually rich little fruit Seckle
appears to be deficient in this respect. Two years
ago I was given a fruit or two of an unnamed
Bcrgamnt, and so good was its quality that I
asked for grafts to put on one of my own trees,
but on making inquiries of the donbr last
year I was told that my favourite Pear was

erratic and not to be depended on, judging
from its flavour in that year. Up to the present
I have no report of its behaviour, and my
own tree has not yet borne a crop, but there is a
good prospect ot its doing so another featon. I
had one good tree under the name Marfchal de la
Cour, and it certainly favoured that variety in
appearance, but in three succeeding years it
deceived both the eye and palate, and the fourth
saw its head removed, and another sort grafted
thereon. Probably the stock and soil accounted
for this loss of quality, the variety being, accord-
ing to my previous experience, a valuable and
good flavoured winter Pear. I shall have further
proof of the correctness of the name I hope an-
other year, as I have a tree on which I put on
grafts obtained from a good tree nursery nearly
three years since, and I hope that in it I shall
find the quality for which Marechal de la Cour is
so well known. Many of my trees are large, and
in root pruning I found large thongs descending
deeply into the subsoil. To this I attribute a loss
of flavour in a dull season. The trees proved
quite ecjual to the great drought this summer,
producing fruits above the average in size, and
what sorts have already ripened are good in
quality. Thus the evils of a deep root run have
proved an advantage at least for once.

Milts. W. S.

LATE PLUMS.
There are cases no doubt where the value of
Plums varies in proportion to the season when
they are most in demand, but late ones I find are
always appreciated. Some set the greatest value
on Gages and care for no others, while there are
those not so exacting in point of quality who
value an early and continuous supply as long as it
is possible to maintain it. For dessert, Coe's
Golden Drop cannot possibly be excelled, all
points considered. In cropping it is very uni-
form, nothing but frost at the flowering stage
appears to ba equal to preventing a crop, oftener
heavy than light, and this free fruiting keeps the
trees from assuming that luxuriant growth often
common to young trees of other and less reliable
sorts. The fruit has the additional value of re-
maining on the trees for some time after it has
become ripe, provided it can be kept dry and free
from wasps, which are usually very determined in
their attacks. I have never been very successful
in keeping the fruit for any length of time when
gathered and wrapped in tissue paper, but this
often depends on the state of the fruit and the
store room where it is kept. Coe's Late Red
is another valuable kind, ripening later than
Golden Drop. This is a smaller Plum than the
preceding, in shape almost round, and may be
used for dessert or cooking, although it does not
approach the Golden Drop for richness of flavour.
With me this rarely fails to crop, and this, together
wit h its good keeping qualities, makes it w crtby of
a placeineverycoUection. Atitsseasonof use wasps
have, as a rule, discontinued their destructive raids,
and birds find other food to keep them employed,
hence nets and destroyers are dispensed with.
For cooking, the Blue Imperatrice is a particu-
larly useful Plum, its small siza being in its
favour, and stewed it is very rich. My trees of
this become literally ropes of purple fruit, and
many dishes are furnished from comparatively
small trees. The fruit, as in the others mentioner',
hangs well on the trees after it is ripe.

In late Gages there are Bryanston's, Brahy's,
and Reine Claude de Bavay, all of good size and
rich in flavour, though this is scarcely so pro-
nounced as in the sumtner sorts, and particularly
the old Green Gage. They have not, however, to
compete with these because there is a good in-
terval between their ripening. As a presotvitig
or cooking Plum Belle de Septembre holds a fore-
most place, this ripening in October when such
fruits are invaluable in the kitchen. One that
must become a general favourite is Monarch,
a variety of comparatively recent introduction.
It is a largo purple sort, and, judging from the
character, of the one tree I planted two years
since, is free bearing, combined with a healthy

November 7, 1896 "

THE GARDEN.

365

and vigorous'conetitution. This is of no value as
dessert fruit. Except in larg;e walledin gar-
any

dens, it is not possible to plant a number of
one sort, and very often small gardens are totally
unprovided for in the case of late Plums. With a
restricted wall space it is often difficult to get a
representative collection of choice fruits extending
over a long season, and very often the summer-
ripening sorts have a monopoly where there is
sufficient extent to carry it out. It must be said,
however, that such a state of things cannot always
be easily remedied by tho.-e in charge, for it would
not generally be permitted for a fully furnished
specimen to be ousted to give place to a younger
one of another kind, even where the selection was
bad and the succession equally so. Late fruit
may be grown on an east or west aspect, but
naturally the latest supply would come from a
north wall, and it is best to have some on each of
the three aspects to ensure a regular succession.
The fact of their ripening so late in the season
would naturally unfit them for any other than wall
cultivation, and it is doubtful, if there was a free
dom from frost, whether the exposure to rain
would not have an equally unsatisfactory resi '
for Plums are given to splitting very badly
wet weather, and once this sets in they must be
put to some immediate use, or decay will make
wholesale clearance. Now that the season for
planting has commenced, the value of late Plums
might be borne in mind.
Wills.

to Mr. Laxton lately that a most promising | we have, ready to our hands, in the best of the

STRAWBERRIES.

In reading the correspondence which has passed
during the last few weeks on the subject of
Strawberries I have been much struck by a
feature which is only too apparent throughout
our English discussions, judgments, and shows
of fruit and vegetables. I mean the most un-
fortunate and astonishing way in which flavour
i-i banished to the second or third place in
estimation. Let it be understood that 1 do not
include all our authorities or writers, even upon
this present subject of Strawberries, in this
fault. But I believe it to be broadly true that
as a people, and a people pre-eminently
given to horticulture, we are immeasurably be-
hind the French, say, or the Italians, in a due
appreciation of small, soberly coloured, but de-
licious fruits and vegetablts. As an instance,
ready to hand, of my meaning, a Milanese
gentleman, whose acquaintance I made in Itnly
a few years back, in asking my help to obtain
a few fruit trees, &c., from English nurseries,
declined my oii'tr to forward him plants of our
best Strawberries, on the ground that he and
his friends cared fur none of them while they
could have the small wild Strawberries and the
cultivated small berries of the Quatre Saisons
class, the flavour of these latter being so vastly
superior. The English fruit which had es-
pecially recommended itself to him, and which
he desired me to send him, was the best, i.e.,
the most richly flavoured, type of Damson, but
for the larger English Pluuis he did not care.
Ajiyone conversant with French or Italian
market-places will know that this is but one ex-
ample of the wiser piint of view from which
fruit and vegetables are regarded abroad. To
keep to the subject of Strawberries, what
English hotel-keeper would venture to set before
his guests the delicious, highly perfumed little
Strawberries, wild or of the wild type, which
are brought to market in such perpetual abund-
ance and eaten so appreciatively on the Conti-
nent ? The word " perpetual" reminds me that
in England we resort to the clumsy devices of
planting out forced plants, disflowering in
spring, ifcc, to obtain a few autumnal dishes,
while, by providing in every garden a moderate
bed of one of the Quatre Saisons kinds, all such
trouble might be dispfensed with. I stfggeisted ' tWo former,

new departure in his industry of Strawberry
raising would be the crossing of the best of our
English varieties with the Quatre Saisons, to
give us a race with fruits larger than the latter,
but retaining its perfume and perpetual cha-
racter. This should be an excellerit new line,
but unluckUy the foremost demand is for size
and colour. It is true that in France we may
see enormous coarse Strawberries of the H6'ene
Gloede class, but I am told they are raised
chiefly for English customers and are never
P'lpular in France. The humblest French or
Italian housewife will reject such a spongy, in-
sipid fruit as Noble, which has flooded our
gardens and markets. It is quite a relief to
read in the latest catalogue of an influential
nurseryman that he has thrown away the big
new Strawberry Competitor, introduced in 1800
with a great flourish of trumpets, "because he
considers it the worst flavoured Strawberry
has ever tasted." Would that all nurserymen
were as candid and sensible

To turn to the notes by "A. W." (p. 253)
which gave rise to the present correspondence,
it is true that he mentions flavour here and
there in his notes as a consideration to be kept
in view. But his general tenour is to put size
and colour first. Thus in his summary

By this it will be seen how many have been
tried and found wanting, as they did not come
up to the requirements of size combined with gocd
colour and flavour —

we find flavour put into the third place. He
has rejected President, a fruit of excellent
flavour, simply owing to its colour being poor.
A French epicure would not care whether it was
red, white or green if only it were well tasted.
La Groase Sucr^e and Stirling Castle Pine are
discarded because want of size told against
them, although their flavour is good. That
poorly-flavoured sort Sir Joseph Paxton re-
mains as "A. W.'s" stand-by. It is intelligible
that market gardeners should retain it until a
fruit appears of better quality and no worse ii
appearance, freedom of cropping, hardiness,
and firmness for carriage. But it ought not to
be the main-crop Strawberry in any private
garden. Of course, the responsibility lies not
with " A. W.," but with his employers, and he
can do nothing if they demand a ruddy fruit
with the flavour of a Turnip in preference to
one pale, but deliciously flavoured.

There is this standing difficulty about Straw-
berry culture, that British Queen, the finest
flavoured of all, cannot be persuaded to grow
except in certain soils — iron in a large propor-
tion being the constituent it seems to demand —
and other kinds appear to fail or succeed accord-
ingly as they have much or little of Queen blood
in them. The great requisite is to produce
sefdlings which shall eliminate British Queen's
fastidiousness as to soil, but shall retain its
full flavour. Such a plant has not yet been
raised, and the incitement to raise it would be
greater if the public taste were better. Were
I asked at the present moment to name the
best all-round Strawberry, I should ask my-
self which is the variety that will grow and
fruit freely in almost any English garden
and is well flavoured ? I can p:^rhapa think
of no one Strawberry that answers to this
requirement so well as President, a fruit as
excellent for preserving as for the table. Had
I been on the fruit committee at Chiswick last
summer I should certainly have opposed the
award of a first-class certificate to such kinds as
Countess and Latest of All, while President re-
ceived only three marks, the last-named being
of far greater general value and merit than the
But', as I harfe already strg'gest'ed,

Quatre Saisons kinds and the best of our larger
English varieties, elements whch united might
enrich our gardens with Strawberries, yielding
delicious fruit from June to November, if only
we had the sense not to fall down and worship
the quite secondary attributes of size and appear-
ance.— G. H. Ekgleheart.

At page 305 Mr. Tal'sck directs attention

to a Strawberry grown largely round Bury St.
Edmunds in which there is more money than
any other, and yet it is wholly ignored in
every nurserj man's list 1 have scanned. This
omission can hardly be owing to its age, for
Mrs. Woodruff, the variety referred to, is
comparatively young compared with Keens'
Seedling. I have tried several times to trace
history and have failed, my impression
being that Mrs. Woodruff is an assumed name.
Possibly the late James L'ist, of R lugham, could
have told us the history of this capital Strawberry.
Unfortunately, his relative, who grows the largest
stock of it in England, as he finds it the most
profitable on his heavy soil, seems to know little
of its history. Perhaps some old gardener
in Rougham or Bury St Edmunds will favour
the readers of The Garden with all that is known
of the origin of this very fruitful, showy, and
profitable Strawberry.

My second proof, real or apparent, of the effect
of environment on Strawberries will be found in
the following sentences gleaned from page 304,
where " S. H. M." writes : " Take Keens' Seed-
ling—one of the kinds retained by 'A. W.'— how
many have of late years discarded it on account
of its faihng to fruit freely?" For the last half
century I have known and grown Keens' Seedling
Strawberry out of doors and under glass, and, take
it for all in all, I have met few to equal, none to
excel it in constant and persistent fruitfulness, and
I consider it the best selected by "A. W.," that
is, before either Paxtnn or Oxonian. Doubtless
the flesh of Paxton is firmer and it travels better,
but for a good Strawberry for family picking and
eating at heme, and for good supplies for family
, Keens' Seedling takes a lot of beating. This is
the first complaint I have ever heard against Keens'
Seedling not fruiting, and I should place it quite
on a level with Paxton for fertility, and above it
for quality. Either " S. H. M." has made a slip
of the pen or there must be something amiss for
Keens' Seedling to be discarded for non-cropping.
D. T. F.

Pear Triomphe de Vienne.— Iii arswer to the
cnrrespondent who is inquiiiug as to this Pear, 1 may
say it is a very exeelle t one, coming irit i use in Sep-
teruber. This season it would be earlier, being ready
tor Ui-e the early part of the uionth. I have kn. wn the
variety tor the pa^t seventeen je ra. The tree I then
knew hail been planted a few years, and wa- received
fiom FrancB. It is now beLOmiug more popular,
being offered by our best fruit tree nurserymen.— A.

YOUXG.

Peach Desse Tardive.— We seldom hear of
this fine flavoured late Peach. Is it because, like
Barrington and a few others, it has that very
objectionable habit in some gardens of casting its
fruit wholesale during stoning ? I must confess to
having rooted it out after giving it a very patient
trial, hoping that, as a friend told me, it would
with age improve in this repect. Ac Blickling
Hall it does capitally, Mr. Oclee thinking a good
deal cif it, and certainly, in my opinion, it is
second to ni ne in quality amongst the whole
category of late Peaches. lb grows to a large size,
is of a brorzy-yellow cok ur with a tint if red on
he exposed side, and will keep longer alter it ia
fully ripe than any Peach I am acquainted with.

f.C.

Cherry Black Tartarian. — Cherries received

promin:

snt notice from several growers on

page 296, but, among the many sorts men-
tioned, 1 do not find the one which forms the
subject of this note. For late gathering it is a
splendid kind, the fruit being of a deep black ard
the quality splendid. From a north wall I have
?een it gathered in August, and in a collection of

366

THE GARDEN.

[November 7, \i

fruit at that date it is undoubtedly a very telling
dish. This variety is also known as Black Cir-
cassian in sjme nurseries and gardens, and a year
or two since appeared to be rather scarce in the
trade ; at least, from the source from which I ob-
tained trees then I had a difficulty in getting
it. Although there are such a number of good
Cherries, no collection of any pietonsions would
ba complete without this one, and those contem-
plating the planting of Cherries this autumn
would do well to bear this one in mind. In order
to get the fruit to hing until the first or second
week in August a north aspect must be chosen for
planting, and where wasps are numerous there is
a ditfu-ultyin keeping the fruit. — \V. S., Wiltn.

Treatment cf Blackberry plants.— Few
need be tjld that our common hedge Bramble,
given liberal food, occasion.al pruning, and re-
moval of weakly growth, is so altered in character
that it will pass as a superior variety. I claim a
front plice for it, and assert that given good cul-
ture it is superior in our soil to some of the
American introductions. At this season when the
growths are very much crowded, the removal of
old fruiting wood and giving a few of the best or
most promising shoots support in the shape of
ties to a fence or stakes— in fact, treating much
the same as Raspberries— will lay the foundation
of a good crop next season. Xow is a good time
to give food, such as liquid manure. With strong
canes even supports may not be necessary, as
several shoots tied together are self-supporting.
In gardens, however, the growths have a neater
appearancs treated as above.— G. \\\

Rose Garden.

NOTES ON LATE AUTUMN AND
WINTER ROSES.
NoTwiTH.sTAXPiXG the heavy storms of wind,
hail, and rain, I still have a few Roses in the
open. This morning (October 2(i) I cut some
fairly good blooms of Mme. Hoste, W. Alien
Richardson, General Jacqueminot, and Marchio-
ness of L^rne among others. But the two beat
late autumn varieties with me are Caroline
Testout and G. Nabonuand. What a grand
flower to last the former is '. In front of me are
four blooms of this that were cut ten days ago,
and still they have a charmingly fresh pink
shade. Until this autumn I was not struck
with the new rugosa calocarpa, but for its
autumn foliage it is grand. The growth is
plentiful and vigorous, can be cut without
stint, and the leaves take on a deep bronzy crim-
son shade, gradually turning to clear yellow,
orange and crimson. Unlike other Roses, the
leaves last upon a cut shoot a long time.
This morning, too, I cut a flower from an old
plant of La France that was the exact counter-
part of a fairly good Augustine Guinoisseau.
This plant was in my possession, and in the
same position, many years previous to the in-
troduction of its beautiful light-coloured sport.
La France, Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, Comtesse
d'Oxford, Catherine Mermet, and other Roses
much given to sporting frequently throw a
flower or two which it would be impossible to
tell from some blossoms of a recognised sport.
Souvenir d'un Ami has produced a white sport
very like The Queen and Souvenir de S. A.
Prince, but with a slight shade of pale lemon-
yellow. I have a sport from Catherine Mermet
which, in the opinion of some exhibitors,
resembles Muriel Grahame. The same plant
still proriuc-s the light sport, and I had propa-
gated several, three years before Messrs. Dick-
son's spyrt from the same variety was known
in the trade.

If our supply of Roses is to be kept up
we mu.st attend to their winter culture at
once. My forwardest batch under glass is now

in a temperature of 05° to 70°, and many of
the flower-buds are as large as Hazel nuts.
The young growths upon the succeeding batch
average about 3 inches ; thn following batch
has just been pruned, mulched, and stood in a
house. The maiu points are to start them
steadily, war against the first lew insects, avoid
sudden fluctuations in temperature, and see
that water is supplied with judgment. In the
summer months a little extra water does not so
much matter, but a sodden soil now is injurious.
A great deal of the success with winter Roses
depends upon selection. It is folly to grow
the very double and globular-formed flowers at
this season. A large percentage of these are
certain to disappoint by damping and otherwise
refusing to expand with any satisfaction. Sa-
frano, Mme. Lambird, Niphetos, G. Nabonnand,
and many others with comparatively few petals
can be chosen, and which will retain their shape
much longer at this season than during the
summer mouths. General Jacqueminot does
not fly open in the same way now as during
summer, nor do Safrano, Isabella Sprunt and
other thin varieties. Winter Roses should open
very freely, and with the large selection of
colours now available there is no excuse for
cultivating unsatisfactory varieties. The fore-
going remarks apply to pot Roses chiefly, but
even with such as Marfechal Niel upon the roofs
and walls of houses I would prefer not to start
these until the year is well turned. Unfor-
tunately, the various other occupants of the
greenhouse or conservatory demand an amount
of heat that precludes our keeping the Roses
so dormant. Perhaps Mar^chal Niel is about
the most double Rose that will expand in a
satisfactory manner during the dull and dark
days of winter, but the flowers are always
better when the plants can be started into active
growth at the end of January. There are a
good many conservatories and greenhouses
attached to dwellings that contain this beau-
tiful yellow climber in .some form, and unless
the plant be rooting in the border well under
cover, we need give a little protection to out-
side soil. In most cases the roots are able to
penetrate beneath the foundation and rapidly
cover a considerable amount of outside soil.
It is quite as necessary to protect these from
excessive cold as in the case of Vines. A heavy
mulching of light stable manure is a good cover,
and should be afiorded wherever other .subjects
upon the outside border do not prevent its use.
Climbing Perle des Jardins is a capital Rose
for early forcing upon walls and roofs. This,
with an extra strong plant or two of Crimson
Rambler, makes a good contrast, and is almost
certain to bloom in a free and pleasing manner.
Strong plants from pots may be planted out to
make a good show this present winter. Papa
Gontier, G. Nabonnand, Isabella Sprunt, Sa-
frano. Mme. Falcot, Marquis of Salisbury, Perle
des Jardins, Niphetos, Mme. Hoste, Beaute
Inconstante and Amazone are certain to open
well, and are much better for winter blooming
than Ernest Metz, La Boule d'Or and other
double varieties, beautiful as these undoubtedly
are under glass early in spring and summer.
R.

Roses for forcing —Can you inform me
which of the Hybrid Perpetual Roses bloom the
best under glass ';--D. B. N.

*»* The following, placed in order of merit, are
the best : La France, Mrs. John Laing, (Jeneral
Jacqueminot, Capt. Hayward, Ulrich Brunner,
Capt. Christy, Fisher Holmes, Caroline Testout,
Mme. Victor Verdier, Merveille de Lyon, Alfred
Colomb, and Chas. Lefebvre.— E.

Rose Dr. GriU.— Although this is now an old
Rose, there are very few varieties to equal it

for continuous beauty and free flowering The
colour of the blossoms is coppery yellow, suffused
at times with a rosy tint. It is very vigorous,
almost as much so as Marie Van Houtte, and
produces from the base of the plant towards
autumn some wondrous shoots crowned with
grand trusses of blossoms.

Rose Camoens. — We have in this variety one
of the very best Rofes for massing. It is a grand
free-flowering Rose. .\t the present time the
plants are covered with the rich, lovely and clear
pink blossoms. Should the weather continue
tine there will be a gorgeous display of flowers
upon this variety for some time longer. 1 ,
partakes largely of the robust chars cter of l! c
Hybrid Perpetuals. As a standard it is al.^^ ) seen
to great advantage, for at times owing to the
compact nature of its growth the heads of the
standards appear all aglow with the beautiful
pink bloseoms and buds.

Rose GloJre de Dijon as a shrub. — Re-
cently I saw two splendid bufhes of this grand
old Rose, each buth occupying the centre of a
circular bed ; in fact, so large were they that the
beds were entirely covered. The pruning of these
two plants had evidently been entrusted to a care-
ful observer of the growth of Roses, and he had
made good use of his opportunity in retaining
almost entirely all the growths these plants
produced, and the result was a pair of bushes too
rarely feen in these days of excessive pruning.
If more such shrubs were grown, instead of the
ofttimes weakly, miserable-looking standards
which border the carriaye drive or lawn, they
would certainly be much appreciated. — P.

Rose W. F. Bennett.— We have but few
good red Tea Roses, the one bearing this namo
being one of them. It is a kind I think highly of
as to colour, but as a grower with me it is poor in
the extreme. Some years ago I obtained a strong
plant of it and grew it in a pot for several years,
trying in every conceivable way to induce it to
make a good growth. It would make a few inches
of growth and bloom. After several years I re-
solved to plant it out at the foot of a south wall,
and although it ha? been here two years it is not
much larger than when planted out. During this
summer it has borne a good number of blooms,
and to-day (October 20) I cut two lovely buds.
This plant is worked on the Manetti, and this
maj' account for its slow growth. Have other
growers found it as slow in growth, and can any-
one say how it does on the seedling Brier ?—
Dorset.

Semi-climbing Roses. — It always grieves me
to see bare walls in sunny, sheltered positions,
especially low walls in front of greenhouses, tfe
more so when I call to mind the many lovely
plants that could be grown thereon, ai.d
which would afford their owners so much more
additional pleasure. Plants I would especially
recommend are Tea, Hybrid Tea and similar
Roses of a semi-climbing habit. I recently noted
the wondrous beauty of some Roses growing upon
the low walls in front of a range of span roofed
houses. That grand Tea Rose Marie d'Oi leans
had attained a height of 4 feet, and it was all
aglow with its tine, rich rose coloured blossoms.
which appeared to develop into perfect speci-
mens, doubtless owing to the genial warmth
and protection the walls afforded. Great care must
be taken to remove the old soil and commence with
some good rich compost. The old soil should
be removed to a depth of 2J feet at least. Half
a foot of old crocks or broken bricks mutt then be
put into the hole to secure ample drainage, and
upon this drainage 2 feet of rough fibrous loam,
with a sprinkling of crushed bones and some well
decayed cow manure added. The plants should
be on the seedling Brier, and if carefully planted
in this compost they will soon become tine
bushes. A good soaking of water given at inter-
vals during the summer months, followed by a
mulching of short manure would be very bene-
ficial. Apart from this watering they will re-
quire no other care, save very meagre pruning in
spring, and thinning out of the shoots during the
summer. — P.

November 7, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

367

Trees and Shrubs. during sharp weather, and thia will probably be residencs of the Dowager Lady St. Oswald. There

the case this winter if we get sharp frost, as I are three noble specimens on the lawn in front of

notice it is growing freely since the rain. Should the mansion, and from laU yards to '20i> yards

HYDR.INGE.A. HORTENSIA IN THE ISLE Mr- Thomas decide on it, let him take care to apart, so far as I can remember. The.s3 plants

_ -iTTrp riTi procure a good variety, as there are worthies" va- are isolated, with their under-branches running

Ur VVHjtli. rieties frequently sold for the correct one, viz., along the well-kept sward, each covering a f pace

The photograpli of Hydrangea Hortensia was purpurea. If this is planted it will be sure to over 30 yards in diameter. The largest specimen

taken last September by Miss Blanche Thorny- please. The common one flowers very sparsely , has a spread of branches over 100 yards in cir-

crofo from a shrub in her fathers garden at and the plumes are of a light colour.— T. Arnold, cumference, and is over 7.") feet in height. What

Steyne, Bembridge, Isle of Wight. The ahruh- OirjucesOrHome.^ ^ ^ ^ can be_ more telling than such plants as these.

I than ten years old, is planted on level

ground, and is quite G feet high. Notwithstand
ing the extreme drought of the last summer in ^^^^^^^
the Isle of Wight, it appeared to sutler but T.^hispida,
little, and bore a large number of fine blooms. -'
many of which had been cut before the photo-
graph was taken. It is protected by the house
from the south- west winds, and

Pines affords partial protection on the east,
but to the north it is rather exposed.

Tamarisks. — I think I am right in saying that with a background of various flowering trees :
there are only three distinct hardy species of shrubs and evergreen and deciduous forest trees ?
Tamarix — T. gaUica (the common kind), T. ger- All these plants have a decided outgrowth around
manica (also called Myricaria germaniea), and thtir stems about '2 feet from the ground. This
~ " " ■ ich is not in the trade, I believe, led me to conclude that they had been grafted.
There is, I know, a multitude of so-called species, and if so, it may in a measure account for the
but botanists class them chiefly as forms of T. gal- exceptional growth of the trees. There are many
lica, and rightly so, I think. All the gallica forms other plants, both rare and large, in the
clump of ; are beautiful, and I never loee an opportunity of pleasure-grounds and herbaceous borders at

Appleby Hall well worthy of note,
but my object at present is to
draw the attention of your readers
to the Copper Beeches in order
that I may lejin if there are any
larger ones in Britain. — R. C. H.

Magnolia fascata.— Although
possibly the most insignificant of
all the Magnolias so far as the size
and colour of the flower are con-
cerned, in the matter of perfume
M. fuscata will take precedence of
all. Early in the present season I
was able to forward blooms of the
largest kind lo be found in the
family (macrophylla) — an ex-
panded bloom of which will mea-
sure nearly 1- inches in diameter
—to one of the meetings of the
R.H.S , and was anxious to send
fuscata at the same time by way
of contrast, but could not get it
out. Is there a greater contrast
in plant life so far as one species
is concerned, taking the blooms in
the partially expanded bud stage,
the one as large as a fair-sized
lamp glass, the other going easily
into the bowl of an ordinary to-
bacco pipe ? I should like to direct
attention to fuscata at this time,
becauee anyone recjuiring a plant
for the back walls of conserva-
tories will find it admirable for
the purpose, the scent beini;' at
once unique, sweet and powerful.
An idea prevails that it is of very
slow growth, but this is not the
case when planted out in a well-
drained border in nice, sweet
loam, and well cared for in the
matter of water. An annual growth
of 9 inches under such conditions
may be taken as an average. The
scent is also retained a long time
flower is removed and placed

Hydrangea Hortensia in the hie of Wiglit. Fruin a piwtojruph sent hij Mrs. Thornycroft, Eyot Villa, Chiswich Mall.

plantins them. They vary a good deal in glau- , when the _

cousness and also in habit of growth, but to me water if taken from the plant when the petals are
they are all Tamarisks and have the same eflfect. firm. The flowers want taking when there la just
Myricaria is distinct both in colour and growth ' the slightest sign of bud-expansion : an opening
Tlires bast flowaring shrubs.— I consider and thoroughly hardy. I saw this week a very of the petals is immediately followed by the
Spiral aritefolia, Viburnum plicatum and Rosa beautiful species {T. chinensis) in a Yorkshire I dropping of the same. If planted out in the
rugo3a to be the bast deciduous flowering shrubs garden, but I believe it is not hardy. — W. Gold- i border this Magnolia should, as noted above, have
hardy in this district. Paul's double Crimson msc. \ a well-drained position ; it will stand dryness

Thorn and Pyrua Malus floribunda I should claas The Copper Beech.— As .an ornamental tree at the root much better than_ anything m the
as trees, otherwise would have recommended them, for lawn, wood and shrubbery, no ii'ant equals , way of stagnant moisture.

— Sir a. Palmer, WanHp Hall, Leicester. the Copper Beech in giving colour and eftect,

• In addition to the three shrub3 referred to especially when it attains large dimensions. At

(p. '278), I would mention two varieties of the Grimston Park, Tadcaster, there are some very
dDuble Cherry, viz , Carasus Watereri and C. do- tall trees growing along the margins of the wood
mestica fl.-pl. These are parfecily hardy and forming the boundary of the pleasure-grounds,
never fail to flower freely. The three you mention but the growth of Sycamore and other trees, by
are lovely. Perhaps the least reliable of them is I which they are backed up and partly smothered,
Prunus triloba, which is not quits so satisfactory has either killed or prevented the formation and
here as either of the others, although most beau- extension of their lower branches. In spite of
tiful. P. Malus floribunda is the finest flowering thi^ defect as specimens, however, the dark pur-
shrub in cultivation. I have several here of goodly pie foliage contrasts beautifully with its soft green
siz 3, and they never fail to bloom freely. With surroundings. The finest specimen of the Copper
regard to Rhus Cotinus, it is not always safe. Beech I have seen, and perhaps the largest in the
Here it frequently gets its young growths nipped country, is at Appleby Hall, Lincolnshire, the

If there is a tendency
to strong growth towards the top of the plant
and a suspicion of getting bare at bottom, any
heading back or pruning that may be deemed
necessary should be seen to directly after the
Sowers are over. The only enemy I have known
it to be troubled with is scale, and this, it allowed
to get the upper hand, is somewhat hard to
eradicate on a plant that has thin, fine wood and
whose leaves are rather thickly set together. It
is advisable to give a thorough annual cleansing
about the time when the wood is ripe and before
the tiny flower- buds are formed.— E. Bukrell,
Claremnnl.
Berried bushes.— There arc no berried bushes

368

THE GARDEN.

[NOVEMBEE 7, 1896.

that excel just now in wondrous beauty, pro-
duced by fine massas of fruit, the well known
t'rat;\?gu3 Vyracantha L;vlandi. I had thought
some grand growths projecting above a front wall
at Surbiton to have been remarkable in this re-
spsct, but I came across a wonderful pyramid
bush at the same place recently that excelled all
previously seen. This is growing in a small
garden in front of a cottage in one of the Surbiton
bye-roads. The bush, about 7 feet in height,
forms a perfect cone or pyramid, and is literally a
mass of bright scarlet fruit from top to bottom.
-A. D.

Flower Garden.

GLADIOLUS.

I THINK it must have occurred to any lover of
flowers who saw the collection of magnificent
blooms exhibited by Jlessrs. Burrell and Co., of
Cambridge, at tUe Drill Hall, Westminster,
to ask how it is that this splendid autumnal
flower is not more extensively grown and also
brought to the exhibition table. It is of course
difticult to institute comparisons, but were I
asked, " Which do you prefer, the Dahlia or the
Gladiolus ? " I should unhesitatingly say the
latter. Both, of course, involve a great deal
of trouble, and no florist flower can be properly
grown unless considerable pains be taken with
it ; yet there is no flower which has so peculiar
a history as the Gladiolus Nurserymen fight
.shy of it, and if anyone wants to obtain a col-
lection, there are only two or three sources from
which they can be supplied. The French va-
rieties come to us from Fontainebleau ; you may
order them through other French merchants,
but even first-rate houses do not grow them
themselves, but obtain them from the Fontaine-
bleau grounds ; and also in England we have but
two extensive growers ; both have raised
seedlings and go largely into their culture.
Both say that, notwithstanding we see but few
amateurs coming forward, financially the cul-
ture pays tliem. What then is the reason that
they are not more extensively exhibited i I
have watched with considerable interest the
rise and decline of many an exhibitor. I have
seen people very enthusiastic in growing and
exhibiting them, but aft^r a few years their place
knows them no more. In or about London
it is only at the Aquarium that prizes are
offered, and then it is for a collection, so that a
small grower has but little chance ; in fact,
there are never more than two or three exhibi-
tors, and it is, therefore, no wonder that so
little encouragement is given to the flower.
Most peoTile are out of London at the time that
the Gladioli are in full bloom, and at the Drill
Hall there are hardly at any time more than a
dozen of the general public in the room . The sea-
son has been with the Gladiolus, as with many
other flowers, a v^ry early one. Mr. Fowler
writes to me that hi.s were all over by August
12, and generally speaking at that period he
has abundance of flowers for the Taunton
show. I had hardly anything left in flower by
September 1. although there have been seasons
where I found a great difficulty in cutting a
dozen spikes in the first week in September
owing to the flowers not being sufficiently
develop? d.

Those who have grown the flower know well
enough tSat the plants may be divided into
three or four sections corresponding to their
period of blooming, and, no matter what the
character of the season may be, they keep to
this characteristic ; thus such flowers as Shake-
speare, Amalthue, and Gertrude (Burrell) will
always be amongst the early bloomers, and

Amitie and Matador amongst the late ones,
and no method of cultivation will make them
alter their position. It would not do to en-
croach upon the brief, but excellent paper by
Mr. Burrell, read at the Drill Hall, but one
point may be distinctly noticed, that while it is
impossible to keep for more than four or five
years the blooming bulbs, there is no degenera-
tion in stock ; the small bulbs which surround
the old one may be counted upon in two, or at
the most three, years to give us as good blnoms
as the older ones. It is in this way that the
large stocks of the growers 1 mention are main-
tained, and although the purchasers of the.se
bulbs are not contented unless they obtain
large-sized ones, those who possess smaller-
sized bulbs will probably grow as tine flowers.
For instance, I have this year had some
beautiful spikes from spelling bulbs which
were not larger than a medium-sized Wal-
nut, so that those who care to grow from
seed, which should only be saved from the best
varieties, will be able to have blooming bulbs in
three years' time. Of course, it will be desir-
able to hybridise in order to obtain the best
results, and there is no flower in which this
process can be more easily carried out. It is a
very favourite flower of the humble bee, though
I have never noticed the honey bee entering its
wide portals, but the humble bees, especially the
larger kind, seem to delight in rolling them-
selves in them. It would be therefore necessary
to commence operations before they are at work.
I think, however, that in this, as in the Rose
and in other flowers, we have obtained as good
results by natural hybridisation as by artificial.
I have only been able to note a few of the novel-
ties which have appeared this year for the first
time. I give in the first instance the names of
those French varieties of last autumn which I
have flowered in my own garden : —

Anit.v. — A good flower of a purplish pink col-
our, a handsome large spike, with full perfect
flowers.

Bacciuntk. — A long spike with very large
flower ; the colour is a bright salmon-rose, shaded
with scarlet, reminding one of that fine old, but
now somewhat scarce flower Adolphe Brogniart.

Edison. — A splendid spike of very large sal-
mony scarlet flowers, very largely spotted with
white on the three lower petals, a flower of great
merit.

OsM.VNLi.— This is, I think, the finest flower
that has as yet been sent out by the Fontainebleau
firm. The contrast is very striking between the
bright orange-scarlet and the large white spots ;
it is also apparently a very vigorous flower, and I
have no doubt that in stronger soil than mine it
will be still finer and more beautiful.

P.iRiKK. — Very large flowers bearing a resem-
blance to Enchantresse, but white in the centre
and of a pale satiny rose colour, the edge striped

ith carunne.

Thais —A splendid spike of very large flowers
of a pale rose colour, edged with brighter rose
having ivory white spots, very effective.

Amongst the splendid batch of flowers ex-
hibited by Messrs. Burrell it Co., of Cambridge,
there were four put up for certificates and three
were awarded, while I think that the fourth
was equally worthy of the distinction.

Aroi.LO.— A flower of large size and of the finest
form, which is a matter not always looked at,
colour of a deep pink with crimson markings at
the throat.

Paintkd Lady.— a very striking and distinct
flower of a creamy white colour splashed with
pink and crimson stripes ; both flower and spikes
are large. This is a very great novelty.

Alkia —Flower a clear French white with
pencillirigs of lake at the base ; the spike is very
long and the whole flower remarkably fine.

Victor. — Although this did not receive an
award of merit, it was, I think, as fine as any of
the others, and is likely to be an acquisition : the
colour is a deep salmon, shading off to scarlet.
There was also another very fine flower in the
collection.

Carmen. — A soft pink and primrose colour, of
large size and good substance.

If anybody has the means of comparing such
flowers as these with those which held the
foremost place a dozen years ago, they will be
able to judge how great has been the advance
made by the hybridist especially in the matter
of size, which has not in this instance, as it has
in many other flowers, been gained at the
expense of refinement, for there is no trace of
coarseness in these grand flowers.

Delta.

HARDY FLOWERS.
In his lecture on " Hardy Flowers," read
before the R.H.S. on October !■_', Mr. Burrell
gave some practical information, touching briefly
upon culture and dwelling at greater length upon
the usefulness and beauty of herbaceous plants
for garden decoration. To plant small geometrical
beds with large plants and of a mixed character
was out of place. The grower would find plenty
of material suitable for the purpose, but care was
needed in the selection. He advised hardy flowers
being planted on turf, and here he advised wise
discrimination of variety and noted how well be^s
looked with a distinct variety allotted to each. In
very large beds such plants as Phloxes looked
well. He noted the great improvement in this
class of plant. The advance made in this and
most of the other hardy flowers was in a great
measure due to plant lovers who advised more
attention and care to herbaceous plants. Few
plants were more satisfactory, as they were
readily increased. Of course, in such seasons as
1S93 and this year the Phlox sufl'ered from heat
and drought, and the value of young plants was
great. The strides made with Campanulas were
remarkable. What was more useful than the
Tufted Pansy, owing to its free-flowering character
and great variety of colour. He advised cutting
back old plants, striking cuttings in late summer.
With care the plants could be had in bloom for five
months. The Pyrethrum was a splendid hardy
plant. A bed of these on grass was very fine
mixed with Pentstemons in variety. He advised
growing masses of Campanulas, Pyrethrums, Car-
nations and such like plants. To layer early and
plant early was his advice with Carnations. For
borders he used Moss litter or peat from stables
or spent Mushroom manure as a mulch in his dry
sandy soil. Delphiniums he had not been so suc-
cessful with. He found road-scrapings of great
benefit for bulbs and advised lifting every three or
four years. The perennial Lobelias he advised
wintering in boxes, as they sufl'ered in very severe
winters. Rabbits were very fond of these plants
and Carnations, and soon spoiled a bed if they
found them out. He noted other plants, such as
Veronicas and Gypsophilas. G. paniculata was a
charming plant. He also referred to the value of the
Starworts at this season oi the year. He advised
more attention being given to hardy flowers by
cottagers, and local horticultural societies should
give them more encouragement at exhibitions.

Eritrichium nanum. — I have seen some
splendid plants of this Eritrichium go off in a
most unaccountable manner in summer after
blooming charmingly, the leaves blackening and
decaying like diseased Potato leaves. Mr. Back-
house's treatment of this plant was very similar
to that recommended by Mr. Wood in The Gar-
DE.v, September 26, p. 249, including the pro-
tection of a pane of glass, but I am not sure
whether he used grit in the way Mr. Wood ad-
vises.— W. M.

Pampas Grass. — Perhaps it may tend to
modify " W. S.'s'' impression regarding the
difference between the eeacoast and inland -at

XOVEMDER 7, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

569

least as regards this— to know that here, within being open, the last two winters have not affected its growth i
half a mile of the seashore and in a dell, all the it, and Mr. Lyon told me it did not get the least J. M., Char

ppecimens perished in the arctic winter alluded protection in winter, showing it is just the kind

tj. I had several large plants of the type, two of of climber for planting in cold houses, &c.— J. j PHORMLUM TENW

therose coloured female — one of them the largest Crook. ' , ■' m ^

specimen I have ever seen— two of Gynerium Cobffia scandens alba and Cobsea macro- \ ^^ some remarks were made m The Garden
jubatum, and several small plants of G. Bertini. sterna.- 1 send flowers of these ; both were raised i (p- 283) on this plant growing at Buxton Park,
Out of all these a little off-et, which has pushed from seed this year. The first is a desirable va- , 1 thought perhaps a few notes as to how it
from one of the rose-colouied varieties, alone re- riety of the old useful climber. It is, however, I succeeds in Devonshire might be interesting to

some of your readers. I have here both
the green and variegated varieties of this
handsome plant, and they thrive equally
well. There are about eighteen or twenty
of them, all planted in the grass on a
piece of ground gradually sloping north,
but open to south and south-east. The
soil is loam, on an average about 0 inches
deep, with a subsoil of shale inclining
to clay ; the composition of the sub-soil
is the cause to which I attribute such
luxuriance and rapidity of growth. On
examining the soil I find the roots-
traversing the shale very freely, and, to
all appearance, it is chiefly from this th,e
plants are drawing their support. The
plants get no protection whatever during
winter, and when severe frost prevails
the leaves are so much contracted that
their appearance is more like a bunch
of twigs than leaves, but the moment
the weather commences to get milder
the leaves of the Phormium begin to
show it, and as it gets milder, so the
leaves assume their normal condition,
and without harm, for their growth and
freedom of flowering are remarkable. The
plant here illustrated was carrying at
the time the photograph was taken ten
well-developed spikes.

Torqiiaij. R. W. Hodder.

Stokesia cyanea.— In many gardens
this plant rarely expands its flowers early
enough in the open to be of much service,
and this season, when Michaelmas Daisies
and other hardy and semi-hardy flowers
have been swept oflf so early, will be no
exception to the rule. The plant, bow-
ever, is sufficiently meritorious to be grown
in pots plunged in the open during sum-
mer, and then with other things taken to
the greenhouse to expand its blossoms.
These latter are of a blue shade and pro-
duced en somewhat freely-branched stems.
The peculiar construction of the root-
stock renders it ditficulc to propagate by
division, though the plant may be abun-
dantly increased by means of root cuttings
in the winter. — E J.

Begonias. — Although, with the ex-
ception of Fuchsias, there are probably no
plants that retain their beauty longer tban
Hegonias, it is not often that this can be
preserved until the third week in October,
a state of things that has, however, been
secured this season by the aid of a breadth
of tiffany on the two nights that we have
registered slight frosts. I had the pleasure
of inspecting part of Mr. Geeson's collec-
tion on Saturday last, and found a wonder-
ful improvement in the doubles, not alto-
gether so far as the flowers were concerned,
although these were very fine, but in the
size and substance of the flower-stalk and
the erect habit of individual blooms, a
■white, salmon and dark red being all one
could desire, the flowers standing straight
mains. Arundo cinspicua shared the same fate. I not pure white, but of a greenish hue, and seems • up and showing a full face. Nor, as noted
—J. M., Charmouth, Dorset. \ less exuberant than the species— not an objection- above, has this been efl'ected at the expense of

Solanum jasmmoides.— I was pleased to see i ablequalitv. C. macrostema is a curious species, the siz9 and quality of the flower. On the con-
tbis in full bloom in one of the porticoes adjoining The yellowish green flowers are scarcely so at- trary, several of the best types had flowers
the mansion at Cricket St Thomas, near Chard, tractive as those of theother. The most remarkable that would measure between 4 mches and o inches
It was planted against the back wall and trained j feature about them is the extraordinary length in depth by only a trifle less in width. Knowing
under the rafters, and allowed to hang down of the pistil. Wby it is necessary for this plant that both single and double Begonias of the best
freely. It is charming for such positions. Al- to possess such an elongated appendage seems in- kinds had been tried in the flower garden at Cow-
though not enclosed in a glasshouse, the front 1 explisable. Although of more slender character, dray, I inquired as to the favourites, and for this

Phormium tenax in a Torquay garden. From a photograph sent hy Mr. E, W. Sodder.

370

THE GARDEN.

[Xove:.iber 7, 1896.

particular work Mr. Geeson's verdict is unhesi-
tatingly in favour of singles. What can be
erteritd with these plants in the one season from
early-sown seed is in evidence on a lon^ border in
the 'kitchen grarden, where the seedlings are
planted the first season pending the work ot selec-
tion. Here, although splendid types of doubles
were very attractive, the eye involuntarily rested
on a very fine strain of singles, large, shapely
plants that were a mass of flower and nearly all
of ireot habit. I did not inquire as to what special
preparation was annually given to ensure such
vigorous growth, but imagine it is thoroughly
well done.— E. B.

Disease in Begonias. — It will be remembered
that some time ago a correspondence was started
with reference to a disease that had badly affected
Bsixonias, and whilst some of us were confident
that the particular disease to which we referred
had nothing in common with insect life, others
contended that by calling in the aid of a powerful
microscope we should find it the work of a very
minute thrips. The correspondence was recalled
to mind one day this season when looking through
a small collection and noticing plants that had a
touch of either enemy. " Thrips," said my com-
panion, "we have had before and can deal with,
but this is something worse." This was the form
of disease referred to earlier in the year by those
growers who had unfortunate experience of the
same. It strikes suddenly and disastrously : a
leaf will go, rotting at the junction with the
stalk: sometimes half the stem and occasionally
the entire plant will collapse, and the last means
a total wreck, so far, at any rate, as the current
season is concerned. Given a careful drying of
the bulb, the latter is not injured in any way, nor
doe* it follow that plants grown the following
year from the selfsame bulbs should be in any
way allected ; indeed, the plants may be bad one
season and (|uite free the next, showing that some
exterior influence is responsible for the disease.
Returning once more to the peculiar visitation of
spot, rust, black mildew, or whatever term one
likes to apply to it, some of the Tufted Pansies
were badly touched this year, and, strangely
enough, the disease picked out two sorts growing
with some seven or eight more in a large bed,
and whilst the former were completely cleared of
foliage — so much so, in fact, that in lifting we had
to look closely to make sure they were alive— all
the rest were thoroughly clean and healthy. It
is very seldom I trouble about any division of the
old plants, but this year I was compelled to resort
to the practice in consequence of a failure with
cuttings. This failure seems to be due to the at-
tack of a small insect known, I fancy, as the eel-
worm. It is something that i;row8 all round the
stem under the ground, and also the tiny rootlets
as they appear. It was probably introduced in a
bit of fine leaf mould that was brought in from
the woods to mix with the natural sod.— E. B.

THE NEW TULIP MANIA.
Hebe is some evidence of the effect of the bestowal
of new names on old groups of plants from the
Monileur iV HoHiciUture, a French periodical:—

Lp^ nouveaut^s les plu>^ remarrpiahles de ce hcau
qenre sont les Tulipes Darrein de la maisnn Krelaqe,
de Haarletn. C'est une nourelle race de tulipes tar-
dives, fleurisgant dans la derniere moilie du mois de
mai el qui se distinguent des autres varietes par des
tiges trfs l/nques et robustes. Ce sont des tulipes qui
mrpa-ttent tout ce qui est connu Jufqu'd. ce Jour
din.-i ce genre.

If writers on such aubjects take this view, we can
easily imagine the confusion in minds less learned
about such things.

M. Krelage, in defending in the Gardeners'
Chronicle his rigmarolean •' rectifications," re-
cently (juoted by us, says : —

The origin of most garden Tulips is absolutely un-
known.

Now this is wholly misleading, as the origin of
the Tulips so commonly cultivated in Holland,
Belgium, France, England, and other countries

is well known, at least to all whose minds are not
upset by the issue of needless and confusing nar
The whole question that has recently arisen is as to
the self-coloured races of the late, or florists' Tulip
(known botanically as Tulipa Gesneriana), and
there should not be any doubt as to the origin of
these Tulips in the mind of anyone who really
looks into the matter.

For example, Messrs. Vilmorin, of Paris, in
their " Fleurs do Pleine Terre'' state that the
long-cultivated florists' Tulips come from Tulipa
Gesneriana, a fact that is also known to most
botanists we have met with who have cultivated
Tulips.

A friend who is much interested in these
matters, and himself a large grower, jwrites us
as follows : —

Thousands of tine self and breeder Tulips were reiired
ill Eugland, and were thrown away or burned bef;in>e
they did not tit an artificial and a bad stiDd.ird.
Cowell, of Hoxton, in his " The Curious and Profita'de
Gardener," 1730, on page .">S illustrates this. He
says : " Be carrful in the plantimr of seedling Tulips.
. . . . The to rth ypar some of them will produce
tlowers, aud then 'tis ndriKihle to draw out such as
bring red colours or yellows aud fliug them away, for
tliey will never break to be fine fi"wers. In the meaii-
tim-', save such as are of a grideline colour, of a
purple and of a flesh colour, as also such as have
blossoms of the colour of a Peach blossom or of a
Violet. These will make excellent breeders; some of
I hem may pethaps break the first year of blowing
But if yuu have plain {i.e., sell's) Tulips of the colours
I mention, you need not dispair, for they will break
s .oner or later into stripes." Thus pure and beauti-
ful self Tulips were all sierificed on the altar erected
to — stripes! In this way the florist really checked
all Tulip development, except in his own mean and
narrow field of view.

The main thing now is to rear Tulips from seed by
the million, and the less "stripes" we rear the better,
aud no doubt, so far as soil and climate go, this could
be done in England as well or better than in Holland,
but most of our cultivators lack the cultural technique
o- the Dutch, to whom bulb culture is now instinc-
tive, as it were, or at least hereditary.

Lilium candidum.— I have been much in-
terested in the eirrespondence in The G.\kden
about the difliculty of growing Lilium candidum.
If Mr. Engleheart and other growers have not
tried the very simple experiment, perhaps they
would j,'et a few healthy roots, plant them on the
surface, leaving the crown exposed close to the
wall in the hottest border they have. Some years
since I saw a splendid group so grown, got a few
of the bulbs, and planted as detcribed in light
sandy soil. These have flowered every year since,
and I have been so pleased with the result that I
have planted every spare space in front of the
walls facing south with these fine old Lilies, and
so far have not lost one, I think. Even where the
wall is ejvered with other plants the Lilies hurt
nothing, and it only adds to their beauty. — E.
WALfoLE, Mount U^htr.

After reading " E. J.'s'' note on the Ma-
donna Lily (p. 3-6) in which he suggests the pos-
sibility of the radical leaves having something to
do with the disease, and inquires whether in the
cottage gardens where these Lilies flourish the
autumnal radical leaves are produced, I vitited
two of such gardens where year after year the
white Lilies bloom exempt from the epidemic that
lays so many of their race low in neighbouring
borders. In both cases I found vigorous and ap-
parently healthy leafage. In one garden the
Lilies grow in the full sunlight, while in the other
the bed is shaded, yet both do equally well.
When one sees these Lilies grown to perfection in
shade and sun, in deep, moist soil, and in shal-
low, dry staple, and again notices them deci-
mated by disease under conditions similar in every
respect, one questions whether soil or situation
has much or anything to do with the malady, and
whether some unconjectured cause may not bo at
the bottom of the mischief. Certainly my im-
ported root theory, though I still think there may
be something in it, must be considerably modified
in view of the evidence adduced of old-established
bulbs suddenly failing after many years of abso-

lute health. It would saem, unfortunately, that
the disease is gradually spreading and becoming
more common year by year, thus inflicting a loss
on the gardens that can ill be borne— the loss of
the most beautiful feature of the border when the
latter should be at its brightest. At such a time,
I fear, the cottage garden with its clump of
white Lilies, perfect in purity and in the grace of
health, is a Naboth's vineyard to some of us. —
S W. F.

The Week's Work.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
Seak.^le. — The earliest Seakale should now be
in excellent condition for forcing, as the plants
wid have finished their growth and lost their
leaves, this being already the condition with the
bulk of the crop here, and the crowns are ilump
and fine. The earliest batches sometimes ful to
start kindly, but I find no difficulty once Novem-
ber is in when partial lifting, such as I recom-
mended some weeks back, hos been carried out.
One of the greatest mistakes that can be made is
to subject nawly lifted ciowns togreatheat, vhich
is sometimes done to push them forward as quickly
as may be, but which has exactly the opp^s.ta
effect. True, under such conditions, a spindly
growth of outer leaves can be forced up, but the
hearts will refuse to grow and the produce is not
only valueless but brings discredit on the grower.
A steady temperature of about J.")' is probably
about the best that can be given, but is not im-
perative as a few degrees higher or lower will do
no harm. It is the strong heat of a foicing house
to which I strongly object. Makeshift quarters
answer very well mdet d for the purpose, and I
get the best results by utilising a small main hot-
water pipe, which is carried through a shed, and
below the floor level, to supply the heat for foieing.
This main is not covered by the flooring proper,
liut I have a plauk liid along it, and sutficiEnt
heat penetrates through this to gives the desired
effect. On the floor is placed a wooden frame-
work « ith sides and ends about 18 inches deep,
this is put into such a position that the hotvi.n'er
pipe runs lengthwise through the frame and equi-
distant frcm the sides. The lid of the frame,
which is also of wood, is made in sections, and each
section is big enough to cover one batch of about
seventy erowns. If I want to hasten any parti-
cular batch I partition it off from its neighbours,
but the partit'on is rarely brought into use. When
the crowns sre lifted ttey should have the thongs
trimmel off, not quite clue to the main stem, at
once, and then be allowed a day or two to enible
the cut surfaces to dry before being put into their
forcing quaitars, in which they may be packed
rather closely to make the most cf the rcoan.
Room should be given to allow of some sweet loam
or ordinary garden soil being put bet ween them, and
this should reach qui'e up to the crowns, as they
start better when well surrounded with soil.
When all are in position the soil should have a
thorough good soaking of tepid water, one good
seating at this time Ijsing better than slight
waterings 'ater. In a fortnight the produce
should be fit for cutting, and it is well to remem-
ber this, especially with the early lots, as every day
beyond this time, that the plants can have in the
open ground will render early forcing easier.
" More haste less speed " is often the ease with
Seakale. Where the old-fashioned and laborious
n of forcing Seakale where it has been grown,
is still carried on this must be done by covering
with pots over and around which must be placed
a slowly heating bed of leaves and manure or of
leaves alone, the latter being safer if slower in their
action. Forcing under these conditions will be
slower than by the method which I have recom-
ended and less satisfactory, and should hardlj-
be necessary, as in racst gardens of any pretensions
there may be found some suitable spot in which
such an accommodating subject as Seakale may
be forced with less trouble than was necessary
under the old-fashioned method.

XOVEMBEB 7, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

371

Broccoli. — The eafe winteriDg of Broccoli is in
naany gardens a difficult matter, and in low-lying-,
cold districts it is almost an impossibility in an
average winter. On the uplands, where the crop
is grown in full exposure and the soil well
drained, these difficulties are lessened ; still, it is
wise to take due precaution in all cases, the crop,
when it can be saved, being valuable. I have
tried many methods of saving the plants, as from
the situation of this garden they are peculiarly
liable to injury, but I have found no method to
equal that so frequently recommended of taking
out a trench at the north side of the plot and
heeling over the adjacent plants into this, cover-
ing the stems quite up to the lowest green leaves
on the plants with soil taken frciii the north side
of the iiext row, to allow of this in its turn lising
hfjled over, and in this way going right through
the plot, 80 that when the work is tjnished all the
heaos are inclined towards the north and all the
stem portion of the plants is covered with soil.
It is specially necessary to have that portion next
the leaves covered, this being the most tender
part of the stem, and no harm will be dons if the
soil is put still a little h'gher, as this will allow
for a slight settlement witnout causing- undue ex-
pc>jre. As an alternative to this method. I have
had at planting time the plants put out at a
sufficient distance apart to allow of their being
esrtheil up in an erect position, but in spite of
the extra hardiness which should have been in-
duced by the increased room given to the plants,
I have lost a greater percentage of the plants
treated in this way than of those which have been
laid down. Probably the cheek given to root
action in the latter case helped to make them
hardier, and the sloping position prevented water
from lodging at the base of the leave?. Heeling
over should be done soon, and will be all that is
necersary to safeguard the crop at present. Later
on, if frost becomes severe, a sprinkling of
Bracken overhead -will assist the plants, but this
should not be put on too soon or left on tco long,
its chief use being to prevent sudden thaws in
bright, sur shiny weather. The foregoing re-
marks apjily particularly to the main crop varie-
ties, and not to that most useful variety Veitch's
Self-protecting, any plant? of which that may be
showing flower, should be carefully watched w ith
a view to lifting and storing them in pits nr
under shelter of some kind, a? I recommended
lately for Caulifluners, immediately on the sii-
proach of frost severe enough to injure the eower ;
indead, it will soon be best to lift all the plants of
this variety whether showing flower or not, for if
lifted with a gocd ball, watered in, and sufficiently
protected, they will carry the supply well into
January, giving at the last heads ttiat may be
small, but whicia are sure to be very useful. Any
that are now forward enough for use may be
allowed to remain where they are, as tli9 hearts
may be protected by tying the leaves well round
them when dry, and if this is not considered suffi-
cient protection, a few bits of sacking may be
brought into requisition to tie over them until
they are -wanted. Should there still be any
Cauliflowers of the Autumn Giant or Eclipse type
in the open ground, it will be advisable to store
all these wherever shelter can be found for them

Sundries. — The heavy and continuous rains
have beaten the surface soil into a solid state and
rendered it almost impervious to air. The first
opportunity should be taken to run the hoes
through growing crops. Spinach being particu-
larly benefited by this being done frequently, for
the constant and close treading which the soil
gets when the crop is being gathered, and which
is unavoidable, is altogether opposed to the re-
quirements of the crop. The Cabbage bed, too,
should be gone through in the same way, as it
will not be necessary to mould up the plants yet
for a week or two, and the present stirring of the
surface will render it more suitable for moulding
when this becomes advisable. The soil between
autumn-sown Onions is generally left undisturbed
throughout the winter, but 1 am convinced that
this is a mistake, and that the Tripoli varieties
are especially improved by having a fairly loose

surface soil, though the hoe should not, of course,
be used near enough to the plants to loosen their
root-hold. Early frost will have, in most gardens,
put an end to the Scarlet Runners, and when
these and the late Peas are over, the stakes and
haulm should not be allowed to remain where
they are, but the former should be bundled and
taken to the store yard, and the haulm should go
to be burned. Asparagus, where put in as I ad-
vised for forcing, will, if required green, want
careful ventilating to encourage the colouring
without giving a check to growth. Where
blanched stalks are preferred, see that the crowns
have sufficient soil on them to get the proper
length of stalk without allowing the heads to do
more than just peep through the soil. This may
be managed by drawing the soil already covering
the plants into hillocks just over the crowns, as
the roots do not want a heavy covering. Have
the soil moist enough and see that the out-
side linings to the pit keep a steady heat in them.
I find that the crowns are moving more kindly
this year than I expected they would after the
long spell of dull weather, and although, as I
write, October is not over, I have Asparagus
quite fit to gather. The present is probably the
best time of the year to carry out any odds and
ends of repair, alteration, or regulation of paths,
and where these are of grass, as most of those in
the kitchen garden here are, an annual cutting
with the edging knife some time during the late
autumn prevents any coarse grasses from spread-
ing to the cultivated ground. Where tile or brick
edgings are used for gravel paths, these have a
tendency to settle below their proper level, and
this should not be allowed to go on from year to
year, as soil washes over on to the gravel in rainy
weather and spoils the walks. J. C. Tallack.

HARDY FRUITS.
Orchasd trees. — Owing to the abnormal amount
of rain, it has been next to impossible to do any-
thing in the way of lifting and transplanting, and,
unless such work be taken in hand soon, there
will be some difficulty in getting it completed
before winter sets in. It is, however, far better
to defer planting where the ground is heavy.
Where there is a quantity of lilting to be done,
every available opportunity should be taken ad-
vantage of to push it forward. Plums should be
the first to receive attention, as these will have
now shed most of their leaves. Cherries should
come next, then Pears, leaving the Apples till
last. Where trees have to be purchased from a
nursery, they should be unpacked as soon as they
arrive, and if it is not convenient to plant them
at once, they ought to be laid in to prevent
the roots becoming dry. All trees ought to be
examined in case there should be any scale or
American blight, and if any traces of these are seen
the trees should be washed with a strong insecti-
cide. Avoid planting too deeply, for, if the roots
cannot recsive due benefit from the sun's rays,
trees never thrive satisfactorily, and this cannot
be when the roots are a considerable depth from
the surface. On cold, heavy Land very shallow
planting is preferable, provided there is sufficient
soil to cover the roots, and during dry weather a
mulching can be given to prevent evaporation.
When planting, see that all roots that may have
been mutilated in lifting have a clean cut made
above such bruises, that the wounds may heal
over quickly. Planting may seem a simple pro-
cess, but how often do we see failures owing to
the neglect of such trifles as these. The roots
should be spread out evenly all round the trees
before any attempt is made to cover them with
soil, and when the holes have been tilled in staking
should be done at once, to prevent them recking
to and fro. It is not advisable to press the soil
round the roots with the foot, particularly if of a
heavy nature ; rather let it become settled down
by the rains. If possible, mulching should be
done as the trees are planted, as this will prevent
the ground being beaten hard on the surface.
Owing to so much w et, root action will not be very
active, but a coating of decayed manure spread over

the surface will help to exclude frost, and so pre-
vent a greater decline in the temperature. Where
it is contemplated planting a new orchard, it is
of the utmost importance that the land be well
drained, for. no trees can succeed satisfactorily
where the water remains stagnant about their
roots. In making a selection of varieties pay par-
ticular attention to have enough that the fruit
may extend over a considerable period, for it is
not advisable to have a glut at one time and a
dearth at another. Late varieties of both Apples
and Pears are always acceptable, therefore where
there is only room for a few of each chocse those
rather than the midseason ones. Where the
situation is an exposed one a row of Damsons
planted round the hedges, about 10 feet apart, will
help to break the force of the wind. Where this
is not practicable the hedge should be allowed to
grow up at least 12 feet high. When trees are
planted with a view to having grass beneath, a
sufficient distance ought to be allowed between
them that they may not overshadow it too much,
and the stems ought to be of a sufficient height
that the boughs may be out of the reach of cattle.

Wall trees. Pears. — Usually at this time of
the year the days are fairly warm, therefore any
work that can be done with comfort should be
pressed forward as much as possible. As a rule
pruning and nailing are left till frost sets in, but
no greater mistake can be made. Where Pear
trees are affected with sca'ethe branchesshould ba
scrubbed with a half-worn-out painter's brush,
using Gishurst compound or some other well-
known insecticide. Where pruning has to be
done, carefully thin out the spurs, particularly
those on old trees that younger ones may be
formed closer to the wall. When the spurs are
of considerable length the wall does not afford
that protection to the fruit it ought, neither is
there the same amount of warmth generated by
radiation as when the trees are kept within due
bounds.

Plims, particularly on a south wall, will now
have shed the greater portion of their leaves.
Where this is so, the trees may be pruned and
afterwards dressed with some insecticide. All
spaces between the branches should also be
washed with soft soap and sulphur, as this will
kill any vermin that may be harbouring in the
crevices. The trees should then be fastened to
the walls. If wires are used, take special care to
have all old ties removed, for though these may
be sound at the present time they will in all pro-
bability become rotten before another season.
All old shreds should be examined, and where
any are defective these ought to be replaced with
new ones. As before advised, be careful to allow
sufficient room in them for the shoots to swell,
and do not on any account place the nails so as to
come into contact with the wood.

Ai'RK-OTs.— As soon as these have shed their
leaves the trees should be taken down from the
walls, and after receiving a dressing as advised
for Plums, they may be fastened up again.
Apricots are difficult to manage in some districts,
especially in the south, for the sap is excited by
the first few warm days in February, causing the
trees to start into growth, when if there should
be a sharp frost afterwards, they receive such a
check that they do not recover, many of the
branches dying oflf without any apparent cause.
I have more than once seen the trees start freely
into growth towards the end of February, and »
sharp frost following in March has nearly killed
them. To guard against this, the trees ought to
be protected after nailing is completed and before
the sap becomes active. Avoid laying in the
wood too thickly, as this causes the young shoots
to become overcrowded and prevents the wood
maturing thoroughly. It is short-jointed growths
well studded with flower-buds that are required,
and these ought to be as near to the wall as pos-
sible that it may afford them some protection.
W^hen nailing, always use boards to stand upon :
these not only keep the feet from getting damp,
but prevent the borders from becoming trodden
down or the soil carried on to the paths.

H. C. Prinsep.

372

THE GAT^DEN.

[November 7, 1896.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1091.
HARDY PEIMII.A.!^.

(with

KOSEA

COLOUREP I'LATE UK 1'
VAR. GRANBIFLOKA.*)

The excellent coloured plate to-day illustrates
one of the most charming of hardy Primroses,
and one that will soon find its way into such
British gardens as do not already possess it.
As I have treated the various forms of the
genus Primula iu alphabetical order, a fuller
reference to the hindsorae species here illus-
trated will l>> found balow.

Primulas rei^uiring greenhouse culture are
not included in my list, which deals only with
such varieties as may be grown out of doors in
the British Isles. From time immemorial the
Primrose has bsen the welcome sign of return-

* Drawn for The Garden by H. G. Sloon from
a pUnt sent hy Messrs. Ja;. Cocker unci Sons, Sunny-

ing spring, and poets without number have
sung its praises. In his ode, " On ]\Iay Morn-
ing," Milton says :—

Xow thp bright morning star, daye's harbinger,
fionies dancing from the East and leading with her
The flowery May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow Cowslip and the pale Primrose.
That near relative of the Primrose, the Cow-
slip, has also its numerous admirers, amongst

can be, and have been, successfully grovra in
this country. A few of those mentioned are not
only rare, but very difficult to cultivate, and in
these cases I have specially described the diffi-
culties ; but by far the largest number, included
in the list given below, may be grown as easily as
any other rock plant, and many of them will
flourish in an ordinary border.

The great majority of these hardy Primulas

Primula denticulata alba.

Primula rosea.

side Xnr3erii>s, Aberdesn, N
printed by J. L. GoSart
Severeyna.

them Clare, who pays homage to its
beauty in the following lines : —

Bowing adorers of the vale,

Ye Cowslips aelicately pale, |

Upraise your loaded stems ;
Unfold you cups in splendour : speak ! J
Who decked you with that ruddy streak, '

And gilt your golden gems ?

It is, however, not with the Prim-
roses and Cowslips so well known to
everybody that 1 propose to deal, but
the object of my essay is to bring into
greater prominence those charming
varieties of Primula which, though
hailing mostly from foreign parts,
have, nevertheless, proved hardy in
this country, and furnish us with a
welcome addition of lovely flowers
for the embellishment of our gardens.
Fortunately, the Briti.sh Isles possess
a climate that enables us to grow side
by side plants whose homes are in
Siberia, Japan, California, China,
Switzerland, the Himalayas, &c. ; and
although great, indeed, must be the
difl'erence of the natural conditions
under which these plants grow in their
native country, handsome Primulas
from each of the countries named have
not only been acclimatised, but may
be seen luxuriating in Great Britain.
The sizes, the shapes and the colours
of these Primroses differ very widely,
but by far the greater number are
not only beautiful, but also easy to
Lithographed and cultivate. The Primulas are indeed a numerous
aillaume famdy, comprising hundreds of species. From
this large number I 1 ave selected only such as

are rock plants from the mountains of Switzer-
land, Austria, Italy and the Pyrenees. A few
are British species and a very small number
come from America. Most of the more roliust
growing kinds are natives of the Himalayas,
Japan and China.

NoME>-CLATURE.

The confusion of botanical names among
Primulas is greater, perhaps, than among any
other genus of plants. Probably the very wide
geographical distribution had a good deal to do
with this confusion, but to make matters worse,
the Primulas have such a tendency to hybridi.se
and there are — especially among the European
section — such an endless number of hybrids
raised naturally from other hybrids, that the
difficulties of the botanists are enormously in-
creased. Thus, for instance. Primula auriculata
(Lamark) has four or five other names given to
it by various botanists. Primula officinalis
(Scopoli) is also known by six totally different
synonyms, and Primula viscosa (V^illais) has
several other names, while the names of its sub-
varieties are mixed up even still more. Much
of this confusion has been cleared up during
the Primula conference held at South Kensing-
ton in 1886, and I have therefore based the
names used in my appended list of varieties on
the elaborate list of the species and forms of
the genus Primula, prepared for the said con-
ference by Mr. Daniel Dewar, then foreman of
the herbaceous department iu the Koyal Gar-
dens at Kew. This list includes over GOO names
of Primulas, of which nearly two-thirds are
merely synonyms. To prevent any error in the
names used in my essay I have in each case a])-
pended the name of the author.

"LA F

AITDIFL

K'OVEJIBER 7, 1896.J

THE aATJDEK

373

Pnt-nula iiscosa xar. ciliata

Primula capitata.

37i

THE GAEDEK

[NovaMBER 7, 1896.

In order to make my notes of more practical
value to the grower of Primulas, I have enu-
merated the various species in alphabetical
order, thus facilitating easy reference. Nearly
the whole cf those enumerated below are varie-
ties of which I can speak from personal experi-
ence. The list is not by any means a complete
one. I have omitted several kinds that have
no particular merit and a few others with which
I am un.ncquainted, but the sixty varieties here
mentioned will probably be sutlicient for most
gardens unless a botanical collection is intended.

Selections.
In order to assist such amateurs as might
possess but a slight knowledge of hardy Primulas,
1 will give one or two examples of selections
made from the somewhat lcii_'thy list given
below. The following twenty-hve varieties, a
short description of which will be found in the
alphabetical list below, may be recommended
with confidence to all who might desire a col-
lection of Primulas that would be both lieau-
tiful and easy to grow in an ordinary rock gar-
den which contains slanting or vertical fissures
as well as level spots between the groups of
"rocks." All are of dwarf habit, i.e., not ex-
ceeding S inches or 9 inches.
Primula auricula (L.) Primula rosea grandi-
var. Balbisii Oora

spsctabilis var. Clu«-

calycina

portusoides Sieboldi

Facchini

farinoea

Heeri

iutegrifolia

loniriflora

marginata (Curtis)

minima

Peyritschii

rosea

var. ciliata
var. c. purpurea
var. c. coccinei
var. hirsuta(Al-

lioni)
var. nivalis

(Hort.)
var. pedemon-
tana
Wulfeniana

For those desirous of selecting say a dozen
Primulas of the taller-growing kinds that would
succeed either in a border or bog I would recom-
mend the following : —

Primula capitata (Hima-
layas)
denticulata (Hima-
layas)
var. cashmeriana
(Himalayas)
involucrata (Hima-
layas)
japonica (Japan)
Palinnri (Italy)
Parryi (CaUfornia)

There are, of

Primula Poieeoni (China)
prolifera (syn., im-
periali8).(Hima-
layaB)*
sikkimensis (Hima-
layas)
Stuarti (Himalayas)
purpurea(Hima-
layas)

many other varietie

contained in the li.st below, which are equally
beautiful and in some cases equally easy to cul-
tivate, but the two selections just enumerated
will probably suffice for the beginner.

P. Alljom (Loiseleur).— From the Alps of
Piedmont. Flowers in March or April, and is an
exceedingly neat and compact species well suited
for the select part of a rock garden. The circular
flowers, which appear singly or in pairs, are aliout
an inch in diameter, of a deUcate rosy purple
colour with white centre, and borne on very
short stems, giving the plant a very compact
cushion-like appearance. The leaves have the
margins entire or slightly dentate, and are
covered with short hairs. This charming Prim-
rose is, unfortunately, not one of the easiest to
cultivate. Though loving moisture at the roots,
it is very euaceptible to too much moisture on the
leaves, especially during the winter months. For
this reason it succeeds best when pUnted side-
ways between stones, i.e., with its roots in an
almost horizontal position, so that superfluous

* For a warm, sheltered positioD.

water can drain oft' from the leaves, which might
otherwise succumb during a wet winter. The
plant al^o loves partial shade, and should, there-
fore, have an easterly or westerly aspect. A geo-
graphical form of P. AUioni is found in the Tyrol,
and is known to botanists as Primula tirolensis
(Schott), but the diS'erence betw een the two forms
is very slight. It makes an e.tcellent companion
for other alpines of compact tufted growth, such
as Morisia hypogaa or Saxifraga apiculata.

P. AMiKNA (Hort.) is mentioned under Primula
cortusoides var. Sieboldi.

P. AnRici-L.v (Linn.). — The true Auricula
of the Alps is very widely distributed over the
mountain ranges of Central Europe. Its sweet-
scented, yellow flowers are borne in a dense
umbel, springing from a stift', wiry stem 4 inches
to 5 inches in height : the leaves smooth on the
upper surface, but mealy towards the margin and
on the under-side. They are of a fleshy nature
and glaucous in appearance, each from 3 inches to
■4 inches lon^" and 2 inches wide, sometimes
sliuhtly dentate. P. Auricula is easily grown and
fit lor the rock garden or the border. Among the
rocks it is most etfective on sloping ground, and
prefers calcareous soil. The wild yellow Auricula
just described was doubtless one of the parents of
the cultivated garden Auriculas so dear to the
florists, though the exact parentage is still a
matter of doubt. Darwin believed the florists'
Auricula to be derived from Primula pubescens
(a hybrid between P. Auricula and P. viscosa),
while no less an authority than Mr. J. G. Biker
believes P. pubescens to be the progenitor of
" alpine Auriculas " only, and that the great mass
of garden Auriculas originated from the wild
species P. Auricula and its varieties Balbisi,
venustaand Goblii. According to Kerner's "His-
tory of the Auricula,' both P. pubescens and
P. Auricula were cultivated on the Continent in
the sixteenth century, and by the middle of the
seventeenth century several cultivated forms of
P. pubescens of various colours were known. I
will make no attempt to describe the numerous
varieties of garden Auriculas, but will merely
mention that cultivators divide them into
" florists' flowers," including green-edged, grej'-
edged, white-edged and selfs, all of which are
thickly covered with the mealy matter called
paste, and " alpines " distinguished by an unmealed
centre and richly shaded petals.

P. AuRii'rL-\ "vAR. Baliusi (Lehm.) is distin-
guished from the typical P. Auricula by having
scentless flowers of a deep golden yellow, borne
on a rather long, wiry stum. The leaves too, are
diS'erent, being of a deep sap-green, covered with
a few glandular hairs. Its native habitat is the
mountain ranges of the Tyrol and Northern Italy.
In our rock gardens it is a most useful plant, flower-
ing in April or May, but requiring a more shaded
position than the type. This variety is also known
as P. ciliata (Moretti).

P. AuRKT'LA VAR. MARoiNATA is another hand-
some sub-variety, distinguished from the wild
Auricula by its leaves, which are very densely
covered with farinose powder and show a con-
spicuous white margin. This also is of the easiest
cultivation, and is a most suitable plant for the
rock garden. It must not be confounded with P.
marginata of Curtis, which is quite distinct and
of a diS'erent colour.

P. ACRii Ti.ATA (Lamarck) comes from Siberia,
but is also found on Austrian mountains. The
flowers are purplish rose, with white centre. The
inflorescence is a drooping umbel, consisting of
about six flowers an inch in length, on a stem
about 4 inches high. The leaves have a smooth
surface and crenate margin. In the rock "^'arden
P. auriculata does best when it has an easterly
or westerly aspect and a position on level ground
with abundance of moisture and a soil consisting
of peat and loam. It is also known under the
names of P. longifolia (Curtis) and P. macro-
phylla (Koch).

P. Balijisi (Lehmann) is included under P.
Auricula var. Balbisi.

P. Ber.si.\.»: (Kerner).— This charming little
Primrose is probably a natural hybrid between

P. viscosa and P. hirsuta. It is a scarce variety,
and its native home is Switzerland, though pos-
sibly it may occur elsewhere. I found it growing
on the north side of a slope in the upper Enga-
dino, by the side of its supposed parents and^in
company with Azalea procumbens and Pedicularis
Jacquini. It flowers freely in May and its rosy
purple blossoms are comparatively large. The
leaves are sessile and smaller than those of P.
visco-a, slightly hairy, with crenate margin. It
succeeds best in a somewhat moist, half-shady
position on rockwork.

P. CALYCi.NA (Duby).— From the Alps of
Lombardy is a very dwarf variety of easy culture,
and succeeds well in the rock 'garden. It has
umbels of from three to five rosy-purple flowers
springing from a short stalk bearing an involucre
of linear bracts. Its flowering time is generally
May or June, although during the past dry
season it was in full bloom by May 1. The leaves
are comparatively large, and have an almost en-
crusted appearance owing to a horny margin. It
thrives well in a somewhat heavy soil and in a
position at least partially shaded from the sun.
P. glaucescens (Moret) and P. integrifolia (Wulfen)
are synonyms.

P. ( AiiTATA (Hooker). — Large irregular groups
of this variety arranged in a rather shady border
or on the shady side of a rock garden make a most
eS'ective display, usually rather late in summer.
The present season has been an e.fception, and
here at Exeter the flowers were fully developed in
June. The flowers appear on a stem 6 inches to
8 inches high, and form a compact globular head
H inches to 2 inches in diameter. iThe colour is
a deep violet- blue, thickly covered with white
mealy powder especially towards the centre of
the head of flowers and on unopened flowers. The
leaves are wrinkled, of a pale green colour, dentate
at the margin and oblong lanceolate in shape.
Unfortunately, P. capitata in spite of its undoubted
beauty is a capricious plant and apt to die otf
without the slightest warning. For this reason
it should be treated as a biennial, and the seed
should be sown as soon as ripe. Good loam, a
little sand and leaf mould seem to suit it. The
principal conditions to its success appear to be
abundance of continuous moisture and at least
partial shade and shelter. A dry sunny position
is absolutely fatal to it. Some plants sent by the
Rev. C. WoUey-Dod did very well at Exeter, but
better still in Messrs. 'Veitch'sExminster nurseries
where they could have more shelter, more shade
and more moisture. Some botanists consider P.
capitata only a small form of P. denticulata, but
it certainly is not of such easy culture as that
variety.

P. CARNioLicA (Jacquin) is a native of the
Alps of Austria and Northern Italy, and rather
rare and distinct. The flowers are bluish-purple
or lilac, with a white centre. Neither calyx,
corolla nor leaves show traces of the mealy
powder found in so many of its congeners. The
leaves are oblong with margin entire or rarely
dentate, narrow towards the Dase, about 2i inches
long, very smooth, and arranged in a rosette. A
sub-variety called P. carniolica multiceps is dis-
tinguished by larger flowers, and is burdened
with the additional synonyms of P. Freyeri and
P. Jellenkiana. The position of P. carniolica
should be a half shady one, and it should be
planted sideways on sloping or perpendicular
rocks.

P. CASHMERIANA is mentioned below as a va-
riety of P. denticulata.

P. CILIATA (Schrank) is a variety of P. viacoea,
and has been treated under that name.

P. Clcsiaxa (Tscb.) is mentioned under the
name of P. spectabilis var. Clusiana.

P. roRTisoiDEs (L.) —Coming trom Siberia and
Northern Japan, this charming Primrose has de-
servedly found a home in mott English gardens,
not only on account of its hardiness, but also on
account of its beauty and easy culture. It will
practically grow anywhere where it is not too
much exposed to rough wind.s. It has large
clusters of deep rosy flowers disposed in an umbel
and borne by a wiry stem about 8 inches long.

NovfiMBER 7, 1896.]

THE GaKDEN.

3/5

The leaves are soft, wrinkled, slightly lobed, and
very much resemble those of Cortusa Mathioli.
P. cortusoides dentata (Don) is a sub-variety,
with pale lilac flowers.

P. CORTUSOIDES VAR. SiEEOLDi (Morrsn), syn.
P. amu'na (Hort.). — This is a great improve-
ment on the type, and was introduced from
Japan. It is larger and bolder in appearance,
and its colour varies from the purest white to
the deepest crimson-mauve or purple. From
it a i-ery large number of named hybrids
have been raised, and most of them are excellent
for planting in groups of considerable size. As
they flower very early in the spring and die down
late in the summer, it is well to intermix such
groups with plants like Spir:ea filipendula or
others that flower at a later period.

P. DENTirrLATA (Smith). — A handsome and
noble Himalayan species allied to P. capitata, but
more robust and larger in all its parts. The
flowers, produced in large round heads, are
deep lilac in colour, borne on stems 10 inches
to 12 inches high, and opening about April.
Sometimes the blossoms develop in winter and
are cut by the frost, but a good remedy against
such precociousness appears to be Mr. WoUey-
Dod's method of cutting the crowns into small
pieces during the autumn, and thus retarding the
blooming season till the danger of severe frosts
has passed. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate in
shape, about 8 inches long, and have a wrinkled
appearance, with a dentate margin and hairs on
both sides.

P. DENTK.TLATA PUIXHERRIMA (Hort.) is Still

more robust than the type, and has flowers of a
deeper colour in more cjmpact globular heads.

P. DENTlrrLATA VAR. CASHMERIANA (Munro) is

another handsome variety with llowers of a lif^ht
purple colour, with yellow eye, and arranged in
a compact globe, borne on a stout stem about
9 inches high. The leaves are serrated and
wrinkled, covered on the under-side with mealy
powder of a bright yellow colour. It is an excel-
lent plant for massing in the border or for plant-
ing on moist, level spots in the rock garden.

P. ELATIOR (Jacquin), syn. P. veris var.
elatior. — This is the true Oxslip found wild
in abundance on the Continent, but not so
plentiful as a wild British plant. The flowers
are disposed in umbels of a sulphur-yellow
colour and on stems 8 inches or 10 inches high.
The leaves are ovate and covered on the under
side with short hairs. As its natural home is in
moist woods or meadows, it is a plant more suit-
able for the wild gardea or a moist, half-shady
border than the rock garden. A sub-variety
called P. elatior var. amana (Ledebour) has
purple flowers. There exist also at least a dozen
of other sub-varieties.

P. Facchini (Schott).— A very dwarf species
resembling P. minima. The flowers are compara-
tively large, of a rosy purple colour, appearing in
twos or threes and opening in May or June.
The leaves form bright green rosettes and are
coarsely serrated. It is a rare plant, found mostly
on the granite rocks of Southern Tyrol. In the
rock garden it is easy to cultivate in a half-shady
position. Its supposed parents are P. minimax
P. spectabilis.

P. FARixosA (L.).— The Bird's-eye Primrose is a
British plant, though rather rare in England. It
is very appropriately named, for the whole plant
is denseh- covered with a white mealy powder,
which gives it quite a silvery appearance. The
lilac flowers have a yellow centre, and appear in
a dense umbel on stems about 6 inches to S inches
in height ; the leaves are about 2 inches in length.
It usually flowers from April to June. In the
rock garden P. farinosa enjoys a damp, half-shady
position, and might be treated as a bog plant if
care is taken that it is not overrun by plants of
faster growth. In planting, care must be taken
not to plant too deeply, as during winter nothing
remains of the plants but a large bud close to the
ground, which would be sure to rot if allowed to
be covered by soil. Snails are exceedingly fond
of these buds, and will surely demolish them if
.unprotected. P. seotica (Hooker), a variety of

the former, has its flowers of a deeper colour and
on shorter stems than the type.

P. Florkeaxa (Schrad.).— A pretty hybrid, the
parents of which are supposed to be P. super-
glutinosa x minima (Kerner). It is found in Tyrol
at an altitude often exceeding TOtnj feet. The
flowers, which appear from three to five in an
umbel on short stems seldom more than 2 inches
high, are of a deep lilac colour, and spring from
an involucre of lanceolate leafy bracts. The
cuneate leaves are dentate above the middle and
not much more than inch in length. Its synonyms
are P. minima (Reichenbach, not Linn.) and P.
hybrida (Gusmus). In the rock garden it suc-
ceeds well among bits of granite.

P. FoRSTERi (Stein.). — Another hybrid (super-
ninima x visoosa var. hirsuta) from the Alps of
Central Tyrol. The flowers, borne on a very
stout stem, are of a deep rose colour with a
white centre. The leaves are much larger than
those of P. minima ; they are hairy on the upper
surface as well as on the serrated margin.

P. GLAUCESCE.vs (Moret) is synonymous with P.
calycina (Duby), and has been mentioned under
that name.

P. GLUTINOSA (Wulfen).— This is a true rock
plant, and comes from the granite regions of the
Tyrol, where its flowers are of a brilliant purple-
blue colour, borne on stems about 4 inches high
and appearing in umbels of three to five blooms.
It is one of the most beautiful of alpine Primroses,
but, unfortunately, it seems somewhat diflicult to
cultivate and rarely does well in English gardens.
It generally doss best in a half-shady position in
well-drained soil.

P. GoBLii (Kerner). — A rare hybrid (super-
Auricula x villosa. Stein.), with flowers of a dark
brownish purple colour and silvery leaves. It is
closely allied to P. Auricula, and should have the
same treatment.

P. Heeri (Briiggar). — A \'ery pretty hybrid be
tween P. viscosa hirsuta x integrifolia, which is
generally found growing by the side of its parents
I saw it in that company growing near th(
Fliiela Hospiz, not far from the Schwarzhorn
glacier, and although it probably occurs in other
parts of Switzarland, it is a rare plant. The
flowers are large, purple, and appear in clusters
of five or six on a rather short stem. The plant
is of dwarf, compact growth, and has ovate-
lanceolate leaves sparsely covered with a downy
pubescence. It succeeds in peaty soil mixed with
pieces of granite.

P. HIRSUTA (AUioni) is a variety of P. viscos:
(Villars) and has been referred to that name.

P. HuTERi (Stein.).— This is .considered a hy
brid between P. Flurkeana x " glutinosa. It is
very rare, but has flowered at Kew and in other
English gardens. The flowers are deep violet ii
colour and the leaves are spatulate. The stem
are viscid.

P. iMPERiALis (Junghuhn) is synonymous with
P. prolifera (Wallich) and is mentioned under the
latter name.

P. IN-TEGRIFOLIA (L.). — A native of the Pyre
nees and the Alps of Switzerland, not at all rare
and of easy culture. Though the flowers are few
in number, being sometimes solitary and seldom
more than two or three on a stem about 2| inche
or o inches long, they are comparatively large and
of a lively purplish rose colour. The leaves are
very smooth, with margins entire and a very
smooth, shiny surface. It flowers in spring and
is easy to manage on any moist, half-shady spot
in the rock garden. Syns., P. Candolleana
(Reichenbach) and P. incisa (Lamarck).

P. INTERMEDIA (Trattinick). — A handsome hy-
brid between P. Clusiana x minima, with pur-
plish-crimson flowers, marked with a very distinct
yellow eye.

P. INVOLUCRATA (Wallich). — This is a Hima-
layan species having creamy white flowers with
yellow centre, and disposed in an umbel on
a stem 6 inches to S inches high. The leaves are
oblong-lanceolate, rather erect, and of a bright
green colour. It is easy to grow and succeeds
best in a bog garden. The variety P. i. Munroi

(Lindley) is distinguished from the type by a more
inflated corolla and by its longer leafstalks.

P. JAPO.N-ICA (A. Gray), syn., P. pyramidalis
(Siebold) — This noble Japanese form is a giant
among Primroses. Its deep crimson flowers
sometimes vary in shade of colour. They are
arranged in successive whorls and form a
magnificent spike, lasting in bloom from May
to August where planted in masses. Three things
are most essential to the successful cultivation of
this most beautiful hardy perennial — namely, a
deep soil, plenty of moisture and shade. I
recently saw a border of P. japonica 150
yards in length and about 1 yard wide by the
margin of a pond and shaded by an avenue of
Lime trees at Enys, near Penryn, Cornwall. The
conditions there seem so exactly suited to its re-
quirements that it luxuriates with a vigour not
seen under less favourable circumstances. The
flower-spikes attained a height of 2 feet to '2h feet,
and from May till late in summer there has been
a successive mass of brilliant flowers. There is
also a fine white variety oi this stately plant.

P. LONGiFLORA (Allioni) comes from the moun-
tains of Southern Europe, and is best described
as an enlarged P. farinosa, with cubular lilac
flowers each 1 inch or so in length. It grows well
on moist, level spots and should be treated like
P. farinosa.

P. MARGiNATA (Curtis), syns., P. Auricula
(Villars, not L.) and P. crenata (Lamarck),
from the Alps of Dauphiny and Piedmont.
This must not be confounded with P. Auricula
marginata, which has yellow flowers and is quite
different. Primula marginata has flowers of a
purplish rose colour, with a mealy centre, and
appearing in umbels of three or four blooms
on a very short scape ; the leaves have a white,
mealy margin. It succeeds well in the rock
garden if planted in the same way as recom-
mended for P. Allioni and others — i.e., side-
ways, with its roots in an almost horizontal
position.

P. MINIMA (L). — The Fairy Primrose is a native
of the European Alps, and is found in various
countries. As its name implies, it is very dwarf,
but it bears a comparatively large rose-coloured
flower about the size of a shilling. The leaves are
very shiny, scarcely more than an inch in length,
and deeply crenate or sometimes dentate. In the
rock garden it does well in gritty loam mixed
with peat, and should be associated with the
smallest alpines.

P. NIVALIS (Hort.). — This is a variety of P. vis-
cosa, and I have therefore described it under that
name.

P. NIVALIS (Pallas). — A very rare variety from
the Caucasus, described a few years ago in
Kegel's "Gartenflora." I have, however, never
found it in any English gardens, and probably
its requirements are such as could not be given to
it in this country.

P. PEDEMONTANA (Thomas) is a variety of P.
viscosa.

P. OFFICINALIS (Scopoli), syn. P. veris var.
officinalis (L.). — This is the well-known Cowslip,
which needs no description, and is supposed to
be the origin of the Polyanthus now grown in
almost every garden. There are about a dozen
other synonyms not worth mentioning.

P. Palinuri (Petagna).— a native of Italian
mountains, with yellow flowers arranged in an
umbel. The stem is 9 inches to 15 inches high,
and is covered with mealy powder. The leaves are
very large, and the plant altogether grows very
vigorously, but is not so showy as many others.

P. Parryi (A. Gray). — A Californian variety,
still scarce in this country, but of undoubted
merit. It bears on a stem 12 inches to 15
inches high a panicle of bright purple flowers
with yellow centre. The leaves are about 9 inches
long, oblong in shape, sessile, with shghtly den-
tated margin. It requires a rather moist, peaty
soil and partial shade. In such a situation it will
flower and seed freely.

P. PEDEMONTANA (Thomas) will be found men-
tioned under P. viscosa, of which it is a sub-
variety.

376

THE CtAEDEK

[November 7, 1896.

P. Peyritschii (Stein.).— a hybrid between P.
Auricula and P. viscosa. It is very much like
the Utter, only of a little strongar growth in all
its parts. The name P. viscosa maj or, by which
it is also known, seems the more appropriate, but
is not approved of bv botanists.

P. PoissoM (Franchet). — This handsome
Chinese variety is of rather recent introduction
and a decided acquisition. It was found in the
mountains of the Yunan district, but has proved
perfectly hardy. A coloured plate of this variety
appeared in The G.\Rr>ES some time ago. In
Messrs. Veitch's nurseries, at Exeter, it withstood
even the severe winter of 1S94 without protection,
and as it is both handsome and easy to cultivate,
it should soon be in every garden ; it prefers a
moist situation and seem's not particular as to
shade. The dowers are bright rose, with a slight
flush of mauve, and have a yellow centre. They
are fully the siza of a shiUing and are arranged in
verticiliate tiers of eight or twelve blossoms, each
after the style of P. japonica, but the tiers are a
little further apart than in the last-named variety,
showing often two inches or more of stem between
the tiers. It grows about \'2 inches high. The
leaves are pale glaucous green, about 5 inches or
6 inches long and 2 inches wide, not wrinkled like
those of P. japonica, but perfectly smooth, the
margin minutely, but very closely toothed, the
midrib widened very considerably towards the
base of the leaf and of a pink colour.

P. rROLiFER-\ (Wall.).— This, better known
under the name of P. imperialis (Junghuhn) is a
tall Himalayan species allied to P. japonica, but
with yellow flowers arranged in whorls. It has
also been found in Java, and is, perhaps, too
tender for the north of England, but in sheltered
places in Cornwall it will grow to a height of
about 3 feet. The large leaves have a denticu-
lated margin. It is still a very rare plant, and it
certainly is more tender that P. japonica. Peaty
Ecil seems to suit it best.

P. ruBESCENs (Jacquin). — A cross between
P. Auricula and l'. viscosa hirsuta. This is one of
the supposed parents of the garden Auricula. It
is found on the mountains of Tyrol, near the
Groes-Glockner, and probably also elsewhere.
The rosy purple flowers appear in very large
clusters and sometimes have a mealy throat. The
leaves are oblong, broadly serrate- dentate, and
hairy at the margin ; they are generally about

3 inches long and about li inches wide. P. pu
bescens was introduced over "200 years ago by
Clusius, and it frequently shows its hybrid charac-
ter by sporting.

P. iTRiTREA (Royle) is a variety of P. Stuarti,
under which name it is mentioned below.

P. Reedi (Duthie). — This is another gem from
the Himalayas, but unfortunately one that is
very dithcult to acclimatise in this country. It
bears a scape about 6 inches long, covered with
drooping, sweet-scented, ivory-white flowers on
short pedicels, reminding one almost of Cam-
panula. It is an elegant and desirable species,
but very rare, and as a rule it dies after flowering.
A few years ago I saw a plant in bloom in the
garden of Mr. H. Ewbank at Ryde, Isle of Wight.
It was flowering profusely, and I was told that
the secret of success was in covering the crown
with silver sand. The plant died however, even
under Mr. Ewbank's skilful treatment, and I am
afraid it is practically of only annual duration.

P. ROSEA (Royle). — A charming Himalayan spe-
cies now only too well known in English gardens.
It grows generally from 6 inches to s inches high,
and the flowers, which are disposed in umbels of
from six to nine blooms, each appear on a rather
stout scape, and are rosy carmine in colour, with a
yellow throat. The leaves are very smooth, about

4 inches long, and .serrated at the margin. It is
a charming plant for a bog garden and luxuriates
in any damp, light soil. I have seen it flourish
in a sunny bog-bed even better than in a shady
one, but it will not endure a dry, sunny position.
Few things in the rock garden are more delight-
ful than this bright gem, which is so easy to cul-
tivate and flowers so abundantly every spring.

The plants are very easily grown from tesd or in-
creased by division of the root-stock.

P. ROSEA (:RANDiFLORA(Hort.).— This is the sub-
ject of the accompanying coloured illustration,

hich will be readily acknowledged to be a great

aprovement on the type. Not only are the

)wers more robust and borne on taller and
stouter stems than those of the ordinaiv P. rosea,
but the colour is a much deeper carmine-crimson.
The plant from which the accompanying illustra-
tion was prepared came from the nui series of
Messrs. Cocker and Sons, Aberdeen, but this im-
proved variety is also growing well in the nur-
series of Messrs. R. Veitch and Son, Exeter,
ng as easy to cultivate as the typical P. rosea,
this improved variety will soon find its way into
every garden, and deserves to become popular.

P. siKKTMENsis (Hooker). — A noble Himalayan
species inhabiting swamps of Northern India at
very high elevations. The accompanying illustra-
tion shows the leaf and the drooping habit of the
pale yellow flowers, borne in an umbel on an
arching stem often '21 feet to ;{ feet long. The
leaves are wrinkled and have the midrib widening
towards the base. P. sikkimeneis is an excellent
companion to P. japonica, and is one of the few
plants that will grow in the densest shade pro-
vided a rich, deep soil and abundance of moitture
are supplied. For the margin of a shaded pond
few things are more effective. It grows freely
from seed.

P. si'Ei.TAiiins (Trattinick). — .4 native of the
Tyrol, growing about (i inches high, and bearing
umbels consisting of about seven or eight rosy
purple flowers. The leaves are smooth and have
the margin entire and horny. It is a good rock-
garden plant of easy culture.

P. si'EiTAiuLis VAR. Clusiaxa (Tausch.).— A
native of the calcareous rocks of the Eastern
Alps, where it is often found at high elevations.
It is, nevertheless, one of the easiest to cultivate
in the rock garden. The flowers are large, bright
rosy crimson with white centre, and borne in large
umbels on a scape about S inches or 9 inches high.
The leaves also are more robust than those of the
typical P. spectabilis. It does well in chalk.
P. Stuarti (Wallich) — A Himalayan species.

growing

about 15 inches hit:h. The

of a deep golden yellow and disposed in umbels ;
leaves about 10 inches or more long, with a ser-
rated margin. The under side is covered with
mealy powder, but the upper side is smooth. It
does not flower till the second year.

P. Sti'arti rc'RPUKEA (Rcyle).— This is also a
Himala3'an species, much resembling the former,
but the colour of the flowers is a rich purple, and
under favourable conditions twenty-five to forty
blooms are produced in one umbel. The plant
re()uires plenty of moisture and at least partial
shade, but during winter it is apt to rot if not
protected against too much rain.

P. visio.sA (Villars).— This is also known as P.
villosa (Wulfen). It is found in abundance in
the mountains of Central and Southern Europe,
including the Pyrenees. It is one of our prettiest
rock plants and one of the easiest to grow. The
flowers are bright rosy purple, and appear in
large clusters only a few inches high. The leaves
are bluntly serrated. It objects ta chalk or lime,
and if planted on limestone rockwork, a few bits
of granite or broken sandstone mixed with the
soil will be found of great advantage.

P. visrosA \AR. cii.iATA (Schrauk). — An
excellent variety of the former and one of our
best rock plants, more robust than the type and
more free Howering. The flowers are purplish
rose in colour and appear in large clusters. The
leaves also are larger than those of P. viscosa and
are fringed with glandular hairs at the margin.
The sub- varieties P. v. ciliata purpurea ( Hort. ) and
P. V. ciliata coccinea ( Backhouse) are distinguished
by flowers of more brilliant crimson colours.
Several named hybrids of P. v. ciliata are also
excellent rock plants and easy to cultivate.

P. VISCOSA VAR. iiiK.srTA (AUioni). — This has
pale mauve flowers with a white centre. The
leaves are dentate and covered by a soft pubes-
cence.

P. VISCOSA VAR. NIVALIS (Hort.). — A charming
sub-variety with pure white flowers, excellent;
for level spots in the rook garden, where it
flowers protusely in early spring.

P. visinsA VAR. i-EDEMoXTAXA (Thomas).— A
very desirable variety bearing heads of rosy
purple flowers with yellow eye. It is easily
grown and should be in every rock garden.

P. \ iLoARis (Hudson) (syn , P. acaulis,.
Jacquin).— The common Primrose of our woods
and banks, a description of which is superfluous.
Neither need I refer to the numerous garden
forms in all colours and with single and double
flowers, the names of which alone would fill many
pages.

P. WuLFENiAXA (Schott). — Another excellent
rock plant preferring calcareous soil. The
flowers are large, deep purple, disposed in umbels
of about five flowers each. Being one of the
easiest to grow, it should be in every rock garden.
It does best planted in a slanting position.

Ehmide, Exeter. F. W. Meyer.

Orchids.

CCELOGYNE CRISTATA.
I SHALL be glad if you will kindly give me
some hints as to the cultivation of this Orchid.
I do not succeed with it so well as I should
Uke.-M. R.

*jf* The most frequent mistake in the culture
of tnis Orchid is repotting too often, the nature
of the roots being ditt'erent to that of those
of many other kinds in that they are longer
lived and more persistent. It also appears lo-
derive its sustenance more directly trom the
roots, and when these are disturbed or damaged
in any way the result is at once apparent in
the shrivelled pseudo-bulbs. Jn this the plant
diti'ers from Dendrobes of many kinds, Cattieyas.
and others that seem to draw more sustenance
from the atmosphere. The growths in this,
latter case seem to be more dependent upon the
tier of roots that conies from each individually,
the older ones dying as a rule after the first
year, so that if repotting takes place just at
the time new roots are being emitted the plant
scarcely feels the removal. When repotting is.
seen to be necessary it must b^ carefully done,
and while leaving nothing behind on the roots,
that is likely to decay or become sour, disturb-
them as little as possible. It is best to give,
a fairly large pot or pan and a rather thin layer
of compost, as it is easy to add to the latter as.
it becomes necessary without again disturbing
the plants. Fill up to within a couple ol
inches of the rim with clean crocks for a,
pan say 12 inches in diameter, using rather less
or more for larger and smaller sizes. Many
successful cultivators use a good percentage o£
loam in the compost for this Coelogyne, but i
would not advise its use by beginners in its.
culture. The compost I use even for large
plants 4 feet across is made up of about equal
parts of peat fibre, Sphagnum Mots, and naif
decayed leaf soil, plenty of large rough lumps,
of charcoal being added as potting proceeas.
In this light and well aerated medium the roota
run very freely, and the plants show, by the
healthy deep green of the foliage and the
large pseudo-bulbs, that the treatment is.
to their taste. At least once in two years large
plants require to be gone over and all old and
shrivelled pseudo-bulbs cut clean out with a.
sharp knife. They must be cut close down on
the rhizome, yet without injuring the latter,
for if carelessly done and part of the pseudo-
bulbs be left on, this soon decays and makes the
surrounding compost sour. At the same time
the last made pseudo-bulbs may be pegged down.

NovKiiBER 7, 1896.]

THE GARDEIM.

377

adding a little new compost where
and arranging the leads so as to form a well-
balanced specimen and leave no bare places.
The closer proximity of the bulbs to the new
material thus brought about will strengthen
them considerably, and many an old and ne-
glected specimen has been rejuvenated in this
way without disturbing a single root of any con-
seiiuence. Smaller plants in poor condition,
on the other hand, ought not to have any of the
pseudo-bulbs removed. They require them all,
and to cut one away is to weaken the plant. I
do not mean to say leave any on that are quite
decayed and dried up, as these are of course of
no benefit to the plant, but any that show the
slightest signs of life or are at all likely to con-
tain any sap must be left on. The same with
the roots. Leave every bit that has any life in
it, and where possible keep a little of the best
of the old material about them. Fix them
firmly in the compost mentioned above and
place the plants at once in a nice moist and
warm atmosphere. When re-established, the
best of all positions for the plants is a shady,
moist house, kept not quite so high as the usual
Cattleya temperature, where they have always
plenty of air moving about them. Keep the
foliage free of insects and water freely at the
roots. This will induce a free, yet solid growth,
and such plants are sure to bloom profusely at
the proper season. For very large old speci-
mens a little weak manure water may be helpful
when the bulbs are finishing, but this is not ne-
cessary for small plants. Although during the
resting season a little care is necessary with the
water supply, the roots must never be allowed
to become quite dry, this treatment being very
weakening and unnecessary. — H. R.

IiBelia Dayana. — This is a variable and beau-
tiful Orchid, a native of Brazil. The blossoms
occur on terminal scapes, usually one-flowered,
and last about a fortnight in good condition. The
sepals and petals are purplish rose, the lip white
in the centre, with radiating lines of purpli-, and
a purple blotch in front. Grown at the cool end
of the Cattleya house it blooms during the present
and succeeding months, and has a briglit and
pretty effect in the flowering house. It is best
giown in .«ma.ll pans or baskets in a compost of
good peat and Sphagnum, only a little of this
being needed over abundant drainage.

Cypripedium amandum. — Though one of
the older hybrids, this is very distinct and pretty,
and the plant, moreover, is of free and vigorous
growth. The dorsal sepal is greenish yellow,
margined with white and having many stripes of
green and purple. The petals are reddish brown
above, yellow below, the pouch bright yellow with
a suggestion of purple and veined with green and
purple. It thrives well at the cool end of the
Cattle3'a house in a compost of equal parts of peat,
loam and Moss, with a plentiful addition of
crocks, and must be kept well watered all the
year round. C. amandum was raised by Mr.
T. C. Bowring, of Windsor, and first flowered in
18S9.

Laelia acuminata rosea. — This is a pretty,
deeply coloured form of the type, with flowers of
a delicate mauve-purple on the sepals and petals,
the lip having a deep maroon blotch in the centre.
The=e occur at the ape.x of growth on spikes
about 15 inches in length. It has a very natural
appearance grown on rough blocks of Apple or
Pear wood with the bark left on, these being sus-
pended from the roof and the plants allowed to
take their own way, only a little Moss being
needed above the roots. So treated, I have seen
a large plant with upwards of a dozen spikes
thrown out in all directions, and a most beau-
tiful plant it was. It is a native of Mexico, and
ma be treated as advised for L. anceps. — R.

Odontoglossiim Rossi. — This is now in
bloom in variety, and, common as it is, yet it

could ill be spared from our collections. The
flowers last a long time in good condition, and
fortunately do not distress the plants as is the
case with some other kinds. They are produced
about four together on short erect scapes and
vary so much that to describe one form would be
misleading. It is one of the easiest to grow,
thriving well in the coolest house in small pots or
pans in the usual mixture for.Odontoglots. It
requires plenty of water all the year round,
especially when the spikes are forming in the
centre of the growths. It is a native of Mexico
and was introduced in 1842.

Cypripedium niveum. — Very chaste and
beautiful are the flowers of this delightful little
Cypripedium, and the fine foUage enhances their
beautv considerably. They occur on short stems,
usually singly, and" are of the purest white, with
the exception of a few small brownish dots on the
sepals. Like all in this section, the roots like to
ramble about over rough pieces of limestone or
some similar material, for even if there is no
virtue in the lime, the rough, uneven lumps form
just the kind of root-hold that suits this Cypripe-
dium. A thin surfacing only of the usual mixture
recommended for Cypripediums may be given,
and the plants should be afforded a shady and
very moist position in the East India house and
kept moist at the root all the year round.

Dendrobium chrysanthum.— The long, pen-
dent wreaths of flower produced by this Orchid
when grown in a natural manner are very beau-
tiful, and it is a great pity they do not last more
than about ten days or a fortnight. The petals
are bright orange-yellow, the downy lip be-
ing similar, with deep shining maroon blotches,
one on each side, at the base. These occur at
every node in bunches of two or three and are
delicately scented. It is not by any means con-
stant in its time of flowering, but, as a rule, as
soon as the blossoms are past, the eyes at the base
of the stems push again and growth recommences.
If the plants are in need of repotting, do this
when the young shoots have attained 2 or 3 inches
in height and just before they commence to root.
If this is in early spring, so much the better, but
as often as not the plants are in full growth at
mid-winter. This is not at all harmful if they are
carefully treated and not overwatered at the root,
though, of course, progress will not be quite so
rapid as in the summer months. The roots ari-
large and require a well-drained and very open
CDinpost. Baskets are very suitable for the growth
of this Dendrobe, which may be grown with every
prospect of success in either the East India or
Cattleya house. It is an old species in cultiva-
tion and comes from Burmah.

CALANTHE BULBS ROTTING.
I SEND two pseudo-bulbs of Calanthe Veitch
hoping that you can inform me why they have
rotted off at the base in this unusual manner. I
have grown some two dozen plants of this Orchid
for the last seven years with perfect success, but
this season five plants have failed in the manner
shown. The Calanthes are potted in good loam,
rotted cow manure. Sphagnum and peat, with a
few quarter-inch bones over the crocks. No ex-
citing manures are ever given beyond one or two
applications of very diluted cow manure water
while the flower spikes are growing. The remain-
ing twenty plants of Calanthe have magnificent
bulbs and are throwing fine spikes of bloom. —
Lyminsteb.

*,* This troublesome rot is of very frequent
occurrence with Calanthes, and in the present
case appears to be due to overfeeding. Calanthe
vestita, one of the parents of this hybrid, is
seldom found in a state of nature other than as
an epiphyte, and is usually collected from the
arms and trunks of trees. Under cultivation it is
found to do better treated more like a terrestrial
plant, and is given a very substantial compost
and frequent doses of liquid stimulants. From a
commendable desire to increase the size of the
pseudo-bulbs and the number and quaUty of the

, cultivators often do too much to this,
with the result that the plants make a very fine
growth for a time, but become gorged, as it were,
with food that the roots cannot assimilate and
ultimately fall a prey to disease. It is far better
to be content with medium-sized pseudo-bulbs for
an indefinite time — the largest bulbs do not
always produce the finest flowers — than to have
them exceptionally large for a time and run the
risk of having the stock decimated by this disease,
which time after time I have noticed among
plethoric pseudo-bulbs such as "Lyminster"
sends. The infected bulbs should either be thrown
away or cut up for propagating, removing all
decayed portions of course, giving the healthy
plants a rather weaker description of com-
post next season. Before giving any liquid ma-
nure, make sure that the pots are quite full of
roots and again discontinue its use by the time the
pseudo-bulbs have done swelling before the
flower-spikes appear. In fact, unless very small
pots are used, I should be inclined to leave out
liquid stimulants altogether for a season or two,
and by keeping the plants from the first in an
almost unshaded position, endeavour to consoli-
date and ripen the pseudo-bulbs more thoroughly.
After the foliage has fallen, no water is required,
the pseudo-bulbs, if ripened as noted, containing
all the nutriment necessary to bring the flowers
to perfection. The roots, moreover, have by this
time lost the power of carrying moisture to the
plant, and if water is poured about the bases of
the pseudo bulbs it only hastens their decay. It
is imperative that Calanthes be kept warm and
dry during winter, the temperature on no con-
sideration being allowed to fall below 55° in ordi-
nary winter weather.

Tricliocentrum albo - purpureum. — This
pretty little Orchid is a native of Brazil and bears
at this season single-flowered scapes from the base
of the bulbs. The sepals and petals are narrow
and incurving, the lip pure white in ground
colour with a deep purple blotch on each side at
the base and a yellow centre. It requires careful
treatment, thriving best in small well-drained
pans, with only the least possible surfacing of
Moss and peat. Small rafts, too, make a good
holding, the roots having a great liking for wood
when the latter is fresh. It may be grown in the
lightest part of the Cattleya house.

Masdevallia amabilis.— This is one of the
most refined of the showy-flowered section and
also one of the freest flowering. It produces
fairly large flowers of a pretty bright carmine
hue, and these, being borne on long, thin stalks,
give the plant a very free and graceful appear-
ance. The pots for these species need not be
large, and the drainage material must fill nearly
the whole of the depth, a thin layer of peat and
Sphagnum only being required. The roots must
never be dried summer or winter. M. amabilis
is a Peruvian plant and first flowered in England
in 1874.

Goodyera discolor. — The flowers of this
little Orchid are now open, and although more
generally grown for the sake of the foliage than
the blossoms, yet the latter are pretty and delicate
looking. They are of the purest glistening white
on the sepals and petals, the lip being marked in
the centre with a bright yellow blotch. The
plants do best in a moist shady house in a good
heat and look very pretty grown in 6 inch pots or
pans. The best compost consists of peat fibre,
loam and Sphagnum, with plenty of crocks and
charcoal intermixed, and the plants should be
divided and replanted in early spring. When
growing freely, plenty of water is necessary, as the
more quickly the plants are grown the richer the
colour the foliage assumes.

Phalsenopsis Esmeralda.— A good, deeply-
coloured form of this pretty Moth Orchid is in
flower with me now, the erect scapes carrying
nine and eleven flowers respectively. The sepals
and petals are a pretty bright purple, the lip
much deeper in colour, with the usual yellow
markings on the side lobes. A small-habited

378

THE GATJDEN.

[November 7, 1896.

iilant, yet easily grown in a suitable house, this
Phahenopsis deserves a place in every collection.
The best way to grow it is in small hanging
flaskets, so that the air can play all around and
.sbout them, this being even more important than
the light. In proof of this, quite recently I saw a
f ne lot of plants that had been growing upon the
stage cjuite close to the light,' where they were
not exactly satisfactory. These were suspended
from the roof, and now a healthier or more
promising lot of pUnts it would be hard to find,
vet they are not more than :? inches or 4 inches
"nearer the glass, and are growing well within the
metropolitan fog district. The baskets must be
well drained, and nothing but clean Sphagnum
Moss and charcoal or crocks need be used as
compost. Xo drying oil is needed by this Orchid,
the roots being kept just moist all through the
winter and an exciting tempersiture avoided.
When well established and growing freely during
the summer, a plentiful supply of water is needed.
V. Esmeralda was introduced about ten years ago
from Cochin China. — R.

Stove and Greenhouse.

THE STOVE ARISTOLOCHIAS.
Tin.-; singular class of plants is in some respects
at a disadvantage, in that the flowers are of
no value for cutting because of their fugitive
character, as well as by the decidedly offensive
odour emitted by some of the species. It is as
climbers that they must be grown if success is
to be achieved. The better plan is to train
them neir the glass, a good method being to con-
duct the shoots upwards towards the apex of
the roof. In no case, however, should too much
shade be given them, otherwise it will be at the
expense of the flowers. A. elegantissima (or
A. elegans) will 1)ear to have several shoots taken
up in a comparatively close compass, as it is
only a moderate grower, the leaves quite .small
compared to those of some others, but between
it and any other climber there should be room
for light and air, as any tendeny to overcrowd-
ing will be an inducement to red spider. This
species is very free-flowering, producing a large
number of its really handsome blooms, which
fortunately have not the unpleasant perfume
of A. gigas var. Sturtevanti. A. elegans is an
excellent variety to grow in the average stove
house where room is at all limited. In a cut
state its flowers will last fairly well for one or
two davs. It can be grown either in pots or
planted out, the tendency of the latter system
being to produce growth too freely. A. gigas,
as it used to be known some twenty-five years
back, is of stronger growth and not such branch-
ing habit ; it has not a sweet perfume certainly,
but its flowers are very pretty and curious.
The variety of A. gigas known as A. Sturte-
vanti is the giant of the family, with immense
flowers, which, with the tail-like appendage,
attain to nearly 4 feet in length, the flower itself
being nearly, or quite, 18 inches wide and of
greater length ; it is veined with dark velvety
maroon on a lighter ground'. The immense
flowers are produced with freedom under good
cultivation. The best position for it is on the
roof of a lofty stove, or one in which aquatic
plants are grown, as the moisture of the
latter is most congenial to it. During growth
water freely ; at other periods be cautious
in this respect. Aristolochias wiU all thrive in
peat and loam. The enemy most to be dreaded is
the red spider. SoiTinio.\.

liaar-QBtinus for winter decoration.— I do
not think the value of the Laurustinus as a pot
plant for winter work is so well known as it
-hould be. I have several large bushes in 8-inch

and 9inch pots which at the present time are
loaded with their pearly, chaste-looking flowers.
I find them most useful for standing in ornamen-
tal pots on the drawing-room floor ; in this posi-
tion one gets a full view of the top of the plant
and of every truss of bloom. The old sort with
its pinky white flowers is worth pot culture, but
is surpassed in delicacy of colour by the newer
French white. Plants are easily raised in open

rooted varieties of Begonia which are now so
popular. In late summer and early autumn its
bright-coloured blossoms are very attractive
among the usual occup.mts of the greenliouse.
This Begonia forms an upright, sparsely-branched
plant 'J feet or so in heiglit. The stems are
succulent in character and clothed with rather
blight green leaves, while the blossoms, rich
reddish-pink in colour, are borne in small axil-

Aristolochia ijigas Sturtevanii.

beds from cuttings, and make nice bushes in a |
couple of seasons, being best plunged in ashes '
during the summer months and assisted now and
then with liquid manure. — J. C.

Begonia gracilis Martiana. — The Begonia
grown under the above name, whether distinct or
not from the typical B. gracilis, is certainly a
very desirable kind, and one very difi'erent in
appearance from the general run of tuberous-

lary clusters for some distance along the stem.
This latter feature is a very noticeable one, being
so different from most Begonias. In the axils of
the leaves, too, are borne great numbers of small
bulbils, which afford a ready means of propagat-
ing this Begonia. B. gracilis was introduced
from Mexico in 1829 by Mr. P. Neil, of Cannon-
mills, Edinburgh, but it has never become
a popular plant. — H. P.

November 7, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

379

MOSS SYSTEM OF LAYERING
CARNATIONS.

I SHOULD be very much obliged to receive an
answer in The Garden to the following : What is
the Mob? system of layering Malmaisons as men-
tioned by Mr. J. Crawford in The G.\rdex, Oc-
tober 17?— R. M.

*,* Layering ilalmaison Carnations by the
mossing system is performed as follows : In
July, as soon as the plants have done flowering,
they are placed on the north side of a span-roofed
greenhouse running east and west. The best shoots,
which by this time have become somewhat
hardened, are selecttd for layering. A few of the
lowermost leaves are first removed, after which a
slit is made in an upward direction halfway
through the diameter of the shoot, putting the
knife, which should be a sharp one, in just below
a joint and taking it up through the next joint.
A little Sphagnum Moss — any other dense fiesh
Moss will do— is then wedged in to keep the in-
cision from closing, the whole being then encom-
passed with more Moss and tied securely round with
soft matting. Both the Moss and plants are
syringed daily for a month, by which time the
young roots will be sesn protruding through the
Mo-s. Detachment must then take place, each
plant being placed in a small pot. Moss and all,
using a nice sandy loamy compost, with a sixth
part leaf mould added. Small pots are advisabb,
as then the young roots soon permeate the soil,
and a •) J-inch pot can be given in November. The
same shady position is essential until the roots are
working freely into the new soil, wlien removal to
the south side of the house and a little more air
will be beneficial. If the house is dark and very
damp naturally, the plants had better be re-
moved to a lighter and drier structure in
December, or spot and fungus are liable to
attack them. Do not keep the roots too wet in
winter, and smoke with tobacco paper mildly
two nights in succession if green fly puts in an
appearance. Unless pits or frames can be spared
into which the old plants can be planted for layer-
ing, the mossing system is far better than turning
them out into open borders as formerly, as since
our summers and autumns are so uncertain,
great risk is incurred by adopting this plan. I
have increased my Malmaisons by mossing for
some J ears past, and, as a rule, 90 per cent, of the
layers root satisfactorily. I also treat a percentage
of my ordinary Tree Carnations in the same way in
January, and so obtain large bushes which bloom
early in autumn and are most profitable. I have
now a nice batch of the new Malmaisons which
were all rooted in the same way.— J. Cr-\\vkoed.

Chrysanthemums.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT LEWISHAM.
The Ryecroft Nursery, Lewisham, is one of those
interesting centres of Chrysanthemum cultiva-
tion which a large number of admirers of the
autumn favourite annually visit, the novelty
hunter in particular. Besides Chrysanthemums,
the Ryecroft Nursery has justly gained a reputa-
tion for its Begonias and Pelargoniums, but with
these we are not at present concerned. The
Chrysanthemums at the present will amply repay
a visit, and are housed in the three large glass
structures usually devoted to the purpose. In the
largest of the greenhouses the plants are well
arranged, with a winding path down the middle.
The plants are dwarf, and the majority of them
well in bloom, although there are macy yet to
open. Recent novelties that showed signs of
promise have been given a second and even a third
year's trial, and most of the 1896 introductions
are to be seen. The collection at the time of our
visit was mainly composed of Japanese, although
here and there some new fine examples of the
most recent incurved varieties were on view.

Very attractive in its rich golden yellow tone
is Marjory Kinder, a long petalled Japanese. '

F. Vercelonne is a large Japanese, with medium-
grooved florets, incurving and curly, colour rosy
lilac. Mrs. McGee is a Japanese of American
origin, a very pretty shade of pale blush. Sun-
flower is good and rich. Pallanza, somewhat
similar, is another. C. H. Curtis, the yellow in-
curved, fully maintains its reputation, and A. H.
Fewkes, an American kind, is also very pure and
rich in its golden shade of deep yellow. In
brightly coloured novelties that are now well
known, the Shrimpton and the Seward families
are conspicuous, and do much to brighten up a
collection, be it large or small. Pride of Mad-
ford is big, massive, and rich in colouring. It is
a Japanese incurved of a pleasing rosy amaranth
shade, having a reverse of silvery pink. Herbert
Cutbush is new, a large Japanese, rich yellow,
shaded carmine-bronze. A flower of immense
size that will be sure to attract the attention of
exhibitors is Australie, less rich in colour than
Pride of Madford, but, nevertheless, quite as
bold a flower. M. Desblanc, a seedling of de
Reydellet, looks like a valuable addition to the
old show incurved class, although the florets are
a little flat ; the colour, however, is warm and
rich, and may be described as a salmon- bronze.

In new white varieties already seen, but not
widely known. Lady Byron, Lady Esther Smith,
Mutual Friend, Mme. Calvat, Mrs. H. Weeks,
and Pride of Maidenhead are all good and of large
size and substance. Gold Dust is anew American
hairy variety, a very'ricn shade of golden yellow,
and a noteworthy addition to its class. Calvat's
Australian Gold is very pale in colour, and the
same raiser's Boule d'Or is represented by several
good examples. A. Payne is a Japanese incurved,
very full and double, with great length of floret,
the colour silvery pink. Mrs. C. J. Mills is
curious, a Japanese, with very long intermingling
florets, globular in build, and of a pure paper-
white, a colour that has during the last four or
five years received many substantial additions,
and ones that will require great skill on the part
of raisers to surpass. Baron Ad. de Rothschild is
a large Japanese, also a white, florets narrow,
but very massive. One of the best American
novelties is Modesto, a Japanese incurved, with
I very broad grooved florets, deeply built and of a
rich golden yellow. Amiral Avellan, another
I yellow Japanese already known, is good, but one
, of the prettiest shades of colour to be found
among the novelties of the past two years is the
delicate salmon- blush of the incurved Japanese
Mrs. Briscoe Ironside. Western King, an Ameri-
I can variety and a seedling from Niveum, is highly
I thought of, the colour pure paper-white.

Of late there have not been many important
additions to the hairy race, but we noticed
I Eboris, a rosy carmine, with reverse tipped and
shaded gold, as something new and of promise.
I Edith Tabor, the new English yellow Japanese, is
'■ grown at Lewisham, and also Milano and Lago
I Maggiore, new seedlings raised last year by Mr.
Briscoe-Ironside from seed saved from plants
grown during his residence in Italy. Emily Sils-
I bury, a novelty certificated last season, looks like
becoming a keen competitor with Mile. Therfese
Rey, being of the same delicate shade of white.
Some other promising novelties are to be found in
I the Ryecroft collection, but space is only left for
a brief mention of them, and many of them will no
doubt be heard of again. They are Beauty of
Adelaide, pale lilac-mauve : M. Constant, Frank
Ashman, Mme. de Vardon, Vainqueur du Daho-
mey, M. Fernand Denis, E. Rosette, M. Geraud,
Lucille Mathieu de la Drune, a yellow Japanese
incurved, recently certificated by the I'rench
N.C.S. ; Gabriel Delorme, Souvenir de Jules
Richard, Mme. Gustavo Henry, YalMe de Bay-
gorry, lalene, Mme. Eschenauer, and a few more.
The collection will be on view for some weeks
yet, but advantage should be taken of the time
before the rush of exhibitions takes place.

Chrysanthemuin Mtce. Therese Bey.— A

correspondent lately stated that this variety was
very apt to produce blind buds, which is certainly
very disappointing. I have had it ever since it

was sent out, and always find that tarminal buds
do much better than crown buds, also that it re-
quires bringing on very gradually and does not
like the heat of a greenhouse, as is often given to
get the blooms to full size for the early shows.
The majority of my Chrysanthemums are kept out
in the open air till the end of October, with a view
to retarding the bloom to as late a date as pos-
sible, and I find that Mme. Therese Rey is just
suited by the treatment, as after all it is really a
late variety. Blooms that are seen at the No-
vember shows are often badly coloured, being far
too green, which, in my opinion, completely spoils
them. When housed, abundance of light is essen-
tial, the blooms invariably being inferior both in
symmetry and colour if opened in semi-dark fruit
houses.— C. C. H.

Chrysanthemum Emily Silsbury.— Those
growers who secured this variety early in the
year have good reason to congratulate themselves
on their good fortune. The blossoms which have
already developed have exceeded the most
sanguine anticipations, and there is good reason
to believe thej- will stand in good stead in soma
of the severe competitions of the present season.
When first opening the buds give little promise,
but as they develop it is surprising the quantity
of florets which continue to expand. In some
quarters it is expected this variety will take the
place of Mile. Ttierese Rey at the earlier Novem-
ber shows, and, judging from some blooms recently
seen, there is every prospect of seeing some fine
full and deep flowers. This variety is of easy cul-
ture, pure white, with long florets of good width
and gracefully curling. It will be found an ideal
Power. For market it will be one of the best,
coming in for late October work. The growth is
not by any means so strong as in most of the
Japanese sorts, yet sufficiently strong to develop
flowers of large size on comparatively slight wood.
-C. A. H.

SHORT NOTES.— CHRYSANTHEMUMS.

Chrysanthemum Dolly.— Growers on the

look out for a pretty little pompon will find this worth
growing. The plant has a good habit, and produces
charmiDg little blossoms of a light canary-yellow.

Chrysanthemum Emily Silsbury, the new
white Japanese, is somewhat similar to Mile. Tberese
Rey. The tips of the florets are curly. There is the
faintest yellow tinge in the centre in its early sta^e.

Chrysanthemum Mrs. Briseoe-Ironside.—
A Japanese incurved, large andsohd. The florets are
of medium widtli, but very closely incurved. The
colour is pale salmon-blush, very delicate and pure.

Chrysanthemum Dr. Benny.— This is one of
the nost delicate novelties we have seen for sime
time. It is a seedling raised in Scotland and \3 a
Japanese incurved in build ; colour pale sulphur-
yellow, tinted golden in the centre, grooved florets and
a tall grower.

Chrysanthemum Baronne de Buflfieres
is a Japanese incurved, with twisted and curly grooved
florets. The colour is best described as a beautiful
shade of salmon-pink. There is a peculiarly refined
appearance in this vaiiety which is generally lacking
in the Japanese incurved.

Chrysanthemum Australie —This originated
in the colonies and is one of the giants of the season.
We have as yet seen nothing to equal it in s ze. The
colour is a dull rosy mauve, with a reverse cf siWer ;
fijrets very broad. For niassiveness the exhibit.r
could scarcely hope to find its equal.

Chrysanthemum Calvat's Australian
Gold is a newly-introduced variety that is destined to
occupy a high place in English collections. It is very
deep, with long, curly and twisted florets, and belongs
to the Japanese type. It is well named, for the thade
of yellow is a pale golden colour.

Chrysanthemum Pride of Madford as an
exhibitor's flower improves upon acquaintance. It is
a big, solid Japanese incurved bloom of i nusually
large dimensions. The florets are Iroad, veined and
deeply grooved, bold y incurving. The inside colour
is a rich shade of rosy amaranth, with a s-ilvery rosy
reverse. Its origin is Austrafian, but the raiser's name
has n't transpired.

Chiysanthemum Gladys Eoiilt.—This new
decorative sort, grown without disbuddir.g, is a very

380

THE GARDEN.

[November?, 189G.

charmiug little white flower with narrow florpts.
Grown in the ordinary ^>ay and disbudded, leaving
about eight <r ten blossoms, the plant is a handsome
acquisition for rase work or for beautifying the conser-
vatory. In this « ay i he flowers each measure 3 inches
or 4 inches in diameter, and are of a corresponding
depth. It is of n-ce dwarf habit.

Chrysanthemum Nathan Smith's White.
— This is a se-Hiling rai.-ed bv Messrs. X;it lan
Smith and Co., Adrian, U.S A. It is a large flower
with florets of medium length and i-atber broad at the
ends, which are deeply forked. The blooms are of
great depth and substance, and on this account it is
worth growing as a new sort for exhibition. It grows
about oh feet high.— C.

Chrysanthemum Eynsford "W/iite.— This
comparatively old white variety is in gi'od condition
this season, the blossoms developing freely and evenly.
The flowers are full and of a most desirable form.
^^ ith the introduction of so many large and handsome
new white sorts this vavieiy is no longer needed (or
exhibition. As a decorative sort or for market work,
however, it is worthy of extended culture.— C.

Chrysanthemum Miss Dorothea Shea.—
The colour of this Kuglish-raised seedling is very
briarht this sea5on. The flowers in which this is so
noticeable )..romise to be some v{ the best of the kind
yet CTOwn, the flore-s boiii- particularlv long aud the
blooms of great .-ubst.iiice. A special interest at-
taches to this variety owingto its being one of the tirst
plints raised in this coiiutry from specially hybridised

Chrysanthemum Mrs. Biehard Jones —

The present season piom:se3 to be rather prolific in
the introduction of good white flowers. The variety
under notice is one of exceptional merit, and its good
quahties are likely to be upprecia ted when seen on the
exhibition thbls. The flowers are of the purest white,
and when ti. ished of imraense depth. Cuttings
struck late in the season and Anally sh'fted into
6-inch and S-inch pots are developing good flowers.—

Chrysanthemum "Western King.- This is
of American origin. The florets are long, broad, and
incnrv-ing, and of sreat substance. Tt belongs to the
Japanese incurved section, where it will be esteemed.
The character of the flower will, perhaps, be better
appreciated when it is stated to be a cross between
The Queen and Xiveum, the characteristics of these
two sorts being well kn^wn to most growers. To be
seen in i s best f,.rm,this variety, wi.ich is of easy cul-
ture, should be grown on strongly and a late bud

Societies and Exhibitions

XATIOXAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY.

XoVE.MBER 3 -IXD 4.

One of the two exhibitions to c=lebrat9 the
jubilee of this important eocisty commenced on
Tuesday last under favourable conditions. For
months past considerable interest in the few more
important classes has been manifested by growers
throughout the country. There were thirty
Chrysanthemum classes and twenty four fruit
and vegetable classes on this occasion, taxing the
resources of the Royal Aijuarium to accommodate
the large and varied ii^t of subjects. The com-
petition in almost every instance was very keen,
the numerous entiies in some classes making quite
a show in themselves. This was specially notice-
able in the class for twenty-four Japanese distinct,
where there were no less than thirty-thrte com-
pstitors out of thirty-five who had entered.

Taking the show as a whole, it was a fitting
celebration of the jubilee of the society, and was
only marred by the bad arrangement on the
ground floor. It is to be regretted that classes in
which the chief interest was centred, such as the
two premier ones for sixty Japanese distinct and
sixty incurved distinct, and more especially the
large group, which is one of the finest features at
these exhibitions, were relegated to the side
galleries upstairs, and where a large majority of
the public would be very likely to mis-s them.
There mayhavebcen a difficulty in findingadequate
accommodation on the ground floor of the main

uilding for the griuf* dn this occasion, owing to

the circular form in which they were to be ar-
ranged. The London County Council insist on a
gangway of a certain width always beir<,r kept free
for the public, and because of this, and also owing
to the peculiar formation of the ground floor space,
it was entirely out of the question. But there
wa.s no excuse for placing the two premier cut
bloom classes in the north-east gallery, as there
was ample space for the display in the body of
the main building had the large collection of mis-
cellaneous exhibits baen placed elsewhere. Pota
toes, fruits, and other subjects are always appre-
ciated at large exhibitions, but in the preeent
case the Chryranthemum had prior right to the
very best positions in the building, and on this
account should not have been ousted by subjects
quite foreign to the object for which the society
was brought into existence. There appears to be
a growing tendency to foster a large disp'ay of
these foreign subjects, which can have no other
result than that of preventing the fuller and more
rapid development of the Chrysanthemum. A
ground plan of the arrangement of the tables and
(•pace occupied by the society and the classes in
each instance noted would have been very useful,
and would also have assisted considerably in
locating them without wandering all over the
building to find any one particular class. This
refers entirely to the Chrysanthemum exhibits.
The fruits and vegetables in the competing
classes were arranged in St. Stephen's Hall.

Regarding the display of cut flowers, the im-
pression seemed pretty general that these did not
come up to the expectations of the enthusiist,
neither was the standard so high as that of the
last two years. Of course there were a few excep-
tions to this rule, in which instances they stood
out conspicuously from amongst the other stands.
The Japanese flowers, as usual, largely prepon-
derated. The exhibits of Japanese blossoms in
vases were quite a pleasing feature, and one which
the society might well encourage, as showing
the practical uses to which the large flowers can
be put, and forming a pleasing contrast to the
recognised manner of arranging them in the un-
interesting way which now so generally obtains.
The vases in competition for the gold medal
offered by the National Chrysanthemum Society
of America were very beautiful, displaying a noble
and eli'cctive arrangement. The large table of
vases staged by two well-known specialists were
also much admired, the beautiful colours, and the
purity and excellence of the better stand being
appreciated by many. Plants and groups were
very good. Of the latter, the dispUy was good,
but groups of a circular form, especially within a
limited compass, do not lend themselves to an
effective arrangement. More space was wanted in
order to set olf the arrangement to advantage.
Plants were in fine form, both Japanese varieties
and pompons being well represented. Decoiative
clasr-es were not very numerous, but the quality
was of about the usual standard. The second show
is more especially reserved for the display of the
decorator's art. One very pleasing feature was
the clothing of the large fountains with plants and
blossoms of the Chrysanthemum, associated with
fine foliaged plants. That at the southern end
was quite a picture. Fruits and vegetables were
well and numerously shown, the greater part of
St. Stephen's Hall being required to accommodate
them. Collections of vegetables were largely
shown, while in the minor classes for individual
subjects there were enormous entries, the bulk of
the exhibits coming from over the border. Fruits
were well shown, and Grapes particularly so. The
miscellaneous exhibits comprised a great variety
of subjects; these made an interesting addition
to the show.

PLANT.S.

The class for a group of Chrysanthemums in
pots, any varieties, associated with finefoliaged
plants, brought out five competitors, and these
were arranged down the western gallery. In this
position they were not seen to advantage during
the daytime, as the only light available was from
a skylight in the roof, and from which it was not
posBible to see the full beatify of each exhibit.

The groups were arranged in a circle 12 feet in
diameter and were primarily for effect. This was
somewhat easily won by Mr. H. J. Jones, Rye-
croft Nursery, Lewisham, S.E., with a bold and
handsome arrangement. The group was arranged
as a large mound, surmounted by a magnificent
piec3 of Kentia Belmoreana. The Chrysanthe-
mums in this group were equal to any exhibited
as cut blooms and were all of the latest novelties
with the exception of a few plants. The mort
prominent flowers were Modesto, a grand, new,
deep 'rich yellow; Australie, Western King, a
chaste, incurved white Japan' se ; W. Wright,
very large and spreading ; Admiral Avellan, Mrs.
Cover, Mrs. Weeks and Lady Byron. Fine-
foliaged plants were freely associated with the
Ohrjsanthemums, and included many beautiful'
pieces of Croton, Cocos Weddelliana, Dracaena,
Adiantum Farleyense, besides many other beautiful
plants. A fringe of Selaginella, Ficus repens,
Panicum variegatum, &c., finished off a superb
and noble group. Mr. W. Howe, gardener to
Mr. Henry Tate, Park Hill, Streatham, was
second with a very pretty group, very bright
flowers, and nice, fresh and healthy-looking fine-
foliaged plants. The class for nine plants of large-
flowered varieties brought out four competitors,
Mr. D. Donald, gardener to Mr. J. G. Barclay,
Leyton, being first with superb examples. The
plants were rather flatly trained, which some-
what spoilt their beauty, otherwise they were
freely flowered, nicely clothed wiih foliage and
carrying good blooms. His best plants were
Viviand More), Charles Davis, J. Shrimpton, Col.
W. B. Smi;h and Margot. A good second was
found in Mr. J. Brooks, igardener to Mr. W. Rey-
nolds, The (Jrove, Highgate, with handsome
plants, neatly tied, showing extra excellene^e. Two
plants only partially developed spoilt this exhi-
bitor's chance of premier honours. Two extra fine
plants were Maidens Blush and Gloire du Rocher,
freely flowered and very clean. Mr. Donald was
again first for six trained pompons, his plants
being of the highest order of merit and beautifully
finished. The sorts were William Westlake,
grand vellow ; Francis Bojce( Anemone pompon).
Yellow Mme. Marthe, W. Kennedy, superb, and
Sicur Melanie. Mr. Brooks was again second,
his plant of Adonis being very beautiful.
Cut Blooms.

There were eight competitors in the class fo""
sixty Japanese varieties distinct, Mr. W. Mease'
gardener to Mr. Alfred Tate, Downside, Leather
head, being first with a very beautiful and even
lot of blooms. They were fresh and in most in-
stances highly coloured, with florets of good size
and substance. The most noteworthy flowers in
his stand were M. Chenon de Leche, Australie,
Mons. Pankoucke, Viviand Morel, Mrs. Hermann
Kloss, Viscountess Harabledon, A. H. Wood (in
magnificent form), R. Owen (grand), Mrs W. H.
L^es, Miss Dcrothea Shea, beautifully coloured,
Pha-bus, Edith Tabor (superb), Mme. Carnot,
Modesto, Western King, Violetta, and Mutual
Friend. The return to form of this Liverpool
veteran was heartily welcomed by all growers.
Mr. W. H. Lees was a good second, his flowers
evidently being past their best. His stand con-
tained a magnificent lot of flowers, but lacked the
evenness which was characteristic of the premier
stand. The best flowers were Modesto, Edith
Tabor, Phobus, each of the=e yellow varieties
being seen in fine form, Emily Sihbury, Le
Moucherotte, Australie, Pride of Maflfird stnd
Elsie Teichmarn. TKe class for sixty incurved,
in not less than thirty »ix varieties, was well
filled, ten competitors entering. In this Mr.
Mease was again first with a good lot of flowers,
some of which were of immense depth. Of the
more frecent sorts, Olohe d'Or, C. B. Whitnall,
Major Bonaffon, R C. Kingston, C. H. Curtis, J.
Agate, D. B. Crane, Robt, Petfield. Brookleigh
Gem, Rcbt. Cannell (very good), and Baron Hirsch
were well shown. Mr. W. Higgs, gardener to Mr.
Hankey, Fetcham Park. Leatherhead, was a very
good second, showing C. H. Curtis in magnificent
form, while J. Agatte, Majer Btftlaffon, Barbn

NoVEili

1896.

THE GARDEN.

381

Hirscb, and Violet Tomlin were leprestnted by
ideal flowers. In the class for thirty-six Anemone-
flowered Chrysanthemums there were only two
competitors, premier honours resting with \lr. W.
: Skeggs, gardener to ilr. A. Motely, We?t Lodge,
i Karnet. The competition was restricted to twelve
' floweis of each type — large Anemones and
Japanese Anemones, and twelve pompon vanfties,
three blooms of each variety. The first were
charming, and were arranged in the back row of
' the board. Of the pompons, the best were Travers
i Bojce, E. Rowbottom, Astrea, Marie Stuart, and
. Bessie Flight ; Japanese Anemones — M. Dupan-
1 loup, W. W. Astor, Mme. Lawton, Queen Eliza-
! beth, Sir Walter Raleigh, Owen's Perfection, and
J. Bunyan ; large Anemones— M. Chas. Lebocqz,
Descartes, Delaware, Junon, very good, Judge
Benedict and Mile. N. Brun. For twenty-four
varieties of single Chryfanthemums there was
a good competition. The decorative value of
these blossoms was well illustrated in the simple
yet delightful way in which they were e.xhibited.
There were altogether eight lots in competition,
and premier honours fell to Mr. G. W. Forbes,
gardener to Mr. D. Xicols, Regent's House, Sur-
biton, with a very lovely collection. The most
conspicuous varieties were Alphonse, Mrs. D. B.
Crane, Miss Mary Anderson and its pale yellow
sport, MIfs Annie Holden, with ideal blossoms.
Rose Pink, Nora, The Echo, a most lovely colour,
Maud Robinson, Sarah Wells, and a charming
white flower. Snowdrift. Mr. G. Agate, Havant,
was a very good second, John Artes, rich terra-
cotta. May Jeal, and Ethel Sargeant being among
the best. The collection of old varieties was not
forthcoming, a difficulty evidently being experi-
enced in finding any varieties grown previous to
the formation of the society in 1846, In the class
1 for twenty-four bunches of Chrysanthemums as

I grown for market, in not less than six varieties
I only, there were two entries. Mr. Norman Davis,

Framfield Nursery, Uckfield, Sussex, was an
easy fiist, but he was disqualified, as his bunches
were wired. The best and most striking flowers
from a commercial point of view were Pallanza,
rich yellow ; Mrs. Briscoe-Ironside, flesh tinted ;
Miss Florence Lunn, a pretty little reflexed ; and
a beautiful single-flowered variety named Beauty
of Framtield, rich deep crimson, with bright yel-
low disc. The only other competitor was Mr.
F. G. Foster, Brockhampton Nurseries, Havant,
with a very poor sample of market varieties, for
which second prize was awarded. For twenty-four
incurved blooms, distinct, there were eleven com-
petitors, the leading position being taken by Mr.
T. Robinson, gardener to Mr. W. Lawrence, Els-
field House, Hollingbourne, with a nice even lot.
The best sorts were J. Agate, Princess of Wales,
D. B. Crane, Violet Tomlin, Brookleigh Gem,
C. H. Curtis (grand), Miss M. A. Haggas, and a
beautilul bloom of Mrs. R C. Kingston. Mr. H.
Butcher, gardener to Mr. C. Bass, Lodge House,
Smeeth, Ashford, was second with a lees even lot,
but containing grand flowers of C. H. Curtis, very
deep. Lady Dorothy, W. Tunnington, and D. B.
Crane. Nine lots were staged in the class for twelve
incurved distinct, Mr. Silas Cole (gardener to
Rt. Hon. Earl Spencer, Althorpe Park, North-
ampton) winning first prize with an even lot of
flowers, the best of them being J. Lambert, Globe
d'Or, Violet Tomlin, Mrs S Coleman and C. H.
Curti=. For twelve Japanese Anemone blooms,
Mr. J. Justice (gardener to Rt. Hon. Sir Richard
I Temple, The Nath, Kempsey, 'tt'orcester) was
I placed first among five competitors with a very

charming stand of flowers. The best blooms were
Sir Walter Raleigh, Enterprise, John Bunyan,
Nelson and Robin Adair. For twelve Japanese
blooms, distinct (open to amateurs only), Mr. J.
Stredwick, Silver Hill, St. Leonards, was first
with magnificent flowers, showing high cultural
skill and remarkable for their rich colour,
Phcebus, Mr. A. H. Neve, Chas. Davis, Mutual
Friend, Rose Wynne, Col. W. B. Smith, and
Mons. C. Molin being the best. The hairy
flowers were well represented by Mr. H. Love,
High Street, Sandown, Isle of Wight, who was
placed first with fine examples of Mrs. Dr. Ward,

Louis Boehmer and Hairy Wonder. In the class
for the best novelty in Chrysanthemums not pre-
viously exhibited, and for which six blooms were
asked, a pleasing stand of a variety named Lady
Isabel — a promising incurved Japanese flower,
colour white, tinted rose — was staged by an ex-
hibitor, but no award had been made. A most
remarkable display was made in the competition
for twenty-four Japanese, distinct, fur prizes
off'ered by Mr. H. J. Jones. There were in all
thirty-five entries, of which number thirty-three
put in an appearance. In the end Mr. Chas. Pen-
ford (gardener to Sir T. Fifzwjgram, M.P.,
Leigh Park, Havant) was placed first with a col-
lection of flowers, which in most instances did not
show any very remarkable features. The best of
his blooms were Chas. Davis, J. Shrimpton, Mme.
Carnot, Edith Tabor, Ph.L-bus, Col. W. B. Smith,
Ethel Addison, Reine d'Angleterre, Eva Knowles
and W. Seward. Mr. W. Messenger (gardener
to Rev. C. H. Berners) was second, with a nice
even lot, International (good). Duchess of
Wellington, Mme. Carnot and Mons. G. Biron
being his best. The classes for table decora-
tions were well filled, and made a bright
and pleasing contrast to the other formal
systems of exhibiting. For three epergnes, Mr.
W. Seale, Sevenoaks, was placed first with a
light, but somewhat indifi'erent system of arrange-
ment; Mr. W. J. Green, junr., Harold Wood,
E.-sex, being second, with a pretty combination
of yellow and orange-coloured blossoms and
autumnal foliage. The class for a vase filled with
six blooms of one variety cf Japanese brought
out a strong competition, the first prize being
secured by Mr. James Brookes, gardener to Mr.
W. J. Newman, Park House, Totteridge, with
white flowers, the second going to Mr. D. B.
Crane, who had lovely bright yellow flowers of
Duchess of Wellington, arranged with bright
pieces of scarlet Oak and overhanging pieces of
Asparagus and Smilax.

Miscellaneous.

Under this heading the most noteworthy was
the gorgeous display made by Mr. Norman Davis.
A large table was covered with English glass
vases and also those of Oriental design. These
were filled with typical blooms of all sections of
the Chrysanthemum, the flowers being remarkable
for their clear colour and the general excellence
throughout. Each vase was filled with one va-
riety and arranged with great taste and skill.
The beautiful new rich yellow Japanese Modesto
was in perfect form, also Western King, a very
chaste white. Others contained Pallanza, Mrs.
Briscoe-Ironside, smaller tubes being used for the
sirgle-flowered pompons and many excellent spe-
cimens of the Anemone types. Richly-coloured
fine-foliaged plants were charmingly associated,
and the stand fronted with this year's novelties.
A sil'^er-gilt medal was awarded, much surprise
being expressed at the poor recognition of such a
highly meritorious display. Mr. H. J. Jones also
had a table arranged somewhat similarly, with
stands of flowers of the leading novelties of the
season and individual blooms prettily interspersed
among fine-foliaged plants. This collection was
also given a silver-gilt medal. By far the best
arrangement of the fountains was this time
attempted by the Icthemic Guano Company, Ips-
wich, who decorated the southern fountain. Chry-
santhemums in pots and large exhibition blooms
were arranged in a noble and effective manner all
over, and these weresupplemented by fine-foliaged
plants, including some fine Crotons. This desir-
able acquisition was a distinct advantage to
the exhibition, and deservedly won the gold
jubilee medal for decorative effect. Messrs. H.
Cannell and Sons had a long table of new and
choice Chrysanthemums and some handsome
bunches of zonal Pelargoniums and flowering
Cannas (silver-gilt medal). Other medals were
also awarded to Mr. H. Shoesmith, Woking, who
had a nice bright lot of the leading novelties in
Chrysanthemums ; to Mr. W. J. Godfrey, Exmoutb,
Devon, for a large table of Chrysanthemums and
Calla Little G6m ; to Mr. R. Owen, Maidenhead,

I for a pretty table of new Chrysanthemums ; to
Messrs. James Veitch and Sons for a large group
of Chrysanthemums arranged in undulating form;
to Messrs. W. Cutbush and Sons for a large group
of Chrysinthemums and a collection of Apples ;
to Messrs. B. S. Williams and Son for a group
of Orchids and fine-foliaged plants artistically
arranged ; to Mr. T. J. Williams, for his rural
flower stands, and Messrs. Buchanan for their
highly coloured Vine leaves and Grapes. Tnere
were many other exhibits of a miscellaneous cha-
racter which largely contributed to make the first
of the jubilee shows of the National Chrysanthe-
mum Society a remaikably good one.

The gold medal of the N C S. of America, for a
vase of twelve Japanese flowers judged for their
commercial value, was won by Mr. P. Waterer,
Fawkham, Kent, for a large vase of Mile. Marie
Hoste, which were shown in splendid form. This
same gentleman also received a bronze medal for
a new idea for afBxing the names to blooms when
staged for competition.

Fruit.

The classes for Grapes brought forth a spiiited
competition, and the same remarks apply to the
hardy fruit. Apples, both dessert and cookirg,
were largely shown. Leeks and Potatoes were
far ahead of previous exhibits ; indeed vege-
tables formed an exhibition alone, and in most
cases the produce was very fine. For a collection
of fruit — nine distinct varieties — there was not a
strong competition considering the liberal prizes.
Mr. M. Gleeson, W'arren House Gardens, secured
the premier award and medal, having two grand
Pines, Cayenne and Rothschild, Muscat of Alex-
andria Grapes good in colour and berry, very
good black Grapes, Hero of Lockinge Melon,
Beuire Diel and Pitmaston Duchess Pears, well
coloured Blenheim Orange Apples, and a good
cluster of Bananas. The second priza went to
Mr. J. Hayes, Castle Ashby Gardens, Northamp-
ton, he having very good .-\licante (irapes, a
Queen Pine, a good dish of Strawberry Vicom-
tesse H. de Thury, Apples, Brown Turkey Figs,
and Red Currants. In the class for twelve
bunches of Grapes, in not less than four varieties,
some of our noted Grape growers had to take
sccDnd place. The first prize was secured by Mr.
Taylor, Tewkesbury Lodge Gardens, Forest Hill.
The Gros Maroc was grand in colour, size, and
finish, also Muscat of Alexandria and Alicante
very large and well coloured. Trebbiano was the
weakest dish. Mr. W. Taylor, gardener to
Alderman Chaffin, Bath, was second, his fruit
being much riper and not equal in size of berry.
The Madresfield Court was fine in bunch and
berry, but a trifle past its best ; Muscat of Alex-
andria, excellent ; Alicante and Gros Maroc
good, with rather poor bunches of Cannon Hall
Muscat. Mr. Goodacre, Elvaston Castle Gardens,
Derby, was a good third, having good bunches of
Mrs. Pearson. For the Messrs. Thomson's prizes
for three bunches of Gros C'olman eight exhibitors
staged. Here, again, Mr. Taylor, Forest Hill,
was a good first, having very fine bunches perfect
in colour, berries large and splendidly finished ;
Mr. Tidy, Stanmore Hall Gardens, being a good
second. For the best three bunches of white
Grapes a large number of exhibitors staged,
Mr. W. Tidy being first and F. Cole second.
For black Grapes, three bunches, Mr. Taylor,
Forest Hill, was first, with superb bunches of
Alicante, berries large and without blemish, ilr.
Tidy being second with the same variety, but
having a little smaller berries of grand colour.
For SIX dishes ol dessert Apples no le=s than
twelve exhibitors staged, and the fruits were
really grand. Mr. King, Gatton Park, Reigate,
received the premier award, his dishes being per-
fect. Cox's Orange, Mother Apple, Cox's Pcmoria,
Blenheim Orange, Ribston, and King of the Pip-
pins being the varieties shown. Mr. Woodward,
Barbara Court, Maidstone, was a close second,
having Melon Apple, Brabant Bellefi^ur, Calville
Rouge, Ribston, Cox's, and Barnack Beauty.
Cooking Apples were equally numerous, no less
than eleven staging, and there wete few pobr

382

THE OAKDEN.

[November 7, ) 896.

dishes. Mr. Kinf; was again to the front and well
deserved the premier award, showinfr The Queen,
Peasgood's Nonsuch, Bramley's Seedling, Beauty
of Kent, Blenheim, and Cox's Pomona. Mr.
Woodward was second with excellent Stone's,
Lane's Prince Albert, Emperor Alexander, Belle
Dubois, Waltham Abbey, and Peasgood's Non-
such. Pears, though less numerous, were excel-
lent. For six dishes, Mr. Thomas, Bargains Hall,
Kxlersham, was first, having grand dishes of
Pitmaston Duchess, very tine : Beurr<i Diel,
Columbia, excellent : Beurre Clairgeiu, Doyenni'
du Cornice, a grand dish, and Andre Leroy. Mr.
Woodward's second prize lot lacked size, but
as regards quality, hisBeurri- d'Anjou, B. Diel and
Doyenne du Cornice were superb, with a grand
dish of Emile d'Heyst.

Vei;etahi.ks.

The vegetable classes were more numerous,
owing to so many valuable special prizes being
given. The Messrs. Carter, Holborn, gave five
prizes for a collection of vegetables, ten distinct
kinds, and here were seen some of the best vege-
tables staged, no less than twenty lots being set
up. The premier award went to Mr. Beckett,
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. The vege
tables staged were superb ; the varieties shown
being Early Autumn Cauliflower, Scarlet Perfec-
tion Carrots, Holborn Leeks, Ailsa Craig Onion,
Perfection Tomato. Standard - bearer Celery,
Jertey Lily Turnip, Exhibition Brussels Sprouts,
and Goldfinder Potato. This was the finest lot of
vegetables we have ever seen. The second award
went to Mr. E. Brown, Langley House, Abbots
Langley : his dishes were less even, but good in
most respscts. Record Onion was very large.
Mr. Waite, Glenhurst, Esher, was third, he
staging the only dish of Seakale in the building.
For nine specimens of Record Onion, some
immenfe bulbs were staged, and Mr. Bower-
man was an easy first, having well finished
bulbs of great depth and weight and perfectly
sound. Mr. Pope, Highclere (iardens, New-
bury, was second with flatter bulbs. For
Messrs. Webb's prizes for a collection of nine
distinct kinds there was an equally strong com-
petition. Mr. Bowerman, Hackwood Park Gar-
dens, Basingstoke, secured the premier award,
every dish being perfect. There were excellent
Early Mammoth Cauliflower, Colossal Leek, Dark
Red Beetroot, Sensation Tomato, Prizetaker Brus-
sels Sprouts, Masterpiece Onion, Red Celery, and
a re-narkable dish of Defiance Carrot (an interme-
diate variety), and Satisfaction Potato, the whole
well set up and garnished. Mr. T. Wilkins, I
wood House, Dorset, was a close second, but he
lacked the Brussels Sprouts, a telling vegetable
at this season. He had fine Pearl White Celery,
good Cauliflowers, Leeks, and Onions, very excel-
lent Parsnips, and Six-week Turnip. For Messrs.
Harrison's prizes an equal amount of competi-
tion was secured, but there was a considerable
falling off in quality, some of the collections
being poor — in fact, none came up to the above
standard. For six distinct varieties of vegetables,
Mr. Empson, Ampthill House. Beds, was first, his
Cocoa-nut Onions bsing the best dish. Mr. Beckett
was a very close second : he had better Cauliflowers
and fine Leeks, but lacked weight in the Onions
The Messrs. Debbie's prizes, offered by them for
eight specialities, brought forth an enormous
competition. In the Leek class alone over eighty
staged. Mr. Bowermau secured the premier award
and silver medal with grand roots, not of so great
a length as many others, but of fine proportions
and very solid. For second place, Mr. D. Pitt,
Eccles, Kelso, had grand specimens, a trifle longer
than the first lot. For Globe-sbaped Onions, Mr.
Folkes, Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead, was
first with heavy, good - shaped, well - ripened
bulbs ; Mr. Pope second. For flat Onions, Mr.
Bowerman was an easy first, having grand speci-
mens ; Mr. Pope second. Carrots, Intermediate
type, were very fine and equally numerous. Here
were some grand roots, Mr. Scott, Newtown, Had-
dington, N.B., being first with shapely roots, per-
fect in colour and not coarse ; Mr. Waite second.

Over seventy lots of Celery were put up, Mr.
Beckett being first, having grand heads, thick,
well blanched, and solid : Mr. G. H. Copp, Hoi-
nest, Dorset, being second. Beetroot was mostly
good and shapely, Mr. W. Dendy being first, and
Mr. A. E. Kirtland, Bletchington, Oxon, second
Parsnips were staged by some forty exhibitors,
the roots in some cases verv coarse. Mr. Waite
had the best stiecimens, Mr. Wilkins being second.
For Golden Ball Turnip some twenty odd lots
were staged. Mr. Laveiack, Prunlaws-by-Leilie,
was first with superb roots, Mr. McKinnie,
Roundelwood, Crieff, second. In all the above
classes for vegetables there were in most cases
five or six awards. For Messrs. Sutton's prizes
for tifteen dishes of Potatoes some fine tubers were
staged. Mr. Wiles was a good first, his tubers
being perfect in shape and beautifully clear-
skinned. The varieties were Prizetaker, Magnum
Bonum, Supreme, Reading Russet, Snowdrop,
Early Puritan, Mr. Breeze, Ptrfection, Sutton's
Seedling, Windsor Castle, Pink Perfection and
Abundance, Mr. Pope being second with tubers
little inferior to the above, he having several
of the same varieties, with ^rand dishes of Lady
Truscott and Best of All. For two dishes there
was also a keen competition. For Messrs. John-
son's prizes for twelve varieties of Potatoes, to
include Boston Bountiful and (I'.i,* , Mr. Wiles
was again first, having similar tubers to those
named above. For the socit-ty's Pot.ito prizes (six
varieties) there was a strong competition. Mr.
Wiles being first out of twelve competitors, Mr. E.
Chopping, Sittiiigbourre, a good second.

llSCELLASEOUS

The

getables and fruit not for competition
occupied far more floor space than usual. The
Messrs. Sutton, Reading, had large groups of Pota-
toes of all the best disease-resisting varieties and
smaller collections of new kinds. Windsor Castle
and Triumph, a grand tuber, were most noticeable.
There were also fine examples of Supreme, Satis-
faction, Best of All, Harbinger, Early Regent,
Reading Kusfet, Reading Hero, and numerous
other leading kinds (silver-gilt medal). Messrs.
Laing, Forest Hill, had lOn dishes of Apples and
a few Pears, the centre being large groups of
Lane's Prince Albert, Bismarck and Lady Henniker
Apples (silver-gilt medal). Messrs. Cutbush,
Highgate, had a mixed group, fruit being largely
shown. Doyenne du Comice, Pitiii.nton, Beurre
Diel .lad Cliirgeau Pe.irs being very fine, with
equally good Peasgood's Nonsuch, Lane's Prince
Albert, Blenheim, Stirling Castle and other
Apples (silver-gilt medal). Messrs. Lee, Ealing,
had some sixty dishes of Apples of well known
kinds, not large, but of good quality (silver
medal). Messrs. Spooner and Sons, Hounslow,
had an excellent lot of fruit. Apples and Pears in
vari«ty, well meriting the silver medal awarded.
Messrs, Brown, Stamford, had .a large collection
of Apples and Pears of good quality and out of
the usual run, the varieties staged being little
known. They were all good, and, did space per-
mit, many deserved more than passing notice
(silver medal). Messrs. Peed and Sons, Roupell
Park, staged Apples and Pears in (juantity,
arranged with plants (silver medal). Mr. George,
Putney, had fine baskets of Gros Colman Grapes
(silver medal). Messrs. Deverill. Banbury, had a
grand collection of Onions ; the Wroxton Brussels
Sprouts were also excellent (silver medal). Mr.
H. Berwick, Sidmouth, bad a fine lot of Apples
and Pears (silver medal). Messrs. J. Carter and
Co., High Holborn, had a large collection of vege-
tables and Gourds in great variety (silver medal).
A full prize list will be found in our advertise-
ment columns. In the official list it would have
been a great advantage if the addresses of the
successful exhibitors had been given.

A dinner to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of
this society was held on Tuesday evening last in
the Whitehall Rooms, Hotel Metropole. The
chair was taken by Sir Edwin Saunders, and
amongst those present were Sir Trevor Lawrence,
Bart, Mr. F. A Bevan, Mr. W. Robinson, Mr.

Leonard Sutton, Mr. C. C Paine, Mr. C. E. Shea, &c.
After the usual Inyal toasts, the president proposed
thetoastof the "National ChrysanthemumSociety."
alluding to its early history and development which
are well known to all who take an interest in
the Chrysanthemum. The "Affiliated Societies,"
the next toast, was proposed by Mr. Shea, who
spoke of the invaluable bond of union which they
promoted. There were now KiS affiliated
societies, twenty six having joined during the
current year, and represented throughout the
world. iSlr. C. H.irm.an-Payne, the foreign corre-
sponding secretary of the society, proposed the
" Donors of Special Prizas," and in a well con-
sidered speech spoke of the valuable help
these prizes were to the society. He also alluded
to the foreign societies He referred with pleasure
to the gold medal offered by the American Chry- ^
santhemum Society, and if it had been offered
earlier there would no doubt have been a larger
competition. Mr. Bevan, who replied to this
toast, laid great stress upon the utter unsuit-
ability of the Royal Aquarium for holding shows.
Many ladies wouid take an interest in the society
if the shows were held in a more congenial spot.
The health of " The President " was acknowledged
with much cheering. Sir Trevor Lawrence, who
proposed it, spoke of the Royal Horticultural
Society having sent Fortune to China, and
heartily agreed with Mr. Bevan's views. He
wanted a hall for hortioulture, and he hoped his
wish would be realised. Other toasts were " Kin-
dred Societies," "The Visitors, "and "The Press, '
the speakers being Mr. C. C. Paine, president of
the Stoke Newington Chrysanthemum Societv,
Mr. <i. C. Porapas, Mr. T. W. Sanders, Mr. J. E.
Harrison, of Leicester, and Mr. Geo. Gordon, who
replied for the press.

Koyal Horticultural Society.— The next
fruit and floral meeting of the Royal Horticul-
tural Society will be held in the Drill Hall, James
Street, Victoria Street, S.W., on Tuesday, No-
vember 10, 1 to 4 p.m. At .'{ o'clock lectures will
be eiven by Mr. R. Fife and Mr. J. Long on
" Seed-growing."

Yorkshire Gala. — A general meeting of
guarantors and life members of the Grand York-
shire Gala was held at Barker's Hotel, York, last
evening. Sir Joseph Terry, J. P., presided, and
there was a good attendance. The following re-
solution had been received from the Royal Horti-
cultural Society: "The council of this society
having heard from members of the deputation at-
tending the York Gala of the great kindness and
hospitality extended to them by the Lord Mayor
and Lady Mayoress of York, and by the chairman
and committee of the Gala, wish to express to his
lordship and the Lady Mayoress and to all the
members of the committee their very best thanks
and sincere appreciation of the courtesy shown to
their deputation." The chairman moved : "That
the life members and guarantors of the Grand
Yorkshire (iala beg to tender their grateful
thanks to the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor (Mr.
Aid. Milward, J. P.), and the Lady Mayoress for
their generous hospitality in entertaining the
deputation from the Royal Horticultural Society
on the occasion of their last annual fete.'' The
following grants to charities were made : York
County Hospital, f.SO ; York Dispensary, £."!0 ;
York Lunatic Asylum, £20 ; York Home for
Nurses, £10; York Home for Friendless Girls,
£5 ; and St. Stephen's Orphanage, £5. It was
resolved to hold next year's gala on June 16, 17,
and IS.

The weather in 'West Herts.— Another
cold week, and the fourth in succession. On the
night preceding the 4th inst. the exposed ther-
mometer showed 10° of frost, making this the
coldest night as yet this autumn. There has been
scarcaly any rain for ten days, so that the soil is
now in capital working order. October proved a
cold month ; indeed, during tihe course of it there
occurred only five days and six nights which were
unseasonably warm. Rain fell on twenty days,
to the total depth of .'U inches, wh ch is about a

NovEMBEE 7, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

383

quarter of an inch in excess of the October average.
The winds were, as a rule, light, and the air damp
for the time of year. There was a great contrast
between the early and latter part of the month as
regards sunshine. The record of clear sunshine
averaged 2J hours a day for the first half and 4^
hours a day for the second half of the month.—
E. M., Berkhamsted.

Notes of the Week.

Primula Poissoni. — This species, as also P.
Forbesi, are especially noteworthy for the remark-
able succession of flowers tbey produce. Where
these two species are grown in small groups,
flowers may be found daily for several months of
the year and till the autumn frosts appear.

Coreopsis trichosperma.— A small bush of
this plant has been flowering abundantly in the
hardy plant department at Kew for some time
past, and a few days since was still gay with
many of its yellow blossoms. The plant is of
bushy habit and about 2 feet high in the Kew
examples.

Heliophila scandens is a pretty and free-
flowering climber from the Cape, smothered with
numbers of small white flowers. Indeed, both in
foliage and flower at a short distance, as also in
the spray-like clusters, the plant may be taken for
the white Jasmine. A good-sized plant was re-
cently flowering abundantly in the succulent house
at Kew.

Vanda Hookeriana. — This fine autumnal-
flowering Vanda is now opening its first bloom
with me. The plant is in a verj- sunny and airy
position in a stove, but has received no special
care otherwise. Vanda insignis (true) is also very
fine, but of course Vanda ca^rulea in the cooler
hou?e in full flower surpasses all in beauty. — E. H.

WOODALL.

Physalis Franchetti.— This recent introduc-
tion from Northern China was represented at the
Drill Hall on the '27th ult. by a large tray of its
highly coloured and large calyces. In point of
size the latter are nearly twice as large as in the
old form, though perhaps scarcely so brilliant in
colour. This is as hardy as P. Alkekengi and of
somewhat taller growth.

Carnation La Belle. — This old winter- flower-
ing variety is not much grown in private gardens
to-day, though years ago it was a favourite kind.
Some market growers, however, in spite of its in-
clination to burst the calyx, grow it largely for
cutting. Only the other day we saw in one
market garden a house, 150 feet long by 21 feet
wide, devoted wholly to this kind, hundreds of
its pure white Clove-scented flowers expanding
daily.

liord Penzance Swaet Brier in bloom.— In
a neighboui's garden I have just seen Sweet Brier
Lord Penzance with a number of blooms fully out,
and well developed buds more or less all over the
plant— in fact a second bloom, as it flowered well
in the summer. None of mine have ever shown
signs of blooming a second time, nor have I ever
noticed it in the common Sweet Brier. I have
not the variety Lord Penzance.— J. R. D., Revjate.

Correa cardinalis. — This is now among the
best of greenhouse shrubs in flower, and where
choice pot plants are in demand this should still
be counted as among the most worthy. The plant
is easily grown in peaty soil. In peat, leaves and
sandy loam in equal parts it will attain to even
greater vigour. The rich colour of the long,
drooping, green-tipped blossoms is always appre-
ciated, though the plant is not so often seen as
was the case years ago.

Primula obconica rosea.— This is suffi-
ciently well marked to merit the varietal name
here given, and the rose-pink shaded flowers that
come in quick succession render it very pleasing.
It is a useful variety, particularly to those who
can handle such things with impunity. Of

the same compact habit of growth and equally
free flowering as the type, this should be found in
all collections of cool greenhouse plants. Doubt-
less we shall in time see more richly coloured
forms of this plant now that a break has been
secured.

Agathsea cce^-estis. — Of all easily grown and
free- flowering plants, this is perhaps one of the
most worthy of attention from amateurs having
only a small greenhouse with little heat at com-
mand. The great profusion of its rich blue
flowers is remarkable. Particularly are they use-
ful quite late in autumn and through the winter,
and where the flowering has been more or less re-
tarded during the summer, the plants will bloom
abundantly on being placed in a slightly heated
greenhouse. Just now and for weeks past this
plant has been very efi'ective.

Three fine zonal Pelargoniums.— It is a
great boon to those having large conservatories
at this season that such a wealth of beautiful
varieties of zonal Pelargoniums exists. At the
Drill Hall last week a large array of these plants
was set up from the Royal Gardens, Windsor.
The whole collection was well grown and included
many fine varieties. Three of the most distinct
were Luther de Medluc, fine salmon-pink, large
and well formed ; Lady Reed, white, with salmon
centre, extra large blossoms ; and La Bruant, a
decided scarlet, with some indication to doubling.

Cypripediums from Scotland.- Mr. W.
Macdonald, AthoU Hydropathic, Pitlochry, N.B.,
sends us a handsome gathering of Cypripediums.
The flowers sent, which consisted of such fine
varieties as Spicerianum, represented by a re-
markably good form ; Charlesworthi, very bright
and of good size ; the beautiful and scarce hy-
brid, Niobe, also very fine, showed how valuable
these Lady's Slippers are at this dull season of
the year for the warm house. Owing to the long
time" the flowers remain in good condition when
cut and also their variety, their value for cutting
is also great.

Physalis Alkekengi (Winter Cherry). —Al-
though all but devoid of leafage and in many
instances entirely so, this plant is still very
striking where large masses of it are planted for
effect. This is the case at Kew, where a fine
group in the rock garden is freely covered with
its bladder-like calyces, which in the mature
stage are very highly coloured. Indeed, it is in
this stage that the plant is of the greatest value
in the garden. The plant is of quite easy cul-
ture, spreading so freely in fact in some gardens
and soils as to render it troublesome. In moist,
grassy spots in the woodland or on the margin of
the shrubbery this plant may be naturalised with
excellent results.

Dichorisandra thyrsiflora.— Among stove
plants possessing merit for rare and brilliant col-
ouring this species is worth special notice. Un-
fortunately, the plant is rarely seen in collec-
tions of stove plants, and still more rarely is it
seen in flower. The flowers are of the richest
indigo-blue and produced in a rather compact
thjreelike pyramid about 8 inches in length.
This exceptional blue is set oS' to gre.it advan-
tage by the white bass of the flower, which is
again assisted by the bright yellow anthers in
contrast. The plant is a native of Brazil and is
now flowering in the large Palm house in the Kew
Gardens. Where brilliant flowering plants are
appreciated in the stove this deserves attention.

Callipsyche aurantiaca. — An extremely
curious and interesting species belonging to the
Amaryllide;e,and requiring greenhouse treatment.
The above-named species is, perhaps, one of the
most beautiful of this small genus, having a scape
at least 2^ feet high, and terminating in an um-
bellate head of golden yellow flowers. A very
curious feature of this group is the remarkable
length to which the stamens protrude beyond the
perianth. It is from the Andes of Ecuador.
Another species, C. mirabilis, from the Peruvian
Andes, is only of botanical interest, the flowers
being quite inconspicuous, while the stamens
protrude 3 inches or more beyond the perianth

and assume "an umbellate head, which is very
curious, though not beautiful. Both species are
flowering at Kew.

Caliicarpa purpurea.— Where this plant is
largely grown, as it is in the Botanic Gardens at
Birmingham, it is as attractive as many flowering
plants. The length of time the berries remain
upon the plant is wonderful. Mr. W. B. Latham,
the curator of these gardens, grows the plant
freely and well in one of the warm houses, the
fruiting growths being frequently as much as
4 feet long. The plant requires somewhat hard
pruning when the fruits are ripened, and the
growth being made quickly during the summer,
flowering, as also the free setting of its berries, is
thereby ensured. When fully matured the berries
assume a bright shining, rich violet colour, and
being abundantly produced in axillary clusters, the
latter only an inch or two apart, are very beauti-
ful, arranged with fine-foliaged plants throughout
autumn and winter.

Celastrus articulatus.— This species is fruit-
ing this autumn with great freedom, and a group
of it near the flagstaff at Kew is now very pretty.
It is a native of China and Japan, and is a per-
fectly hardy, vigorous-growing climber. It has
coarsely toothed, rounded or oval leaves, and the
small, inconspicuous flowers are yellowish green
and usually borne in short axillary clusters of
three. The fruits produced on the same short-
stalked clusters are almost quite hidden until the
leaves fall, and change from green to bright yel-
low, and when fully ripe the yellow pod bursts
open into three segments and discloses the bright
red seeds within. In this respect it closely re-
sembles the common Spindle Tree of Britain
(Euonymus europajus), to which the Celastrus is,
indeed, closely allied, and the contrast in colour
between the fleshy axil of the seed and that of the
capsule or pod is most effective. This species
promises to be of great value for rapidly covering
stumps, mounds, &c.

Eleeagnus macrophylla. — Visiting Messrs.
Veitch's nursery at Coombe Wood a few days ago
I noticed this fine species of Elasagnus in flower.
Possibly it has flowered before in this country, but
I do not recollect its having done so. The species
is one of the most distinct and striking of the
Ela-agnuses, having larger leaves than any other,
these being on the upper surface of a very dark
glossy green, whilst beneath they are of a silvery
white. The flowers are in general character like
those of E. pungens, a species that flowers regu-
larly about this time of year, but they are con-
siderably larger. They have the same silvery
grey tint that characterises the under surface of
the leaves. At a time of year when the outdoor
garden has but few woody things to show in
flower, this species is welcome, especially- as it is
a most striking fine-foliaged plant as well. It is
evergreen and perfectly hardy in the London dis-
trict. Like E. pungens and E. glabra, it is of
North Asiatic origin. A specimen in the arbore-
tum at Kew is (J feet high and much more in
diameter. — E. J.

Magnolia glauca. — Toe normal flowering
season of this shrub is now some weeks past, yet
it still continues to produca a few blossoms.
Some days ago a specimen at Kew was bearing
several. Like most of the Ameriem species, it
never makes a great display at one time (as do
M. conspicua and Soulangeana), but CDutinues in
bloom for a much longer period. The great
charm of this Magnolia is its fragrance, which in
sweetness resembles and almost rivals a Tea Rose.
The cup-shaped flower is 2 inches to 3 inches
across and has soft creamy white petals. The
leaves are oblong, dark lustrous green above, but
blue-white beneath. The species is (luite hardy
in the south of England. There appeir to be two
varieties of it in cultivation, one of which is purely
deciduous ; the other, except in the severest
winters, is semi-evergreen, and it is this variety
that flowers so late into the autumn. For small
gardens this is one of the most desirable of Ameri-
can Magnolias, being slow growing and rarely
more than 8 feet to 10 feet high. The larger-

384

THE GARDEN.

[November 7, 1896.

leaved plant known as M. Thompsoni is either a
very distinct variety of M. glauca or a hybrid in
whose oriijin that species has had most influence.
Lycoris aurea. — This hand-^^ome bulbous
plant, of wliich a plate was given in TiiK
Garden- of January 19, 1S95, p. i-2, is now
floverins; at Kew", but in the e.xamples
noted the other day a deficiency of vigour
and also of colour, that would seem to imply
the plints were not perfectly happy, was
noticeable. A year ago we noted almost every
bulb produced a stout and vigorous scape, up-
wards of -2 feet high, and bearing many handsome
flowers. The hope of this plant ever being a
complete success in the open garden in this
country will be a long time before being realised.
The leaves are not produced with the flower-
scape, the latter preceding them, as in Nerine
and other things. A quick leaf growth and a de-
cisive season of rest on the greenhouse shelf
in full sun will, perhaps, be inost likely to
fully ripen the bulbs, which are sometimes
placed beneath the stages to rest, where the sun
never reaches them, and where a more or less
damp, unhealthy state prevails. Such treatment
is scarcely likely to give good results at flowering
time.

Rhus typhina (Stags-horn Sumach).— Among
the several Sumachs which possess great autumn
beauty, no species is better worth cultivation than
this. It is a native of the eastern side of North
America, and there attains the dimensions of a
small tree 20 feet or more high. The leaves vary
much in size according to the richness of the soil
in which the tree is growing, and also to the age
of the tree. On young specimens and on those
cut hard back each year they will measure 2 feet
to 3 feet in length, and are made up of numerous
toothed, pointed leaflets. Whilst the stately pro-
portions of the foliage render this Rhus very orna-
mental during the summer, it is in autumn, when
the leaves turn a brilliant red, that its greatest
beauty appears. At that time, too, the fruit,
which is borne in dense, upright bunches, is of a
deep velvety crimson. This Sumach is easily pro-
pagated by cuttings made of the fleshy roots,
which should ba 2 inches or so long, and if made
in spring can be planted out of doors in a well
worked piece of ground. Where room can be
spared, it is best to plant it in a large group, and
to cut it hard back before growth commences in
spring, afterwards restricting the growth to one
or two shoots. By this means strong shoots are
produced, and the leaves are many times larger
than those borne by unpruned plants.

A note from Scarborough.— I send you a
few notes which will I hope be of interest. Now
and then a real gain crops up among novelties
even when they come in such shoals as the new
Chrysanthemums do. The one which I wish to
bring into notice as a dwarf semi early kind to be
grown in quantity for edging purposes and for
cutting is C'jmtesse Foucher do Careil, which has
before been mentioned favourably in your columns.
It is a very dwarf and free flowering Source
d'Or, and of the greatest beauty when massed,
aa well as delightful for cutting. Mile. Marie Masse
is a brit;ht red-lilac which is excellent as a con-
trast, and if possible still freer and more abundant
in bloom. It is al^o very dwarf and needs no dis-
budding. After the drenching storms of wind
and rain there ie little left in outdoor gardens
ganerally this season. But there is a flower for
^very season, and certainly the shrubby \eronica
i9 the one for such as this. A bed of seedlings
now flowering profusely is as beautiful ae if the
weather had been all that could be desired. There
are 6ne long spikes of bloom from pure white to
richest crimson and deepe^^t purple-blue. Lilac
and even pink are to be found among them. Some
cuttings put into a frame will prevent their total
loss should the winter prove very severe, and an-
other mild wmter will make next year's display
still 6ner. No seaside garden shoufd be without
this delightful flowering shrub, and seed, which
is 60 abundantly produced, should be saved and
sown under glass, though numbers of self-sown

seedlings appear annually with me. — E. H.

WOOD.^LL,

N tea from Chiswick.— Among the many
thousands of young seedling plants in tiny pots
which are now to be seen in the R H S. Chiswick
Gardens, I noticed a fine batch of Vucca Whip-
plei, which in their present stage of growth give
an excellent example of plant mimicry, as it took
more than a casual glance to convince oneself
that It was not a healthy lot of young Malmaison
Carnations. Other seedling plants which I no-
ticed in great numbers and excellent condition
were Rhododendron campanulatum, R. arboreum
album, R. Thomsjni, R. barbatum. Azalea
mollis, Tritomas, Zenobias, Rosa multiflora, Ber-
beris virescens, Rubus phunicolasius, Grevillea
Banksi, Lobelia Gerardi, and in one of the houses
a fine lot of Adiantum rhodophyllum, a lovely
thing, of which more will presently be heard ; also
good batches of Selaginella eaulescensamconaand
S Emiliana, the former well known and the latter
a very promising variety, which appears very likely
to be of great use for cutting. Young and
healthy stock appears to be the order at Chiswick
just now. One house was very gay with Fuch-
sias in good variety and the plants were well
grown . I looked for some of the good old species,
but these were not in evidence, which seems
pity in such a garden. A long border was devoted
to Michaelmas Daisies, of which there were many
good and many poor forms. It is unfortunate
that the names of these are in such a tangle.
They are badly in need of sorting out, and such
an extensive trial should be productive of much
good.— J. C. Tallack.

give me the benefit of it? Some may be able to
say how and where they have seen it growing on
the continent. Although it is said to carpet
forests in Austria and elsewhere in millions, it has
never been my good fortune to see it in Nature. —
H. Selfe- Leonard, Guildford.

Datura cornuccpaBa in the open. — Oa page
Uo of last week's issue of The Garden, iMr.
Taplin mentions this as doing well planted out in
Philadelphia, and wishes to know if it his been
grown so to any considerable extent in England.
I purchased two plants the first year that it was
introduced, and these bloomed and seeded freely,
so that the next season there was ample oppnrtu-
nity for mo to test its worth. The seed was sown
in heat in February, and as the plants yrew thev
were potted on till the middle of May,' by which
time they had been put into C inch pots. After
the last shift they were plunged on a hotbtd, so
that when established the lights could be removed
in fair weather. About the middle of June they
were planted cut on fome rich ground, and here
they grew and flowerei freely all through the
summer, fotm ng quite turby plants, which
ripened their seed in the open. I have not at-
temptrd to keep the old plants through the winter
since the firct season, as there has always been
plenty of seed ripen, so that sufficient plants have
been raised each spring for planting out. The
soil in which the plants are grown cannot be too
rich, and if of a good size when planted out they
will continue to bloom till cut down by frost. It
is a moisture loving subject, therefore ought to be
liberally supplied with manure water during the
summer months. Though this autumn has been
so unfavourable, several seed pods have arrived at
maturity, so that there will be no difficulty in
keeping up a supply of plants. Those who have
not hitherto grown this species would do well to
give it a trial.— H. C. Prin.sep, Buxted Park,
Susse:r,

-~ 1 think Mr. Taplin must be right in his
surmise that our average summers are not warm
igh for this plant to be seen at its beet in the
open, for the few specimens which I have seen
tried in that way have run mostly to leaf, and
were by no means satisfactory, hence my note on
its merits as seen under greenhouse treatment.
Possibly it might succeed outside if grown in a
very sunny spot and in rather poor soil, but the
chances are that it would then become a prey to
red spider.-J. C. Tali.ack.

Cypiipedium CalceoiUB.— lam makmg some

Fort to get this renaturalised in English woods

and shrubberies. Would any of your readers who

may have knowledge or reliable information as to

the character and conditions of its foimer habitats

Public Gardens.

New recreation ground f)r Canning

Town.— The West Ham TownCouncilhavejusthad
presented to them 10 acres of land in Hermit Road,
Canning Tow'n, which are to be laid out as a re-
creation ground and open space for the people.

Churchyard-bottom Wood, Highgate.—
At a meeting of the Hornsey District Council, the
chairman, Mr. Cory Wright, stated that if the
council gave £10 000 towards the purchase of
Churchyard-bottom Wood, Highgate, for an open
space, he would undertake that the remaining
£15 000 necessary to complete the purchase should
be forthcoming. The council thereupon resolved
to contribute that sum.

A public park for Glasgow.— The G las ;;ow
Parks Committee have resolved to recommend to
the Corporation the purchase of about 82 acres of
ToUcross estate, oticjreH to them at the price of
rather over £29,000. The park will be one of
the finest in GUsgow, and, although not very
large, is well wooded, and contains many varied
dtscriptions of landscape. There are lawn, wood
and garden. The mansion house was long the
residence of the late Mr. Dunlop, J. P.

RsBtitution of enclosures at Brighton.—
Widespread satisfaction has been caused at
Brighton by the transfer to the corporation of
what are known as the North Steyno enclosures,
which form links in a succession of enclosures that
extend from the sea front up the central valley of
the town. They cover about 4| acres, and were
in the early part of the century common land, but
were fenced in and placed by the lord of the
manor in the hands of trustees for the use of sub-
scribers. For several years an agitation has been
intermittently carried on with the view of securing
to the town what, in many quarters was regarded
as public property ; and this aspiration has been
realised, the transfer having been made possible
by the trustees consenting to a clause being in-
serted in the recently-passed Brighton Improve-
ments Act. The formal ceremony consisted of the
mayor refeiving the key from the senior trustee,
and walking round the grounds with members of
the Town Council and others.

Obituary.

Daath of Mrg. Heal.— Wo regret to an-
nounce the death of Mrs. Heal, the wife of Mr.
John Heal, so well known in connection with the
many good things he has raised in Messrs.
Veitch's nursery at Chelsea. Friends both at
home and abroad will, we are sure, sympathise
with Mr. Heal in his great bereavement.

BOOKS RECEIVED.
Hand List of Trees and Shrubs Grown in Arbore-
tum, Koyal Gardens, Kew. Part II. Gamopetalje to
Monocot\ledoijs.
"The Nuissry Book." A complete euide to the
uUipiication of plants. By L. H. Bailfy. Third
lition. London : Macmillan and Co., Ltd.

Names of plants.— B.—l, Salvia azurea ; 2, Ne-

peta Mussini; 3, Phnrmium tenax. T. P.— Pba-

jeulus Caracalla (Snail flower).

JVames of trmt— J. E. Danes.— 1 , Pear Gan-
sel's Bergamot; 2, Pitmaston Duchess; .S, Apple
Wadhurst Pippin ; 4, Blenheim ; 5, Sturmer ; 6 and
r, Jersey Gratioli ; S, Tom Putt.

Fiflh Edition, voir ready, beaulifuUv illustrated,
edium Sio. f.rice \?:s. The Ei giieh Flower
Garden : _Des)f;«.«, Vievs. and Plaj.s, vith Dcscrip-
io7,s and lllHstmtions of the Best Hnvts. their Cut-
ure and Arrnn'iemerit. London: John Mitnav, and
f uli Boolisellers.

THE GARDEN.

385

No. 1304. SATURDAY, November 14,1896. Vo>. L.

"Thiels an Art
Which does mend Nature : change It rather ; but
The Art itself is Nature."— SAoieipeoK.

Orchard and Fruit Garden,

FRUIT SBEIVELLING.

I AM aware there is ample excuse for shrivelled
fruit this season. Doubtless many were in a
similar position to myself. It was a matter of
either gathering or losing all, as the fearful
gales late in September played such havoc that
S the fruits had been left there would have
been few sound. The advantage of dwarf bush
trees was great in such a season, but even
bush trees in exposed positions were so much
beaten about that there was only one remedy,
and in some cases this meant premature gather-
ing and shrivelled fruits. For many years I
allowed the Russet Apples to hang till the end
of October, no matter what weather ; indeed, 1
have seen them hanging when the leaves were
falling freely. Given cool storage I had sound
fruit the next May. The much-prized Cox's
Orange was given similar treatment, and there
was no difficulty in having good fruit at Easter.
I fear such will not be the case this season,
as in many gardens I noticed late fruit was
gathered in September. Another point deserv-
ing of attention is the influence soil and
stock have upon varieties. At this date
(October 20) I have some Golden Reinette and
Rosemary Russet, with Fearn's Pippin, quite
ripe. As most fruit lovers know, these are
midwinter, or what may be termed January and
February fruits. On the Crab stock I have had
good Fearn's in May, given cool storage. This
latter point is worth more than passing notice.
My impression is that the Paradise stock is
much earlier in maturing the crop than
the Crab, as the Paradise, rooting on the
surface, gets more warmth, and of course
finishes up the crop more quickly. Much the
same results are seen with bush trees over
standards. I mean small or medium trees,
such as are usually grown by the side of garden
walks or in a limited space. These are more
favoured, as the earth gets more light and
warmth than under large standard trees. From
a record kept ot various kinds of fruit ripening,
I note the fruit from small trees on the
Paradise stock is quite three weeks in ad-
vance of that of the same variety on the
Crab on standards. This sasm at this date
I have scarcely got a soi^nij fruit of Cellini
grown on the Paradise; wh^.eas fruit from
orchard grown trees in the same soil and locality
will be good well into December. I grant these
latter lack the size of the early fruit, and are also
deiicient in colour, but they point out the value
of certain stocks. In poor fruit-soils my idea is
that a free stock is conducive to sound keeping ;
whereas a stock which restricts growth hastens
ripening. The question of stocks points to the
necessity of having various kinds of fruit to
test keeping qualities on the stock most suit-
able for that purpose. Take Pears on the
Quince and on the Pear. Those on the Quince
in a hot, dry summer like we have experienced
this year are not keeping. The well-known
Beurrd Diel on the Quince is all ripe by the
end of October, while on the Pear stock it is
much later. This question of stocks should
certainly be more considered in what may be
termed poor soils. In such the Quince stock
is like the Paradise (with Apples) ; it fruits

earlier, but in barren soils, such as sand, gravel,
or chalk, the free or Pear stock is most suit-
able, as it allows the fruit to be gathered later.
G. W. S.

STRAWBERRY GROWING FOR

AMATEURS.
Stkawbebey growing amongst amateurs has dur-
ing the last ten years made great strides, many
of them producing fruit good enough to win first
prizes at important exhibitions. Many more
would doubtless try their hands at it but for the
idea, often more imaginary than real, that their
garden is not suitable and that failure would fol-
low. Others, again, having no one to advise
them when making their selection, err in plant-
ing capricious varieties, with the inevitable result
—disappointment. A garden must be poor in-
deed if with a moderate amount of trouble it can-
not be made to grow, and grow fairly well too,
at least the more hardy, free-bearine kinds of
Strawberries, which amateurs should, as a rule,
confine themselves to, as that category embraces
some of the largest, handsomest, and best
flavoured in cultivation. In making a start, it
should be borne in mind that a new bed and a
fresh larder are imperative every third, or at the
most fourth, year, the latter term being tolerated
on none but what is termed a real Strawberr}*
soil, and then only when rau'chings of rich manure
and occasional copious drenchings of farmyard
liquid are given. Many amateurs err here, nor
can we wonder when so many professional gar-
deners still insist on allowing beds to stand for
four and even five years. Where ground is very
limited, a few rows only, and those of the very
best sorts, must suffice, as after destroying a bed,
Strawberries must not occupy the same plot for
two clear seasons, the ground in the meantime
being cropped with vegetables of various kinds ;
but where the garden is of good size, amateurs
will find it as profitable as private gardeners, to
■nhom I have previously recommended it, to sow
their spring Onions in rows '2^ feet apart, and to
plant their young Strawberries in July or August
in the intermediate spaces, thus securing good
Onions and good Strawberries as well. The un-
suitableness of the soil seldom consists in its
being too heavy, although stagnation has some-
times to be encountered, but this can be remedied
by ordinary drain pipes having a safe outlet.
Sometimes soil which does not actually approach
a clay is, nevertheless, impervious to sun-heat
and air, and the best way of bringing it into a
right state for Strawberries is by a liberal addi-
tion of burnt garden refuse, road sidings, which
usually contain a good percentage of horse drop-
pings, and even rough leaf-mould from the
bottom-heat beds of forcing houses. Strong soils
should never have dug into them rotten spit
manure, but that which is in a rough, semi-de-
cayed condition, though well saturated with the
urine. I have known soils little better than clay
to be brought into Strawberry-growing condition
by first taking it off till the subsoil was reached,
removing it to an adjoining plot and burning
it over the embers of a large bonfire fed
by any loose wood which happened to be
on the premises. The subsoil was then broken up
with a five-tined fork and a good layer of littery
manure laid on it. A liberal mixture of burnt
refuse, the parings of walks and drives, rough
leaf-mould or semi-decayed manure were then
thrown in, the burnt soil being finally laid on the
surface in ridge form to expose it still further to
frost and wind. In March a start was n:ade at
one end of the plot and the whole mixed up to-
gether, not trenched in the ordinary way, but a
good wide opening taken out and the compost
thrown forward, which secured a much more tho-
rough mixing of the various ingredients, ordinary
trenching being performed the next time.
Shallow, hungry soils are best rendered fertile by
adding more compost to the surface. This may
consist of heavier loamy material and thoroughly
deciyed manure. Mr. Douglas, when living at

Loxford Hall, had a similar soil to deal with, and
some of his friends told him he would never grow
Strawberries, but time proved that they were
wrong, for he not only grew ordinary sorts, but
grand examples also of British Queen and Dr.
Hogg, his fruit always being hard to beat at the
London shows. This heaccomiilished by iricreas-
ing both the depth and richness of the soil, and
no doubt by annual mulchings and manurial
waterings. I knew an old East Anglian gardener
who, by reason of having too lisht a soil, could
not grow British Queen or Dr. Hogg, the plants
frequently dying off the first season, but after in-
corporating with the staple a sixth part of a
whitish marl which abounded in the neighbour-
hood, these two capricious Strawberries did well
enoutrh ; in fact, he used to win first prizes with
themT But some may say these remedial
measures are too expensive for amateurs, but the
so-called expense is more imaginary than real, as
the plots assigned by them to the culture of
Strawberries are usually small, and when the
work is once done its effects are permanent.

Many amateurs appear to have no idea of what
a really good Strawberry runner is. Only very
recently a lady showed me some so called runners
which were given her by a clergyman, lut which
were nothing more nor less than portions of old
worn-out plants which had been pulled to pieces,
and which of course would never have been of any
use. I advised her to buy a few plants of a nur-
serymen in pots, which she did. Ordinary ruri-
ners purchased from a distance and sent to their
destination by post or rail usually arrive minus soil
about the roots, and will, no matter how healthy
they may be, if planted out on ground exposed to
full sunshine, at once drop their foliage and make
slow headway. Mv advice is with such to plant
them closely on a shaded plot and to keep them
well sprinkled till established, then remove them
to their final quarters. Extra weak runners of any
variety are best left in their nursery bed till
spring. I sometimes notice that amateurs plant
too high, being afraid, they say, of burjing the
crowns: consequently after a few showers or
artificial waterings the ball becomes partly ex-
posed and the plants soon suffer from drought.
The plants should be well lowered and a slight
basin left round each to hold the moisture, a little
rough leafy material or short litter being placed
round each. I have been speaking of increasing
the depth of Strawberry beds, but, after all, this
plant is to a very great extent a surface rooter,
this being, I think, proved by the colony of new
roots which is soon formed in the fresh compost
when pot plants are surface dressed, eiiualling the
Cucumber in this respect, tiive Strawberries no
encouragement from the surface, and, hke other
things, they will descend in search of nutriment :
but mulch well with rich material and feed with
lii.uid occasionally, and capital results may be
obtained from soils which some gardeners would
pronounce too light and sandy even to grow a
table Beet. As the list of varieties for the ma-
jority of amateurs must necessarily be a short
one, I will name a few which may be safely
grown by all, giving them in the order of ripen-
ing : Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, Royal
Sovereign, President, Sir J. Paxton, Gunton Park
and Latest of All. J. Cbawi-qbd.

Pear Mme. Millet.— Is any reader of The
GARDEN acquainted with this Pear? It is cata-
logued as a dessert variety, but I have grown it
now for the last ten years, and it has never been
fit for that purfore. It will keep till March or
April, and is then very nice when stewed. In
appearance it resembles Winter Nebs, but carries
rather more russet than that variety. The tree
is a constant bearer here on a wall that gets all
the morning sun. Perhaps it ijpens so as to
be fit for dessert in the south of England,
but as I have never seen it mentioned, I am
inclined to think that it is but little known.—

Peach A Bec.-It is strange we so seldom see
or hear of this fine Peach, as it is worthy of being

386

THE GALM)h:TN.

[XOVE.MHER 14, If

placeH in the very first rank of second early fore
ine Peaches. The fruit is pale in colour, with a
slight tint of crimson when fully exposed to the
sun, and the flavour as good as that of the
Old X.ible^se. This used to be a favourite Peach
with Mr. Coleman at Kistnor Castle, and was
sometimes conspicuous in his collections of fruit
in the early part of the year. I hav.lnad no ex-
perience with this variety out of door.s, but have
found it to bloom so freely and set its fruit so
satisfactorily under glass when started in Decem-
ber, thar I can confidently recommend it. The
skin of A Bee is very thin.— J. C.

Peach Stump thi World.— This is a really
useful and reliable midseason Peach, and one that
all Pea.h trrowers who want to till the basket
should plant. At Hutton Hall it does capitally,
Mr. Maclndoe occasionally showing a good dish
of it at August exhibitions. Stump the World
can also hold its own for flavour, and will keep
sound after being gathered much longer than
many Peaches. It is a good variety for planting
on open walls in the south of England, but I have
never seen it tried in the midlands. Under good
(jltureand free thinninir out of the fruit it grows
to a large size. The tle,-h is very white, melting,
and delicious. For pot culture it is one of the
very best for succession, and it does not ripen its
fruit all at once, but piecemeal, which is an ad-
vantage.—X. X.

Nectarine Downton Improved.- Having
proved the very excellent character of this Xec-
tarine, I can confidently recommend it to all for
planting in houses that are to be started at Christ-
mas or the new jear. I believe it would force as
well as Lord Xapier or EIruge, as it sets its fruit
very freely and swells oti' a heavy c op year after
year, ripening only about ten days later than
Lord Xapier in the same house, and which really
had a more sunny p isition, the house being a span-
roofed one. The fruit of Downton Improved ii-
of good size and the cjlour a rich mahogany, the
flavour being, in my opinion, as good a" can be
wished for. This is one of the many Xectarines
that are usually planted in mid-season and Kter
houses, from the belief that they are not adapted
for forcing.— C. H.

Strawberry Gunton Pa'k.-So far I have
never seen any adverse comments as to this kind
the only objection some people have to it being its
dark colour. This season Gunton Park was grand
in quality, crop and size, and though as regards
the two latter points it is not equ-d to Rojal
Sovereign, it comes so near B itith (,)aeen in
quality, that it will, I am sure, become a favourite
in all private ijardens. I admit ihit this season
was all one could desire to bring out (luality,
and the one named far exceeded my expectations
on a poor, thin, gravelly soil, its brisk, pleasant
flavour being much liked. I note "A. W."
(p. 2.53) thinks well of this variety, and another
well-known fruit grower, "J. C." (p. 323), gives a
high opinion of it. The opinions of there growers,
wide apsrt and in diverse soils, show there is real
merit, and that one need not be afraid of includint»
it in his list, however limited.— G. Wvthes °
Apple WorniBley Grange Pippin.— A dis-
tinct-looking Apple, much like Wellington at first
glance, but there the resemblance ceases, as it is
an ea lier kind, and is, moreover, equallx as good
for ihe dessert as for cooking. This Apple was
raised by Mr. Knight, and is often confounded
with the Grange Apple, another seedling of his,
but which is, however, quite unlike it. It is in
Eeaeon during Xovember and December and pos-
sesses a brisk, piquant flavour. When fully ripe
the fruits are golden yellow, and those exposed to
fall sun take on a beautiful flush. It is a good
cropper, standards especially bearing.' heavily.
Grown as a bush the tree is perhaps not quite so
good a grower, but it is very prolific. The fruits
when first gathered emit a very pleasant fra-
grance. I think it is not extensively grown, as I
have seldom met with it.— S. E. P.

Cherry Etr.peror Frarcis.— Those who want
a good late Cherry wr uW do well to give the
above variety a trial. Xot only ie it late, but it

IS equally good in quality as the earlier varieties.
J his is one of the Bi^arreau section. I have no
knowledge when it was introduced, but I have of
late years had some very fine fruits on young
trees. The growth is remarkable when the crop
is taken into account. This is a very large
fruit, skin dark red and flesh rich ; it hangs well
into August. Grown on a wall I find few superior
tio It in ipiahty, and its size makes it a valuable
dessert variety. Of early Cherries there is a good
choice. Of really good keeping or late fruits, the
selection is rei-tricted, and the one noted does not
shrivel so quickly as some kinds I have it
in various forms, bo h lordon and fan tiained,
and u appears to he quite at Inme in either. With
merely glass protectim it is superb, and quite as
free as the older kinds. I am this season planting
this variety on a north wall owing to i's free croi^
ping, and should it succeed in our well-drained,
warm soil the late crop on such an aspect will be
most valuable.-S. H. B.

XOTES ON STRAWBERRIES.
I AM sorry to find that " A. W." thinks I intended,
in my criticism of his article on Strawberries, to
imply that gardening in any one particular had
fallen to a low ebb at Stoke Edith. As a matter
of fact, nothing was further from my intention,
as It 18 a well known fact how successfully fruit
glowing generally is carried out there, and how
well certain Strawberries (though limited in va-
riety and diverse in quality) do succeed on the soil;
but with regard to the decadenea of Strawberries
in general, I may say that I have a<.'ain carefully
read "A. W.'s" original article, and I must hold
to my expressed opinion that there has been de-
cadence on the part of the vast majority of those
tried, all of which have presumably come to Stoke
Edith with good characters, and many of which
are well known to growers generally as good
varieties. Of these, tome have remained good
for one or two seasons, others longer. "A. W."
does not tell us exactly how many varieties he
has tried and found wanting, but he is himself
struik with the disproportion in number between
tho=e tried and those retained. He has admittedly
tried thirty one varieties, but only retains seven
one of this small number being a comparatively
small variety ; another is generally acknowledged
to be poor in flavour, though valuable for late
work, and a third only narrowly escapes the same
fault. Of the four remaining, one has only been
in cultivation for a few years, though riuite long
enough to be well proven, and the other three
have been so recently sent out that they must
still, judging from precedent, be looked on by
''A. W." with some suspicion. Again, we find
that Keens' Seedling is retained, while La Grosse
Sucrce is discarded owing to want of size, which
seems strange. I do not wish, however, to enter
here on a dissertation on the comparative merits
of Strawberries, and probablv if new and not well
tried varieties had been condemned, I would not
have wondered nor had anything to say in the
matter, for all gardeners are, or should be, aware
that new varieties often fail to retain the good
character with which they are sent out; but when
I found such universal favourites as President and
Vicomtesse H. de Thury condemned, I must ad-
mit that I was astonished. If we look at the re-
ports on the fruit crops which are published year
by J ear, we find that these two stand at the top
of the list as regards general utility combined
th good quality, and praise comes tj them from
their behaviour on soils of all kinds that can be
ade to grow Strawberries, fo I may be forgiven
for holding the opinion that where these will not
succeed there is, from a Strawberry growers point
of view, something not altogether right.

Turning to my other critic, ".J. T.," I may say
that I am glad to find that the youths of Ledbury
and Its neighbourhood are so well grounded in the
first principles of horticulture as he suggests
This augurs well for their future, but apparently
not help us in the present case, for we are

manner that it may be dug in midwinter within
a few hours after rain with no injurious effects. [
think this speaks for itself and requires no com-
ment of mine, except that the fact would h»ve
had more weight had it been stated by "A W."
himself, who is c)uite capable of conducring his
own case in a matter of this kind. There is no
such point of ditference between "A. W ' and
myself as "J T." infers, for I should never
advise anyone to make special attempts to grow
improved varieties because they fiave been "well
spoken of, "and " which may. or may not be slightly
better or more fashionable' than those we alieady
produce.' I simply wrote of old and tried varie-
ties, the unsati-fi;ctory conduct of which puzzles
me. With regard to adapting a soil to a crop,
this is, I take it, the gardener's great aim. May
I as-k "J. T.'' a question on what might be a
parallel case? Suppose I am situated on a " good "
soil which for some reason or other will not grow
the best dessert Apples. Am I to content myself
with growing for dessert Easter Pippin, Hanwell
Souring or Worcester Pearmaio because the soil
suits them, or am I to try and get over the pre-
sent defects of soil and make it suitable for Cox's
Orange, Kerry and Ribston Pippins, lemember-
ing always that "only the best are tolerated?"
If certain chemical elements essential to colour
are wanting in the soil, why not put them there?
"A. W.'s '' article obvioufl^' invited discussion,
and I, too, am thoroughly in accord with those
amateurs, "J T.' included, and probably with
some professional gardeners, who are curious to
know what others think on the matter, free dis-
cussicn being a useful aid to knowledge.

J. C. Tallack.

now told that this "heavy soil," th.„
clay," has already been dealt with in

irgin

Apple The Queen.— This is a remarkably
handsome Apple, somewhat resembling Cox's
Pomona in appearance, but difiTering from it in
being flatter aird larger. It is a first-rate cooking
Apple, and, I should imagine, one that would
market well on account of its colour. As a
bush on the Paradise stock it is very fertile,
and the tree is a vigorous grower. A distinct
feature is the leaves, these being very large and
broad, and much like those of Lord Grosvenor
and Peasgood's Nonsuch. Like the latter, the
trees shed their leaves early. I have some
standards that were planted two or three years
ago, but cannot say whether it is a variety that
will succeed as such, as they have not yet com-
menced to bear. Possibly some reader of Thk
G.ARDEN can kindly give information on this point.
A. W.

Apples for colour.— Two beautiful varieties
to plant for the providing enduring colour are
Golden Spire and Col. V'aughan. These have the
merit of colouring early and of retaining their
fruit for a long time. Where Apple cordons are
grown over arches, trees of these varieties planted
alternately on each side would in fruit give beau-
tiful effects. One of the finest of fruit-archways
I have seen is at Buchan Hill, Sussex. It is
1.") feet wide at the brse, and the crown is 17 fett
high, and the whole KH) yards long, but there
has been no effort made in the planting to get
colour efl'ects. The trees are Plums, Apples, and
Pears, but here, of the last, Beurr6 Clairgeau
and Durondeau are the prettiest. It is, however,
a method of growing Apples and Pears well worthy
of adoption, especially to obtain pleasing colour
results.- A. D.

The Crystal Palace fruit show.- 1 do not
agree with "Cornubian" that the single dish classes
for Apples at this show should be increafed, but
I should like to see them varied from year to year.
Not a few of the ilasses were comparative failures
at the recent show, bringing only from one to
four dishes— surely absurd results. It may be
good policy to help bring newer varieties into
prominence, if good, but as these are chiefly in the
hands of the nurserymen, surely they are the
proper persons to make them widely known by
exhibiting them. That some of the best standard
varieties should be retained in the schedule every
year is certain. On the other hand, it is useless

jSTovejiber U, 1896 J

THE GARDEN.

387

to retain any varieties that are naturally so early
as to have long passed their beat form ere the
show is held. There was less to complain of in
the dessert section, but in the kitchen kinds such
varieties as Ecklinville Seedling, Lord SutEeld,
and Lord TJrosvenor are surely out of time in
October. They might well give place to other
varieties that have good qualities and keep well
These are indeed the Apples we need to en
courage, because in the past far too much en
couragement has been given to the early autumn
fruiters, because these not only run large, but
come off early. From this point of view, the hold-
ing of the exhib tion at a rather later date, as this
year, rather than earlier, is desirable. Not a few
of those grand, fine early Pears were over also,
for they are fair to the eye and rotten to the
touch. In all cases, perhaps, rather too much at-
tention is given to ripeness, but fine samples of
good keepers are ful'j' as worthy of consideration.
In the any other variety classes I should like to
see in each case one for fruits for ripeness or
colour, and one for quality and keeping.— A. D.

GRAPE LADY DOWNE'S SHRIVELLING.
I SEND you a small bunch of Lady Downe's
Grape, which you will see is very badly
shrivelled. Of course I have taken one of the
worst bunches. 1 had, two years ago, the sann
thing happen. Last year it was not so bad. Thi
Vines in the late house are Alicante, which is a
little given to shrivelling. I give plenty of air
day and night, a little fire-heat also. The Vines
have been planted seven or e'ght years and
look healthy and vigorous. I started them
abiut the beginning of March. The border lies
very low, facing south. — A. G.

*#* The premature shrivelling of Grapes
is only too common, and " A. G " may con-
sole himself with the fact that many of our
best gardeners have been puzzled with the oc-
currence. A friend of mine once took the
trouble to write to all the leading Grape
growers with a view to learning their views
up m the question, and the greater portion of
them courteously replied. Some suggested
that more water was the remedy for shrivelling,
others that the Vines very probdbly had been
overdone with it. One noted grower was of
opinion that either more sunshine or its
equivalent, more fire-heat, was needed ; the
opposite view of the case finding favour with
another equally successful grower. Some few
authorities seem to think that a light shading
on the roof is desirable on very hot days, but a
very successful market grower condemned this
practice most emphatically. Various remedies
had been tried without any marked success
before this wholesale application for advice was
made, and any new suggestion received was
subsequently given a trial, but the difficulty
has not yet been wholly overcome. It is a
knotty subject, and only rarely tackled by
writers on Grape growing accordingly. Nor is
this to be wondered at, especially seeing it is
doubtful if anyone can confidently give a
remedy for premature shrivelling that would
apply to vineries other than those under their
own charge.

It has long been my contention that it is not
possible to lay down hard and fast lines on
many points connected with Grape culture.
Positions, structures, climate, and, in particular,
soils differ surprisingly, and a Une of treatment
that answers well in one instance may be radi-
cally wrong in another. Some growers will
assert, I have heard them repeatedly, that it is
not possible to give Vines too much water dur-
ing the growing season, but the very men who
made this strong assertion and believed what
they were saying at the time have since found
out that they were wrong. Some soils will not

become soured if watered heavily once a week ;

others will, and if a change of treatment is not

made, unsatisfactory progress is the result.

Then again, we are sometimes told that it is

scarcely possible to over-feed Vines when

heavily cropped. When they are planted mar-

ket-growers'-fashion in ordinarily dug ground,

and this happens to be of a poor, gravelly

ture, manure must be given in abundance or a

breakdown will soon occur, but the case is very

different with many borders formed in private

gardens. These may easily be converted into

mere masses of humus or be made so rich that

the roots will not work properly in them.

When the borders are not in a sound state or

congenial to the roots, something will go wrong
above-ground.

Afier carefully reading and re - reading
"A. G.'s" letter and examining the bunch of
Lady Downe's Grape sent, the conclusion I have
arrived at is that he has treated his Vines too
generously. It is a bad case of shrivelling or
worse than often seen. Shrivelled (not shanked)
berries are generally solid. These were soft and
watery and the flavour inferior. More water
has to be evaporated by those still hanging, and
the chancfS are the shrivelling will be more

oticeable in a few weeks' time than
present. There is too much witer and not
enough starch in the berries. Water and
acidity must be got rid of and sugar take
its place, otherwise the quality and keeping
properties will be at fault. The Grapes under
notice were wanting in solidity, and when
moisture leaves them they shrink. It is true,
comparatively solid berries al-o are liable to
shrivel, but in this case the fault lies in keep-
ing either the border or atmosphere unduly
dry during the process of ripening. With me
the berries of Lady Downe's seldom shrivel,
but MuscatofAlexandriainth^same house, under
precisely the same treatmeiit, does, the latter
when ripened late requiring more heat than was
good for the black Grapes If I unduly fed the
Lady Downe's at the roots, using nitrogenous
manures to excess, I should not be surprised
to find the growth more sappy than desirable
and the berries watery, with a marked tendency
to shrivelling. Farmyard manure, fish refuse,
nitrate of soda, sulphate of ammonia, guano and
soot are all rich in nitrogen, whereas the Grape
Vine stands in greater need of phosphates and
potash. Supposing "A. G.'s" border to be
already rich in humus, the result of liberal feed-
ing, I would suggest than he carefully remove
the surface soil down to where roots are plenti-
ful, substituting for this a compost of four
parts good fibrous loam, well chopped up,
to one part each of old mortar rubbish, char-
coal and wood ashes mixed, and half-inch bones.
If the roots can be enticed into this and kept
there by means of a summer mulching of strawy
manure, another top-dressing of similar com-
post could be given either next autumn or the
following spring. In all probability this change
of soil would have the eflect of greatly improv-
ing the quality of the crops of Grapes in every
way. Should this line of treatment be out of
the question, the simpler one of applying
newly slaked lime only in the spring at the rate
of 1 lb. to the square yard of border, lightly
forking this in and using no other manure for
one year should be tried. The lime will correct
and sweeten the border, also supplying what
the Vines probably need. Wood ashes and
bone meal, or, better still, steamed bone flour,
the former supplying the much needed potash,
and the two latter phosphoric acid, also most

essential, ought to be used by all Grape growers, materially in

and would certainly act beneficially when the Gunton, as each tree receives a hberal mulch of
berries either fail to colour properly or are ' rich manure and several copious drenchings with

given to shrivel prematurely. Wood ashes
alone are strong, especially if kept dry till
applied, and must not be used recklessly. A
peck per square rod is enougli for one dressing,
but " burn bake," or the residue from a garden
smother (slow tre) may be applied at the rate
of four p cks per square rod, or even more
freely if wood ashes are not largely present, the
roots of fruit trees and Vines revelling in it.
With this apply bone meal or flour at the rate
of 41bs.to 5 lbs. per square yard. This dressing
of bone meal and ashts should be pricked into
the surface. Failing bone meal or flour and
wood ashes, the requisite amount of phosphoric
acid and p itash could be supplied in the form
of Buperpho.spha'e (mineral) and kainit, the
latter a cheap crude potash salt, in equal parts
and applied at the rate of three ounces per
square yard when the Vines are about to be
started, and repeated three months later. Where
the borders are comparatively poor one part of
either nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia
should be added to the three pans each of
other ingredients and another ounce per square
yard be applied a month or six weeks later.
Thomson's Vine manure, applied as advised by
vendor, is of great assistance to many Grape
growers. — W. I.

PEAR GROWING AT GUNTON PARK.
Those accustomed to visit the exhibitions of the

National Chrj Sinthemum Society at the Aquarium

W!U be familiar with the fine Pears thai hive for
years been fhown there by Mr Allan, of Gunton.

this season his fruic i-', if anj thing, fit er than in
previous years, the weight of i-ome varieties being
enormous Ic may perhaps intertst some of the
readers of The Garden to hear a little of the
method of culture pursued at Guuton. Of course,
the moitt climate, coupled with the fact that the
garden in which these Pears are grown is from
mo-t points of view one of the ri^ihl; sort, has a
good deal to do with Mr. Allai.'? success, but un-
less, in addition to all this, special culiuie was
given, such excellent fruit could not be produced.

In the first place, the trees from which many of
the largest fruit of such firstrate varieties as
Doyenne du Comice and Glou Morceau are
gathered occupy a south wall 12 leet high, which
used to be, twenty years ago, one of the best
Peach walls in Norfolk. Others, however, are
grown on west walls with almost equal success.
One rule always adhered to by Mr. Allan is get-
ting a good clean, healthy tree to start with,
some being trained in fan and others in horizontal
form, and on both the Qjince and Pear stock
according to the varieties. The borders at Guii-
ton are of the ordinary width and the natural soil
of average quality, biit then these Pear trees are
treated every few years to a frech addition of
good rich loam cut from the .adjoining deer park,
a privilege which all gardeners do not enjoy.
When each fresh addition of loam i» given, a trench
taken out just where the roits have extended
to, and the new compost, containing a little
rubble to keep it open, is placed in, the tips of
the roots being laid in ready for a fresh start the
following season ; the new portion is made firm,
Mr. Allan attaching a good deal of importance to
,. Care is taken to lemove f 11 useless spurs
and growths at pruning time, sufficientspurs only
being retained to receive a maximum amount of
sun and light when in full growth in summer. I
do not think the trees are protected by netting
tiffany when in bloom ; nevertheless, excelU nt
sets of fruit are annually secured. Of course, to
get General Todtlehen 2^ lbs., Doyenne du
Comice 20 ozs., and Marie Louise ISozs., thinning
must be practised with a liberal hand, but even
with from a foot to 15 inches left between each
ben the final thinning is given, the trees in
autumn seem thickly studded. Dry summers do not
terfere with the swelling of Pears at

THE GARDEN.

[November U, 1896.

myarvi liquid ; the hose also is applied vigor- in the case of old
•It to the foliage at intervals while the fruit is suits may be sec

farmyard
ous'

swellinj:. The trees are all netted in autumn, as
tomtits are very troublesome in this garden.
During August and September the Fear walls at
Gunton are certainly worth a long journey to see.
Mr. Allan crops his borders with the ordinary run
of vegetables all the year round.

J. Crwvkord.

TEAR KXIGHrS MONARCH.
'■J. C." in a rcoant issue of The G.arpkn asks the
opinion of those who grow this Pear in pyramidal
form in the open. I have a fine tree here trained
in this way whioh invariably crops most freely,
but it casts its fruit like the'other trees trained on
a wall. The tree in question is double-grafted
on Beurre Bachelier, and I was hoping that this
would have cured it of its bad habit. It is such a
dehcious Pear that it is a pitv that some means
cannot be found to counteract this evil, for the
fruits that drop prematurely are never so good as
those that remain on the'tree until mature or
ready for gathering. The only thing that can be
done, so far as I am aware, is to place a good stout
net over and under the tree to catch the fruits as
they fall, and allow them to remain there until
the crop is gathered in, for if stored beforehand
they only shrivel and become useless. There
have been great complaints about Pears dropping
this season, owing, of course, in a great measure
to the drought, but such was not the cause in
the case quoted above, as the tree was well
watered on several occasions. Unfortunately,
the habit Knight's Monarch has of casting its
fruit is not confined to any one season alone, my
experience being that it is always prone to do so,
let the season be good or bad. Through this
fault many of my trees have been headed back
and grafted with other varieties. It may be in-
teresting to some to know that there are two va-
rieties of this Pear, the genuine, or true kind, and
a spurious one. The latter may be easily mis-
taken for the other, as it is very similar inappear-
acte, but cannot approach it for flavour and good
quality. The mistake arose through grafts of
another seedhncr Pear having been sent to the
Royal Horticultural Society's Gardens when
Monarch was first introduced, and both got dis-
tributed in this way. I had both in this garden
for many years, but the spurious kind was got
rid of to make way for Pears of more recent intro-
duction. The finest fruits of Knight's Monarch
that I have ever seen were grown and shown to
me by Mr. Parr, a gentleman living at Ledbury,
at the Hereford show last year. The fruit in
question was as large as a medium-sized Catillac
Pear and it was of handsome proportions. If I
remember rightly, he has the tree growing on a
wall, and he stated that it always does well with
him, and the fruits are generally above the ave-
rage in S1Z3. At one time old trees of this Pear
were to be met with in some of the Herefordshire
orchards, but they have mostly disappeared, i
I do not know of a single tree now in this nei
bourhocd. ^ y^,

Slohe Edith, Hereford.

or poor canes, much better re-
may be secured by new stock planted in
deeply dug and manured land.— S. H. B,

Spineless Gooseberries. — I cannot give any
opinion as to the merits of these, but I can posi-
tively assert that the more spines there are on
the bushes the better I like them, for the simple
reason that no artificial protection that can be
applied, in the way of lime, soot, and other noxious
compounds, is half so effectual in keeping small
birds from picking out the buds in winter. Here,
in close proximfty to a large town, we are
swarmed with sparrows, and in winter and very
early in spring they attack the tJooseberries,
Plums, &c., to such an extent that we do not get
half a crop on many of them. There is a vast
difl'erence in the way they pick out certain varie-
ties, and while such thickly spined sorts as the
well-known Golden Drop lose very few buds, those
with long drooping shoots and few spines are
nearly cleaned.— J. G., Ho^jiorl.

Notes of the Week.

Feeding Kaspberries— These plants suffered
so much last summer in light soil that every at-
tention should be paid them at this season to
get a strong irrowth. It is often thought in such
seasons more canes may be left at a stool if they
are smaller than usual, with the result these again
produce a forest of new growths, weakening the
plant*. I would strongly advise removal of weak
wood in such cases, and if a late summer mulch
was omitted, which will have done much good
the heavy rains washing the food to the roots
now is the time to apply the same, the Raspberry
being a surface rooter and gross feeder. Few
plants feel drought sooner, and as many other
things have prior attention in the summer, no'
a good time to give manure from tanks req
ing to be emptied. On light soil, cow manure
mixed with soil is a grand surface dressing, and.

Carnation Shazada.— A dark variety, said to
be a tolerably good winter- flowering kind, and
if so, it will assuredly be welcome in any col-
lection of these useful plants. The colour is crim-
son, with a shading of maroon in some of the
petals.

Gossypium herbaceum. — Among things that
are interesting just now at Kew this plant is
worthy of note, from the fact that from it cotton
is largely obtained. In the large Palm house a
group of plants may be seen bearing many of the
woolly heads.

Agave Roezliana.— A fine specimen of this
species in the Palm house at Kew is sending up a
fine spike already 12 feet or 15 feet high, some
two-thirds of this length being densely clothed
with buds that have yet to develop. The spike is
erect and stout in proportion, considering the
rapid progress made during the past fortnight.

Gomphia Theophrasta.— This is among the
showiest of stove shrubs now in bloom, and as
seen among many fine-foliaged plants, its dense
panicles of golden yellow blossoms are very at-
tractive. The flowers aro very freely produced in
a central terminal cluster and surrounded by
large handsome leaves, e.ach a foot or more long.
It IS from South America.

Carnation 'William Robinson is a tree va-
riety possessing some points of merit— viz., size
and freedom of flowering. The habit also is good,
as is the colour, which is a fairly good scarlet,
though not so bright in colour as those of Winter
Chr3r. The flowers are individually larger
Like many other kinds that are now being raised,
this variety lacks perfume— one of the most merito-
rious points of this popular flower.

Narciesus viridiflorus. — Although this
flower is only worth growing as a curiosity, which
it undoubtedly is, it may be of interest to some
of your readers to know that it is without doubt
quite hardy in this country. The flower I send
you was gathered this morning (Nov. 11), and is
uninjured by 10° of frost and the heavy storms of
rain we have since had. I found the bulb near
Gibraltar about eight years ago. — A. KiN(;smilL|
Harroir Wtakl.

Anemone Lady Ardilaun. — This season the
above Japanese Anemone has certainly with me
been inferior to Honorine Jobert as a decorati
variety, and I see that " E. J.'s" experience
(p. 3.J0) has been somewhat similar. It is difficult
to imagine an improvement on the chaste beauty
of the single form, which is certainly more in
accord with the present taste for single flowers
than is the semi-double Lady Ardilaun, though it
is claimed for the latter that its blooms are mori
lasting when cut. However, a first trial, con

ducted in a dry year like the present, must not
necessarily be taken as conclusive, and perhaps
further experience will materially alter first im-
pressions.-S. W. F.

Tecoma Smithi.— This is an exceedingly
showy and useful plant for the cool greenhouse,
particularly for growing in small pots. Evidence
of its value may be seen in No. 4 greenhouse at
Kew, where many plants are crowded with the
golden orange flowers, flushed with tawny- red on
the upper surface. Some very fine heads of bloom
are here produced in .") inch pots, and these, to-
gether with the showy character of the blossoms,
render it a most desirable plant for the green-
house at this season of the year.

Rose Marie 'Van Houtte.— Apart from the
individual beauty and charm of this Rose — to '
which, as a matter of course, its freedom and pro-
fuse flowering would also be added — it is among
the hardiest of its race. Despite very severe frosts
having been registered in the first week of Novem-
ber, with ice fully a quarter of an inch thick, this
charming variety is still opening its buds, while
the half-expanded flowers ."eem quite uninjured
by the severity of the weather. The position of
the plants referred to is quite unprotected, and it
would be interesting to know if such hardiness is
general with this v.iriety. Undoubtedly, any
Rose that will expand its flowers in mid-November
and after weather so severe should be planted
freely.

Aeter grandiflorus. — This, the latest flower-
ing of all the Asters — much too late to be in-
cluded in the Michaelmas Daisies — is also among
the most beautiful of the entire race. It is un-
fortunate, however, that so little is known of its
real worth, as very few indeed have been fortunate
enough to flower it well in the open garden. Even
in the south the plant rarely flowers satisfactorily.
In the greenhouse, however, as a pot plant it is
among the most beautiful of autumn flowers, the
large handsome heads as well as the neat and
pretty habit at once attracting attention. At
Kew several plants of it are flowering beautifully
in the Camellia house. The plants are only IS
inches high or thereabouts, but the large flowers
are freely produced and make quite a display when
all else of this family have passed away. Bluo
flowers are by no means abundant, even in the
greenhouse in November, and a plant that may
be flowered in the Camellia house so late in the
year is worth more care from gardeners. Grown
in pots plunged in the open and treated as are
many cool greenhouse plants during the sum -
mer months, this Aster would be found to have a
value of its own through the whole of November,
and for cutting would assuredly be admired.

Camoensia maxima (Welwitsch).— This most
remarkable tropical climber, discovered by Dr.
Welwitsch in Angola, and introduced into cultiva-
tion in English gardens many years ago by Mr.
William Bull, of Chelsea, has hitherto defied the
efforts of some of our ablest cultivators to induce it
to produce its handsome flowers, which are be-
lieved to be the largest of any known member of
the leguminous family, attaining the unusual
dimensions of about a foot in length, and being
produced in small bunches of from six to eight
flowers on a bunch. It has now bloomed, it is
believed, for the first time in Europe simul-
taneously in at least three English gardens,
namely, that of Mrs. Winthrop, Barton Court,
Hungerford ; Mr. E. H. Woodall, of St. Nicholas
House, Scarborough ; and in one of the private
houses of the Royal Gardens, Kew, where it is
trained up one of the rafters of the house. The
flowers are white, with a narrow rim of gold
round their edge, and are, unfortunately, ex-
tremely fugacious, as each of them only remains
expanded for a few hours before it fades. I; ex-
hales, however, a delicious fragrance, which
seems to be its principal merit from a horticul-
tural point of view. A coloured portrait of the
flowers of this curious plant has been prepared
from the specimen at Kew, and will shortly ap-
pear in the Botanical Magazine.— W. E. Gumble-

TON.

NovE-MBEE U, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

389

Trees and Shrubs.

with a small iron stove in a sheltered corner,
where they roast the fruits of the Sweet Cheat-
nut and sell them to the passers-by.

Vienna. Louls Kropatsch.

SWEET CHESTNUTS IN AUSTRIA.
The illustration shows a Sweet Chestnut tree

in its wild state in the southern parts of Aus- FLOWERING SHRUBS IN OXFORDSHIRE
tria, where the fruit is an important part ot
food to the inhabitants. In the south of Tyrol,
the Etsch valley, near Meran Bozen, are
extensive forests. In the environs of IJozen

Desmodiu
Elasagnus
Eseallonia in var.
Exocliorda grandifli
Erica in var.
Forsythia in var.

peuduliflorum Pyrus
var. Piptar

Ptclea trifoliata

The flowering ehrubs have been better this year H.^rmeUrvirgi^^ica

f.han I have ever known them. I enclose a hat ot Hypericum in var.

those which have done well with me, in case it Indigofera floribuiida

may interest any lovers of these beautiful sub- Loni°cera iu var.

-bus nepalensis
runica graiiatum
Hhodotypos kerrioides
Robinia in var.
Rbodora canadensis
Rubus in var.
Rhynchospermum jasmin-

Stuaitia

irgin

Tlie 8ii;eet Chestnut in the Tyrol. From a photograph sent by M. Louis Kropatsch, Imperial Gardens, Vienna.

there are trees with stems 1 metre in diameter, jects. They have all flowered without

The Sweet Chestnut is also found in masses as tection : —

a f^jrest tree in Dalmatia, Bosnia, and some Amorpba frutescens

parts of Carniola and Styria. In the vicmity of Azara micropbylla

Vienna the climate is too severe, and conse- i Abelia rnpestris

quently trees are only to be found in sheltered Altli.va frutex

woods and parks. The fruit here is of little Andromeda

value compared with that from the southern Calophaea'wolgarica

parts. At the beginning of winter there appear in \ Catalpa ^

the streets of Vienna men who post themselves Ceanothus in var.

Cercis siliquastrum
Chionanthus virginica
Colutea

Clethra alnifolia
Carpentaria californica
Clematis coccinca
Caryopteris mastacjnthus
Ohoisya ternata
Deatzia in var.

Magnolia in ten vars.
Nuttallia cerasiformis
Olearia Haasti
Periploca graeea
Prunus in var.

Staphylea

Spirsea in many vars.
Viburnum Awafurki
Xanthoceras sorbifoHa
Zeuobia pulverulenta

OXON.

Tricyrtis grandiflora. — It is unfortunate
that this distinct as well as curious and interest-
ing perennial should so early feel the effects of
the slight frosts experienced this autumn. Quite

390

THE CxAEDEN.

[November U, 1896.

re::ently in a large garden I noted the foliage of
this plant blackened almost as much a? were
Dahlia? and other tender thing?, due to snme ex-
tent that it occupied a rather low and there'ore
moifter position than is really needful for its
requirements. Many years ago I grew several
forms of this liliaceous plant on a somewka^
Karm border facing the south. In this position in
good deep soil their flowering was assured year
by year, some handsome tuft* producing from a
dozen to a score of their curiously spotted flowers
tha*. were quite attractive. The pUnts both
orow and increase freely in warm sandy loam
where the drainage is good, and on clay soils they
should be grown on a south or raised border with
some attention to their wants in this respect. The
roots are perfectly hardy where the soil is well
drained, but whore this is not the case the crowns
may be covered with coal ashes or short litter in
autumn. — E. J.

Kitchen Garden.

KOTES ON PEAS.
American Wonder some years as
gain but it was soon eclip-nl.

ras a great
soon eclip-nl. It was, I con-
sider, a step in the right direction, as it did
away with the necessity of growing the round
white-seeded Peas which were small, of poor
flavour and soon dried up. American Wonder
was the forerunner of some of the best of our
early Peas. Chelsea Gem soon followed. In
this there was a longer pod, three or more
Peas in a pod, and with distinct marrow flavour,
with the same advantages as regards earliness
and dwarfness. Wm. Hurst possesses the
same good qualities but is of a different colour.
Willia°m the First was a grand introduction and
is still largely grown. It is, I consider, inferior
to many o1 the^later introductions. Exonian is
an excellent early variety of really splendid
quality, far superior to American Wonder and
earlier than William the First. My favourite
early Marrows are Gradus and Excelsior.
Gradus is a grand Pea. I am not a lover of the
small early Peas with only three or four Peas
in a pod, neither are the cooks, and when such
varieties as Gradus and Excelsior can be had
nearly or quite as early sown in pots it is not
worth while to grow smaller kinds. In mid
season varieties there has been the same pro-
gress, and there is a really wonderful selectior
here. -Again, the dwarfing has been carried
out with" due attention to quality and crop.
Many of the new varieties bear pods quite down
to the soil also in pairs, and what is of great
importance to the gardener give a succession.
Eureka, a 3-feet variety, is a fine addition to the
summer Peas. Veitch's Main Crop, a new Pea
of great excellence, also a 3 feet variety, is an
immense cropper and will be a standard variety.
I am very fond of Sharpe s Queen and Magnum
Bonum Marrowfat, a splendid dwarf type of
great cropping qualities, and remarkable for its
quality in hot, dry seasons. Criterion is what
may be termed a fillbasket. Daisy is a good
all-round midsummer Pea. It is one of the
newer types and remarkable for its cropping
and quality. Another Pea which I consider
still worthy of front rank is Stratagem. The
well-known Veitch's Perfection is still a reliable
mid-season Pea, and in certain soils equal to | Senator
Ne Plus Ultra in quality. From this variety
many of our new dwarf Peas have been raised,
and though last in my list of mid-season Peas it
is one of the best of the older selections. For
late crops few varieties can equal Late Queen
and Latest of All. Late Queen is a dwarf va-
riety, and in <iuality quite equal to Ne Plus
Ultra ; pods larae, broad, dark gret-n and free

a dark green colour and rightly named. Sturdy,
a dwarf Ne Plus Ultra, is an excellent late Pea
for heavy soils and equal in quality to the older
variety. Those who like tall varieties for late
use cannot do better than grow Ne Plus Ultra.
-G. Wythks.

William Hurst sown on a south border in
November is always the tirst. It has only failed
once in fourteen J ears, and the crop is quite as
early as that obtained by sowing indoors in pots, or
n turf and transplanting. I have seen it stated
hat equally early results are obtained by sowing
ate in January instead of November, and this is
doubtless irup, but the ditticulty is, that sowing
cannoD be accomplished sometimes for quite two
months after the new year, and when this is so the
November sown crop is a long way the earlier.
Perhaps my most reliable sorts, writing from a
purely cropping standpomt and not touching the
exhibition question, are William I., Criterion,
Sharpe's l>taeen, and Walker's Perpetual Bearer,
although, u'lven sticks of sufficient length and
plenty of loom, \e Plus Ultra might be substi-
tuted for the last named. For small gardens I
should recommend William Hurft, The Daisy, and
Stratagem f jr size and flavour allied to produc-
tiveness.—E. Bi'RRELi., Cluremont, Ethtr.

In the early section, May Queen, and Early

Marrow, sown oil the same date, were ready
for gathering at the same time, and as early as
the selected strains of the early round varieties.
Being Marrowfats there is a considerable gain in
these over the round-seedel sorts, and in the market
they command a much higher price. These grow to
a height of ^i feet. Chelsea Gem proved the best
of the dwarf section, and with me better than
English Wonder, William Hurst, or American
Wonder. The pods in this variety are of good
size, the haulm sturdy, and its height an advance
on that of the othersnamed. Stratagem holds a
foremost place among the early kinds, indeed this
is mo't largely used for sowing in boxes for early
planting, and its cropping and high cooking ijuali-
ties make it still a favourite, Criterion was one of
my best maincrop Peas, and certainly my experi
once of it in such a trying season will justify an
extended use another year. Gladiator has notdon*
well. Sharpe's (,)ueen did very well, but there
was but a short succession of gatherings. Hollo
way Rival is a good midseason variety, its pods,
which are not very long, are filled with unusually
large dark green Peae. This shoulJ be a good
variety for small gardens where dwarf Peas
are valued. Magnum Bonum until overtaken by
the drought was very promising, and what
pods did fill showed plainly what a grand Pea it
would be in an ordinary season. Its habit is
branching, and podding powers extraordinary,
much so as to appear all pods when viewed from
one end of a long row. Holloway Victorj
another tall Pea, particularly suited for late s
ing, and was the least aS'ected by the dry state of
the soil in these gardens. It is not so prone to
mildew as many others, and for this reason is
suitable for late autumn use. It is not one of the
large showy exhibition varieties, bu
theless, a most useful table Pea.— W. STKniiNELL,
Rood Anhfon, Troirhridf/e.

My first sowing usually consists of Sang-

ster's No.l, William I. and Exonian. The suc-
cessive sowings are made of late and midseason
sorts sown at; the same time, which ensures
a longer supply from the same sowing. For in-
stance, if Webbs Senator and Autocrat are sown
at the same time, the former will be fit to
gather when the latter is coming into bloom.
an immense cropper. With thes-e
I make a sowing of such as Dwarf Mam-
h, Satisfaction, .Jubilee, President Garfield,
ncrop. Magnum Bonum and Matchless Mar-

Ma

rowfat. I always allow 1 foot

the Peas than the catalogue height, although this

year they are below their normal height. The

Peas here are all mulched with half-rotced leaves

from an old hotbed and kept watered ; by this

means I have had an unbroken supply. Britif-h

from mUdew. Latest of All is a 3-feet Pea of (,>ueen and Ne Plus Ultra, which I always gr

single rows about the garden in the best soil, often
attain to a height of 8 feet. They are two good
old indispensable sorts, which everyone should
grow where high sticks can be obtained. Dr.
McLean, Frrtylold and Telephone are good old
sorts which I -always keep to. — John G.^kland,
Killerlon. K.rfter.

— One of the best early Peas here this season
Gradus, which will be grown more freely
in future for early supplies. This variety followed
Chelsea Gem closely. Veitch's Early Marrow
proved a reliable variety in such a season. Mid-
season varieties were represented by Veitch's
Main-crop, Sturdy, Dukeof Albany and Criterion ;
for later supplies I trust to Btiri^h Queen and Ne
Plus Ultra.- R. P.\kkkr, Oooilirood.

Fxoniin will be grown largely here another

season, I know no better kind for the earlj- part
of the year. Webb's Senator is the best mid-
season variety that I have found this year, as it
stood the dry weather capitally and is a great
cropper of excellent quality; Prodigy and Duke
of Albanv were al-o good : Autocrat, Sturdy, and
Ne Plus Ultra are the kinds I depend on for late
sowing and they are hard to beat, the last especi-
ally.— WiLiJAM Nash, Badminton, Gloucester-
tihire.

The best early Peas all points considered

I consider are Chelsea Gem and William the
First, and for second sowing Wordsley Wonder,
Criterion, Stratagem, Sharpe's Queen, Prodigy,
and Duke of Albany. For later gatherings Auto-
crat is a grand Pea in every lespeot, and one
which stands dry weather better than any sort I
know. Sturdy is a very cantinuous bearer, and
Veitch's dwaif Mammoth, a grand Pea for those
who cannot procure tall sticks. Xe Plus Ultra is
still one of the best. Walker's Perpetual Bearer
is not so much grown as it should be, as the latest
formed pods continue to swell even in most in-
clement weather and keep up the supply to a very
late date. Of new Peas I have not tried many,
being short of ground and having of necessity to
keep principally to old and well proven sorts. I
can, however, speak well of Veitch's Main-crop.
Chelsonian, another new late Pea, will undoubt-
edly take a front rank with all who require late
supplies and appreciate the Ne Plus Ultra colour
and flavour.— J. Crawford, Coddinf/ton Hall,
Xewark.

The favourite varieties here are Exonian,

Criterion, and Ne Plus Ultra, with Duke of
Albany fnr exhibition. Exonian has taken the
place of William the First as a first early variety,
being of better flavour, dwarfer in growth, and
ready for use a few days sooner. Criterion is a
tall grower which might be against it where
stakes are difticult to get, but for quality and a
long succession of well filled pods I consider there
is no better midseason variety. Ne Plus Ultra
succeeds the foregoing, and although other late
sorts have been tried none c^n equal this one, as
good gatherings can usually be had from it until
Octobar, and mildew seldom attacks it. Dr.
McLean and Webb's Senator are the best dwarf
varieties that have been tried, and neither exceeds
.3 feet in height. The latter is a new Pea and
bears an abundance of well filled pods of excellent
(|uality. Gradus has been tried for two seasons
along with Exonian for the earliest crop, and has
proved to be as earlvas the latter, the rods almost
as large as those of Duke of Albany. For a border
Pea it is valuable as the crop finishes off pretty
much at one time when it can be cleared away to
make room for something else. — James Day,
Oalloiray House, Garlt^stou-n, Wi.jlovshire.

With me William Hurst (or Chelsea Gem,

as they are apparently identical) again proved to
be the best early variety. It is dwarf, heavy
cropping, and of superior quality. Sutton's May
Queen, 2J feet, is also a remarkably good early
variety, and much to be preferred to anv of the
extra early round seeded varieties. Duke of
Albany, now largely grown as a second early, was
not a success this season, neither were Criterion
nor Telephone. Sharpe's Queen stands out promi-
nently as an excellent hot-weather variety, and
in all directions I hear this sort highly spoken of

November U, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

391

It attains a height of from 2 feet to 3 feet, and
produces large pods well filled with peas of
superior quality. Autocrat also behaved well
this season, and is a good main-crop and late
variety. Latest of All is a good companion for
the taller-growing invaluable Ne Plus Ultra. —
W. Iggulden, Frome.

I grow now as the very earliest Pea

Veitch's Kxtra Karly. Sown on a south border
it is re&dy to gather about the middle of May.
This is preceded by Chelsea Gem and American
Wonder from pots. Exonian is the best to fol-
low on as an early Pea, to be succeeded by
Veitch's Main-crop and Prodigy, both midseason
Peas of the highest quality. When visiting in a
northern district where the rainfall is twice as
much as with us, I was informed that these two
were considered the best. They are both splendid
croppers and of excellent flavour. I grow Ne
Plus Ultra for a late crop. The farmers in this

late Peas I have named are continuous bearers. —
R. Mauer, Yattemlon Court, Xewhury.

I found the best early Peas to be William I.,

Harbinger and First and Best ; Harbinger coming
in firct and proving a good cropper and of good
flavour. Advancer did well, also Dickson's Fa-
vourite : it always carries a good crop of well-
filled pods. Daisy ha? also done well. Telephone
is our main staj-, and has again proved one of the
best. Dr. Maclean is another good Pea which has
done well, and Ne Plus Ultra still holds its own.
— R. S. Williams, Crosnu-ocd Park, Ahery.ttmith,
S. Waits.

TOMATO CULTURE.
In the cultivation of Tomatoes I attach much
importance to the way the young plants are
started. The seeds are sown thinly in boxes
at the beginning of February and placed in a

Item is important, too, as eflecting a set of fruit
low down on the plant, one of the tests of good
culture. In plenty of instances my first bunches
touched the earth as they hung. I plant firmly,
ramming the foil down tightly around the roots.
Air is given on all favourable occasions in the
daytime, but of course in the early spring
months we must avoid anything approaching a

'l cold draught. Top air and warmed pipes pro-
vide a nice growing atmosphere, and the tem-
perature is not allowed to fall below 50" at

I night. I run a single line of plants near the
hot-water pipes and train them as single rods
up the roof on both sides of the span-roofed
houses. The trellis is a foot from the glass, and
thus ample room is given for the development
of foliage. This matter is often overlooked.
This season I planted 9 inches apart only, but

Tomatoes at the Claremont Xiirsery, Woking. From a photograph ly Mr. W. Baynhc

part of Essex, where Peas are grown to a large
extent, all grow Ne Plus Ultra. I saw a fine late
Pea in the kitchen garden at Brougham Hall,
named The Don. It was very prolific and the
quality first-rate. Mr. Taylor, the gardener, had
made quite a trial of Peas, and the best were
Prodigy, Veitch's Main-crop, Stratagem, and
The Don.— J. DoroLAS, Great Gtarie^ Gardens,
Ilford, E.

— William the First Improved is still among
the best of the first early varieties. Sutton's
Bountiful is a good second early, and Duke of
Albany has given good results. Autocrat is an
especially good midsummer and late marrow Pea
n a dry season. As a late variety, Reading Giant
8 a fine type of Ne Plus Ultra, and Latest of All
:s a fine type of late Marrow of a continuous bear-
ing habit. Many of the latest new varieties have
very fine pods, but the crop is soon over. The

brisk heat, where they quickly germinate. So
soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle
they are potted singly into 3-inch pots. They
require careful handling and may be put low
down, so that only the .seed leaves are above the
surface. I use any kind of soil almost, but
have it rather moist, so that there is no need for
water for a few days. The roots quickly get hold
and the plants start growing at once. As soon
as rough leaves come the plants are stood on a
shelf near the glass for the purpose of obtaining
a dwarf sturdy habit. Too often we find
Tomato plants allowed to get drawn up spindly
in the young state. Chilled water is provided
with regularity, plants on an airy shelf needing
it often. When they are about 3 inches high,
I plant them in their permanent quarters. This

intend to return to the distance of a foot. The
close planting caused me to cut away the foliage
more than I think desirable.

Up to the time of the appearance of the
earliest flower bunches I water very sparingly,
and do not mind if the plants flag a trifle when
the sun is out, but afterwards this is always
avoided. Side growths are promptly pinched
out, and every day a slight tap with a stick is
given to each bloom truss to ensure a perfect
set. After the first fruits bagin to swell I give
abundance of moisture to the roots, but am
guided somewhat by the rather large borders,
which give to my mind a too free root-run. I
would preferably have the roots confined to a
space not more than 2 feet wide and 1 foot deep.
In such a case one might water the plants

3H2

THE GAT^DEK

[XOVEMBER 14, 1896.

tliori)uj;hly almost daily and not force a soft
sappy sjrowth.

Tomatoes have -jrowu in the same soil for
three seasons, theonlyadditionbeingthat used for
top-dressing. I shall, however, change it hefore
another start, because the leaves had a slight
touch of the spot. Ordinary sandy loam is
the soil provided. In th s the plants root freely
and water also passes through it readily. When
the crop is in full growth I sprinkle the surface
of the soil with sojt tvery week, tliis li-ing the
only thing in the way of stimulants u-ed the
whole season. Abundance of air is always
allowed on tine days, and at night the ventilators
are only partially closed in the Ruuimer. Al-
though I do not use tire-heat throuiihiut, I
should say the crop, which might not have been
better, would most likely have finished without
a trace of the yellow spit had I employed it. I
am careful in trying to avoid any disease by
watering with warm water, or rather that
which has been made something near the tem-
perature of the house, and never moisten the
soil after the early morning.

Cutting the foliige is done with care and
gradually. The primary leave* are just
shortened at lirst near fruit that is abmt to
colour, and so on up the stem as growth ad-
vances. The crop was a very good one, an
average of seven bunches being well set on each
plant. The lower bunches were very heavy and
fine. In most cases from six to ten fruits
finished on each. The photograph was taken
in August after 1 had gathered daily sines the
end of May. The sorts grown principally are
Chemin Rouge and Sutton's A 1. Their only
fault (and a serious one) is that they are apt to
crack, especially if not gathered just when they
are on the point of turning colour. Apart from
that these sorts are most excellent. H. S.

Stachys tuberifera.— This vegetable seems
to be much appreciated in the dining-room, and
it is ce:t«nly profitable from a gardener's point
of view, as such a large c|uantity of tubers is pro-
dacel from a single root. Moreover, a row can
be planted here and there between other things
where only a minimum amount of light can pene-
trate, aisin such situations it does well. The best
way to plant the tubers is in moderately deep
drills in well-manured ground, giving a distince
of from 9 inches to 1 foot between each tuber.
They are best left in the ground and taken up as
wanted, as tliey are quite as hardy as the Jeru-
salem Artichoke. In prepaiing them for cooking,
all that is necessary is to wash them in warm, soft
water, as on no account must they be cut or
bruised, or the flavour is spoiled. — C. C. A.

Moss-curled Endive.— I place little value on
the Moss-curled section of this winter and spring
salad, except where there is a heavy demand for
salad during November and December. It then
pays to grow a good batch, as it can be used up
at that season and the broad-leaved varieties
spared for later use. The one great drawback
with the curled is that it damps off so <|uickl}',
unless the autumn is exceptionally fine and dry,
the cen'res rotting away in a surprisingly short
time. Where Endive is preferred in October to
Lettuce, I have sometimes seen the Moss-curled
variety blanched on the opsn border by placing
flowerpots over the plants as they stand, or by
laying a common builder's slate on them. This
type with me this ssason commenced to rot in open
borders in October, o«ing to excessive rains and
several early frosts. My advice is always to get
it into pits or frames at the end of September
so thai the wet can be kept from ruining it.—
J. C.

Tomatoes and food.— At p. .339 "A. W.'
notes the growth of Tomatoes in ashes, and in hii
remarks on the well-doing of the plants in a re-
stricted root space goes on to say he is surprised
bow well such plants fruit without food, the roots

gjmg down into the ashes. Here " A. W.'s" re
marks are well worth consideration. Do we not
feed Tomatoes to excess'.' In my opinion the rich
food these plants have, with the loss of leafage
alio as many cut back hard, is the forerunner of
isease and spot. We well know there is little
support in coal ashes, but if they have lain up a
time they get solid, and the roots in such a season
ast summer delight in the cool bottom the
ashes afford : and though food such as "A. W."
advises is soon absorbed by the ashes, the latter
remain moist longer than soil and the plants
benefit greatly. Tbis points out the value of pot
culture for gross growers and le-s food, as where
planted out in much soil there is more difiieulty
n setting and cropping. The ditiiculty is
greater where the sod is good with food given
reely and the plants kept warm.— S. M.

Bipening fjicmg Seakale crowns.- To
get early Seakale of the liast quality it is necessary
to check root growth m mild weather, and with
an absence of frost the leaves in seasons like the
present are not inclined to fall. It often happens
that lifting must take placa at an early date to
get early produce. In heavy land it is an easy
matter, to fac litate early ripening of suthcitnc
roots for the first forcing, to take a fork and gem ly
lift each root a little out of position, breaking
away the fibrous roots at the base. This checks
growth and does not harm the plants. In a few
days they may be placed in heat and will force
more readily. I have seen liad results from placing
rootsin heat with green topsor having to break away
the old leaves, the roots pushing out small shoots,
the main crown refusing to move. By adopting
some such means as the above to check growth,
forcing is easier in every way. All roots, no
matter whether for late or early supplies, are
best lifted in the autumn, trimmed and laid in soil
ready for use. as there is thus a saving of time and
labour. -G. W. S.

Storing Onions. — Until I read Mr. Young's
notes on these in a recent issuj of The Gakhen I
had thought that most growers had found that
ripe, dry Onions were virtually frost-proof. I
have kept such under open roofs, exposed not
only to two or three, but 30'-' or more of frost, and
they were not a whit the worse. No one need
trouble to cover Onions if he will only ripen them
first and keep them dry afterwards. Under such
conditions there is little or nothing in the texture
or substance of Onions for the frcst to lay hold of.
Were further proof needed it i.-* found in the
enormous quantities of foreign Onions from
France, Normandy, and Germany hawked about
in uncovered ropes in all weathers through the
towns and villages of Britain without the slightest
apparent injury. Your correspondent, however,
may be excused for taking excessive care of his
Onions, the most important of all the crops cf the
garden. Thorough ripening is most essential to
successful keeping, and so are perfect shelter from
rain and dew, and a free and incessant circulation
of air. Overfeeding into grossness, late sowing,
thick sowing, careless harvesting, damp, and close,
warm stores lower the (luality of Onions, expose
them to injury from frost and foster the early
grow ths that precede theirdecomposition. — D.T.F.

Mr. Young says it would be interesting to

know how much frost Onions will stand witho
injuring their keeping qualities. Mine are always
stored in an open shed with a slate roof. In the
severest weather no other protection is afTorded.
I do not know the amount of frost that they have
had to endure, but should say the thermometer
would frei|uently have registered 2')'' two years
ago, yet no harm happened to them, as the bulbs
were ([uite sound till tho=e in the open ground
were larye enough for use, which with us is
usually at the end of Ajiril or early in May. There
is much difference in the keeping ([ualities even
of the same varieties, much depending on the way
they are harvested. In my opinion no rain should
be allowed to fall on the bulbs after they hav
been pulled up, for when they absorb so niuc
moisture it is seldom they keep well. Large
bulbs, too, an- more apt to decay earlier th
' smaller ones, as the latter contain a less amount

of moisture. I have always found Onions keep
best in an open shed where there is a constant
circulation of ar, but even these places, unlets
facing north, get warm at the end of April, so
that a cool store rocm would then be preferable.
I usually sow the ^) :vin in August or early in
September, the young plants being put out ia
October. By so doing fine bulb-, which are
usually preferred by cooks to those which have
' een stored, may be had. The present autumn
as been a bad one for the growth of such things,
the plants not being moie than half the size they
usually are. Onions are one of the principal crops
most gardens, as they are required at all sta-
is of the jear, therefore their sound prtserva-
n till the young ones are ready for use is of
great importance.— H. C. P.

Chrysanthemums.

THE EARLSWOOD NURSERIES.
For a period of something like thirty years Mr.
W. Wells has been a cultivator of ti^e Chrysan-
themum, and the EarlsHood Nurseries are now
recognised as one of the most important homes of
the popular flower from the Far East. The nur-
sery, situated close to the Eiilswood Station on
the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway,
consists of ten glass structures, in which was
arranged one of the finest trade collections, both
in extent and quality, that we have seen for some
time. Novelties from many sources are on trial,
but Mr. Wells prefers those raised by M. Ernest
Calvat, as giving the best results and also for
easiness of culture. The American novelties are,
he finds, more difficult to grow and later to
bloom ; whereas the French varieties are earlier
in coming into bloom, and consequently of gieater
value for exhibition at the English shows.

Among Mr. Wells' experiments may be men-
tioned two greenhouses full of plants grown on
the American bench principle, but the results are
not encouraging. The best varieties under this
system of treatment are Le Moucherotte, B.uile
d'Or (Calvat), Surprise, .-ind Souvenir de Petite
Amie, all of which were planted and grown in the
greenhouse since April last.

We also passed through one house devoted to
single varieties, some of them pretty, especially
worthy of note being Miss Wolseley, Princess
Maud, Rose Pink, Ethel Sargent, Emily Wells,
and Miss Mary Anderson, from the last named of
which many of Mr. Wells' novelties have been
raised. Another house contains a vast collection
of novelties, and of these we propose to give a few
notes in their proper sections.

Continental seedlings claim the premier posi-
tion and are, of course, chiefly varieties of the
Japanese section. M. Calvat's seedlings cer-
tainly show no sign of deterioration. Perle Dau-
phinoise is a large, globular, Japanese incurved,
with rather narrow florets, sharply pointed at the
tips, and of a rich shade of orange-yellow. Boule
d'Or, seen last season, is as good as ever. Mile.
M. A. de Galbert is a fine white Japanese of
extra large size. M. Benj. Giroud, a crimson
Japanese, although not over-large, is very
attractive. Captain L. Chaur(5, quite new, is also
an incurved Japanese, of a beautiful shade of
golden bronze, and pale yellow towards the centre.
Calvat's Australian Gold, introduced this spring
and certificated last season, maintains its reputa-
tion, and will undoubtedly prove to be a formid-
able rival to others in the same shade ; it is very
pale, pure yellow. Ma Perfection is a closely
incurving Japanese, big, solid, and cf good size
and substance ; colour pure white. Mrs. J.
Lewis is another novelty from M. Calvat, sent out
this spring, blooms large and deeply built ; also
a white. M. Ed. Andrei has long, curly, inter-
mingling florets, deeply grooved ; colour inside
carmine, with reverse of old gold. Vicorate
Roger de Chezelles is of the Japanese incurved
type, the florets rather narrow and grooved,
colour rich golden yellow, slightly shaded carmine

November 14, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

393

Of older kinds raised bj' this eminent French-
man, we noticed excellent examples of La Mou-
cherotte, Mme. Ad. Moulin, Le Rhone, Mme. M.
Ricoud, Noces d'Or, President Borel, Reine
d'Angleterre, Louise, M. Gruyer, Hy. Jacotot fils,
Mrs. C. Harman-Payne, and probably a ecore of
others. L'Emindra is new, a very pretty Japan-
ese, creamy white kind, florets narrow, habit very
dwarf. Mme. Mevus de Proli, another novelty,
a pure white Japanese, is large and solid. Some
grand examples of M. Chenon de Leche were re-
markable, and measured fully 8 inches in dia-
meter. Among other novelties from this source,
the exhibitor will do well to look out for M. Four-
nier, Dr. Duviard, Fleur Grenobloise, Mme. Gus-
tave Henry, Les Ecrins, &c.

Chrysanthemums of American origin are equally
interestincj, although less numerous. Col. W. B.
Smith, tar. E. G. Hill, Mutual Friend, W. H.
Lincoln, Lord Brooke, W. E. Newitt, Autumn
Leaves, and Beauty of Castlewood are sufficiently
well known not to need description and are finely
flowered. Latest Fad is a rather loose Japanese
with narrow flat florets, colour golden yellow
flui-hed bronze ; Major Bonaffon is very pure pale
yellow, a doubtful incurved ; H. L. Sunderbruch,
a yellow Japanese, is in good form, as is Master
Bates Spaulding of a pale lemon-yellow. Most,
however, of the American varieties are well known
to the up todate collector, and the remainder
need only be mentioned by name, and are The
Queen, Louis Boehmer, Mrs. Alpheus Hardy, Mrs.
Libbie Allen, Eda Prass, Niveum, and several
more.

The incurved section was well forward consider-
ing the earliness of our visit, all the leading show
varieties being in good form. Miss M. A. Haggas,
Globe d'Or, C. H. Curtis, Mrs. Heale, The Teck
Family, Baron Hirech, D. B. Crane, Mme. Darier,
The Queens, Barbara, Mme Frederic Mistral, and
almotl every other well known variety being
freely represented. English and Colonial seedlings
in the Japanese section also claim a place in the
Earlswocd collection. One of the best is Emily
Silsbury, a new English white Japanese; Pallanza,
Sunflower, and Charles Davis, three prominent
yellow varieties were in excellent form : the
Shrimptong and Sewards too. Pride of Madford, a
rich rosy amaranth Japanese incurved from
Australia, and Oceana of similar build, but yellow
in colour and of a like origin, were both solid and
massive in form. J. Bidencope, another Colonial
seedling, a Japanese, colour purple mauve with
silvery pink reverse, shows us what can be accom-
plished in seedling growing at (he Antipodes.
Mrs. Briscoe Ironside, a lovely shade of salmon-
blush, a Japanese incurved, is a charming (lower ;
Mrs. H. Weeks the large white Japanese incurved
introduced last season is as big as ever, and an
exhibitor's flower. The new yellow Japanese
Edith Tabor and Mrs. Herman Kloss, cViestnut
and bronze, both last year's novelties look quite
as well as when first shown. We have seldom
had occasion to notice a Scotch seedling except
Duchess of York, but at Earlswood there is a very
delicate-looking pale yellow Japanese called Dr.
Benny, which was raised in Scotland and promises
to be much sought after. Most of the hairy sec-
tion of any value are grown, but Esau, a very
pretty shade of pink, certainly deserves a passing
mention.

Chryaanthemnm Modesto.— In this we have
a flower which will be highly prized by all exhi-
bitors, and one that will occupy a high position.
It very much resembles in style the well known
Mons. Pankoucke. The florets are of good width,
very long and prettily curled, forming a large,
very full and deep blossom. The colour (the
richest shade of deep yellow) is very striking, and
not seen in any other variety. This novelty was
raised by Messrs. Nathan Smith and Son, Adrian,
U. S. A. A nice batch is now flowering in the Fram-
field Nursery, Sussex.

This Chrysanthemum is perhaps the

handsomest new variety seen up to the present
time this season. It is in colour a de p rich
yellow. The flower is large, extra deep, a ad in-

clined to incurve its florets. The bloom has
splendid substance. Those who grow for exhibi-
tion will do well to add this to their collections.
The growth is dwarf and sturdy. It was raised in
America, and it seems impossible to imagine an im-
provement in its particular type. Yellow Chrysan-
themums have had first-rate additions of late.
Edith Tabor, Modesto, Phabus, and Oceana are
four which far surpass any of the older kinds. — H.
Chrysanthemum William Tricker.— This
variety may not be what exhibitors would call an
up-to-date show bloom, but for those who go in
merely for, say, from half-a-dozon to nine average
blooms on a plant for conservatory decoration, it
is well worthy of a place. Its colour is most pleas-
ing, being of a bright rose with gracefully incurved
petals, the reverse of which are of a delicate
silvery shade. In this locality it opens perfect
flowers if crown buds are taken. One strange thing
in connection with William Tricker is the fondness
earwigs ehow for the blooms, which they riddle
into threads if not rigidly sought for and de-
stroyed. This variety is of extra short growth,
but this makes the plants none the less valuable,
as they can be worked into the front line in a
group, or when the plants are arranged on a
conservatory or greenhouse stage. — A Midland

CUT-DOWN CHRYSANTHEMUMS.
I HAVE seen in The Garden this form of growth
spoken well of. I cut mine down on May 13, both
Japanese and incurved ; they then formed their
buds too soon. I took out the tips on July 9,
when the resulting buds did not show until Sep-
tember 9 to 12, which is much too late. I also
took out the tips of all other forms whicli did
not break by September 9, and most of the buds
are late and small. Any information on the above
will oblige.— Anxious.

*^* By cutting down the plants so early as
May 13 "Anxious" made the first mistake, at
leait, by operating on the bulk. A few sorts that
are particularly late in forming flower-buds may
be cut back by the middle of April with good re-
sults. The Japanese varieties, Mrs. F. Jameson
and W. G. Newitt, are two which may be so
treated, also the newer ones, Mrs. Weeks, Mrs.
J. Shrimpton and Dorothy Seward ; but a fort-
night later than May 13 would be a most suitable
date for the majority in an average season.
Again, there are just a few notable kinds that re-
([uire to be cut back about the secnd week in
June to obtain blooms of a satisfactory character.
Mme. Carnot, Viviand Morel, Charles Davis
are three which may not be selected from early
buds, and therefore the latest date named is pre-
ferable in that case. "Anxious" did wrong in
again topping the plants on July 9, sufficient time
could not be bad to obtain well-ripened growth.
The object of cutting down Chrysanthemums is
to get pUnts of a comparatively dwarf nature
well clothed with foliage from the pot upwards,
but one must do it in the case of nearly all va-
rieties at the expense of the ultimate blossoms.
Striking the cuttings in November and December
may be done as in other modes of culture, and
the young plants carefully potted and grown on
in the same way. The idea is to obtain strong,
well-rooted plants in 6inch pots before they are
cut down. By having well-rooted specimens to
operate on we get them to break into growth
quickly after being cut back. They should
be cut down, leaving but 6 inches or so of the
hard single ttem. It is well at this time to place
the plants in a frame to prevent water getting on
them in any quantity. For a few days keep the
roots rather dry and sprinkle the leaves only two
or three times daily. This is most important,
because, if the roots get at all soddened in their
inactive state they may be killed, and a severe
check to the filants will consequently follow. The
frame may be kept partially closed at first, and
air given in increasing quantities as the new
grovvth pushes forth. When the young shoots
are about 3 inches long put the plants into the
open again and water at the roots as required . At

this stage they may be placed into their flowering
pots and at once put in the summer quarters.
Do not be in a hurry to thin out the shoots. Wait
to see which are likely to grow in the most even
manner, then select from three to five and train
them to sticks. In most instances it is wise to
select the first flower-buds that appear, that is, if
one requires large blooms ; but if any have flower-
buds on them— excepting the very late sorts named
— before August it is better te merely pinch out
the bud, not top the plants, as " Anxious" did.
By so doing it takes a considerable time for the
stems to form new growths, but if only the flower-
bud is removed, little shoots which form close to
them are of a soft nature, and are there and the
plant ready to push them up at once, instead of
feeding the flower-buds. H. S.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT SYON HOUSE.
The Chrysanthemums at Syon House are remark-
ably fine this year, the early varieties now being
at their best. They occupy eight of the fruit
houses which are now at rest, and are so arranged
that each flower can be seen. There are about
liOO grown, half as standards and bush plants,
while others on the cut-back system are show-
ing remarkably fine blooms. They all aver-
age in height from 2 feet (i inches upwards,
the foliage looking green and healthy, which
always adds to the beauty of a Chrysanthemum.
Very prominent amongst the Japanese are Elaine,
Chas. Davie, Eynsford White, Amos Perry, Mrs.
C. H. Payne, John Lightfoot, IMUe. Lacroix,
W. Tricker, John Lambert, Robert Owen, Mme.
B. Pigmy, and Mrs. W. Dreer. Turning to the
incurved varieties, very noticeable are Jeanne
d'Arc, Brookleigh Gem, Mrs. Dixon, Queen of
England, Empress of India, Lord Alcester, Baron
Hirsch, Emily Dale, Mr. Bunn, John Doughty,
Golden Queen of England, and Golden Beverley.
Although Chrysanthemums are not grown at
Syon for exhibition the above mentioned are
quite worthy of being placed on an exhibition
board. There are some noteworthy flowers of
Mme. Carnot, Etoile de Lyon, Ralph Brockle-
bank, R. Ballantine, Miss Dorothea Shea, Viviand
Morel, Beauty of Exmouth, and Hairy Wonder.
In the last house are seen a few bush plants just
coming into flower. Noticeable among them are
Lady Selborne, Souice d'Or, Elaine, Viviand
Morel, Edwin Beckett, and Etoile de Lyon. In
the large conservatory are seen a few of the single
varieties tastefully arranged among other plants.
Miss Mary Anderson is very striking, flowering
profusely with four and five flowers on a truss.
Miss Rose is also grown to a large extent and is
very fine. As there is a large demand for cut
bloom at Syon they come in very useful especi-
ally at this time of the year, whe.i other flowers
are scarce. L. Canning and Lady Lawrence are
bigely grown for Christmas work. The new
tJorden Dart promises well for late floweiiug. It
is a very dwarf-growing variety, which is a great
gain, and the colour is charming. These late
vaiieties are all grown as bushes, this being the
best mode for quantity of bloom. W. J. M.

Mildew on Chrysanthemums.— Many re-
medies for mildew exist nowadays, all of which
are no doubt eCFective in their way. An old Chry-
santhemum grower told me recently that the old-
fashioned remedy of syringing the foliage with
sulphur- water he found to be as good as anything.
A little flowers of sulphur was first dissolved in a
muslin bag and then put into a vessel containing
soft water, the plants being syringed the follow-
ing day after it had settled. In this way he said
he managed to defy mildew, although living in a
damp locality. The plants were syringed once a
fortnight. -C. C. H.

Open-air Chrysanthemums.— The success
of open-air culture depends to a very great extent
on the forethought b^^towed on the selection of
varieties which will either flower early enough to
be in bloom before the October frosts mar their
beauty, or they must be hardy enough to with-

394

THE GARDEN.

[NOVL-MBER 14, 189G.

stand a few degress of frost without showing its
effects in discoloured blooms. For the early
supply Mme. Desjrange and it allies may bo relied
on, but Lady Fit/wygram usually get? nipped
even in this comparatively favoured locality, and
anyone requiring pure white flowers must have
these sorts under glass after September. Suur
Melanie, one of the freest of all second early va-
rieties, is a resl goa for October blooming, and
when wo get favourable saasyns it well repaj ■*
good culture out of doors. For really late out
door bloom it is useless growing any but tht
hardiest pompons. Of course sheltsrei position-
may be selected for this beautiful autumn flower.
I have seen good blooms on nlants trained on
walls or fences quite late in November. Those
who live on the south coast have to reckon with
wind almost as much as frost, for here, unless pretty
eflectually screened from the fury of westerlj
gales, no flower after it is fully expanded would
be of much service. — J. *!., i:o.</,orl.

Chrysanthemum Source d' Dr.— Perhaps a
more useful variety for gardeners whose chief neti
is an unlimited supply of bloom for cutting, can
not be named for this sjason of the year than
Source d'Or. Fortunately in addition to its
vigorous habit and e.'ttreme freedom of flowering,
its colour, which is usually described as orangi
but which I should term brick-dust, is a popular
one just now. It is a capital companion for that
most excellent v.iriety Ryecroft (J lory. Source
d'Or pioduces its flowers on long stems, the
reverse of so many even of the freo-flowering sac
tion, which makes all the difference when arrang-
ing them in tall glasses and vases. I have several
cut backs which were potted on in February into
large pot? and have been well assisted all throui;h
the summer with farmyard liquid, and at the pic
sent time they are throwing a wealth of blossom
Speaking of cut backs I think gardeners who are
not desirei to grow show blooms, stand in their
own light by casting all the one-year old plants
away as soon as the cuttings are taken. If potted
into say, from 10-inch to 1-2 inch pots in rich com
post, a few of the growths if too numerous being
removed, and the plants tied out to sticks so as to
form large bushes, double and treble the bloom
cin be secured to what can be got from yearling
plants, however well grown. Those who "have no
time to spare for staking need not scruple to try
these second-year plants, as they do very well
indeed if a single stout stake is thrust into the
centre of the pot when growth is getting advanced
and a strong strip of matting tied ^^ round. —

Iiate-flowaring Chrysanthsmumi.— From
a market grower's point of view the late- (lowering
Chrysanthemums are by far the best, as they coma
in at a time when cut flowers or pot plants are
usually in great requc-t, and when prices are
higher all round, than while the mid-season va
rieties are in bloom, and when, owing to the great
quantities grown for exhibition and other pur
poses, that eventually find their waj- to market,
the price is, even for i^ood blooms, very low. Any
one having good, fresh blooms at Christmas and
for a month afterwards can almost invariably
obtain a price that repays the extra trouble and
expense of having to keep them. Th? kinds that
are naturally late in forming their buds have been
greatly improved during the past few years, and
now we have in Mrs. Canning, Niveum, Princess
Victoria and others ideal sorts that make the
work of retarding an easy matter. Of course, the
routine of culture all through the season is dis
tlnct from that which suits the earlier flowering
sorts, for the final stopping, on which a good deal
depends, may be done a month later than would
be safe for the early ones. I pinched a good
many of mine at the end of July. After trying
both pots and planting out in the open ground
from Slay to the end of October, I can confidently
eay that, although the finest blooms may be got
from pots, there is nothing like planting out for
producing a quantity of good serviceable blooms.
I have during the past week lifted several hun-
dreds of dwarf, stocky plants full of buds, and
after ehaking the soil away, so as to get tham into

small pots, they are set in a shaded place, where
they can be temporarily covered at night, and if
syringed overhead every day they hardly lose a
leaf, and make a fine display during the shortest
days of the year. — J. G., t.'os;)";/.

SHORT NOTES.— CHRYSANTHEMUMS.

Chrysanthemum Mrs A J. Parker. — This

1- i\u\ I hull in,' lipuic-e \ariety, well suited

among the most wretched and unsatisfactory, and
stands greatly in need of improvement in thif
respect.— Oku WEK.

Chrysanthemum Golden Sheaf.— This is a
dwarf compact-habited plant, a little more than 2
feet high, and bearing great quantities of pleasing
yellow blossoms. Among the October flowering
varieties this will doubtless prove very serviceable,
as the flowers expand in a free and easy manner,
the flat strap-shaped florets having an orange
flush at the base. It is an Englieh seedling
raised by Mr. E. H. Jenkins.

for the border by reason of its free-flowering pro-
perties. The colour is a pleasing pink with
salmony shade, very beautiful for vaees and the
like.

Chrysanthemum Pallanza.— The blossoms
as a whole of this are rather pleasing in form,
but in habit and growth generally the plant is

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1092.

STREPTOCARPUS.

(with a COLOIRED PLATE OF S. HYBKIHS.*)

I 1 HOUGH it is only ten years since the large-

ued, red- flowered Streptocarpus Dunni first

loomed at Kew, and was at once crossed with

Is Rexi and S. parviflorus (now called S. luteus),

the progress made in the development of the

lu w race of garden plants then inaugurated has

lit en remarkable. In addition to the various

hybrids and crosses raised at and distributed

fmm Kew, we have now several divisions or

strains identified with the establishments where

they have been bred, i.e., Messrs. Veitch's

strain, Messrs. Laing's multiflora strain,

Messrs. Sander's large-flowered strain, &c.

ry year produces further developments

itliei of colour, size, or free-flowering, and it

s e\ident that the capabilities of the Strepto-

u pus have not yet been exhausted. For the

1 "Jsession of this most useful and now generally

iiltivated race of greenhouse plants we are in-

khted mainly to the introduction of S. Dunni,

1 his species was discovered in the Transvaal in

ss4 by Mr. E. G. Dunn, of Cape Town, who

« IS at that time connected with the Geographical

Sui\ey. He forwarded seeds of it to Kew,

w here a large batch of plants was raised and

I 1 luted all round the large beds in the succulent
h luse Here they flowered in May, 1886, the

I I i\es then being about a yard long and half a
> ud wide, the flowers, which were produced

n numerous erect branched scapes a foot
hi^'h, being Ih inches long and coloured clear
1 (1 Previous to the introduction of S. Dunni,
the genus was not represented in horticulture,

\ ith the exception of S. Rexi, which was cul-
n\ated by comparatively few. Other species,
\i/ , S. polyanthus, S. parviflorus and S. Saun-
(leisi, were grown in botanical collections, and
hybrids raised from them were recorded from
time to time, but they failed to lift the genus
out of the obscurity in which it remained until
the advent of S. Dunni.

In The Garden for 18S6, vol. xxix., p. 474,
a plate was published representing several hy-
biids that had been raised at Kew from S. Rexi
1 nd S parviflorus. A comparison of this plate with
til it published in The Garden for 1892, vol. xli ,
24, and with this of to-day will show how great
an influence S. Dunni has had in the develop-
ment of these plants. Other species have since
been introduced and utilised by breeders, but
none of these have added any character of any
value, although some of the hybrids thus ob-
tained are very remarkable. All the popular
seedlings raised so far are the progeny of the
three species crossed at Kew in 1880, namely,
S. Dunni with S. Rexi, which produced S. kew-
ensis and S. Dunni, with S. parviflorus, which
produced S. Watsoni. These were awarded

Garden by H. G. Moon in
nursery. Lithographed and printed

* Drawn f
Messrs. Sand
by J. L. Goffart, successor to GuiUaume Severeyns.

nv I* 1855

S T F.E P-T O CA_RPU S PIYE^ Fvl P S

November 14, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

395

first-class certificates in 1887, when Dr. Masters
wrote of them : " These two hybrids are very
striking, and we can hardly doubt that they are

1 u Jiite flouei-cd Sfrepiocorj; us.

the foundation of a new race of plants parallel
in importance to the Achimenes and Tyd ea^;

They are the beginnings of a nen

class of greenhouse plants of much beauty anu
interest." The hybrids were again crossed w ith
S. Rexi and S. parviflorus, the large ungainly
leaves of the first cross being against their be
coming favourite pot plants. These crosses gave
most marked results, the range in colour an 1 size
of fJower and in the habit of the plants being
considerable. A selection of the most distinct
of them was obtained by means of exchange h^
Messrs. Veitch, and they were also freelj dis
tributed to other nurseries and private gaideu'.,
including Messrs. J. Laiug and Sons, Foiest
Hill. Messrs. Veitch at once saw their value,
and Mr. Heal, their propagator, took up their
cultivation and improvement with such zest that
in a year or so he produced some very fane va
rieties.

As cross-breeding among the seedlings pro-
gressed, however, it was seen that the rea colour
was breeding out, blue-flowered seedlings pre
dominating. The introduction of fresh blo<
from S. Dunni therefore became necessaij,
and although this aflected the size of the lea^ es,
it restored the red shades, which are most ail
mired. So far as my observation goes, 1 am
convinced that a re-infusion of S. Dunni blood
will be necessary for the retention of the red
colours in the flowers. There is plenty of e\ i
dence to show that a race of plants which hai
its origin in hybridisation and is perpetuatet
by means of seeds soon changes its character,
the characters of one or the other parent pre-
dominating in the seedlings to such an extent
as to finally work out all trace of the weaker
parent. It is probable that many garden races
originated in this way have long since lost all
trace of the characters of all except one parent.
Cineraria may be a case in point.

The seedlings represented in the accompany-
ing plate might be called improved varieties of

S. Rexi, for they possess practically none of the
characters of S. Dunni, except a trace of red
colour. 1 have seen them in Messrs. Sander
and Co.'s nursery, thousands of them,
and they are all alike in their close re-
semblance to S. Rexi. At Kew there
are many seedlings which undoubtedly
are descendants from the first hybrids
raised, and they are almost pure S. Rexi
except in colour. So far seeds are of no
value for the reproduction of any colour
variety, seeds of a white form producing
blues, itc, red forms producing whites
and blues, and so on. Whether it is pos-
sible ultimately to get the colours so dif-
ferentiated and fixed as to be reproduced
from seeds cannot be told so far, but
reasoning by analogy there is little hope
of it. Seeds should be saved only from
the best varieties, and the crosses made
should be with a view to improvement,
not merely haphazard.

The only species of Streptocarpus that
has refused to intercross is the caulescent
one, S. caulescens, but we do not despair
of overcoming whatever the obstacle may
be. S. Dunni crossed with S. WendUndi
gave us S. Dyeri, the most gigantic of
all species or hybrids, its leaves a yard
long, and its flower scapes in sheaves
nearly 2 feet high, crowded with purple-
red flowers. S. Fannini crossed with
S. Rexi yielded a free-flowering and ele-
gant hybrid with numerous large leaves
and crowded slender scapes of lavender
coloured flowers. This has been very
attractive this year in the temperate house
at Kew, where it forms a margin to one
of the large beds. S. Galpini, figured in The
O \ri EN for 1802 (vol xli , p 256), is one of the

Mr. Galpin found it and sent it to Kew about
five years ago. S. gratus, raised by Messrs.
Veitch, is almost identical with S. Wataoni. A
cross between S. Rexi and S. polyanthus, and
named S. Bruanti, and one between S. Rexi
and S. Saundersi, raised in 1882 by the late
Mr. Charles Green and named in compliment to
him, are other hybrids. These, however, are
not such as find favour with cultivators gener-
ally.

The cultural requirements of Streptocarpus
are now generally understood. They are accom-
modating plants, thriving in almost any soil if
light and not kept soddened, and in any tem-
perature between that of an ordinary frame
and the stove. They enjoy sunlight, but should
be shaded in very bright weather, and they
grow very freely in such soil as suits Balsams,
Gloxinias, Coleus, Arc. The seeds should be
sown in February in heat along with Gloxinias
and tuberous Begonias, and the seedlings
pricked off as soon as they can be handled.
The best plants are produced in shallow beds of
light rich soil in a warm frame or warm green-
house. If the seedlings are planted in this
about 8 inches apart they grow rapidly, and
will flower freely all through the summer. If
wanted for pots they can easily be lifted when
the soil is wet and planted in 5-inch or G-inch
pots, shading them for a few days after the
operation. When the plants are over two years
old we throw them away, but some cultivators
keep them longer. The flowers are useful for
table decoration, and they last when cut about
a week. W. W.

Treatment of Freesias. — I find the great
thing with these useful winter and epring-flowei-
ing bulbs in order to secure a strong growth is to
bring them on very gradually at first, as if hurried
in the least failure i= sure to follow, the flower

hybrids.

and most distinct of all the species, stems not appearing, or if they do, being weak

but I am afraid it is lost to cultivation, and and puny. 1 have abandoned the practice of

although seedlings were raised from it crossed placing the pots on ashes and covering them with

with several others, its characters are not very leaf-mould with other bulbs, as if not very closely

evident in them. This plant ought to be rein- watched and removed directly growth commences,

troduced. It is a native of Swaziland, where they will in a few days draw up so as to be quite

396

THE GARDEK

[November 14, 1896.

useless : in fact, I know of no other bulbous plant
that starts iuto growth so quickly when covered
with leaves or cocoa-nut fibre. I find the best
way is to place them in quite a cool greenhouse
as soon as potted, keeping them tolerably dry
until growth commences, and then to remove
them to an intermediate house. Freesias are

they are kept in a perfectly cool store they may
be potted as late as March with very good results.

The Week's Work.

FRUIT HOUSES.
L.\TE Grapes.— SpEcal attention will be needed
in all houses where Grapes are banging, especially
with those that will not be required for use till
spring. Muscat of Alexandria, though requiring
a high tempeiature to bring it to maturity, soon
shrivels if exposed to a warm, dry, airy atmo-
sphere, therefore great care will be needed to keep
the berries plump till required for use. With so
much wet it has been necessary to keep a gentle
warmth in the pipes to expel damp, and where
the roots are in outside borders, unless covered
to ward off the rain, the soil will have become tho-
roughly soaked, causing the berries to be charged
with juice to taeir utmost capacity. When in this
condition the least amount of superfluous moisture
in the atmosphere of the house in whiih they are
hanging will cause them to rot. At this time of
the year the bunches should be examined every
other day in case there should be a mouldy berry
irakiDg its appearance. If any are found, they
should be at once removed, taking care in doing
so not to injure the footstalks of the others by
twisting them or by pricking with the point
of the scissors. A couple of thin sticks may be
used to extract the mouldy berries, one to hold
up the others to make room and the other to re-
move those rut off, by so doing there will be less
injury to the bloom. November is the worst
month of the year for ripe Grapes, there being so
much moisture in the atmosphere, to which mav
be added fogs, fallen If aves and sunless days. It
is, however, not advisable to remove the bunches
from the Vines till after the turn of the day, when
they may be cut with long pieces of wood attached
and placed in bottles of water in the Grape rocm.
B'ack Grapes, such as Alicante, Lady Downes,
West's St. Peter s, Gros Colman and the like, that
have not long completed their ripening, will show
no signs of losing their plumpness, but Ham-
burghs will begin to lose their freshness,
and will therefore require careful attention if
they are required to be kept till Christmas, as the
ekins cf well ripened berries are very tender and
thertfare easily affected by damp. Where there
are any falling leaves these should be at once re-
moved and everything done to keep a cool dry at-
mosphere, so that no condensed moisture settle3
on the berries. The temperature of a vinery in
which Grapes are hanging should not fall below
40°, ard if pcssible should be prevented from ris-
ing above .").") en bright sunny days. Air should
be afforded at all times except in frosty weather,
when only just sufficient fire-heat should be used
to keep up the requisite temperature to prevent
the moisture settling on the berries. Where
Grapes have been cut and removed to the room,
the bottles should be examined occa?icnally to see
that they are full cf water. It is always best to
have an extra bottle or two, and instead of taking
them down from the rack with the bunches in
them, after filling one bottle wipe the outside
with a cloth, then replace it in position, lifting
the burch from the next cue and placing it in the
one which has been refilled, by so doing there will
be less injury done to the berries. Be careful not
to fill the bottles too full, as the wood attached to
the bunch will tnke up a certain amount of room,
which if thrust in too rapidly will cause the water
to shoot up tbroufih the neck of the bottle.
Grape rooms usually being dark, there is not that

amount of evaporation as in vineries, therefore in
damp weather strict attention must be paid to
keeping the atmosphere of the room at such a
temperature as will prevent any moisture from
settling on the berries. When the a;r of such
places is much below that outside, condensa-
tion soon takes place, and if this is not checked
mildew will soon cause the berries to decay,
therefore close attention must be paid to ven-
tilation and expelling damp. So long as fire-
heat in such places can be dispensed with, the
plumper will the fruit remain, but when this be-
comes actually necessary see that it is not over-
done.

Fruit rhoms. — All fruit having now been
stored, it will be found necessary to freciuently
examine the same, in case there should bo any
signs of decay. Many of the mid-season Apples
and Pears will now be past their best, but where
they can be kept cool their sea?on of usefulness
may be prolonged for a short time, which will
help to preserve the later ones. Long keeping
varieties should be spread out evenly, that they
may be examined without turning them over.
The majority of fruit rooms are ill-adapted for
keeping Apples and Pears, as they are too dry
and airy, and the shelves too far apart, thus ne-
cessitating their contents being put too thickly
together. To extend the season of usefulness of
these fruits they should be kept in a cool, even
temperature, and this without a drying atmo-
sphere. All such places should be provided with
ample shallow shelves or drawers, that the fruit
may be spread out as thinly as possible. The
windows ought to be provided with shutters,
which should be kept closed at all times, except
when a person is at work. When it is found
necessary to hasten the ripening of Pears these
should be removed to a warmer temperature ; in
fact, this fruit is usually much better flavoured if
placed in a warm room a few days before it is re-
quired for use, but as many varieties only remain
in perfection a very short time, care should be
taken not to hasten too many at once.

Pot Strawberries. — Any plants still remain-
ing in the open should be put under cover at the
first available opportunity, or, in all probability,
the pots will be split with the frost. Of the
various modes adopted in different places, I have
found none so good as storing them in cold frames,
for in these, in case severe frost should set in, they
can be protected with ease, and may also be re-
moved to the houses at any time when required.
When stacked, assomerecommend,itoftcn happens
that they are hard frozen just at a time when re-
(juired. Air should, however, be freely admitted
both night and day, that the crowns may be tho-
roughly matured. The main secret in successful
Strawberry forcing is to have well-matured crowns
and healthy roots. It sometimes happens when the
plants are allowed to get severely frozen that
many of the roots are destroyed, if the plants
are plunged in ashes it is seldom that watering is
needed till the plants are taken indoors for forcing,
but should any be found to get too dry, they may
easily be looked over once a week. Those intended
for the earliest batch should by this be thoroughly
matured, and allowed to have a rest by with-
holding water until they are introduced into the
forcing house. There are often many blanks in
the first batch owing to too much fire-heat being
applied directly after they are started. Where
no more convenient place can be found, a shelf
near the glass of an early Peach house will suit
them, but they ought always to be in such a posi-
tion that ample air can be afforded without com-
ing into direct contact -with the foliage. Better
early crops are usually obtained from houses than
pits, as there is generally a freer circulation of
air, owing to there being a greater amount of sur-
face exposed. Where it is contemplated starting a
Peach house the Strawberry plants may be placed
in position ; growth will then be steady. As
other houses are prepared the plants may be in-
troduced in like manner, provided no fire-heat is
applied. It has been previously pointed out that
boxes are preferable to pots for growing the latest
batches, for, owing to the greater bulk of soil in

them, they do not so soon get dry. Where these
have not already been provided, they may be
made on wet days, and the plants turned out of
the pots and planted in them, taking care to make
the soil as firm as possible, otherwise it will be
difficult to keep the balls round the plants moist.
The boxes may be stored in cold frames, as recom-
mended for the pots. H. C. Pri.nsep.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
Rhuearb.— Where Rhubarb is required for Christ-
mas it will now be time to commence forcing,
it being much better to allow plenty of time for
steady growth than to hasten it too much ; the'
cooler the forcing quarters are kept, in reason,
the better will be the colour, which is a great at
traction in forced Rhubarb. Probably the simplest
method of forcing the earliest lot, where con-
veniences exist for the method, is to lift the stools
and transfer them bodily to a warm corner of the
Mushroom house, where they ma\- be packed
round with a goodly quantity of half decayed,
moist leaves, as these will conserve moisture al-
ready present in the balls of soil and cause the
new growth to come away kindly. I like, too, to
cover the crowns over with an inch or two of the
same material, as I find that all kinds of deciduous
vegetables, as well as other plants of a similar
nature, which make their growth from what are
commonly known as "crowns" start more freely
when these crowns are more or less buried than
they do with more exposure. Although the .Mush-
room house is a good position for forcing Rhubarb,
it is by no means the only place where it can be
carried out with success, without interfering much

ith the legitimate occupants of the structure, for
good produce is often grown under the stage of a
greenhouse in which a growing temperature is
maintained at this time of the year ; it certainly
starts best in the dark, but light is not inimical to
it after growth has commenced. After lifting the
stools a few days, exposure to the air will be bene-
ficial and should be given, if time will permit, and
if the nights are frosty so much the better. My
usual practice here is to force the Rhubarb
where the plants have been grown as, to carry
out the method described above, the stools would
have to be carted about half a mile, so I go
through the whole forcing season, working on the
same method, except that the very first batch is
forced to its fullest extent, and the stools from
this batch are destroyed later on, the stations
being then dug up and replanted each in its turn. In
four years I get right through the plot, and in this
way always have comparatively young plants with
which to work. I use skeleton boxes to cover
the stools, and as I find these very cheap and ex-
cellent for the purpose a description of them may
be useful. The foundation of each box is formed
of two sciuares made of i-inch thick wood railing
well nailed together, one of these goes at the top
and the ether at the bottom, the former is IS

ches and the latter 24 inches outside measure.
To these are nailed on each side one or two
pieces of scantling (according to width) of
sapwood or outside waste from timber, and
this completes the box, which should stand,
when finished, about 21 inches hi^h. No at-
tempt is made to fit the side-pieces closely so
long as they are close enough to prevent any rjuan-
tity of the covering material from falling through.
When these boxes are placed into position over
the crowns, loose pieces of scantling are laid across
them to act as lids, and they are then covered
with the forcing material, which usually consists
of two-thirds good hard leaves and one-third long
stable litter, put on in alternate layers instead of
being mixed throughout, the orthodox mixing
not being a necessity in this case and adding to
the labour. Stable manure is by no means
a necessary adjunct to the leaves, though it
quickens the action of fermentation, but whatever
is used must be in sufficient quantity to come at
least 6 inches above the tops of the boxes. I prefer
a long and rather narrow bed, covering only two
rows at a time, for when a greater breadth is
covered the growth from those stools towards the

November 14. If

THE GAEDEK

397

centre is apt to become, through overheating,
spindly and pale. My practice is to begin forcing
about the middle of ^iovember, atd I u-ual)y com-
mence pulling the crop during the etcond or third
week in December. A second batch ia covered
directly I begin pulling from the first. I have
gone thus far into detail of my practice, more es-
pecially with regard to the tarliest batch, as I
believe I get far more produce from stools force:!
in this way where grown than I should from a
similar number of lifted stools placed in other
quarters, and the result to the plants is the same
in each case, as neither is worth much after the
crop is pulled. I grant that the lifting has its
advantages, but they do not out-weigb those of the
system 1 pr.ictise.

Peas. — November-sown Peas frequently fail
unless grown in a garden with exceptional
climatic advantage", and where slugs, pheasants
and other pests to the gardener are but little in
evidence. The crop has generally to be fostered
through months of uncongenial weather and pro-
tected from many enemies, all to produce a dish
or two of halt-grown pods a day or two in ad-
vance of those sown two months hence, and which
will beat those if the November sowing in the
matter of cropping. Very early Peas may be
worth the trouble it takes to produce them, but
my opinion is that they are not so. Those, how-
ever, who elect to try what can be done in this
way must now set about preparing for and sowing
the crop. In selecting the position for the crop,
it is best to choose a wall border facing south, but
the wall is the only permanent shelter that is ad-
visable, for the plants will not make satisfactory
growth where they are closely sheltered on other
sides, and I prefer to use the most open part of the
border well away from the side walls or hedges.
A free circulation of air is necessary to the plants
at all times, and any further shelter required in
addition to the sticks or Pea guards must only be
temporary if they are to remain sturdy and strong.
In preparing the ground I do not advocate the
use of fresh manure at this time of the year, but
would choose a plot which has been double-dug
and well manured for a previous crop ; a plentiful
supply of wood ashes is, however, very beneficial
to the plants. If the land is not in good heart
and manure is considered to be necessary, it
should be in a highly decomposed state and buried
deeply, which can hardly be done by plain dig-
ging, so it will be wise to double dig and to bury
the manure in the bottom spit. As the latter
process will loosen the ground too much for the
well-doing of the plants if left in that condition,
each layer of soil should be trodden more or less
heavily, in accordance with its nature, as the
work of digging goes on, for though the plants
are deep rooting, the roots become more fibrous
when they meet with a fair amount of resistance
in their downward progress. Borders for early
Peas should be elevated somewhat above the sur-
rounding level. The distance between the rows
must be governed by the height of the variety
chosen, and the drills should be drawn flat-
bottomed, about 3 inches deep and double that in
breadth. An ample supply of good seed must be
used, as it must be remembered that we are now
sowing not for a large number of pods on each
plant, but for a few on each of as many plants as
can be grown on the space. The seeds should be
damped and rolled in powdered red lead or
covered with chopped furze to prevent mice from
eating them, the latter precaution being supple-
mented by setting traps to catch the mice. Of
varieties, it is unwise to use more than one,
mixed dishes not being satisfactory, and I plump
for that excellent variety Chelsea Gem, which
embodies most of the good qualities sought for in
an early Pea. Throughout the midlands and
further north this is the best time to sow ; further
south it will be batter to wait until the end of
the month or the first week in December.

Broad Beans.— Concurrently with the sowing
of Peas, a sowing of some hardy variety of Broad
Bean may be made. Broad Beans like full expo-
sure to the air, so it is needless to devote any
portion of a valuable south border to their pro-

duction. They prefer a somewhat heavy soil and
are capable of astimilating a large quantity of
manure, which should be dug deeply into the
ground. Sow the seeds rather more thickly than
was recommended for the summer crop, and put
in also a patch of seed to provide plants for any
gaps that may occur. When the plants come
through the soil some of this should be drawn
up in bank form on each side of the row or rows,
and the plants may require some further pro-
tection in hard frosty weather, which is best
provided by strewing Bracken along the rows.
Very little time is gained by sowing now, except
in those gardens where there is no glass protec-
tion available for raising plants early in the year,
but in such places it is advisable to raise suiiScient
to give a few dishes, as it is possible that the
ground may be frost-bound or too wet for dis-
turbance when the time comes for the earliest
sowing after the new year, and the grower who
has at that time a batch of November-sown plants
in good condition will have the satisfaction of
knowing that he has stolen a march on the sea-
son. Beck's Dwarf Green Gem is just as hardy
as, and more prolific than, the Mazagan, which
used to be such a favourite for sowing at this
time of the year, so I give the former the prefer-
ence.

Manure. — This will be wanted in goodly quan-
tities shortly for digging into the ground. W here
it is brought from the stables to the manure yard
in small quantities weekly there is necessarily at
times some neglect in its proper preparation, and
the present is a good time to rectify any such
neglect by overhauling the stock in hand and
dividing the short from the long, putting each in
a separate heap. Outside linings from the forcing
frames and pits may be served in the same way,
and the long manure may be returned and added
to, if wanted for protection, while the short
should be put ready for wheeling where required
in frosty weather. I like to see all manure which
is, or will be, fit for digging in during the next
few months, then one can adjust the quantities
to the crops, instead of finding oneself without
any manure in fit condition before digging is com-
pleted, as I am convinced that few things are
more responsible for the failure of some crops than
is manure dug in when not fit ; this is especially
bad practice on light soils, and I would rather
use half the quantity in good condition than add
to the bulk any that is unfit. That which is too
long or too new to be used soon may well be built
into a big square heap— the higher it is built the
better — and it will form a most convenient body
on which to pour any available stable drainings
or the like when anything of the kind can be ob-
tained. A third heap may well be made of that
which is partially decayed, as this can be brought,
by turning row and then, into good condition for
digging in during spring.

J. C. Tallack.

Orchids.

NOTES ON ORCHIDS.
A.s I anticipated some time since, the tropical
weather of early autumn has brought many Or-
chids on more rapidly than tisual, and also, un-
fortuuately, has caused some to grow unseason-
al)!y. In the warm bouse growth has settled
down considerably, Phaliienopsids, Aerides,
Vandas, Saccolabiums and a few Angrsecums
already showing signs of the season in the
points of the roots, Dendrobiums, Catasetums
and others by the rapidly maturing growths.
As a proof of the earliness of the season, Den-
drobium VVardianum and D. heterocarpum are
on the point of opening, the former quite a
month in advance of its usual season, though
the plants were kept in a cool Peach house
until the flower-buds could be plainly discerned
and signs of new growth were apparent at the
base of the stems. Dendrobium formosum is

over, and luckily the pseudo-bulbs as yet show
not the least sign of breaking into new growth,
so that with ordinary care it should be easy to
keep these practically dormant until the new
year. D. superbum is just finished and the
leaves have not as yet begun to turn colour.
This species does not, I find, require so long a
rest as some others, nor is it so long before the
blossoms appear when once the pseudo- bulbs
are matured. D. cucullatum, D. fimbriatum,
D. Pierardi and D. primulinum, also the
small»r-growing evergreen kinds, as D. aggre-
gatuui and D. Jenkinsi, have all finished their
growth and look well, but the tardy D. Dal-
housianum has a lot of headway to make up .
With this species it is really unimportant when
the stems finish, as usually plenty of blossoms
is produced from the older ones, and it
is seldom indeed that the season's growth is
ripened sufficiently to bloom the first year.
Dendrobium Parishi is very impatient of water
about the foliage and bulbs after the growth
is complete, this causing both to decay ; there-
fore, as soon as the growths have ceased to swell
remove them at once to a sunny dry position. The
more completely the earliest plants of D. nobile
rest now, the more flowers will be produced and
the better these will be in colour. I am pre-
suming of course that the stems have been tho-
roughly ripened, for it is useless trying to obtain
flowers, early or good, from half-green pseudo-
bulbs, the probability being that the greater
part of the nodes will break into growth in-
stead. Too much haste with them will some-
times bring about the same condition of things,
the plants being placed in a lot of heat and
moisture at first. Jt is far better to wait until
the shape of the little buds can be made out
before giving much moisture at the root or
placing them in a damp atmosphere. All the
evergreen section must now be kept quiet, and
the coolest pait of the Cattleya house, or where
the warmer section of Odontoglossums is grown,
will be more suitable resting quarters for them
than the drier ones frequently recommended
for the deciduous section. Thunias should by
this time be absolutely at rest, and must be kept
quite dry and warm, stowing them away in any
out-of-the-way corner. Great care is necessary
in removing Calanthes from their growing
quarters to living rooms, where this is practised.
Owing to their dry and hard appearance, the
notion appears to have gained ground that it is
impossible to harm them by the roughest treat-
ment, while, in reality, few Orchids are more
easily injured by chilling draughts or a low-
temperature while at rest. A pretty effect may
be produced in the flowering house next month
by grouping the pink C. Veitchi and the varie-
ties of C. vestita in alternate mounds, using
only one kind in each, the whole being sur-
rounded by Maiden-hair or some small-growing
Fern to hide the rough-looking bulbs. The
flowers last a very long time in good order if
care is taken to remove the old ones as they
begin to fade antl not to sprinkle them with
water. Watering at the root in the warm house
may now be greatly reduced, but few plants re-
quiring much. The larger growing Angrajcums,
perhaps, take more than any other, while Sac-
colabium giganteum must still be kept a little
moist, so as to sustain the advancing spikes.
The roots are the best guide ; watch these
closely and well consider the individual plant,
and it is hardly possible to go wrong.

The Cattleya house is still very interest-
ing, the variety existing among the forms
of C. labiata greatly enhancing the value
of this grand old species, the loss of which would
have been a calamity indeed. Many of the forms
have the richly tinted lip, like C. Trianae, while

SOS

THE GAEDElN.

[XOVEMBER 14, 1896.

others more nearly resemble C. Mossia-, Imt all
are beautiful ami very useful, owing to their
season of blooming. Most of the C.'ittlevas have
by now completed their growth, but the nature
of many of them is such that no detined resting
season must be allowed. Take the early-tiower-
ing kinds, such as C. Percivaliana or C. Trianre,
and although no growth is going on tind appa-
rently the plants are quiet, yet tlie water supply
must not be too niuch reduced, for the flowers
are forming and a certain amount of root-action
is always going on. As hinted above, some of
the Cattleyas are this season growing away
again at the base, and already several plants of
C. aurea have young shoots li inches long, the
roots also being equally active. Though it ap-
pears to be the wrong time of year to speak of
repotting, any plants such as these that require
it and have plenty of young roots just burst-
ing from the rhizomes should have a shift.
They will soon get a hold again and will be
much better able to re-establish themselves if
allowed a little more heat. The growth, too,
will be quicker, and for this reason more likely
to bloom, or if not, there should be time enough
to get a young bulb made and ripened early
enough for a flowering growth to start in spring.
All this is of course a little out of order, and it
is much preferable to keep the plants at rest,
if possible, Init when once they have started
nothing can be gaintd by checking the forming
growth. On the other hand, encourage them
by the means indicated, and endeavour another
season to keep them to their proper routine.
There is less difficulty, as a rule, with the up-
right-growing, two-leaved set, such as C. bi-
color, C. guttata and its many varieties, C.
granulosa, C. intermedia, and several more,
and if all these are grouped in the coolest and
most airy part of the house now, there is little
fear of their growing out of season. H. R.

Cattleya labiata picta.— This, one of the
older forms of C. labiata, occasionally appears
among newly -imported plants. A nice piece of
it has seven blooms on two spikes, the colour of
the front lobe of the lip being rich deep crimson,
that of the sepals and petals being deep rose with
a darker suffusion. All the fegments are broad
and well formed, making a full and beautiful
flower, and the outline of the white jellow and
crimson upon the lip is clear and well defined.

Kasdevallia calura.— This is a lovely little
species, one of the most attractive of all. The
flowers are small, the petals united and long-
tailed, the inner surface of the most beautiful
tints of crimson-purple, paler at the margins and
tails, and deepening in the centre, owing pro-
bably to the closer disposition cf the tiny hair-
like processes upon them. In habit and general
contour of the blossoms it most resembles M.
Reichenbachiana.

Octomeria diaphiana. — This is a singular
and interesting little Orchid, in habit not unlike
a Rcjtrepia. The leaves occur in pairs upon the
thin, scaly stems, and the blossoms are produced
en long slender stalks from the top of the latter.
These are each about li inches across, the sepals
and petals semi-transparent, narrow, and tapering
to a point, creamy white. The lip has a yel-
lowish white margin, deepening inwards to
bright jellow lines in the centre with a crimson-
purple disc. It retjuires plenty of water, and a
thin, well-drained compost.

Matdevallia Chelsoni.— I lately noted a
much improved form cf this well known hybrid
in flower, showing the advant.ige of using the
beet forme only in hybridising. The varieties used
in this case were M. Veitchi grandiflora and M.
amabilis. The blossoms are very broad and have
the bright tinge of purple peculiar to the latter
species. A nice variety of M. Daviei was also
noted in blocm, the colour a delightful shade of
jellow difficult to describe, and not unlike that of

some of our most gorgeous Dendrobes, rich and
full, yet withal quite clear. Both these beautiful
plants do well in the cool house. — R.

Pleurothallis plumosa —Though very sm.all
individually, the blossoms of this Orchid are very
pretty when seen in good condition in the long
arching spikes. They are also very pleasantly
scented, their fragrance resembling that of newly
mown hay. The spikes proceed from the apex of
the stems at the leaf axil, are freely producad,
and last a long while in good condition. It
thrives well in quite a cool house, and requires
plenty of water at the roots all the year round.

Cymbidium giganteum.— This fine species
is now in bloom, and although the flowers do not
last so well as those of C. Lowianum they are dis-
tinct and bright. In habit it very closely re-
sembles C. Lowianum, and, like it, produces its
scapes from the base of the pseudo-bulbs. Newly
imported plants do not, as a rule, flower very
freely, but once they are well established they are
as constant as those of any other kind. Many
flowers are produced on the scapes and they are
greenish-yellow when first open, becoming deeper
with age. The sepals and petals are striped with ,

way. In a house such as suits Cattleyas the pro-
gress will be rapid, and if any of the plants re-
quire repotting, it must be seen to before the
youn;4 roots are far advanced. The pots must
only be of medium size, clean, and well drained.
For strong plants a little loam may be added to
the usual compost, but weak or small ones should
have the peat or Sphagnum Moss only, a few
pieces of charcoal being added to jjrevent coarse-
ness. Keep the pseudo-bulbs rather above the
line of the rim and pot firmly, watering with care
for some time afterwards. M. pardinum is a
native of Mexico, and was introduced in 1837.— R.

Flower Garden.

KNIPHOFIAS.
The Torch Lilies, or Flame Flowers — as
Kniphofias have long been popularly called —
are among the handsomest and most brilliant
flowers of the early autumn months. Not ex-
clusively confined to this period, however, for

Kniphofia Iiyhrida Tnumpli.

purple, the lip spotted with bright crimson. The
plant may be grown in rather large pots, a good
proportion of loam being mixed with the peat and
Moss. It thrives in a cool, shady house and re-
quires plenty of water all the year round.

Mormodes pardinum.— I have received a
small spike of bloom of this Orchid from a corre-
spondent for a name. It is rather an uncommon
plant, and well worthy of more extended culture.
The blossoms occur in crowded spikes, and are
yellow with many small spots of brownish crim-
son. The culture of Mormodes is not difficult,
yet in many cases they are seen in poor condition.
As often as not this is owing to being grown in
I too much heat and a dry atmosphere. From the
time the blossoms are past until the young
growths start in spring, a minimum temperature
of 50' is ample for this species, and being decidu-
ous very little water is required during this rest-
ing season. When seen to be again on the move
the plants should have a goad soaking of water,
and after this be kept moist, as the roots soon ap-
pear, and these must not be checked in any

j the forms of K. aloides, the Tritoma uvaria of
so many years, are decidedly more summer-
flowering than anything else. Indeed, owing

t to the remarkable way in which the varieties,
succeed each other in their flowering, we have
much to be thankful for, as, no matter at what
season they bloom, they are quite alone in the
brilliant eflect they create iu the garden. In

i these respects they are unique. Among all
the kinds, perhaps none can surpass the variety
of aloides known as grandis in the gorgeous

, effect that may be produced by it alone. Noble
in stature, its giant stems towering to 8 feet
or !t feet high, and bearing aloft its giant heads
of brilliant flowers, it produces an effect in gar-
den scenery not obtainable by any other plant.
Less in stature, though decidedly more fiee-
flowering, is the typical species, a plant still in-
valuable, because generally much more hardy
and enduring. Thus it is that|we meet in way-
side gardens bold and handsome clumps of this

XovEMSEB 14, 1896.;

THE GARDEK

399

fine old plant that have existed for years with
little or no care. If a good deal of the hardi-
ness of this plant could be imparted to the
majority of recent hxbrids, what an array of
these flowers might be seen in the best hardy
plant gardens in a year or two. Many of the
kinds, however, are sufiiciently hardy to be
brought safely through our ordinary winters
with a slight protection of some kind, and this
they fully deserve. It may be well in some in
stances, where the varieties are somewha
tender, to take this point into consideration at
planting time, and, by associating them with
other things, provide them at the same time
with a sort of natural shelter. But where this
cannot be done, the little protection needed
may easily be supplied them in almost any
position in the garden. Even the old
form so familiar to all is sadly weakened in
certain winters when growing on heavy soils,
not by actual frost or snow so much as
the changes of temperature to which the
plants are subjected. Very frequently snow is
a source of danger to these plants — I mean wet
snow in the crowns of the plants ; or, again,
where severe frost sets in immediately succeed-
ing a season of heavy rain. Large clumps may
easily be protected against these evils by
gathering the leaves together in a sort of pyra-
mid and tying them loosely to three or four
stakes or stout Pea sticks. In doing this the
innermost leaves must be first taken in the
hands and secured, adding now and again suffi-
cient dry straw or Bracken to allow of air
reaching the foliage in the bundle ; this and a
tuft of Bracken thrust to the top of the sticks
from inside will prevent the wet lodging in the
centre of the plant. Beyond this a good heavy
mulch of coal ashes, cocoa fibre, or short litter
about the base will suflice to keep these Flame
Flowers secure even in very hard weather.
There is one peculiarity in these plants very
noticeable in old clumps of K. aloides and
varieties of their desire to push fresh growths
from below ground, a valuable stock often
being saved from extinction in some collections
by these alone when a severe winter has killed
the main crowns to the ground.

There is one system in vooue when sending
the strong-growing Kniphofias to this country
from abroad that cannot be too strongly con-
demned, viz., sendicg a stump about a foot
long and with half a dozen root fibres, the
leaves having been cut clean oS' at the height
named. This treatment is invariably faial
to the plants, and always so to those thus
treated in autumn and laid in by the heels or
planted in the border. The only possible way
to deal with such pieces when received in
autumn or winter is to place them in as small
pots as possible and stand in a dry, airy frame,
keeping them comparatively dry at the root
and not allowing any wet down to the heart of
the plant. I have seen scores, and possibly
hundreds, succumb to this practice of defolia-
tion. It is quite another thing to do it in
March or April with returning growth, but
even then it is neither helpful nor desirable,
and should always be avoided, particularly with
plants that have been lifted and divided. Per-
haps the best time in the year for transplanting
Kniphofias is the month of March or quite
early in April, as at this time new growth will
be apparent above ground, and with it activity
below also.

Among the more recent kinds, the following
stand out very conspicuously. In Pfitzeri the
colour reminds one of that of the scarlet
trumpet Honeysuckle, the flowers being also
very long and bright in colour throughout their
length. Otto Mann is a very free-flowering

variety, the flowers of a pleasing orange shade,
the spikes large and freely produced. John
Benary is very distinct, with fine .spikes of
coral-red flowers. Burchelli has dense spikes
of dark crimson-red flowers ; this commences
to flower in August, continuing for a long sea-
son. A very pleasing variety is Solfaterre,
with yellow blossoms that are quite distinct.
For distinctiveness and general ett'ect combined,
CorallLna is worth special note, its brilliant
scarlet flowers, which presently shade to orange-
red, being heavily reflexed at the mouth, a
characteristic well developed in the beautiful
and well-known Macowani. In Victor Lemoine,
the possessor of very long, dense spikes that
rise to 4 feet high, the colour is a tawny orange,
with vermilion shade, while Floribunda has
massive spikes of rich crimson, very showy and
well formed, and, as implied by its distinctive
name, produced in great numbers also. The
new variety Tucki has blossoms of a bright
yellow. It is one of the very earliest to bloom,
besides bearing the reputation, which among
these flowers is of great worth, of being the
hardiest and most vigorous of all the tribe.
Should this eventually prove the case gene-
rally, Tucki should be freely used by hybridists,
as a perfectly hardy and enduring race would
be invaluable in our gardens. — E. J.

Herr Max Leichtlin, of Baden-Baden, who
kindly sent us the photographs from which the
illustrations were prepared, sends us the follow-
ing notes concerning the two fine forms
figured : —

I have sent you two photos of Kniphofia Xelsoni
and K. hybrida Triumph to show their free-
floweritie (jualities. K. Nelsoni was discovered
by Mr. \Vm. Nelson when travelling a few years
ago in the South African Republic. Opinions at
first varied, and perhaps do go still, as to its value
as a garden plant. It is the most free-flowering
species I ever had under cultivation : it is elegant,
not too large, flowers very late, and the long
narrow spikes strike one by their form and bright
colouring in shades of ec.irlet. It surpasses K.
Macowani, and I am convinced it will become a
favourite when once seen in strong well-cultivated
clumps. Of the small group, about fifceen spikes
had been broken off by a storm ]irevious to having
been photographed. The second picture shows
K. hybrida Triumiih. K. aloides var. nobilis was
the female parent, and K. comosa the male one.
It is, perhap?, the be-t of my seedlings up to date,
and is a stately plant with luxuriant foliage, the
flower-stalks reaching a height of ."> feet, and the
spikes are often 9 inches long, of a bright deep
yellow colour. The cooaose condition of the male
parent has been stronglv developed in the off-
spring, and many stalks have become branching,
often producing ore large and three small spikes.

Origin and names of the late or florist's
Tulip. — The following notes on these Tulips are
from a recent note from a correspondent, answer-
ing a question as to the early names of the late or
florist's Tulip :—

The earliest English name of the Tulip was Tulipa,
or Turban Flovver, and when the florists took up their
culture from seed the seedlings were called breeders
until they broke or becii me rectified, as it was called.
The florists really checked and ruined Tulip culture,
and what we now want are seedlirgs or breeders by the
thousand, as they are mostly beautiful self-cnloured
Icinds, and an artist or a gardener would pray that
they never changed at all. There would be a great
trade in seedling self-coloured late Tulips if the
Dutch would only rear them and sell them by the
thousand, and our gardens would gain much beauty,
and setdling or late Tulips would be name enough
for them. JI. Krelage's Darwin Tulips are simply
Belgian breeders, and to name them all as he
did at starting was too much of a bad old
habit. It is no use naming breeder Tulips, as they
may change at any time and so soon become mixed up
again. Tuhpa is the Italian rendering of tulbend. the
Turkiih name for a turban. Some authors say Tulipa

is derived from thoulyban, Persian for a torban.
Gesner first iigured and deteribed the garden Tulip,
which he saw in 1559 at Augsburg soon after its intro-
duction from Turkey by Ogipr de Busbecq to Clusius
at Vienna in 155S or earlier ^;- T. Gesneriana). Turban
Lilies and Turk's-cap Lilies were old names.

Spot in Carnations. — In common with many
things both in the fruit and vegetable gar-
den, flowers have their enemies, some easy to deal
with if only a fair amount of perseverance is
brought to bear upon them, others more or lees
difficult to account for, and accordingly not easily
overcome, as basal rot in Daflbdil.^; and the diseases
which are respectively responsible for the loss of
Gladioli and Lilies. A more careful consideration
of diseases of the latter type is forced upon us this
season when contemplating the havoc wrought by
the spot in many brakes of Carnations. Those
who can boast of clean, healthy grass on all their
plants have cause for rejoicing, for in some places
the enemy is at its worst, and two or three lots
that I have seen are in a very sorry plight. It is
very annoying, after one has taken a lot of trouble
in layering and in all the after necessary attention,
to have the plants affected in this way, and that
despite the oft-repeated application of remedial
measures. Given a fairly dry time, one stands a
good chance of getting" the upper hand of the
peet after a thorough wetting with the sulphats of
copper and lime mixture, but in a season like the
present the heavy rains are doubtless responsible
for a speedy and effectual cleansing of the foliage.
In no previous year has it been necessary to renew
the dose so often with apparently fruitless results.
Where the disease is at its worst, psrseverance in
the use of the mixture would seem to be the only
plan until a bit of clean grass {if only four or five
leaves) is obtained, and then there will be a
chance of the plants growing out of it. In the
majority of places where plants are badly affected
the disease made its appearance suddenly and in-
creased with great rapidity. Some five weeks
back a friend forwarded a few well rooted layers
of some new sorts that were clean and healthy and
have remained so ever since. Some three weeks
after their reception I had a letter inquiring after
their welfare, and the information that all the
stock from whence they came was very badly
aflfected with spot, an instance at once of the sud-
denness and the Iccalisation of the attack. It is
to be hoped that the visitation will not tend to
any check to the cultivation of this favourite
flower, as I think that not in one season in twenty
are we likely to experienca so much trouble in
arresting the progress of the disease. — E. BuR-

RELL.

LILIUM CANDIDUM
In reply to " E. J.'s" question as to the thorough-
ness with which I have dried white Lily bulbs, I
may say that I remember on one occasion keeping
them out of ground fully two months, quite too
long for their foliage to be called autumnal. I
tried this plan very thoroughly, and more than once
steeped the bulbs in copper and other anti-fun-
goid solutions before drj ing them. I have also
tried spraying the foliage both while healthy and
on the first appearance of the disease with
Bouillie Bordelaise, but nothing has come of any
of my remedies, and very sadly I have relin-
quished all hope of flowering the white Lily in
my garden — very sadly, because, as " E. J." says,
we have nothing that can vie with it ; no other
Lily can for a moment be compared with it.
•'E. J." also asks whether the healthy Lilies in
the cottage gardens, which I instanced, produce
their autumn leaves. Certainly they do. Why
should they not? This very day I have seen their
great healthy tufts. "E J.' will, of course,
understand that I am not questioning the truth
of the benefit found by him and his correspon-
dents from this drying process. I have written
only to point out that it is not a universal remedy,
and probably he will agree with me that in such
a case negative evidence is weightier than posi-
tive, for it is certain that in my case the remedy
is quite ineffectual, while in his case all that can
be asserted is that dried Lily bulbs have on cer-

400

THE GARDEN.

[November 14, 1896.

tain occasions escaped the disease wholly or
partially. But this escape may not inconceiv-
ably have been a coincidence and not the result
of such drying, that is to say, the seasons whioh
followed the drying may have happened to bo un-
favourable to the development of tlie di.*easo.
We thould demand the proof of immunity follow-
icj; upon the application of the remedy not once
or twice, but several times, before inferring con-
fidently that the remedy and the immunity from
disease are truly cause and effect. Most certainly
I cannot believe that open sun or shade, a hif;h and
dry or a low and damp situation, can be demon-
strated to induce or prevent the disease, for it is
the general experience that white Lilies under
any or all of these conditions may be either
he.ilthy or diseased. In my own neighbourhood
the instances of disease and immunity set all such
rules at defiance. One circumstance I may men-
tion, namely, that in my own garden it used to
be worth while to keep these Lihes even after the
appearance of the disease, for it would sometimes
happen that the flowers would race the disease
and beat it, but of late years the flowers them-
selves have succumbed every season, and white
Lilies no longer exist for me.

G. H. Eni;lei!e.\rt.

LILIES IN 1896.
Of the newer Lilies, the one that bids fair to be
of the greatest value as a garden Lily is L.
Henryi, which seems to thrive almost everywhere
and to be indifl'erent to our variable climate, foi
last year, when we had so much rain, it flowered
grandly, and this season with so many plints
suffering from the drought it was even finer. \ erj
few Lilies improve in vigour to the extent th \t
this does. Another Lily of recent introduction
has again proved itself to be essentially a green
house species. This is L. nepalense, which when
first shown in flower attracted a very large share
of attention, being so distinct from anything ehe
In this country, however, the bulbs go back (and
that often rapidly) rather than improve under
cultivation ; hence it is necessary to keep up the
supply of this species, as of the Xeilgherry Lily
(Lilium neilgherrense), by continual importation^
Where this is the case. Lilies such as this must,
of course, soon become much scarcer, unless some
of these more difficult Lilies are cultivated in their
native CDuntry, where conditions are favourable
to them. Japan, with Lilium auratum, furnishes
a good illustration of this, for neither in this
country nor in Holland, where so many Lilies are
grown, can the cultivation of the golden-rayed
Lily be made remunerative. Associated with L
nepalense in its native country is L sulphureum,
at first known as L. Wallichianum superbum
This is more robust in constitution than L ne
palenee, and is a very distinct and ornamental
late flowering Lily. Lilium Lowi, whose bell
shaped flowers are white, spotted with purple, ii
another Lily from Upper Burmah. I have noted
it in flower in many places this year. L. Dal-
hansoni, which is, as the name indicates, the
result of a cross between L. dalmaticum and L,
Hansoni, has proved remarkably vigorous, and ir
several places it was early in the summer very
noticeable. Of older Lilies that have come more
prominently forward than usual this year, the
first place, 1 think, must be assigned to L. philip-
pinense. The slender stem and delicate grass-
like foliage ot this Lily appear all too fragile for
the huge trumpet-shaped pure white blossoms.
Some ten or twelve years ago it was imported
in considerable numbers and made a good
show, but since then I have not met with it in
any quantity. It is certainly a very beautiful
Lily, but needs greenhouse treatment, and con-
stant importations appear to be necessary in
order to keep up the supply. The bulbs of many
different Lilies are now sent to this country
from .lapan and disposed of principally at
the auction rooms during the winter months.
Most of these can be relied on as true
to name. In the case of one, however, and
that a great favourite of mine (viz., L. Leicht-

lini), this rule is often broken, for the bulbs of
this Lily are very like those of L. Batemann,T>
and L. jucundum or Maximowiczi, and both of
these last two often do duty for it. In beauty
they are by no means its equal, for I think the
delicately poised flower of L. Leichtlini is really
charming. Last autumn I had .some bulbs sent
me of two Lilies under the names of L. umbella-
tum Cloth of Gold and L. umbellatum Sensation.
This latter, which was said to be a hybrid between
L. umbellatum sanguineum and L. elegans
Prince of Orange, was the earlier to bloom, as
the first flower opened on June .">, just ten days
after the earliest blossom of L. umbellatum, or
davuricum, as it is often called. In this the leaves
are broader and shorter than those of any form
of L umbellatum, and they wore in a young state
totally devoid of any suspicion of woolliness,
which sometimes occurs but to a variable extent
in L. umbellatum. In the flowers the lower half
of the petals was of a reddish orange colour, with
a few distinct small brown dots, while the upper
half, which was slightly reflexed, was deeper in

The dry summer led to the harvesting of the
Dutch Lily bulbs somewhat earlier than usual,
which, considering the large quantity of rain
that has fallen since, was very fortunate. The
earlier bulbs from Japan have already begun to
arrive in this country, and large (juantities of the
Japanese form of L. longiflorum have been already
disposed of. This variety is particularly useful,
as it furnishes a good succession to the Bermuda
L. Harrisi. The first consignments of L. auratum
and L. speciosum have already arrived.

H. P.

CARPET PLANTS.
Finding that the wet autumn has been re- -
sponsible for the formation of ciuantities of tiny
plants on each root of the old double Chamomile,
I shall dot these in thickly on a portion of a largo
bed that is to be filled with the purple-leaved
Nut. The foliage ot the latter should show off well
against the mass of white flowers furnished by the
Chamomile. I suppose where Gentiana acaulia

Kn phnfia Nthoni r,om, a pJwioiraih sent ly Herr Max Leichtlin, Baden-Baden. (Sec p. 3!)9.)

colour than the lower portion, with just a sus-
picion of a violet tinge. In the variety Cloth of
Gold the leaves were also short, but narrower,
and more numerous than in Sensation ; the stems
reached a height of about i^ feet, while the flowers
were smaller than in the preceding and rather
more upright, their colour being bright orange
shaded with red, and with a very few brown dots
towards the lower part of the petals. This was
said to be a hybrid between L. umbellatum grandi-
florum and L. elegans Prince of Orange, but the
general aspect of the plant when in flower would
suggest that L. croceum was one of the par<5nts.
In both the bulbs were like those of L. umbella-
tum or davuricum.

Of the different imported Lilies whose bulbs
have reached here up to the present time, the first
to arrive was, as usual, the Bermuda Lily (L
Harrisi), of which immense numbers are now sent
to this country. Then, following closely on this,
we usually get the Madonna Lily (L. candidum)
from the south of France, whose bulbs are in most
cases this season very much smaller than usual.

does thoroughly well, it would take absolutely the
first place as a carpet plant, the lovely flowers
placing it easily above those things that are only
effective in a mass, such as, for instam-a, the
alpine Phloxes, Aubrietias, &c. I do not remember
to have seen it more thoroughly at home any-
where than at Cowdray, where Mr. Geeson has
broad edgings of it in the pleasure grounds lound
isolated specimens of conifer;o. Pampas Grass, &o.
It was invariably in the most robust health, had
completely covered the space intended, and was
simply studded with firm, strong flower-buds.
One little point noticeable was that in those cases.
where the csntral plant was tall and of dense
habit, the Gentian was not quite so good on the
north side. No special feature seemed essential
in its cultivation — just the annual lifting, division
and replanting as soon as praiticable after the
flowering season is over. The soil is apparently a
light sandy loam, and the grounds, from their
formation, are invariably well drained, possibly
rather too much so in a season like that of 1896.
This is a slight illustration of what may be

NoVfijlBER 14:,

THE Garden.

401

effected in the way of oirpet plants by hardy pe-
rennials—not perennials perhaps in the strictest
sense of the word, because the majority are all
the better for an annual, or at least a biennial
renewal, but perennial in the sense that they
ocoupj- the same position right through the year,
including the cold, dull months, and that the foli-
age is nearly always bright and healthy, indepen-
dent of the floral display. For small borders,
narrow slips in front of walls that are clothed with
creepers,. I have found clumps of such things as
Saxifraga umbrosa and Heuchera sanguinei very
acceptable. Neither makes much annual growth,
and so in comparatively restricted quarters they
are seen to the best advantage, and in both cases
I find the spikes of flower very handy for vases
In a fairly shaded position a trial might be made
of Polemonium humile, a variety that does not
exceed a third of a foot in height and which makes
a capital carpet plant given a favourable situation.
The newer departures in Aubrietias, as exempli-
fied in Leichtlini, rosea, and later in Royal Purple,
and in the alpine Phloxes, as in vars. Model and
Vivid, have given us new shades in the dwarfest
of the carpet plants, so that permanent beds
get in their broad edgings or mixed planting an
endless variety of colour. One more note
dwarf plants, not necessarily carpet. By all means
give a place to hardy Cyclamens if a suitable
situation can be found for them.

Claremont. JE. Bukrell,

Societies and Exhibitions.

NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY.

November 5 and 6.
The second exhibition in connection with the
National Chrysanthemum Society's jubilee cele
bration was held on the above dates m the Royal
Aquarium, Westminster. There were in all
thirty-four classes provided in the schedule of
prizes, in which the greater part was devoted to
cut blooms, and also to those illustrative of the
floral decorator's art. The display of cut blos-
soms was of a thoroughly representative charac-
ter, many of the classes affording growers an
opportunity of staging exhibits of the highest cul-
tural skill of types of the Chrysanthemum now
not so largely grow as hitherto, comprising re-
flexed. Anemones, and pompons. A considerable
falling off in the number of competitors in the
majority of classes was distinctly noticeable, yet
there were quite sufficient in almost every instance
to make the rivalry for premier honours of the
keenest description. There was also evidence
here and there of a want of freshness in some of
the blooms, and this was accounted for by the use
of the best and freshest of those in the first dis-
plaj' when making up the stands on the sacond
occasion. There was no lack of interest, how-
ever, on the part of exhibitors and others in the
three principal cut bloom cla-sses, and rightly so,
as on this occasion the affiliated societies' trophy
and the two Holmes' Memorial cups, one for
forty-eight Japanese distinct, and the other for
thirty-six incurved distinct, were of sufficient
interest in themselves to ensure a good competi-
tion. The win by the Portsmouth Society of the
challenge trophy was a popular one, and should
assist materially to stimulate the interest in
Chrysanthemum culture in that centre by this
recently revived society. The most pleasing
feature in connection with this success is that
the blooms were contributed b_y two members
only, although the rules of the competition
do not limit the number. Mr. W. H. Lees,
gardener to Mr. F. A. Bevan, Barnet, made up
for his disappointment of the first day by securing
again the two Holmes' Memorial cups with magni-
ficent blooms. It was a matter for general regret
that for the valuable prizes offered by Mr. F. A.
Bavan for twenty-four blooms of white Japanese,
three blooms each of eight distinct varieties,
there were no exhibitors forthcoming. There are

now so many really first class varieties in cultiva-
tion of the purest white, that i^j will be a great
pity if this class be allowed to drop out next sea-
son. Possibly with a Ion i notice of an intention
to repeat the offer, an effort would be made to
grow for this particular competition, as by its in-
clusion in next year's schedule a splendid oppor-
tunity would be given of making comparison
between existing high-class sorts. The display
of blooms by foreign members made a very poor
show, and was distinctly inferior in quality to
what might have been expected. The classes
open to single handed gardeners were well con-
tested and good individual flowers staged, while
in the bondjide amateur section the blooms ex-
hibited by them were of a high order of merit,
and compared very favourably with most of the
flowers staged in the open classes. Valuable
prizes were again offered for trained specimen
plants, the sums of money offered meriting
a far better competition than that which now most
regularly obtains at these exhibitions. An un-
satisfactory feature in the plant competitions,
from the public point of view, was the changing
about of the plants used in the first show and fit-
ting them in for other and similar classes on the
second occasion. There may have been a few
additions to the second exhibition, and this in the
standard trained plants, but in most instances they
were the orignal plants shifted about to suit
the respective classes. The decorative classes
were fairly well filled, although not so numerously
competed' for as on the first day. The class call-
ing for special notice was one for two vases of
pompons and Anemone pompons arranged with
any foliage for decorative effect, the first two lots
being very beautiful indeed and distinctly an
advance upon any previous effort. The miscella-
neous exhibits were allowed to remain for four
days, as also were the groups. The fruits and
vegetables, too, remained right throughout the
two shows. Altogether the executive have every
reason to be satisfied with the result of their
efforts, which afforded a large amount of pleasure
and interest to many, and was also an object-
lesson to the many thousands who daily thronged
the building.

Plants.

In the class for four trained specimens, any va-
rieties, there were four competitors. Mr. J.
Brooks, gardener to Mr. W. Reynolds, J. P., The
Grove, Htghgate, N., was placed first with even
and very neatly finished plants of large size.
These were very freely flowered, carefully tied,
the varieties being Maiden's Blush, very fine ;
Mme. Bertier Rendatler, good ; Col. W. B. Smith
and Chinaman. Mr. D. Donald, gardener to Mr.
J. G. Barclay, Leyton, E., was a good seaond,
having less even plauts, although giving blossoms
of good quality in most instances. For six
standard trained specimens, large- flowered varie-
ties, Mr. Donald was first, showing nicely finished
plants of Etoile de Lyon, freely flowered ; Col.
W. B. Smith, and a good specimen of a white in-
curved Japanese variety. Mr. W. Davey, gar-
dener to Mr. C. C. Paine, Cedar House, Stamford
Hill, N., was a good second, his best plants being
Elsie, a pretty reflexed ; Stanstead Surprise and
Cleopatra. There were four competitors in the
class for four standard -trained specimens, any va-
rieties, Mr. Davey being placed in the premier
position with fairly t;ood specimens of Elsie,
Stanstead Surprise, Mme. Edouard Rey and Col.
W. B. Smith. In the class for six trained spe-
cimen pompons, Mr. Donald was first and Mr.
Brooks second. The only competitor for one
specimen Chrysanthemum, any type, pyramidal
trained, was Mr. Donald, who had a very nice
plant of Saur Melanie, freely flowered and neatly
trained.

Cut Blooms.

The first of the trio of important classes on this
occasion was one in which the competition was
open to Chrysanthemum and Horticultural
Societies, and was for forty-eight blooms, to con-
sist of twenty-four incurved distinct and twenty-
four Japanese distinct, the first prize being the

challenge trophy held by the winners for one yean
with £10 to be divided between those individuals
making up the stands. It is pleasing to record
that the recently revived Portsmouth Chrysanthe-
mum Society was successful among five competi-
tors for the honour. Messrs. J. Agate, Havant
Nurseries, and C. Penford, gardener to Sir F.
Fitzwygram, Leigh Park, Havant, being the two
members solely responsible for this fine lot of
blooms. The Japanese were large, well coloured
and fresh, and were well in advance of the second
lot of blooms. Among the bast were noticed
Viviand Morel, Chas. Davis, M. M. Ricoud, Mons.
Pankoucke, W. Seward, Internationil, M. Chenon
de Lache, Mme. Carnot, Mrs. Geo. Carpenter,
Ethel Addison, Golden Gate, Mile. Th^rese Rey,
Beauty of Teignmouth (-yn.. Pride of Madford),
and Van den Heede. Too much cannot be said in
praise of the incurved in this collection, as they
were represented by superb examples : James
Agate, Emily Dale, Mrs. R. C. Kingston, Jeanne
d'Arc, White Empress, Globe d'Or, C. H. Curtis
(very good), Lord Alcester, Mme. Darrier, and a
beautiful flower of Robt. Petfield. The second
prize was won by the Bromley and District Chry-
santhemum Society, six of its members contribut-
ing to the display, and including the names of
several of the best known Kentish growers. The
Japanese flowers in this collection were very good,
though not so generally even as in the first prize
lot, and they also lacked the colour which was
characteristic of those of the premier stand. Mr.
W. H. Lees, gardener to Mr. F. A. Bevan, Trent
Park, Barnet, reversed the order of things of the
previous Tuesday, and well maintained his posi-
tion as a grower of the highest order by winning
the chief prize for forty-eight Japanese blooms dis-
tinct. This exhibit was of a high order of merit. The
second prize was awarded to Mr. W. Mease (gar-
dener to Mr. Alfred Tate, Downside, Leather-
head), with a fine lot of flowers, though slightly
smaller generally. In the class for thirty-six in-
curved distinct, Mr. Lees was again first with a
very neat and even 'ot of flowers. Mr. W. Higgs
(gardener to Mr. J. B. Hankey, Fetoham Park,
Leatherhead), was placed in the second position
with good blooms. The collections of blooms
from foreign members were very poor, no first
prize being awarded. The second prize was
placed to the credit of M. Ernest Calvat, Gre-
noble, France, with rather rough and small
flowers. M. A. Scalaranoho, of the Royal Oar-
dens, Monzi, Italy, was awarded third prize for
a very indifferent lot of blooms. For the silver
cup offered by Mr. F. H. Clemow, for twelve
Japanese distinct, there were seventeen com-
petitors, the premier award going to Mr. W.
Robinson, gardener to Rt. Hon. Lord Justice
Lopes, for a superb stand, his varieties being
Mme. Carnot, Oceana, Primrose League, Edith
Tabor, Mrs. Hume Long (one of the best we have
seen), Pride of Exmouth, Hairy Wonder, Lady
Ridgway and Commandant Blus.'ett. The second
prize was awarded to Mr. W. Slogrove (gardener
to Mrs. Crawford, Gatton Park, Reigate), with an
exceedingly nice stand of flowers. In the amateurs'
class for twenty-four Japanese, in not less than
eighteen varieties, there was a most satisfactory
competition, resulting in Mr. J. Stredwick, Silver
Hill, St. Leonards, being placed in the premier
position. His flowers were remarkable for their
beautiful colour, while as regards size they were
of the highest order. The most noticeable in his
stand were International, Mrs. C. H. Payne, AI.
Pankoucke, Viviand Morel, Chas. Davis, Mutual
Friend, Rose Wynne, Miss Dorothea Shea, Vis-
countess Hambledon, Phfebus and Thos. Wilkins.
Mr. H. Love, Melville Terrace, High Street, San-
down, Isle of Wight, was a good second with
smaller blooms. There were five cDmpetitors in
the class for twelve reflexed in_ not less than nine
varieties, Mr. Mease gaining first position with a
beautiful lot of blooms, the best of which were
Christine, CuUingfordi, Dr. Sharpe, Pink Chris
tine. Crimson King and Cloth of Gold. Mr. W
Robinson gained second honours with a grand lo
of flowers. The class for twenty-four large
flowered Anemone blooms (Japanese included

402

THE GATJDEN.

[November 14,

brought out #ome magnificent exhibitsi, the first
prize being won with a su^wrb lot from
Mr. J. Maule, gardener to Mr. H. Matthews, the
Mount, Hadley. The best tiowers in this stand
were Descartes, M. Dupanloup, Mine. Lawton,
Queen Elizabeth, M. Charles lebocij/, Enterprise,
W. W. A;tor, Miss Margaret, Nelson and Gladys
Spaulding. Mr. W. Robinson, and Mr. H.
Prickett also showed well. In the class for
twelve large Anemones, from which the Japanese
type was excluded, Mr. C. Light, gardener to
Rev. A. C. Johnson, Caple St. Mary, Ipswich, was
recorded first place with meritorious e.xamples of
Delaware, Fleur de Marie, Lady Margaret, Junon,
Miss Annie Lowe, M. Chas. Lebocqz and Mrs.
Judge Benedict. Pompons were well shown, and
made an excellent display. Premier honours
rested with Mr. T. Carver, gardener to .Mr. A. G.
Meissner, Wcybridge, with twelve trebles in the
finest possible conditicn. Mr. M. G. Mills, gar-
dener to Mr. F. Hojd, Croydon, was a good
second, and included in his stand were some
charming pompon Anemones. A goodly number
of competitors were in evidecce with twelve
bunches single flowers, three blooms in each
bunch. ;ind these were veiy tine. The first prize
was won by Mr. J. Myers, ^arderer to the Eail
of Sandwich, Hinchinbrcoke, Hunts, with a
very neat, even and clean lot of bloi ms. His
varieties were Puriiy, Nora. Mrs. D. B. Crane,
Snow Wreath, Genie Sedgley, Kate Williams,
Ewan Cameron, Golden Siar, George Rcse, Jane
and Mrs. W. Wilde. Mr. G. W. Forbes, gardtner
to Mr. D. Nicols, Surbiton, was a goid second.
For six blooms Japanete white, one variety, Mr. J.
(iibson, gardener to Mr. E. H. Watts," Devon-
hurst, Chiswick, W., was a good first with very
clean and large flowers of Mme Catnot, Mr.
B Cahert, ixardener to Col. Archer Houblon,
Bishops Stoitford, being seccnd with superb ex-
amples of Mile. ThrrPse Rey, with long and
broid florets and of the loveliest ivory-white.
For six Japanese, any colour except white, one
variety only, Mr. \V. Robinson was first, with ex-
ceedingly fine specimens of A'lviar.d Morel, the
second prize being won by Mr. G. W. Forbes,
with beautifully coloured blooms of Edwin
Molyneux, neatly finished. In the class for six
Japanese incurved, highest honours were secured
by Mr. W. Robinson, with blooms that were
hardly up to tie standard which is now general.
His best flowers were Louise, Australie, and Miss
Ethel Addison. Mr. Caryer came second with
Prefet Robert and Louise as his best. There was
a capital competition for six incurved blooms,
one variety only, the best coming from Mr. R.
Jones, gardener to Mr. (.'. A Smith Ryland, Bar-
ford Hill, Warwi-k, with six of the finest blooms
we have seen of ( ' H. Curtis, a variety which ap-
pears to stand preeminent above all others this
season. The second prize went to Mr. F. (J.
Foster, Brockhampton Nurseries, Havant, with
smaller samples of the same variety neatly in-
curved. In the amateur classes Mr. A. R. Knight,
Ashford, Kent, was first for six Japanese distinct.
The same exhibitor also secured premier position
for six incurved, distinct. For six blooms Japan-
ese, one variety only, Mr. Stredwick was first
with magniricent blooms of Chas. Davis, of the
deepest shade of the colour peculiar to it, Mr.
C. E. Wilkins, Swanley, being second with the
same variety. In the single-handed gardeners
classes, Mr. H. Apthorpe, 94, Hill Street, Cam-
bridge, wen the prizes for six incurved blooms
distinct and six Japanese blooms distinct. In the
class for twelve incurved blooms, distinct, Mr.
C. E. Wilkins was first with fair flowers, while for
twelve Japanese distinct Mr. Edwards, Cam-
bridge, secured first position.

Table Decorations.
For a table of boutjuets, wreaths, sprays, button -
boles, &.C., illustrating the decorative value of the
Chrysanthemum, each exhibitor having for his
sole use a table, standing by itself, of fifty-four
superficial feet, there were five competitors. The
leading position was taken by Mr. H O. Garford,
Floral Depot, Stoke Newington, with a nice
aesortment of deeigns. A lyre in yellow flowers

was very good ; the bouquets were in most cases
artistically arranged, sprays and button-holes
were ext|uisitely made up, while a design of an
anchor in white, with small blossoms of Source
d'Or to form the chain, was very neat and pretty.
The central vase with long loops of Smilax seemed
overdone and largely spoilt the appearance of the
table. The second prize was awarded to Messrs
Harwood Bros., nurserymen, Balham, who had
fewer designs arranged on the table, yet most of
them showing a proper regard for the true ar-
tistic ideal. A most beautiful harp in yellow
flowers and buds was the best design, the wreath
being too large and heavy. A large basket in
the centre was lightly arranged, but we could not
see to what useful purpose it could be put. By
far the prettiest class was one for two vases of
pompons and Anemone pompons, and this brought
out a strong competition. The first prize was
easily secured by Mr. Mark Webster, gardener to
Mr. E. J. Preston, Kelsey Park, Beckenham, with
a superb arrangement in one vase of the yellow
form of Snowdrop and William Westlake, with
grasses, scarlet Oak, and other tine foliage
pleasingly associated. The second vase contained
sprays ot blossoms of Snowdrop, Elise Dordan,
Suur Melanie, and another variety with appro-
priate foliage the two Oriental vases matching
the flowers admirably. Mr. A. Merridew, Cam-
berwell, was a good second with smaller vases in
which the arrangement was aitistic and light,
but the variety in colour was too great to be really
efl'ective. For two hand bou()UPts or posies ot
Chrysanthemums, Mr. Mark Webster was again
first with exquisite arrangements, showing true
artistic taste both in the arranging and in the as-
sociation of the colours. In these bouquets some
of the prettiest single flowered varieties were
freely used, with excfllent effect. Mr. Arthur
Pentney, gardener to Mr. A. J. Howard, Worton
Hall, Isleworth, was second with much larger
and heavier- looking bouquets, but arranged
lightly notwithstanding. There were only three
competitors for the prizts offered to ladies only,
for the best arranged hand-basket for a drawing-
room. None of the exhibits were of a high order
of merit, the first prize being won bj- Miss E.
Pentney, Vale Cottage, Hanger Hill, Ealing, with
sprays of Source d'Or and a yellow, lightly ar-
ranged with suitable foliage. Miss Sedgley,
Caterham Valley, being second with rather large
blooms of Viviand Morel, associated with grass
and a sparse use of foliage. For a vase of six
Chrysanthemums, one variety only, Mr. R. E.
Wilson, S-J, Margravine Gardens, West Ken-
sington, was first with a capital arrangement,
using large and full flowers of Viviand Morel,
two blooms lacking colour marring the beauty of
the arrangement. Mr. Edward Jones, Bedford,
was second, showing the same variety, possessing
good colour, but lacking the substance as seen in
the first prize exhibit.

On Monday last the floral committee of this
societj- held a meeting at the Royal Aquarium,
Westminster, when Mr. T. Bevan occupied the
chair. There was a good attendance of members,
and the exhibits were of excellent quality, the
principal ones coming from Mr. Edwin Molyneux,
Mr. C. Gibson, Mr. W. Wells, Mr. E. Beckett, &c.

First-class certificates were awarded to the fol-
lowing :—

CuKVs.iNTHEMiM GoLDEN Elsie. — A Small deco-
rative Japanese variety, a sport from Elsie, which
was submitted under the name of Golden Ball ;
colour a pure golden yellow. It was considered
useful as a market variety. From Mr. Budger,
Southampton.

CiiRYSANTiiEMUivi Mr. Huch Gardi.ner. — This
is a i;ood-sized Japanese Anemone with long
drooping and rather narrow guard florets ; colour
deep rosy amaranth, paling off at the base of the
florets to white : disc yellow, tinted mauve.
Staged by Mr. S. Ely.

CiiRVSANTHEMrM MfsTAi'ii A. — A Japanese in-
curved of enormous dimensions. The florets are
rather broad and grooved, the blobms massive

and substantial ; colour pure waxy white. Shown
by Mr. C. Gibson.

CiiKVSANTHEMrM DrciiESs of Fife.— Another
lurge Japanese incurved, but more globular in
form than the preceding ; very compact in build,
medium-sized grooved florets ; colour pure white.
This came from Mr. Edwin Molyneux.

CiiRv.sANTHE.MUM Sarman Ge.m - A very large
Japanese, the tips of the florets curly ; colour
golden reddish bronze with golden reverse, outside
shaded rosy carmine. Exhibited by Mr. E.
Beckett.

CiiRVSANTHEMrM Mks. C. Orcharu. —A Japan-
ese incurved ; solid and large, broad grooved
florets, curly at the tips ; colour a beautiful shade
of pure white, shaded cream. From Mr. E.
Beckett.

Some other really fine novelties failed to secure
highest honours, the best being Mme. Paul La-
croix, a large white Japanese ; Matthew Hodg-
son, a Japanese, colour reddish terra cotta, a warm
attractive shade, with a golden reverse; Mrs.
(!. W. Palmer, a sport from Mrs. C. Harman-
Payne, colour rosy bronze ; Le Rhone, a large
canary yellow Japanese; Lord Justice Lopes, a
Japanese of a pale salmon-blush colour, and two
incurved novelties, called respectively Miss Violet
Foster and Miss Dorothy Foster, which the com-
mittee asked to see again.

Other interesting flowers were Duke of Welling-
ton, Mrs Airdrie (inc ). Mme. P. L. Rivoire, Lady
Northcote (a large white Japanese), and William
Pavne, a pompon with short, stiff florets, colour
golden bronze.

ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

November 10.
These fortnightly meetings, notwithstanding at-
tractions of a similar kind elsewhere, continue to
be full of interest. On Tuesday last the Drill Hall
was fairly well stocked with representative collec-
tions of fruit, flowers, and vegetables, the groups
of Chrysanthemums being of exceptional merit,
as were many of the individual flowers. Orchids,
in spite of "very cold nights and equally cold,
frosty mornings, were in considerable numbers,
and of a most interesting character. The
group of hybrid Orchids from Messrs. Veitch
and Sons, which attracted attention, speaks
volumes for their skill and enterprise, that in the
dullest part of the whole year they could stage
"a group of thirty-two hybrid Orchids," all in
flower and all of decided merit. The group con-
tained many Cypripediums, together with L.tUo-
Cattleyas, and the parentage in each case being
given, added not a little to their value. Near
the entrance, Mr. Jones, Lewisham, had set up a
large bank of Chrysanthemums, with Palms,
Crotons, and Ferns interspersed. Considering
the varied hues of the predominant flower, the
group w ould have been more effective had the rich
colouring of the Crotons been somewhat modified
in this case. Indeed, the use of highly coloured
material such as this attracts attention from the
blooms and needs to be used with much care.

Earl Percy, Sjon House, Brentford (gardener
Mr. G. Wythes), had a fine exhibitof Chrytanthe-
mums and fine-foliaged plants, seme (JO feet long.
The blooms, on stems '2 feet to 2^ feet long,
arranged in threes or sixes, produced a fine dis-
play. In this exhibit every bloom could be seen
to advantage, which is as it should be. Messrs.
Dobbie and Co. filled a large table of vegetables,
that ran the entire length of the hall, the produce
comprising everything worthy of being grown in
the kitchen garden ; a fine collection The
twenty four bunches of Grapes from Mr. C. Bayer,
Tewkesbury Lodge, Forest Hill, were in about
ten varieties, and represented high culture.

Orchid Committee.

First-class certificates were awarded to the fol-
lowing : —

Cattleya maxima alba.— This is a remarkable
variety, the sepals and petals pure white, of good
shape and substance, the lip white, much fringed

NovtMBEB 14, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

403

in front, with a broad line of yellow running
through the centre of the throat. The flowers
were, unfortunately, bruised in transit. The
plant belongs to the long- bulbed type of Cattleya
maxima, and was of recent introduction. From
Mr. Hamar B iss, Burton on-Trent.

L1.EL10 Cattleya Nysa scperba is a hybrid
between Cattleya gigas and Lielia crispa. It had
previously received an award of merit, but was so
much improved that it was unanimously given
the higher award on this occasion. The sepals
and petals are pale rose, of good form and sub-
stance, the lip deep crimson purple, margined
with rose, the side lobes rose, shading to ytllow,
with a suffusion at the base. It bore two flowers,
which resemble to a great extent those of a
superior form of LalioCattleya exoniensis. From
Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons.

Awards of merit were given to the following :—

Cypripediuji Fred Hardy.— A remarkable
variety, resembling aa albino of C. Charlesworthi.
It was importti with that species by Mr. Moore,
of Bradford. The dorsal sepal is white, with a
slight shading of purple at the base, the petals
rather narrow, pale green ; the lip greenish yel-
low, veined with a darker shade. The column
had the characteristic white disc as seen in C.
Charlesworthi. From Mr. F. Hardy, Tyntestield,
Ashtoa-on-Men-ey.

Odontoglossum crispdm Golden Queex. — A
lovely form, the sepals pale yellow, heavily
blotched with dark brown, the petals much
fringed at the edges, pale yelbw, thickly spotted
wiih dark brown ; lip bright yellow, with several
large brown spots. The flowers were beautifully
round, and the spike of upwards of twenty flowers
left nothing to be desired in the matter of culture,
From Mr. W. Thompson, Stone, Stafford.

Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons received a silver
Flora medal for a group consisting exclusively of
hybrid Orchils arrange! with good effect. Pro
minent amongst these were Cattleya Fabiola, £
secondary hybrid between C. Harriei and C
Bowringiana, the sepals and petals rose, lip rose
with a suffusion of purple in front, the side lobes
rose, shading to yellow at the base ; several forms
of Cattleya Mantini, L;elio-Cattleya Decia (Djw
ana x Perrini), pale rose sepals and petals, li
crimson-purple in front, the centre lighter i
colour, veined with white through the throat ;
L -C. Statteriana, L.C. Pallas, L C. Lady Roth
Bchild (Perrini x gigas) pale rose sepals and
petals, the front lobe of the lip bright rose purple,
shading to white in front of the throat, the side
lobes rose, veined with purple. Masdevallia As-
modia (Reichenbachiana x Chelsoni), M. Ajax
recently certificated, Cypripedium Arthurianum,
with eight flowers ; C. Niobe (Spicerianum x
Fairrieanum), C. Mimosa, and various forms of the
Selenipedium section were also included. Messrs.
F. Sander and Co. were awarded a silver
Banksian medal for a neat group consisting of
good forms of Cattleya-labiata, several remarkably
well-flowered plants of La?lia pumila, Trichopilia
brevis, the sepals and petals yellow, barred with
brown, lip white, with a suffusion in the centre,
shading to deep orange at the base, and Calanthe
albata, a cross between Calanthe veratritolia and
C. Cooksoni, flowers pure white, with a tracing
of yellow at the base. Several plants of the
lovely Dendrobium .Johnsonse, sepals and petals
white, lip white, lined with purple on the side
lobes, Cypripedium Aleides, Cymbidium elegans,
and numerous well-flowered dark forms of So-
phronitis grandiflora were also shown. Messrs.
Hugh Low ,ind Co., Clapton, sent a small group,
consisting principally of Cattleya labiata. Cattleya
labiata grandis was a remarkable form, with
large bold sepals and petals, good in colour, the
lip also extra large and of good shape. Several
well grown plants of Odontoglossum Roezli,
and its var. album and Cattleya Johnsona- were
also noticeable. Mr. R. Gulzo, Bexley Heath,
sent a small group in which were a plant of
Vanda Sanderiaua, with nine flowers on the
spike, Cattleya labiata, and numerous forms of
Dendrobium Pbalajnopsis Sohraderianum, the
variety Miss Lawfofd being distinct, the sepal

and petals white, the latter tipped with pink, the
lip white lined with purple. Mr. W. Thompson,
Stone, Stafford, was awarded a silver Banksian
medal for a group consisting principally of cut
spikes of superb forms of Odontoglossum crispum,
0. Pescatorei, O. Andersonianum, one of which
was remarkably dark in the spotting, a fine
branched spike of O. gloriosum, several dark
forms of 0. grande, and fine forms of Cattleya
labiata.

Baron Schru-ier sent a cut spike of Cym-
bidium Traceyanum carrying eighteen blooms, the
flowers each about 6 inches across, the sepals and
petals greenish-yellow lined with purple-brown,
the lip creamy white, spotted with purple.
Cattleya labiata Countess Fitzwilliam, the sepals
and petals pure white, lip white with a tinge of
purple on the front lobe, came from the same ex-
hibitor. Mr. G. W. Low-Schofield, Newhall-
hey, Rawtenstall, sent a remarkably well-
grown plant of Pleione maculata alba with up-
wards of thirty flowers, Mr. H. H. Bolton sent
Cattleya labiata Janea', a fine form, the flowers of
good colour and the segments well balanced Mr.
C. J. Ingram sent three hybrid forms of La-lio-
Cattleya. L, -C. Homere is the result of crossing L.
Perrini and C. Percivalliana ; sepalsand petals bright
rose, liprose-purple in front, suffused with yellow al
the base ; the side lobes rose, shading to orange
yellow at the base. L.C. Meteore, the result of
crossing L. Dayana and C. Bowringiana, h,is deep
rose sepals and petals, lip crimson-purple lined as
in L. Dayana through the threat. L.C. Minerva
(Perrini x Lawrenceana) has long bat narrow
deep rose sepals and petals, lip purple in front,
side lobes rose, shading to white, and having a
slight yellow tint towards the centre, the base of
tbe throat lined with purple and white.

Mr. F. Hardy sent a fine form of Cattleya
Hard} ana with two flowers, the lip remarkably
broad, deep crimson- purple with the usual yellow
lines a- the basa. The yellow eyes on each side of
the throat are brighter in colour than usually
seen in varieties of C. Hardjana. Mr. H Shaw
sent Cypripedium Hobsoni, said to be a cross be-
tween C. Lawrenceanum and C. philippinense,
but no trace could be discerned of the latter
parent. Mr. H. S. Leon sent Cattleya labiata
venosa, a variety with splashed sepals and petals
and a plant of Lajlia pumila with eleven flowers,
Mr. H. Kitson, Elmet Hall, Leeds, sent flowers of
Cattleja Bowringiana lilacina and a fine cut spike
with sixteen flowers of Odontoglossum Uro-
Skinneri. Frau Ida Brandt, Zurich, Switzerland,
sent a dark form of Odontoglossum Krameri and
a fine form of O. cristatellum. Col. Wilson
sent a hybrid Cypripedium said to be a cross be
tween C. bellatulum and C. callosum, but it wa!
very different from C. Wottoui previously ex-
hibited from this cross. Col. Wilson's hybrid being
more in the way of C. Muriel HoUington, and in
dicating that C. niveum had been used in its pro
duction. Mr. G. W. Low-Schofield also sent a
collection of paintings of Orchid flowers.

Floral Committee.

Awards of merit were given to the following

Chrysanthemum Mr. C. Orchard (Japanese
incurved). — This, of the Japanese incurved type,
has large flowers, the florets of good substance
and the blooms of high finish. The colour is sul-
phur and cream. From Mr. H. J. Jones.

Chrysanthemum Ma Perfection, also a Japan-
ese incurved, has pure white flowers, with massive,
incurving florets. The flower is very solid and of
medium size. Mr. Jones.

Chrysanthemum Duke ok Wellington (Japan-
ese incurved) — A grand exhibition variety of
massive proportions, the bronze and gold-shaded
blooms being very effective. From Mr. Owen,
Maidenhead.

Chrysanthemum Mignonette.— This is one of
those having somewhat globular heads of thread-
like florets, and now merged into plumed vaiie-
ties. It is a curious head of bloom and yellow in
colour. From Mr. Owen.

Chrysanthemum Mme. Paul Lacroix.— This

a Japanese of the largest size, in colour ivory-

white, with lemon centre, the florets long and
drooping in character. From Mr. P. O. Knowles,
Friar Park, Henley-on-Thames.

Chrysanthejium Mr. H. H. Gardiner -This
is an Anemone-centred variety, the outer florets
of a rose - purple - amaranth hue, the central
tuft of the same shade and heavily mingled with
gold. From Mr. H. H. Gardiner, Henley-on-
Thames (gardener, Mr. S. Ely).

A botanical certificate was awarded to Amorpho-
phallus variabilis, a remarkable and striking
aroid. The plant is dwarf and about 1 foot high,
the spathe nearly 1 foot across, jiale green and
bronze. Internally the arrangement is equally
remarkable, while the balloon-like puff at the
summit of the spadix is very singular. The plant
came from the Messrs. Veitch, of Chelsea, and
attracted much attention.

A very pretty and tasteful group— including
some very fine examples both of the Japanese and
incurved varieties — came from Earl Percy, Syon
House. John Lightfoot, Beauty of Exmouth,
Col. W. B. Smith, Miss Rose, Golden Baverley,
Hairy Wonder, Mrs. W. Dreer, Mrs. C. Harman-
Payne, Amos Perry and Robert Owen were the
best varieties. Ttie effect of this group was
greatly improved by the use of lijiht Palms and
Ferns (silver Flora medal). The best group of
Chrysanthemums came from Mr H. J. Jones, Rye-
croft Nurseries, Lewisham. The arrangement
was artistic and informal, and the blending of the
colours was carried out with excellent taste, while
Crotons. DracEenas, &c., were used with splendid
effect. Toe quality of the flowers was very high
and no fault could be found with their condition
(silver-gilt Flora medal) A group of Lycoris
aurea came from Messrs. de Rothschild, Gunners-
bury Park (gardener, Mr. Reynolds). This is a
remarkably pretty flower, particularly charming
in colour (silver Flora)

Some admirable cut blooms of Chrysanthemuma
came from Mr. Godfrey, Exmouth, Devon. Mo-
desto, brilliant golden yellow ; Pride of Maiden-
head, creamy white ; Melina Duchanel ; Ma Per-
fection, a pleasing purple ; Australian Gold ; and
Mrs J. A Lewis, a lovely white, were very good.
A similar lot of cut blooms came from Mr. Robert
Owen, Maidenhead. Mignonette, a small yellow
with extremely fine florets ; Picturatum, a red and
yellow striped variety ; and Mme. Philippe
Riviere were pleasing. A collection of magnifi-
cent blooms of cut Chrysanthf-mums was shown
by Mr. Chas. E. Shea, Viviand Morel, Maggie
Shea, C. Davis, Hairy Wonder, W. H. Lincoln,
Miss Dorothea Shea, Thomas Wilkins, and M.
Pankoucke, being particularly fine (silver Flora
medal). A small collection of cut blooms of
Chrysanthemums and Gloxinias came from Messrs.
Young and Dobinson, Stevenage, Herts (bronze
Banksian). A very delightful group was that of
Mr. T. S. Ware, Tottenham, consisting of small
single and semi-double varieties of Chrysanthe-
mums, all very useful as cut flowers. White Jane,
Mary Anderson, and Miss Rose, were shown
among many other charming kinds. The ar-
rangement was good, but slightly stiff (silver
Banksian).

Fruit Committee.

There was not a large number of exhibits before
this committee, showing tha^, as regards fruit,
some of our largest growers have not the quanti-
ties they usually do, as we note the absence of
their collections at these meetings. Grapes were
a leading feature and of excellent quality. Vege-
tables were also staged in quantity, but lacked
quality and freshness — the latter so desirable.
For the Veitch prizes for flavour there was a
spirited competition, but nothing new was
brought to light.

Mr. William Taylor, gardener to Mr. C. B.
Bayer, Forest Hill, S.E., staged a splendid col-
lection of Grapes, probably the same as was so
successful last week at the National Chrysanthe-
mum Society's exhibition. The varieties were
Muscat of Alexandria, excellent in bunch, colour,
and shape. We have seen larger berries, but the
finish was good. Mrs. Pearson and Mrs. Pince
were well coloured. Black Hamburgh, Gros Col-

404

THE (^AEDEN.

[November 1 I, 1896.

man, (.iros Maroc. Oros Ouillaume, Black Alicante'
Lady Powne's, Alnwick Seedling, Foster's Seed-
ling, and Trebbiano were also very good. It was
a notable exhibit, all having been grown in one
honee. and well merited the silver Banksian medal
awarded. A very large collection of vegetables
was shown by the Messrs. Debbie, Rothesay, N H.
Doubtless many of these vegetables had done duty
at the Aquarium last week. Leeks were staged in
quantity, the best being Dobbie's Champion.
(>nions," both Clobe and 6at-shaped, were good,
but these do not so soon show the etVects of long
exposure. Carrots, Parsnips, Beet, Celery in two
varieties, Victoria Kale, Cabbage, and excellent
Red tilobe and Golden Ball Turnips were m'so
shown. This exhibit required one whole table
from end to end of the hall (silver Banksian
medal). A new Grape was shown by Mr. Wright,
gardener to Mr. E. Lord, Belmont, Rawtenetall.
The bunch was somewhat like that of Madrestield
Court in shape, berries large, but not well
coloured. The committee thought well of it, and
advised that it bo given more heat and shown
again. The Messrs. Brown, Stamford, sent seed-
ling Apples, Toogood's Seedling and Lavender,
but they failed to come up to the standard re-
quired.

The Messrs. Veitch's prizes for flavour brought
out some tifttsn dishes, Mr. Herrin, Dropmore
Gardens, being first in the Pear class with nice
examples of Beurre d'Anjou, Mr. R. Maher being
second with Knight's Monarch. For Apples, Mr.
\V. H. Gardener, Nuffield Court, Surrey, was
first with Cox's Orange, and Air. Woodward,
Barham Court, Maidstone, second with Ribston
Pippin.

The lectures on " Seed Growing " were given by
Messrs. Fife and Long. The former in his open-
ing remarks dwelt upon the value of vegitablcsas
a safeguard to health, noting the necessity of good
strains of seed. He stated that immense
breadths of land all over the country were now
devoted to seed growing, and there was a good
demand for high class seeds. To get the best re-
sults, much attention, care in felection of stocks
and favirg the seed were needed. In many cases
it was impossible to get true strains, hence the
necessity of raising new kinds or distinct types.
The attention required in seed saving to get
even fair results or any decided improvement
was very great. The Pansy was most ditiicult to
obtain true from feed, and the same drawback
happened with the Dahlia. He illustrated the
fertilifation of Red (;lol>8. White and Purple-top
Turnips and the varied results. The cross
int: of Onions required great care to get
perfect shape and good quality bullu. He
pointed out the importance of growing good
varieties of flowers ; whereas common or worth-
less kinds required equal care and gave poor
returns. In saving seed, he noted the importance
of getting the seed from different parts of the
plants according to variety, this applying to both
flowers and vegetables.

Mr. Long devott-i his remarks to the agricu
tural side of the (juestion, the choice of soils and
their preparation for seeds, the value of drainage,
and the great care in selection of roots for stock
plants. Climate and temperatures caused great
variation in seeds, and persistent removal of all
rogues was needful before the plants flowered.
Cheap seeds were often the most costly in the
end, the produce liing less and of inferior
quality. Other matters relating to seed-growing,
euch as the variation of colours, often caused by
bees or insect agency, and the evil effects of
various pests to seed life, were also explained.

The chairman proposed a hearty vote of thanks
to Messrs. Fife and Long for their interesting
remarks, and made a few remarks as to the evil
effects of insects in mixing of colour and growth
in various flowers which be named.

porienced in Cheshire during the first week in
November. The nearest approach to it was in
1S4S, when, on the 5th of November, the tem-
peratnre was iJ !^'.

The weather in West HertB.— The past
wi'tk has again proved cold, makir<; this the fifth
unseafonably cold week we have now had in suc-
cession. During the nights preceding the (ithand
7th the thermometer exposed on the lawn regis-
tered I.T of frost. Both at 1 foot and '-' feet deep
the ground is now 4 below the November average.
Since the present month began only about half
an inch of rain has fallen, nearly the whole of
«hich was deposited en the 7th inst. The winds
lave been light and the air very dry for the time of
} ear in the middle of the day. There has again
been a good record of clear sunshine ; indeed, the
5th and lith were both brighter days than any I
have vet recorded here in November, the sun
shining brightly for respectively S and 7i hours.
— E. M., Berkhanu-Ud.

A cold November. — At Chester, the tem-
perature on the ground in the open air fell to
•20 '' Fahr. This is the severest frost ever ex-

Books.

NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY'S

CATALOGUE.
Wk have just received a copy of the jubilee
edition of the N.C.S. official catalogue. In
many respects it does not difl'er materially from
previous issues, being based upon the same model
and printed and got up in a similar style. The
main divisions of selected lists for exhibition
and ABC general list at the end of the work are
retained, but, of course, the contents have been
entirely overhauled and revised up to date.

The first contribution of importance to notica
in the new catalogue is a bibliography of the
Chrvsanthemum by' Mr. Harman-Payne, who has
compiled a somewhat exhaustive list of all the
books, &c., new and old, that have been published
on the popular flower. The list is not confined to
English productions, but includes works from
American, Australian, Belgian, Jersey, Dutch,
French, German, Japanese, New Zealand, and
Portuguese authors, and from a literary point of
view is of considerable value.

There has been a slight rearrangement of the
sectional headings in the selected lists, the
Japanese reflexed being done away with alto-
gether, a selection of early varieties being
added. These select lists for exhibition now con-
sist of varieties chosen by a .-pacially appointed
committee of thirty growers, and are arranged in
eleven groups as follows : Incurved, Japanese,
Japanese incurved, hairy, retlexcd, large Ane-
mones, Japanese Anemone?, pompons, pompon
Anemones, singles in two divisions, viz., large
and small flowered and earlies, also sub-divided
into Japanese and pompons. The method of de-
scription is the same as in former issues, raisers'
names and dates being freely supplied, and also a
note of certificates in cases where they have been
granted.

A new departure, and we should imagine a
commendable one, ha.s been decided upon in the
general alphabetical list. The varieties ther
mentioned are chiefly a selection of the noveltie
of the past six years, and in arranging these the
committee have adopted the plan of placing the
surname first instead of, as hitherto, the title or
prefix. The principle is explained in the preface
as the directory method, and the following (luota
tion will best explain : —

Instead of looking for a variety under the initial
letter of the first word of its name, the reference must
be made to the first letter of the surname, and where
the name is rot a personal rne, it should be sought
for under the principal noun if a compound name.
For example, Souvenir de petite Amie will no longer
be tinder the letter S, but under A, and Pride of
Maidenhead or Pearl of Maidenhead, both under M.

There can be little doubt as to the utility of
this, as we have large numbers of Chrysanthe-
mums named after many persons in one family,
and only distinguishable by a prefix title, or

perhaps arbitrary initial letter of a Christian name.
The changes seem to be most pronounced, as
might be expected, among the Japanese. A very
large proportion of these are of French origin, and
principally from M. Ernest Calvat, whose seedlings
seem to be especially appreciated by English
exhibitors just now. Other raisers, however, both
nglish and American, are well represented, and
altogether the selections appear to be fairly repre-
sentative. Unfortunately, however, it matters
little what care is bestowed upon such a work, for
the multitude of new importations and the yearly
additions of sterling merit soon place a catalogue,
however good, far behind the times. It is there-
fore expedient that frequent revision be bestowed
upon such works, the more so, perhaps, as its
circulation is far wider nowadays than it was
when the idea of issuing an oflicial catalogue was
first entertained by the society.

The price is one shilling, and copies can be ob-
tained of Mr. R. Dean, Ranelagh Road, Ealing,
the secretary, and of the publisher, Mr. E. W.
Allen, 4, Ave Maria Lane, E.C.

Public Gardens.

Open spaces. — At the monthly meeting of
the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association,
held at 83, Lancaster Gate, the Earl of Mealh,
chairman, presiding, a letter was read from a
member suggesting that the most .suitable national
memorial for commemorating the length of her
Majesty's reign next year would be the starting
of a national voluntary subscription list for the
provision of public gardens and playgrounds in
London and the provinces, all bearing the Queen's
name, and a sub-committee was appointed to
foimulate a scheme. It was reported that the
laying out of St. James's, I'entonville, now only
awaited the signatures of the trustees to the deed
of transfer, and that the application for the
faculty for the laying out of Bethnal Green
Churchyard would be heard on the l.'ith inst.
Subscriptions amounting to about io.'iO were an-
nounced for the Postmen's Park, E.C, and it was
agreed that the association should itself subscribe
£5011, being one-half of a donation expected next
year. Satisfactory progress was reported with
regard to the acquisition of the East Street,
Walwiirth, site, and the disusedburial ground in
Nelson Street, S.E., which the association hopes
to commence laying out very shortly, the pur.
chase money having now been completed by a
grant for each site from the London County
Council. It was' decided to oppose the opening
of a new cemetery at Golder's (Jreen, close to
Hampstead Heath, to lay out St. Stephen's
Churchyard, North Bow, if its maintenance was
secured, to oft'er seats for sites in St. James's
Park and in other places. Amongst many matters
engaging attention were vacant sites in City
Road, E C, Nunhead, S.E., Lambeth Ragged
Schools, Goswell Road, Marlborough Square,
Chelsea, Fortune Green, N.W., Rush Common,
Brixton, and a river side space at Putney.

BOOK RECEIVED.

" All Introduction to Structural Botany." Part 2 ;
Flowerless Plants. By Dukiutieia Henry Scott,
MA F L.S., F.G.S. Lor den : Adam and Charles
Hlack: .

names of plants.— H. ir. Jl/ar/in.— Maxillaiia

sp. Woodlands, Bavdon — Passiflora rubra (L).

Kindly send a plant or cuttings to Kew.

Bames ot fruit.— J. EUiolt.—l, Pitmastcn
Duchess; 2, Marie Louise ; 3, Brown Beurre; 4, not

recoBnieed ; 5, Beurre Diel. J. S. Keif.— Apples:

1, Warner's King; 2, Bymer; Ptars; 3, Brown

Beurre; 4, B. Claiipfau; 5, not recognised. T.

Procfcr.— King ef the Pippins.

hi. l'eavlii„Vv illustrnt.d,
The Erglieh Flower

Fifth Edition,
medium Sro. pri,

Garden : Ihsojv.--. ]icvf. and J'l,n..<, mil, ]>,
tionsand lUustratwn.'^ of the Bed l'lo„U<. Iluir Cnl-
ture and Arrangetnent. London : John Murray, and
of all BoolcselUrs.

THE GARDEN.

405

No. 1305. SATURDAY, November 21,1896. Vol. L

"This Is an Art
Which does mend Nature : change It rather ; but
The Akt itself is Natobe."— S*a*Mj)carf.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

APPLE GOLDEN WINTER PEARMAIN.
I AM glad to see a note'from " W. B." contain-
ing a favourable mention of this well-known
and largely-grown Apple. In the course of his
remarks he alludes to this variety being equally
as good as King of the Pippins. Now this
opens up a very interesting question concerning
the identity of these two supposed varieties, as
King of the Pippins and Golden Winter Pear-
main are considered by some to be identical.
Permit me to ask " W. B." if he considers them
to be so, or whether, in speaking of the King
of the Pippins, he alludes to Seek no Further,
which is supposed by some, though erroneously,
to be the same thing, and as often as not passes
under that name] There are many people who
adhere to the opinion that all three are distinct,
and when conversing with a noted fruit grower
the other day on this subject, he told me that
he considered them to be so, and that he thought
Golden Winter Pearmain to be the least valu-
able of the three.

I think at the Apple congress held at Chis-
wick in 1883 the conclusion was arrived at that
all three kinds were one and the same

lety,
and anyone exhibiting them separately in a
collection of fruit since then would be almost , . .- - ,

certain to be disqualified. Nevertheless, I am | _2^_^^ ^''™i°'!!,!'° "^':f° .

was raised by a gardener there. Another Apple
named Stoke Edith Pippin was raised at the
same time. He also told me the following
tradition about the naming of the Apple : It
appears that Mr. Edward Thomas Foley, the
then proprietor of Stoke Edith, was showing a
friend round the gardens one day, and when
they came to the tree of this particular kind of
Apple he bfgan eulogising its merits, and re-
marked that a better Apple could not be found.
His friend upon hearing this at once said seek
no further. Mr. Foley replied, "Well done,
and that shall be its name, as it has not got one
yet," and as such it has continued to be known
in this neighbourhood ever since. There
another Apple called Worcester Seek
Further, of which 1 have one tree, but the
fruit is inferior in every respect to that of the
preceding.

Now the chief distinction between King of
the Pippins and Seek no Further is in the shape
and colour of the fruit of the latter, and also
by its keeping in good condition for a longer
teriod than the former. King of the Pippins
keeps well till Christmas or a little later ; after
this it rapidly deteriorates in flavour and the
flesh becomes mealy. Seek no Further I fre-
quently have in good condition until the end of
February. The shape of the latter is conical,
sometimes slightly puckered round the eye,
sometimes regularly formed. The eye is closed
and seated in a rather deep basin ; stalk barely
half an inch long and inserted in a rather deep
cavity. The colour of the skin is a russetty
yellow, covered more or less with crimson aocord-
ng to the position of the fruits on the tree.
When fully exposed the fruits then take on an
then most hand

will lipen earlier than usual, as the fruits are
already assuming a yellowish tint. With me this
variety does not succeed so well on the (,)uinco as
on the Pear stock. On the former growth is very
unsatisfactory. On the Pear stock a pyramid
bears regularly ; the fruits are clean and well
grown and the tree makes healthy growth. As
stated before, the fruits are small, but deficiency
in size is more than compensated for in the deli-
cious flavour. The flesh is yellowish, buttery and
juicy. It is a good companion to that excellent
Pear Winter Nelis, where the latter is found to
succeed, and one or two trees should be grown if
room can be found for them.— W.

Pear Doyenne Boisselot. — I recently saw a
magnificent lot of this, so far as I am aware, little-
known Pear at Hillside, Newark. In shape it
favours the Bergamot section, but is far heavier,
some of the fruit weighing a pound. It is fit for
use about Christmas, and Mr. Day, the gardener,
informed me that the flavour was very good.
They had been grown on a horizontal cordon, in
which form the tree is both an early and heavy
bearer. I have searched some of the leading
trade growers' lists, but can find no mention of it.
Mr. Newton, the owner of Hillside, is very en-
thusiastic in Pear culture, having a large and
varied collection, many of which he has obtained
from friends in France before they have been se.
cured by English nurserymen. I was shown also
at Hillside some good fruit of that old and now
almost discarded variety Suffolk Thorn. This,
although having been produced from a stitf clay
soil, was of most refreshing flavour, tho in.
dividual fruit being about the size of Winter Nelis,
J. C.

of the opinion that Seek no Further is a distinct | f°™®
variety, and I well remember when the decision
just quoted became generally known, the lat_
Dr. Bull asked me for my opinion. I replied
that so far as Seek no Further was concerned,
it would always be considered a distinct variety
in this locality, but with regard to the other two
they so closely reeembled each other that I
should not like to hazard the opinion that they
were two separate varieties, and it is this matter
that I should like to see cleared up . Since the
Apple congress, I have discontinued labelling
Golden Winter Pearmain as such, but possibly
I may not have the true kind. That Seek no
Further is distinct anyone may see at a glance on
comparing them together, and they are also
different, both in regard to colour and keeping
qualities. Hundreds, and I dare say I should
not be far wrong if I said thousands, of trees of
both King of the Pippins and Seek no Further
are grown in the county of Hereford alone.
The latter preponderates in the neighbour-
hood of Stoke Edith, and it is said to have
been raised ui these gardens many years ago
and distributed soon afterwards, grafts being
given away to all who applied for them. The
original tree has only been cut down within the
last ten years on account of it ceasing to be
profitable. This was a standard, and it was
wont to bear exceedingly fine fruits, which
were always highly coloured. I have another
tree in a grass paddock which was grafted from
scions taken from the old tree, and from this I
usually gather my finest fruits. I could also
mention many others, especially some fine old
veterans in the orchards belonging to the
home farm, and there are also great numbers
of trees in cottage orchards hereabouts.

As before mentioned. Stoke Edith claims the
credit of having produced this Apple, and
according to information gathered several years
ago from a garden labourer, who had spent
sixty years of his life there, Seek no Further

The flesh is white, tinged with yell
rm, crisp and juicy, and the flavour is
good. On the other hand. King of thePippi
is not so conical in shape, or is more abruptly
shaped and broader at the apex, while the eye
is open and the stalk cavity is not so deep. The
skin is smooth, golden yellow in colour and
flushed with crimson next the sun, and of hand-
some appearance ; flesh yellowish white and
pleasantly flavoured.

From a commercial point of view the two are
about equal, as the one sells as well as the
other. Last week the price realised for good
samples was, I believe, 10s. per cwt. , and I have
known as much as 20s. per cwt. paid in seasons
when Apples have been scarce. With regard
to cropping qualities, the one variety is as good
as the other. Both are abundant and regular
bearers, and succeed admirably grown either
in pyramidal or bush form, or as orchard
standards, and they are excellent market kinds.
I am afraid I have allowed this note to run to
too great a length, but it is an interesting sub-
ject, and I should be glad if " W. B." will
kindly send a few lines in answer to my query.

Stohe Edith. A. W.

Pear Prince of Wales.— A fine, hardy,
vigorous-growing variety and a free cropper. The
fruit is very distinct in appearance, being of a
handsome dark brown colour, sprinkled or dotted
with small grey dots. It is a seedling from
Marie Louise, but is rather different in shape and
EO tapering at the stalk as the parent. The
fruits also attain a large size, and a tingle spe-
m will sometimes weigh as much as three-
quarters of a pound. It has a good deal of the
Marie Louise flavour in it, and is ijuite melting
when fully ripe. As a pyramid it is quite a suc-
cess.-A. W.

Fear Zephirin Gregoire.— This is a rather
small, but symmetrical-shaped Pear of Belgian
origin. Its proper season is the end of December
and beginning of January. This seaeon I fear it

PORTABLE ROOFS FOB FRUIT HOUSES.
I AM pleased to see this subject treated upon (p.
355) by Mr. Parker, as it could be adopted with
great advantage in many gardens and at small
cost. To be effective the roofs must be as stated,
light, cheap and neat. In common with many
fruit growers, I think the ripening of wood does
not get sufficient attention, and with more glass
and less woodwork, as the modern house is now
constructed, there is a danger of too rapid ripen-
ing, as growth is brought to a close before the sap
has done its work, theresultlbeing stunted trees, in
a short time needing removal. Mr. Parker's advice
as to removal of lights for early forced Vines and
Peaches is valuable. Herein I consider lie the
chief merits of movable roofs, as the trees, given
free exposure, say from August, are in so mucli
better condition that one need not foar the evils
hard forced trees are subject to. I can remove all
my sashes, but the houses being iron, very old
and much warped by exposure to extremes of
weather, this is often difficult. I would certainly
not advise iron or metal houses. I see no reason
why wood could not be made of equal stivice. I
am aware that to construct h.iuses with movable
sashes will add to cost, but the advantage is so
great that the question of cost in many gardens
would be but small compared with the advantages
secured. I never see this question mooted with-
out calling to mind some of the hardest work I
ever did in my young days, owing to a large num-
ber of cases being erected to cover the trees along
three sides of a large garden. These had but
scanty ventilation, and the water supply being
bad Slid labour short, it was impossible to keep
the trees healthy. If we could have utdised the
autumn and winter rains by the removal of the
sashes there would have been a great saying of
labour and much better crops. I have noticed of
late years that, with a view to cheapness, less
attention is paid to the roof conntruction, more
Is being employed and fewer sashes. This may
do very well in Cucumber houses or stoves, but it
is not to the fruit grower's advantage. Where
portable roofs are constructed, it is necessary to
do the work well, as there are more chances of
drip, and in hard forcing it is necessary to have
the roof as sound as possible.— W. I. M.

I think all gardeners will agree with

Mr. Parker's sound and practical remarks on the

406

THE GARDEN.

[November 21, 1896.

above subject. The roi-fs of all the Feach houtes
under my charge are fixtures, which I regret
equally as much as the grower Mr. Parker refers
to. The ganlener under whom I received my
earliest training excelltd in Peach growing both
under glass and on open walls— in fact, finer fruit
either of Peaches and Nectarines I have never
seen. The houses were all old-fashioned, contain-
ing a deal of wood in the roof, the panes of glass
being numerous and small. In such structures
the trees would have been subject to far less heat
after the fruit had b;en gathered than in the
modern Peach houses with panes of glass, say,
IS inches by 12 inches, these being supported by
the thinnest rafters and bars possible. Yet this
o'.d gardener always removed the lights of both
the earliest and second early Peach houses im-
mediately the fruit was gathered, and it did one
good to look at the splendid wood of a deep
bronze colour and large, prominent fruit-buds
when the trees were pruned in October. The first
house was started in November for producing
ripe fruit at the end of May and during June,
one of the trees being a Noblesse. This variety
about which we hear so much grumbling now-a-
days, owing, it is said, to its shyness in setting,
always did well enough, the removal of the roof
lights doubtless just suiting it, and preparing the
trees for the trying ordeal of early forcing.
Occasionally a veiy wet summer would cccur, in
which case the lights were put on somewhat
earlier, an excess of moisture not being deemed
beneficial any more than excessive heat. There
can, I think, "be little wonder at the early American
Peaches, such as Alexander and Waterloo, casting
their buds as toon as the house is started, when
we consider that the fruit is often ripe at the be-
ginning cf May, and the trees have then to endure
for a period of some four months perhaps, a tem-
perature which in ill-ventilated houses amounts
to little less than that of a Pine stove, with, as
Mr. Parker says, a nasty draught into the bar-
gain. In some cases water in dry summers is
none too plentiful, and the roots- owin? to the
rapid evaporation from Peach borders under
glass, especially where liberal mulching is not
carried out — suffer from drought, under which
conditions even such hardy sorts as Stirling
Castle and Early York drop their buds wholesale.
Not only (as Mr. Parker points out) is the unroof
ing of Peach houses of inestimable benefit to the
trees themselves, but labour is thereby reduced to
a minimum, for few gardeners care to see red
spider making inroads on the foliage ; to prevent
which under fixed roofs regular and rigorous
applications of water, and often insecticides,
are imperative. The same gardener used to
serve his early vinery, from which fruit was ex-
pected in May, in the eame way as his Peach
house?, the lights being remoied in July and re-
placed at the beginning of October, the Vines
beiig then pruned. Better or more regular crops
of early Hamburghs I never saw, no failure having
to be recorded in the long period of twenty-six
years. There was one -Muscat of Alexandria in
the house which seemed to appreciate the treat-
ment just as well as the Hamburghs. Such fine
Peaches and Nectarines would not be grown on
pot trecsif these were continually kept under
glass. We sometimes see orchard houses in which
not only Peaches, but Pears, Apples, Plums and
Cherries, are to be grown, furnished with fixed
roof lights. This is a great mistake, and accounts,
in part at least, for the many failures which
occur. When on the subject of fruit-house roofs
I may say that I am not in favour of such large
panes of glass and an almost entire absence of
wood in the roofs of Peach houses, as, even in
ordinary summers, the temperature quicklv rises
to a great height, necessitating both early and
extreme ventilation— conditions anything but
favourable to the well-being either of the trees or
the crop.— J. Ck.\wford.

I quite agree with all Mr. Parker says as

to the value of portable roof-lights for fruit
houses after the crops have been gathered. For
many years past I have never ceased, whenever
opportunity offered, to recommend movable roof

lights, particularly for early Peach houses. I
consider it the most rational method to adopt for
the benefit of the trees, for it is at this period and
onwards whin mischief so often happens, suppos-
ing all goes well through a'.l the vaiiius stages
of growth to the ripening of the fruit. After
this comes a trying time for the trees in early
Pfich cultuTt- undtr fixfi roofs; thosi- trees are
generally cleared of their fruit by the middle of
June, when our days are thr longest and often
hottest. Compiire the treatment those trees then
gt't to these grown under more natural climatic
conditions outside. Do we not then find cool and
dewy nights, with the wood gradually ripening,
with short, roundish buds at the base of most
leaf stalks, gradually growing plumper until thi
leaves cease to ba of any mere service. Under
fixed roofs this state of things is often quite the
reverse. As a rule, we see, as a necessity, bottom
and top ventilators open to their fullest extent,
sometimes with a hot blast of dry air rushing
through the house, extracting moisture from the
foliage and all green parts of the trees, sometimes
augravated by a dry border. Under such un
natural conditions the trees are unduly excited
atid distressed, instead of gradually ripening
What is the result? in many cases elongation of
buds with dead germs, and when the trees are
started the buds faK off in showers. With mov-
able lights the trees will ba under more favour-
able surroundings, the night dews and occasional
showers, cleansing the foliage and invigorating the
trees. When the time comes for the trees to be
started, they quickly respond to a slight increase
of temperature. Much might be said on the above
subject, and I hope those growers who are for
tunate enough in having portable roofs will record
their experiences of the behaviour of their trees
during the last few seasons.- J. Ea.ster, The
Gardens, Xosttil Priory.

WINTERING POT STRAWBERRIES.
A KKW years ago there were several interestin
notes in The Garden from well-known growers
as to the best means of protection, and in severe
seasons the advice given to winter under £
was excellent, as when this is followed the
eultivatur is able to get at the plants n
matter how severe the weather, and keep up
succession. In severe weather one is apt to
forget the season is advancing, and if the plants
in the open cannot be got at there is a break
in the supply. Much depends upon the winter-
ing of the plants in relation to successful
forcing, and for my part I would prefer a hard
winter to one like last year, when the plants
did not cease growing, with the result that they
forced badly, some kinds being much worse than
others. I place much importance upon ripen
ing and what may be termed resting during the
winter. I am aware frost when very severe
plays sad havoc with the plants in the breaking
of pots, if not plunged or the roots protected.
I am not advising that no care should be taken,
but I find plants left to shift have in many
cases done much better than those coddled, if
the term can be applied. A few years ago I
stacked a large number in the open, and rarely
had a poor crop, the only drawback being that
in severe weather it was impossible to get at
the plants. To prevent loss of time, which 1
experienced in 1895, last season some thousands
of plants were placed in fruit houses, and, 1
regret to say, earlier than I used to stack in
the open, and the autumn being specially tine
and warm, growth was very late and quite
active when the plants were housed, with the
result that the plants forced very badly. They
had no rest, and though the hou,ses were kept
cool, it was impossible to prevent the plants
making early growth and pushing out a mass
of flower-spikes, few of which set. This I attri-

bute to what may be termed coddling the
plants. Had I have known what a mild winter
was before us I would not have hou.sed the
plants. My advice is to winter the plants in
the open, failing cold frames, with the pots
plunged in ashes. Gne need not fear rain or
moisture if there is good drainage at the base.
Though I do not advise stacking for the reasons
named, I shall this season revert to the oil
plan of plunging well over the rim in tine coal
ashes on a hard ash bottom, as in such the
plants are sooner thawed when frozsn, a'ld ai
long as the ashes cover the pots the reots are
not injured. Plants plunged suffer less than
in stacks, as the east winds we often get in
severe weather shrivel up the foliage. I think
free exposure a strong point with Strawberries,
and would much rather leave them unprotected
than place them in a warm or dry house.

S. H. M.

Flavour in fruit.- A somewhat successful
competitor with both Apples and Pears for the
Veitch prizes at the Drill Hall legards fruits of
fair medium size, grown on bush and pyramid
trees, as giving better flavour than do larger
fruits of the same varieties grown on walls or else-
where. So far as Apples are concerned, the hep 3
of having finer flavour from wall fruit is perhaps
limited to Calville Blanche, which rarely develops
its true character under other conditions. Even
then, whilst very soft, sweet and pleasant eating,
it is doubtful whether at its best it is not in tae
matter of flavour rather over-rated. Our highest-
flavoured Apples— Cox's Orange Pippin, Ribjtcn
Pippin, Margil, Cockle Pippin, Mother Apple,
Cornish Aromatic, and the Russets — invaiia'^Jy
give the richest or keenest flavour when the fruits
are of medium size, not too rapidly swollen and
not necessarily highly-cjloured. A gravelly base,
though not always the best for ordinary garden-
ing, seems to be most suitable for fruits where
fine flavour is held to be of more importance than
mere size or appearance. For Pears there are no
positions like walls to produce fine fruit. But
most of the best Pears do well when grown as bush
or pyramid trees worked on the Quince, and if
the fruits they produce are not so large as wall
trees will carry, at least it does seem that they
give the richest flavour.— A. D.

Peach Atasden June.— I notioa (p. .305) that
Mr. Iggulden, in answer to "J. F. R.'s" request
to know which are the three best Peaches for
market, recommends the above variety, and
in doing so, bears out all which Mr. Wjthes
has previously said in its favour. After
such testimony, I have no doubt others will be
induced to give it a trial where early Peaches are
in demand. Personally, I have always looked upon
this variety as too small, as others so much finer fol-
low so closely after it in ripening. I must own I
have not grown it under glass, and my experiencj
is confined to trees growing on a south wall, in
which position ripe fruit has been gathered the
last three seasons during the third week in June.
At first I was tempted to grub it out, as the fruit
was so small, and ripening, as it does, when extra-
fine Peaches are generally plentiful in second-early
houses, fruit of Amsden June type must stand at a
discount. I retained the trees, however, and now
find the fruit comes in most useful, as at that
season Peaches are in great demand for kitchen use,
andasAccsden June answers such a purpose admir-
ably, the finer indoor fruit can be used to better ad-
vantage. When grown under glass the fruit will
pr bably come larger, but up to the present I have
tailed, under the most favourable circumstance, t j
obtain more than third-rate fruit as regards size.
I can vouch for it being a sure cropper, but for
market I should say it would not command a high
piicawhen grown outside. Although Mr. Iggulden,
in the first place, recommends early varieties fur
market, he wisely adds further on the value of late
ones for the same purpose, and I am not sure that
the latter would not prove more remunerative,
when it is taken into consideration the expense

i
i

NoviMBER 21 1896]

THE GARDEN.

407

and trouble entailed in producing the former,
■with certainly greater risks of having light crops
— R. Parker, Goot/wood.

Notes f f om Wigganthorpe, Yo'ks.— There
was every appearance of there being a heavy
crop of fruit this year, as far as the show of bloom
was concerned. I do not remember a spring when
the trees, especially Apples and Plums, were so
full. The very dry weather we experienced dur-
ing May prevented the fruit setting, and some
trees full of bloom had no fruit. On the whole
there has been a fair crop of Apples, the best be-
ing Keswick Codlin, Manks Codlin, Burr Knot,
Lady Henniker, Ribston Pippin, Lord Grosvenor,
Rymer, W. E. Gladstone, Cox's Pomona, Lane's
Prince Albert, NewHawthornden, Stirling Castle
and Alfrieton. Pears are almost a failure : the
best are Williams' Bon Chretien, Winter Xelis,
Beurre Clairgeau, Jargonelle and Marie Louise.
Plums have been good, Victoria bearing best
amongft the cooking kinds. Jefferson and other
desFert kinds have been good on walls ; Peaches,
Cherries and Apricots have been good. There
has been a heavy crop of Strawberries and other
small fruits, with the exception c f Black Currants.
The bushes appeared to stop growing and the
fruit dropped ofT during the dry time. Mott
kinds of vegetables have done fairly well, although
the drought has told much on some things, espe-
cially Peas. Early Potatoes have been good and
quite free from disease, later errts also being
good. — J. S. Ui'EX.

APRICOT TREES IN COTTAGE GARDENS.
"R. P. S.'s" notes on Apricots (p. 363) remind
me of a remarkable tree which I saw last summer
growing on a wall in a cottager's gaiden about
six miles from here. I happened to be judging at
the show held in the village, and the secretary
took me to see the tree in question. The situa-
tion was a very sunny one, and the tree seemed
quite at home under the somewhat rough-and-
ready treatment it received. The crop it v/as
carrying exceeded in weight anything I had pre-
viously seen, and on questioning the wisdom of
allowing such a ([uantity of fruit to remain on
the tree, I was met by the reply that it always
hadcarriedsimilar quantities, and seemed none the
worse for it. My own opinion, however, in such
cases is thit the last straw breaks the camel's back,
and the trees aie sure to break down sooner or
later. The soil in which the tree was growing
was not by any means a light one, but the f;arden
lay high and was abundantly drained. This latter
condition makes all the difference, as I have
noticed that of la'e years trees growing in strong
soils in low-lying gardens collapse much sooner, as
a rule, than those growing in a lighter and more
porous medium. The trees to which I referred
some time ago which were planted in a gentle-
man's garden near here in a strong loam did
splendidly for a few years, but the last time
I saw them they were disfigured by a limb
having gone off here and there, paralysis
first appearing in spring after a very wet.
autumn, the wood formtd in such a soil
naturally being strong and not ripening tho-
roughly through lack of sunshine. " R. P. S."
says that what with coddling and fads the Apricot
is being cultivated out of existence. No doubt
too formal training and clcse spurring tend to
weaken the constitution, and I have always re-
commended laying in as many young shoots as
possible between the main branches, in order to
encourage a free root action, and to disbud in
spring, so as to have only a fair amount of wood
and foliage to which the light and sun can pene-
trate. It ha? always seemed strange to me that
gardeners disbud rigidly enough their Peach trees
on walls, but seldom lay a hand on Apricots at
that season. The fact, however, remains that
even in old-fashioned gardens managed by first-
rate fruit growers, where Apricots flourished 1
formerly under the orthodox systnm of training, I
the trees do now but very indifferently. The
great complaint now-a-days is not, as " R. P. S."
says, that the fruit will not ripen, as this it does

perfectly in Notts and Yorkshire, but that the
trees, just when one imagines everything is well,
eo off suddenly, either partially or entirely, from
withering or paralysis. The best remedy against
this is open borders containing plenty of limerefuse,
a medium amount of foliage only, and plenty of
root moisture during the growing season.. — J.
Crawford, Niii'arl:.

The notes on Apricots which have appeared

in recent numbers from different parts of the
country are very welcome, as evincing an awaken-
ing interest in this very useful fruit, and may pos-
sibly lead to iilanting on a considerably larger
scale than has been the case of late years. Cer-
tainly the fact that the Apricot is available alike
for dessert, tarts or preserving should place it a
good second to the Peach among choicer fruits.
It will. I think, be generally admitted that given
a combination of adverse conditions in climate,
soil and situation it is hardly advisable to attempt
its cultivation on anything like a large scale— at
least, I know more than one garderer well up to
the mark in fruit growing who could make
nothing of it given a heavy annual rainfall and a
minimum of sun, but if the climate is all right and
it is only the soil and situation that are wrong,
the necessary alterations can ba made to meet the
requirements of the trees. So far as the south of
England is concerned, I have always found Apri-
cots do best on a west wall, or at any rate, an as-
pect anywhere between south-west and west, and
for soil a good holding loam or as near that as
possible. If the natural soil is light and sandy,
it should be worked out by degrees and somethirg
heavier substituted, good stiff road sidings and a
little— a very little— cow manure are a good com-
post. It seems almost superfluous to caution
against cropping cloFe up to the wall, but this is
still done in some gardens, and it should, there-
fore, be known that the Apricot, perhaps of all
fruits, cares least for this disturbance and opening
up of the soil. An alley of 3 feet is not too much
if the subsoil is open and absorbent, and it should
be kept as hard as a road. Given neglected trees
that are not growing under good conditions, the
above treatment is to be recommended so far
as the roots are concerned. For above-ground
treatment branches badly cankered can be
cleanly removed, whilst in the case of those only
partially affected, the bad part can be taken out
and the place filled in with clay, at the same time
it is always advisable to encourage any healthy
growth below the sore, laying this in for one
or two seasons, even if the trees are extra
thick. Diseased limbs can by this means be
gradually replaced by healthy growth. I can
personally vouch for this, having more than once
had to deal with a lot of badly cankered trees.
I only grow two varieties, Kaisha and Moorpark,
the former both the smaller and the earlier
fruit. The Apricot being the earliest flowering
among fruits renders it naturally very liable to
suffer from spring frosts. For several seasons I
had for Apricots a sort of makeshift protection in
the way of Spruce boughs on pole.';, but finding
that the fruit was much appreciated, have re-
sorted lately to half-inch mesh fish-netting of
double thickness, and this generally brings the
trees safely through unless a sharp frost follows a
day of sleet and rain and the blossom is wet. Our
three chief enemies are grey aphis, blackbirds and
earwigs, the two former can be dealt with satis-
factorily by insecticides and netting, but the ear-
wig is very troublesome, and in some seasons it is
a difficult matter to secure sound dessert fruit. In
all gardens where old trees of the Apricot are in-
clii ed to gum and canker, it will be found advis-
able when dealing with newly-planted stuff to
avoid the use of the knife as much as possible for
a season or two, doing the necessary work of
restriction by spring disbudding.— E. Burrell,
Clare7n07it.

then have the protection of a wall, and be grown
either as a cordon or a diagonally-trained tree.
The fruits have a smooth, yellowish green skin,
sprinkled with small brown dots, and they grow
to a good size under good cultivation. The
flavour is sweet and perfumtd and the flesh tender
and white.— S. E. P.

Pear Dana's Hovey.- This Pear is similar
in flavour to the Seckle, but much larger and
later. Like the Seckle, it was introduced from
America, and is a valuable addition to the class of
small, but highly flavoured Pears. In an ordinary
season it ripens during the latter part of Decem-
ber and is very delicious, the flavour being quite
equal to that of Seckle. I generally obtain the
largest fruits from a bush on the (^tuince, but,
unfortunately, the tree is not a robust grower on
this stock. On the Pear stock the tree makes a
fine pyramid, but the fruits come much smaller.
In point of flavour I cannot detect the slightest
difference between them, both being equally rich.
I would advise anyone about to form a collection
to include this variety and to grow it in bush or
pyramid form. — S. E. H.

Pear Beurre d'Anjou. — This is very fine
this season, but, like many others, will not keep
so long as usual. It is a hardy growing variety
and will succeed in almost any soil, with the ex-
ception of that which is cold and damp. lb should

SHOUT NOTES.— FRUIT.

Kobins eating Grapes.— Kobins are ratlier
numerous in this district and often c^u-e trouble by
attacking the late Grapes, and if not noticed they soou
spoil many of the best t unehes. Many reople are not
aware of the Grape-eating propensity of Robins, and
lay all the blame to mice. — J. C., Not's.

Pear Duehesse d'Orleans.— This is a very
handsome Pear of French origin, and, although too
tei der to grow in the open garden, it is w rtby of a
place on a wall on warm soils. As a coidon on the
Quince, it bears large, brightly-coloured fruits,_ which
are very attractive, the bright red and yellow tints on
the sunny and shady sides of the fruits being very pro-
nounced. It ripens during October, and has a white,
melting, juicy flesh.— A. W.

NOTES FROM ALMONDSBURY.
The summer of 1896 has been a very trying one
in my garden ; it seemed impossible to keep some
plants alive, and every tall growing herbaceous
plant was stunted and short-bloomed. One of the
few that delighted me and astonished stiangere
was Ipomsa pandurata. My plants ramble over a
Plum tree and a stone wall and were covered with
bloom. Calochorti in a frame were very pleasing.
During the last three months Crocosmia aurea
maoulata has been full of bloom. Grown in a pot
with cool treatment, Crocosmias are delightful ;
they will not stand the heavy rainfalls of Sep-
tember and October in the open and they are
not useful for picking, but as light and graceful
greenhouse plants they are, to my mind, unequalled
in this way, and increase very rapidly. Eremurus
robustus gave me two splendid spikes of bloom
and promises the same for next year ; indeed,
this plant is painfully forward. Lately, Iris sty-
lo-a speciosa has been flowering freely : quan-
tities of this perished here in the 1895 winter,
and I have raised a number of plants of this and
the white form from seed. This Iris grows very
quickly from seed. Lachenalia seedlings are very
interesting to me just now. I have several lots
which are now showing their spikes for the first
time. If any lover of these would send me pollen of
good kinds in a few weeks I should be greatly in-
debted. Owing to the heat these bulbs seem very
forward this year. It will give your readers some
idea of our S. \V. drought w hen I say that out of
100 Dahlias fifty never gave one Hoom. There
was not a pod of seed on the Daffodils. Iris aurea
and oohroleuca were finer than I have ever seen
them here, and there is much seed on them. The
Chinese Paeonies were short, but many of the
Japanese Moutans did well. These promise well
for 1897. The wood is well ripened, and the
present cold is all in their favour. Chrysanthe-
mums never grew, though well supplied with
water. Indeed, we want here a wet summer next
year- at any rate a dripping June— for though

408

THE GARDEN.

[November 21, 1896.

we have had 14 inches of rain since August 1, we
are still 1 1 inches short of our average. It is
delightful here to see how good herbaceous plants
are becoming common in the cottagers' gardens.
Bedding plants arc- disappearing "and the old
plants are cultivated. Villagers erect small
greenhouses and spend time and trouble on
their flowers. Some even buy Daffjdils and other
bulbs : these they used here to despise as common.
That word " common " has much to answer for. Is
it education that is beginning to tell at last ':

C. 0. Milks.

Notes of the Week.

Hippeastrum aulicum.— .Several tine plants
of this species are now in flower at Kew, where
they make a rich display. These flowers are of a
vermilion crimson hue, with darker base, the
ments also distinctly veined and netted.

Marguerite Carnations.— Where Carnations
are much in request in the autumn months, this
strain is of great service, as by growing the
p'ants from seed, they bloom in about six months
or less, and provide a useful and varied lot of
flowers at a dull time.

Magnolia glauca.— A large plant of this on
the grass at Kew is still producing a few blooms,
and while it can scarcely be said to make a good
bush, the plant appears tD be a most persistent
bloomer, as it is carrying as many flowers as was
the case in August la^t.

Crickets aiid Carnations.— Quite recently
in a large market nursery where winter Carna-
tions are a feature we were surprised to note
the destruction caused by these insects, more par
ticularly to the expanded flowers, ijuite a large
number of these beiny: nightly destroyed.

Scutellaria Mocciniana.— The vermil
scarlet heads of this are now very showy in the
greenhouse. It is an excellent plant for flowering
in comparatively small pots, and in this way may
be used in divers ways. The plant is of compara-
tively easy culture, and roots freely in a warm
boltomheat.

Eupatorium odoratissimum. — This free
growing and free-flowering species is larL^ely grown
at Syon for cutting. Among useful and continuous
flowering subjects this plant is still greatly
valued at Syon, that is, if one may be guided
both by its numbers and the size of the plants
that are to be seen there.

Hibbertia dentata. — Among greenhouse
climber? flowering at the present time this plant
is worthy of notice by reason of its peculiar habit.
Allowed to droop naturally from the rafters in
the greenhouse at Kew," it presents a very
pretty sight with its bright golden yellow blos-
soms occurring at about S inches apart on the
pendent growths.

Begonia metallica is not only one of the
showiest of the genus, but it is also among the
most free flowering. Considering the wealth of
decidedly pretty and useful flowers these Be-
gonias provide, it is puzzling why such charming
kinds as this, with B. Haageana and B. echino-
sepala, are so rarely seen beyond the limits of
tha botanic garden.

Plumbago capensis alba.— This is a chaste
climber, particularly in large structures that can
permit of its growing in a more or less natural
manner. Thus grown, it is one of the most ex-
quisite climbers, producing its pleasing sprays of
blossom for a long time. Both kinds, the blue
and white, should be grown for their intrinsic
worth as greenhouse plants.

Elseagnus macrophylla.— In the notice of
this shrub (p. .38.3) I am surprised at the absence
of any allusion to the perfume of the blooms.
This is very delicate and much like that of Gar-
denia. There is a plant in this village which is
8 feet high and 12 feet in diameter, and which has
haodreds of blossoms upon it. — VV. T., Binhop-i-
Uignton, mar Twjnmou'h.

Bhododendron Mrs. Heal.— This is one of
the forms of R. multicolor and has pure white

flowers in compact trusses. It is a very beautiful
and useful variety, and is now flowering freely,
as indeed it has been for some time past. A
choice assortment of these dwarf hybrid forms
is most useful in the greenhouse when in flowe-,
and associates well with most things.

Nerine uudulata.— This frail and pretty spe-
cies has the important characteristic of being
both free flowering and lasting a long time in
good condition. This is always most noticeable
in houses that are both dry and well ventilated,
and in such the pretty pink heads are very
charming. X. pudica possesses similar good
qualities when grown under the same conditions.

Bhododendron Princess Alexandra.— Tlio
waxy-looking blush- white flowers of this variety
are very charming, and being somewhat freely
produced on comparatively small plants, this
Rhododendron should be freel3' grown where
greenhouse species have a plaea. Blush-white at
first, its flowers become pure when well expanded,
and being substantial looking, its trusses of bloom
are very attractive.

Exacum zaylanicum var. macranthutn.—
Among stove flowe.ing annuals this is now very
striking in one of the warm houses at Kew by
reason of the intense violet-blue of its flowers.
The plant is of somewhat erect growth, and pro-
ducing its axillary and terminal racemes rather
freely makes a tine show. The plant is well
worth attention for the sake of the colour of the
flowers, which is not plentiful in the warmer
houses.

Lycoris aurea.— A beautiful group of some
two dozen plants in flower at the Drill Hall on
Tuesday last attracted many admirers. The rich
orange-yellow colour is very striking and well
worthy of attention, if only from the fact that it
flowers quite late in the autumn. The plant is
well worth taking in hand, as by seeding it some
improved forms may be secured. The above
group came from Messrs. de Rothschild, Acton
(gardener, Mr. Reynolds).

Flowering of Camoensia maxima.- In a
note on this plant in The Garden of November
U (p. .3,s,S) Mr. Gumbleton says : "It has now
bloomed, it is believed, for the first time in
Europe simultaneously in at least three English
gardens." I bloomed C. maxima in October,
IS94. Notice of the same appeared in the Kete
Bulletin of November, 1894 (p. 4il2), and in (lar-
dener's Chronicle, January 12, 189."i (p. 44).— W.M.
Mac'kie, Mythe Coit/e Gardens, Teickesbury.

Veronica Andersoni foliis variegatis.-
The value of this in the open garden is fairly
well known, though it cannot be said that the
best use is made of so good and efl'ective a
plant. At Kew near No. 7 greenhouse are large
groups of it, while in No. 4 house, where it is
grown in pots, it is beautiful in the extreme. In
many greenhouses a good deal of monotony is
apparent, which the judicious use of some such
plant as this would certainly considerably modify.

Pelargonium Raspail Improved.— For
winter flowering this variety is especially valu-
able, and in the dull November days the brilliant
blossoms are very effective. The individual
flowers, too, are much larger than in the old form,
and being semi-double stand well when cut. It
is surprising the number of useful sprays that
may be gathered from quite small plants, while
those of larger size that have been specially pre-
pared for winter flowering yield considerable
quantities.

Nymphseas. — There is quite an interesting
series of these plants in bloom in the Lily house
at Kew, and, judging by many buds, a succession
of flowers will be for some time forthcoming. Of
N. Lotus there are the varieties rubra and devon-
iensis, both possessing bright rosy coloured
flowers. There are also N. stellata, with blue
flowers, N. scutifolia, blue, and N. gigantea,
hich is also blue. These latter are very useful
for variety, but the colour cannot be compared
with the bright rose of the first named.

Clivia miniata.— There are very few things
more showy among greenhouse plants or more

welcome than those. Flower when they will, ther
is always room for their bold trusses and dig
tinct colours. Notwithstanding the many ad-
ditions to this group, the original species is well
worthy of culture. Indeed, quite recently in the
Camellia house of a private garden we noted
some fine pieces, pushing up handsome trusses,
while the expanded flowers tended to relieve the
monotony of the shrubs named, thus performing
a two-fold purpose.

Poppy Anemones from Cork.— Mr. Hart-
land sends us a box of these, showy, varied, and of
many colours, some good, some bad, and some
monstrous, all very vigorous. The fixing of certain
good coloured races of these Poppy Anemones is
worth thinking of, especially the varieties that
one could depend upon getting certain definite .
hues from. They must be very precious to people
in the southern and warmer districts, but fail in
some heavy soils and midland places. These
Anemones were raised from seed sown in March,
1895, l)ut it is easy to have them in flower from
seedlings raised the same year.

Cypripedium Calceolus.- In reply to H
Self J Leonard, Guildford, who asks for informa
tion as to the above Orchid, I would say that
while travelling through Switzerland in May,
1894, 1 came across a nice lot of Cypripedium Cal-
ceolus growing most luxuriantly amid green
pasture land over the gorges of the Tamina, near
the village of Ragatz. The plants were then
(May 24) in all their beauty ; the soil was fibrous
loam, position sloping W.N. \V. At a short dis-
tance from these, Trollius europieus was growing
by tens of thousands under the shade of trees,
while the Lady's Slipper was quite in the open. —
W. Matoer, Guernsey.

Luculia gratissima.— This is one of the
most welcome, as also the most fragrant, of green-
house shrubs now in bloom, and for the sake of
its fragrance, apart from the ease with which it
can be grown, it should be included in all col-
lections of greenhouse plants. The species is par-
ticularly well suited to the larger greenhouse,
where ample room can be given. Its fragrance
is always appreciated because not overwhelming.
Among autumn-flowering subjects this is of the
greatest value, very little warmth being needed
to bring its flowers to perfection. The plant is of
comparatively easy growth, and if liberally
supplied with root-room and given a rather
generous treatment while growing, will not lose
its foliage so much as is usually seen. A some-
what vigorous shrub by nature, it will endure a
fair amount of feeding. The species comes from
the Himalayas, and may be seen in good condition
at Kew at the present time.

Erythrina Constantiana.- This very hand-
some flowering tree has bloomed for the first time
in Europe during the summer of this year in the
garden of Mons. A. Constant at the Villa Niobe
at Golfe Juan, near Cannes, and is well figured
in the current number of the Paris Ileviie Hor-
tirole, with full description by M. Marc Micheli,
of Geneva. The origin of this fine tree is quite
unknown by its owner, who sowed the seed from
which it sprang in the year 1880. The plant de-
veloped rapidly, and during the sixteen years of
its life attained the height of 10 metres, or about
32| feet, with a circumference at base of its stem
of \\ metres, or 4 feet 1 inch. Its flower- head is
of large dimensions and exceedingly handsome,
with individual flowers of a good size and of a
deep blood-red colour on the large upper petal,
with a blackish purple pouch underneath, out of
which protrude the prominent pistil and bunch
of white anthers. This fine species is closely
allied to E. caffra, a native of the Cape, and well
known in our gardens, but it is sutficiently dis-
tinct from it to entitle it to a separate name.
Only a single specimen of this Erythrina is at pre-
sent known, but as it has ripened seed, it will
doubtless before long be obtainable by plant lovers
who have the patience to wait sixteen years to
see it bloom. It will doubtless be almost hardy
in Cornwall and the south of Ireland. —

W. E. GUMBLETO.V.

November

THE GARDEK

409

Stove and Greenhouse.

BEGONIA GLOIRE DE SCEAUX.

WiNTER-FLOWEKi>-<; Begoniashave UDdoubtedly
advanced in popularity within the last ten or a
dozen years, owing principally to the intro
duction of B. socotrana and the part it has
played in giving us many distinct and beautiful
varieties, all valuable for winter blooming.
Messrs. Veitch and Lemoine h ve both

tint. The flowers, too, are large and borne in
good sized clusters, while their colour is a
pleasing shade of deep pink. As a rule it com-
mences to flower about Christmas, and a succes-
sion of blooms is kept up for the first three or
four months of the year, thus enhancing con-
sideraljly its value as a flowering plant. Though
distributed in 1887 and from that time grown to
a limited extent in this country, it was not till
ISiKi that we were shown it in a particularly
favourable light. This was when on January

Begonia Gloire de Sd

From a photograph

distributed several charming hybrids of B.
socotrana, while the present variety, Gloire
de Sceaux, was sent out by MM. Thibaut
et Keteleer, of Sceaux, in France, during
the year 1887. It was announced as a hybrid
between B. socotrana and B. subpeltata, and
in general appearance it is widely removed
from any other variety that we have. The
habit of the plant is stout and vigorous, and
without any stopping it naturally forms a neat,
compact specimen, well furnished with ample
foliage of a thick texture and of a rich metallic

17 Mr. Jennings, gardener to Mr. Leopold de
Rothschild at Ascott, sent up a beautiful group
of this variety to a meeting of the Royal Hor-
ticultural Society, when it was awarded a first-
class certificate. Since that time it has become
far more popular, and is now included in all
good collections of winter blooming kinds.
Unlike the other hybrids of B. socotrana, this
does not have a dormant period, but grows
away freely during the summer months. It
can be readily propagated from cuttings, and
will succeed in ordinary potting compost. Care

should be, however, taken not to overpot it, as
if full of roots better results are often obtained
by assisting with a little manure water than by
putting into very large pots. Neat little well-
flowered specimens may be obtained in pots .5
inches in diameter, while an S-inch or 9-inch
pot is large enough for any purpose.

The illustration shows a two-year-old plant
grown from a cutting by Mr. W. Roberts,
Thame. It was cut down once, and at the time
the photograph was taken it was over a yard
high. H. P.

Hsemantlius albiflos. — This Haimanthue,
although the blossoms are wanting in the
bright tints of such as H. coccineus, H. multi-
florue, H. puniceus, and others, is etill very
pretty, just now being in full Sower. The leaves
especially in some individuals are so thickly
clothed with whitish hairs as to present quite a
singular appearance. The most conspicuous
portion of the inflorescence consists of the crowd
of whitish stamens with their yellow tips, and
they retain their freshneps for a considerable time.
While some species of Hiemanthus are very diffi-
cult to keep in health for any great length of time
under cultivation, there are others that will
succeed with but ordinary attention, H. albiflos
being one of these. Like many other bulbous
plants from South Africa, it regents being dis-
turbed at the roots, hence it should not be shaken
out and divided unless it is absolutely necessary.
A light greenhouse will just meet its requirements.
-H. P.

Dimorpliotheca Ecliloni. — As Marguerite-
like blossoms still retain their popularity, it is very
probable that this plant will be more generally
cultivated when better known. It has been
planted out during the summer at Kew, and to-
wards the autumn it flowered freely, while under
glass it is still decidedly effective, and bids fair to
be a useful subject for the decoration of the green-
house at this season. The blooms are in general
appearance a good deal in the way of those of the
Marguerite, but the disc is purple, and the in-
terior of the petals is also eulfused with the same
tint, this feature being most pronounced when in
the bud state. A second Dimorphotheca (D.
graminifolia) has been for some years very attrac-
tive at Kew, where in a cool greenhouse it flowers
during the spring and summer months. This
succeeds well in a large pan, its habit being to
form a tuft of procumbent stems, clothed with
bright green linear leaves, while the blossoms,
which are somewhat hke a single Marigold, are
borne on long wiry stems. The flowers, which are
over 2 inches across, are white, with a bronzy-
purple centre, the exterior of the petals being
also suffused with the eame tint. This succeeds
well with but ordinary care and attention. — T.

Nerine undulata.— For the last three months
or so a succession of blossoms of the different
Nerines has been maintained, but now they are
all over, or at least past their best, except N. un-
dulata, which though lees fhowy than the larger
kinds is still very pretty. The specific name of
undulata is a particularly appropriate one. The
blossoms, which are borne in a loose head on a
slender scape 9 inches to a foot in height, are of a
bright pink colour, the segments being very
narrow and much waved. It is not seen to
advantage in the shape of single bulbs, but from
its slender character needs to be grown several to-
gether in a pot, or, better still, it may be group

moderately deep pane. However it be treated
in this respect, thorough drainage is very essential,
while the soil should consist principally of good
sandy loam, that will remain sweet for years with-
out being renewed, as all the members of this
genus resent being disturbed at the roots when
once established. Many fail with the diS'erent
Nerines in attempting to induce tfiem to rest
after flowering, as they push up their leaves as
soon as the blooms are past, and continue to grow
throughout the winter, during which time a light
open position in the greenhouse thould be assigned

410

THE CtARDEJ^.

[November 21, 1896.

them. A shelf well exposed to the light is a very
suitable place for the different members of the
genus, and though they must not be dried off, yet
care should be taken not to over-water at any
time. As spring advances they go to rest and re-
main dormant during the summer, when a good
roasting is necessary to ensure the future display
of bloom. -H. P.

BHODODENDROXS IX FLOWER.
At this time oi the year the bulk of flowering
plants in the greenhouse consist.* of Chrysanthe-
mums, but the choice of subjects is by no means
limited to thi-^ particular class, as many other
plants are available for the s.ime purpose— Salvias
for instance : while among the more select and
uncommon things now in bloom may be men-
tioned the different Javanese Rhododendrons,
which are in many instances prcfusely laden with
blossoms. The term "perpetual flowerini.''" has
been vei y appropriately applied to Rhododendrons
of this class, for where a quantity is grown, and
that in a tem[>erature rather above an ordinary
greenhouse, flowers to a greater or less extent may
be had throughout the year. This autumn I think
they are even more free-flowering than usual, the
result, in all probability, of the hot weather we
experienccil during the summer These Rhodo-
dendrons grow more or less at all seasons, and
then form their flower-buds ; thus, the hot weather
being particularly favourable to growth when the
plants were duly supplied with water and liberally
eyringed, we are now reaping the benefit of that
stimulus in the shape of a grand display of blos-
soms. These Rhododendrons, beautiful though
they be, are by many passcil over, that is to say,
they need more care than is bestowed upon the
general run nf commonly grown greenhouse plants,
while they are of but, little use for cutting, and
— an important consideration with many — they
cannot be purchased at a very cheap rate. This
is ceitainly true, but, as a setoff, may be men-
tioned the fact that, once established, they give
but little trouble in the w.Ty cf repotting, while
with ordirary care and attention cuttings are not
at all ditficulc to root, and thriving little plants
can be obtained in this way ; while, above all, is
the fact of their perpetual flowering and refined
appearance when in bloom, which at once causes
them to be singled out from among the usual occu-
pants of the greenhouse. Though it takes some
time fora cutting just struck to attain the dimen-
sions of a fair-sized plant, yet it is not for the
whole of that period without blossoms, for
tiny 1 ttle plants not more tlian 4 inches high
will often produce a truss of flowers equal in
diameter to their height. Man}' of these little
plants will after flowering push out two or three
shoots, and thus form the nucleus of a bushy
specimen. Some varieties are, however, far more
liable to run up tall and straggling than others,
and in their case constant attention is necessary
in order to lay the foundation of a compact plant.
It is, as a rule, more difficult to get a good bush
of the very brightly-coloured forms than it is of
some of the others, and the two oldest varieties
in this section, viz.. Princess Royal and Princess
Alexandra, are among the most satisfactory of all
to (.'row into a bushy specimen. These Rhodo-
dendrons do not root at all vigorously ; hence in
potting particular care should be taken, especi-
ally as they will stand for a long time without re-
potting. When a plant, even a large one, is
turned out of its pot it will be observed that the
greater part of the roots is to be found on the
upper half of the ball, and very frei|uently the
fine hair like fibres will form quite a dense mass
just on the surface of the soil. This latter feature
IB more general when the plants have been in a
rather warm and humid atmosphere. The best
soil for these Rhododendrons is good rough peat,
of a quality that will stand long without decay, a
liberal amount of sand, and a good sprinkling of
nodules of charcoal about the size of beans, or
larger. The drainage, too, should be thorough.
A very desirable quality possessed by these Rho-
dodendroce is that they will thrive amid the

smcke of London, which is more than can be said
of many plants. Of the success attending their
culture in a smoke-laden atmosphere, it may be
pointed out that nearly all the varieties in culti-
vation have been raised at Chelsea by Messrs.
Veitch, and jthey are still grown by them in a
very successful manner, as is shown by their fre
quent appearance at the Royal Horticultural
Society's meetings. Another point in favour of
these Rhododendrons is that they are not often
troubled to any great extent with insect pests,
for though aphides sometimes attack the very
young shoots, they are easily got rid of. Thrips
are more troublesome if they once attack the
under sides of the leaves, but a liberal use of the
syringe will keep them away. The greatest
trouble is sometimes caused by mildew, which is
apt to attack some varieties, especially if the at-
mosphere is rather cold and stagnant, or the con-
dition of the roots not all that might be de-sired.
H. P.

ASPARAGU,S PLUMOSUS NAXU.S.
Since the introduction of this useful plant its
cultivation has gradually extended and at the
present time some growers have it by the thou-
sand. It is chiefly grown for cutting, the flat
feather-like branches being very useful for
almost all kinds of floral arrangements. Among
florists it is frequently called Asparagus Fern.
Although the term nanus properly belongs to the
dwarf form, that with the tall scandent habit is
generallj' known under the same name, and
though there is a great difference as usually
cultivated, I am inclined to think the tall grow-
ing variety would, if propagated from divisions
and confined to small pots, assume a dwarf char-
acter. I am supported in this opinion by the fact
that a plant which had originally grown tall had
become stunted and was taken up and divided,
and having been frequently re-divided the
divisions have not grown more than a foot or so
high, while seedlings invariably run up tall. For
cutting from, seedlings are the most useful, but
those propagated from divisions make the
prettiest pot-plants. Seed does not seem likely
to become over-plentiful, for although plants may
flower freely it is rarely that a good crop of seed
sets, the flowers generally falling off almost as
soon as they open. I am told that in South
Africa, where it is indigenous, seed rarely ripens.
This Asparagus is generally treated as a stove
plant, and where kept free from insects it does
well in a high temperature. It will do equally
well in a cooler atmosphere and is not so liable to
the attacks of red-spider, which is one of its
greatest enemies. To grow it successfully the
chief point is to give it plenty of root room and
good drainage. Any ordinary potting compost
may be used but a light fibrous loam is preferable.
To this may be added leaf mould and some well-
rotted manure, or some peat may be used if the
loam is heavy. Where rc(|aired for cutting,
jilanting out is the best system, under favourable
conditions a few plants will give a regular suc-
cession of useful material. The plants should
never be cut in too hard, but to secure good-sized
branches the old stems should be thinned out
occasionally. Where the plants are strong and
healthy they take a good deal of water and will
suffer much if allowed to get too dry. Full ex-
posure to the light is necessary. " A. H.

Tecoma Smithi. — In reply to the inquiry of
"A. N.' concerning Tecoma Smithi, I have
flowered several plants raised from seed this year.
The seed was sown about the middle of March in
heat. The seedlings were potted and gradually
hardened off, giving them a final shift into 5-inch
pots and standing them out of doors in the sun
about the middle of June. The plants were
housed again about the beginning of September,
and the first plant was in flower by the end of that
month. — E. Wi.rsfoi.j., Bnlh.

Housing Carnations.— There can be no
doubt that continued heavy autumnal rains are

i

very injurious to Carnations in pots, and if they I
can be accommodated it is prudent to house them
early in September. Some plants of Souvenir de
la Malmaison that remained in the open until
October, although as green as Leeks until the
heavy rains came, turned yellow, and on examina-
tion I found that the roots had lost their activity,
and it has taken quite a month to restore them to
their noiinal condition.— J. C. B.

Pelargonium Mroe. Jules Chretien.— This
single-flowered zonal Pelargonium cannot now be
regarded as a novelty, but it is at all events still
one of the best of that distinct section which owes
its origin to Souvenir de Mirande, and to which
the name of bicolor Pelargoniums has been applied-
by some. This class is, however, ijuite distinct
from the old bicolors, in which the title referred
to the foliage and not to the flower. The variety
Mme. Jules Chretien among its other desirable
features has proved a very good kind for winter
blooming. A peculiarity of' the Pelargoniums of
this section is that they all take longer to strike
root from cuttings than the others— that is to fay,
those with scarlet, pink or white blossoms. The
same thing may be noticed in many other classes
of plants, especially Chrysanthemums, as some
varieties will take nearly double the time of others
to root.— H. P.

Begonia Gloirede Lorraine.— This Begonia
was very much in evidence at the recent Aquarium
exhibition, for its bright rosy pink blossoms stood
out conspicuous in many of the mixed groups. It
seems to have become more popular than any
other hybrid of B. sccotrana, owing doubtless to
its free-growing and free-flowering qualities. It
has been taken in hand by some of our market
growers, and. in the regulation 5-inch pots it forms
neat little specimens from !) inches co a foot in
height, well furnished towards the lower part with
bright green roundish leaves, while the upper
portion of the plant is simply a mass of its rich
rosy pink blossoms. It will often bloom from au-
tumn till the spring, and after that it goes par-
tially to rest for a time. This Begonia needs at
the present season of the year the temperature of
an intermediate house to keep it in good condi-
tion.-H. P.

Begonia Dregei.— Although an old species,
this Begonia is so distinct and ornamental, that it
is worthy of a place in any garden where winter-
blooming plants are needed. It is at its best dur-
ing November and December ; in fact, it cannot
be relied on to produce any quantity of bloom
after Christmas. The habit of growth is so neat
and compact, that plants in 4i-inch and 6-inch
pots are useful for windows, jaidinieres, or table
decoration, and when well grown it produces
almost as many flowers as leaves. Cuttings
struck in spring and grown on freely will make nice
little specimens by the close of the growing season.
Up to the middle of June they should be brought
along in warmth, but where they get plenty of
air and light. During the summer months the
plants do best in frames, as there they can when
the weather is fine be fully exposed to the night
dews. Grown in this way they make a short,
sturdy growth and flower with great freedom. —
J. C. B.

Moss system rf layering Carnations.—
In Thk G.MUiEN of November 7 " R. M." inquires
as to what is meant by the Moss system of layer-
ing Malmaison Carnations. In a July number he
could have read "J. C.'s " advice as to the above
system. In July I mossed upwards of l.'o shoots,
and at the same time put in several strong healthy
cuttings. Several plants were also Layered out-
side. In mossing I followed out the instructions,
and in less than one month roots were visible in
abundance. I then potted the lavers into .S-inch
pots, and in about ten days after on exam-
ination I found several plants had pushed roots into
the soil. The other two systems had a fair trial,
but the mossing system is far the best, as I had
not a single failure. Not so with the cuttings.
The layers (outside) were also satisfactory, inas-
much as rooting was concerned, but being ex-
posed to the strong sun (though water was given

NOVEMBEE 21, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

411

to keep the soil moist) they vrere much slower in sets in bs removed from the greenhouse to a gens, such species as F. macrantha, penduhaora,
rooting and of course lost several of the lower warmer structure, in order that the blossoms may serratifoha, spectabilif, and splendcris, while the
leavesfwhich did not occur with the mossed ones, continue to expand. The flowers are rather tiny blossoms of F. raicrophy 11a and thy mitoUa
The plants treated in the three ways are kept small, tubular in shape, and scarlet tipped with are both curious and pretty. The vermilion-
separate so as to watch their progress up to their rich yellow. Cuttings put in during the spring coloured blossoms of F. triphylla cause it to be
flnwfirinV— M D f e f ^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^ ditficult to strike, and the cultural singled out from all the others when in bloom,
Draclna Sanderiana.- An objection has requirements of the plant are by no means exact- while the New Zealand F. procumbens with its

been taken to this Dracaena that, despite the ing.

pill grow well in ordinary potting com- long wiry shoots is quite distinct from any of the
post. Red spider sometimes attacks rest. — H. P.

the leaves, especially in the height
of summer, and unless checked soon
causes them to turn yellow, but a
free use of the syringe will keep
this insect pest away. — T.

Xillandsia Lindeni.— Bromelia-
ceous plants are not popular in this
country, but some of them produce
such bright and showj- blossoms and

Flower Garden.

Flowers of Riidbeckia laciniaia fl.-pl. From a vhotograph sent
by Mr. Egan, Righland Pari, 111., U.S.A.

RUDBECKIA LACINIATA FL.-PL.

This double Conefiower is new to cultivation.

It is of easy cultivation, requiring a rather
are attractive so long:,"that they well rnoiat situation for its perfrct development, but
repay special attention to their re- jjoing fairly well under ordinary cultivation. In
quirements. Tillandsia Lindeni has ^^^[^ situations it will attain a height of 8 feet.
been for the last two months very jj. f^ms a tuft about 2 feet high, of rather
beautiful, its distinctness from any- j^^^^^ laciniated leaves, from which spring up
thing else being so marked. The " ^^ny-branched stems. Theso main stems
narrow, gracefully refiexed leaves are J ^^ ^^^^^^ ^ ^,^^^^ ^,^^

Sr^s^mm^Trrafycime^n, from wiry side branches, again dividing, and pro-

thecentriof which the flower-spike ducing at the ends their double flowers, which

is pushed up. This reaches a height are pure yellow in colour. The petals are

of 8 inches to 10 inches, the upper slightly reflexed, very double even to the

poition extending more than half centre, and form a flower 24 inches to 3 mches

way down, being clothed with two in diameter. The crown flower is often larger,

opposite, closely imbricated rows of Tjje plant blooms in early August. When

bracts of a rich bright pink colour, ^.^j. jj^g flowers last a long time, and the long,

These conspicuous bracts give the ^- ggjj^j pendulous stems, carrying two,

upper portion of the stem a width ^j^^.^^^ ^^^ sometimes four flowers, will be

rnm j^^^^^j^ nnost Useful in the house. Scattered
along the side branches are small, deeply cut

The group illustrated contains

of at least 3 inches, and it is from
their axils that the rich purple flowers

beautifully clear character of its variegation, it is \ particularly attracthe^i'n'liolour, Ind "thoTgh the j leave's, which f;;!,™is^^«°°"g*',^ g^^^°^'°^'„f^,.°^

too short in the leaves and the plant is apt to | individual ones do not last long, a succession is the flowers.

run up too thin to form an effective specimen, kept up for some time. The bracts, too.

This is, however, to some extent counterbalanced ' retain their brightness long after the flowers

by the fact that it can be very readily increased have faded. This Tillandsia was introducsd

from cuttings, for in the case of these long stems, from the Andes of Peru in 1867, but it is

which, by the way, retain their foliage for a con- still far from a common plant, though pretty

siderable time, they may be cut up into single generally distributed in gardens. There

joints, leaving a leaf at each, and if put in as cut- are two or three forms of this in cultiva-

tings they soon root and ([uickly form neat little tion, the best being that to which the tufiix

plants. As an old plant or two treated in this vera is generally applied. The cultural re-
way will yield a considerable number of young quirements of this Tillandsia are not at all

ones, these latter may, if a bushier specimen is ditiicult, though it is a less vigorous rooter

needed, be grouped three or more together in than many Bromeliads. Good tibrous peat,

one pot, when, of course, a greater wealth of foli- with a litcle Sphagnum and a dash of sand,

age will be the result. The vary large specimen will suit it well. Thorough drainage and a

at the Temple show consisted of numerous plants liberal supply of water during the growing

grouped together for the purpose. In many cases, season are also essential.— H. P.

however, neat little plants in small pots are very Fuchsia corymbiflora alba.— The ty-

useful, and as this Draca;na is so readily propa- pjc^l Fuchsia corymbiflora, introduced from

gated, they can be easily obtained. It needs stove p^j-u in 1840, is pretty well known, though,
treatment, and the cuttings do well if put singly ,„ common with mdst other species, it is
into small well-drained pots filled with a sandy > ^^^ seldom seen. The immense clusters of
compost and plunged in a gentle heat in a close ^osy scarlet-coloured blossoms render it very
propagating case. The long Reed-like stems may attractive when in bloom, but from its vigo-
aleo, if needed, be used for cutting.— T. ^ous habit of growth it is principally suitable

Manettia bicolor.— Spring, summer, autumn, for large structures. Many of the original
or winter seems to have but little effect upon this species of Fuchsia merit extended culciva-
brightly coloured slender growing twiner from the tion, and this is certainly one of the very
Organ Mountains of Brazil, as it blooms more or best. The varietj' alba, which is now flower-
less continuously throughout the year, provided ing in No. 4 greenhouse at Kew, differs
the conditions are such as to suit its require- from the typical kind only in the colour of
ments. It will hold its own in the greenhouse, its blossoms, which in the case of alba have
but for flowering in autumn and winter it succeeds the exterior of the tube white and the re-
best in an intermediate house temperature, where, flexed sepals of a pinkish tint, while the
associated with Begonias, Tydisas, and many petals are of a deeper hue. It is certainly
other subjects, it is just at home. This Manettia very distinct and pretty. While many gar-
was introduced over fifty years ago, but it is now den varieties of Fuchsia are so much alike
quite uncommon— why, it is hard to say, as it is so that the name is the principal point of dif-
bright and effective, and available for different ference, some of these species afford a pleas-
modes of culture, as draping the rafters of a house ing variety, and in freedom of flowering
it will flower freely, and the slender style of many of them are little inferior to the gar-
growth, taken into conjunction with its small den forms. At Kew many of these Fuchsias
leaves, does not obstruct the light to anything like find a congenial home, and the distinct F.
the same extent as many more vigorous climbers, fulgens and some forms of F. macro-

Allowed to ramble over a few twiggy branches stemma yielded a good displaj- when planted three young plants, and

stuck in a pot or ttained to a trellis it is also very out during the past season. In addition to the i bouquet was four days old when photoTaphed.
effective, and plants grown in this way have an species above mentioned, there are among larger I " '

advantage, inasmuch as they can when autumn growing kinds, besides F. corymbiflora and tul- ' NighlanJ Park, III. W. C. Egan.

RudtiecTiia laciniata fl.-pl. at Egandale, Highland
Park, III, U.S.A.

feet high. The

412

THE GARDEN.

[NoVtMBEE 21, 189G.

FLOWER GARDEN NOTES.

ArTiMN.M, Roses. — The exceptionally fine lot of
Roses secured this autumn both in the open on
standards and bushes, and on walls, leads to the
ug^estija that those varieties which may be
safely relied on, given a fairly mild season, for
autumnal flowering might well be .-trongthened,
and if there is no other place for them, any
isolated beds on turf that have hitherto been de-
voted exclusively to summer liedding plants can
be utilised. Such beds would naturally be in
fairly good order, but it they are rather on the
light side it will be found advisable to work in at
plemting time a mixture consisting of three parts
stitf road sidings to one of cow manure : this, with
ft good annual surface mulching, should carry the
Roses on satisfactorily for several seasons. The
varieties that have produced the greatest amount
of autumn flowers are the old Gloire de Dijon, La
France, Souvenir de la Malmaison, Papa (iontier,
and Homi're (one of the freest, but, unfortunately,
comparatively scentless), and of the Polyaiitha
type, Gloire des Polyanthas, Little Dot, and Perle
d'Or. It is not that in any case specially good
flowers are produced, but the bud display is very
pleasing. If there is no objection to half stan-
dards, the Teas may be planted in this way. and
bushes of the Polyanth.as used to fill up the beds.
In the spring the mulch can be broken down and
a bit of Mignonette sown all over the bed. It
will revel in the compost, and make a carpet for
the Roses. So far as wall Roses are concerned,
Safrano and Ophirie, in addition to Gloire de
Dijon, seem to give us most autumn flowers. As
this is, by tlie way, a subject of interest to all
who want plent}' of bloom through October and
the early part of Xovember, perhaps one or two
readers who grow Roses rather largely will tell us
what varieties they have found most serviceable.

Pernettvas. — "The excellent stand of Per-
nettyas shown at the last Drill Hall meeting
should serve to draw attention to the value of
these things for autumn work. A few clumps
make a pleasing display scattered here and there
in pleasure grounds at a time when nearly all
flowers are over, although, in common with nearly
all berried plants, I expect in the majority of
places their value is somewhat neutralised from
the fact that the birds quickly make an end of
the berries. The plants seem to berry much more
freely on some soils than others, and the state of
the wenther at the time of the expansion of the
flowers is doubtless also an important factor to-
wards a successful set. These Pernettyas make
admirable pot plants for the winter months, and
they possess an important quality lacking in So-
lanums, viz., that they stand remarkably well in
the dwelling house. They can, therefore, be
utilised in this way, and then planted out in the
positions they are to permanently occupy. Inde-
pendently of the tiny white flowers and the dis-
play made by the berries, the foliage is neat,
bright, and attractive.

H.\RDV FLOwr.RS.— With the exception of the
Chrysanthemums, the latest of the Starworts and
the new Wallflower referred to in a recent note,
hardy flowers are now about at an end, and any
work required amongst them in the way of divi-
sion, alterations, replanting, tec, may be pushed
forward as soon as time permits. We can hardly
hope for another season like that of Is!).) 96, when
groundwork and planting were practicable nearly
all through the winter. Putting oS'at the present
time may mean no chance of getting at the work
until another February, and planting in that
month, if followed by a very dry time, means that
no very .'atisfactory progress is made through the
following season. I take it there is nothing like
getting as much of the work as can be performed
finished in autumn. A good mulch maj' follow,
and everything is on the right way for another
eeason's display. Portions of beds or borders that
are to be filled with things not yet (juite ready
for removal may be turned up and a peg inserted
for future guidance. In the event of anything
concerning whose hardiness there is a doubt, the
mulch may either be of increased depth at the
present tirce or strengthened later on if the

weather is likely to prove exceptionally severe.
Among the ditt'orent inmates of the border that
were planted with the view to permanent effect —
that is, with the idea that they might remain un-
disturbed for years, will be found several that will
be all the better for occasional renewal, in fact,
unless this is done they will not be at all satisfac-
tory after the second, or at any rate the third
season, and when any sign of deterioration is
apparent, they should bo cleared awaj' and a start
made with a new stock procured as may be deemed
most suitable, either from divisions, layers or cut-
tings. In the planting of new beds or portions of
birders, it is well to give the preference to those
things that are most enduring. Some species are
very beautiful in themselves, but their power of en-
durance is not great. Ai[uilpgias and P:ionies, for
instance, stand but a poor chance in this matter
against Pjrethrums, Phloxes, Sunflowers and
many others. In selecting a certain number of
plants, of which the three last named may be
taken as types, it is well to choose, as far
as possible the best varieties, and it is well to give
personal attention to the proper planting of the
same. This advice may sound somewhat super,
fluous, but it is really necessary, because an idea
sometimes prevails with the workman that, as the
plants with which he is dealing are hardy, any
sort of treatment will do for them. A fair know-
ledge of the habits of different species and varie-
ties is also necessary if the borders are large and
the mixture is on an extensive scale. In the
planting of all hardy bulbs and corms attention
ought to be given that they rest on a firm basis
and do not have a hollow of some '2 inches or
3 inches beneath them. Any that flower early in
the season and whose foliage is quickly over, must
be planted deeply to allow for some dwarf -growing
plant to occupy the space through the summer
months. The ordinary mixed herbaceous border
is, however, hardly the place for bulbs of any
description ; they are best naturalised in grass,
or. if in beds, with just one or two things that are
in keeping with them. With the exception of a
few familiar things, this particular class of plants
has only come prominently to the front within
the last few years, and even now might be much
more extensively grown. Take the spring Snow-
flake (Leucojum vernum) for instance. One may
go into many gardens and not see a plant of it,
and yet it is in its season one of the most beau-
tiful things we have for the flower- basket.
Arranged lightly with its own foliage in dark
vases, It is very effective. Leucojum autumnale
is a dwarf and, as its name indicates, late flower-
ing variety, with flowers of a very delicate shade.
Triteleia unifiora is another plant of dwarf habit,
spring flowering, that throws up when established
a fine lot of flowers, useful alike for beds or
cutting. Among hardy plants Montbretias justly
take a high place ; they suffered no check in the
early part of the present season and grew away
strongly, but, contrary to expectation, were much
later than usual in coming into flower. They made
ample amends for this, however, in the matter
of duration. I do not think I ever had such a
long-sustained season of Montbretia bloom.
ClitremoHt. E. Burrei.t..

Pampas Grass. — I must confess to reading
with considerable surprise "J. M.'s' (Charmouth)
note (p. 369) on the effect of the severe winter of
1S04 95 on his plants of Gynerium and Arundo.
My garden, perhaps the coldest one in this neigh-
bourhood, as it is barely above sea-level, and has
a good deal of water around it, is less than
half a mile from the seashore, yet, though seem-
ingly situated almost similarly to ".J. M.'s," for
it is in a deep valley, the Gyneriums suffered not
at all from the frost, although some clumps had
been divided and replanted not two months before
the commencement of the severe weather, while
Arundo conspicua was quite uninjured. In neigh-
bouring gardens the experience tallied with mine,
neither Pampas Grass nor Arundo being harmed.
It seems curious that "3. M.," who resides, I
should judge, about thirty miles, as the crow flies,
from me on the shores of the same bay, should

suSer 80 much more severely. Perhaps a greater
degree of frost was experienced at Charmouth
than at Torquay, where the lowest reading on the
grass showed 17° or l.'i" of frost. This was on
February 12, 1895. I remember some years ago
seeing some hedges of Escallonia macrantha at
Rousdon, near Charmouth. This is far less hardy
here than is the Pampas Grass, and I expect from
"J. M.'s" experience with the latter that the
hedges alluded to have also succumbed. The soil
in my garden is a heavy loam, inclining today. —
S. W. FlTZHERBERT, Torqnay.

Old-fashiored bedding plants.— In a re-
cent issue "Dorset" refi rred to that once popu-
lar, but now mui'h neglected plant, Cuphea platy-
centra. Cuphea latifolia also is now very seldom
met with. Ousting sucli subjects from the flower
garden is a mistake, so many of the more showy,
perhaps, but extremely delicate subjects present-
ing a sorry appearance after a violent storm or a
term of wet, sunless weather. Verbenas and Pe-
tunias seem also to be ignored now-a-days. True,
Verbenas, to do them well, require a good deal of
attention, being very subject to mildew and red
spider, but when in good condition they are very
effective. Some gardeners say that our summers
are not good enough to do "Verbenas well now,
but when in Norfolk some time ago I saw, on a
grass plot attached to a farmhouse, some half
dozen beds of various colours in splendid condi-
tion. They had been pegged down in the usual
way, and the effect was beautiful.— J. C.

NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

(PHORMinM TENAX.)

The Phormium tenax, so well illustrated on page
369 of The Gardes, reminds me of the fact that
this species is really a variable quantity and
quality as well, there being seveial very dis-
tinct variaticns from the type, and your figure,
I believe, reprefents one of the best of all the
forms. When I first commenced to grow Phor-
miums I started by accident with the broad-
leaved, pale green, recurving leaved type, which
is not very hardy, and it rarely, if ever, flowers
except in the warmest of soils and in sheltered
places. At this period I thought — as, perhaps,
some may do still —that Phormium tenax was Phor-
mium tenax. but on passing through the princely
domain of Powerscourt, in Co. 'VVicklow, some
timn afterwards, I there saw a very ditl'erent kind
of New Zealand Flax from that I grew, and I have
since found this Powertcourt variety hardier, more
free-flowering, and generally better worth culture
than is the common type. Your figure on page
309 reminds me of the Powerscourt plant, being
more erect in growth, and having narrower and
more glaucous green foliage, while the tall spikes
of rich chocolate-coloured flowers are very freely
produced. This erect-habited, glaucous leaved,
hardy and free flowering form is evidently the
best one to grow in most gardens, especially
in cold localities, and the fact is, perhaps, worth
the attention of those who may have failed to
establish the common half-hardy, broad-leaved,
and spreading form or type that so rarely flowers.
The form illustrated is evidently the one I call
the best, or Powerscourt form of the species, be-
cause I there saw it first and noted its distinct-
ness, although, I believe. Lord Powerscourt ob-
tained the plant from Scotland, a fact that may
throw a side light on its hardier character. So
far I have grown at least six varieties of New
Zealand Flax, viz., three green-leaved and three
yellow striped kinds. These are Phormium teuax,
P. tenax Powerscourt var., and P. tenax atro-
purpureum, an erect form, with glaucous leaves
and purj lie-black leaf margins. Of the variegated
kinds the hardiest is P. tenax Vcitchi ; a stronger
growing or larger kind, with paler yellow or ivory
striped foliage being P. tenax variegatum. I
also had formerly a small, erect, variegated sort
called P. Colensoi variegatum, which died off the
first winter it was planted out in the open ground.
Phormiums are so bold and distinct even as
grown in large pots or tubs in cool greenhouses,
apart from their effect in the open air, that they

NovBsiBER 21, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

413

seem almost as well worthy of careful attention
as are the Yuccas, Ctfrdylinee and Bamboos.
In any case, those who desire to grow New Zea-
land Flax well in the open air should be careful
to secure plants of the erect growing, hardj, and
free flowering form you illustrate, and not the
common broad-leaved and spreading type, which
is only half-hardy. F. W. B.

VIOLETS.
Since the'plants were lifted and placed in frames
the weather has been anything but fairourable for
them, and blooms are not so numerous as usual at
this date. The plants, however, are strong and
quite free from spider in spite of the dry time
they had during June and July. This I attribute
to the position the plants occupied when in the
open beds, this being one on which the sun shines
only for a few hours in the morning, mulchino-
with spent Mushroom manure and copious
supplies of water twice a week from the garden
hose. Once a fortnight a little flowers of sulphur
is mixed with the water for syringing, which
further aids in warding off this insidious insect.
Violets in many gardens this season present a
woe-begone appearance, one large batch of plants
which recently came under my notice being
quite yellow from spider, the leaves also much
undersized. Good blooms from such cannot be
expected, and, what is more, the runners from
them in spring will not be worth planting out.
Some gardeners recommend an open sunny quar-
ter for double Violets, but I have noticed that
when grown in such a position the plants are
invariably infested with spider and often a dis-
grace to the cultivator. I mentioned last year
that, owing to the fact that the border on which
I grow my Violets was of limited length, and an
annual change of ground with an aspect just suit-
able for Violets impossible, the plants had, in spite
of additions each season of fresh loam, leaf soil,
and the edgings of walks and drives, shown signs
of deterioration, and that I had therefore deter-
mined to take out the border to a depth of 15
inches, replacing it entirely with fresh compost.
This I did in January last, using a good loam
from an old sheep pasture and mixing with it
leaf mould from Pme stove pits and road sidings.
This year I intend adding a good quantity of the
two last named ingredients, mixing all thoroughly
to a depth of a foot or 15 inches, as I have found
that Violets revel in such a compost, the leaf
mould being literally permeated with rootlets.
As a rule I do not recommend the use of farmyard
manure, as although a rank growth is thereby
promoted, the plants often fail to flower freely and
the quality of the blooms ispoor. Moreover, aciamp,
foggy winter injures the foliage. Many growers
make a great mistake in coddling the plants after
putting them into frames in October, keeping the
lights over the plants and perhaps syringing
daily to enable them, as they say, to become
established in their new quarters. Such treat-
ment is not only not needed, but positively in-
jurious, the leaves being thereby drawn up and
rendered weak and flabby, the first cold wind
shrivelling up the edges like matchwood. Plants
properly grown and furnished with good balls of
rcocs require no shading, coddling, or syringing,
but simply a good soaking and full exposure day
and night as long as the mild weather lasts, draw-
ing the lights over at night, but tilting them up
when slight early frosts occur. This ordeal will,
other things being equal, enable the plants to
withstand the sharpest wint?r with impunity.
I noted Mr. Parker's advice last autumn, viz , to
take off runners then and prick them into a frame
or boxes, with a view to securing strong plants,
well rooted by April, for producing an early
supply of bloom. I tried the plan with that
superb and too little-known variety Lady Hume
Campbell, a capital substitute for the fragrant
Neapolitan where that somewhat capricious sort
— at least in cold, late districts— will not thrive
satisfactorily. I had previously failed to get
plants of it as large as desirable by spring propa-
gation, but this autumn they are all that can be

desired. Those who fail to get bloom in quantity
in autumn from their spring-rooted stock of Marie
Louise or any other variety, as is the ca=e in some
gardecs, will find a way out of the difficulty by
adopting Mr. Parker's plan.

I think that a change of stock i,- as advan-
tageous with Violets as with Strawberries, and
it IS an easy matter to exchange runners with
some brother gardener living at a distance. I am
sorry to learn that in the neighbourhood of Xorwich
Violet growers are much troubled with a kind of
fungus, which sometimes entirely destroys whole
batches ; indeed, several growers for market have
given up Violets on that account. I think a change
of runners, and at the same time a change of
ground, might overcome the difficulty, as an
East Anglian gardener, who cleared out" his stock
entirely and procuiei fresh runners from a dis-
tance, writes me that his Vio!etsarenow quite free
from the disease. J. Crawford.

CAPE BULBS.
Mr. A. J. Bliss's interesting article (p. 348) on
the above is of particular value, since it indicates
the opinion of one who has had opportunities for
the close study of these subjects in their natural
state as to the conditions that conduce to their
vigour and free flowerins; in their natis'e habitat,
and the measures that are suggested by these
conditions as likely to aid in their successful cul-
ture under these alien skies.

I have often remarked, as alluded to by your
correspondent, upon the great depth at which the
bulbs are often found. Vallota purpurea, which
grows in profusion in the Knysna district, is often
buried under from 12 inches to 14 inches of soil.
Amaryllis blanda I have found over a foot deep.
The legions of bulbs that at their blossoming time
swathe whole hillsides with breadths of colour,
which glows for miles, are found at varying
depths, sometimes, as the rock strata crop out of
the sloping surface, being barely covered by the
soil ; sometimes at such a depth that the longest
hunting-knife is unable to reach them. In the
well-watered Zitzikama Forest, which, at the
eastern end of the Knysna district, stretches for
many miles between the Outenicjua Mountains
and the sea, there are many of these rivers or
streams, admirably described by Mr. Bliss, run-
ning in deep kloofs through the seven-mile broad
flats that reach from the range-foot to the sea-
cliffs. Most of these streams are shallow and
bculder-strswn, not unlike a Scotch trout stream,
and on their banks near the margin of the water
the Vallotas, as well as many other bulbs, grow,
while higher up the slope Streptocarpuses flourish.
There being no sharply defined wet and dry sea-
son in the district alluded to, heavj' rain often
falls while the bulbs are flowering, and in a few
hours, fed by the myriad runnels of the adjacent
mountains, the streams are impassable torrents,
many feet in depth, down which limbs of trees
hurry over submerged rocks that only the day
before had but their bases lapped by the water.
These floods are usually not of long duration, but
I remember one February being detained for three
days on the banks of one of these rivers. Nine-
tenths of the Vallotas, then in bloom, were sub-
merged, but looked none the worse for their ex-
perience when I returned a fortnight later.
Doubtless the rapid percolation of the moisture
through the sand prevents the bulbs suffering
from these periodical immersions. A certain
amount of cold is experienced in this locality, the
tops of the mountains, which are not lofty, being
often snow-covered in the winter, while, even in
March, the temperature by the riverside in the
deep klcofs at 2 and 3 a.m. appears to the human
frame to approximate pretty nearly to freezing
point, though, on the veldt above, the nights are
genial. The river Keurboom, the deepest water
course in the district of Knysna, which can b(
ascended by boat for some miles, has, at certain
periods of the year, its banks fringed with various
coloured flowers of the Gladiolus and allied tribes,
which are often literally overhanging the water,
while the blue Water Lily i? to be found in many
of the rivers. S. VP. F.

LILIES.*

I THINK there is no more beautiful flower than
the Lily. I would not say it is the most beau-
'., but with the exception of the Rose I can
scarcely name a flower which, in my humble
opinion, can equal it. For what does consti-
tute a beautiful flower ! First, I would say
form ; second, colour : third, fragrance ; and
fourth, size. Now the first three essentials are
conspicuous in all Lilies, and the fourth in
some. No form could be more beautiful than
that of the Madonna Lily or Lilium Browni.
Xo colour could surpass the delicate silvery
rose or pink of L. Krameri or the lovely shades
of colour in L. speciosum rubrum and roseum.
All Lilies are intensely fragrant ; some, indeed,
such as auratum, are almost overpowering in
their sweetness. As to size, what can surpass
fine blooms of the last named or Lilium gigan-
teum ^ Then, again, there is an almost infinite
variety as to size and form of Lilies. We have
the tiny Turk's-cap bells of Martagon album
and the delicate cup of Washingtonianum, the
splendid trumpets of Lilium Harrisi, neil-
gherrense, ttc, and the grand expanded flowers
of L. auratum and all the elegans and davuri-
cum section, so that we have form, colour,
fragrance, size, and variety all conspicuous in
this exijuisite flower. We have every right
to call it a beautiful flower. There is also
another recommendation as to Lilies, and that
is duration of the flowering season, but of this
I intend to speak later on.

As regards classification, I need not enter
into this, as Mr. J. G. Baker, of the herbarium
at Kew, has classified them in a clear and con-
cise manner, sub-dividing the Lily family into
five genera according to the formation of the
flowers.

Concerning Lilium giganteum and L. cordi-
folium, I have but little to say. I have bloomed
both, but only after repeated failures. In
Bournemouth I find the bulbs throw up strong
leaves and occasionally form buds, but just as
everything seems to promise a beautiful spike
of flowers the Ijuds rot away, and the bloom is
of course destroyed. I buy each year, at a cost
of about ISs. to £1, the largest bulb that lean
procure, but I have only bloomed L. giganteum
twice. Often when I dig for the bulb to see
what is the matter with it, I find that it has
completely disappeared. There are, I am told,
magnificent spikes of this glorious Lily to be
seen in the garden of Holdenhurst Rectory, but
I have not yet had the privilege of seeing them.

If I w<ere asked to state what I consider the
most beautiful Lily of all, I should say L.
Browni. The tube is very long, with an inner
and outer envelope. The inner one is pure
creamy white, whilst the outer one is a deep
violet or chocolate. Long before the bloom
opens the long violet buds are most beautiful.
It stands quite erect, and till the bloom opens
wide it is necessary to lift up the flower to see its
beauty. It does remarkably well in Bournemouth
soil. In the public gardens I have seen two
flowers on one stalk, and this year I have had
the same on two or three plants in my garden.
I cannot too highly recommend this Lily. It is
not expensive, as good bulbs can be bought for
Is. 3d. or Is. Cd. There is one characteristic
which I ought to mention. It is the easiest
Lily I know to force or raise under glass, but
then it somewhat loses its character. The
outside envelope, instead of being deep violet,
comes almost white — at least, this is my ex-

* A paper read before the Gardeners' Mutual Im-
provement Society, Bournemouth, by John B. M.
Camm, M.A.

414

THE GARDEK

[November 21, 1896.

lAly^ conies next. This Lily is so well known
as to require no description, but, alas, it re-
quires a good deal of study to find out what is
the cause of the repeated failures that one siis
and hears of. In this hot, sandy soil I have
utterly failed to grow it well, but in Dorsetshire
I L;rew it to perfection. 1 had numbers of
Lilies, with stalks bearing from twenty-three
to twenty-five splendid flowers ; but some
disease of late has attacked these bulbs, and no
one as yet can account for or remedy the disease.
Some think it is only imported bulbs that are
attacked, others think home bulbs are quite as
liable to it as imported ones. I hope that
some of the gardeners here present will kindly
give the result of their experience in this
matter. The disease generally manifests itself by
attacking the lower leaves of the stalk, which
turn a rusty brown. Then it spreads upwards
and lastly attacks the bud. Our Lady's Lily
is essentially a poor man's tiower. It does best
in the cottage garden, planted, it maybe, under
the eaves of the house, or close by in that
charming little parterre one sees so often close
to the house and principal walk, and which
contains such a treasury of lUd World flowers,
Ranunculus, Lilies, Moss Roses, Alyssum,
Pieonies, all things left alone for years. Here
you see. the Madonna Lily grown "to perfection.
Nothing I wish for more here than the charming
little gardens, for which we were so celebrated
in Dorset— the gardens and the kindly welcome
their owners always gave me. I have recently
paid a visit to my old parish in Dorset, and
there, in a poor carpenter's garden I found this
Lily blooming to perfection. The carpenter is
now old and broken down ; he can no longer
work, and the old lord who once owned the
land has sold the estate ; so he is very poor,
but he has one consolation in summer at least.
His little garden is full of flowers, first and fore-
most being Our Lady's Lily. It seemed to me
so very appropriate and fitting and right that
her Lily should bloom so well in his garden.
She, too, when on earth was poor and the wife
of a poor carpenter, and so her Lily ever blooms
well in the gardens of the poor.

After L. candidum we have the numerous
family of longiflorum, of which L. neilgherrense
is the most beautiful variety, and Harrisi, Wal-
lichianum and Wilsoni are beautiful varieties.
The parent has been surpassed in beauty by all
her children. We have also in this section the
lovely variety L. Krameri. This bears flowers
of a beautiful pale rose or pink, and in colour
it is quite unique ; but I am bound to own I
find it very delicate out of doors and hard to
bloom. Perhaps no Lilies repay one more for
our care and love than the

Spei losfjt Varieties.

They are about the last to bloom, and coming
up from the soil later in the year than the other
varieties are less liable to check from frost and
attacks frcm grubs and insects. The most
famous are Kr.etzeri and vestale amongst the
album or white section, and Melpomene in the
rubrum section. There is in this family also a
most beautiful Lily called Henryi. It is in my
collection, but I have not yet bloomed it. It
is a very expensive variety, a good bulb costing
from l.")3. to £1. It is quite distinct, apricot
in colour with brownish spots.

Of L. tigrinum I need not speak, as it is sc
very well known. It is strange, however,
how many people confuse the davuricun
.section with these tigrinum Lilies. I havt
found in very good gardens L. davuricum or
umbellatum labelled tigrinum splendens. No-
thing could be more distinct or different from
one another than these two families. L.
tigrinum bears its seeds or small bulbs on the

stem of the plant, and is, with the exception of
bulbiflorum and one or two others, unique in
this respect.

L. elegans, or Thunbergianum, davuricum,
iKitemanui and crocenm are generally the first
to flower. The last week in May generally
finds many of these in full bloom. These
Lilies make our borders very gay, and a.s they
are exceedingly cheap and increase very rapidly

very valuable. The

Tvuk's-cav Lilies

a most beautiful family. The flowers are,
of course, small, but are numerous on the
stalk and most graceful. The best are M. dal-
maticum, the darkest Lily grown, M. album,
the beautiful white Martagou Lily and Han-
soni, the golden Martagon. This last is a most
lovely Lily ; it is very hardy and healthy. I
have had in my garden from what was originally
one bulb five stalks, all bearing numerous
fiowers of the brightest gold. Then there is
chalcedonicum, the scarlet sealing-wax variety,
with foliage more like grass than leaves. The
earliest Lily to bloom in my garden this year
was M. pomponium, very like in form and
colour chalcedonicum. Martagon Lilies resent
being moved, and require to be established be-
fore doing well. To this section belong parda-
alinum and monadelphum Szovitzianum, a
most lovely variety. The flowers are beauti-
ful, citron in colour, spotted black, and are
very fragrant. ^lartagon Grayi is also a fine
hardy variety. Testaceum or excelsum is also
valuable, bearing flowers of a soft nankeen
colour, pendulous and in clusters.

CULTIV.iTIOX.

My experience points to one thing which I
cannot too strongly insist on. viz., that Lilies
do best when protected in some way by other
plants. The Iieau idml of a spot for the Lilium
is amongst Rhododendrons or Azaleas, and to a
certain extent the soil that suits Rhododendrons
will suit most of the Lilies. The American
plants protect the young growth of the Lily, at
the time it most requires this aid. There are
certain Lilies, such as pardalinum, that rr'quire
a marshy soil, and as they rarely get it in an
English garden, they do not do very well with
us. The safest and surest way of growing
Lilies to ensure their blooming, is to grow them in
pots and to plant them out in the garden when
their bloom buds are formed. As to soil, the
Lily likes it light, rather sandy and peaty. No
manure is necessary, and some good growers
consider it evenin jurioug. Mr. G. F. Wilson, of
Heatherbank, Weybridge, one of the largest
and most successful cultivators of the Lily in
England, assures me he never allows any
manure to come near his bulbs. Lilies also
like plenty of water at their growing stage.
When the corm or crown of the Lilium appears
above the surface of the soil, it is a proof that
the soil is exhausted and that the Lily requires
replanting. One of the golden rules to be
observed in Lily culture may be expressed
in the old Latin motto " Quieta non movere,"
which may be freely translated, "leave well
alone ; " do not disturb Lilies unless positively
obliged to do so. No plants resent removal more
than Lilies. Another rule is patience. We must
exercise patience however hard it may be to do
so. Lilies will not be hurried, they must have
time to get established, and as long as the soil
is good and suitable, and the longer they are left
there, the better they thrive. As to planting,
Mr. Wallace, of Colchester, recommends us
when planting to place a lump of peat at the
bottom of the hole, plant the bulb on it and
then cover it with an inch of sand, after that
fill up with a good rich compost. He says the

Lilies root more easily in the pea^, and the sand
preserves the Lily bulb from excess of moisture
caused by heavy rains. The great enemy to
Lilies are slugs, there is something particularly
attractive to slugs and snails in the soft .juicy
stem of the Lily.

I do not find any Lily more difficult to grow
and flower well than the fine old candidum or
Madonna Lily. This Lily appears to love a
sun-burnt position under the eaves of a cottage
roof, where it is left alone and even baked by
the sun, and at the same time protected from
violent winds. The easiest Lilies to cultivate
with me are the beautiful Browni, the Mar-
tagon, and thespeciosum families. L. .auratum
will not live, it dies away after one year, and
must be replaced each year. The longiflorum
section at Bournemouth I find very difficult to
bloom. But no one who loves Lilies will be dis-
mayed at ditticulties or even repeated failures.
They are such exquisite flowers that they repay
us for any attention and pains and labour even if
many of them never flower. One of the great
attractions of this lovely flower is the length of
time over which the Lily blooms. Well-esta-
blished clumps of davuricum and kindred sorts
may be seen in flower in the middle of May,
L. pyrenaicum (the yellow Martagon) some-
times even before this, and good blooms of
L. speciosum album and rubrum may be found
in October. The Rose alone surpasses it in
the duration of flowering. Another quality
which commends it to the attention of the florist
is the beauty of its foliage. Many plants are
grown for their foliage alone, such as Funkias,
and some of the Liliums almost equal these in
the beauty of their leafage. What, again, can
be more encouraging or more delightful than
in early spring to see the Lilies pushing their
heads up above the soil. Nice fat sage-green
or russet-brown heads which give such an
earnest promise of the beauty to come, or, at
least, we hope so. We may be deceived ;
maggots, slugs, and snails, and all the numer-
ous enemies to the Lily may wreck our hopes in
one night — nay, in one hour. Still we hope
for the best.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1093.

PASSIFLORA EDULIS.

(with a COLGI-KEl) PLATE.*)

The subject of the coloured plate is so much
grown and appreciated as a decorative climber
for lofty conservatories and such-like struc-
tures, that it is difficult to ascribe a reason for
its comparative neglect as a fruit-producing
plant. Such it certainly is, and of a very high
order too, bearing enormous crops of most
luscious fruits, which are a valuable addition to
the dessert. Its culture is of the simplest, for
given an intermediate temperature, light,
sweet, friable soil and ample space, together
with ordinary attention to watering, healthy
plants, fine foliage, and bloom in abundance
will result. These conditions must be some-
what modified to ensure fruitfulness as well
Reasonable confinement of the roots and ferti-
lising of the blooms are imperative, and
planted in sunny positions, slight shade is bene
ficial, especially while in bloom. It is neces
sary to check over-luxuriance and to artificially
fertilise the blooms, for unless this is done the
probability is that no fruit would set. It is

* Drawn for The Garden bv H. G. Moon from
flowers eent by Mr. J. Raherts, Tan-y-bwlch. Litho-
graphed and printed by J. L. Goflart, successor to
Guillaume Severeyns.

^SSIFLORA EDULIS AND FRUIT.

NOVEMUER 21, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

415

important to guard against bright sunsliine
prior to setting, as well as to shield the
young and tender embryo fruit from the
fierce rays of the sun. As far as I
know, there is no special mode of pruning
more adapted for fruiting than another ; merely
thin and shorten the shoots according to space
available, avoiding crowding. The summer
routine will be pinching the shoots when two,
three, or more fruit are set, according to the
strength of the shoots and the crop intended,
•cutting well back any non-fruiting ones, which
wDl — if early in the season — probably make
fruitful breaks and produce a crop later. Water
should be applied sparingly until a good set is
secured, when copious supplies of both clear
and liquid manure must be given to swell up
heavy crops, and a sprinkling of some approved

Fruit of Pass\liora edulis.

fertiliser may be added occasionally — in fact,
feed liberally, but judiciously.

Thrips is the only insect pest which habitually
affects the plant, and for this pest, fumigation
is the best remedy. Propagation is ea^y either
from cuttings or seeds. I have all the back
walls of vineries clothed with it, and the plants
annually carry heavy crops of fruit, and 1 have
also a very old house, flat, dark, lean-to, with
more wood than glass, in which, trained to the
roof, it thrives well, bearing three crops a year.
Better results would ensue, no doubt, in
modern, well-lighted structures, but these in-
stances prove its accommodating nature. The
fruit shown in the plate lacks the usual depth
of colour, but the specimens sent were the
■earliest of the season, grown under the dense
shade of Vines and Strawberries — a thick
canopy. P. quadrangularis is not grown here.

P. edulis requiring less heat and being much
superior in flavour. J. Rouerts.

The Week's Work.

FRUIT UNDER GLASS.
Fic^s IN roTs — The trees having now lost their
leaves should be examined to see it there are
any insect pests hiding in the crevices or attached
to the bark. Both white scale and mealy bug are
often very troublesome, the former in particular,
as several dressings are needed to rid the trees of
them. If taken in hand as soon as the leave? fall
off, the old wood may be well scrubbed with a
brush and soft soap water, after which it may
have a dressing of some well- tried insecticide.
Care must be taken in cleaning the current
season's growth, cr the young tiglets attached
thereto will be seriously injured, and instead of
developing when the trees are put into the forcing
house, they will drop. If the young wood is
washed with a soft painter's brush, no harm will
be done to the embryo Figs, particularly in this
early stage. If the trees have been infested with
mealy bug, the walls, glass, and woodwork of the
house in which they have been grown should be
thoroughly cleansed, as it is useless to clean the
trees and then return them to a house where there
are any signs of these pests. When the plants
have been thoroughly cleaned, potting should re-
ceive attention. There is nothing gained by using
over-large pots, for if the plants receive proper
attention during their growing season in the way
of feeding, pots from 15 inches to 18 inches in
diameter will be a-nple for good sized bushes.
When too much root room is allowed, the plants
often make gross long-jointed wood, which is too
sappy to be fruitful. Before potting, the balls of
earth attached to the roots should be thoroughly
soaked. That there may be no doubt about every
particle of soil being moistened, turn the plants
out of their pots and stand them for a couple of
hours in a tub of water. When saturated they
should be taken out to drain till suiBciently dry
to be conveniently handled. It is a great mis-
take to attempt pottingr if the balls are in the
least dry as it will be difficult to moisten them
afterwards. Do not attempt to remove any
of the old soil except on the surface, which
may be taken otf before the plants are
put into the water. The roots should, how-
ever, be loosened with a pointed stick, and all
crocks ought to be removed. <Viiite clean pots
ought always to be used, and these should be
large enough to admit of a -J-inch or ,3-inch shift
all round the old ball. For instance, plants that
are well rooted in 12-inch pots may be put into
18 inch ones, while those in 8 inch pots can be
transferred to those of the first named size. The
compost used should consist of good loam and
lime rubble, to which may be added some crushed
bones. The soil when used ought to be mode-
rately dry that it may be made firm, otherwise
the water will pass through it too freely. Figs,
as we all know, make large leaves : therefore
ample room should be allowed between the
shoots for the light and air to be freely admitted,
but if former directions have been carried out
very little pruning will be needed. It may, how-
ever, be necessary in some instances to thin out
the shoots a little ; these prunings can be saved
for cuttings, as it is always advisable to keep up
a stock of young plants. Plants that do not re-
quire repotting should have the surface soil re-
moved, replacing this with a rich top-dressing,
and making it as firm as possible. The trees may
then be re-arranged, keeping the smallest ones
together and allowing as much space to each as
possible, that there may be no undue crowding
when they have put forth their leaves.

Trees planted out will also need attention,
for in some instances the wood becomes too gross,
in which case it will be necessary to look at their
roots. The growth of Figs varies very much in
diiferent soils, that of a heavy, retentive nature

causing a long-jointed, sappy growth, while a
light, shallow one has the opposite effect. Where
the soil is cold and heavy, the borders in which
the trees are growing should be as shallow as is
practicable, and the roots so restricted that they
cannot penetrate the cold, ungenial subsoil.
Drainage in such places is a most important con-
sideration, for whenever the trees commence to
make long joints it is a proof that their roots
have gone beyond due bounds. When it be-
comes necessary to lift such trees, care must be
taken not to mutilate the roots more than can be
avoided. The soil beneath should be made as
firm as possible to prevent them from going down,
while plenty of lime rubble should be mixed with
that in which the trees are planted to allow the
water to pass away freely. When these things
have been attended to, the trees may bu trained
to the walls or trellises, and the house made
ready for starting. But little water will be
needed during their dormant state ; the border,
however, in no case should be allowed to get dry,
or the first crop will in all probability fail to
swell. The house should be kept open night and
day in mild weather till forcing commences ;
frost, however, must be excluded, as the young
figlets being tender would be seriously injured
were they to get frozen.

Trees on walls. — The first sharp frost will
have brought the leaves of these to the ground.
Where it is necessary to lift or root-prune, the
work ought to be proceeded with without delay.
The shoots should afterwards ba liberated from
the walls and thoroughly cleansed before frost
sets in, as it is far better to do all sucli work at
this time of the year than in spring, when the young
figlets and buds are swelling. In many placas it
is necessary to protect the growth during winter.
Protection should, however, be delayed as long
as possible that the shoots may get hardened pre-
vious to being covered. In some places in the
south Figs grow exceedingly well. Even in the
most severe winters but; little injury is experi-
enced, though the bushes remain unprotected.
Such, however, is not the case in the midlands and
more northern counties, where the frost, though
perhaps not more severe, takes greater efftct on
the plants, owing to the wood not being so well
ripened. In those districts successful cultivation
of the Fig in the open requires much care and
forethought, for it does not do to run any risk or
failure would be the result. Good crops are, how-
ever, obtained in some places, especially where
the soil is suitable.

Planting. — Those contemplating planting
hardy fruits should push the work forward as
quickly as possible that all may be completed
before frost sets in. In the case of the Fig, how-
ever, I would not advise planting in the open till
spring, for as plants may usually be procured in
pots, there would be less risk run of them suf-
fering should the winter be severe, and as the Fig
is late in making a start, there would be nothing
gained by planting in the autumn. Plants may,
however, be procured in readiness to be planted
whenever it may be found eonvenient to do so.
There are many good varieties of recent introduc-
tion, amongst them being St. John's, Negro
Largo, Grosse Verte, Pingo de Mel and Violette
Sepor. There are, however, many good older
varieties worthy of cultivation. This being so,
it is advisable where there is room to add the new
kinds and test their merits before doing away with
any of the others. H. C. I'rinsep.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
Digging.— Up to the present digging has been
left in abeyance in consequence of the wet state
of the ground, for, though some soils may not
suffer when wee, these are very hard to find, and
in most gardens drier weather than we have had
is a necessary condition for all ground work. At
the same time, certain of our crops, such as Peas
and Onions, succeed best on ground made ready to
receive them some months in advance of sowing,
and the first opportunity should be taken of pre-
paring for them. For Peas the ground had better

416

THE &AEDEN.

[XOVEMBEK 21, 1896.

be double-dug and most of the manure buried in
the bottom spit, but for Onions I like to keep
the manure nearer the surface, and am content to
grow these on plain-dut.' land, especially where
this has been trenched or double-dug within re-
cent years, or where the crop is to follow t'elery,
which has been grown on the close-planting system
that I have recommended. Onions enjoy plenty
of well rotted manure, and 1 always contrive to
give them as much as can bo buried in digging,
and, to provide for this, I am careful to have a
wide trench or opening made at the end of the
plot where digging is to commence. This open-
ing should be at least three spits wide, as the best
of diggers cannot prevent a gradual closing up
as work proceeds, and, unless a good start is
made, the whole space is closed before the end of
the plot is reached. I alluded above to the Celery
ground, and 1 tind that this is one of the best posi-
tions that can be selected for Peas or Onions. I
do not recommend simply levelling down the
ridges and leaving the ground without further
digging for the successive crops, as I find it pays
best to dig all through after levelling, this
certainly leaving the whole plot in a more satisfac-
tory condition, besides preventing an irregular
settlement.

Trenciiinc;, Ac— By this time plans for next
year's cropping should have been thought out, as
a little timely corsideration in this way saves
trouble and, pei haps, perplexity in the bu.-ier sea-
son of spring. For trenching and double digging
much time can but seldom be spared, but the'wiee
gardener will certainly have a portion, small or
great, of the garden under his charge treated in
one of these ways, whichever is best suited to the
depth of fertile soil in the garden, as it is only by
doing such work piecemeal, a little iich winter,
that one can keep pace with other work and still
gradually improve the soil at the same time.
Cautions are frequently being given as to the
dangers of bringing up, by trenchinir, the crude
subsoil to the surface, but this is still being done
by many who have only half learned the value of
deep cultivation and who ruin the surface soil in
consequence. On the whole and for the vast
majority of gardens, double digging or bastard
trenching is the best method to adopt, as by this
the sub-soil is broken and enriched without injury
to the surface soil. Trenching, however, is a
valuable operation where it can be carried out
with safety, and when the brain as well as the
spade are brought to bear on the work. Another
method, viz., ridging up for the winter, is bene-
ficial to some peculiarly constituted, heavy soils.
but no soil should be ridged while wet, and I
think that for most old gardens ridging may well
be dispensed with entirely with advantage. The
nature of a soil is only to be learnt by experience,
and I would strongly urge any young gardener,
who has taken charge of a garden on a soil to
which he has not been accustomed, to adopt at
first the methods which have been applied cus-
tomarily to the soil, rather than to rush to other
methods which may, or may not, be satisfactory ;
lea'-ing these for future experiment, or carrying
them out on a small scale at first, for soils vary
immensely, and some may be easily and quickly
spoiled for the time being.

Cardoons —These are more tender than most
of our winter vegetables, but they can, fortu-
nately, be stored and kept in good condition for
a long time, and I advise that as many as can be
found room for in dry and cool, but frost-proof
quarters shall be lifted when they can be caught
dry and removed to such a place. An open shed
even can be used as a store house, for this will at
least keep them dry, and they will not be sub-
jected to alternate freezing and thawing, for
frost may he kept from them by the use of any
protective materials. Dry Bracken, which is
light and convenient, suits as well as anything.
I lift and stack the plants closely together with-
out removing the hay bandages, and in an up-
right position, as I find that the plants keep
better so than when laid down and packed one
above the other. A few of the backward plants
may be left in the open ground, as these will go on

growing while the weather remains mild, and the
experience of the past few seasons has been that
no frost has come to hurt them up to Christmas,
though no dependence can, of course, be placed
on this. The growth is this year more tender
than usual, but if frost does come, sharp
enough to injure them, they could tr used for
present supplies and the stored ones kept.

Globe Artiohoki:s. — Protection of some kind
must be kept in readiness for these, but I avoid
its application as long as I dare, for, being in the
open, any material used is liable to get wet, in
which condition it does far more haim than good.
Something may, however, be done at once to-
wards pieparing to protect, and that is to arch
over each stool three or four fairly stout pieces of
Willow, Hazel, or any other easily bent stick.
These should be long enough to keep the covering
material well above the plants, and the en<ls may
be brought close up to the stools. I am aware
that sticks or any other means of keeping the
covering from direct contact with the crowns are
seldom used, but they are easily applied, and my
experience is that plants so treated winter much
better than do thote which have the Bracken or
litter packed directly round and on to them. Of
this I had ample proof in the spring of last year.
Whatever is used for protection should be re-
placed by a fresh supply whenever it gets soaked
with rain, a wet covering left on all winter being
more harmful even than a severe fmst.

HoRSKK.vrusH. — With the soil in good order it
is immaterial at what part of the dormant season
Horseradish beds are made, and the work is fre-
quently left till after the new year, but in those
gardens where there is a fixed and very limited
staff it is well to take advantage of the present
slack season to get all such work done. A neglected
plot, for even such a hardy subject as Horseradish,
never pays, as the roots become tough and do not
swell to a useful size after they become thickly
matted together from having occupied the ground
too long. In our light soil I do not find that
planting on the horizontal method, laying the sets
only a few inches below the surface, as practised
by some growers, is satisfactory. I get the best
results by digging deeply, burying a good
(]uantity of manure some IS inches deep, and then
planting straight and clean pieces of root with a
dibble in holes which nearly reach the manure.
By these means I obtain shapely roots which may
bo used with very little waste.

Eni)I\ K. — After this date very little growth will
be made outside by the latest batches of Endive,
so it will be well to store all for which room can
be found directly the plants can be caught in a
dry state. Any growing weather which may
occur after the plants are stored will not be
wasted on them, as they will set up a slight root
action which will keep them on the move and pre-
vent decay frcm setting in early, as it would and
does when storing is put off so late that growth is
completely arrested. For the late plants I find
room in a cold Peach house, and here the plants
are laid in or planted thickly on the border, and a
little protection is given in the sharpest weather
by laying dry mats over them. I described my
method of treatment when and after storing, in
my notes for October IM, and follow the same
lines with the present lot. I do not break
the surface of the Peach border to provide loose
soil for packing round the plants, but have
sufficient soil wheeled in for the purpose, and
as the roots of each row of plants are covered,
the soil gets a thorough soaking of water, but
none of this is allowed to get into the hearts or
between the leaves. Neglect of this watering re-
sults in tough and shrivelled plants, that are of
but little use in the kitchen or the salad bowl.
Endive for salads should be perfectly blanched,
and this takes longer at this time of the year than
it did in warmer weather.

Sundries. — The ventilation of frames in which
vegetables are growing or stored must be well
attended to ; neglect of this will soon spoil the
growth. Parsley becomes drawn and useless in a
very few days if kept at all close, and this applies
also to most things, though with some the injury

is not so soon apparent. A general shutting up
every night should not be allowed, though it is
often attempted, with very little regard to the
state of the weather at the time, after the first
frosts of winter have come. Lettuces in frames
should be kept free from decaying leaves, and Cos
varieties should be tied up to blanch as required,
while Cabbage varieties sown, as I recommended,
on a gentle hot-bed, should be kept growing in
the gentlest possible manner by adding to the
linings now and then justsulMcient fresh material
to create fermentation, but no more. Stores of
outdoor Tomatoes still being ripened up in warmth
must be looked over fre(|uently, and any fruits
showing the least signs of decay must be thrown
out, as decay spreads fast through a box or shelf
of fruit. For the kitchen these stored fruits are
useful, as they help to eke out the supply with-
out coming too hard on the winter- frtiting
plants ; but they should no longer be sent to table
for salad. J. C. Tallack.

Kitchen Garden.

POTTING CAULIFLOWERS.
One can never prophesy as to the weather,
and with the experience of 1895 before us, it is
well to take measures for the protection of
Cauliflowers. I find no better plan than pot-
ting the plants singly and wintering in as cool
a place as possible. I am aware the potting up
of Cauliflowers is not general, and 1 admit to
grow the plants to the end in pots requiri>s space
and more attention than can often be aflforded
them. For this purpose 1 prefer a good strain
of Dwarf Early Erfurt or Walcheren.the forcing
varieties at times come too small with pot cul-
ture, and the later kinds, of which Pearl and
Autumn Giant are types, though large, are not
early, and I do not think them so suitable. As
to the advantages of potting in October or early
Kovember, not only for stock for spring plant-
ing, but for forcing, my experience is that pot
plants have several advantages over those in
boxes or pricked out into frames. The chief
point in culture is time, and when the plants
are pricked out into boxes, the lifting so checks
the plants that it is necessary to give every
attention to get them to take hold of the soil.
The same remarks apply to frames with even
more force. Pot culture tends to dwarfness,
and the plants can be readily moved if required.
Doubtless many cultivators will think pot
plants at this season unnecessary, and fancy
by sowing in heat equally as good results may
be secured. Such is not the case ; indeed, I
go further and assert that jjlants sown in heat
give more trouble, are later and not always re-
liable. I certainly advise sowing in cold frames
for succession if plants are .scarce or a small
Cauliflower is needed. For sowing in January
or February few varieties are superior to
Snowball. I find it more diflicult to grow
these early-sown plants from start to finish
under glass, as they button so badly and
many are lost. I have rarely failed with
autumn-sown plants of the varieties named,
grown as described. I am aware many err by
too early sowing, too early potting, and too
kind treatment afterwards. I do not like a
large plant. Those which do best are those
which continue growing all the winter. If
sown during August, according to the locality,
there is good material for potting at this date.
To get a dwarf growth too rich soil is not neces-
sary ; it is advisable to use a good portion of
old mortar rubble or wood ashes if the loam is
of a clayey nature. Pot firmly and give one
good watering. Little more is needed through

November 21, 1896.

THE GARDEK

il7

the winter if the plants are plunged, as is ad-
visable. I plunge iu fine coal ashes well over
the rim of the pot, and store in cold frames,
well protecting in severe weather with dry
Bracken or other materials. After a prolonged
frost it is necessary to allow the coverinji to
remain over the plants till thawed, and for a
time to shade from bright sunshine. This
allows the plants to get into a growing condi-
tion without loss of leaf. Planting out is done
at the end of February in a warm, south bor-
der, and there are good heads in May. In
planting, rich soil, care in planting not to injure
the ball of roots, and high moulding up after-
wards are essential, with ample moisture. Food
also in the way of a good fertiliser is well repaid
Others may have convenience to grow on in
frames, not planting out as advised. I used
turf pits with movable sashes at one time to
great advantage, being short of frame room.
G. Wytues.

July-sown Carrots.— For years I have made
it a rule to sow a good piece during the early part
of July, always finding the roots useful to" draw
in a young state. At the present time (October
20) I have a grand lot. These were sown on land
that had been worked very deeply to plant Straw-
berries in. After the Strawberries were planted,
drills were drawn, one between each row of
Strawberries, and the Carrots sown, although the
weather was dr}-. After a watering they soon
came up and grew very fast. I find Model a good
kind to sow at this time of year.— J. Ckook.

Late Bunner Baans. — These are valuable
in a season like the present when Peas were over
e'lrlier than usual. The absence of frost up to
the middle of October has allowed the very late
crops to give gODd returns. For many years past
I have made one or two sowings in July in a
sheltered situation, and by so doing I often have
had Beans very late. Recently I obferved, when
at Farnboro' Hdl, a long rowgrowing up some short
stakes in a sheltered spot in full bloom, and also
bearing a good quantity of nice young, tender
Beans. A few days later when looking over the
gardens at Hackwood Park I observed several
rows of these in full bloom growing on the
ground, and on asking Mr. Bowerman if these
were satisfactory so late in the autumn, he said
he found it a good method to sow them as a catch
crop after early Potatoes, as he had to sup-
ply Beans the whole year round, and often
found these come in useful. They are easily
covered when grown in this way should severe
frost come early in the autumn. Where a con-
tinued supply of the best vegetables has to be
kept up sowing these catch crops has much to
recommend it. I find dwarf Beans, sown close
to the glass of warm houses after early Potatoes
come oif, continue bearing very late in the
autumn, and they are easily protected from
frost. — Dorset.

BunnerBeans.— I cannot understand the de-
sire to pinch runner Beans so as to keep them
dwarf except on the market grower's plea of neces-
sity. But even at the best he never obtains any-
thing like such good crops of full, clean, straight
pods as are got from well-staked and well-grown
plants. The suggestion that runners, grown be-
cause they are runners should be pinched into
dwarfs in private gardens, where stakes can always
be furnished, is absurd on the face of it. As to
the suggestion that such plants are best protected
from early frosts, would it not be better to make
a late sowing for that purpose against a till fence
or wall, as is sometimes done, and then when frost
was imminent, hang nets or mats along over the
face at night ? But experience shows that early
white frosts often do more harm near the ground
than higher up, where more and drier air is circu-
lating. This autumn runner Beans were enabled
to literally fruit themselves to barrenness and
everybody was tired of them. I hope some day
we shall see the rule prevailing of gathering the

pods when much younger and boiling them whole,
not allowing them to become of great length and
size and slicing them into scores of pieces. The
Beans gathered from dwarf plants in the fields and
sent to market are invariably too old and when
cooked flavourless.— A. D.

Beet Cheltenham Green-top.— The value
of this variety of Beet has long been known to
experienced gardeners, and at the Chiswick trials
it appears to have given great satisfaction. Its
history is not generally known, and although I
can supply some portion of it, there are still points
to be cleared up. Quite recently I saw it grow-
ing among fruit trees at the Violet Nur-
sery, Tewkesbury Road, Swindon, near Chippen-
ham, and there learnt that Mr. J. Smith, the pro-
prietor, was the first to show its value and bring
it into prominence in this country, being aL=o the
means of preserving the stock from total ex-
tinction. Many years ago when on a trip to the
Channel Islands Mr. Smith saw this distinct
variety of Beet growing in Jersey, aud also tested
its quality when cooked. Recognising a "good
thing," he purchased twenty roots for seed and
was successful in growing a good supply. Two or
three years later ttie Jersey grower wrote to say
he had lost the whole of his stock and Mr. Smith
was able to start him afresh with it. It appears
that other market growers, of which there are
large numbers round Cheltenham, chaffed Mr.
Smith about his new variety of Mangold, as they
did not believe it possible that a variety of Beet
with a green top could have a root blood-red in
colour, but they were not long in arriving at a
different conclusion, and now-adays they rightly
estimate its value. If the true stock is grown
the roots are not coarse, while the colour and
quality are invariably second to none. The soil
in Mr. Smith's cultivated orchard is a sandy loam
and suits Beet well, a good root forming without
much top.— W. I.

Tomato Duke of York. — When looking
through the houses of Longford Hall (juite re-
cently I was impressed with the handsome appear-
ance and good cropping qualities of this Tomato.
Mr. Ward, the head gardener, considers it to be
one of the best varieties that has come under his
notice, and as Tomatoes are in demand the whole
year round, he has grown it for furnishing the
winter supply. The plants are grown in a long
span-roofed house, which is in two divisions.
The roof has a sharp pitch, calculated to catch
every ray of sunshine, with which the inhabitants
of this neighbourhood are not overburdened at
this time of the yc-ar, Longford being situated in
Stretford, a suburb of Manchester. In the one
division the plants are carrying a crop, the ma-
jority of the fruits of which are ripe and ripening,
and in the other division the fruits are in various
stages of development. The plants are set out
in narrow borders of loamy soil made up near to
the front walls, and are trained up under the roof
on the single stem system. They are short-
jointed, and the fruits are abundantly produced.
I think it is the most brilliant coloured Tomato I
have ever seen, the colour being a bright glossy
scarlet, and flavour is first-rate. There are several
varieties that surpass it in point of size. Duke of
York is but medium-sized, but this is an advan-
tage rather than otherwise, as such fruits are
generally speaking the most serviceable for
private use. At the time of my visit the most
forward division of the house presented a very
attractive appearancs; the fruits, depending from
and being so evenly distributed, as they were all
over the trellis, formed quite a feature in the gar-
dens at this dull season. I should have men-
tioned that both divisions of the house in which
the Tomatoes are grown are well heated. — A. W.

Cheap Tomatoes.- Those who live in the
midst of fruit or vegetable-producing districts do
not invariably obtain their supplies at cheap
rates. It not unfrequently happens that nearly
all that is really good is sent away to markets at
a considerable distance in large quantities, in-
ferior produce and foreign stuff being sold locally.
At Evesham this does not appear to be the rule.
Nowhere else in the kingdom probably are so

many market gardens grouped together, these
being continuous as far as the eye can reach from
a vantage point. The vegetables and fruit so
extensively and well grown about Evesham have
the reputation of being superior in quality,
and are readily purchased in the Manchester,
Sheffield, and other large markets. I should nob
have been surprised, therefore, to have discovered
that Evesham townspeople did not fare any too
well, but found that fruit and vegetables in sea-
son could be bought cheaply and good by them.
On market days public auctions are held in the
wide open street leading to the old market place,
and I never saw good produce sold more quickly
or at lower rates. Several flat closely-packed
baskets of Tomatoes were exposed prior to the
sale, and I noted that the fruits were of the usual
Evesham type, being large, corrugated (it is a
Potato-leaved form), sound, and well coloured.
Some went for l|d. per pound, others fetched a
farthing more. This happened early in October.
Doubtless they were grown in the open air, but
the fruit was well ripened. House-grown fruit,
such as we see marked up at 6d. per pound else-
where, was selling in the best shops at 4d., and
other fruit, notably Grapes, was equally cheap,
good Black Hambiirghs selling retail at lOi. per
pound. — Visitor.

NOTES ON PEAS.
The following Peas I have found the most use-
ful in their respective seasons. Amongst the
early dwarf Peas are William Hurst, American
Wonder and Chelsea Gem ; these are all good and
very prolific, the last-named having much longer
pods and larger Peas. I do not care very much
about these dwarf varieties : they are not so con-
veniently gathered, and during heavy rains get
battered about and made very dirty. It is a good
plan to lay a little litter between the rows to keep
them clean. William I. is a useful early Pea.
Veitch's Selected Extra Early I have grown several
seasons, it doing well in this garden. Two years
ago three quarts of seed were sown, from which
IS pecks of Peas were gathered. Good mid-
season varieties are Duke of Alban}', Stratagem,
Dr. Maclean, Ne Plus Ultra and Veitch's Per-
fection ; the last, one of the best-flavoured Peas
in cultivation, but it seems to have rather a deli-
cate constitution, as only in some seasons does it
do well. Ne Plus Ultra is my favourite variety.
It is a Pea that can be gathered over a long
period, as it keeps on producing Peas which do
not get old nearly so soon as those of man\- va-
rieties, and the flavour is first-class. Sharpe's
i,iueen is a good late Pea, having long pods well
filled with large Peas. The old Omega is yet a
good one for late work, for, though small, the
Peas are of good colour and fiavour when cooked.
— J. S. Ui'EX, Wirjganlhoiye, Tories.

■ The best early Peas are Exonian, William

Hurst and American Wonder. One of the best
mid-season Peas I find is Duke of Albany. It
bears an immense pod and is first rate in flavour,
though not such a heavy cropper. The Stanley,
a wrinkled Pea, is a very good Pea for sowing to
follow early sorts. It is a dwarf grower, a good
cropper and of good flavour. For late use I find
none to beat Dr. Maclean. The best flavoured
late Pea is Ne Plus Ultra, but its great height is
a disadvantage in exposed gardens. Walker's
Perpetual, a good old variety, comes in very use-
ful as a late variety.— C. W. Lynes, Downhill
Caxlh, Go. Derry.

My favourite early Pea is William Hurst.

I prefer the early dwarf Marrows to the hard-
seeded rounds, and the difference in point of earli-
ness is only a few days in favour of the litter.
Moreover, the early Marrows keep in bearing con-
dition without loss of quality longer than the early
rounds. For a very early Pea, Kinver Gem is a
very good early round. Gradus is a Pea of good
qua"lity, to follow William Hurst. Duke of Albany
also forms a good succession, as it turns in quickly,
and to follow this. Criterion, a grand Pea of a
most excellent quality and with a good constitu-
tion. Veitch's Perfection, grown upon a soil that

418

THE GARDEN.

[XovEJiBER 21, 1896.

suits it, is a grand Pea of most delicious flavour.
It does well at Witley. Waim-rop is another fine
Pea with a good constitution, and, considering
the season, has done well. Autocrat is a tine Pea
and should be grown in every garden. Where
room can be spared, the old Ne" Plus Ultra should
find a place. It does well here. If I were bound
down to three Peas they would be William Hurst,
Criterion, and Autoc at ; and to six, I should add
Gradus, Veitch's Maincrop, and Xo Plus Ultra.
Veitch's Perfection I hardly like to leave out, and
where the soil suits it I should advise growing it.
—J. YorSG, iri//fy Court, Stourporl.

I have this season grown most of the novel-
ties, and although the season has not been favour-
able for a fair trialas to productiveness or ciuality,
I can recommend the following as distinct and
good varieties, viz , Sutton's Favourite. Early
Giant, Duke of York. Ebor. St. Duthus, Veitch's
E.vonian, William Hurst. The Durhess, Duke of
Albany, Magnum Bonum and Omega. — O.
Thom.\s, Hoya/ Garden>!, Fraifmorf.

Although I have grown nearly all the new

v:irieties of Peas, I still rely on the good old fort
Xe Plus Ultra for the main supply. Amongst the
best dwarf sorts of the earliest section are Excel-
sior and Chelsea Gem, while amongst the taller
sorts. Bountiful and Exonian are amongst the
best. Of the second early and late 3feet sorts, I
hive found Echo and Sharpe's Queen as good as
any I have tried. — C. Webstek, Wordon CaslU,
FochahtT.<, X.B.

I generally prefer to grow the older and

more proved varieties, so cannot say much about
new varieties, except one or two. Sensation was
one of the heaviest croppers I ever had ; the flavour
also was excellent. Webb's Senator was almost
as good in every respect, but the dry season was
against it. Masterpiece (Haywood's) is a heavy
cropper, pods and Peas tine. Amongst the older
varieties, William Hurst and The Stanley ; for
dwarfs, William I. and Exonian. Dr. McLean,
Magnificent. Sharpe's <,)ueen, Superabundant,
The Duchess, Laxtons Supreme, Autocrat and
Walker's Perpetual Bearer are about the best I
have grown. Stratagem is a fine flavoured and
large Pea, but does not crop very heavily here. —
Geo. RiNiiHAM, Tie Gardens, Wrotham Par!:,
Barna.

In reporting on the varieties grown, one

must not forget the olrl favourites, and I must
name as being among the best grown this year
Chelsea (iem, William Hurst, Dr. McLean, Nel-
son's 'Vanguard and Xe Plus Ultra ; these being
already so well known, further comment is unne-
cessary. Of newer varieties grown here, and
which I am taking according to their season.
Gladiator proved to be an excellent cropper, well
worth growing as a second early. Sutton's X'ew
Marrowfat was grand in every way, as was also
Gradus. Veitch's Main erop, which succeeded
these, did not do itself justice, not from any fault
of the Pea itself, which I look on as our most
valuable semi -dwarf midseason variety, a eontinu-
ouB cropper, fine in pod and in flavour, but it got
a bad attaek of thrips. which spoiled most of the
earliest pods. It is saying something in its favour,
however, to say that it got over the attack and
produced an excellent erop. Grand Peas, too, are
Duchess of Edinburgh and (Joldfinder, both of the
Ne Plus Ultra elass. Autocrat brings up the rear
and promises to be as good as usual. I have more
than once praised it in The Garden as being the
best late Pea I know.— J. G. Tai.i.ack.

After repeated trials, I find the following

varieties to be the best. For early crops, Chelsea
(Jem and Exonian ; second early, Veitch's Per-
fection, Duke of Albany, Telegraph and Dr.
McLean : and for late crops Autocrat and Ne
Plus Ultra.— -Jame> Tru.v, The Gardem, Amporl
House, Andortr.

Amongst early Peas, I have found Chelsea

Gem, English Wonder and Sutton's Early (Jiant
especially good, whilst for midseason I prefer The
Duchess, Daisy and Criterion, with Autocrat and
Ne Plus Ultra for late crops. A good old raid-
teaeon variety is Veitch's Perfection, hard to beat

for quantity or quality. — Wm. Pope, Hiijhdere
Ca-tle, Xcu-bury.

The two best early Peas for cropping and

(luality are Exonian and Daisy. The true Exonian
with me grows over ."> feet high, and the crop is
very heavy. Daisy is nearly as early and the
best cropping Pea I ever saw. For midseason,
Duke of Albany, Telephone and Autocrat are the
best ; for late use, Ne Plus Ultra and Stratagem
are all I require.— W. C. Leach, Albnry Farh
Giirdenx, GtiUdford.

Orchids.

VAXDA ClKRULEA.
This fine Orchid is yearly becoming more popu-
lar, and little wonder, for it is one of: the most
beautiful kinds in existence, and under fairly
good management is easily grown. It is essen-
tially an Orchid for countiy districts where

! thing goes wrong, and it will be difficult to
bring the plants again to health. With regard
to the treatment of the roots, this is very simple,
and does not vary much from that given the
usual run of distichous-leaved Orchids. 1 do-
not care to give a very large receptacle, and
have had many tine plants in baskets about b-
inches across. The roots in fact seem to delight
in being crowded closely together, and if there-
are a few of the new ones extending them.selvea
freely in the atmosphere, so much the better.
This will show that the latter is congenial tO'
them, and when rebasketing again becomes
necessary and these are covered with compost,,
their fresh ramification in the latter will add'
considerably to the strength of the plant.
Sphagnum Moss will be the principal ingredient
in the compost, and in renewing this allow no
old and sour stuff to remain about the roots^
and use the new Moss in a clean and living
state. Introduce abundance of rough crocks.

ccerulea. From n photograph sent by Mr. John Gordon, Miramar, E.

pure atmospheric conditions exist, the blossoms
always being of a much better colour than in
the vicinity of the metropolis and other large
towns. The place to grow Vauda ccerulea is an
airy, 'light house where the heat in summer never
rises above 80°, and, as has been recently de-
scribed by a correspondent in The Garden, it
is well adapted for cultivation in vineries. For
several years in the south of England I grew
this Vanda in a mixed house of Orchids close
to a roof ventilator that was never closed in
summer and only during frosty weather in
winter, and I may say I never at any other time
had such good results, though the plants were
old established specimens and not recently im-
ported. A constant supply of fresh air, a
humid atmosphere, and a good light are
the conditions under which it will thrive. In
a very hot, moist, and shady house it may go
on very well for a time, but eventually some-

and charcoal and fix the plants firmly, give
plenty of water while growing and keep cool,
and a little on the dry side during the resting
season.

j Mr. John Gordon, Miramar, Exniouth,.
whom we have to thank for the photograph
from which the illustration was prepared,
kindly sends us the following note concerning
the plant : —

On referring to vol. xlvii., page 1-15, I find that
the treatment there given tor growing Vanda
C'lrulea is identical with that which I have fol-
lowed. This Vanda grows well on the same stage
with V. suavis, V. tricolor, and V. Patersoni.
Every season the Sphagnum is entirely renewed,
fresh charcoal and crocks being liberally inter-
mixed with the new material. Abundance of
water keeps the Moss vigorously growing. The
flower-spikes respectively measure 19 inches and
l'4 inches in length and the majority of the blooms

jSTovember 21, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

419

are each 3i inches across, colour a rich dark blue.
My plant, which waa imported about two years
ago, retained its beauty for '--

weeks

L.KLIA AUTUMNALIS.
A (^ooD stock of this handsome La-lia is of great
value in keeping up an autumn and early-winter
display of flower. The pseudo-bulbs of L. au-
tumnalis are shining green, roundish, narrowing
almost to a point at the apex. From here the
bloom-spikes proceed and bear five or six flowers
on each, thest- being rosy purple on the sepals and
petals, side lobes of the lip white, the centre one
rose, streaked with magenta, and having a yellow
centre. The plant is a true epiphyte, and conse
quently cannot endure a thickness of compost about
its roots. It is owing to inattention to this that
many amateur cultivators make such a poor show
with it, for it is not really a difficult plant to grow
when suitably housed and cared for. I have seen
remarkably good specimens of this and similar
species grown on large rough blocks of wood with
the bark kept on, Apple wood being especially
suitable. Rafts or shallow baskets are better than
these and much more convenient for moving
about. The compost maj' consist of equal parts
of Moss and peat, a cushion of this about an inch
in thickness being formed on the raft, pressing a
little more Mo-s around the pseudo-bulbs when
necessary to hold them fast, the whole being then
firmlj' wired down. For baskets the same thick
ness of mciterial will suffice, and in either case a
firm holding for the pseudo-bulbs is of great im
portance. The plants push young growths in
early spring, and as soon as tliese are getting a
little advanced on established, well-rooted plants,
it will be found necessary to water very abun
dantly, the more so, as hardly any shading
and a free circulation of air are required. The
advantage of perfect drainage will at this time
be apparent. I find L. autumnalis rather erratic
in its habits, some plants pushing up the spikes
at once, almost before growth is finished, and
others resting awhile. In their treatment this has
to be considered. When root action is seen to be
slow and no sign of the spike is apparent, by all
means let them rest, and the less water they have
and the cooler they are kept, the better ; but if,
on the other hand, the spikes push up at once, let
them have their way and endeavour to rest them
afterwards. In the depth of winter a night tem-
perature of S(i° is ample, and care should be taken
not to excite the growth until the increased light
in spring allows of its being made under con-
genial influences. Too much heat is not advis-
able even in summer ; in fact, I am of opinion
that the majority of these Mexican kinds would
be quite warm enough with the Odontoglossums
if only the latter would stand more sunshine.
But in a shady house they will never be satis-
factory, so they have, as a rule, to put up with
more heat than is really necessary. It is a very
variable species, many named forms being in
existence. R.

Vanda Amesiana.— This I have seen in flower
this week in quite a cool house with the usual
occupants of such structures. The large and
finely coloured blossoms occur on many-tiowered
spikes, each one being 2 inches across, the outer
segments rosy white, the labellum deep rose, with
a nearly white margin. V. Amesiana was im-
ported from the Shan States by Messrs. Hugh
Low and Co., of Clapton, and first flowered in
18SS. It is not difficult to grow, and is often seen
in mixed houses of plants or vineries where it
thrives. Clean, freshly-picked Sphagnum and
charcoal are all that are necessary for compost,
the plants being firmly tied or staked if the roots
are not plentiful. It enjoys abundance of water
while growing, less suflScing during the winter
months. — H.

Cypripedium Seegerianum.— This is a use-
ful hybrid Cypripedium now fairly plentiful, and
I have noted it flowering in several collections.
It is the result of crossing C. Spicerianum and

C. Harrisianum. The lip is deeply coloured, not
unlike that of C. barbatum, to which species it is
of course related through its pollen parent. The
dorsal sepal is white with a suffusion of rose, and
has the dark line in the centre, as seen in C. Spicer-
ianum. The habit is vigorous, the foliage re-
sembling that of the latter species, but usually
longer. It thrives in an intermediate tempera-
ture under the treatment usually accorded to the
genus.

Dendrochilum filiforme. — Though very
small individually, the elegant racemes of flowers
produced by this Orchid are pretty and very deli-
cately scented. In colour they are pale yellow
and occur upon the last-formed pseudo-bulb.
Not much compost is required to grow this plant,
which succeeds best in small suspended pans or
baskets. That used should be free from dust and
diit, and contain abundance of finely broken
crocks. The drainage must be specially attended
to, and may come to within 1 inch of the rim of
the smaller-sized pans. The plants thrive best in
the East India house, and during the growing
season the roots must never be allowed to remain
dry for any length of time.

LIGHT FOR ORCHIDS.
Althouoh this subject has been repeatedly
treated on by writers on Orchids, yet by far
the greater number of amateur and small culti-
vators fail to grasp its importance. The value
of a good clear light is of the greatest import-
ance, for not only are plants grown in it more
free flowering than others kept in a more or less
dense shade, but they are hardier, so to speak,
that is they are not so susceptible to the effects
of slight errors of treatment in other ways.
For instance, it is quite easy to grow a house-
ful of Phalainopsids under a dense shade all
through the summer months, and the fresh
green appearance of some of the plants would
doubtless deceive any but a practical eye, but
the growth made under such conditions is not
the kind to withstand the least check, and let
the temperature drop but a few degrees below
the normal, in all probability many of the
leaves so ill built up would perish. The same
with Cattleyas. These beautiful Orchids can-
not be satisfactorily grown in any house that
does not admit plenty of light on every side.
Even such shade-loving plants as Odontoglos-
sums and Masdevallias can be easily ruined by
keeping them in a dark house during the winter
months. The good old Cypripedium insigne
will produce twice as many blossoms if kept in
a good light as it will heavily shaded, and
the liking that such kinds as Deudrobiums,
Catasetums, and all the distichous race of
Aerides, Saccolabiums, and Vandas have for
light is so well known, that one would think
everyone who possesses a few Orchids would
strive to give them all the light possible from
January to December. That it is not so is evident
to anyone in the habit of visiting these small
collections, for assiduous as the cultivators re-
ferred to are in potting, watering and cleaning
their plants, they often do this unc?er a glass
roof rendered almost opaque with dirt for
months together. Not only this, but when
shading has to be resorted to, it is applied at
certain stated times everyday,andnomatterwhat
the weather may be, it is left on until the time
comes round for its removal. This is decidedly |
wrong, and as the time of year is approaching |
when light is of the most vital importance, I
would urge on beginners to give the matter a
little thought. Imagine an Orchid growing
naturally, it may be on the top of some tree
where the only shade it gets is that afforded by
a few leaves, while the latter are on, and none at
all when they have fallen. This plant is brought
home, confined to a glass house, in many cases

in a partially shaded position. The least we
can do is to keep the glass clean and never to
allow shading unless it is absolutely necessary
to avoid scorching the foliage. In the neigh-
bourhood of large towns the trouble is of course
worst, but in country places where the houses are
in proximity to deciduous trees, the leaves
in autumn, and in many cases the flowers in
spring, make a lot of work in keeping the glass
always clean. In the former localities the glass
should be well mopped down at least once a
week on the outside, unless it is during the
brightest and sunniest weather, and the inside
should be so frequently sponged that nothing
like a film can ever be seen upon it. Then,
other conditions being favourable, the plants
will be satisfactory, and it only remains to be
careful not to overshade in spring and summer.
While not recommending anyone to be always
running to the shading when a cloud comes
up, the blinds ought never to be down during the
best part of a dull day following a bright morn-
ing, nor should the neglect of early ventilation
render it necessary to put the shading on before
the plants have become dry overhead.

To return to the present season ; anything that
can be done in the way of shifting plants to bring
them nearer the glass, or any alterations that can
be made to give each one room to stand clear of its
neighbour, will be time well spent. Especially
is this the case with plants that are for some
reason backward in growth, such as imported
plants received too late in the season to mature
their pseudo-bulbs, or plants that were re-
tarded in their flowering season for exhibition
and are in a like state. Light, even more than
heat, will be necessary to harden the tissues
and give the foliage that robust and finished
appearance that cultivators know is the fore-
runner of a bounteous crop of flowers. R.

Leelia amanda. — This pretty Brazilian species
is not so often seen as it deserves, for the blossoms
are very delicate and refined in colour and occur
at a time when they are exceptionally useful.
They are each about 5 inches across, the sepals
and petals rosy blush, with a suffusion of pink,
the lip deeper in ground colour, with radiating
lines of purple. In habit it is rather peculiar,
the pseudo-bulbs being each about 9 inches high
and bearing a pair of pale green leaves. The
scapes produca only a few flowers on each, but
these last very well in good condition. The plants
must not be over-potted and the drainage in every
case must be ample, plenty of water being re-
quired while growing freely. This commences,
as a rule, late in spring, and from then until the
flower appears, a position not far from the roof
glass in the Cattleya house suits it best. After
the flowers are over the plants must, if possible,
be kept dormant for a time, and are best in a
house a few degrees lower than the Cattleja house
proper, though if this is not at command they
will do very well in the latter. The compost
may consist of good rough peat and Sphagnum,
with plenty of crocks, the plants being elevated a
little above the rim of the pot or basket.

Cypripedium Schlimi.— This pretty little
species is again in flower and, as usual, is much
admired for its delicate, yet bright appearance.
Grown in a cool, moist, and shady house, the tem-
perature a little higher than where the Odonto-
glossums thrive, it will do well, though it is a
weakly grower at best. The roots are almost
aquatic in their needs while growth is active, and
one of the finest specimens of C. Schlimi I ever
saw was grown with the pot standing in a saucer,
the latter being kept filled with water, the plant
also being watered freely from above. Still, I
take it in this case there were not many roots in
the lower drainage, and the moisture ri'sing from
the saucer was probably the cause of its doing so
well. The amount of water it requires is extra-
ordinary, and for this reason the material used for

120

THE GAEDEK

[XOVBMBER 21,

compost should not be of a kind likely to hold it
too long. In the place of the usual third or so of
loam, equal parts of this material and leaf-mould
will be found more satisfactory, but the latter
must be of the best quality, from such trees as
Beech and Hornbeam, and "used in only a partly
decayed st^»te. Puring winter, evaporation will
be less, and consequently the water supply will
bo somewhat lessoned, but even then the roots
ought never to be really dry. Owing to the
number of flowers successively produced on the
spikes, these last long in good order.

OCTOBER IN SOUTH DEVON.
PrRiNi; the past month a rainfall of 3 99 inches
on 'Jl days has been registered, against 3 91 inches
on hi days in October, 1S95, and an
average for the month of ili-i inches.
In the ten months of the present
year IS lil inches of rain have fallen,
while for the same period of ISli,')
•-V 74 inches were recorded, the aver-
aire in previous years ('27 '36 inches)
being considerably in excess of the
fall for 1S!'.'> and 1S!1I5. The mean
reading of the thermometer for the
month has been 47 8°, which is low
for Ort-ober, the reading in ISiio
being V.> 6' and the average 51-3".
No frost has been registered in the
screen, the lowest reading being
33 O-" on the -'3rd and l29th, but on
the grass the mercury fell on 10
days below freezing point, though
not to any great extent, the loweet
grass readintr being '29 2°, or 2 8 of
frost, on the '23rd. The highest
screen reading was tij (i on the 3rd,
and the highest in the sun 1 10 '2° on
the same dite. In sunshine the
month ha.a been slightly above the
average, which is lUi hours, with
119 hours 40 minutes, the amount
regirtered for October, lS9."i, having
been lOO hours Jn minutes. For the
past ten mcnths of the year, with
15S9 hours .") minutes of sunshine,
we have nearly reached the average,
1.506 hours ^'> minutes, but fall far
behind the record of 174."i hours .'>
minutes of the first ten months of
1S1C>. The total horizontal move-
ment of the wind ha" been 773'J miles,
as compared with 6443 miles in Octo-
ber, l>>0.'i. The greatest daily run
was 6'26 miles on the '25th, the
greatest hourly rate being reached
between the hours of 9 and 10 on
tlie same date, when a speed of 3S
miles per hour was attained. On 21
days the wind has been from south to
west, and on I'l from north to eeist.
The total wind movement for the
past ten months exceeds that for the
same period of l>i9.5 by about 3O00
miles. The mean percentage of ozone
in the air for the month has been
.561, ranging from 90 per cent, with
southerly wind to as low as .'i per
cent, on the 22rid and ■23rd with
easterly wind. The humidity has been
cent, against >;'2 per cant in October, ls9o.

With the heavy rainfall of September continued
through a portion of the past month and the
action of high winds on sodden foliage, October,
though not "chill,' has been in sullen mood and
chary of allowing .he little touches of brightness,
that here and there relieve the monotony of the
autuEon garden, to appear at their bast. At the
commencement of the month the autumn Cro-
cu§ee were for a while gay, but frequent heavy
downpours soon laid their satin petals level with
the ground. Some of the Starworts bore bravely
up against the weather. Aster N. -B. Flora and A.
Archer-Hind being amongst the best of the dark
coloured varieties, if we except A. grandiflorus,

which is also ir>
resents a heavy

par

a splendid, large, dark purple flower with golden j face of a sheltered cIiB", where the great corru-
eye, which came into bloom towards the end of gated seed-pods of Phyuinthus albens are now
the month. This variety would be more valuable hanging, the Habrothamnus h:ii been in profuse
if it were earlier, as in sunless and backward > bloom, its neighbour being a fine plant of Plum-
summers it often fails to llower, even in this dis- bago capensis, whose light blue flower clusters,
trict, early enough to escape being marred by the however, less calculated to withstand the wear
frost. During the present and last season, how- and tear of wind and weather than the more en-
ever, it has been sufficiently forward to give a during blossoms of the Habrothamnus, have pre-
handsome display. Aster ericoides and A. dif- sented a rather pitiable aspect. On October 10
fusushoii/.ontalis, with their wiry stems and small the first of the chaste blooms of the giant Christ-
leaves, do not hold the wet like varieties of the mas Rose (Helleborus altitolius) expanded, and a
Novi-Belgii and Nov.i'-Anglia> sections, and have plentiful supply of buds promises a lorg duration
therefore presented a less draggled appearance. I of flowers for the house, doubly acceptable in the
Beginias and Dahlias in sheltered spots, where dark winter days. Iris elylosa has already com-
the'^September gale had not wrought dire havoc, menced its flowering period, its position on a-
were passably bright during much of the month, sloping bank in comparatively light soil being
but here and there were slightly seared by frost, j evidently more to its liking than its former
Erigeron mucronatus, though in diminished quarters, in heavy loam near the water. Schiza-

stylis coccirea

— bloom, likewi;

water logged soil, and in such situa-
tion often perishes altogether. A
X scarlet Turk's-cap Lily, that over-

^ slept itself last winter, has just put

in a belated appearance, to find no
vestige of its large family above
ground. Looking at it standing
alone beneath the leaden skies io
the bare, brown Lily bed, where it-
shivers in the cold, wet wind, it
seems so woe-begone, despite its scar-
let turbin, that one unconsciously
adopts the "pathetic fallacy," and is
tempted to fancy this " Cigale " of a
Lily far worthier of commiseration
than that " last Rose of summer,"'
whose sorrows have been voiced by
a generation of vocalists. Of Roses
there has not been a plentiful sup-
ply, Souvenir de la Malmaison hav-
ing been the most generous irk
affording cut flowers, though occa-
sional buds were culled from tims>
to time from plants of the Tea-
scented section. The single white
Macartney Rose has been blooming
with great freedom, and on the '21st
I saw a lurge plant rambling along a
low wall which had over thirty ex-
panded flowers. This Rose com-
mences to bloom in July, and con-
tinues to flower until November in
f.ivourable seasons. Rudbeckia New-
mani kept up its display through
the greater portion of the month,
and the small scarlet flowers of Salvia
coccinea at the verge of the wild
garden have been very attractive.
The purple Stokesia cyanea is still
in bloom, and in the rockery some
Welsh Poppies (Meconopsis cam-
brica) are still in flower, while a
patch of Water Avens on a bank is
in full bloom for the second time
this year. The Violets have cume
on well since the commencement of
the wet weather, and bunches may
any day be picked in the open,
though the old leaves still show traces
of the ravages of red spider. The
Winter Cherry that lines the back
of a long bo'-der has, with its orange
bright note of colour, but is now

Mr. Anthony Waierer.

bloom, has expanded fresh flowers throughout calyces,

the month, and the tall crimson Hower-spikes of cut for winter decoration. The Yuccas are bloom-
Erythrinacrista-gallihaveheld bravely out against ing profusily, but were, after such a dry summer,
wet and wind. In cutting this subject for indoor strangely late in throwing up their flower-spikes,
decoration it is well to exercise care in handling which may now be seen by dozens in this locality,
the spike, as the long curved thorns with which Where Yuccas are grown in quantity, the dififer-
the stem is armed are capable of inflicting enc3 between the flower-spikes of Y. gloriosa and
a deep puncture. The Gentianella has burst into N'. pendula is very apparent. The Pampas Grass
an autumnal blooming, and has given us a deeper is also very ornamental at this tinia, though in ex-
blue than the azure of the hidden skies, deeper posed situations the plumes often get badly
than the hue of the blussoms of Salvia patens, of damaged by the wind. Some annuals, such as
which a few plants have remained in flower Salpiglossis, E.schscholtzia, and Niotiana attinis,
throughout the month. The scarlet Geums have though the last is here a perennial, breaking
at last gone to rest after many a month of bloom, from the old root each spring, have helped u*
I xM-t s-ond week of October being well advanced with their last floral attempts, while Malva mos-
I ere their last red blossom faded. Against the chata has bloomed again sparsely, and huge

November 21, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

421

bushes of Fuchsia Riccartoni leaning over
roadway from cottage gardens, have been ma
of crimson. Talking of crimson, what a sight
some of the Hawthorn hedges are : So berried,
that even in the distance the scarlet of the heps
overcomes the brown of the Tliorn boughs and
the long hedge line glows with a dull red. The
Hollies, too, are brilliant with a wealth of berries,
and the coral-pink fruit of the Spindle Tree, in
thick clusters, hangs above the yellow-tinted
Hazel hedge at the copse end. In the shrubbery
great bushes of Barberry have been despoiltl of
their vermilion by hosts of blackbirds, which have
also made a clearance of the Grapes that hung
from the Vine-covered pergola.

Large specimens of Fatsia (Aralia) japonica,
many yards in circumference, are not uncommon
in this neighbourhood, and when in bloom, as
some are at present, are striking objects. Choisya
ternata is in fair bloom in many places, and Kerria
japonica, in flow.3r against an ivied cottage wall,
DOW makes a charming picture. The Leycesteria
still carries its quaint blossoms, and Abutilon
vexillarium, of which I saw a large plant growing
outside a glasshouse, was in bloom at the end of
the month after flowering from the early summer.
The last white chalices were picked from the
standard Magnolia on the 12th, for, although
there are still numerous buds on the tree, the at-
mosphere is not genial enough to enable them to
expand sufficiently to be of use for cutting.
Several hundred blossoms have been gathered
from this tree during the past season, the flower-
ing period lasting exactly seventeen weeks, as
many as forty expanded blooms being counted on
one occasion.

Ampelopsishederaceahasbeen much in evidence,
and whereit grows against a rock or rugged cliff and
appears as a straggling splash of crimson on a light
background the efli'ect is exceedingly beautiful, far
more so than when a house is covered from ground
to eaves with the close-growing A. Veitchi, the
absolute evenness of such a covering being mo-
notonous. Solanum'jasminoides is still exquisite,
and will remain so for some weeks unless ;i hard
frost intervenes. Here and there a wall is bright
with the gleaming orange fruits of the Passion
Flower, and Jasminum nudiflorum is commencing
to don its golden vestment. Tropreolum tubero-
sum when it does well is very effective. In some
cases, however, it has flowered very sparsely this
year, and on examination was found to have
formed no fresh tubers. Often one healthy tuber
will furnish fifty by the end of the season. The
scarlet Tropsolum Fireball has been very effec-
tive, its intense colour being hard to beat. It
rarely, or never, comes true from seed — at least I
have tried seedlings several times without success
— but strikes readily from cuttings. The double
Bindweed (Calystegia pubescens fl.-pl.) is a very
handsome climber and flowers well into October.
The other day I saw Lapageria alba and rosea
blooming freely in the open against a north wall.
No protection is ever afforded them, but they
passed through the severity of the winter before
last unscathed. S. W. F.

vidual blooms, as in most of the others, do not
last long, but a succession is kept up for some
time. As with many thin hairy-leaved plants,
the greatest enemy to contend with is red spider,
especially during a hot, dry summer. — T.

Obituary.

MR. ANTHONY WATERER.
We learn with much regret of the death, in his
74th year,of one of the bestknownof nurserymen
and one of the most thorough in his knowledge of
trees and shrubs— Mr. Anthony Waterer, of
the famous nurseries at Knap Hill He was
one of several generations of his family who
have occupied the same ground and gradually
formed what is perhaps the finest nursery of
hardy evergreen shrubs in the world, a place
which it is a pleasure to see at all times, but
especially when the lovely American shrubs,
which are the glory of the place, are in
flower in early summer. There it has long been
the rule to grow these shrubs and all other
hardy evergreen things in the best way
possible in our climate, and it was a rare
pleasure to see Mr. Waterer among his favourite
things and to witness the success of much
sagacity and experience. We had much
sympathy with his way of looking at things.
He was a "hardy" man in a real sense. If
anything perished in a hard winter on that cold
Surrey plain, it never got any chance of dying
there again. No amount of popularity would
induce him to grow a tender tree or shrub
again, and sometimes the leave-taking was a
serious one, as in the case of Arauoaria imbri-
cata in the hard winter of 1860-61, when sixty
thousand of it perished at Knap Hill.

We feel sure that many of our readers both
in America — where he was well known — and in
his own country will regret his loss and sym-
pathise with his family. W. R.

Hibiscus calycinus.— This Hibiscus, also
known as H. chrysanthus, is one of the shrubby
members of the genus, and in the temperature of
a warm greenhouse it grow.s well and flowers
freely even in a small state. It is of a good
branching habit of growth, clothei? with rather
pale green leaves, which, as well as the young
shoots, are covered with hairs. The flowers,
which are freely borne towards the ends of the
shoots, are each nearly 3 inches in diameter and
of a sulphur-yellow colour, with a large purplish
brown blotch .at the base of each petal, thus form-
ing a dark coloured eye. The flowers, though
somewhat campanulate in shape, as in many of
the different kinds of Hibiscus, are produced in
nearly an upright manner. This Hibiscus is very
readily propagated from cuttings of the young
growing shoots put in at any time during the
spring and early summer months. Plants so ob-
tained will flower in the autumn, but older speci-
mens yield the best display of blooms. The indi-

Chrysanthemums.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT THE
AQUARIUM.
The great jubilee display was, of course, mag-
nificent collectively, and I suppose as regards
number of flowers there was never anything
to approach it, but the individual blossoms
generally were below the average of those of
last year. In the chief class for Japanese
flowers, for instance, the first and second prize
stands were far ahead of the rest. The latter,
in fact, contained more indifterent blooms than
one usually expects to find in an important
contest. A splendid bloom of Mile. A. de Gal-
bert stood out conspicuously and is a charming
white ; Mutual Friend, another white, was also
splendid in several cases. Mrs. H. Weeks is
yet another white sort of great beauty. Of
course Mme. Carnot was in evidence and Mrs.
J. Lewis deserves notice. Fine specimens of
yellow sorts were plentiful, the fine additions
to this colour of recent years being particularly
noticeable. Edith Tabor, Phiebus, Modesto,
Oceana, each in its style grand, were well repre-
sented, but I failed to find a specimen of M.
Pankoucke equal to what it was last year.
Col. W. B. Smith, E. Molyneux, and Viviand
Morel, among old names, were not over-striking ;
M. Chenon de Leche, although in most in-
stances wanting in colour, was a notable kind;
Australie has a grand bloom, although the plant
is tall ; Mrs. Hume Long, a rich rose-coloured
bloom, was noted in one or two stands as especi-

ally fine ; Mile. Marie Hoste, an old sort of extra
substance and richness, never came out better ;
Nyanza, a rich crimson-brown blossom, is one
that should be noted ; Cal vat's Australian Gold,
although very fine in more than one instance,
is hardly the striking show flower I expected
to find. It is one, however, that I feel certain
will be better another year. It appeared some-
what flimsy. Hairy Wonder was generally ad-
mired both for its size and quaintness. Thomas
Wilkins has never been seen so good as this
year.

The incurved types also appeared to be less
fine than in some past seasons. By far the
finest blooms were those of the recently intro-
duced sort Chas. H. Curtis, a yellow bloom of
wonderful depth and solidity. But this is not
a true incurved variety, according to the canons
of the older florists. It has pointed florets. All
the same, it is a magnificent flower and the
colour is very rich. The Qaeen of England
types were comparatively small ; so, too, were
those known as the Princess of Wales group.
One would like to see these represented as we
saw them a few years ago, but the constitution
of the several sorts seems to be entirely ruined
by high culture.

Reflexed Chrysanthemums are a dull, unin-
teresting class and they were feebly shown. The
Anemone-flowered, too, are pretty, but dull in
colour compared with the more showy Japan-
ese kinds. Single types were pretty. Person-
ally, I do not like the minner of exhibiting
them that finds favour. They are first thinned
so as to be unduly large, and then set up in a
stifi' and formal way which spoils their effect.
Miss Mary Anderson, Purity, Golden Star, Gus
Harris, Terra-cotta, Miss Rose, Yellow Jane,
and Snowdrift are mostly old sorts, but they
are still among the best.

Huge vases of Chrysanthemums gave us the
American style of exhibiting the flower, and a
most effective way it is. Probably the most
striking show was that of Modesto. Placed as
this was, under the glare of the electric light,
with suitable foliage intermixed, it formed a
splendid object. Phcfbus, Mile. Thgrtse Rey.
and the newer Western King were each splendid
exhibited in this manner in masses.

Quite new varieties of merit were conspicu-
ously absent from this great show. Calvat's
Australian Gold, Modesto, and Western King had
been seen before. Mrs. J. Ljwis and Sim-
plicity (both white sorts) were the beat. Mme.
Mees de Proli I thought most promising. It is
an incurved Japanese bloom of a flesh-pink
colour. H. S.

Two usefal Chrysanthemums. — Two ex-
cellent Chrysanthemums belonging to the small
section are Thistle and Sydenham Terra-cotta.
The former, as its name implies, very much re-
sembles the flower of the ordinary Thistle, the
petals being of quite a wiry texture and lasting a
long time either on the plant or when cut. It is
a distinct novelty and should be in every collec-
tion where cut flowers are needed in quantity. In
the bud state it has a yellowish cast, but when
fully expanded the flower is whitish. Sydenham
Terra-cotta is a most profuse bloomer, and, being
of a fashionable colour, is much appreciated.—
J. C.

Chrysanthemum Mrs. G. J. Beer.— This is
one of the largest of the Japanese, but, however
well grown, cannot be considered an ideal flower.
Two jears since it was exhibited in good form at
the December show of the N.C.S., but even then
little was thought of it. Its proper position has
at length been proved, and that is in the form of
a specimen plant. At the recent exhibition of
the Highgate and District Chrysanthemum Society
a remarkable plant was staged in competition as
a single specimen, and this was freely flowered,

THE GAKDEK

[November 21, 1896.

with blossoms of a rosy-purple colour, the growths
lending themselves well to ihis form of manipula-
tion. The plant was at least 6 feet throutrh. —
C. A. H. ^

CHrysanthemutn Chas. H. Curtis.— "^his
magniticent incurved variety has been exhibited
in exceptionally fine form "this season, and has
probably been seen in more winning stands than
any other variety of the same type. It is a kind
that is of easy culture, succeeding well with both
amateurs and professionals. Many instances
could be given where premier blooms have never
been fubjected to artificial dressing, the fljrets
coming so evenly and regularly that this has been
quite nnneces-s.iry. Most of the flowers have been
remarkable for their great depth and their even
finish, while blooms which have developed from
buds secured rather later than usual have given
fiowers of le.ss depth, but with a much richer
yellow colouring and florets of greater width and
substance. The introduction of this sterling va-
liety has quite alcered the position of other good
sorts. Old growers do not like the pointed florets
which are characteristic of this variety, preferring
instead the rounded ends to the florets, as seen in
the Queen typa of incurved, but the later intro-
ductions incline to the newer form of florets — B.

Chrysantliemums at Ghent.— At the Ghent
Chrysanthemum show several members of the
X C.S. contributed some finely grown blooms, to
be staged in the name of the society. They were
staged in glass bottles, interspersed with small
pots of Adiantums, and made an excellent
display. The blooms were grown by Messrs. T.
Bevan, Skeggs, Martin, J. Brookes, Turk and
A. H. Page, whose Mme. Carnot called forth a
special mention from the jury. The collection
comprised many standard Japanese kinds, about
twenty varieties of pompons, and forty-fii-e cut
bloons of large-flowered and Japanese Anemones.
Foreign raisers also contributed cut blooms of new
seedlings, M. Ernest Calvat and M. de Reydellet
being the chief ; but those sent by the latter were
not named and only exhibited under number.
The Ghent collections are evidently well stocked
with all the leading show varieties, for we noticed
particularly A. H. Fewkes, Boule dOr. President
Borel, M. Pankoucke, Deuil de Jules Ferry, Mrs.
J. Lewis, Baron Hirsch (incurved), Interccean
(very pretty in colour). International (a fine speci-
men plant 5 feet across), Xoces d'Or, Duke of
York, Mrs. C. Harman-Payne (good in several
groups), Souvenir de Petite Amie, W. H. Lincoln,
Etoile de Lyon, Peine d'Angleterre, Eiwin Moly-
neux (fine), C. H. Curtis (incurved), I'lsere,
Mme. Carnot, Hairy Wonder, Eda Prass, Waban
(very deep pink), Mme. Rozain, Lord Brooke,
John Bunyan (several fine specimen plants), and
many others. Novelties were well representt-I,
but must be dealt with on a future occasion.
Hairy vaiieties included some capital sorts, of
which some were quite new.— C. H. P.

SHORT yOTES.-CHRYSAXTHEMUMS.

Chrysanthemum Lady E. Saunders.— The
present ft-asf u Las suiied this vaiiety admirably,
flowers of (?reat beauty having been exhibited in many
of the leading stands in different parts of the country.
It belongs to a class of Japanese that is deserving of
more attention than is now gem ral. The Cowers are
fairly large and the cilour is soft primrose, deepening
ill the centre. The habit of growth is a most desirable
one.— C.

ChrysaHthemum Mrs. John Shrimpton.
— This IS another Japanese variety raised by Jlr. W.
Seward, and is cjniie distinct from any other known
sort in point of coloar. It is best described as deep
golden b-.iff with crimson-red centre, the florets some-
times striped and shaded with the same colour. The
flower is tf good size and of even form, with long
florets of medium width and on an exhibition board
is very telling.

Chrysanthemum Matthew Hodgson.-
In this variety we have probably the brightest crim-
son-red Cbrjsanthemnm now grown for exhibition.
The flower is not so larre as that of many other exhi-
bition Bcrts, jet of safficient size to find a position in a
lata for twenty-four bloome or a lei>a number. A

bloom of this variety was selected as the best Japan __,
in the open classes at the Woolwich show on the 12t\i
inst.,ita beautifully distinct and highclass chiracter
standing out prominently above other larger, but less
handsome flowers. It is a g >od grower and was raised
by Mr. W. .Seward. Hauwell, wlio has given us some
of the very best Japanese varieties.

Public Gardens.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT WATKRLOW
PARK.
The Chrysanthemum display in this delightfully
s.tuated paik is each season better appreciated by
the residents of north London, judging from the
way in which visitors thronged the houses contain-
ing the collection here on the occasion of our
visit.

In the columns of The G.vrden last year, when
describing the disadvantages under which the
plants were housed, a hope was expressed that the
London County Council would provide Mr. I'allett
(the superintendent) with better accommodation
for housing the collection. It is all the more
pleasing, therefore, to record that a new plant
stove has been erected, into which some of the
more tender greenhouse subjeits have been placed,
thereby giving more space in the other structures.
In addition, the very lofty and spacious greenhouse
or conservatory has been reduced in height some
2 feet, giving the place a more comfortable and
useful appearance. The plants suffered somewhat
from being huddled together in a cramped posi-
tion for some little time while the alterations to
the last-mentioned place were being comf leted.

Notwithstanding all these difficulties, the
grower, Mr. Webb, has every reason to be pleased
with his efforts this sea?on. There are here and
there blooms of exceptional merit, but in most in-
stances the plants were freely flowered, in this
way creating a bright effect. In the large
house, as a huge bank on either side sloping
gently down to the front, the plants were neatly
arranged, pains evidently having been taken to
mike a pretty effect. All types of the Chrysan-
themum were here represented, although Japanese
and incurved scrts predominated, with a useful
sprinkling of charming little pompon varieties.
The display was continued right on through the
vinery, where the plants made one long bank,
divided only by the glass partitions. One very
good feature — and also one worth repeating
throughout the country in all public displays, and
in those of nurserymen too— was the free use of
neatly printed cards, each bearing the name of
the variety upon which it was fixed. It was
quite pleasing to listen to the remarks made by
the visitors on this practical means of acquainting
the public with the names of the different sorts.
If the show here is to retain its hold upon the
public, the parks committee of the London County
Council must be a little more generous in the pur
chase of more novelties, as it is the novelty in
large flowers that appeals more particularly to
them. Not more than a dozen new sorts were
added last spring, and many of these had then
bean in commerce several years. What is wanted
is a wise selection of new varieties each season,
and this made by some competent individual
whose opinion would be respected. Not one only
of each new sort should be grown, but half a
dozen of each sterling novelty recommend 3d. Let
this rule be adopted, and the result would amply
repay any little extra expenditure. Among the
newer Japanese sorts were Bride of Maidenhead,
a lovely decorative white, somewhat resembling
Avalanche; Mrs. A. (i. Hubbuck, a pretty ama-
ranth flower, and rarely seen in better condition
since first distributed. Hairy Wonder was in fine
form, its cinnamon-buft' colour standing out dis-
tinc'Jy and its hirsute appendages well defined.
Edith Tabor, although an undoubtedly good yel-
low, is not yet so gooi as was expected of it. In
Phiebus, a grand yellow flower was seen, and one
that has come to stay, being good on all buds
Duchess of York is a pretty light yellow, but will

be seen in better condition later. Mrs. E. S.
Trafford, the bronzy red sport from W. Tricker,
was often in evidence, as were William Seward,
rich deep crimson, and President Borel, the colour,
bright crimson rose, being very clear and flis-.in't
Of the older varieties in the Japanese sectit ii the
following were represented in good condit on :
Florence Davis, beautifully chaste white, green
centre, a favourite with all lady visitors ; Beau y
of Exmouth, white: Prc'et Robert, amaranih-
crimson, light reverse, fine bold flowers; M-.
C. E. Shtii, the pretty golden yellow sport fn m
Mile. Lacroix, carrying a nice lot of medium-s zvl
flowers; Mme. C. Capitant, lovely rose-fle-h
colour, nicely developed : Colonel C'hife, blush,
shaded cerise, very refined sort ; Mr. A. H. Neve,
lovely silvery blush, in fine form all over the
place; Mme. Carnot, white; Col W. B. Smith,
old gold and terra-cotta ; and H. R. Williams, a
Ryecroft seedling.

The newer incurved varieties were represented
by Chas. Curtis, a large yellow flower, and Mrs.
R. C. Kingston, lilac-pink. D. B. Crare was
coming very nice and neat from faiily late
buds, its rich bronze-buff colour being much
admired. The older varieties were not particu-
larly numerous, the most noticeable being all the
Mrs. Bundle type of flower, and grown in a free
manner, this system appearing to fuit the var e'y
better than severely disbudding. Brookleigh
Gem, mauve sport from Jeanne d'.\rc, Beverley,
and Mr. Bunn each cirried nice deep and even
flowers. Descartes, the bright crimson red lar?e
Anemone, was just past its best, havirg typic«l
flowers, while King of Crimsons was decidedly
the best of the reflexed. Pompons are always a
pleasing feature here. Elise Dordan, with its small
globular rosy coloured blossoms ; Howard H.
Crane, with its pretty thread-like florets of the
richest crimson ; William Westlake, the best of
the yellow pompons, and Mme. Marthe, still a
good white, were conspicuous. The side benches
were filled with a good display of succulents and
a fine lot of Aster Amellus. The borders out-
doors contained a large number of hardy Chry-
santhemums still covered with bloom, arid
should the weather remain open yet a little
longer, they should assist to give a checrfil
aspect to the surroundings.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT FINSBURY
PARK.
The display of Chrysanthemums in this park is
highly appreciated by the residents in North
London, judging from the patience with which
they wait their turn to pass through the structuie
containing the collection here. Some 4(III0 plants
are grown, and the period of flowering is so well
arranged, that from the opening of the show in
October until late in November there is a continu-
ous exhibition of Chrysanthemums in almost
every known shade and form. The display is a
thoroughly representative one and ferve? its
proper purpose in making known to the general
public the diverse forms and colours which are now
obtainable. Pompons of different types, Ane-
mones, reflexed Japanese and incurved, together
with a few good examples of the hirsute blossoms,
and a nice batch of decorative varieties combine
to make an ideal representation of the wealth of
variety in the Chrysanthemum. The housing
accommodation is excellent. A nice light and airy
glass structure is specially reserved for this dis-
play. The plant s are arranged as a long and con-
tinuous bank in a series of semi circular bays, and
set up in a pretty undulating way, and also with
considerable artistic taste. At the back of the
group, a goodly number of decorative plants were
arranged in a pleasing manner, the old variety
rile defi Plaisirs, with its charming little blossoms
of crimson and yellow freely produced, forming a
capital background in association with such varie-
ties as Mr. Bunn, Mr. George Glenny and other
members of the Rundle family. The upright
supports to the structure were partially hidden
by freely- flowered specimens of Margot, which
appears to do remarkably well here. The front

November 21, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

423

of the bank of plants was fringed with pompons in
variety.

All the best known Japanese sorts are included
in the collection, and these in most instances
were illustrated by good specimen blooms. Some
beautiful flowers of Mme. Carnot were noticed.
Niveum was represented by some of the best
flowers we have seen, many other blossoms of the
most chaste description developing to continue
the display. Viviand Morel was seen from late-
secured buds, the colour being a bright rose- pink
and the blooms large. Hairy Wonder was ad-
mired by the visitors. Col. W. B. Smith was in
fine form, and Mr. E. Hill was also good.
Viscountess Hambledon was also seen in good
form ; its delicate blush-pink colouring and its
pretty incurved Japanese form called forth many
expreeeions of admiration. A variety little known
and deserving of extended cultivation is Mr. E. G.
Whittle, with flowers of a colour peculiar to a
Malmaison Carnation and of a neat description.
This must not be confounded with another variety
under the name of Mrs. E. G. Whittle. The
colouring in Chas. Davis was very good, especially
considering the close proximity of the London
fogs and smoke. Silver King was good here as
elsewhere this season, with very large flowers of
rosy mauve, but rather coarse. The peculiar
form of Japanese as repie=ented in Good Gracious
was interesting, and with the deep crimson flowers
of W. Seward, a pleasing contrast was effected
Vice-President Audiguier, Jeanne Delaux (freely
flowered), Internatioral, President Borel (good
colour), CuUingfordi, still the brightest of the re-
flexed, and Mr. A. H. Neve were among the best
of the older sorts. There were no i so many
varieties as might have been expected, and a little
more liberality on the part of those responsible
would be a step in the right direction, as novelty
in shows of this kind is the essential in keeping
alive the interest. Of the novelties, Chas. Ci
is the best yellow incurved of recent introduction ;
while among the Japanese were noticed Mr. Chas,
Blick, a large spreading white flower ; Phubus
with nice large yellow blooms ; J. H. Kunchman
a large globular flower, also a yellow ; Alice
Seward, pretty, rose-purple, and Mr. W. R
Seago, a large flower of a rosy-pink colour. Des-
cirtes, a large Anemone, was in fine form.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN BATTERSEA
PARK.
Ik success is to be measured by popularity then,
indeed, Mr. Coppin, the superintendent at Batter-
sea Park, and Mr. Wheeler, the Chrysanthemum
grower there, must be content with their efforts,
lor during tlia afternoon of our visit there was one
continuous stream of visitors passing through the
greenhouse in which the Battersea collection is
staged. As in former years the plants are
arranged in a wide sloping bank in a lean-to
structure about 120 feet long by 25 feet in width.
Most of the good old standard varieties are on
view with an excellent sprinkling of novelties of
recent introduction to lend additional interest to
the Chrysanthemum fancier.

Incurved varieties are, perhaps, more numerous
than at most of the trade displays where one
mostly sees Japanese. Of these older favourites
mention should be made of Lord Alcebter, Golden
Empress of India, Lord Wolseley, Mr. Bunn, of
which there were some capital examples, Lord
Rosebery, Mi;s Violet Tomlin, Prince of Wales,
Golden Beverley, Jeanne d'Arc, Ref ulgens, Barbara,
Alfred Salter, and Geo. Glenny, always perfect in
form and build and atypical variety of the section.
Here and there we noticed some pretty blooms of
an old favourite Dr. Sharpe, a reflexed flower of
a bright rosy magenta shade very useful for
brightening up a group and also some good speci-
mens of CuUingfordi, rich and deep in its chestnut
crimson shade and still much appreciated by those
to whom mere size is not the first consideration.
Anemone flowered varieties were not numerous,
but several large well-flowered plants of Descartes,
a Japanese Anemone of a rich velvety wine-
coloured crimson, lent an attractiveness to the

display that would be difficult to be obtained
without its use.

Japanese, of course, preponderate. Very charm-
ing and dwarf is Comte Lurani, bright rosy pink,
excellent for mixed groups, as there are so few
varieties of a pure colour like that. Deep
crimson tones were seen in such varieties

the Shrimptons and Sewards. Pale rosy
pinks were found in such varieties as M. Tavin,
Viviand Morel, La Triomphante, Vice President
Audiguier, Eda Prass, M. Freeman, Mrs. E. G.
Hill, Etoile de Lyon, and others equally as well
known. Mile. Theresa Rey, the well-known
white Japanese, and the somewhat older variety,
Florence Piercy, were in first-rate form. Charles
Davis, rich rosy bronze, the sport from Viviand
Morel, still remains one of the most eCTectivo and
striking productions we have ever had, and in
similar shades Lord Brooke, Col. W. B Smith,
and Mrs. Falconer Jameson were well represented.
Here and there a few plants of that charming
little pink pompon. Mile. Elise Dordan, were
interspersed, and seemed to please the visitors by
its peculiarly neit and delicate form. Gloriosum,
a large yellow Japanese, raised in America some
years ago, Val d'Andorre (deep reddish bronza)
and Gloire du Rocher (reddish terra-cotta and re-
verse of gold) appeared in good style. For purity
of tone in yellow varieties. Sunflower and its near
companion Pallanza were conspicuous. Comte
de Germiny, one of the earliest introduced Japan
ese incurved, was large and solid. Another old,
but most beautifully coloured Japanese, that was
once very popular on the exhibition table, is
Edouard Audiguier, colour rich purple-maroon,
with a silvery reverse. Gocd Gracious — curious
from the formation of its florets, which are twisted
and whorled — was also noticeable, and a good
white is Mile. Therese Pankoucke. Of a deep
purple plum-coloured shade is the once well-
known M. Bernard, and close bj- are some verj-
attractive blooms of President Borel, with a rich
bright rosy amaranth colour and a reverse of
mingled silver and gold. A useful variety for
decoration is President Hyde, deep golden yellow
reflexed.

Special interest appeared to be attracted by one
or two blooms of the famous hairy variety, Mrs.
Alpheus Hardy, the only one, except Hairy Won-
der and Louis Boehmer, so far as we could dis-
cern, of the group. Louise — a large incurved
Japanese, colour pearly white, good everywhere
and at any time during the season — was no excep-
tion to the rule. Delaware, of the Anemone
type, with white guard florets and a yellow disc,
is one of the few varieties of that type in the
Battersea collection. A few other varieties in
good form were Duchess of York, Source d'Or,
W. Tricker, M. Wm. Holmes, Mrs. W. H. Lees,
W. G. Newitt, Stanstead White, W. H. Lincoln,
International and the like.

A few pompons were arranged round the front
of the house, the principal varieties being Pre-
cociti^. Sunset, Rosinante, S<tur Melanie, Snow-
drop and Golden Mme. Marthe.

PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION, 18[)0.
We have to thank our many correspondents for
kindly sending photographs, some of the hightst
interest and great beauty. In some cases the
competition was so strong that we have had to
double the prizes rather than do any injustice ;
in others, to our surprise, there was little com-
petition, especially in the classes for Irish and
Scotch gardens, and also Roses. The want of
competition in Roses is probably owing to tlie
fact that the Rose for many years has vanished
from the flower garden, and to the absurd idea
that is taught by books, that the Rose is not a
decorative plant, and must be grown somewhere
else— hence most of our showy, ugly flower gar-
dens are bare of the grace of the Rose.

Failures are less than in former years. Where
th?y occur they are, as usual, the result of hard,
bad flower gardening, or want of flower garden-

ing at all, many beautiful houses being sent to
us with wild grass growing right up to the wall.
Worse than this are showy bad buildings— points
and angles and staring greenhouses against the
house. Overcrowding, over-exposure, and over-
reduction are among other causes. Cheques I o
the amount of i'159 Os. 6d. have been posted to
the following competitors : —

List of Aw.iKDs.
Class 1. — Country Houses and Flower
Gardens. — 1st Prize : Miss E. Willmott,
VVarley Place, Great Warley, Essex. 2nu
Prize : Mr. W. Shawcross, Spital Street,
Guildford.

Extra Prizes.
Mr. Geo. Fowler-Jones, Quarry Bank, Malton,
Yorks. Condover Hall, near Shrewsbury ; A
Libourer's Cottage, near Oddingley Chutc'i,
Worcestershire ; Ludford Parsonage ; The Grange,
near Askrigg, Y'orks.

Mr. F. Spalding, 4, High Street, Chelmsford.
Ingatestone Rectory ; Danbury Palace ; 1 angleys,
Great Waltham ; The Wick, Writtle.

Mr. W. G. Holland, Glan Alyn, Gresford,
North Wales. Trevallyn, Rostet, North Wales ;
Liskeard Vale, New Brighton ; Glan Alyn, Gres-
ford, North Wales.

Mr. S. Griffin, Wilton Road, Salisbury. Bishop
of Salisbury's Garden ; Italian Gardens at Wilton
House.

Miss Acton, Winchester. House at Elderfield,
Hants : The Deeps, Wexford, Ireland.

Miss Barton, The Grove, Wishaw, War«iok-
shire. Cottage with Old Flower Garden; Cot:age
with Border of Pinks.

Mrs. Deane, Fairfields, Fareham, Hants.
Garden at St. Margaret's, Titchfield.

Class 2.— Flowering Plants.— Equal 1st
Prize : Miss Willmott, Warley Place, Great
Warley, Essex, and Mr. S. W. Fiizherbert,
Lanscombe House, Torquay. Equal 2nd
Prize : Mr. C. Metcalfe, Mill House, Halifax,
and Mrs. Selfe-Leonard, Hitherbury, Guild-
ford.

Extra Prizes.

Mr King, 4, Avenue Road, Goldhawk Road,

Shepherd's Bush, W. Two Views of Water

Lilies, Royal Gardens, Kew ; The Dell, Hyde Park ;

Flower- vase and bed. .

Mr. W. J. Vasey, Broad Street, Abingdon.
Dahlia Julia Wyatt, Plumbago capensis, Pentas
carnea. Myrtle. , , n •

Mr. C. Mayor, Paignton, Devon. Double Prim-
roses, Narcissus (,)ueen of Spain, Onoclea sensibilis,
Adiantum pedatum.

Mr. F. E. Pope, Coombe Down, Bath. Straw-
berries Growing in an Old Barrel, Hunnemannia,
Gaillardia, Eucomis punctata.

Miss Gaisford, Otfington, Worthing. Solanurn
crispum, Tamarix parviflora, Desfontainea spi-
nosa. T, , ^. J

Mr. J. C. Tallack, Livermere Park Gardens,
Bury St. Edmunds. Rudbeckia pinnata. Cycla-
men neapolitanum. Aster Amellus.

Mr. J. C. Varty-Smith, Nandana, Penrith.
Passiflora quadrangularis, Akebia quinata. Gera-
nium pratenee, Pivonies.

Mr. S. Grifiin, Wilton Road, Salisbury. CoUetia
bictonensis. White Stocks, Campanula and Pelar-

^°m"™H. G. Close, Kirtlineton Park, Oxford.
Wistaria on Wall, Clematis on Balcony, Creeper

Mrs. Deane, Fairfields, Fareham, Hants. Large-
flowerel Clematis, Datura Tatula.

Mr. E. G. Lowe, The Avenue, Trowbridge.
Lilium auratum. .^ . ,

Mrs. Barton, The Grove, Wishaw, Warwick-
shire. Godetias.

Miss S. Bird, Bardswe'l Cottege, Esher, Surrey.
Michaelmas Daisy Purity.

Class 3.— Borders, Groups oe Haedy
Plants, Ferneries, and Rock and Water
Gardens. — 1st Prize : Miss E. Willmott,

424

THE GARDEK

[November 21, 1896.

Warley Place, Great Warlev, Essex. 2.sd Pkize :

Mrs. F. H. Lloyd, Stowe Hill, Lichfield.

Extra Prius.

Mr. W. M. Molyneux, St. Catherine's Houee,

Guildford. Border of Sub-tropical Plant?, Bed

of Castor-oil plants ; Ferns, kc, in a Greenhouse,

Mr. S. Oritlin, Wilton Road, Salisbury. Bor

dcrs at Bremerton Rectory, Herbaceous Border

at Longfoid Castle.

Mrs. Deane, Fairfields, Farehsm, Hants.
Clematis and Rose on Pillar, Hardy Flower
Border.

Mr. \V. G. Holland, Glan Alyn, Gresford, North
Wales. Border of Michaelmas Dai.-ies.

Mrs. Barton, The Grove. Wishaw, Warwick-
shire. Border of Standard Roses.

Mr. A. Emblin, IS. Park Street, Worksop,
Notts. Border of Stocks, &c.

Ci..\.-;s 4.— L.\w>s. Oli> Okchards, Wild Gar-
rt>s, Gr.i.ss Walks, and Picti'kesqie Drives.
— 1st PiuzE : Miss E. Willmott, Warley
Place, Great Warley, Essex. 2sd Prize :
Mr. S. W. Fitzherbert, Lanscombe House,
Torquay.

Exlra Prizes.
Mr. H. N. King, -t. Avenue Road, Goldhawk
Read, London, W. The Avenue. Welwyn ; View
in Sherwood Forest : Silver Firs, Roseneath ;
On the Cam ; View Burnham Beeches ; A Wood-
land Path.

Mr. Fred Spalding, 4, High Street, Chelms
ford. Views in the Gardens at New Hall ; Lyons
Hall : Danburv Palace ; Cottager's Back Garden
Mr. S. Griftin, Wilton Road, Salisbury. Med
ir tree ; Wild Garden, Bremerton R

Rectory :

lar

Yew Hedge : View in Wilton Park.

Miss Dunster, Court Lodge, Knockholt, Sev
oaks. View in Rectory Garden, Woodba.'twick ;
A fine Oak in Knole Park ; Rhododendrons at
Heron Court, Bournemouth.

Mrs. Deane, Faii fields, Fareham, Hants.
Grass Walk at Fairfields ; An Old Archway.

Mr. W. ShawcroFs, Spital Street, Guildford.
A Study of Trees ; Old Oaks near Guildford.

Miss Boucher, Kempsey House, Kempsey,
Worcester. Roses in Garden at Kempsey House ;
View in a Wild Garden.

Clas.s 5. — Rose Garhess.— 1st Prize : Miss
E Willmott, Warley Place, Great Warley,
Essex. •2.M> Prize : Not awarded.

Cl.4ss ij. — Best Gakj.e.n Fruits. — Lst Prize:

Mr. J. C. Tallack, Livtrmere Park Gardens,

Bury St. Edmunds. 2sb Prize : Miss Ryves,

The Mount, Budleigh Silteiton, Devon.

Extra Pri-es.

Mr. B. Steveneon, 1", Granville Avenue, Long
Eaton, near Nottingham. Gooseberry "Bobby."

Miss S. Bird, Bardewell Cottage, Esher, Surrey.
Branch cf Marie Louise Pear.

Cla.ss r.— Best Vecetabli s. — 1st Prize:
Mr. F. Parren, 38, Northgate Street, Canter-
bury. 2>D Prize : Mr. J. C. Tallack, Livermere
Park Gardens, Bury St. Edmunds.
Extra Prizes.

Mr. E. W. Billington. Hill View, Paik Hill,
Ampthill, Beds. Beet Ecryptian Turnip rooted,
Ornaaental Gourds, Celery Major Clarke's Red.
^ Mr. B. StevenEun, 17, Granville Avenue, Long
Eaton, near Nottingham. Vegetable Marrow,
Potato Lord Tennyson.

Cla.-> 8.— Iri.sh Gardess.— 1st Prize : Mr.
.lohn McLeish, StraflTan, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
2>D Prize : Not awarded.

Extra Prizes.

Mifs A. J. Young. 4, Kingston College,
Mitchelstown. Co. Coik, Ireland. View of Garden
at Brocmbill, Mitchelstown Cottage, View in Gar-
den at Cbarlville.

Miss Sibil Knox-Gore, Belleek Manor, B:

Class 0. — Scotch Hovses and Gardens. —
1st Prize : Not awarded. 2nd Prize : Mr. G.
Fowler-Jones, Quarry Bank, Malton, Yorks.
Extra Prize.
Mrs. Gordon-Duff, Drummuir Castle, Keith,
N.B. Herbaceous Border, Herbaceous Borders
at Buchromb House.

Class 10. — CfT Flowers, Vases, etc. — 1st
Prize : Mr. S. W. Fitzherbert, Lanscombe
House, Torquay.

Extra Prizes.

Miss Hutley, Derwards Hall, Bockirg, Brain

tree. Table Decorations of Narcissi and Roses,

Clematis and Narcissi, Vases of Iris, and Frilil

laria.

Mr. (i. Ineram, Ascot. Vases of Christmas
Roses and Ferns, Christmas Roses and Nut
Catkins, Wild Clematis and Japan Maple, Sedum
spectabile.

Mr. T. G. Hibbert, 28, Rampion Road, Sheffield
DafTodils in Water bottle, Narcissus and Ferns
Lilies of the Valley.

Mrs. Deane, Fairfields, Fareham, Hants. Vases
of Tea Rcses, Hibiscus, Solanum jasminoides in a
tumbler.

Mr. C. Melcilfe, Mill House, Halifax. Double
White Poppies in a glass, Lilium candidum in a
jar.

Special Extra Prize of Five Glineas
FOR fine Trees to Mr. Geo. Fowler-Jones,
Quarry Bank, Malton, Yorks.

SrEtiAL Extra Prize of Three Gcineas
FOR fine Specimen Ferns to Mr. 0. Metcalfe,
Mill House, Halifax.

Societies and Exhibitions.

NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY.

A^ meetinc of the floral committee was held on
Wedneeday last at the Rojal Aquarium, West-
minster, Mr. Brian Wynne occupying the chair.
There was a good attendance of members, and
the exhibits in several instances were of a high
order of merit, the principal exhibitors being
Messrs. Norman Davis, H. J. Jones, W. Wells,
Ernest Calvat, and R. Owen.

First-class certificates were awarded to the
following Chrysanthemums : —

StTNSTONE. — A Japanese incurved of large pro-
portions, with florets of medium width, prettily
culling at the tips, resembling in form the well-
known Col. W. B. Smith, colour light yellow,
suffused light bronze, with paler yellow reverse.
From Mr. N. Davis, Framfield.

Simplkity. — Large spreading Japanese flower
of the purest white, and of the most refined
character, with long drooping florets of medium
width. This variety was represented by flowers
from early and from late buds, the latter being
of the most chaste and delicate description. From
Mr. N. Davis.

Joseph Brooks. — A larj^e massive Japanese
incurved, with long florets of medium width,
curling, and slightly twisting at the tips ; colour
deep golden yellow, freely flushed with reddish
crimson. Exhibited by Mr. N. Davis.

Mrs. Marlino Grant. — A very beautiful
Japanese reflexed with long spreading and
drooping florets, rather broad, colour golden
yellow, freely suffused light terracotta, with
golden reverse. This variety is one of great
promise.

Mrs. a. G. Hubbuck. — A massive Japanese
flower, in form resembling Commandant Blusset,
and of great depth, florets erect and narrow,
colour bright chestnut-red, with gold reverse.
This came from Mr. W. H. Lees, Barnet.

There were several varieties which failed to

secure distinction but which are sure to be seen

na, again, possibly in better form. The most pro-

late flowers of Cha.". Davis ; Triomphante de St.
Laurent, a rich golden yellow Japanese of great
promise ; Pearl of Maidenhead, immense Japanese
incurved white, tinted rose, a rather shallow
flower ; (_'zarina, lar-ge massive Japanese incurved
rosy mauve, silvery reverse, broad florets ; Mrs.
G. Carpenter, a very pretty Japanese with long
and somewhat narrow florets, colour rosy pink, a
very promising variety ; Capitaine L. Cliaure, an
addition to the hirsute Japanese incurved, broad
florets, colour bronzy yellow ; and Mrs. James
Eadie, a lovely silvery pink incurved, which the
committee could hardly define. A pretty bronze
sport from William Holmes, exhibited under the
name of Mr. Edgar Bruce, gave promise of being
a useful market variety. A plant of a light yellow
sport from Mme. Carnot, and named E. J'.
Warren, was exhibited by Mr. Wells, and this
the committee wished to see again. A solid-look-
ing Japanese incurved named Talene, and shown
by Mr. N. Davis, with broad florets of a pleasing
shade of lilac mauve, with a silvery mauve re-
verse, was commended.

The question of forming a sub-committee to go
into the better and clearer definition of an in-
curved flower, &c. was discussed, and it wis
finally determined to ask the general committee
to appoint a small ccmmittee for the purpose.

Co. Mayo, Ireland. Liliuni candidum and Roses, mising of these were Julia Scaramanza, large

Two Views cf Heibaceoue Border.

I Japanese, cclcur bronze terracotta net unlike

Boyal Horticultural Society.— The next
fruit and floral meeting of the Royal Horticul-
tural Society will be held on Tuesday, November
24, in the Drill Hall, James Street, Westminster,
1 to 4 p m. At 3 o'clock the Rev. Prof. Henslow,
M.A., will give a "Floral Demonstration."

Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution
—The committee of this institution, at their meet-
ng held on the l.S:h inst., decided to place twenty
candidates from the list of applicants on the funds
at the next election, which will take place on
January 14, ISilT. Ten of these candidates will
be recommended for election without votes, they
having complied with the terms of Rule III., 5,
and other rules in connection therewith ; the
laining ten will be elected by the votes of sub-
bers in the usual way. In thus increasing
their liabilities by adding to the pension list the
largest number of candidates ever admitted at
any one election in the history of the institution,
the committee had in mind the fact that next
year will witness the celebration of the sixtieth
year of the Queen's sovereignty, and as Her
Majesty has been for forty-five years the gracious
patroness of the charity, they intend to appeal to
all gardeners and other friends of the institution
to assist them in making some special effort on
its behalf during the coming year, in commemora-
tion of an event which will be unparalleled in the
annals of this country.

Decorating beds cf bulbs.— What are the

most showy annuals or dwarf perennials for
blooming during the long summer and autumn
months after Narcissi and other bulbs are over ?
Bare beds and borders are not ornamental, and
the ground between the bulbs surely ought to be
utilised without injury tn the bulbs. It would of
course be advisable to avoid plants for which slugs
have a partiality.— W. T., Bishopsleigiiton.

Names of plants.— H. J. Hunter.—Fale form
f LiElia turfuracea.— — Conj/an(i?earfer.— Pernettja
lucronata.

H'ames of fruit.— Oaienlead and Co. — Apple
not recognised.- H. D. R. — Grapes : 1, Black Ham-
burgh ; badly coloured and shanked, owing to the

Vine beiug too heavily cropped; 2, Alicante.

Devoniensis. — Pear Easter Beurre.

Fifth Edition, ■now ready, heauiijully illustrated,
editim 8(o, price 15s. The English Flower
Garden : Desigvs, Vieus, mid Plaiis, with Descrip-
tions and Illustrations of the Best Plants, their Cul-
ture and Arrangement. London : John Mun-ay, and
of all Booksellers.

THE GARDEN.

425

No. 1306. SATURDAY, Kovember 28, 1896. Vol. L.

"This is an Art
Which does mend Nature : change it rather; but
The Art itself is Nature."— SAotupear*.

Rose Garden.

ROSE LAMARQUE.
It is surprising that in these Rose-growing
days, when even whole houses are devoted to
the purpose in private places, mention should
80 very seldom be made of this grand old-
fashioned, but most useful variety. It belongs
to the Noisette class, and for covering back
walls and making a display early in the year it
is certainly second to none. It is of a delicate
lemon colour and a most profuse bloomer if
properly treated. The finest specimen of it I
ever saw covered the back wall of a lean-to
Peach house at Sundridge Park, in Kent. There
was a sufficient space between the top of the
Peach trellis and the wall to admit abundance
of sun and light to the latter, and each year the
wall was worth a long journey to see, the ma-
jority of the blooms being open during March.
The great thing in the culture of Lamarque,
as indeed it is in the case of all pillar or climb-
ing Roses, is to secure annually plenty of young
wood of a stout character, this being duly laid
in at intervals as the season advances, so as to
get thoroughly ripened. No more was allowed
at Sundridf^e than could be fully exposed, and
as soon as the flowering season ended, all the
old wood that could be spared was removed.
Some of the growths were many feet in length,
such growths being characteristic of Lamarque.
If wanted for button-holes or bouquets, the
blooms must be secured in quite a young state,
as they soon open, although in a fully expanded
state the beautiful lemon centre is shown off to
ad'^antage and the flowers last well. The tree
in question had its roots confined to a rather
jj arrow border, but a limited root-run was
atoned for by rich annual mulchings of farm-
yard manure and copious drenchings with diluted
liquid when in full growth. These Roses when
grown in moist fruit houses should not be
yringed, as they get sufficient moisture with-
out, and too much is sure to produce mildew.
Grower.

Rose Souvenir de la Malmaiaon.— I lately
saw this grand old Rose carrying a fine crop of
blooms and buds in various stages of expansion.
Very few of the new and much-belauded Roses
give anything in the way of flower in quantity at
this time of year. This variety doe? not appear
to advantage at midsummer, it being an autumn
Rose, and worthy of a good place for that season
alone. This variety appears to do best on the
noapruning system. — J. ii., Gosport.

Boss Crimson Rambler.— I am pleased to
see from Mr. G. H. Englehearfs note on the
above Rose (p. 298) that the opinion expressed by
me on the merits of Crimson Rambler in The
G ARDEX during July, 1895, is at length reiterated,
and with emphafis. From the first time that I
saw the Rose I considered it over-rated, and subse-
quent experience merely confirmed that opinion.
It certainly, when in flower, produces a mass of
blosfom, which soon, however, assumes an un-
p €a?ant tint. This year I have met with two
i;ases where this Rose has failed to produce
flowers — perhaps a doubtful disadvantage. Paul's
Cat mine Pillar, a beautiful single Rose of fine
to'our, I infinitely prefer to the subject of this
note, while the single white Macartney, quite
hardy in the south- west, is a good climber and
produces its fragrant blossoms from July until
checked by the frost. On October 20 I saw a
plant of this Rose rambling over a wall with be

tween twenty and thirtj- expanded blooms. The
Himalayan Rose also grows well in this district,
but, unless in exception al circumstances, is a very
shy bloomer.— S. W. F., South Devon.

Rose W. A. Richardson. — "Philomel"
(p. 298) alludes to the great drawback of this
Ro?e, namely, the infrequency in many localities
of the beautiful orange fawn tint in the blooms
being transmitted to evt-ry portion of the petals.
I have not mytelf f een a single Rose of this variety
during the past summer bearing a crop of perfectly
felfcoloure'd flowers. On many plants, especially
those growing on a south or easterly exposure,
scarcely a trace of the fawn was discernible, the
blossoms being geneially of a dull whitish tint.
On shady walls the colour was better, but even
in such situations few blooms were to be found in
which the outer petals were suffused to their ex-
treme tips with the colouring matter. Doubtless
the past season has been a trying one for this Rose,
but as such summers seem to be occurring with
tolerable frequency, it is probable that the ele-
ments will be adverse to W. A. Richardson as
often as not. If the colour that gave this Rose
its popularity could be always depended upon,
there would be no more valuable decorative va-
riety. As it is, I doubt the advisability of plant-
ing it in neighbourhoods where it often fails to
assume its rightful hue. — S. W. F.

Roce Aimee Vibert — I should be grateful to
anyone who would tell me how to make this Ro^e
bloom. I have tried it repeatedly, but have got
nothing but leaves — beautiful glossy leaves and
plenty of them, but no flowers— and yet I have
seen it in other gardens a perfect sheet of bloom.
Last spring I would not allow it to be pruned at
all, thinking that might be the secret of its
management, but there has been no improvement.
The plant is a perfect tangle of shoots, some of
which must be removed, but which should it be,
the old or the young ? At what age does the wood
begin to bear? I thought it might possibly be
the want of sun which prevented it from flowering,
but it certainly could not be so this year. My
plant is on a south wall. — M. E. C.

*,* The winter of 1894 is responsible for many
climbing Roses not flowering this year, for during
that severe time much of the old wood on climbers
was fatally injured : the plants were thus forced
to send up a supply of young growths from the
base. These growths will doubtless be well
ripened this year and should produce good
flowering shoots next season. Possibly the soil
in which this particular plant is growing is too
rich. I would recommend that the roots be
moderately pruned. This can be done by opening
a trench around the plant and severing some of
the coarse roots with the spade. Manure in every
form should be withheld. Thin out at once a
goodly number of the shoots, retaining some of
the old ones if quite sound, and some of the ripest
growths of this season. These shoots should then
be trained on the wall in a palmate fashion. By
this means further ripening will take place and the
sap be checked next season. Subsequent treat-
ment would be to keep the plant from becoming
crowded : retain all old wood possible, and merely
shorten laterals each year. About three-year-old
wood produces the best flowering shoots.— W. E.

Rose notes.— I read with interest "Philo-
mel's " notes upon Teas and H. Teas under glass.
For some years I have advocated the more general
culture of the H. Tea section, in which we have
far more freedom of flowering than among the H.
Perpetuals and Bourbons. This class contains
several compact growers, which carry a con-
tinuous crop of blossom and occupy but little
space under glass. Viscountess Folkestone, Mar-
jorie, and Caroline Testout are still splendid with
me outside, notwithstanding the almost incessant
wet and high winds of the past few weeks. Mrs.
W. J. Grant, a cross between La France and Lady
Maiy Fitzwilliam, is a great improvement upon
either as a pot plant. Clara Watson is most
pleasing as a pot plant. There have been many
additions to the H. Teas during the past four
years, many of which are worthy of a place in all

collections. Mme. Abel Chatenay is an extra
strong grower, suitable for a pillar or wall, and
giving a more constant supply of bloom than any
other Rose I am acquainted with. The blooms are
of exquisite form, the buds long and somewhat
after the colour of those of Maman Cochet. Char-
lotte Guillemot, Germaine Trochon, Mme. Joseph
Combet, Marquise Litta, and Souvenir du Presi-
dent Carnot are newer H. Teas that I can strongly
recommend. " Philomel's" suggestion of remov-
able lights has been followed, with the result of
splendid late blooms to fill in the void between
those from the open and early forced plants in
pots. A little protection against inclement
weather after the middle of September will secure
a valuable crop of bloom from late autumnal
growths that would otherwise have failed and
been crippled by frost, &o. For this purpose the
H. Teas are among the very best Roses we have.
"Philomel's" selection is good, but Mme. Abel
Chatenay should surely have been placed among
the climbers.- RiDGEwooD.

Orchids.

MAXILLARIAS.
Althodoh a great many species formerly in-
cluded in this genus have been removed by
botanists, and also by garden usage, it still
contains several well-marked and useful
Orchids, the majority of those in general cul-
tivation belonging to the division bearing large
roundish pseudo-bulbs, and producing usually
one-flowered scapes. Their culture may safely
be taken up by anyone interested in Orchids,
for if a few simple details are carried out, they
are easily grown, and as a rule free-flowering.
Pot culture suits them best, and as they are
rather impatient of root disturbance, healthy
specimens may have these of fairly good size,

order that, by removing the surface compost
as it becomes necessary and substituting fresh,
they may be kept in good condition for several
years without turning them out of the pots.
For the strongest-growing kinds a little good
fibrous loam may be added to equal parts of
peat fibre and Sphagnum Moss, while weaker
plants and smaller specimens should have the
Moss and peat only. The roots in most cases
being somewhat large and fleshy, it is best to
add plenty of crocks and charcoal to this, and
use the peat in as rough lumps as possible con-
sistent with the size of the pots. Drain the
latter well, cover the drainage with a little
rough Moss, and fix the plants very firmly in
position. If roots are plentiful and these are
likely to be active, there is no need to elevate
the pseudo-bulbs above the rims of the pots ; on
the other hand, small or badly-rooted plants
may be so treated with advantage ; a better
circulation of air will thereby be kept up about
them, this being conducive to their free ex-
tension and continued health. Always en-
deavour to repot when new roots can be seen
starting from the pseudo-bulbs, for it is not
wise to water much at the root after repotting
until root action again takes place, and Maxil-
larias are easily injured by being much dried
after disturbance.

Though recognised as cool Orchids they are
better after repotting, for a nice genial tem-
perature and moist atmosphere — in fact, a little
nursing all round. When well in growth,
quite a cool house and shade from bright sun-
shine, a free circulation of air, and constantly
moist atmosphere are the conditions under
which they thrive. The temperature _ must
always be kept below 70", if possible, in the
height of summer, while in winter fiO^" is ample
by day when the weather is dull, and 50° or a
little over at night. As long as growth con-

426

THE GARDEN.

[XOVEMBER 'JS, 1896.

tinues and until the pseudo-bulbs are quite
finished and hard, the water supply must be
kept well up and the roots never allowed to be
dry for any length <.f time. Durius; the resting
season the less they have the better, as long as
the pseudo-bulbs remain plump, but allow no
Bhrivelling. Their worst insect enemy is red
spider, the foliage being very subject to its at-
tacks, especially if growing in too warm a house
or in an atmosphere at all inclining to the dry
side. The under- mentioned kinds are among
the best and most generally grown, though |a
considerable number of small and undesirable
species exist.

M. 0R.\.NDiFL0R.i is at present in flower and
baars from the base of the rough oval pse ado-bulbs
scapes each carrying one flower about 4.J inches
acroee. The sepals, petals, and the ground colour
of the lip are white, the last marked with bright
purple at the sides, the front portion jellow. Th
species grows naturally high up on the Peruvia
Andes, and is a widely distributed plant in
West am South America.

M. H.\RKisoNi.i; is perhaps best known as a
Lycaste, but is ofren met with under the old
name. Why this tine old species is not taken
more care of is indeed a mys'erv, for the blossoms
are beautiful, sweetly scented, and last an extra,
ordinary time in good order. Even when thev
have lost their first freshness they turn to a yel-
lowish tint by no means unattractive. The
ground colour is white, the lip purple in front,
yellowish below, with lines of red and yellow on
the inner side. This likes a little more" warmth
than the majority of kinds, thriving well at the
cool end of the Cattleya house. It is a verv old
species, having been introduced from Brazil in

M. LrxEo-.vLP.A is a singular-looking plant when
in bloom, the outer segments taking an almost
triangular form, the shorter erect petals tawny
yellow with a white base. The centre l..be
of the lip is yellow with a profusion of short woolly
hairs, the erect side bbes being streaked with
purple. It grows very freely and has large one-
leaved pseudo-bulbs, the leaves attaining a length
of about IS inches on the strongest plants. It
comes from Xew Grenada, and was introduced in
1846.

W. siGREsoENs is a rather uncommon kind
worth growing on account of the rich maroon tint
of the flowers, though these are rather small. The
peeudo bulbs and leaves are small, deep sreen,
the flower spikes occurring at the base of these.
It comes from New Grenada, and wag introduced
in 1849.

M. pii?TA is a winter flowering species, bjaring
email but brightly coloured blossoms. These are
very freely produced, the sepals and petals pecu-
liarly incurved, bright orange yellow dotted with
crimson-purple, the lip white with purple spots.
This species is a native of Brazil, whence it was
introduced in IS.SJ.

M. S.iNDERiANA is a really beautiful Orchid and
by far the richest coloured and best in the genus.
The spikes are pushed horizontally from the bise
of the pseudo-bulbs and each carries a single
flower about .'> inches across. The petals and
sepals are of the purest white with deep crimson
spot? at the base, the lip being of the same rich
tint. The eflFect of this on the pure white of the
segments is remarkably striking and the deep
green of the foliage on healthy plants shows the
blossoms up to psrfection. It is a native of Peru,
whence it was introduced by Messrs. Sinder and
Co. in 18\4.

M. TENriroi.iA is of a dififerent habit from those
named above, the pseudo-bulbs occurring on an
erect wiry ihizome. These are roundish, shining
gre<5n, and, as the name implies, bear narrow grass-
like foliage. The flowers occur singly on short
stalks and are crimson red with yellowish mark-
ings. They have a very peculiar but not un-
pleasant odour which has been likeneJ to that of
butt«r. Its culture may be similar to that given
to the other kind^ excepting that a little more

Moss may be used with advantage, and care is
necessary not to allow the pseudo bulbs to become
weakened owing to their being out of reach ol the
compost.

M. VEMSTA is a strong-growing useful plant
from Colombia wheni-3 it was introduced in lS(ii.
It flowers at different times in the year. Tlie
blooms have creamy white sepals and petals, the
lip yellowish, marked with crimson. It is the
easiest of all to grow, never failing to flower when
healthy and well established, and the blossoms
last well in good condition. R.

Barkeria Lindleyana.— This is a delicately
coloured species, producing Urge erect spikes
from the ape.x of the thin elongate! pseudo-bulbs.
Each flower is 2 inches acro-j, the sepals
lance-shaped, the broader undulate petals pale
purple, the lip white with a blotch of purple
m front. It does best in baskets of limited size
in a light position at the cool end of the Cattleja
house. A great deal of moisture is ncc'ssaiy
while growth is active both in the atmosphere
and at the roots, and the syringe may be freely
plied about the stems. After yrowth is finished
and the leaves fall, a cooler house and a greatly
reduced winter supply must be allowed. It is a
native of Costa Rica and was introduced in 1842.

Bletia Shepherd!.— This is one of the freest
flowering and best of the Bletias, and by
means unattractive when well done. The long
branching scapes push up at various seasons and
contain a large number of flowers of a pretty
crimson-purple tint on the sepals and petals, the
lip being deeper in front with a yellow centre
When the flowers are past the plants must bs in
duced to rest by keeping them cool, and when
signs of growth are apparent repotted into fairly
large pots in a compost consisting of loam fibia,
leaf soil or peat, and a little chopped Sphagnum.
The tubers should be kept about an inch under
the surface, and the plants do best in quite a cool
house where moisture is abundant and a free cir-
culation of air kept up about them.

Spathoglottis Fortunei. — This singular
terrestrial Orchid is now in flower, the tall hairv
spikes of yellow, brown-tipped blossoms being
very pretty and distinct. It is best cultivated in
pot j, which should be well drained, and the com
post may consist of equal parts of peat or leaf
soil, fibrous loam and chopped Sphagnum, plenty
of rough crocks and charcoal being mixed with
this to keep the whole open. There is no need to
elevate the plants above the rim of the pots and
the compost may be finished a little below, as in
ordinary potting. When the growth is well on
the move in spring plenty of water is necessary,
but during winter, after all the leaves have
fallen, the roots may be kept quite dry. It was
sent home in 1845 and thrives best in an inter-
mediate temperature.

Oncidium varicosum.— At this time of year
few Orchids are more welcome than this fine
Oncidium with its large and elegant panicles of
showy blossoms. They are useful in a great many
ways for cutting, or the plants look well in groups,
and I recently saw several fine pieces in a group
at a local Chrysanthemum show. O. varicosum
has rough-looking pseudo-bulbs and dark green
foliage. From the base of the former the bloom
spikes rise, and these are often .Sn inches or .se
inches in length and closely studded with flowers.
In the variety Rogersi the flowers are each 'J
inches across. This name is unfortunately often
given to much poorer varieties. The showy lip
is the I rincipal part of the blossom, the small
sepals and petals being hardly noticeable, though
pretty in themselves It is an easily grown plant,
thriving well in the Cattleya house, and it may
be well grown in shallow teak baskets with good
drainage and a compost consisting of peat fibre
and Sphagnum. The growth commences in early
spring, and care is necessary that this is made
without a check of any sort, either from want of
water or insufficient heat. Tne atmosphere must
also be kept moist and the growths well matured
fy expo Hire to light and air. During winter le

water will be needed unless when the spikes are
forming, as this constitutes a considerable drain
upon the roots, and these must accordingly be well
looked after. — R.

Dendrobium Wardianum. — The earliest
plants of this beautiful Dendrobe are now in
H)wer and make a welcome bit of colour. It is
much earlier than usual this season, the first flowers
having opened on November 10, but fortunately a
long succession is easily kept up by having a good
stock of plants and introducing them to heat a few
at a time. It is worthy of remark that the best
and most highly coloured forms of this Orchid are
not usually so long lived or of such good consti-
tution as the smaller and paler varieties. Those
who have these good forms should let the plants
have as long and complete a rest as possible and
not ru-h them on for early flowering, which in-
variably leads to the growths starting and con-
tinuing active during winter. Keep them ccol
and dry as long as no signs of shrivelling occur,
and if the temperature does not go below 4.'>, they
will be all the better for a month in a vinery.
Peach house, or similar structure at rest. D.
Wardianum likes a very limited root-run, and
fine plants with growths a yard in length wreathed
in blossom from one end to the other may be
grown in small pans about 4 inches or .5 inches
across. Careful attention to watering is of course
necessary, as the plants soon dry in sucli small re-
ceptacles. This species ought never to be tied up
to stakes, as is sometimes done, but the stems
allowed to proceed either horizontally, erect or
pendent, according to the habit of the individual
plant and its strength.

Odontoglossum Coradinei. — Though the
blossoms of this prett}- Odontoglot have not the
substance and width of petal that some of the
O. crispum and others possess, its early flowering
habit and the distinctness of the flowers make it
worth a place. Botanists suppose it to be a
natural hybrid between O. triumphans and either
0. gloriosum or O. odoratum. The pseudo-
bulbs resemble those of the former kind. It pro-
duces a many-flowered spike from between the
basal leaves, two often occurring upon one bulb.
The individual blossoms are each 2^ inches
across, the sepals and petals pale yellow, prettily
spotted with chestnut-brown, the lip creamy
white, with a brownish red blotch in the centre.
The plants lend themselves readily to good cul-
ture, and when well established grow away freely
and soon form nice little specimens. The pots
need only be large enough to take the plants
easily, a margin of 1 inch or so all round being
ample room. The drainage must be brought up
to within 1 inch of the rim, and plenty of finely
broken crocks, with peat fibre and Moss, may be
used for compost. The plants are best repotted
in early autumn before the flower-spikes appear,
as there is then usually a free root action going
on. It should be grown along with O. crispum
in the cool house, as it is a native of Colombia,
whence it was introduced in 1872.

Cypripedium Leeaaum. — Varied as are the
forms of this well-known hybrid, they are every
one excellent garden Orchids, for not only are the
blossoms large and striking, but they last a very
long time in perfection, and the plants..moieover,
are so robust and healthy, that beginners may
take up theirculture with every prospectof success.
It was originally raised by Mr. Seden in Messrs.
Veitch's nursery at Chelsea, where it flowered for
the first time in 1.SS4. It appeared in Sir Trevor
Lawrence's collection about the same time, and
since then a great many varieties have been raised
in other places, the result of crossing various
forms of C. insigne with C. Spicerianum. The
flowers are intermediate between those of its
parents, the broad dorsal sepal at first glance
showing the characters of each. The ground
colour is white, with a medium line of purple
spots, and at the base a green suffusion spotted
with mauve-purple. The petals and pouch re-
semble those of C. insigne, but the latter is
brighter in colour and of a reddish brown tint in
front. It thrives in an intermediate temperature,
and should be carefully potted in fairly large pots.

No -iSMBER 28, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

427

The draiDage must be good and the compost free
and open, consisting of equal parts of peat, fibrous
loam, and chopped Sphagnum, plenty of hard
material roughly broken being mixed therewith.
The roots must be kept moist all the year round.

Chrysanthemums.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT SWANLEY.
The large show house at Messrs. H. Cannell and
Sons' nursery at Swanley is just now a fine blaze
of colour, and the collection of Chrysanthemums
is replete with novelties from all parts of the
world. Introductions from the Cape and from
Australia are numerous and of great interest, as
showing the type of flower that is occupying the
attention of the Colonial cultivator. Australie, a
big massive bloom, of a dull shade of rosy amaranth
and a silvery reverse, noted on the occasion of our
visit last year, is again very fine, and although
rather tall in growth, will undoubtedly be much
sought after by the admirers of the Japanese in-
curved section. Pride of Madford, another but
brighter variety from the same source, is a most
attractive show flower, and Oceana, also from
Australia is solid and very rich in its deep shade
of golden yellow.

In the miscellaneous collection we noticed
Matthew Hodgson, a Japanese, of a beautiful
shade of chestnut-crimson, with long narrow
florets and a golden reverse. Miss Ella Curtis, to
be sent out next year, is a large Japanese, golden
yellow, dusted reddieh carmine, and also Baron
Tait, a seedling from Primrose League, deep
canary yellow, with rather narrow grooved
florets, curly at the tips. Duke of York, Graphic,
Lady Byron, Mrs. Weeks, Edith Tabor, Miss
Elsie Teichmann, M. Chenon de L^che and many
other standard show varieties were all in good
form at the time of our visit.

A. H. Wood, a pretty yellow sport from Prim-
rose League, is large and promising. Woods
Pet, purple-amaranth, with reverse of silver, is
quite as fine as last year, and Robert Powell, a
large Japanese incurved, chestnut-bronze and old
gold reverse, with heavily grooved florets, is quite
new and distinct. We also noticed Vice-Admiral
Kasnakoff, a large Japanese of a pure golden
yellow, florets twisted at the tips, as a promising
novelty. Novelties of Continental origin were
numerous and mostly well flowered. Phtebus, the
yellow Japanese, was very pure in tone. Reine
d'Angleterre is of a more decided pink than is
usually seen nearer the metropolis. Among the
whites. Mile. Therese Rey, Mme. Carnot and
Mme. Ad. Chatin were all excellent. Com-
mandant Blusset (fine rosy purple) is well known,
but Australian Gold— Calvat's latest triumph in
pale yellows— has only been seen by the general
public for the first time this autumn. It is a
grand flower, very large, deeply built, and very
pure in colour. Baron Ad. Rothschild is a large
new white Japanese variety from the same raiser,
and bids fair to become popular. Perle Dau-
phinoise, of incurved build, golden bronze, is solid
and well formed. M. Ed. Andre, a Japanese
with flat florets, colour dull red and a golden re-
verse—is also new. Mme. C. Champion, a large
Japanese with florets of medium width, pale
rosy mauve, is also a recent introduction, and
is large and good. Mme. R. Grenier is a distinct
Japanese incurved, having broad grooved florets,
twisted and curly, colour pure white. Mme.
Gustavo Henry is of the same colour and section,
and has already been certificated this season.

The American seedling raisers are also well re-
presented at Swanley, for we noted fine blooms of
Eda Pratt, William Bolia, Duchess of Welling-
ton, Mrs. Henry Robinson, Mutual Friend and
several other fairly well-known varieties that have
recently been discovered, while among others,
Nyanza, a Japanese with pointed, grooved florets,
colour rich velvety crimson, yellow reverse, was
striking in colour and solidity of build. Major
~ ~ the new pale golden yellow incurved,

was well done, and J. Agate, the white incurved,
was very conspicuous by its depth and massive
form, the colour (pure white) being well worth
noticing.

There was a fair sprinkling of the best of the
hairy sorts both new and old. In this section
several of the latest additions are really remark-
able for the rich colour they display. This
hitherto has not been a characteristic of the
class. In this last named section of hirsute
varieties Belle des Gorde?, of a pale rosy pink, is
decidedly pretty, and has a curious flabby appear-
ance ; Princess Eva has the peculiarity of hairi-
ness very marked, the colour is pale rose, tinted
gold in the centre ; Rachais is a rich golden
bronze, reverse very bright gold, one of the best,
and Perle d'Or, with flattish florets, is of a pure
shade of canary yellow. Some other very curious
forms in this class are Golden Hair, Papa Bertin,
Beauty of Truro, Mr. W. J. Godfrey, &c.

Most of the incurved varieties are well out, and,
of the latest introductions, C. H. Curtis, pure
golden yellow, is as good as we have seen it any-
where ; Mrs. Hepper, a medium-sized incurved of
good form, colour pure white, is shown in several
examples ; Globe d'Or, deep yellow, is another ;
Baron Hirsch, the Queens, Princesses, Mr. R. C.
Kingston, need no special reference. A very fine
solid-looking Japanese incurved is Kentish White,
referred to in our notice of the Swanley collection
this time last year. Pride of Swanley is another
good new white, but belongs to the Japanese
group ; Milano, very rich golden chestnut, ard
Surprise, a velvety plum-co'oured amaranth
Japanese, are both highly coloured novelties, and
very suitable for brightening up a group either
large or small ; Frank Payne, a charming shade
of pale lavender-blush, large Japanese, with florets
of great length, will be sent out next year.

Besides the varieties mentioned there are many
others both new and old, mostly grown in a dwarf
style, and the collection will amply repay a visit
for several weeks to come. Zonal Pelargoniums
are always a feature at Swanley and are just now
a blaze of colour. A house full of Cannas in
bloom also forma one of the attractions of Messrs.
Cannell's nursery.

Chrysanthemum Ambroise ThomaF. —

Plants of this variety have kept the hardy border
quite bright during the past few weeks, the
rich reddish bronze, almost crimson flowers
standing out conspicuously from amongst those of
many other sorts. The plants are frt ely flowered,
having been grown without disbudding, and any
gardener opposed to the use of the semi-early
Chrysanthemum for the outdoor garden during
October, after once peeing this variety, could not
fail to be impressed with its beauty and hardy
constitution. The height does not exceed 3 feet,
and the plants are clothed with rich green foliage
right down to the ground. Now that the Dahlias
and other tender subjects are cut down by the
frost these flowers are highly valued. -D. C.

Hairy Chrysanthemums in Belgium.—
These were fairly numerous at the Ghent show.
The best of them were W. Falconer, pale blush ;
Enfant des deux Mondes, white ; Mrs. Leslie
Ward, a Japanese with long drooping florets, very
delicate shade of golden cinnamon or buff', with
reverse of bright gold and rather broad florets ;
Fleur Lyonnaise, rosy carmine, with flat florets,
reverse golden ; Pique mal de Rozeville, a big,
solid flower with sharp pointed florets, colour dull
carmine, reverse golden ; P. Marieton, golden
yellow ; Belle des Gordes, rather narrow groo\ ed
florets, colour a charming shade of pale pmk,
tinted yellow, a close, compact flower; Hairy
Wonder, very good and rich in colour, rosy golden
buff's and Vaucanson, deep amaranth.— C. H. P.

Chrysanthemum Cede Nulli.— The yellow,
white, and pink forms of Cedo Nulli I find very
useful for decoration in the house. Grown into
various sizes they are admirably adapted for
placing in ornamental baskets mixed with Ferns,
Primulas, and early forced bulbs, the larger-sized
plants being just the thing to drop into orna-

Notes of the Week.

Rhododendron Countess of Derby.— This

is a distinct and pleasing variety with trusses of
chrome-yellow flowers, the latter having a ten-
dency to become double, though the beauty is not
particularly increased thereby.

Pelargonium Soleil Couchant is a very free-
flowering variety of the Ivy Pelargonium, with

J^t o=<>o nf rr,=o.ninlr flowers. This va-

mental pots or bowls. Their bushy habit, wh^le
increasing their decorative value, also renders the
use of sticks unnecessary. I usually, bfsides
keeping a few tld cut-backs for uee in larger
receptacles and piopagating a few at the ordin-
ary season (January), aU-o take a few cuttings from
the young stock when ihey are stopped say in May.
These make splendid small bushes in B-mch pots,
which may be used in many different ways owing
to their handy size. The pink, white, and yellow
forms are all excellent. — J. C.

compact trusses of rose-pink -. -— - _-

riety is among the best of those adapted for
winter flowering, and is most serviceable in a cut

Sonerila Leopold II.— A very pretty, com-
pact, and free-flowering plant, scarcely more than
1 foot high, and busby withal. Its maibled foli-
age and numerous trusses of rosy mauve blossoms
render it a very pleasing plant for the warm
greenhouse just now.

Rhododendron Cloth of Gold. -This is a
tine hybrid obtained from R. Lord Wolseley and
R Teysmanni. The trusses, as also the individual
flowers, are of good siz9 ana suhstince. At West-
minuter on Tuesday last the Messrs Veitch
secured an award of merit for this beautiful .orm.

Galanthus nivalis octobrensis —This is
the only hardy plant in flower at the moment in
the rock garden at Kew, where a solitary tuft is
bearing a half-dozen or so of snowy white blos-
soms. A large group of it would prove most
acceptable in any rock garden or on any grassy

""camellia alba plena.-This grand old plant
has already begun its round of flowering, many of
the first blossoms on some fine examples being
nearly J foches across, and though, perhaps, a
little formal-looking, appear in striking contrast
to the deep glossy foliage so cbaractenetic of
healthy examples.

Carnation Winter Bride. -This is a per-
petual flowering variety, with pure white bos-
ioms of large size and charming Clove-like fra-
grance. Happily, too, the variety possesses a fine
vigorous constitution and is very free flowering.
A notable characteristic is the broad guard petals,
the flower being very full to the centre.

Amphicome Emodl.— Among pretty flower-
ing plants this is worthy of mention by reason of
its^freedom of blooming. The plant is of „eat
habit and produces flowers of delicate pmk
and white, with orange throat. For planting on
the rockery in the conservatory it is well suited,
as quite small plants have been continuously in
flower for some weeks.

Aloe ciliaris may be described as a species
with climbing habit, producmg occasional tufts
Tf growth, each of which in turn produces a small
spike about 9 inches long of its La=henal,a-hke
blossoms. The neat appearance of the spike as a
whole is quite distinct from the majority of its
tribe, and, from the manner it is growing at Kew,
it revels in plenty of sun and light.

Jacquemontia violacea. - A beautiful
though frail, climber from Mexico, of neat habit
of g owth, and producing small clusters of pleas-
ne .lue flowers after the manner of Convolvulus.
It 11 a pretty and useful plant for the greenhouse
th.t should be more frequently grown, as it re-
quires but little roof space, and in this position
the plant is quite happy and flowers profusely.

Plumbago rosea superba.-Ths genus pro-
vides flowers ot red, white, and blue shades, and

428

THE GARDEN.

[XovtfMBBR 28, 1896.

singularly enough, all are chaste and beautiful in
their way, and ever the admiration of those who
see them. The above variety is now a very
pleasing feature in pats, the flowers large and
very charming in their delightful rose-pink shade.
This plant should always be found in the warm
greenhouse for the bright effect which it produces.

Statice profusa.— This is among the most ser-
viceable of greenhouse flowering plants, and one
which provides much useful material for cutting.
The trusses of bloom are freely produced, even
upon small plants, which always makes them of
greater value. Cuttings root quite readily if
mossed round after being notched with the knife
and kept moist for a few weeks with the syringe.
Another good plan where quantity is required
is to raise it from root-iuttings, by which means
very dwarf plants are quickly obtained.

Laportea moroides.— This is the Poison Tree
of t>'jeensland, though its handsome masses of
Mulberry - like berries are scarcalv suggestive
of paison. Indeed, the dense clusters of fruits
are distinctly attractive, and being also of large
siz>, would tend in some degree at least to tempt
the unwary. The plant is of erect growth, with
foliage somewhat akin to Sparmannia, and the
clusters of bright red fruits surround the stem
at about lo inches high, other clusters of uni ipe
fruit occurring at intervals on the stem. A
small spscimen is now fruiting in No. 7 range at
Kew.

Begonia Ensign is one of the pioneers of a
probable new race of these increasingly popular
flowers, and is the result of crossing one of the
tuberous-root«d section and B. socotrana. The
variety in (|uestion is by no means particularly
showy as we understand"the Begonia to day, but
a good deal of interest attaches thereto by reason
of the parentage, and doubtless we shall now soon
see the better forms of the tuberous Begonia
generally, with their infinite variety of colours,
infused m greater or less degree into the winter-
flowering kinds. In this way such things will
prove a great gain to our greenhouses.

Solandra grandiflora.— Among the occu-
pants of the succulent house at Kew this is a most
striking plant. A somewhat aged specimen
planted out in the large central bed sends its
tree-hke stem to the roof, and is there trained
beneith the ridge to the extent of ;iii feet or more,
the fliwers appearing on the tips of the spur-like
branches. The giant trumpet-shaped blossoms
are some 8 inches or In inches long, the corolla of
a somewhat heavy cream shade, the large spread-
ing lobes being beautifully fringed at the margin.
Internally the flowers are striped with a dark
purple-brown flame, which renders it generally
attractive.

Nerine Manselli.-Attention has recently
been directed to more than one of the interesting
and beautiful members of this race of nearly
hardy bulbous plants, and the above will add yet
one naore to the latter section of them. The plant
18 of dwarf and sturdy habit, and very free- flower-
ing when good sized bulbs are secured. The coral-
pink of the expanding flowers is very charming,
and eventually deepens to a warm roee-pink hue.
Being a lat« flowering kind, it is valuable for the
succession it gives, and where such things are
grown the above should not be omitted. This
fine hybrid, which has N. flexuosa and X. curvi-
tolia for Its parents, is now flowering at Kew.

S:hizD8tyli8 coccinea.-Thi- plant is pro
yiding one of the most effective bits of colour in
the greenhouse at the present time, and, apart
from Its decorative value in this structure, it i-
especially useful for cutting. Few things are
of more easy culture, and the flowers, coming at
the dulUsL season of the year, are welcome by
reason of their brilliancy, and the length of stem
renders them of still greater use when employed
m a cut state. The plant is rarely seen in good
condition as a permanent pot plant, but if the
^T-S-iPr*"^ "'u P'/'"*'* separately on a moist
rich soil jn March a few inches apart, they make
capital pUote for Uf ting and potting at the end of

August. Six or eight in a 6inch pot make very
serviceable plants f jr many purposes.

Lasiandra macrantha.— Why is this plant
so seldom met with, and then hardly ever in per-
fection ■; I have seen it in stoves and in the warm
end of the greenhouse even at Kew, under which
treatment it rambles and bears few flowers :
whereas one of its natural habitats is Mi km) feet up
the Andes. It is easily grown and readily struck.
I grow it in the greenhouse, standing it in
the open air in the summer months, and the
result has been most satisfactory. One of
my plants in a 10 inch pot has bloomed con-
tinuously for two months, and is still (Novem-
ber 20) showy, attracting the attention of every
visitor. No Dog Rose bush is more free tiowor-
ing, and I reckon that the plant, which had a
little careful pinching when young to make it
bushy, and which stands about 4 feot above the
pot, requiring no support, though soft-wooded—
has had at least 2'X) bloonn upan it, each, as
measured to-day, .S inches across and of an in-
tensely brilliant bluish violet. Every shoot or
branch has borne flowers ; the soil used is decayed
top spit from a sandy pasture, with a little cow
manure.— North west Cheshire.

Autumnal Koses.- Mr. Burrell, in writing of
the above on p. 41-2, invites information as to the
best Roses for that purpose. His selection is a
good one, but I think that anyone who grows a
good collection of the best Teas would find that
he had all that could be desired, as the autumn
crop of flowers is almost as profuse as the summer
one, and nothing can excel them in beauty and
fragrance. There is one class of Roses, however,
that Mr. Burrell does not mention (the China),
which is, in my experience, the most free- flower-
ing of all at this season. I find to-day (Nov. -i.'i)
that such sorts as Eugene Beauharnais, Abb6
Miolan, Cramoisi Supe'rieur, Louis Philippe, St.
Prix de Buz9, Hi^be, and Abbe Melane are a mass
of bloom, and give quite a colour to the snug
corner they occupy. I find that the best Teas for
autumn bloom are Mme. Charles, Sunset, Com-
teeseRizadu Parc.Francisca Kruger, JulesFinger,
Souvenir dun Ami, Souvenir David d'Angers,
Ma Capucine, Mme. de Watteville, and Marquise
de Vivens. Among the Polvanthas, Clothilde
Soupert and Etoile d'Or are the best. Gloire
des Rosomanes I have a group of on a warm, dry
bank, and to look at this one would almost think
it was the middle of summer, so beautiful are
its bright crimson buds and partly expanded
blooms.— G. Taylor, ShnMand Park, Jpswirh.

Books.

FLORILEGIUM HAARLEMENSE.*
Wi: are receiving numbers of this from M. De
Erven Loosjes, but regret to say that, like many
other gardening books, everything in it is drawn
as stiff as a lamppost, with mostly an unclean
yellow background to the plates, which are over-
crowded and ill-drawn. It is a pity so much
money should be spent on books of this sort with-
out getting even a shadow of the natural grace of
the plants.

A BOOK ABOUT ROSES.t
We are glad to see a new edition, the fifteenth,
of Dean Hole's book on the Rose, which shows at
once the love of the English people for the sub-
ject and the able manner in which the desire for
information about Roses is met. This time the
book is illustrated by drawings of certain pretty

Rose gardens, which

very

idea. Th«

drawings are much better than most drawings of
the kind, but, like many engravings of the time,
they are reproduced by a process not so good. We

• "Florilegium Haarlemense." Haarlem: De Erven
Loosjes.

t ■' A Book About Roses." By the Dean of Roches-
ter. London : Edwin Arnold, Bedford St., Strand.

do not much care for the division of things into
garden Roses and not g.arden Roses. Every Rose
worth growing is a garden Rose, but we know ic
is the way of the trade at present. There is an
amusing sketch of John Leach's, who was a friend
of the Djan in past years, as a frontispiece. The
Rose hedge in the Deanery gardens at Rochester
is a very pretty drawing, and we hope in future
editions drawings of this kind will be developed
to show the beauty of the Rose in the garden.
The rich, cool soil at Caunton was more loved of
the Rose than the warm Kentish valley soil, but
we are glad to see the Dean keeps on with hij
Roses.

Trees and Shrubs.

EVERGREEN TREES IN FOREST OR
WOODLAND.
Havinc recently endeavoured to show tlie
greatest error in English planting, the using
of large plants instead of the small ones
of the true forest planter, and the waste and
disappointment in planting trees so large, that
any true forester would burn them as rubbish,
we now wish to say some words on another
great error, and that is the use of trees not
fitted for our country. Owing to the fat cata-
logues of conifers, the idea has been created in
the public mind that there are a number of
exotic forest trees which are worthy of wood-
land planting which really have no merit for
it whatever, and a great deal of money has been
wasted in planting such trees. Many exotic trees,
such as the SVellingtonia, have been planted in
pleasure grounds over a large area in England,
and, we think, with poor results, but when we
come to select trees for forest planting and get
a catalogue with numerous varieties and species
absolutely unfitted for our country, or untried
in it in any forest sense, then it is we have to
guard against waste in planting. Even the
presence in pleasure grounds of tine trees like
the Douglas Fir should not encourage anybody
to plant more of it in woodlands, because the
gardener's way of growing such things is abso-
lutely distinct from the conditions the trees must
face in the open country. Sturdy old Philip
Frost, with his hundred loads of good sound
loam beneath the Douglas Fir at Dropmore,
was a picturesque figure, and the result interest-
ing, but what would become of such a tree with
the poor chalky soil of that district left to
itself ? Making a deep hole and filling it with
rich loam not only alter the nature of the soil,
but in face of a light rainfall the moisture
gathers and saves the tree, which on the natural
soil would soon starve, so that we must not
now think anything of pleasure ground "speci-
mens," and if we want to plant evergreen woods
we must look to the trees of Europe and the
countries which come nearest to it in climate
and character.

As to the value of the timber, some of the
Pines of Europe may have at present a very low
value, but that should not greatly influence any
planter, because before any trees planted now
have grown into timber the conditions of the
timber trade will probably have altered. There
have been instances in our own day of timber
which at one time was worthless quickly becom-
ing of considerable value ; and any clean, well-
grown wood of the Pine will in the future have
value enough to justify its cultivation. There
is another reason why we should not plant things
unfitted for our country, and that is, that healthy
timber can never be produced from such trees.
For instance, it is quite common to notice the
things so popular in nurseries now and thriving
for a few ypars under the good preparation that

No EMBER 28, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

429

they get, but after a dozen years, or perhaps a
generation, they dwindle away and go back.

Our native Fir is not only amongst the very
hardiest of Pines, but it is perhaps the most
beautiful of a'l in its old state, and therefore

we shall never probably get anything better,
take it all round. In a ti ee of such a vast range
of distribution as the Scotch Fir there are ferring cool

said to be superior— a tall fine tree— but it
rnuch more diflicult to get in quantity, pre-
ring cool snils, and the form best known is

various forms or reputed varietie.'s, some pre- the ordinary German one.

ferring the true Scotch type. The lliga form i Next to that, perhaps, the tree most commonly

planted in Britain is
the Spruce, but, un-
fortunately, it does not
deserve its popularity,
for with our often low
rainfall and the tree
being a mountain one,
with often snow arc and
its feet all the winter
and far into the sum-
mer, it gets starved on
our poor dry soils,
though happy enough
in wet bottoms and in
the wet, peaty soils of
the west of Ireland
and Scotland, and by
river banks and moist
places anywhere. Still,
it is not a tree like the
Scotch Fir, that one
can trust everywhere,
and should only be
planted where the soil
suits it.

The Silver Fir of
Europe is a noble tree,
picturesque, hardy,
very tall, massive, and
when growing close to-
gether giving an enor-
mous mass of wood, as
we see it in its native
mountains in Central
Europe and France,
propagating itself na-
turally in abundance,
growing in the poorest
mountain soil, and in
Britain attaining a
stature of over 100
feet. This tree should
never be forgotten by
a planter, and, above
all, a planter who has
to deal with poormoun-
tain ground and who
does not much want
to think about the
quality of the ground
he is planting.

Although not so
extensively tried in
Britain, by any means,
as the Spruce, we must
place next to it, among
evergreen trees, the
Corsican Pine, which
has not been planted
nearly so much in
Britain as other Pines,
but we have often seen
it as a stately forest
tree in poor soils in
France, where its
growth is greater than
that of any other ever-
green tree. So it ap-
pears to be in Britain,
as many of our own
trees, even in the re-
cent hot years, have
grown 2 feet and even
'.'> feet apiece where the
soil is at all f^ivour-
able. Within the last

The Si'ver Fir in the Austrian Alp'. From a photograph sent bj M. Louis Kroyatsch, Imperial Gardens, Vien:ta

430

THE GARDEK

[XoVEMBER

few weeks we nave visited handsome woods
of this tree of the greatest beauty at Les
B.irres, in Loiret, and were struck with the
dignity and beauty of the tree and its fitness
for our climate. It is said not to be eaten
by game, and under this pleasing delusion we
planted a few acres of it in a very rabbity
place, with the result that we lost quite two
years in the growth of the plantation and a
great number of trees. Side by side with the
Scotch and other Pines, undoubtedly rabbits
do not eat it— at least at first— nearly so much
as the other Pines, but they injured it very
much in our case, and in places where such
thicgs are numerous it would always suffer in
the end in a bad winter, so the best way is to
s;ive the rabbits and hares no chance, but wire
before planting. The Oorsicau is the Pine
which extends" into Calabria, and the Italian
variety is said to be even more remarkable for
its fine stature ; but, considering the stately
woods of the true Corsican we have seen, we
could not wish for a better tree. Certainly both
deserve a trial, the Calabrian being somewhat
the more difficult to obtain. We have no
reason to believe this Fir would object to the
ordinary soils of Britain, but those we have
seen thriving best are in gravel and sandy soils
of poor nature, and it should not be tried in
very calcareous soil.

After this, perhaps, for poor soils, the Black
or Austrian Pine is one of the most useful trees.
It is very popular in our pleasure grounds,
where it is often grown as a specimen, but the
fair way to try the tree is shoulder to shoulder
in a wood in the way it grows naturally, and
in that way it shows its true character and
growth much better than when it is set out
in pleasure grounds. Coming from the cold
mountains of Central Europe, we cannot doubt
its hardiness. It may be planted with advan-
tage near the sea, and it will resist as well as
any Pine, storms and high wir.ds. It also, like
the Silver Fir, is not particular about soil,
objecting, however, to deep peats of an acid
nature, and it has has the merit of growing in
the poorest calcareous soil, which will make it
useful to those occupying such rather numerous
places in the south of England.

It probably is not quite so good for timber
where Scotch or Corsican will do, but perhaps
some of our readers may be able to tell us of
its value in its own country in Central
Europe. In our pleasure grounds it
couraged to branch from being planted in the
open way of specimen trees, whereas its true
nature, like that of most Pines, is to grow close
and to throw into the trunk the strength which
is wasted in the branches in our pleasure
grounds.

Among the Californian trees which are suit-
able for our country, perhaps the most tried
so far is the Douglas Fir, but we cannot see
that the trials made up to now in England
confirm the hopes of it, although we do set
it thriving well occa.sionally here and there,
especially in open, free soils m the west country,
in Ireland, and in Xorfolk. The Menzies'
Spruce or Fir, we think, however, sometimes
called a variety of the Douglas, is at least a
well worthy of planting a3 the Douglas. Wi
have seen some plantations of it on our cold
eastern coast handsome in colour, tall, and
rapid in growth with fine effect. The fact of
its having been introduced into the State forests
of Prussia is al.so a point worth noting. It
should be tried in light and open soils.

A tree that, we think, deserves more en-
couragement, apart from its use in pleasure
grounds, is the Cedar of Lebanon, a tree of
gieat beauty and interesting associations, which

may almostbe said to come nearer in geographical
distribution to European trees, because, after
all, the mountains of Asia ISIinor and those of
Africa are not so very far away from the moun-
tains of Southern Europe, and when we went
among the Cedars of Lebanon and Atlas in their
native homes, we found among them Hawthorn
flower, our native Yew and other flowers
and bushes of English woods, showing the close
connection between the mountains of Africa
and Asia Minor and those of Europe. There-
fore we think the Cedar of Lebanon might
often be planted with advantage as a woodland
tree, planted as thickly as any other Pine,
and allowed to grow rather close together
when grown up together, but never so close
as to weaken the stem. Then we should get in
this noble tree a mass of timber which would
probably equal that of any other Pine we grow.
There need be little doulit about its hardiness,
because there are trees over ^00 years old in
England perfectly happy even near smoky
cities, and there are aoble specimens in many
of our parks, like Goodwood, Pain's Hill and
elsewhere," which have withstood the snows,
frosts and tempests of many winters, but
shoulder to shoulder in a wood they are under
still more favourable conditions for resisting
these troubles.

The Deodar Cedar of India is, on the other
hand, a tender tree, and should never
planted in woodland work, though Mr. Simpson
says it grows well at Wortley at a height of
tRiO feet above the sea. At such an elevation
trees like it and the Monterey Pine that perish
in the lowlands sometimes escape, but in forest
planting no tree which is tender anywhere in
Britain should be thought of.

The last of the Pines of high importance for
woodland and forest planting in our country is
the White Pine of Canada, called in our country
the Weymouth Pine, but which is better called
by the English name given to it in its own
country, where it is a notable tree, one of the
hardiest and handsomest of the Pines, and
where it does well ; but in some way in England
it is not often very happy. Clearly, certain of
our soils do not suit it, though it may be seen
doing well here and there. We hear it is giving
good results in Germany.

We stop here because, although there may
be other kinds seen occasionally in our pleasure-
grounds that invite the planter to experiment
with them on a large scale, for the most part
they are not yet sufficiently tried in woodland
work either as to their growth or hardiness.
Still less have we any confidence in their value
as timber or of their power to resist our early
frosts, fatal to so many trees of the high moun-
tain ioTeata.-' Field.

Beech trees in Oxfordshire.— The article in
a recent number on Beech trees induces me to
send you a few lines When you are next in
North Oxfordshire, I hope, if you have not seen it,
you will go to Cornbury Park to see a magnificent
tree, finer than those in Scotland mentioned in
the article. It is growing near the park wall,
not far from Crannel Gate and near the glorious
avenue called Beech Row. Its stately beauty
would well repay a very long journey.— F. A.
Stur<:e.

Cooper Beech. — Referring to paragraph
p. 367 in The (Jardkx, November 7, signed
" R. C. H.," about Copper Beech, I beg to fay
there is a large Copper Beech at Bell Hall, five
miles from York, of which the proprietor, Mr.
Baines, gave me dimeneinne eeveral years ago ;
height 68 feet ; girth al 2 feet, 10 feet 4 inches ;
spread of branches 72 feet. Having recently
visited Bantry Bay, I saw there Phormium tenax
in large clumps. The Deefontainea and Abelia

triflora grow well out of doors.— George Craw-
H.vi.r,, Burton Croft, York-.

Coloured climbers at Gurton.- The we^t
front of Gunton Hall presents a very attractive
appearance each autumn from the variety of
ornamental climbing plants which adorn its walls.
These have been planted so as to secure a hapf y
combination of colour, the varieties of Ampe-
lopsis, variegated Ivies, and the old Virginian
Creeper cDntraeting well, the white bricks
showing up well as a background. Many people
have an objection to the donee varieties of Ivies
on d«elling houses, from the idea that they en-
courage damp, although others have quite the
opposite idea. The subjects above named, how-
ever, can be used without the least fear of harm
in any way, most of .'.htm being deciduous during
the winter months. The labour attending them
is very little, as most of them cling naturally to
the walls, while a little tying about twice during
the growing seaeon eutlices for the Virginian
Creeper. Many a formal, unattractive building
might be made attractive during summer by these
in their green, and during autumn in their coloured
state.— C. C. H.

The Spindle Tree. — The white berries I send
you were taken from a single shtub growing in a
large wood among a great many shrubs of the red
variety. I believe this is the common Spindle
Tree, but would be glad to know its correct name,
and whether the white variety is of common
occurrence. The appearance of the white bush
was most beautiful ; the ivory white fruit and
orange-coloured feeds made it look far more as if
it were covered with flowers than with fruit, and
it certainly seemed worthy of a place among the
choicest shrubs. The leaves on the white variety
were green, while those on the common variety
had turned claret colour. The bush was about
5 feet high, but could njt have been more than
four or five years old, as in every part of the
wood the undergrowth is cut down once in seven
years, and the part where the white bush was
growing would certainly not be cut for another
two or thiee years judging from its height at
present. — M. C.

*,* It seems a very interesting variety, and we
should have been glad if you had sent us leaves
of both. As we presume it is gathered in an
English wood, there cannot be much doubt about
its being the common Spindle Tree. It would be
advisable to save the seed of the white variety.
—Ed.

Veronica Purple Queen.— This shrubby va-
riety of Veronica, which originated with Messrs.
Veitch, is just now flowering profusely, and it is
ery useful at this season of the year for conserva-
tory decoration or in the milder parts of the
untry as a shrub in the open ground. It is of
a compact, freely-branched habit of growth.
These different varieties of Veronica which have
originated from the intercrossing of two or three
species are all very pretty and useful from their
autumn flowering qualities, while there are now
several distinct shades of colour among them.
One of them, imperialis, is very effective by reason
of its conspicuous clusters of rich reddish ama-
ranth coloured blossoms, while other good kinds
are Jardin Fleuri, carmine-red ; Cele>tial, pale
bine ; Reine des Blanches, white ; Blue Gem, a
very dwarf variety with pale blue blossoms ;
Bolide, reddish; Eveline, rosy lilac, and Cieme
et Violet, pink. The readiness with which these
Veronicas can be increased from cuttings, their
naturally Ijushy growth, and their profusion of
blossoms which are spread over such a lengthened
period, render them, in conjunction with their
robust constitution, a very desirable class of au-
tumn-flowering plants. Among other features,
they hold their own better than many other sub-
jects in smoky districts ; hence in towns where
there are so many small conservatories they are
extremely useful, and in London as window
plsnts they are very general, for though in many
instances, from the absence of direct sunshine,
they do not flower well, yet the foliage is always
bright and cheerful, despite the hardships they
have to contend with. The winters in London,

November

1896.]

THE GARDEK

431

too, which are lees severe than in the open country,
do not often prove fatal to them, for if cut back
they, as a rule, quickly recover with the return
of spring— that is, if the roots <set their due share
of attention, which is by no means always the
case. Veronicas form a dense mass of roots and
are liberal feeders, which should be borne in mind
when they are grown altogether in pots. — T.

Flower Garden.

HARDY ARUMS.

Tiiot'i:H not beautiful in the true sense of the
word, the various species of Arum that are
either perfectly hardy or with a slight protec-

especially if the soil be a sandy loam. The
plants are usually increased by division of the
root, though seeds will also be found useful
when it is desired to freely naturalise any of
the species in the woodland or shrubbery. The
following are among the most useful of the
hardy kinds : —

A. CRINITUM, represented in the accompanying
illustration, is one of the most groteeque of the
hardy species, and of its remarkable bearing a
good idea may be gathered from the picture.
This species should always be planted in warm
and sheltered positions where some natural pro-
tection may be afforded it, as it is not perfectly
hardy in all winters. One of the most distinct
features of this species is the great size of the
spat he and the remarkable way it is mottled or

yellow hue, the club-shaped spadix yellow. This
species is also very pretty in the autumn when
its clutters of berries are fully matured, when
they are of a bright fcarlet hue, acd for this
reason it is ore of the most useful for natural-
ising in rather moist spots. Tliere is a variety of
this plant called A. i. marmoratum in which the
marbling of the foliage is more clearly defined.

A. M.\cnLATUM. — A distinct British species with
hastate sagittate leaves, tbe spathe neaily erect
and spotted with dull purple, the spadix some-
what similar in colour. The species is scarcely a
foot high and well adapted for the wild garden.

The other hardy kinds of more or less mteres t
are, A. Dracontium, A. orientale, A. tenuifolium,
A. variolatum, &c.,all of interest in their particu-
lar sphere in the woodland or similar phces in
the garden. — E. J.

Mr. Walter Laidlaw, the Abbey Gardens,
Jedburgh, sends us the following re the variety
figured : —

The Arum grew in the Abbey Gardens, be-
lortjing to the Marquis of Lothian, in a border
havmg a southern exposure and containing an
excellent variety of herbaceous plants. It
bloomed for many years and was much admired
by visitors to the Abbey, few of whom had seen
the plant before. Unfortunately it was destroyed
by frost during one of our severe winters.

Arum crinitum. From a photog',
Abbey Gardet

fion may be grown in the open garden are un-
doubtedly striking in their general aspect as
well as singular and interesting. The " Lords
and Ladies " or " Cuckoo Pint " of our hedge-
row or copses is familiar to everyone who
knows anything at all of country life. Indeed,
this very plant is not without its attractive side
when the scarlet fruit has attained its full
colour. Taken as a whole, the best posi-
tions in the garden for these things are the
margin of the shrubbery, the woodland in such
parts where the Ivy carpets tbe ground, or in
any spare nook in the hardy fernery. In any
of these positions the plants will be at home,

ph sent by Mr. Walter Laidlaw,
s, Jedburgh,

freckled. A native of Syria, Mesopotamia and
other parts.

A. Draciinculus (common Dragon). — This
species is of taller growth, attaining to 2J feet
high when in good deep soil and a suitable
position. It is a very curious plant, the stem
heavily marbled with black, as aie also the leaf
stalks, the growth more erect, the spathe ovate
and pointed at the tip, and of a purple brown
colour. South Europe, &c.

A. ITAUCUM is a useful and pretty kind by
reason of its variegated leaves that each atta'n a
foot or more high. In greater part the cordate,
hastate leaves are dark shiny green, and occasion-
ally blotched white. The spathe is of a greenish

Anemone Lady Ardilavm. — I agree with
" S. W. F." that the pure single white Honorine
Jobert is difficult to beat. It seems also im-
possible for any variety to bloom more freely or
over a longer period. Neither are double or semi-
double flowers necessarily more beautiful than
single one?. Suffice to name Narcissi and Snow-
drcps to the contrary. The greater staying powers
of double flowers is a strong point in their tavour,
but the flowers of Honorine Jobert cut fresh are
by no means fugacious, and a good many of us
have no wish to see our Japanese Anemones
develop into batchelor's buttons.— D. T. F.

I had Anemone japonica Lady Ardilaun

from two of the leading noith country nur-
83ries. One was a fine variety of Honorine
Jobert. leaves larger, of much more substance,
; nd fioret.s ttore numerous, but certainly
no double row; in the other the foliage was
small, the fewer semi-double and small and
insignificant. I believe the latter was either
Whirlwind, the American v.ariety, cr one I have
seen described as Lord Ardilaun. Unless it im-
proves it is not woith growing, while the other is
a decidedly fine variety of Honorine Jobert. —
J. R. D. , Feigate.

"Wallflowers.— It is well worthy of note, and
shows how closely public taste in flowers remains
faithful to old favourites, that in spite of the intro-
duction of po many other attractive things. Wall-
flowers remain as popular as ever. They early
give us bloom that has delicious perfume, and they
are so easily raised from seed and grown that any
one can have them good. I notice that in the
market fields the blood-red, so highly favoured,
shows very sturdy growth, and if no very severe
weather ensues should blo^m finely later. Owing
to the long spell of summer drought the plants
are not so large as is usually the case at this time
of ihe year, but they are veiy bushy and sturdy.
Wallflowers manage to exist during drougtit
with greater facility than most planis, but in
their wild state being capable of growing freely
even on old walls where moisture is of the
smallest, it is obvious they can find sufficient for
existence if not to promote strong growth in cul-
tivated soil. Their ample leafage no doubt
materially helps the plants to endure root drought.
If the autumn rains have in rich soil generated
growth that is soft and sappy, no harm and per-
haps much good may be done by lifting the plants
by the aid of a fork with a cluster ot roots, and
again planting them, as the check resulting will
help to harden both stems and leaves. Large
numbers of both crimson and yellow Wallflowers
are lifted at this time of the 3 ear and used to fill
beds otherwise vacant. It is surprising how little

432

THE GARDEN.

[NovtMDER 28, 1896.

the plant? suffer if firm though small balls of soil
and rojts ba preserved, and therej-lintingbsdone
speeJily and with cire. A few of the older leaves
may fall, but new leafage soon results. With soil
now moist transplanting may proceed with
assured certainty of success. The blood-red va-
riety, and the deeper in colour the better, still re-
mjiins for garden purposes or for cutting and
bunching the most popular. Good yellow solfs
are next favoured, but bi-coloured varieties
though pretty are less cared for.— A. D.

PLANTING DELPHINIUMS.
From my experience in the cultivation of the
Delphinium, I cannot agree with Messrs. Kel-
way and Sou at page ;>r)3 of The G.\ki>en with
respect to planting. A most important item to
a large number of amateurs, and for whose
guidance I consider the statement, " They may
be planted at any time of the year," stands in
need of some modification. At the outset it
ni.iy appear supertiuous to call in question any
statemi-nt made by Messrs. Kelway. Yet, not-
withstanding, 1 am fully convinced that many
failurt-s wouldensueifsucha dictum were adopted
in all gardens and in all soils. Indeed, I could
give references to particular localities in War-
wickshire, Nottingham, Cheshire and Glouces-
tershire where on heavy and som»?what cold and
retentive soils, and by reason of an apparently
never-ending multitude of small black slugs
which greedily devour the crowns of these
plants in winter, the general collection of namtd
Delphiniums is only preserved by special care
and attention each year ; and not only the named
kinds, but of tirn the most vigorous seedlings are
attacked in the same way. For this reason it is
by no means generally safe to plant on such
soils during the late autumn months or through
the winter season at all, and to do so is to court
failure. Nor is it only Delphiniums that .sutl'er,
for Pyrethrums are frequently so weakened
thereby during winter, as to seldom recover to
do any good. A very extensive collection of
the latter in a large midland nursery was
destroyed after many trials to keep the pest in
check, and from information atlbrded me re-
specting them a fresh stock had to be secured
every year or two to maintain a supply. The
method adopted by myself and others who
have had to contend with so persistent a foe has
been to freely dress with soot and lime about
the crowns, particularly the former, which may
be freely and frequently dusted about them with
good results. Doing this and covering the crowns
completely with small coal ashes are the best
means of securing the plants during the winter
months, for it is at this time the mischief is
done, and not when the plants are making
free growth. Doubtless a good dressing of
gas-lime, where the ground could lie vacant a
while, would clear the ground to a great extent,
but its use is dangerous in a flower garden or
small nursery where every inch of ground is
needed. In the latter the be.'t means is the
aoot, or where a few clumps are grown it is a
capital plan to clear away the soil about the
clumps in autumn and burn it, for there will
often be numbers present, or throw the soil
into the fowl-run or to the ducks. By replac-
ing the soil with wood ashes, or coal ashes and
soot, much may be done to keep the plants
safe. In other districts the plants grow with
great freedom and vigour, and apparently suffer
in no wise from di.sease or any animal pest. In
this part of Middlesex these splendid perennials
do grandly, and with a little extra care and
manuring I have produced some of the finest
spikes I have seen. The best results are always
to be secured by good plants from the open
ground, as these invariably possess one or two

good stout breaks that soon make a capital
plant. The only advantage of pot plants is
that of permiiting planting over a more
lengthened period. At the same time those
who desire to get the best results should plant
early in the year, and thereby secure the full
growth of the year in the ground to the newly-
planted subjects. In all cases where pot plants
are received, and especially those that have
been potted up for nearly a year, the plants
will be best if carefully shaken out or washed
out in water and then planted. If planted in
the hard ball of earth they are quite likely to
remain so for the season. I always used to
plant in spring, and it may be taken as a good
time, from the fact of many leading growers of
the flower cutting up and potting their plants
at this time, at the moment the growth began.
At this time not only can it be clearly seen
where to divide to the best advantage, but the
growths that cannot be detached with roots
from the parent clump will often root in a cold
frame if secured with a heel intact. In this
way I have rooted hundreds of the choicer
kinds during the past twenty years or so.
Plants cut up and replanted, where this is
necessary, when the new growth is 3 inches long
may be firmly planted in richly manured ground
at once, leaving just the point of the shoot well
above ground. Good pieces with a strong single
growth in good ground will make fine plants in
the first season, and being invariably furnished
with two to four buds at the base, will make
noble specimens the following year. Indeed,
it is at this flowering, in the hands of a good
cultivator, that the best spikes are furnished,
Where the plants are intended for decoration
generally they may remain longer, though the
fact of their being gross feeders should never be
lost sight of for a moment. We have no group
of perennials that can vie with the Delphinium.
Hampton Hill E. J.

Crocus Scharcjani.— Can any reader of The
G.\RDEX tell mo whether this yellow autumn
Crocus still lives in England V Ten years ago
there were some in a border at Kew flowering in
August, but I have heard that they have fince
been lost. I believe the bulbs were 83nt to Kew
by Mr. George Maw, who obtained them from the
north-east of Asia Minor, near Stauros, as re-
corded in his monograph of the Crocus. Fiie
years ago another amateur gardener joined me in
a rather costly endeavour to obtain through a
correspondent at Trebizonde some Crocus Scharo-
jani from the spot indicated by Mr. G. Maw.
About 400 Crocus bulbs alleged to have been col-
lected there were sent, but few recovered the
effects of the journey. I judged most of those
sent to be C. cancellatus, as the bulbs did not
fhow the characters of C. Scharojani. However,
half a-dozen of them flowered for the first time
last September and proved to be C. vallicola,
which Mr. Maw mentions as growing mixed with
C. Scharojani near Stauros. I may add that my
Trebizonde correspondent told me that yellow
autumn Crocuses were common near Trebizonde,
and he sent me some bulbs ; they proved, as 1
expected, to belong to some species of Stern-
bergia, and as those never flower in my garden, I
forwarded them to Kew, but I have not heard
whether they lived or to what species they be-
longed.—C. WoLLEV-DoD, E(hje. Hall.

Daturas in the open. — In his "American
Notes " (p. 34,^) Mr. W. H. Taplin tells us that at
Philadelphia, Datura (Brugmansia) suaveolens, as
well as D. cornucopa-a, grow and flower out of
doors with great freedom, but questions whether
the average English summer is warm enough for
their needs. It would seem from Mr. H. C. Prin-
sep's note (p. .■i.S4) that the latter variety, when
brought on ([uickly and planted out in June,
flowers freely, while I have seen several instances
where D. suaveoleng, with its handsome white

trumpet blooms, formed most attractive open-air
pictures. I presume that Mr. TapUn in his note
refers to Daturas planted out in the sun mer, and
not grown in the open all the year round ; indeed,
the fact that in his neighbourhood HjdrangeaHor-
tensia, when unprotected, is frequently injured by
the winter — an occurrence which rarely or never
happens in the south west of England— would
seem to preclude the possibility of this course
being pursued. I have, however, known, in a
particularly shaded garden in Sjuth Devon, a
plant of D. suaveolens which remained uninjured
in the open ground for at least three jears, as
well as other cases where this subject has sur-
vived the winter, and have no doubt that there
are not a few favoured spots, both in that country
and in Cornwall, where this plant would with-
stand the winter. Even in localities where these
Daturas may be left in situ during the winter, the
garden will be better embellished by the planting-
out of well-forwarded specimens iu June, as the
old plants are so backward in producing leaves
and blossoms, especially the latter, that the
autumn is ofuen upon them before the commence-
ment of their display. The large bushes, almost
trees, of this Datura, often to be seen in South
African gardens, are when in full bloom a glorious
sight, and at night, when the great trumpets of
the Mnon flowers, as they are called, gleam palely
beneath the southern cross, the air is heavy with
the odour that pours from countless throats, and
overpowers for the time the perfume of Gardenia
and Tuberose.— S. W. F., South Dtron.

HARDY PRIMULAS.

Pekiiap.s the following notes founded on per-
sonal observation as an addition to Mr F. W.
Meyer's interesting article on the genus Primula
in The Garden, November 7, may be deemed
worthy of insertion: —

Pkimula Ali-kimi. — This is decidedly a rare
Primula from higher ranges of the Maritime Alps
(it was unknown to Allioni himself), mostly
found growing sideways or even head downwards
on rook walls. Travellers proceeding from St.
Dalmas de Tende in the direction of Nice will sea
a wall of vertical clifl'on their right easily acces-
sible. All along this clitf grows P. AUionii, asso-
ciated with Passerina dioica, another rare plant,
but indeed the whole of this region of the Mari-
time Al(js abounds in rare plants. Caphnlanthera
rubra is a common plant among the limestone
rubtle.

P. CALYIINA, OR RATHER I ILAUC 'ESCENS (MorOt). —

'Phis may be found on the mountains about the
Uke of Como at no great height, provided it is
looked for on moist grassy slopes with a north
aspect, as, f jr instance, on the south bank of the
glan of Esino running up behind Varenna. It
Bowers there about the end of April, quite c-lour-
ing the sward with its lilac blossoms.

P. siAKCiiNATA. — The common Primula from the
Col di Tenda southward^, flowering eaily or late
according to height above the sea. The flower is
of a much deeper colour in the morning than it is
in the evening after being exposed to a hot sun
all day.

P. I'ALiNtTRi.- 1 have always looked upon this
plint as peculiar to Cape Palinurus. Ihavenever
been there, as the place is somcivhat inaccessible
fo tourists. The specimens I have seen in col-
IdCtiona have always seemed to me an alpine
Auricula which has become somewhat modified in
form during a long Be])aration from its alpine
congeners, the flowers having become smaller
owing to the absence of the abundant moisture of
the Alps.

P. I'EDEMo.sTANA will be found flowering abun-
dant ly on the Italian slope of the Mont Cenis at
the end of May ;ind beginning of June, I do not
see wb}' it is not as good a species as any other.
At any ra*,e if it is only a variety of P. villota, it has
lost its viscidity. Primulas seem to have a habit
of growing in arf a?, and in each area the Primula
peculiar to it is the common one.

P. viscoSA = viLL(jsA = HIRSDTA. — Under thcse
trivial names two very distinct plants are con

NOVEMBEE 28, 1896."!

THE GARDEN.

433

founded. P. viscosa (Allioni) grows about the
baths of VaMieri. It is a largish leaved plant ;
the flower-scape is as big as that of a Cowslip and
has a marked odour of Geranium Robertianum.
Bitumen, Allioni likens it to. This Primula will
stand a great deal of heat. A patch of it fcrows on
a rock by the wayside near the village of i'ontana,
on the road which leads from the gorge of Saorgio
to St. Dalmas, where it must be exposed to heat
much greater than that of an ordinary English
summer. A plant taken from this patch was
figured by Moggridge in his "Winter Flora of
the Riviera " under the name of P. latifolia (La
Peyrouse). This was afterwards acknowledged
to be a mistake, as the true P. latifolia is confined
to the Eastern Pyrenees — so, at least, that most
accurate botanist, the late M. Edmond Boissier,
considered. According to the law of priority, I
suppose the name viscosa must stand for this
plant, which is a pity, as it is nothing like so vis-
cous as

P. viLLOs.v, OR HIRSOTA.— This plant is the com-
mon Primula of granitic Alps. Visitors to Stresa
or Biveno may easily obtain specimens in a
day's walk by climbing to the top of the alp
which rises behind those places. On the top,
seeking shade as much as possible, they will with-
out much fatigue find patches of this Primula,
but it will be out of flower by May 1. This
Primula must stand as viUosa or hirsuta, though
it is most viscous, and, unless kept separate from
other plants in the vasculum, will speedily pick
up such of their characteristics as are easily de-
tached. It is clearly AUioni's P. hirsuta. No
mention has been made of

P. suAVEOLENs, which most botanical works
put down as a distinct spgcies. I look upon it
only as a southern form of P. veris. It has rather
larger flowers, of a paler yellow than the common
Cowslip. A great point is made of the calyx
standing out from the tube of the corolla, but I
have certainly observed specimens of ths common
Cowslip approaching this form. Sherborne.

Sherhome House, Northleach, Glos.

VIOLETS AT NORTHAW HOUSE, HERTS.
For many years Mr. May has paid much attention
to Violets, and he could now gather enormous
quantities of this delicious flower. The variety
was Maria Louise, and upon inquirj- as to what
other varieties were grown, I received the reply,
' ' No other. " The grower stated nothing was easier
to grow than Violets. Mr. May places much
stress upon summer growth and less upon forcing
at this season. Only ordinary frames were used,
and there was no forcing in any way, merely
shelter. The plants are procured in the usual
way from offsets in the spring, and to this Mr. May
pays more than ordinary attention. No plants
infested with insects are used for stock. The
off-ets are planted in rows in land well manured,
and with more room than is usually given, with
due attention to moisture. This latter is impor-
tant, and a dewing overhead with a fine rose water-
pot after a hot day, though a trifling detail, wards
off' red spider, one of the worst pests the Violet
is subject to. Mr. May thinks most of the evils
the pUnts are heir to are to be feared during sum-
mer growth, and if good plants can be secured for
autumn lifting there is no lack of bloom in the
winter and early spring. In light soils an impor-
tant point is moisture, as lick of this in such a
summer as we have recently experienced would
be fatal to the plants. They make slow growth
and are weak and flowerless. Mr. May mulches
freely to retain moisture, and uses decayed leaf
soil. The roots ramify into this, and with ample
moisture they make extra fine clumps. During
the summer months there is no lack of food in
the way of liquid manure. This is not given till
the plants have made some progress and are
forming new crowns. As regards date of plant-
ing, much depends upon the season, the size of
the offsets, and other details. The plants are
lifted in September into cold frames, the space
between the plants being filled in with fine leaf
oils. No bottom-heat is employed. I saw a long

range of frames, fifteen to twenty lights, in various
stages, some of the latest plants being grown
specially for succession. In frosty weather ample
covering is provided, with free exposure in fine
weather ; indeed, Mr. May lays much stress on
exposure, as he thinks plants not coddled in any
way produce the best blooms. G. Wvthes.

ANEMONE JAPONICA AND ITS
VARIETIES.
So much has been written during the last few
years about the white and coloured varieties of
the Japan Aiiemone, and their value as garden
plants is .so fully recognised, that it is unneces-
sary to direct attention to their merits. Their
only fault was, that, by reason of their per-
sistently refusing to produce seeds, they gave
the hybridiser no opportunity of exercising his
skill upon them. During the past fifteen years
I have had many hundreds of the white and
coloured forms bloom, and never in a single
instance have I seen the slightest indication of
seed forming. What could have induced one
single bloom to form and perfect seeds after
such a long period of absolute stei'ility it is im-
possible to .«ay, but the long spell of barrenness
was at length broken, and the varieties named
Lady and Lord Ardilaun were the immediate
result. With respect to the former, I am
obliged to come to the conclusion that it is not
a plant for every garden, and I much doubt if
it will ever become really popular. It evidently
possesses an element of weakness, which in
some soils is so pronounced as to render it
practically valueless. With me it is affected
much in the same way as the old white Lily
is so frequently affected. In the spring of last
year I procured some plants from the raiser.
These were put out in ground that was well
manured and otherwise in good condition for
planting. The plants made fair growth, but
when the flower-stems pushed up, the leaves
began to look rusty, and by the time the
first flowers expanded they looked very mi
able. In reply to a note in The Garden, the
raiser stated that a too heavy coat of manure
would apparently cause this discolouration
of the foliage, so this year I gave my plants
nothing in the way of stimulants, with the result
that every leaf turned brown in July, and by
the end of the month the plants looked quiti
dead. This is the more striking, as the older
kinds flourish exceedingly with me, and the
newer one, Whirlwind, growing within a few
yards of Lady Ardilaun, has been remarkable for
its healthy appearance. There can be no doubt
that Lady Ardilaun is much inferior to its parent
in stamina, although probably this element of
weakness will not be so apparent in soils that
may happen to be very favourable to hardy
flowers generally. Of the variety called Lord
Ardilaun I have a very ditlerent opinion, and I
cannot understand why this was not selected for
special distribution in preference to its com-
panion. The flowers are as double, as large and
pure as those of Lady Ardilaun ; it is with
even more free-flowering and is apparently as
vigorous as the old white form. It is evidently
a fine thing and will, I think, take a front place
among late-blooming hardy flowers. Whirl
wind, which came to us from America, does not
seem to have become popular, and I must admit
that at first I thought it worthless. Grown in
rich soil it makes very large leaves of a rich
deep green, and the individual flowers are, I
think at least, disfigured by the enlargement of
the calyx, which projects beyond the corolla and
is like a miniature leaf. It flowers, too, some-
what later than the type. I thought of discard-
ing it, but have this season had occasion to
considerably modify this adverse opinion as to

ts merits. My plants have passed thi.i summer
in very poor soil, and although the flower
tems did not attain to more than half the
height of that of previous years, the flowers are
very pure instead of having a greenish tinge, as
was the case when growth was strong, and the
calyx is of normal proportions. The flowers are
tainly not so good in form as those of the
type, being composed of from twenty to
thirty strap-shaped petals arranged in two rows,
with rudimentary petals here and there round
the centre. As affording variety, Whirlwind
may well be grown, and those who have been
disappointed with it might try it in poor soil,
and where the plants get abundance of sun and
air so as to discourage a gross growth.

There can be no doubt that in course of
time we shall get a race of varieties of this
fine autumn flower exhibiting considerable
variation in colour, as double as the Hose, and
probably the hybridiser will be able to infuse
increased brilliancy and depth of colour. I am
sanguine on this point, for it may be noted that
in the flowers of the old coloured kind we may at
times discover a purplish tinge, and it is quite
possible that this in time may become more ac-
centuated and give birth to colours similar to
those which exist among the varieties of
A. coronaria. It is not unreasonable to expect
such a future for the Japan Anemone, seeing
what has been done with such things as the
Pyrethrum, Phlox, and Chrysanthemum. It is
safe to assume that in time we shall obtain
varieties with flowers much larger than those
now in cultivation. One of M. Lemoine's seed-
lings has flowers double the size of those of the
type, and if this improvement can be made in
the course of two or three years, what may we
expect in the course of a decade ? Coupe
d'Argent, distributed by M. Lemoine last year,
is a decided advance towards the perfect doub-
ling of A. japonica. The individual blooms are
composed of about forty petals arranged in
three, and sometimes four, rows, and when
fully expanded are pure white, though the
latest flowers are faintly tinged with pink.
The habit of growth is vigorous, though some-
what distinct from that of the parent form.
Several varieties were distributed by M. Le-
moine in the spring of the present year, but
not having seen them in bloom I can say
nothing as to their value. J. Cobnhill.

Pampas Grass protecting.— Now the winter

season is approaching it may be advisable to draw
the attention of those having young ttock to the
advisability of protecting in some way. My
method is to place some Bracken round the collars
of the plants to the height of 1 foot ; in this way
the plants get enough protection, and they grow
away well the next season. I am surprised to note
"J. M.'s" plants should have fared so badly.
With me— although some ten miles further inland
and in a low "ituation — the Pampas Grass did not
suffer so severely. I have two or three big clumps
that were only destroyed in the centre, and these
have bloomed freely this autumn. I never pro-
tect these big clumps.— J. Crook, Forde Abhiy.

Christmas Boses.— The season just past has
80 far suited these plants, that, whilst the long
spell of heat did conduce to early restfulness, yet
the autumn rains have quickened the roots mate-
rially, so that, being now thoroughly saturated,
they have been enabled to produce stout crowns,
which will soon be bursting into bloom. Gene-
rally these hardy plants do best in shade and
where the soil is deep and retentive. I have,
however, seen them growing and blooming wonder-
fully in front of a north border, at the back of
which were shrubs and trees, such as would make
the soil in November very dry. The owner of
these fine plants used, however, to give them
liberal waterings, including house sewage. The

434

THE GARDEK

[November 28

great thing, once Christmas Roses get well esia-
blished, is to keep the foliage fresh and strong ;
that heing so, ihe bbom will be full and abun
dant. Prop<\gation must bs perfjrmed some
time, and the bes; time for this is usually in
February, so soon as the flowers give over. They
should be lifted with the greatest care to preserve
all the fleshy roots, be carefully divided with a
sharp knife so as to form several from one clump,
and replanted in fre^h soil and in shade. Though
a check is inevitable, yet it is soon recovered from.
It is when planted in shallow or poor soil which
has not been deeply worked, and where exposed
to strong sunshine, that newly. divided plants do
badly, and, once they receive a check, are long in
getting into robust condition. A few handlights,
with tops that lift ofl; are the best of all covers
for individual outdoor plants, but when plantei
in bulk, of course a frame covering is best. A
few plants kept in large pots, tubs or boxes, and
in these carried into a greenhouse, are also very
useful. -A. D. '

OUTSIDE FLOWER PLANTIXG.
A VERV wide scope and a very wide range of sub-
jects are afforded to those gardeners who have an
oppcrtuEicy occasion'illy of doing a little in the
way of outside flower planting, beautifying, that
is, many spots removed from the regular flower
garden, such as places in pleasure grounds that
may have been cleared of common shrubs, the
files of lakes, the banks of streams, occasional
nooks standing back from carriage drives, and the
like. The plants that could be utilised for the
diflerent situations would range frcm the lowly
Crocus and DatTodil to the stittly forms of Heli-
anthus, Bambusa, Gyiiarium, &c. One of the
greatest drawbacks in many places to the
increased development of this very interest-
ing branch of gardening is undoubtedly the
rabbits, and where these are tolerated it is
simply useless planting, unless measures are im-
mediately tiken for efl'iCtuaKy netting in the
clumps made. The netting must go into the
ground 4 inches, and slope under ground towards
the pinnt from whence the attack may be ex-
pected, and be of sulBcient height that the
animals will not climb over. The enclosing of
individual clumps is better than netting. In a
considerable area any attack is thereby localised,
and can the more readily be me'. Where the
opportunity is atforded of utilising the tallest
flowers apart, that is, from flowering shrubs
which are not at present under consideration,
probably nothing better can be found for the
majority of sites than the best of the Sunflowers,
Starworts, and Gyncriums. Touching the last,
it may not be generally known that there arc-
several varieties, and that it is highly desirable
to secure the best types. One I have is hardly
worth growing, the spikes are poor, and the stems
so fragile that they are felled by the first wind
unless somewhat elaborately staked. Also it is
worth noting that the best type of Gynerium is
much preferable to Arundo conspicua ; the latter
is graceful both in spike aud foliage, but de-
cidedly delicate, and anything over iO" of frost
will generally settle it. I have never had any
trouble with the Gyneriums, but have always taken
the precaution to gather the foliage up to a stout
iroa rod extinguisher fashion, and also bank a bit
of rough leaf io:\ all round the outside on the
approach of severe weather. Good plants of
Gynerium are seen to great advantage where
they form the centre of a half circle and are
partially surrounded at a fair distance by a good
bank of foliage. Toe different forms of Sunflower
range in height, and can be planted with due re-
gard to the same. If a suitable position can be
assigned them, they are very attractive, and
possess the merit of showing forth in full be.iuty
at a season when few flowering shrubs are avail-
able, and, indeed, when most flowers arc getting
past their best. If a sloping bank can be found
of sufficient size that the diS'erent varieties can
be planted in rather large clump.s, they will show
here to great advantage. If the natural soil is

fairly good, nothing need be added. The clumps
will flower satisfactorily for several years, and
when they show signs of going back tliey may be
lifted and replanted. I have sometimes found
when planting on the site of old shrubberies that
the fungoid growth appearing sooner or later from
any dead wood left in the ground will, if in close
proximity to the clumps, destroy a portion of the
same. Where this is the case it is .advisable to
have a thorough clear out and start with a bit of
fresh soil. An experiment with Starworts in a
large enclosure was a failure, owing to rabbits
finding their way in and having a certain amount
of cover, but I am planting again this winter on
the principle advocated above, viz , in large
clumps in variety that are individually netted,
selecting sorts that have proved most serviceable
both for a general display and for cutting. Other
bold plants that may be utilised in different spots
besides the things already enumerated are the
taller Solidagos and Tritomas, and Verbascum
oljmpicam. E. Bcrrei.i..

TBK NEW JARDIN FLEURISTE AT PARIS.
The pedestrian who parses through the Porte
d'Auteuil and proceeds along the Boulogne road
may now observe, on the left side, in the midst of
a large space of cleared ground, a series of metal
frameworks enclosing the first storey of two cut-
stone pavilions : a semi-circular terrace overlooks
these buildings, which are still unfinished, and to
this a monumental flight of steps gives access.
These are the new plant houses which are being
erected by the City of Paris to replace the
Fleuriste of the Avenue Ht nri Martin, which so
many Parisians were accustomed to visit every
year to eee and admire the Azaleas in bloom".
The houses erected some time since in the
^ Muette quarter, by intercepting the light and air,
I had eventually rendered that establishment,
I which was also rather small in its dimensions, un-
fit for the cultivation of the flowers of which our
public squares require an ever increasing supply.
Accordingly, the City authorities decided to sell
I it in lots and to devote the proceeds of the sale to
the construction of a new Jardin Fleuriste, where
the important service of the municipal gardening
department might be located and carried on with
ease. After much wavering and the suggestion
of numberless projects, a Lige tract in the Bois
de Boulogne was fixed upon, but this selection
[ having evoked some sharp and well-deserved
criticism, it wa.s finally decided to accjuiie the
site of the Foods des Prirces, which had pre-
viously been removed in consequence of some
little intrigues and mann-avres, the history of
which would be too long here. Next year" the
new plant houses, which will be <|uite finished by
that time, will form a splendid establishment,
unique in Europe and perhaps in the whole
I world. The cost of its erection will reach to
|2,:iU(;i,il00 francs. The area of the grounds
I measures 22^ acres, and is enclosed by a con-
tinuous iron railing. The ofiices will be on the
I left-hand side of the monumental entry, and on
the right-hand side will be the chambers reserved
for the municipal Botanical Institute, where
, lectures will be given and meetings held. At the
furthest end the plant-houses properly so-called
will occupy with their finely glazed roofs an area
of over ') acres. Here will be found the Azaleas
and Camellias. Next to these will be innumer-
able propagating-houses, veritable plant factories
in which production never ceases. In the centre
a superb winter garden, surmounted by an
elegant dome, will display to visitors the col-
lection of all the tropical plants in full growth.
The method of heating which will be employed
appears to be one of the most ingenious and novel,
being ett'ected by means of hot water raised to the
desired temperature, not directly by fire heat, but
by the application of steam, whereby a uniform
and easily. regulated temperature is ensured.
Immense boilers, like those of an ironclad ship,
will supply some thousands of yards of piping, the
arterial network of «hich, traversing a maze of

galleries and subterranean corridors, will carry
life to the tender and fragile plants which are kept
in the houses until they are removed to gladden
the eyes of the promenaders in our fquares, &c.

It may be asked, " Why so much expense and
pother about growing plants? ' Simply because
the city of Paris annually requiies a "million of
flowering plants raised from cuttings, not to
speak of the trees and shrubs which are raised in
the nurseries, to furnish the parks and fquares.
The great demand will go on increasing, as new
gardens are being constantly laid out or the old
ones improved. Moreover, everv year a supply
of about .S0,000 plants is required by the city au-
thorities for the decoration of ministerial offices,
charity balls and otlicial ceremonies. At one time
there was such an increase in the number of such
applications, that a rule was made that everyone
who wished to take advantage of the accommoda-
tion should pay beforehand for the carriage and
deterioration or wear and tear of the plants used for
these purposes, but the authorities subFe(|uently
exempted from this rule any function the charitable
purpose of which was clearly established. No
other exception, however, was made in favour even
of the Elys(?e, the directors of which last winter
applied for plants to decorate the apartments on
the occasions of dinners and balls, but the pre-
payment demanded being considered excessive,
after one or two vain attempts to have it reduced,
the directors applied to a private purveyor.

At the present time the Fleuriste de la Muette
employs |(iu gardeners. The yearly expenses for
wages, implements, &c., and maintenance amount
to nearly ■IOU,OUO francs. This amount will cer-
tainly be exceeded at the new model establish-
ment of the Foods des Princes, which is designed
on a broader plan and intended to supply wants
which are always increasing. A visit to these
works now in progress impresses one with the
conviction that Paris knows how to do things
in a princely manner, even when it is only a matter
of ornament and gaiety. — Lutecien, in Paris
Figaro.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1094
PERSIAN ZALTL.

(delphixiom zalil.)
(with a coloured plate.*)
This plant was first described in the report
" On the Botany of the Afghan Delimitation
Commission," which was worked up at Kew
from the collections made by Surgeon-Major
Aitchison when on duty as naturalist attached
to the mission. It flowered at Kew in 1888,
and specimens of the flowers, as used for dye-
ing and medicine, are in the Museum of Economic
Butany. As a plant of economic value it is one
of the most interesting discoveries of the Afghan
Delimitation Commission. Dr. Aitchison thus
describes the Peisian Zalil : —

This plant forms a great portion of the roll-
ing downs of the Badghis, in the vicinity of
(iubran. It was in great abundance, and when
in blossom gave a wondrous golden hue to the
pastures. In many localities above .SiMjij feet it is
equally common. The flowers are collected
largely for exportation, chiefly to Persia, for dye-
ing silk ; they are also exported from Berat to be
employed as a dye as well as to be used in medi-
cine. For a short period the hillocks are tinted
an exquisite blue by the flowers of Gentiana
Olivieri, which is a hot country Gentian. This is
followed by Delphinium Zalil, a perennial which
throws up a spike of bright yellow blossoms
•2 feet in height.

The fact of D. Zalil afi"ording a dye stuflT is
one of tlie many evidences of our ignorance of

Drawn for The Gahden by H. G. Moon in
Ei-s. Harr's nursery at Thames Dittoii. Litho-
graphed and printed by J. L. Goflart,
'laume Severeyns.

^\

\

".A/-

.-/•

DELPHINIUM ZALIL

NovEsiBEE 28, 1896.]

THE GARDEIS".

135

the materials used in the industrial arts of the
East. Kegel, whose knowledge of Oriental
plants was very great, pronounced it to b 9 pos-
sibly D. ochroleucum, a Songarian species.
From a rosette of deeply divided leaves rises a
branched flower-stem to about 2 feet high, each
branch and branchlet ending in a spike of
flowers, each about 1 inch across, the whole
sjjike showing all its flowers at once. To have
it in flower the first year, seed must be sown
very early, say in January, in pans, transplant-
ing the seedlings la.ter, when it will flower from
the end of May till the end of July. It can
also be sown during spring and summer, to
flower the following year. Max Leichtlin finds
it quite hardy at Baden-Baden.

The Week's Work.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
Celery.— The latest Celery planted in trenches
will now need eirthing, on similar lines to those
recommended a few weeks back for the main crop,
as very little further growth will be made by the
outer leaves, and the hearts, which are never at a
standstill during the winter excepo when under
the influence of sharp frost, will make better pro-
gress when closed in with soil. I recommended
when writing of planting late Celery that some
of the very latest plants should be set out thickly
on the level and in bed fashion ; these will also
now require attention, and will provide excellent
material for the kitchen if some protective and
blanching material is placed between the plants.
My practice is to go first of all over the plot, giv-
ing each plant a tie near the top ; then a good
bed of dry leaves is worked in around the plants,
the tops only of which should appear above the
leaves when finished. Though such Celery as
this would be perfectly safe without protection,
I like to have the leaves gathered and packed in
soon after they fall, as there is then less chance
of carrying with them to the plants a numerous
colony of the little black slugs which so soon in-
fest newly fallen leaves, and which would get into
and spoil the Celery. If leaves are not available,
clean straw or Bracken will answer the purpose
of blanching equally well, but long litter from the
stables I do not like, as it is apt to taint the
Celery.

Celekiac— I find this perfectly hardy ; at the
game time, I like to earth up the majority of the
roots, as this appears to improve the texture, and
to keep the roots in especially good condition
during the spring. Planting at the distances 1
advised, there will not be room between the
plants to allow of drawing the soil up over the
crowns, but when drawing the roots for use I con
fine myself to alternate rows, and at this time of
the year complete lifting such rows, laying in the
roots for present use. TThis gives a chance to get
plenty of soil for earthing the remainder, which
is done with a heavy hoe, like that used fo
earthing Potatoes, and in this way the stock roots
are buried with some 2 inches or 3 inches of soil,

Seakale. — The forcing of this may now go on
apace, as the crowns will have had sufiicient rest
to permit of their making a ready start without
the uncertainty that obtains with earlier batches,
I need not again refer to the various methods of
forcing, as I have eo recently dealt with thi
matter, but I mention it again to draw attention
to the necessity for taking care of the best thongs
from each batch as it is lifted, as it ia only by
doing this that sufficient good and strong-plant
ing sets can be found when required. Early
thongs, when allowed to lie about in exposed he
for any length of time, are not to be depended
as the crown end sometimes cankers instead of
breaking out, as it should, into many little shoots
My experience is that this may be entirely pre
vented by cutting the thongs into 3-inch to 5-inch
lengths as each batch is lifted, inserting them
very thickly into boxes of dry soil, afterward

placing in a cold pit, where they can be kept
dry and the crowns dormant for some weeks to
come.

Chicory. — Chicory has remained green and
growing till quite late this year, but this state of
things need not prevent small batches being
lifted and put in to force for salad, for, unlike
most forced vegetables, no season of rest is
necsssary for this, and I usually get the first few
cuttings of blanched hearts to push through the
still green leaves. The extreme ease with which
these hearts can be produced and their delicate
and attractive appearance in the salad bowl,
should induce all growers to keep up a continuous
supply throughout the winter months, when Let-
tuces cannot be had at their be3t. To do this it
is only necessary to put in a few roots with each
batch of Seakale, and to ensure perfect darkness
during the time of growth this will prevent much
of the bitter taste that is sometimes pronounced
to be objectionable. The roots with me do not
run quite so big as usual this year, but they are
big enough, and I alway.s select the largest for
salad, putting the smallest on one side until they
are wanted for forcing green to make an agreeable
change when green vegetables are getting scarce,
as I find it then and always a much appreciated
vegetable in that state. Should the roots be too
long to be introduced bodily into the forcing
quarters, they may be shortened by at least one
half without injury to growth. When all growth
outdoors has ceased and the crowns can be caught
in a dry state, the whole stock of roots should be
lifted and stacked, crown outwards, in a cool,
dry shed, where they will be readily available to
be drawn from as required. I do not advise this
in consequence of the roots being at all tender, for
as a matter of fact they are thoroughly hardy,
but it sometimes happens that when lifted direct
from the open ground and put in to force
when wet or frozen, the remains of old leaves rot
and taint the new growth as it comes up, so lift-
ing is recommended as a preventive of this.

Carrots. — I advised that a June sowing of one
or other of the stump-rooted Carrots should be
made, and where this was done it will now be
advisable to protect the roots with an inch or two
of some mulching material, such as long litter
placed between the rows and well up to the plants.
This will be preferable to drawing and storing the
roots, as they never are sweeter or more tender
than when fresh drawn from the open ground.
With a large demand for small Carrots, I find that
those from this sowing are now proving a great
boon, as they will keep the supply good for
many weeks to come and help us to preserve
thoae sown still later in frames for spring
use. The influence of seasons is well shown
on late-sown Carrots this year, for while those
sown in June are perfect in colour, some others
from the same packet of seed which were sown
a month later are, though fully big enough for
use, so deficient in colour as to be almost worth-
less— the eS'ect of a wet and sunless autumn. In
frames the case is difi'erent, as the elevation of
the beds in an open position, combined with a
shallow root-run, counteracted the dulness and
deficiency of sun-heat. I have seen cases in which
there has been this want of colour before in simi-
lar seasons, and it is for this reason that I do not
care to let June run out before making a fairly
big late sowing.

Turnips.— The bulk of the white Turnip crop
will now have completed its growth, but the roots,
like those of many other things, are best when
left in the ground till wanted. I do not, however,
care to let them be completely exposed to all
weathers, as this tends to rotting at the crowns
and to a general falling off in quality, but they
may be kept in the best possible condition by
having the soil drawn over the roots, as already
recommended for Celeriac. To provide for a
supply in case sharp frost should set in, some por-
tion of the crop should also be covered with suffi-
cient litter to keep the frost out of the ground.
That useful late Turnip, Chirk Castle Black Stone,
though it has a tendency to bury itself in the soil
as it grows, is also grateful for a little further

covering than it gets naturally, but this need not
be added to the same extent as is advisable with
the white-skinned varieties, for it is a very hardy
variety and impervious to injury from moderate
frosts. Late-sown batches may ba left to take
their chance, as they will continue growing right
through the winter whenever the weather permits
of growth being made.

Mint.— I like at this time of the year to lift
sufficient Mint roots to provide for the whole of
the forcing season, and to put them at once into
pans or boxes of a convenient size. It is better to
lift now all that will be wanted than to grub after
them by-and-b}' under a foot of snow or in hard
froz3n ground. On the whole, moderate sized
pans are probably preferable to boxes, as an
ordinary cutting box holds too many roots to
force at once, and the shoots are never so satis-
factory as when cut young. The roots should be
packed thickly into the pans and covered with an
inch or two of soil, then stood in a cold frame till
wanted.

Tarracun. — This ia another herb much in re-
quest in a forced state, and sufiicient plants should
be potted up to keep a constant supply. Two-
year-old clumps provide the strongest shoot?,
and should be selected in preference to those which
are older, these latter being kept back to divide for
replanting. J. C. Tallack.

HARDY FRUITS.
Tub weather since the commencement of the
present month has been far more favourable for
all kinds of outdoor work, and the soil, even that
of a retentive nature, has now got sufficiently
dry to enable planting to be proceeded with. It
is a great mistake to defer planting till late in
the season, especially in places that are short of
water, for unless the trees make a satisfactory
start they assume a stunted habit from the com-
mencement. Every ettort should be made to
finish planting without delay, always bearing in
mind that the soil is in a proper condition for the
work.

Peaches on walls. — In the northern parts of
the kingdom there is often much difficulty in get-
ting the wood of these well matured, particularly
during a season like the present, when there has
been so little sunshine during the autumn. To
assist the ripening allow the trees to remain
nailed to the wall, as what little warmth is gener-
ated thereby will be of great benefit in maturing
the sappy growths. By so doing this will not
only be of grreat value in hardening the wood, but
will also afford some protection from the frost's
severity during winter. On the other hand, those
trees growing against sonth walls in the southern
counties will be greatly benefited by having the
shoots liberated and allowed to remain in that
position till the buds b9gin to swell in spring.
The wood being well ripened causes the flower
buds to be very prominent, and these, when the
shoots are left nailed close to the wall being ex-
cited by the first rays of genial sunshine, burst
into bloom. A severe frost or two then follows,
killing not only the flowers, but often injuring the
young wood to such a serious extent that it is a
considerable time before the trees recover. Id is
therefore advisable to retard growth as long as
possible in spring, that there may be less risk
from inclement weather. To do this effectually,
the trees ought to be left unnailed as long a-i
possible, that the heat from the walls may not
bring them forward. Care must, however, be
taken to secure them in such a manner that no
injury may be done by the wind swaying the
branches to and fro. If the leading growths are
securely fastened, the others may be tied to them
till the" time comes for nailing in spring. Where
walls are wired the growth is not so much affected
early in the season, as there is always a cold
current of air passing between the trees and the
wall ; therefore tying of such shoots as required
may be done at the present time, taking care in
doing so not to make the ties too tight. Peaches
on the open walls are in many places subject to
blister of the foliage ; this in a measure is due to

436

THE GARDEN.

[November 28, 1896.

cold currents at a time when the leaves are very
small. It may also be traced to ill-ripened wood,
as the youHi: growth from such is always more
sappy than that from those shoots that were
thoroughly matured. To enable the wood to be-
come better ripened, allow more space between
the shoot* when tying. Where the trees are in
good health and make fair sized shoots, a space of
at least 5 inches ought to be allowed between
them, for be it remembered that not only must
there be ample room for the jiresent wcod, but
sufficient for the young of next year also. Mildew
is sometimes prevalent in cold springs. Where
the tress were affected last season, both they and
the wall should be washed with Gishurst com
pound or a mixture of soft soap and sulphur. It
will be necessary, however, to be careful not to
injure the buds in so doing, or they will fail ta ox
pand in spring. Much harm is often done by r
careless use of too strong insecticides, even when
the trees are in a dormant state, the injury not
showing itself till growth commences in spring.

OKCH.^Rn norsEs.— Peaches i.\ pots.— These
will now have shed their leaves, and where pot-
ting is necessary this should receive attention un-
less the work has already been taken in hand. If
soil was prepared as previously advised, by being
stacked before it got too wet, it will now be in
condition for the work. Peaches grow very well
in pots where due attention can be atlbrded them,
and a large amount of fruit may be gathered off a
limited space, but for them to remain in perfect
health their rcots must receive due care. Both
these and Nectarines do best in a moderately
heavy loam, to which has been added sufficient
lime rubble to keep it porous. When potting,
this should be borne in mind, and if such can be
procured and used as drainage, the trees will
thrive much better. When this is not at com-
mand, half-inch bones or pounded oyster shells
will answer the purpose. Where attention can
be given, the finest fruits are obtained from voung
trees or those which have been potted three or
four years, though good fruit may be had from
those of a much greater age. It is always best to
prepare trees when small for pots, as then the
roots not being so strong may readily be got into
those of limiteJ size. In potting up tress from
the open see that the soil is well worked in
between the roots. Pot moderately firm. The
pots may then be plunged in a sheltered situation
till spring, taking care to protect them from frost,
and if the winter f hould be severe, a little Bracken
shaken amongst the branches will help to ward it
off Repctting those that require it ou<,'ht not to
be longer delayed. In doing this be careful not to
injure the roots more than can be avoided. After
the drainage has been removed from the old ball,
loosen the outside roots, then put the plants into
pots a couple of sizes larger, taking care to fill in
the space between the pot and the old ball by
ramming with the potting stick. Orchard houses
are often used for a variety of purposes in winter ;
therefore their cc=upants have to be plunged out
of doors. Where a mixed lot of fruit is grown in
these structures, it is always best to have a place
set apart for plunging the pots in. They can be
stood on a bed of ashes, while some of the same
material is filled in between the pots. Ashes will
exclude far more frost than soil ; therefore it is
not necessary they should be more than a few
inches thick. If a framework be put round the
plunging ground, the buds can be protected from
birds with wire or other netting, as many of the
small feathered tribe are very fond of these, par-
ticularly Plums just as they begin to swell.
Where orchard houses are not re juired for the
protection of other things the trees may be re-
turned when potted, but the ventilators should
be kept open all winter whenever the weather is
not too severe, otherwise the buds will get too
forward. Where any painting to the interior of
these structures is needed, this should receive
due attention before the weather gets too bad.
H. C. P.

very sodden condition, were being planted with
bulbs. Hyacinths chiefly, no doubt, I observed
that an ordinary Potato dibber was being used for
the purpose. As this method of planting Potato
tubers is sometimes seriously deprecated, and it
it is a bad practice where soil is very wet, it was
a surprise to sse bulbs necessarily a long way
more costly than Potatoes and far less capable of
fighting their waythrough hard soil, being planted
in this rough-and-ready fashion. Possibly all
anticipated results may be so obtained. That the
spring will show. But for all ordinary purposes
it is evident that for any descriptions of bulbs,
corms, or flower roots, a trowel or small hand-
fork is eminently preferable to a dibber. In the
case of Hyacinth^, for instance, it is not possible
when a pcinted dibber is used for planting t o have
the base of the bulbs sitting on loo-e soil ; in-
deed, on none at all. Then tlie hard pressure to
solid sides of a cup form created by the dibber
conduces to long retention of moisture should
heavy rains fall after the planting is done, and
such moisture cannot be conducive to the welfare
of bulbs or roots. AYhen a trowel or fork is used
no such basin is formed, and the soil lies loose
beneath and about the bulbs, so that excessive
moisture percolates away speedily. When plant-
ing is badly done failures are ascribed to the
bulbs, which, none the less, may have been of ex-
cellent c|uality. The fault, however, has lain
with the planting.— A. D.

Kitchen Garden.

SMALL VEHSUS LARGE VEGETABLES.

Balb planting.— Recently when the beds in
Palace Gardens, Westminster, the soil being in a

s this subject so often crops up, it may be as
ell to consider the relative value of each, and in
doing so, both from an economical point as well
as that of producing the greatest amount of hig-h
quality from a given space. It has often puzzled
me how judges at our great shows arrive at their
decision, as they certainly cannot take all points
into consideration. The "new rules of the R.H.S.
ave been before the public for a season. I
wonder how many judges have looked at them or
acted on them. It would be interesting to know
this. If the awards at the Aquarium were made
in accordance with these rules, I for one fail to
what advantage they are, for I consider that
in many of the classes there was little judgmen
brought to bear on the awards given. Take Par
snips first. Everyone should know that if two rows
of seed be sown side by side on the same date, the
plants in one receiving attention by high tillage,
the other allowed to take their own course, the
former will be at least four times the size of the
latter that have taken the same length of time to
grow. It must stand to reason that the former
will not only supply the greatest amount of food,
but also of the highest quality. Take the Leek.
It is generally admitted that Leeks cannot be
grown too large, provided they are properly
blanched, for the larger they are in comparison to
the length of blanched stem the better. Big
Onions always take the judge's eye. That these
big bulbs are milder than the smaller ones there
can be no two opinions, but whether they are the
more serviceable is another thirg. A row of
bulbs, 2U yards in length 1 foot apart, whose
weight averaged 2 lbs. each, would be 12(1 lbs. A
row of the same length that was thinned to 4
inches apart and produced bulbj of the ordinary
size would weigh about Sd pounds, more or less,
according to the quality of the ground. That
these latter are the more useful all will admit,
yet they would stand no chance against the larger
ones on the exhibition table. In the case of
Celery, we shall find that the big heads, if they
are solid, are the most serviceable, because there
is the greatestamountof food in them. Yet we often
see small heads placed first on the exhibition table.
Take Turnips. V\"e shall find that judges, as a rule,
invariably go in for little ones. No greater mis-
take could bo made, for it is easy enough to get
nicely shaped, small roots about the size of a large

Radish that have been four months in attaining
that size, but to get crisp, juicy ones in six or
eight weeks is another thing altogether. Take
Runner Beans. A good Runner Bean should not
be judged so much by its size as by its quality,
and here, in the majority of cases, errors are com-
mitted because appearance only is taken into con-
sideration. True, coarse, over-grown, ugly speci-
mens ought not to be encouraged ; at the same
time, if vegetables are only grown to please the
eye, then it is useless to try to get bulk. A Runner
Bean should not be discarded on the show table
because the skin has a rough appearance, as this
in a great measure denotes the pods are not fully
grown, for when they begin to assume that smooth
texture, as a rule their flavour begins to deterio- •
rate. Salsafy, again, to be good cannot be too
large, for the more food there is in a root the
more tender will it be, showing that a high state
of cultivation has been practised. CUrdoons. when
well grown, should always be of a good size and
well blanched. Carrots are often a puzzle to
many judges ; some go in for long roots, others
for short ones, but if a little more thought were
expended there would nob be so many blunders
made. Carrots should be judged according to
the season when they are exhibited. Most
gardeners who have large establishments to sup-
ply know that this is one of the most trouble-
some vegetables to produce satisfactorily, as
the young, sweet roots are far more appreciated
than those which have been stored. That large
roots are quite as sweet and more tender all will
admit if both have been the same time in attain-
ing their respective sizes. It is not so much the
size of the root as the length of time it has been
growing. Most gardeners make mistakes in the
cultivation of this crop. They sow according to
the old orthodox rule in April, when by the end of
summer the roots get old and tough. As a rule,
roots from these sowings are fully grown by the
middle of August ; if they were lifted and used
then, even though they were of large siza, they
would be young and tender ; whereas when left
the ground till October they become tough. I
sow once a fortnight from the middle of February
till the end of July. The early sowings are made
warm borders, while those through the sum-
mer are made in the open, having recourse again
to the borders for the late sowings ; in this way
there is always plenty of roots which, though
t, fully grown, are (juite tender. Cauliflower should
j. I depend on the time of the year and variety. For
example, an Autumn Mammoth and Early Forc-
ing bear no comparison to each other. The
former if !l inches in diameter might present a
more close, compact heart of fine texture than
one of the latter a third the siza, and yet not be
overgrown. Potatoes are, again, a puzzle to
many, but how few really thoroughly understand
what they are judging. We often see tubers that
score a point in collections that would be dis-
carded altogether if shown as a single dish, and
this on account of their siza. Satisfaction is fre-
quently shown of more than ordinary size, many
of the tubers weighing nearly a pound each, yet
these are considered good. I maintain that tubers
of Potatoes half a pound each are of a fair size
and quite large enough for ordinaiy purposes,
though if a trifle larger and of as good quality
they should not be discarded on that score. Peas,
as most people will admit, should be in perfect
condition, neither too old nor too young, pods
perfect in shape, well filled, of good colour, and
fine flavour. H. C. P.

Brussels Sprout Northaw Prize.— Com-
ments have of late been made in these pages re-
garding the coarseness of Brussels Sprouts. This
vegetable of late years has become much mixed,
and when one sees a true strain with hard bullet-
like sprouts, it is worth noting. I am a great
lover of what may be termed a compact growing
kind without coarseness. I notico many of the
very large kinds have a tendency to produce
coarse sprouts lacking solidity. For the past
few years my favourite Sprout has been Suttoa's
Dwarf Gem ; it is one of the very best types any-

November 28, 1896.]

THE GaHDEK

437

one can grow in a private garden. I am aware
for sale it may not be large enough, but there is
no profit in large Sprouts for private use. The
cook soon complains if any of these large, open
Sprouts are sent in, and rightly so. Its good
frost resisting qualities make it doubly valuable,
as few others stood the severe frost of February,
1895. Northaw Prize was raised at Northaw by
Mr. May, who grows other vegetables to perfection.
I do not know when this useful variety was first
sent oul. At the time it was recommended
for sturdy habit, distinct character, and small,
close, solid sprouts with very good flavour. For
private use it is all one can desire. Like all the
Braesica tribe, unless every care is taken in seed-
ing, it soon loses its distinct character. Having
recently seen this fine Sprout grown by the raiser,
I found what an excellent type it was and the
importance of true seed. Here the plants were
perfection and bearing as nice a lot of sprouts as
one could wish. I was much pUased to see this
fine variety again. It was always a favourite, and
I can confidently advise its culture where quality
is the first puint, and even when quantity is de-
sirable one can plant these medium growers some-
what closely, and get quantity with quality com-
bined.—G. Wythes.

Onjon fctooka.— Of all the numerous stocks of
Onions in commerce, how few have that element
of distinctness that they can be recognised with
absolute certainty. In this respect they are like
Tomatoes — all far too much alike to be satisfac-
tory. This comes from the well-known fact that
in bulb formation few stocks keep absolutely true
to character. Of course to the grower of Onions
for ordinary use that is a matter of no conse-
quence, so long as he gets a big stock of service-
able bulbs. It is when Onions are exhibited that
their a?pects are found to be so dissimilar. Thus
we know nhat is the true form of Ailsa Craig, of
Cranston's Excelsior, of Cocoa-nut, of Maincrop,
Exhibition, and many others, but it is a fact that
•even the best stocks of the first named will give
pretty well all forms if needed, and from stocks
of the others, when grown for exhibition, bulbs
may be found both round and oval, and which the
most experienced eye cannot detect if set up as
other varieties, if in character. All this comes of
making from every little divergence of bulb form
in a stock a new variety, and trying to get it set,
although that is a matter of extreme difficulty.
Onions grown under ordinary conditions keep
somewhat more true to character than do those
planted out in the spring and grown liberally to
produce very large bulbs, for it is then that these
variations in shape are more clearly seen. These
remarks are specially applicablg to all the light
brown round and oval forms. In the case of the
red kinds, such as the old Blood Red and the
finer Crimson Globe, no mistake can be made, and
they generally are very true. Anyone who has
grown for big bulb production but two or three
of these having size reputations readily admits
that the picking out of bulbs to fit the require-
ments of several varieties is easy enough. — A. D.

The hoe.— The note (p. 310) on the use of
Dutch hoes reminds me that I had intended send-
ing a note on the form of hoe which I find most
useful for light soils, and one which can be made
to get over the work more quickly than any other,
as its lightness and good cutting qualities make
the work easy. Mine are made by the village
blacksmith, and consist of a collar to fit on the end
of the wooden hindle, and from the bottom of
which a swan-necked shaped single iron rod about
half an inch thick and 6 inches long extends.
This rod is then divided and spread at right
angles to the neck, and the two ends are then
turned down so that they stand from -i inches to
6 inches apart. Each ot these ends is split to a
depth of three-quarters of an inch to receive the
cutting blades of the hoe ; the latter I have made
in various lengths to suit the various crops for
which thty are to be used and are interchangable,
which is very convenient. The blades consist of
pieces cut out to length from worn out scythes ;
these, being thin and of highly-tempered steel, cut
the weeds better than the ordinary hoe. The

bowed and slotted receptacle for the blades allows
the weeds to pass over the blades without hind-
rance and the latter work clean in consequence,
which is a very great boon, as all who have had
to use draw hoes of the ordinary shape in damp
weather will readily understand. The blades never
need sharpening and wear well, and may of course
be renewed at any time without sacrificing the
whole tool ; the frames last a lifetime. It is best
to make the framework of the hoe rather narrow,
as it can then be used among thickly-sown crops
with safety, and there is no objection to the blades
projecting beyond the frame at each end when
greater width is desired. There must be many
places where old scythes, worn out as far as their
legitimate purpose is concerned, have accumu-
lated, and I strongly advise anyone who has such
a store by him to convert them into hoes, feeling
sure that no one will ever regret having done so.
For exceptionally heavy and badly-worked soils
these hoes are not suited, but in the majority of
gardens they will prove better than any others.
If the blades do not tighten properly in "the slots,
they can be made to do so by doubling a thin
strip of soft leather over the back of the blade just
where it enters the slot and driving this in along
with the blade. I hope I have made my descrip-
tion plain, for though it may read a little compli-
cated, the tool itself is a most simple and useful
thing.— J. C. Tallack.

NOTES ON PEAS.
Our soil is naturally cold in the winter, so
I start with Chelsea Gem at first. Dr. McLean
second, Sharpe's Queen and Autocrat to follow,
and for late, Chelsonian, Main-crop, and Ne Plus
Ultra. One cannot speak too highly of all these
varieties. If I did pick one out it would be Main-
crop, which during the last two years has borne
excellent crops. Ne Plus Ultra everybody knows,
but there are selections of this variety that are a
little bett?r than others. I only grow the Marrow
kinds. Telephone in some gardens succeeds well,
but I can do nothing with it. Duke of Albany
requires a warmer soil than I have. It mildews
badly with me. Stratagem is grown largely by
the cottagers. I have seen good crops grown with-
out sticks. — A. Chapman, Westoyihirf, Tetlmry,
Ghucesln:

Exonian and Gradus (early varieties) are

two excellent Peas with me here, the latter especi-
ally so, having large pods, which have on the
average from eight to nine large deep green Peas
in a pod of a rich Marrow flavour. Webb's Sena-
tor, as a second early and midseason Pea of ex-
cellent quality, will be hard to beat : but for a
late Pea, giving high <[uality with quantity, I
still stick to the old Ne Pius Ultra and G. F.
Wilson.- J. KirLiNO, Kmbu-orth, Sttvenacie, Hert^,

I consider the best Peas are William I.,

Gradus, a grand new wrinkled kind and very early ;
Duke of Albany, Autocrat, a grand Pea ; Success
and Ne Plus Ultra, grown in the order given. —
Edwin 'Qi^c'K'e,TT,Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree,
Herti.

ChelseaGem, Earliest Marrow, and Veitch's

Selected Early have been good. Criterion is a
splendid cropper, and Main-crop is usually one of
my best Puas. A very fine Pea .and a great
favourite with the cottagers for exhibition is Duke
of Albany ; it grows well and is very handsone in
pod and a good cropper. — C. J. Salter, Wood-
hatch Lodije, Bei'jate.

Peas come to us in such great abundance

in the form of new varieties, that it would be a
boon to gardeners if raisers and seedsmen would
give growers a little breathing time and some
chancu to fairly test what now are in com-
merce. However, there can be no doubt that
good flavoured wrinkled Marrows of the earliest
section are displacing the old early rounds,
and fine, heavy cropping, medium height main-
crop Peas are displacing the old tall ones.
English Wonder, dwarf, free, and of capital
flavour, has proved to be exceptionally good as a
first early, so also have Invincible, a fine kind with
me 2 feet in height, and Senator, .'i feet high, a

first-rate cropper, and good all round. Of succes-
sional sorts, Sharpe's Queen, 3 feet; The Daisy,
20 inches; Dwarf Defiance, 2 feet; Boston Un-
rivalled, 3 feet ; and Magnum Bonum, 3 feet, are
all exceptionally good wrinkled main-crop sorts.
Of later kinds. Late Queen, Latest of All, and
Omega may well rank amongst first class varie-
ties. These are but a few out of myriads that
have come under ray special notice — A. Dean.

My favourite earlv Pea is William I., and

for main crop and late Xe Plus Ultra. I have
grown many of the newer varieties, such as Early
Sunrise, Chelsea Gem, Exonian, and several new
late sorts, but the two first named always give
me the greatest satisfaction. American Wonder
I like for a few dwarf rows for first early at the
foot of a south wall, but for productiveness and
quality I consider Ne Plus Ultra by far the best
Pea ever introduced for general or late crops.
— W. Sanhwin, TrelissicJc, Truro.

Vf itch's Eirliest Marrow produced a good

crop and was the earliest I had. Exonian, which
came in fully a week before William I., is a very
desirable variety, as the pods are well filled, and
when cooked it is of a splendid colour. Daisj- is
a grand Pea, dwarf in growth, and producing
pods well filled with peas of a dark green.
Stratagem, Gladiator, Autocrat, Criterion, Ne
Plus Ultra, 'Veitch's Perfection and Sutton's
Latest of AH are all splendid varieties. The
best midseason Pea I have this year is Succsss.
It is extensively grown in this neighbourhood,
and this year withstood the dry weather better
than any of the others. It has a strong constitu-
tion, .and many pods are found with nine and in
some cases ten large peas in them. This is the first
year I have grown it, and it certainly deserves a
place in every garden. — Herbert Noble, The
Gardens, A-fhton Court.

Of early Peas, the best with me here are

Sutton's Early Forcing, Chelsea Gem, Daisy, a
wonderful cropper and bearing large pods ; May
Queen, Empress of India, and Early Giant, an
improved form of Empress of India. For second
crop. Dwarf Defiance, Main-crop, Duke of Albany,
Prodigy and Stratagem are good. For late crops
Autocrat, Chelsonian, Emperor of Marrows,
Sharpe's Queen, Dwarf Mammoth, and Ne Plus
Ultra I find the best. I generally sow a row each
of Prodigy and Autocrat the first week in July,
for very late use, and they generally do well if
frost keeps away. — T. Wilkins, Inwood, Dorset.

Exonian and Veitch's Earliest Marrow I

consider the two best early Peas. I do not care
for the dwatf kinds. I consider Duke of Albany
a first-class second early if sown at the same time
as the first earlies. I like Criterion, 'Veitch's Main-
crop, Autocrat, Emperor of the Marrows, Gold-
finder and Ne Plus Ultra.— J. Ma\ne, Bieton.

For early use Veitch's Selected Extra

Early, and William I. are the varieties grown
here, these being succeeded by Gladiator and
Criterion ; the latter I consider the finest mid-
season Pea grown. Succeesioiial sowings of Chel-
sonian, Duke of Albany, and a true stock of Ne
Plus Ultra provide what is most needed, while
Autocrat will supply the last good dish of Peas
for the season. Ot the newer varieties tried this
season I cannot speak too highly of Brownhill's
Rentpayer. It is an extraordinary cropper, bear-
ing in pairs immense pods containing eight to ten
I'eas of a true Marrowfat flavour on haulm about
3 feet high. Some of the much vaunted large-
podded varieties have proved ra' her disappointing
when judsed by the yield of shelled Peas. — A. G.
NiciiOLLS, Xuneham Pari.

The Peas that succeed best here are as

follows : As a dwarf early William Hurst does
well, but, all points considered, a good strain of
William I. takes a lot of beating. Daisy is an
acquisition, the Peas being of delicious flavour.
Duke of Albany, Telephone and the hke do well,
the same remarks applying to Ne Plus Ultra for
a late supply.— J. J. Craven, Allerton Priory
Gardens, Liverpool.

I generally grow William I. for the earliest.

This is always transplanted, having been raised
first in boxes under glass. • A succession of the

438

THE GARDEN.

[KovriiBER 28, 1S9G.

same kind and Xe Plus Ultra sown together
brings them in good order. After this, I would
not object to have no other Pea than Ne Flue
Ultra to follow, fowing a first batch whenever the
last sowing is coming through the irround. Here
I have fre<iuently tried early Pens as a second
crop after early " Potatoes, but it was scarcely
worth doing, as" the frosts were on by the time
thev were about ready.— Ror.T. Mai KEi.i.AR,.4/'iif'y
Hail, C/iridl,; Cheshire.

For early use I still think American

Wonder and Chelsea Gem the best of dwarf varie-
ties either fcr forcing or open borders, while
William I. still maintains it-s position as the best
round-seeded early variety. Veitch's Extra Early
was sown in boxes under glass February 7, gradu-
ally hardened ofl' and transferred to the open
borders. The first gathering from this was
obtained on June K?. William I. sown in open
ground March PJ gave a better crop of tender
Ptas on June 10 : former were stunted. Exonian.
sown April -J, gave the first gathering June '27, of
splendid quality, followed quickly by Duke of
Albany (July 1). Ne Plus Ultra, sown same date,
gave a splendid crop, ready July in ; this variety
constitutes our mainstay through the season until
frost i-3mes, and here it never fails to give satis-
faction, growing 6 feet high on an average. T ufe
wire supports on either side of the rows. Thesa
are costly in the first place, but with care last a
number of years, and require little storage room
in winter. — Thos. Bonsai.l, £hnet Hall, Leedt.

The following varieties of Peas are found

to do best here : Early : Chelsea Gem, Exonian
and William I. General crop : Veitch's Main-
crop is undoubtedly a good variety, standing the
drought well, and an abundant cropper. Cri-
terion, Champion of England, Dr. McLean,
Huntingdonian and Gladiator are standard varie-
ties which have done well with me this Ecason ;
whilst for late use I find none do better than Ne
Plus Ultra and Autocrat.— J. Dumele, Pkton
Cafth, /lanrfordice-^t.

Stove and Greenhouse.

CARNATION URIAH PIKE.
Bearim; on the recent controversy in TiiK
Garden re Uriah Pike CarnatioD, I am sending
you photos of a batch grown here last season.
We have at the present time an equally good
lot in full liloom. This morning (November 1-)
I counted oOO expanded blooms, with several
hundreds more to open. I cut almost every
day. A few notes on the mode of treatment
adopted may be of interest. Uriah Pike being
a great favourite here, a cor.siderable quantity
is grown. As will be seen from the illustration,
the plants figured are two years old and
are mostly grown from layeis put down in June
when the first batch of yciing plants has
finished flowering. The layers are taken up
when ready, grown on and flowertd in 6-inch
pots the following spring. The best plants are
then picked out and repotted into s|-inch pots,
the potting compost used consisting of fibrous
loam and peat, with an addition of charcoal,
sand, soot and a little chemical manure. The
plants are grown outside through the .summer,
housed in September, and brought on for autumn
and winter flowtricg. Treated in this manner,
Uriah Pike is a valuable winter bloomer. If
afforded the usual treatment given to winter-
flowering varieties, Uriah Pike can hardly be
considered satisfactory as a winter bloomer, as
the yourg plants do not throw up their blooms
with the same freedom as the true winter-
flowering sorts. W. Silk.
J.ovfhraUr Hovfe. Rkhmaiuvmih.

Manettia bicolor.— This makes quite a pleas-
ing plant when trained on a trellis, the scarlet

and gold-tipped flowers, not quite 1 inch long,
studded over its surface. It should make both a
pretty and desirable plant for planting against
a wall or trained to a rough wire netting in a like
position.

Feeding Tree Carnations. — I am not in
favour of feeding to any extent Tree Carnations
grown in pots, either by the addition of farmyard
or artificial manure, having during a lengthened
experience found no yood, but rather the oppo-
site, from the practice. If the plants are potted
from time to time in a mixture of light friable
turf which has been stored for one season and

covered on questionirg him.f On discontinuing
its use the plants partly regained their former
healthy condition, but the mistake and its resulca
I have never forgotten. When the plants are in.
full bearing and covered with a number of buds
in various stages, I give a little weak liquid water
the colour of pale ale once a week. Some varie-
ties will stand it better than others, Miss JoliflFe
being one of the worst. My advice is, if the
plants are doing fairly well, let well alone.— J.
Crawforh, Xewark.

Disbudding Tree Carnations.- Those who-
grow Carnations in pots for the production of large*

\^ ^

m:>i^m

^'^"'^'■'*

f^r^

( rmli like in Mr, tanmuie Uord<in\ gulden a' Louaii ater House, hickmansworth.

possesses a good amount of natural grit, a sixth
part of leaf-mould made from good Oak and
Beech leaves being added, tliey will find sufficient
nourishment if carefully watered. I once had a
fine batch of plant9 which had been shifted into
their blooming pots, 8 inches in diameter, much
injured by liquid manure being given to them,
althougli roots « ere numerous. The young man
in charge was instructed to give the liquid to a
batch of Chryfanthemums close to the Carnations,
and he of his own accord gave it to them as well.
From a green, perfectly healthy colour they soon
turned to a sickly yellow, the cause being dis-

blooms and who are satisfied with say from nine
to a dozen blooms on a plant always disbud early,
leaving the terminal buds only, but where quan-
tity is studied, wholesale disbudding cannot be
indulged in except on a very limited scale. As a
rule, however, free-flowerirg varieties, such as
Miss Joliffe and La Neige, form three cr four
bloom-buds at the extremity of each leading
shoot, one of these always being somewhat in
advance of the rest. These are so close together,
that if the earliest is cut as soon as it opens, or
indeed while it is in good condition, the rest have
to be sacrificed. Although I have not hitherto

KOVEME

THE GARDEN.

139

removed any budp, I intend next season pinching;
out, or, better still, clipping off with a pair of
Grape scissors the second sized ones, which cluster
around the terminal one, with a view to increasing
the size of the latter.— J. C.

Early Callas. — As a rule, Arum Lilies that
been planted out in the open garden during sum-
mer and lifted and potted in October are some-
what slow at throwing up blooms till after Christ-
mas if placed in a cool house. I usually select a
few of the best furnished plants and stand them
on the bed of the Cucumber house, giving a tem-
perature of about 60" at night and keeping the
atmosphere tolerably moist, assisting them also
with a little artificial manure or farmyard liquid,
the result being nice dense plants, carrying
several fine blooms by Christmas, which come in
most acceptable for standing in the drawing-room
or front hall. I plant out one year and keep them
in the pots the next, not drying them ofi', but
keeping them growing freely all the summer. By
the latter treatment earlier blooms are forthcom-
ing.—0. C. H.

mas Joliffd Carnation and mildew.— This,
the grandest of all pink-flowered Tree Carnations,
is not only very liable to die off suddenly without
any apparent cause, but the blooms also are very
liable to attacks of mildew, especially in some
localities. It sometimes seizes the buds when half
expanded, rendering them quite useless. I find
the plan adopted by those who force Tea Roses in
pots, namely, refraining from admitting front
air during winter, to be the best preventive, as
draught is undoubtedly almost as fertile a source
of mildew as damp and cold. We hear a good
deal about the new pink variety Mme. Therese
Franco, some thinking that it will eventually re-
place Miss Jolitfe. I do not, as my experience of
it is that, as a correspondent noted a week or two
ago, after the first flush of flower an interval oc-
curs before more bloom is produced ; whereas one
of the principal characteristics of Miss Joliffe is
its continuous habit of flowering. Mme. Therose
Franco, however, is undoubtedly an acquisition,
and will, I daresav. thrive in many gardens where
Mies Joliffefails.— C. H.

A little farmyard liquid then twice a week will
assist in swelling them to their normal size and
also improve the colour. If given in the earlier
stages of growth, grossness and a meagre quantity
of bloom will be the result. The plants may be
grown in the open air from the middle of June
to September, after which a structure in which is
a little heat suits them best. If large specimens
are required, one-year-old plants may be cut back
and given larger pots, but yearling plants in 6-inch
pots will, as a rule, be found the most useful.
Xotls. J. Cr.\wkorii.

IVY-LEAVED GERANIUMS.
I RECENTLY saw a very pretty edging to a con-
servatory stage consisting ot Ivy-leaved Gera-
niums in full bloom, the most attractive variety
being Souvenir de Charles Turner. The trailing
growths hung down over the sides of the stage,
showing off the bright rose coloured trusses to
advantage. Another variety named Edith Owen
is grown in this neighbourhood, and although the
flowers are neither quite so large nor so brilliantly
coloured as those of the former, it is a very
free grower and capital bloomer. These Ivj--
leaved Geraniums are not half so much appre-
ciated as they deserve. There are few things
that can be induced to flower freely at this season
of the year that are more serviceable for hanging
baskets in a warm conservatory, for placing in
ornamental baskets in the drawing-room, so that
the trailing masses of bloom hang over the edges,
or for ordinary greenhouse decoration, looking
very pretty also arranged in a vase in a cut state,
with nothing but their own foliage mixed with
them. One gardener in this locality grows them
in a variety of ways, some being trained to
balloon trellises, in which way their rich blossoms
are seen to great advantage, as by turning the
plants round occasionally, so as to receive an
equal share of sunshine and light, all the blooms flowering, though

VARIETIES OF ASPARAGUS,
AsPARAor.s PLUMOsti.s CBisTATUs is a dwarf
form. The branches are not quite so flat as in
the type and each branchlet is terminated by a
multitid growth almost in the same manner
some of the crested Ferns. This multifid or
fasciated growth occasionally occurs in many
plants, but it is most remarkable that it should
keep constant. I find that among a number of
plants propagated from divisions they all re-
tain the crested character, though some shoots
are more defined than others. A certificate
was awarded to this plant a few years ago, but
it does not appear to have come into commerce,
or at least I have not yet seen it catalogued.

A. TEsrissiMrs, though not grown to the
same extent as plumosus nanus, is equally
beautiful, and for some purposes I prefer it, the
light flufiy-like traUs being particularly adapted
for the shower bouquets now so much in vogue,
and also for associating with flowering plants in
groups. This may be propagated from cuttings.
The irhort side shoots taken ofl' close to the old
stem will root freely in any light sandy com-
post in the stove propagating pit. In growing
the plants on they do not require a high tem-
perature so much as a regular heat and plenty
of light. Shade or a sudden change of tem-
perature will cause the leaves to turn rusty and
fall ofl-.

A. Sprexgeei is a very distinct species of
scandent habit, the leaves longer and broader
than in those referred to above. I have not
yet had much experience in its culture, but find
it grows freely in an intermediate temperature
If it should seed freely it will be sure to be
come a useful plant. It has been grown for
some time on the continent. I lately saw some
fine large plants which had been imported,
placed on a shelf, and the long growths hanging
down were very effective. It is obtained from
seed, but I have not yet seen it ripen seed in
this country.

A RETKOFRACT0S ARBOREUS. — I do not knOW

in what way this differs from the original form
of retrofractus. which was introduced from the
Cape of Good Hope in the year 1759. I have
not seen it under the original name. It is
probable that arboreus is the same. It is a
most beautiful Asparagus and well worthy of
cultivation. It is of tall habit, the stems hard
and of a woody substance, covered with a
greyish white powder, the long thread-like
leaves produced m tufts from the slender wiry
branches. I do not know if seed can be ob-
tained. I have not yet seen any signs of its
have had some strong well-

turn outward. In order to have a display in I developed plants. I am afraid it will pro
winter, a batch of cuttings should be inserted, I slow to propagate from divisions to ever come

say, in March or April, and the young plants
grown on through the summer, the blooms which
show being all picked off, the September-formed
buds being allowed to remain. An Sinch pot is
a good size for balloon or cylindrical-shaped
trellis plants, but for ordinary furnishing a 6 inch
pot will suffice. A good loam, with a sixth part
of thoroughly decomposed cow manure and a little
sand, will grow them well, manure water being
withheld until plenty of bloom buds are formed.

into general use, though it would undoubtedly
be much appreciated, the long trails of bright
green foliage being very effective among cut
bloom. Like other plants from the Cape, it will
do well in a cool greenhouse, but a little extra
warmth will ensure better growth. It requires
plenty of pot room, a rough porous compost
and good drainage, and must not be grown
under the shade of other plants.

A. DEFLEXUS — Under this name a very
useful species was brought into commerce a few
years ago. It is of tall growth, with slender
wiry stems, the drooping leaves of a bright
green, and for cutting very useful. When
planted out, the underground rhizomes spread
freely and throw up strong growths in all
directions. It may be readily increased by
taking up these strong shoots with some roots
to them. I find it also seeds freely, and seed-
lings soon make nice plants. This succeeds
best in a cool house, too much heat inducing
slender growth and weakening the plants.

A. DEruMBENs (syn., A. crispus') is an old
species of very slender growth, from South
Africa. Although very pretty, I could not re-
commend it for general use. The large fleshy,
tuberous roots render it difficult to grow. It
should be grown in a cool house, and under
genial conditions it makes long growths on
slender thread-like stems. The leaves are of a
glaucous green and, as its name indicates, of a
drooping habit. — A. Hemsley.

Asparagus retrofractus has several times

recently been spoken highly of for cutting, and
it has certainly the merit of being totally dis-
tinct from Asparagus plumosus and A. tenuissi-
mus, which have of late years become so popu-
lar. A. retrofractus forms, like the two above
mentioned, pretty little plants in small pots,
but with age it develops a strong climbing
habit, the stems being very hard in texture and
light in colour. The principal stem produces
side branches freely, while these minor branches
and branchlets, which are slender and wiry,
have the leaves arranged thereon in little tufts.
The leaves are each from li inches to 2 inches
in length and bright green in colour. My first
acquaintance with this Asparagus was when
distributed by M. Lemoine, of Nancy, in the
spring of 1890 under the name of A. retro-
fractus arboreus, but a year or two after it was
awarded a first-class certificate by the Royal
^orticultural Society as A. retrofractus, the
arietal name of arboreus having been dropped.
I have not succeeded in propagating it from cut-
tings, but have obtained a few plants by means
of layers. This is, however, a very slow pro-
cess, but it is apparently the best method avail-
able unless seed can be obtained. — T.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

AIRING VINERIES IN WINTER.
It is one thing to grow good Grapes and an-
other thing to keep them in good sound condi-
tion through the dark days of winter. In some
vineries where paint and putty are grudged it
is well-nigh impossible to prevent the berries
decaying owing to drip after every shower, but
we sometimes see late Grapes, especially Mus-
cats, damping freely in modern-built water-tight
vineries, in all which cases it may safely be
asserted that the system of admitting or with-
drawing air is at fault. Only a few diiys ago I
saw a house of Muscats which had been well
ripened, the berries being of that beautiful
amber colour so much coveted by all Grape
growers, yet damping had set in wholesale, and
many of the best bunches were being quickly
reduced to skeletons. My opinion as to the
cause being asked, I inquired how late the ven-
tilators had been left open of late, the answer
being, until work was abandoned for the day.
The weather had been so bad that work in the
kitchen garden was in arrears, and the men em-
ployed under glass were drafted out to lend a
hand, the fruit houses having in the meantime

4 40

THE GAKI)H:?s.

[November 28, 1896.

to take their chance. The ciuseof the Muscats
damping at once becatne apparent ; the heavy
outside atmosphere had entered and settled on
the bunches, this being shut in when the venti-
lators were closed. No worse plan could
possibly be adopted with late vineries than
putting air on by rule of thumb, no difference
being made except when actual rainfall occurs.
During November, December, and January the
vineries are better kept quite closed unless the
day is sunny or the atmosphere quite clear and
bracing. As a rule, :> p.m. or at the latest 1
p.m. is quite long enough for air to remain on
during the mouths above named. In houses
well glazed and free fri>m drip a lukewarm
state ~of the hot-water pipes is the best, but
in old houses where damp creeps in, the best
way is to watch for fine days and then
to admit as much air as practicable, at the same
time moving on the fire so as to have a good
heat in the pipes throughout the forenoon, re-
ducing it ngain to lukewarmness by the time
the house is closed. In foggy weather, vineries
ought to remain closed all day, as opening ven-
tilators then only admits the very thing which
all who know its effects strive to keep out.
Unless it is in very small structures, the tem-
perature in which runs up ([uickly, 1 am not an
advocate for front air after October, as Grapes
in general, and Muscats in particular, resent it.
Under its influence the skins frequently shrivel,
in which state the berries are more susceptible
to injury from damp than when quite plump.
My advice is to allow a little extra warmth
from sun-heat rather than to admit too much
air, as Muscats will, if the atmosphere is quite
dry, stand this far better than cold draughts.

Then, as regards watering borders in winter,
I think it is an unsafe practice as a rule, for
even should the morning be quite bright and
sunny and border-watering taken in hand early
in the day, it often alters in an hour, and if a
house containing Muscats is closed, with the
surface of the border in a wet condition, damp-
ing may be looked for in twenty-four hours.
I think if the border receives a thorough
moistening from summit to base, say at the
beginning of October, and is then well mulched
with seme such material as spent Mushroom
manure, the Vines will take no harm till the
Grapes are used, or cut and bottled. Care is
needed in using fire-heat to exclude damp from
vineries at this time of year not to have the
pipes above lukewarmness during hours of dark-
ness, or not only will the berries shrivel, but
the Vines themselves be impaired. In the best
of houses a frequent examination is necessary,
as one mouldy berry unobserved soon spoils the
whole bunch. Grower.

Fear Hacon's Incomparable.— I never re-
member to have eeen thin Pear mentioned in the
pages of The G.^ri'EN, although in one of the
principal trade catalogues it is named as a large
roundif h fruit, finely flavoured, and good for gar-
den culture as a pyramid on the Pear. Perhaps
the fact that the tree I grew for nine years on a
sODth wall without getting from it a single fruit
is accounted for by the tree being grafted on the
Quince. I lost all patience with it and finally
rooted it out. I do not think it is much grown,
but perhaps ^ome reader may be able to give hie
experience of it. Its season is said to be from
December to January.— J. C.

The Peishcre Pliim for jam.— Some time
ago Mr. Voung, of \Vit!ey Couit, spoke in praise
cf this Plum from a market grower's point of
view, Loticirg particularly its fine cropping
chaiEoter. Not only is it remaikable in this re-
spect, but it is one of the very best varieties for
preeerving I am acquainted with — indeed, it is
quite aa rich as any of the Gages. This was
la'her a .surprise to ire, as ;n a raw state the

Perehore has not very much juice in it. I am
told on good authority that quantities of it are
used for making Apric3t jam. a little of the latter
fruit being added to it. Were I planting oOO
Plum trees for market I would include l'OO Per-
shore, so reliable a cropper is it. This and the
small blue Plum Early Violet, of which " D. T. F.'
recently gave a history, are in my opinion the two
best preserving Plums in cultivation.— N. N.

MELONS.
Onk often hears the remark that Melons lack
flavour. Doubtless such is the case in certain
seasons or with undue haste in finishing the
fruit. Many condemn the variety when cul-
ture is to blame. Few fruits are more emitic

but agreeable in flavour and others so poor that
I have abandoned the work, relying on dis-
tinct home-grown varieties. I must admit at
times I give a so-called Continental variety a,
trial, often with regret, as most of them lack
flavour when finished. Culture may be at
fault, as our hot, steamy houses may not suit
the plants. One often hears Melon - raising
deprecated, but in the past some excellent kinds
have been raised, ancl one never knows what
may be produced. It may be observed that
only distinct kinds should be grown, but one
cannot always keep to this good advice, as more
than one variety is needed for fertilising and the
best results are secured when all the plants are
in the same structure. When new varieties

ilelvn Syon Favourite. From a photograph sent ly Mr. 0. Wyfhes, Syon Gardens, Brenfft

in their behaviour than the Melon. Much has
been done to give Melons that rich flavour so
much liked, by the introduction of new varieties,
crossing and fertilising our home-raised kinds
with foreign kinds with, in a few cases, fair re-
sults. In many others there has been no improve-
ment in flavour, but great variation of shape
and colour of flesh, and often a thick, hard
skin with only a small amount of flesh and a
large seed space. I have for some years endea-
voured to get a distinct type by crossing the
home-grown Melons with the Indian, African
and Persian kindp, but none have come up to
my exjiectations. Some have been anything

are raised it is well to get as distinct a break as
possible. - -

The fruit illustrated is named Syon Favourite
this and several others being the result of cross-
ing a green and a scarlet-fleshed kind. The
variety illustrated was kept for its shape, size,
quality , and well-developed fruit, and being alate
cross its quality may not yet be fully developed.
Many Melons fail because too well treated.
I have observed that the moment a Melon
ceases to swell, food should be withheld. On
the other hand, I fail to see why we should
starge the plants in their earlier stages if there
is the proper amount of soil (not manures) for

iSTov^-MBER 28, 1896]

THE GARDEN.

441

roots. One often sees heavy, poor soil advised
and no manure of any kind for this crop, but
much depends upon the culture to follow. The
best Melons I ever grew were in a good soil
6 inches thick on a slate bed over the hot- water
pipes. In such a case feeding was an important
point in culture. With less manure at the
base one can feed freely up to a certain point.
There have been many failures by giving excess
of food, which causes much top growth, a sparse
lot of Ijloom, and often ends in the cracking or
decay of the stems. We have certainly im-
proved in the cultivation of the Melon, as in
ray younger days one rarely saw more than one
crop from a house in a season ; now three may be
had with ordinary culture. I think a portion
of our success is owing to Melons that have
been introduced since the date I refer to. In
olden times the plants were grown in manure-
heated fraiies, and, of course, they were longer
about, but with more glass it stands to reason
more variety wUl be grown. Those who think
there should be fewer varieties will admit we
have kinds which can be grown more rapidly
than some of the older types, there being more
vigour in the plants, shorter- join ted wood, and
leas difficulty in setting. G. Wythes.

siderable time after being gathered. Those who
have this Pear on walls only should certainly
adopt Mr. Young's plan of gathering the fruit
before it parts very readily from the tree, much
longer keeping being thereby ensured. — Notts

STRAWBERRY KEENS' SEEDLING.
Many would hesitate to reply to such a veteran
as " D. T. F." (p. 365), wbo has grown Keens'
Seedling Strawberry for half a century. " D. T. F."
has been a most fortunate grower if he has had
Keens' Seedling true for the time named with no
failures and a full crop. I have not been eo
fortunate for half the period he names. My
reason for remarking that Keens' Seedling failed
to fruit freely was this. Some fifteen years ago
I took charge of some fair-sized gardens in sum-
mer where Strawberries were a speciality, and
the very first season for procuring forcing plants
I layered a good number of runners from what I
was told was Keens', and I had no reason to
doubt their being so. I found not one in twenty
fruited, and the parent plants were poor in the
extreme. I admit I might have purchased, but
one cannot always do that. It was a lesson, an '
I think I can hear my critic saying it was not
Keens' at all, but the plants were so worn out
probably that all traces of their former jrood
quality were lost. Again, a few j-ears later, with
a lingering respect for Keens', I had a few plants
sent me ; these were anything but fruitful. A
lot of plants set out for the true variety was
only a mass of leafage and failed to fruit. There
are a great many spurious types of Keens' Seed-
ling, and some vastly inferior. I am glad
" D. T. F."' has not had any experience with
them. Through the courtesy of an old growe
the neighbourhood where Keens' Seedling was
raised I now have the true stock. The growth of
the true kind is much dwarfer. I place La
Grosse Sucr^e far ahead of Keens' in any garden
where special culture is given. As most growers
are aware, after the first gathering is tiken from
Keens' the remainder are very small. I will not
say the fruits are not numerous. In some soi
is not so prolific. If I had to select the best half
dozen for profit, for quality, and all points com
bined, the one named would not be included. I
may add I grow and force a large number of
Strawberries. S. H. M.

Pear Williams' Bon Chretien.— Mr. Young,
in a recent issue, refers to the fact that this old-
fashioned Pear is never first rate from a wall tree.
Not only is this the case in the south of England,
but in this county also fruit from walls is very
iiferior, being almost entirely void of juice and
quickly turning mealy. On the other hand, old
standard and pyramid trees yield well most sea-
eons, and the quality of the fruit is first rate. A
market gardener near here has several large, old
trees which this season bore heavy crops, which
paid him well, as decay did not set in for a con-

Societies and Exhibitions.

THE PARIS CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOW.

NOVEMHER 17 — '2-.

The Paris Chrysanthemum show must be pro-
nounced a decided success. It was held under the
auspices of the National Horticultural Society on
November 17 to 2-2, and for the first time in the
Palais de I'lndustrie, the shows having been
previously held at the society's headquarters in
the Rue de Crenelle, which were found last year,
owing to the increasing interest in the show, to be
far too small for the accommodation of the
numerous exhibits. The Palais de I'lndustrie is
admirably suited for the purpose, for it is a
spacious building, well lighted from a glass arched
roof, and is situated in the Champs Elysees and
within a stone's throw of the centre of the city.
The show occupied fourteen rooms of various
sizes in which the pictures of the Salon are
annually displayed. These rooms all com-
municate, and are in the upper part of the
building, which is reached by a wide flight of
stairs from the ground floor. On each side of the
staircase was arranged a pretty border of Palms,
Laurels, Euonymus, Hollies, and Deodars, inter-
peraed with very dwarf plants of Chrysanthemums,
the whole enclosed within a neac ornamental
border made of cane. On the several landing
up the staircase were to be found neat little
triangular groups of Chrysanthemums in poti
principally shown by MM. Delavier et fils and M
Paillet. At the top of the staircase just before
entering the exhibition room, or, more properly
speaking, the series of exhibition rooms, was a very
fine display of Hydrangea Hortensia Otaksa
staged by M. Truffaut, of Versailles.

On the afternoon of the opening the crowd of
visitors was immense. The President of the
French Republic, M. Felix Faure, visited the
show about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, but there
was so little chance of inspecting the exhibits
that he decided to come again the following
morning at 11 o'clock, when he made a tour of
the show, beinK accompanied by M. Viger, presi
dent ; M. Henri L. de Vilmorm, vice-president
M. Abel Chatenay, secretary, and several other
ofincials. Every day during the afternoon
evening the attendance was large, and the visitors
seemed to be keenly alive to the importance of
the display, for note-books and pencils were all
busily at work. Groups of Chrysanthemums in
pots formed a leading feature, for there wer
all about twenty-five of them, some containing
several distinct exhibits. Cut blooms were largely
shown, although not in such large proportions
would be seen at an English show. Most of them
were staged in glass bottles, although to this
rule there were some exceptions, green-painted
show boards finding but few admirers.

The National Chrysanthemum Society of Lon
don sent a deputation consisting of Messrs. C.
Harman-Payne, Mr. H. J. Jones and Mr. Thomas
Bsvan, the chairman of the floral committee,
whose presence seemed to be much appreciate '
The weather throughout the whole of the show
was favourable, and although other subjects were
largely shown, we can only find space to deal with
the exhibits of Chrysanthemums, which were by
far the most effective feature of the show.

The jury was divided into six sections, the three
first being for Chrysanthemums and the remainder
for fruit, fruit trees, shrubs, fine-foliaged and other
plants, &c. The deputation from the National
Chrysanthemum Society formed a part of the
second section, which was constituted as follows
President, Mr. C. Harman-Payne: members
Mr. Welker and M. Debrie ; honorary members
Mr. H. J. Jones and Mr. T. Bevan ; steward, M

Savoye. There were no money prizas offered, all
the awards being medals in bronze, silver, silver-
gilt and gold in two sizes, the number awarded for
Chrysanthemums, fruit and other subjects exceed-
ing 15(1. In some of the cla'ises the judging began
' o'clock in the morning of the opening day of
the show ; other sections ot the jury did not begin
till (I o'clock, and after their duties were over a
lunch was given at the Restaurant Ledoyen, in
the Champs Elysees, one of the most famous in
the city. M. Viger (late Minister of Agriculture,
and now president of the National Horticultural
Society of France) occupied the chair, being sup-
ported by all the officers of the society and many
distinguished visitors. Among those present
were M. Henri de Vilmorin, M. Abel Chatenay,
the secretary, M. Trufl'aut, M. Martinet, M. Sal-
lier, M. Ernest Bergman, M. Villard, Mr. H.
Fatzer, Mr. Harman-Payne, Mr. T. Bevan,
Mr. H. J. Jones, &c. After proposing the usual
toasts, M. Viger drank to the health of the
foreign members of the jury, to which Mr.
Harman-Payne replied in French, his speech
being several times interrupted by applause.
Altogether, the reception accorded to the deputa-
tion of the N.C.S- was most cordial, and, as at
Ghent, their comfort and enjoyment were looked
after in the most hospitable way.

The prizes consisted not, as is the case at
English shows, of sums of money in various
amounts, but of medals of the National Horticul-
tural Society of France and special medals and
works of art. M. Felix Faure, the President of
the French Republic, offered a work of art, which
was won by M. Auguste Nonin, the president of
the Chrysanthemum committee of the society, for
thegeneralexcellenceof his exhibit. Considerations
of space prevent us dealing with this gentleman's
exhibit, which was arranged round three sides of
one of the rooms, each side being arranged in
semi-circular form and the plants sloping down
to the front. Here there were many kinds but
little grown in England, and which seem to suc-
ceed far better in France. Hairy novelties
formed quite an attraction in this group, and
Japanese, such as Graphic, Le Mouoberotte, Col.
Smith, Etoile de Lyon, Mme. Calvat, I'Isere, Mrs.
Hy. Robinson, Duchess of Wellington, Calvat's
Australian Gold, besides a few incurved varieties,
were finely flowered. Two gold medals and two
silver medals formed the prizes otfered by the
Minister of Agriculture. It is quite impossible to
give anything like a detailed list of the prizs-
winners, for in the various classes there were no
fewer than ninety-five separate entries, some of
which were remarkably extensive, and nearly all
being arranged in quite different parts of the
building, so that in some cases where there were
five or six exhibitors the collections would be
found dispersed in various parts of the show.

The well-known firm of Messrs. Vilmorin-
Andrieux and Co , of Paris, made a grand display,
which was beyond doubt the finest m extent in
the whole show. It consisted of two enormous
collections of cut blooms arranged on a sloping
stage covered with black velvet. One of them
comprised about 2.-)ii cut flowers, and the other
about eighty. They also had a large collection
with long stems and foliage set up on the other
side of the room, with the bottles and pots sunk
in green Moss. In addition to these, Messrs. Vil-
morin and Co. contributed four large oblong
groups, 45 feet by 6 feet, in the middle of which
was a fine group of Palms, Araucanas, &c., and a
huge bouquet of cut Chrysanthemums, the whole
display being edged with green Moss. This was
much admired by the visitors. The importance
of Messrs. Vilmorin's exhibit may be estimated
when we say that it was arranged in the largest
room in the show, and in extent would far surpass
many an ordinary English provincial show. The
dimensions of the room were Itin feet in length by
40 feet in width, and the only other exhibitor ot
importance in the same room was M. Anatole
Cordonnier, whose flowers occupied the upper end
of the room In cut flowers there were very
many of the popular American and French varie-
ties but English novelties were comparatively

442

THE GAR])EN.

[Novi

few. The finest examples were Vieil Or, a rich
golden yellow Japanese : Comte Horace de Choi-
seul, a big, compact, massive Japanese incurved
flower, with very broad florets, colour deep jjoldeii
yellow : Mme. Carnot, Directeur Tisserand, and
Belle Paule. Amongst the Bowers shown with
lone stems and foliage, Waban, Louis Hoehmer,
and W. H. Lincoln were good. Commandant
Blusset, Sylphide, a greenish yellow Japanese,
Heroine d'Orleans, a large white Japanese
not known to English growers, but very freely
shown in France : Globe d"Or, the yellow in-
carved ; Admiral Symonds, the yellow single
Japanese : and Commandant Maraignon, a beauti-
ful Jajanese with long florets and of a biijht
deep rosy amaranth shade, were most attractive.

For thedisplay of Chrysanthemums in groups,
Messrs. Vilmorin deserve the greatest praise. A
beiutiful lot of well grown dwarf plants, all bear-
ing a good number of nice, clean-looking blooms,
was shown. Their number was almost beyond
computation, and from an English point of view
they were of remarkable interest, for there was
much that was novel and interesting among them
Here again the average English grower would
fail to recognise many of the best, but the follow
ing seem to be worthy of being placed on record
For present purposes we need only cite Mme. de
Riaz, a large yellow Japanese ; Etoile de Lyon,
Col. W. H Smith, Soleil de France, crircson and
gold : Amiral Gervais, a very pretty Japanese,
with rather bioad florets of medium width, colour
violet-mauve, reverse silvery ; lEteniard, a large
white Japanese and having very long florets ;
W. H. Lincoln, William Seward, CuUingfordi,
Lord Brooke, a variety that the French growers
seem able to do as well as any ; Ella May, a
Japanese, very full and double, colour pale
yellow : Sunflower, Charles Davis, Reine d'Angle-
terre, M. Chenon de Lechi=, Calvat's Australian
Gold, very fine ; G. W. Childs, bright and good ;
M. Oslet, a Japanese incurved, very large in size,
florets broad, colour dark violet-crimson, with
reverse of golden bronze; Golden Gate, Surprise,
C. Harman-Payne, very deep in colour, and a
variety as grown in France far richer and tine r in
every respect than ever we have seen it in Eng-
land. Other meritorious novelties in Messrs.
Vilmorins groups were Jardinier Kerard, a
Japanese, with very narrow florets, dull crimson,
tipped gold, a useful variety for grouping :
Souvenir de ma Suur, a large Japanese in-
curved, colour silvery pink : Anatole Cordonnier,
a Japanese of a pretty shade of rosy mauve, with
tips of pale yellow, striking and eflective, and
Mme. Valla, a fine yellow Japanese, quite new.
There were also very many hairy varieties we have
never seen before, and which we may refer to
separately on some future occasion.

Messrs. LevL-que and Sons sent some groups of
Chrysanthemums and Carnations in pots. They
were also exhibitors of cut blooms, and their ar-
rangement of them was quite unique. The
flowers, all very large show blooms, were placed
in bottles on the floor in a sunken bed and
the bottles concealed from view by being
covered with Moss, a far more attractive method
than allowini: the bottles to be exposed. M.
Oudot, gardener to M. Victorien Sardou,also had
a fine group of plants, each bearing some very
large blooms. The plants were very dwarf and
his Mme. Carnot, C. B. Whitnall, Boule dOr,
and Thos. Wilkins were of exceptional merit.
M. Vacherot showed a group in 4i-inch pots,
for which he was awarded a g'old medal.
The arrangement was good, being edged with
a double row of Cychmens and Selaginella.
M. Patrolin, M. Boutreux, M. Delavier, M.
Defresne, M. 'Jeraud, Messrs. Yvon and .Sons, and
M. Ragout were also exhibitors of plants in pots.
Cut blooms were largely shown, the raisers of
new varieties mustering in strong force, for ex-
hibits of new seedlings not yet in commerce came
from M. Ernest Calvat, who was awarded a gold
medal ; M. Xonin, M. de Reydellet, M. Heraud,
M. Scalarandis, M. Chantrier, M. Morietes, and
M. GaimichoD, to all of whom the Society made
a suitable recognition, medals in silver and silver-

gilt being awarded. First-class certificates were
awarded to M. Calvat for the following novelties,
Calvat's Distinction, a large white Japanese in-
curved, which after the visit of the President of
the French Republic was named Mile. Lucie
Faure ; Czarina, a large .lapanese incurved,

ith

very long florets rather broad and

pointed, colour a pretty shade of rosy amaranth,
reverse silvery pink, a compact solid bloom ;

Lavtrence 7.Me, a big solid Japanese incurved,
very broad deep florets, sharply pointed, colour
rosy amaranth, reverse deep silvery pink : Mme.
Bergier, another large variety, a Japanese with
great length of floret, colour white, .shaded and
streaked pale pink, tips yellow; Mme. Deis,
Japanese, with very long florets of medium
width, colour pure creamy white ; Mme. Xavier
Rey Jouvin, a very pretty Japanese incurved,
with broad grooved florets, of good size and
substance, very globular, a pretty shade of
deep rosy pink, and flightly hairy at the tips ;
Werther, Japanese incurved, rather broad florets,
colour white, shaded amaranth, reverse waxy
sulphur white, tips faintly marked yellow. First-
class certificates were also awarded to M. Heraud
for Mme. Filleul Broy, to M. Xonin for M. Pierre
Cattant, to M. Quetier for Lt^ocadie Gtntils, a
pale yellow sport from Enfant des deux Mondes ;
to M. de Reydellet for Ernest Verdet, and to M.
Scalarandis for Louis Sirtori, a Japanese, with
broad florets, colour golden bronzy chestnut,
tipped and edged yellow ; Mme. Th^rose Chavet,
a very pretty shade of soft pale pink, reverse
silvery ; Pii'mont, one of the Japanese incurved
type, broad grooved florets, colour streaked pink
on a white ground. For the best fifty cut blooms,
M. Oudot was awarded a gold medal with what
must be regarded as the finest display of cut
blooms in the show. They were all of immense
size, and would have been a credit to any English
exhibitor, but they were not set up in the best
form, and consequently looked a little rough.
Remarkably good in this lot were Le Drac,
Phcubus, Calvat's Australian Gold, Lilian B. Bird,
Heroine d'Orleans, and C. B. Whitnal. M.
Raguenau's collection was probably the next best.
He had l!ider Haggard, the Japanese Antmone,
in gigantic proportions, and others, such as Mrs.
C. HarmanPayne, Mile. Ther^se Rey, Hairy Won-
der, Good Gracious, Etoile de Lyon, and several
American varieties were all in excellent form.
M. Couillard (the registrar of the French
N.C.S.) had one or two collections of cut blooms,
among which there wei'e several very good
flowers : Waban, Mrs. E. D, Adams, Mme.
Calvat, Mrs. Geo. West, Mme. Rozain, Le Co-
losse Grenoblois, Hairy Wonder, Antoinette,
W. H. Lincoln and Etoile de Lyon all being good.
M. E. Rosette also staged an extensive collection
of cut flowers of Japanese varieties. Some very
fine examples of cultivation weie to be found in
his collection, the best being Mme. Aug. Xonin,
a large Japanese incurved, with rather narrow
florets, colourdeepchestnut, wi:h sharply pointed,
grooved florets, tipped yellow. Mme Leblanc
was another. Mme. Chaure, Ph^t-bus, H. Jacotot
fils, Charles Davis, Mrs. .1. Lewis (a new white
Japanese), Le Rhone, Triomphe de St. Laurent,
and Mme. G. Champon were also very fine ; but in
this collection, as in most of the others, the prin-
cipal varieties bore names with which English
growers ate quite unfamiliar. M. Anatole Cor
donnier— the well-known Chrysanthemum spe-

alist of Hailleul (Nord) — also made a remark-
ably fine display of cut blooms. These were
arranged with long stems and placed in bottles of
water on a stage fixed to the wall of the largest
room in the show. Behind the blooms, to lend
variety to the exhibit, were placed Palms and
fine - foliaged plants, but the flowers needed
very few ornamental surroundings to show off'
their merits. From an English point of view they
were almost, if not quite, the best in the show,
and would undoubtedly have gained a gold medal,
but for the fact that many of the blooms were
not named. They were all very large show
blooms, and the only ones that could be com-
pared with them were shown by M. Oudot, gar-

dener to the well-known play-writer, M. Victorien
Sardou. In M. Cordonnier's collection special
mention should be made of Mme. Carnot, Julian
Hillpert, Ph. de Wolfs, a large, massive yellow
Japanese; Mrs. George Gordon, a fine pale yel-
low Japanese ; Rider Haggard, a large Japanese
Anemone ; Etoile de Lyon, Desdemona, Mrs. H.
Robinson, a grand white Japanese ; M. Chenon de
Lecho, which was really remarkably fine in every
exhibit in which it was shown throughout the ex-
hibition, thus proving it to be a show flower of
the greatest possible value to exhibitors ; Mrs.
Geo. Wi'st, big and massive ; Mmr. Garbe, a
noblewhite Japanese, not much known in England ;
Viviand .Morel and others. In this exhibit two
well known American varieties were shown ; one of
them (Philadelphia) was rough and coarse, and in
spite of that variety being awarded a silver-gilt
medal by the English X.C.S,, seems hardly likely
to remain a favourite either here or in France.
Major Bonatfon (the other) was fairly good, and
the colour, pure pale yellow, far more attractive.

ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

NoVEMliEK 24.

A MEETiNc full of interest both to lovers of
flowers and to the fruit grower was that of Tues-
day last. It was not, it is true, of such extent as
many previous ones, but it was replete with variety
and attractiveness.

Chrysanthemums from various sou'-ces were of
course the most prominent amongst flower.-^, and
it is a pleasure to note the almost entire absence
of the conventional show boards, which a few
years back would have been considered as abso-
lutely necessary to display the flowers in anything
like their best style. The flowers on this occasion
were chiefly arranged in earthenware bottles, the
very largest as singles, but the majority as trip-
lets or in bunches. These came from the usually
well-known sources and bore ample evidence of
the favourable condition of the weather for pre-
serving the blooms. Of other flowers there were
a few early Cyclamen persicum of sturdy growth,
bearing good flowers. The blue form of Primula
sinensis was also shown well, whilst a few plants
of Carnations were most acceptable for their
fragrance, although they would not possibly find
favour with the rigid florist by reason of their
fringed petals (this strain has apparently some of
the Marguerite character in it).

Before the Orchid committee there was an
abundance of rich and choice things, both of
hybrids and of species. Of the latter the most
noticeable of all was a splendidly flowered ex-
ample of Vanda Curulea from Mr. Woodall, Scar-
borough, It was the finest plant beyond any
uestion that was shown at this meeting, and one

orthy of the best ])Os?ible commendation. It
was in most robust health, with abundance of
roots and Jark green, sturdy looking foliage. The
mass consisted of some seven leads with five
spikes of liloom, the largest with as many as ten
"owers, and these in every case of extra size,
freshness, and colour ; the colour was a deep blue

th lighter mottlirg, and the lip, as in the best
forms, quite a dark blue. This plant affords an
object lesson in the culture of this somewhat
fractious species from the fact that from first
to last it had been grown in a vinery. Perhaps
those cultivators who have not hitherto succeeded
to their satisfaction will take note of this, and not
yet despair of its culture. Of other noteworthy
exhibits particular mention should be made of
La-lio-Catlleya Decia alba, a chaste and beautiful
hybrid than which it would be almost impossible
conceive of anything more charming. Of
Odontoglots, note should be made of a hybrid,
being one of the first raised in this country ; this
is also a most distinct acquisition, with affinity to
O. crispum and O. Halli to all appearance. Some
ery choice and unique rarities were sent from
The Dell collection, and from other sources came
several most interesting and beautiful exhibits.
The most notable of these was Lalio-Cattleya
albanensis Lady Brougham, which bears a dis-
tinct resemblance to L. grandis tenebrosa, the

November 28, 1896.J

THE GAEDEK

143

paler-coloured sepale and petals being flushed
with pale violet. The Veitchian hybrids were
likewise in strong force, making a profuse display.
The fruit committee did not have a heavy duty
to perform. Several good and particularly well-
coloured examples of Apples were staged, and the
interest continues unabated in the competitive
classes for flavour. Some well-grown examples
of Smooth Cayenne Pines were sent from Windsor,
handsome and weighty fruits.

Orchid Committee.

First-class certificates were awarded to the fol-
lowing : —

0DONT0c:LOSsrM Halli iRisruM.— a remark-
able hybrid Odontoglossum raised by Mr. Murray
between the two species from which the name is
derived. The sepals are creamy white, with several
large dark brown blotches ; the petals whiter than
the sepals, with one large dark brown blotch in
centre and numerous smaller spots of the same
colour towards the base ; the lip white, shading
to yellow at the ba=e. This is one of the most
interesting hybrid Orchids, as it is the second
Odontoglossum that has been raised artificially.
From Mr. N. Cookson, Wylam-on Tyne.

CvFKirEDiUM Bakon Schrcedek. — This is one
of the finest hybrid Cypripediums raised. It is a
cross between C. Fairrieanum and C. ananthum
superbum, the latter being the seed parent. The
dorsal sepal is white, shaded rose at the top, pale
green at the base, heavily lined and spotted from
the base upwards with bright purple. The petals
have the drooping character of the pollen parent,
pale green, heavily lined with dark brown ; the
lip dark brown, shading to pale green. From
Messrs. Veitch and Sons.

L.ijlio-Cattleya Decia alba.— L.-C. Deciawas
raised by Mr. Seden from La;lii Perrini, crossed
with Cattleya Dowiana, and has been previously
certificated. The variety now exhibited differed
from the typical form principally in its white
sepals and petals, which were of fine form and
substance. The lip was also totally different,
being of a rosy lilac in colour, the basal part lilac,
veined with white and having a slight suffusion
of yellow in the throat. It is one of the most re-
markable variations we have seen among seedling
Orchids from the same pod. From Messrs. J.
Veitch and Sons.

Awards of merit were adjudged to the follow-
ing : —

Cattleya Tiresias.— A hybrid between Cat-
tleya Bowringiana and L.C. elegans Turneri.
The sepals and petals are rose-purple, lip crim-
soTi -purple in front, side lobes purple, shading to
white at the base. It is a distinct and desirable
variety. From Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons.

L-i:lio-Cattleya Apollonia.— Said to be
hybrid between Lalia purpurata and Cattleya
Djwiana, but from the season of blooming and
general character of the flower it seemed to us to
indicate that La?Ua crispa had been used as one
parent. It closely resembles forms of L.-C. Pallas;
the sepals and petals pale rose, much fringed, lip
deep crimson-purple, heavily fringed and margined
with light rose, the side lobes rose, veined with
yellow, the base of the throat suffused with deep
purple. From Mr. J. Douglas.

Cattleya labiata var. Ashford.— A remark-
ably fine form with deep rose-purple sepals and
petals, the lip crimson-purple, margined with
rose, the side lobes purple, shading to yellow at
the base. This is one of the darkest varieties we
have seen. From Mr. G. S. Ball, Manchester.

L.^iLiA .juvenalis. — A cross between L. Perrini
and L pumila var. Diyana. Though pumila
could be distinctly traced, there was no sign of
the characteristic lines in the throat of the
variety Dayana. It is a lovely addition to the
dwarf-growing section. The sepals and petals
are deep rose, lip crimson-purple in front, shading
to pure white in the throat. From Sir T. Law-
rence, Burford Lodge, Dorking.

L.EL10-CATTLEyA ELEGANS ScHlLLERIAXA (Ash-

worth's var.).— A remarkably fine form of
this natural hybrid ; sepals and petals white.

shaded with rose, lip rich purple in front, side
lobes white, margined with purple in front. It is
much larger than the typical form. From Mr. E.
Ashworth.

SdPHRO-L.ELiA Marriotti.— A bi-gencric hy-
brid, the result of crossing Sophronitis grandi-
flora and La;lia flava. The sepals and petals are
orange-yellow. lined and shaded with red, the lip
yellow, veined and suffused with red. The flower-
scape bore three liowers. From Sir W. Marriott,
Down House, Blandford.

A botanical certificate was awarded to Mr. F. W.
Moore (Glasnevin) for Acanthophippium javani-
cum, a variety with large Anguloalike flowers,
greenish white, ehaded pink and lined with
brown.

Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons were awarded a
silver Flora medal for a fine group consisting of
fine hybrids and species which were efftctively
arranged. Prominent amongst these were numer-
ous forms of Cypripedium Leeanum, C. Arthuri-
anum, C Arthurianum pulchellum, C. T. B. Hay-
wood, C. Euryades, several forms of C. Niobe, C.
Dauthieri luteum, like the green form of C. Harris-
ianum, and the remarkable Dendrobium subclu-
sum with its earal-red flowers. D. glomeratum,
another New Guinea species, was represented by a
large specimen with numerous pink flowers.
D. euosmum virginale, L;i lio-Cattleya Pallas, a
fine spike with fourteen flowers of Phal;enop?is
Vesta, sepals and petals rose, shading to a lighter
colour at the edges, lip purple, shading to yellow
at the base, and the new hybrid Litlia Omen, a
cross between L. autumnalis and L. purpurata,
Were also shown here. Messrs. F. Sander and
Co. were awarded a silver Banksian medal for a
neat group containing fine forms of Cattleya
labiata, L;elio-Cattleya albanensis var. Lady
Brougham, Odontoglossum Krameri and its variety
album, a dark form of Cymbidium giganteum, C.
Winnianum with creamy white and purple flowers,
and several finely flowered plants of Dendrobium
Johnscnie. Cypripedium Leeanum was represented
by several foiras, Ihe most remarkable being C. L.
giganteum, the dorsal eepal upwards of :i inches
atross. C. Mrs. C. Maynard, a hybrid between C.
nitens magnificum and (_'. Boxalli, and several
finely flowered plants of Sophronitis grandiflora
were also included.

Baron Schmder was awarded a silver Banksian
medal for a group of rare cut Orchids, consisting
of Odontoglossum Chestertoni, the sepals yellow
heavily spotted with reddish brown, the petals
yellow, with a few small spots in centre ; the lip
bright yellow, with a large brown blotch in the
centre ; O. Wilckeanum Godefroyie, an extra
large-flowered variety, sepals and petals yellow,
heavily spotted with purple-brown, the lip yellow,
with large brown blotch in centre ; Lalio
Cattleya exoniensis, Cattleya Baron Schra-der,
sepals and petals deep rose, lip rose in front,
shading to white in the centre, the throat and
base of the lip bright orange-yellow. Sophro-
Cattleya Calypso, sepals and petals bright rose-
purple, lip crimson-purple in front, the base and
side lobes bright orange-yellow, Cypripedium
insigne Sanderte, C. Niobe, and good forms of
Dendrobium Phahenopsis were also sent. Mr. W
Thompson, Stone, senta fine plant of Odontoglossum
elegantius, with upwards of thirty flowers on the
spike. Mr. Welbore Bryant, Stoke Park, Slough,
sent a fine form of Cattleya labiata autumnalis,
with four flowers' Admiral Cator, Kings's Lang-
ley, sent Cymbidium cyperifolium, a distinct and
pretty species, with flowers like those of Tracey-
anum, but greatly reduced. Mr. E. H. Woodall,
Scarborough, sent a remarkably fine mottled va-
riety of Vanda cierulea, which bore five spikes. A
cultural commendation was awarded. Mr. R J.
Measures sent Cypripedium Ed wardi(C. Fairriea-
num X C. Veitchi), one of the most distinct of
the Fairrieanum crosses ; C. Regina, recently cer-
tificated ; C. Niobe and Lajlio-Cattleva Sallieri, a
hybrid between L. purpurata x C. Loddigesi,
the sepals and petals delicate rote, lip rose, veined
with purple in front, white towards the centre,
suffused with yellow at the base. Sir Trevor
Lawrence sent Sobralia Lindeni, a distinct spe-

cies, sepals and petals white, shaded with rose ;
lip white, lined and splashed with purple. Mr.
R. Young, Liverpool, senta group of cue flowers,
consisting of Cattleya labiata, numerous forma of
Cypripedium insigne, C. Niobe and various other
sorts. Frau Ida Brandt, Zurich, sent numerous
cut Orchids, consisting of fine forms of Vanda
ccerulea, Cypripedium insigne, C. Leeanum and
various other species. Mr. R. Worthington sent
Catasetum splendens (Worthington's variety), a
dark form resembling others previously certifi-
cated. Mr. a. S. Ball sent Cattleya labiata alba
with three flowers. Mr. E. Ashworth showed
Lfelia autumnalis Lucy DoUd, identical with
L. a. alba, and a species of Epidendrum with
flowers like a Xanodes. M r. N. Cookscn sent Cypri-
pedium Chapmani, recently described, confirming
the parentage, it having been previously raised
in Mr. Measures' collection at Camberwell. Misi
X. Roberts, Loughborough Road, Brixton, senta
collection of water colour drawings, and Mr. W.
Thompson had a collection, executed by Mr. Mic-
farlane.

Floral Committee.

A first-class certificate was given to—

Drac.kna Bromkieldi. — A decidedly distinct
plant in every respect and one of the best now
things shown amongst fine foliagei plants for a
long time. It belongs to the same section as D.
Lindeni, from which it is, however, totally dis-
tinct, the leaf growth being more profuse, at
least four leaves being produced to one of D.
Lindeni. The leaves spread out nearly horizontally
and are each about 18 inches long and 2 inches
wide. The variegation consists of a broad marginal
line of pure white, which descends directly down
to the stem, the bright green being relieved in an
irregular manner with silvery green throughout
the rest of the leaf. From Messrs. F. Sander and
Co., St. Albans.

Awards of merit were voted to —

KnoDODEXDRON Cloth OF GoLD (Javanico-
jasminiflorum section). — A pure rich shade of pale
golden yellow pervaded this beautiful hybrid, the
flowers being 3 inches across and of rare sub-
stance, and not at all formal in shape, being not
at all unlike miniature blossoms of an Allamanda.
The trusses are large and freely produced, whilst
the foliage is broad and leathery-looking, with an
addition of an excellent habit. From Messrs. J.
Veitch and Sons, Chelsea.

Bei:onia Ensiox (3. tuberous sect, x B. soco-
trana). — This is an acquisition to the winter-
flowering section of Begonias ; the blossoms are
double, rosy carmine in colour and of good form,
the trusses, too, being evidently disposed to yield
a plentiful supply of blossoms. The growth is
robust and rather tall. From Messrs. J. Veitch
and Sons.

SosERiLA Leopold II. — A rather robust-grow-
ing variety, yet of bushy habit, the foliage being
of a dark olive-green and profusely studded with
minute silvery spots. The flowers, however, are
its chief attraction, these being produced in pro-
fusion, and of a pinkish mauve colour. From Sir
Trevor Lawrenes, Burford Lodge, Dorking (gar-
dener, Mr. Bain).

Chrysanthemum (Japanese) Mrs. Joseph
Thompson.— A lovely variety of incurved form,
with long and broad florets, possessing singularly
fine substance ; the flowers, which are of large
size, are pearly white in colour. This is one of
the best of all the large flowered varieties seen this
season. From Sir Trevor Lawrence.

Chrysanthemum (.Japanese) A. Owen. — A
seedling from Robert Owen, the colour a bright
golden yellow, tie florets broad and of great
length, assuming with age a drooping character,
as in Boule d'Or. The irregular formation of
this variety is an additional charm. From Mr.
Robert Owen, Maidenhead.

Chrysanthemu:m (Japanese) Golden Elsie. —
A bright golden yellow sport from Elsie and of
very free and profuse habit with capital trusses
of bloom. It is an excellent marke" variety.
From Mr. B. Ladhams, Shirley, Southampton,
and Messrs. H. Cannell and Sons, Swanley.

444

THE OAPiDEX.

[November is, If

CHRVSANTHEMrM (AxKMOSE POMrOS) Gf.M OF

Eakl^wood. — This is a distinct addition to its
class with flowers of full size for its section, the
cushion is golden yellow, whilst the truard petals
are of a pale rosv-pink shade. From Mr. Wells,
Earlswood, Redhill.

ClIRVSANTHEMrM (iXlTRVEP) MiSS LoriSE DE

Black —A promising looking variety with some
slight suspicion of Japanese blood in it. The build
of the flower is not unlike that of C. H. Curtis, but
the colour is much deeper, being more in the way
of Bron/e Jardin des Plantes, a decided bronzy
yellow, the flowers very full and deep. From Mr.
Wells. ^

Considering the weather and the time of the year,
the number of exhibits submitted to this com-
mittee was very large. Chrysanthemums were
shown in great variety and in admirable con-
dition. Very attractive was a large group of cut
blooms of new varieties from Mr. Robert Owen,
Maidenhead. The following were especially
notable : C. A. Owen, John MacGee, a large and
shapely Japanese, florets lijrht yellow, tinged with
rose : Adelaide Russell, a small and very hand-
some decorative variety, bronze-yellow ; Sim-
plicity, a very beautiful and graceful white, and
Mrs. T. D. Hatfield, a small, but very pretty yel-
low incurved (silver Banksian medal). A small
group of cut Chrysanthemums came from Mr.
T. S. Ware, Tottenham. The chief attraction in
this group was the number of charming single
varieties, among them Miss Lidu Martin (a pretty
rose-pink), Mr. A. Double, Mrs. Langtry and Mr.
Smith Rylands. A handsome bronze-yellow in-
curved J.ipanese, a:.-o some fine blooms of Golden
Gate, were noticeable. .Some good new varie-
ties came from Mr. W. J. Godfrey, Exmouth.
Among them were Egyptian, a fine dark red
incurved Japanese, but with a bad csntre ; and
Olive Oolee, a curiously coloured yellow and
lilac flower. A very .attractive group of cut
Chrysanthemums, containing some singles of rare
beauty, came from Mr. W. Wells, Redhill. Es-
pecially attractive were Muriel Foster, a large
and graceful single with long florets of bronze and
yellow ; Eucharis, a verv pure white ; Yellow
Giant, a huge yellow single, %'ery showy ; Mabel
M. ttells, a shapely dark red single: Disraeli, a
very pretty yellow with long thin florets ; (;em of
EarUwood, a compact flower with disc florets yel-
low and (luilled, and ray florets a soft pink ; Lady
Hanham, a pretty flesh-coloured sport from
Viviand Morel : James Lynch, a stiflf-looking
dark red : and Calvat's Australian Gold (bronze
Banksian). A gocdgroupof cut Chrysanthemums
was shown by Mr. Rickwood, gardener to the
Dowager Lady Freake, FulweirPark, Twicken-
ham. Perhaps the best varieties were Miss
Dorothy Shea, Duke cf Wellington, Challenge,
Col. \\ . B. Smith, Etoile de Lyon, Mile. Th^r^se
Key, and John Shrimpton. Another much smaller
collection of cut blooms was sent from Mr
Batchelor, gardener to Lieut.-Col. Vernon, Ux-
bridge.

A collection of miscellaneous cut Chrysanthe-
mums, containing some pretty decorative varie-
ties, came from .Messrs. Young and Dobinson,
Stevenage, Hert^ (bronza Banksian medal). Two
bDards of magnificent show blcoms came from Mr.
C. E. Shea, Foot's Cray, Kent. Every variety
shown was in finecondition (silver Banksian). An
effective group, consisting of decorative plants,
chiefly well coloured Crotons, and mixed with cut
Chrysanthemum blooms, was shown by Mr.Davies
gardener to Mr. W. F. Darnell, Stamford Hill!
Although slightly heavy in arrangement the
group was decidedly striking (silver Banksian
medal). Two pretty seedling Primulas, dwarf,
sturdy plants, came from Mr. D. Kemp, gardener
to Mr. W. Bryant. Stoke Park, Slough. One
was a good white, the other a somewhat ineffec-
tive dull blue (silver Banksian). A group of
Cyclamen and Carnationscamefrom Messrs. Hugh
Low and Co., Bush Hill Park, Enfield. The
former were healthy plants, bearing large finely
coloured blcoms. The best of the latter were
Buttercup, Mrs. Nicholson, Hector, and W. Scott
(silver Banksian}.

From Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons came a basket
of Begonia Ensign (tuberous var. x socotrana) and
BegoniaMyra(al8otuberous var. x socotrana) :also!
box of javanico-jasminiflorum hybrid Rhododen
drons, containing themost beautiful of these alwayi
charming flowers. A very noteworthy featureof the
show was a groupof Draca nas, including fifty varie
ties, shown by M. R. Giilzow, Melbourne Nurseries
Bexley Heath. Every plant was in fine condi
tion, healthy and well grown and splendidly col
oured. The arrangement was all that could be
desired (silver-gilt Flora medal). Another small
collection of cut Chrysanthemum blooms was
shown by Messrs. Cannell and Sons, Swanley, in-
cluding .Miss D. Hawkins, a nice single for cut-
ting : Mrs. E. Cannell, a nice flower in two shades
of lilac : Pride of Swanley, a globular white, and
C. F. Payne, a handsome golden yellow.

Fruit Committee.

The exhibits before this committee were fairly
numerous, and in several cases of exceptional
merit. The Pineapples from Frogmore and the
Apples from Mr. Shea were above the usual
standard, and the Veitch prizes for flavour
brought forth many exhibitors.

Awards of merit were given to —

AiTi.E St. Martin's.— This is a remarkably fine
dessert fruit, the flavour almost equal to that of
a good Cox's Orange. This is a valuable addition
to our mid-winter fruits, as it is an excellent
keeper. It is a conical fruit and above medium
size. From Messrs. Rivers.

Am.E LivER.MERE Faxourite.— A very pretty
Apple, deep crimson, of medium size, flesh firm,
and a good cropper. This should" prove a valu-
able market fruit. From Mr. J. C. Tallack, Liver-
mere Park, Bury St. Edmunds.

Arri.E Clapha.m Beai-tv.— A medium sized
fruit, in ppearance much like Cox's Orange, but
later and of excellent flavour. The fruit is flushed
with red on the sunny side, flesh firm and rirh.
From Mr. H. J. Sheppard, Bedford.

From the Royal Gardens, Frogmore, Mr. O.
Thomas sent a dozen grand Smooth Cayenne
Pines, the fruits having very small crowns and
being of perfect shape and nicely ripened, well
meriting the silver gilt Knightian medal awarded.
Mr. C. E. Shea, Foot's Cray, Kent, staged a dozen
dishfs of Apples remarkable for their size and
colour. Gascoigne's Scarlet was a black red and
very fine, and the same remarks apply to Bau-
mann's Red Reinette, Beauty of Kent, and
Blenheim Orange. Mannington Pearmain, Cox's
Orange, Lane's Prince Albert, Reinette du
Canada, and Wellington were also remarkably
fine. Pears, including Verulam, Catillac, Leon
Leclerc, and Olivier des Serres were also very fine
(silver Banksian medal). Messrs. Peed and Son,
West Norwood Nurseries, staged forty dishes of
Apples and Pears, the Pears mostly stewing kinds.
The best Apples were Blenheim Orange, Lord
Derby, Lady Henniker and Waltham Abbey Seed-
ling (silver Banksian medal.) Col. Vernon (gar-
dener, Mr. Batchelor I, I'xbridge, staged twenty-
four dishes, mostly Apples and a few Pears, with
Tomatoes and Medlars, which appear to be spe-
cially good this season. We do not think the use
of coloured shavings under each variety adds to
efl'ect (bronze Banksian medal.) Messrs. Rivers,
Sawbridgeworth, sent a new Apple, Bank's Hill
Pippin, a good fruit, but lacking flavour. Mr.
Farr, Spring Grove Gardens, Isleworth, sent a
nice dish of American Mother Apple. Mr. Wy thes,
Syon House, Brentford, sent a new Artichoke, a
selection from Vilmorin's White, a long tuber,
smooth, and of superior ijuality. Mr. Thomas
sent a dozen very nice fruits of Frogmore Pro-
lific Cucumber. The same exhibitor sent Tomato
Royal Windsor, a very fine fruit with yellow skin,
and of good quality. It was requested to be sent
to Chiswick next season. Messrs. Young and
Dobinson, Stevenage, sent two dishes of their new
Tomato Young's Eclipse, but lacking colour.

The Veitch prizes for flavour brought forth
numerous competitors, no less than eight staging
Pears, the premier award going to a grand dish

of Beurre du Buiseon, a melting and delicious
Pear almost equal to Doyenne du Comice. The
fruits, grown on an east wall, came from Mr.
Divers, Belvoir Castle Gardens, Grantham. Mr.
Thomas, Frogmore, was second with Knighfs
Monarch. We would have preferred Mr. Wood-
ward's grand dish of Winter Nelis, the flavour
being much richer. For Apples, no less than
twelve staged, but Cox's Orange was to the fore,
Mr. Horrin, Dropmore, h.aving the best out of
several lots. Mr. Divers was second with
De Neige, commonly called Pomme de Xeige,
but, as regards flavour, the fine Ribstons of Dr.
Pierce, Ramsgate, looked more to our liking, De
Neige being mealy. Some fine Melon and other
Apples were shown for these prizes.

Home of horticulture.— My letters upon the
above, which have appeared in several of the
gardening papers, have not passed unnoticed,
and I have received numerous replies, all admit-
ting the desirability of forming a Home of horti-
culture, but no one has made any suggestion as
to ways and means for its accomplishment. I
have give considerable thought to this subject,
and am persuaded that with united ertort a home
for horticulture may be formed. Time is of value
and none should be lost. To make a move in this
matter, I would venture to submit a plan for the
proposed building and a E<heme for providing
the necessary funds. The selection of the most
suitable site is of the first importance, and I
would, therefore, suggest that a mteting should
be convened at an early date for this purpose. I
propose very shortly to put this scheme before your
readers, so that they may have a comprehensive
view of its details.— Jaxies L. Woon, OaUeigh
Park, Whelxtone.

The weather in 'West Herts.- The past
week has been on the whole about seasonable in
temperature. On the 12th inst. the temperature
in shade rose to .V2 ', which is the highest reading
recorded here since the middle of October, but on
no other occasions were the day temperatures in
any way unseasonable. There occurred only one
cold night, when the exposed thermometer showed
7° of frost. On the 17th the difference between
the highest and lowest readings in shade was very
small, amounting to only i'^. At '2 feet deep the
temperature of the soil is now .'1°, and at 1 foot
deep 2° below the November average. About
half an inch of rain has fallen, bringing up the
total for the month, as far as it has gone, to IJ
inches. The winds have again been light and the
air dry at midday. The record of bright sunshine
proved much below that of the previous week,
three days being altogether sunless.— E. M.,
Bcrkhanisted, November 21.

A week of changeable weather as regards

temperature. For instance, the highest reading

ihade was 52° on the 21st, but only 8!)° on the

h. Again, on one night the exposed thermo-
meter did not fall below 4(i-', whereas three nights
before it indicated 11° of frost. On the 21st the
difference between the lowest and highest tem-
peratures in shade amounted to 2H', but a few
days later the range was only '2 \ Both at 1
foot anil 2 feet deep the soil is now about S colder
1 is feasonable. No rain worth mentioning
has now fallen for ten days. The atmosphere has

ely been very calm, and on the 2.')rd at Eo feet
above the ground the average rate of movement

3 only about a mile an hour. Previous to the

id there had been this month a good record of
sunshine for the time of year on most days, but
since then no sunshine at all has been recorded. —
E. M., Be>-J.ha»ix;,l.

Protecting bulbs.- Can any reader inform
e how to protect bulbs in a loose, light soil from
squirrels, mice, and other vermin'.' The farmer
here puts vitriol water on his wlieat before sow-
ing it, and finds this very effectual. Could the
same be done safely and effectually with bulbs ?
-B. D. H.

*,* Rolling the bulbs in red lead would be a
better way.— Ed.

THE GARDEN.

445

No. 1307. SATURDAY, Decemter 5,

" This is an Art
Which does mend Nature : change It rather ; but
The Art itself is Natuek. '—Shaketpeare.

Orchard and Fruit Garden-

canker IN FRUIT TREES.

One of the worst diseases incidental to fiuit
culture is canker. It is to be met with in the
Apple, Pear, Peach, Plum, Fig, and probably
other fruit trees, and in many cases they are
practically ruined by it. Young as well as
middle-aged and old trees are liable to it, and
the disease is of so infectious a character as to
spread from one tree, newly introduced it may
be, right through a garden or orchard. That is
thecase with the true canker (Nectria distisaima),
a fungoid disease, and if, as we are told, there
is no real remedy for this, there mu.st be other
and less deadly forms of canker. I do not pro-
pose to raise a discussion upon the subject, but
I think that whenever instances of a bad attack
of canker in any form having been success-
fully combated are met with, they ought to be
chronicled.

Each time I have seen the fruit trees in the
gardens at Cirencester House, Cirencester, their
appearance has impressed me most favourably.
A more serviceable, better managed collection
could not well be found, these remarks apply-
ing equally to wall as well as horizontally
trained, pyramidal and bush trees in the open.
Some few of them are comparatively young,
but the majority were found by Mr. T. Arnold
when he took charge of the gardens twelve or
more years ago. At that time they were in a
Eorry plight and of little or no value. Hard
pruning had long been the order of the day,
so that many of those in the open were
like huge brooms. A'l were more or less
aft'ected by canker, and the question was,
should a wholesale clearance take place
or an attempt be made to restore them
to a more satisfactory cindition ? Mr.
Arnold decided upon the latter alternative.
He soon found that the trees were buried too
deeply — a state of affairs only too common. It
appears that for each tree a large hole, 0 feet
in diameter and 3 feet deep, had been dug, and
this was first paved with stones and then tilled
with maiden loam. According to the position
in which the tree roots were found, they must
have been planted deep at first and no allow-
ance made for the settlement of new soil ;
whereas with so much fresh soil this ought to
have been made quite firm, and the collar, or
point of union of topmost roots with the stem
also kept well above the ordinary garden level.
Failing to take these precautions invariably
leads to the trees sinking, and levelling garden
soil about them buries the stems to a most in-
ju;ious extent. Mr. Arnold's first proceeding
was to lift; all these trees. Each was sufficiently
undermined to admit of three short, stout
planks being inserted under, and six men then
lifti d them bodily out of the hole. After re-
tilling the holes, making the soil solid this
time, the tree was returned to its old site, the
roots carefully pruned and relaid in fresh com-
post. They were planted high without being
unduly raised, and have not got down to quite
the garden level since.

The next proceeding was to freely thin out
the branches, taking out as many cankered
ones as possible. Had he not thinned out
the trees thus severely, the chances are both
top and root growth would have been com-

pletely paralysed, but pruning restored the
proper balance, and during the following
summer the progress both above and below the
surface was encouraging. Considering the age
and size of the trees, thisact of completely lifting
them in one season was a violent remedy, but it
was a case of kill or cure, and Mr. Arnold has every
reason to be proud of his success. Not content
with bringing up the roots to where they get
the benefit of warmth, food, and a congenial
run, he also decided to completely change the
character of the branches. All the old ones
have been gradually replaced with healthy
brarches furnished with fruiting spurs, and
being a firm believer in the superiority of
young over comparatively old branches, the
latter have to come out whenever more room
is required for the few strong young growth
reserved each season. Large bushes or trees with
open centres are preferred to pyramids, and
every branch has a clear space to itself. Ther
is no pollarding and not an unfruitful tree t
be seen. Since the trees were lifted they hav
l)een twice root-pruned, the last operation of
this kind having taken place four years ago.

What about the canker I Mr. Arnold ha.s not
wholly got rid of it, but according to my experi
ence there are few gardens in t he country where so
ttle of it is to be seen. As soon as the trees
ere restored to a more healthy state, this disease
gradually disappeared. Branches, as beforestated,
much over-run by it, in some instances to the
extent of eating through the greater portion of
bark and wood, were cut out to near the
main stems, and afl'ected portions of smaller
shoots were also cleanly removed and burnt.
Most of the wounds healed properly, and I
was shown numerous instances of old canker
wounds having been nearly or quite healed
over with healthy, fresh bark. This experience
fully corroborates the theory that trees rooting
in an unsuitable and, in particular, poor ground
long since exhausted by fruit trees of all that
goes to make it fertile, are the most liable to
bad attack of canker, and, further, that the
ly remedy is lifting, root-pruning and relay-
ing the roots in better soil. By better soil I
do not mean a rich compost, but rather a mix-
ture of fresh loam, mortar rubbish, burn-bake
and bone-meal. Those trees at Cirencester
must have grown very rankly, owing to the ex-
cess of rich soil, for a great mass of newly-cut
turves must be termed rich, or at all events
is calculated to promote a rank growth for a
time, and this was a predisposing cause of
canker. It does not follow that the other ex-
treme is judicious, and Mr. Arnold fully recog-
3 the fact that it is only by feeding the
3 in a rational manner that they can be
kept in a canker-resisting, profitable state.
The condition of the foliage and size of the
fruit convinced me that the trees were receiving
fairly liberal treatment at the roots, and I
looked round for the manure tank. I leaint,
however, that Mr. Arnold had hit upon a very
cheap and efi"ective fertiliser for the fruit trees
under his charge. Outside the garden walls
and within easy access of carts a large deep
ring of soil is formed, and this is filled with
blood, covering the latter with fine soft ballast
or burnt clay. After twelve months have
elapsed, the mass is in a fine powdered state,
and with a few bushels of wood ashes added,
ing all well up together, a valuable manure
is the result. One barrowload of this is sufli-
cient for three large trees, and all receive a
ressing each winter directly after they are
pruned. W. I.

Dessert Cherriee.— The writers who con
tributed a lament over the few Apricots to be

found in our gardens might have reasonably ex-
tended their remarks to dessert Cherries, for cer-
tainly these are not Eo often grown as their merits
deserve. In the case of large gardens they natur-
ally play a prominent part, but in many places
they are seldom found on walls and are repre-
sented only by an occasional standard or bush
tree. Now I cannot help thinking that where
wall-space exists to any reasonable extent a place
should be found for at least a few Cherries, say
four trees that will ripen successionally. It is
certain that good Cherries are almost as much
appreciated at the dinrer table as any fruit one
can offer. The advantages of a wall for desfert
Cherries (I am leaving orchard-house cultivation
quite alone) are three-fold, facility for protection
alike from spring frosts, and birds, and earlier
ripening ; the two first practically mean the cer-
tainty of a crop, for by their aid I do not re-
member a failure in the last dozen years. Flimsy
and fragile as the petals of the Cherry blossom
appear, the flower is hardier than that of any
other fruit, Apples, perhaps, excepted, and will
withstand several degrees of frost; heavy storns
of cold rain and sleet setting right at the trees
are, however, injurious when they are in flower,
and for this reason it is always advisable to
give a little spring protection in the shape of
fish netting. As this latter is also absolutely
essential to keep off the biids, it might remain on
the wall until the fruit is cleared, were it not that
its removal is generally necessary to enable the
grower to deal with the black aphis, the chief
enemy one has to deal with in the culture alike of
dessert and Morello Cherries. 1 find a southwest
wall the best situation for dessert Cherries, our
natural soil being all the better for a libeial pei-
eentage of stiff loam and a heavy surface mulch-
ing, advisable in dry summers. By making a
selection of different kinds, fruit may be obtained
for nearly two months from the one stretch of
wall, say from half a dozen trees. I have not
tried some of the newer kinds, but sorts that do
well and can be relied on for successional pickings
from early in June till the end of July are Early
Purple Gean, Werder's Black, Black Eagle,
Governor Wood, Frograore Bigarreau, and
Bigarreau Napoleon. Florence does not ripen
satisfactorily on this south-west wall. I shall
try it in a rather warmer place. — E. Burrell.

BAB KEEPING APPLES.
Mr. Iggulden's list of soft, unsuitable Apples
for market might have been considerably
lengthened, there being others besides Duchess
of Oldenburg and Ecklinville Seedling that, in
spite of being highly recommended in the cata-
logues of trade growers as being profitable market
sorts, should not be p'anted in any quantity
except by those residing close to a market town,
where the fruit can be disposed of quickly. One
of the finest, but certainly one of tho worst Apples
for market is Emperor Alexander. It is so soft
that it will not stand the least pressure, and if
kept a week or two, more often than not it becomes
spotty and next to useless. Cox's Pomona is an
extremely showy Apple, but the same remarks
apply to it as to "the preceding variety. Too many
trees of it should not be planted, as if the fruit
has to be sent to a salesman, the usual announce-
ment is that it was mealy and only realised a poor
price. Another large cooking Apple which used
to be highly recommended for market, but is now
seldom planted in any quantity on account of the
time it takes to come to a bearing state, is Warner's
King, known also as 1). T. Fish and Nelson's
Glory. Those who have trees old enough for
bearing freely, find it necessary to get rid of the
fruit as soon as possible after gathering, as it is
liable to suddenly become discoloured and <|uite
flavourless. It does better on a strong soil than on a
light one ; at any rate, the fruit keeps much longer.
A variety called Cobbett's Fall, similar to Warner'3
King 'in size and which some gardeners think
identical, although I do not, is on our light soil
a better keeper, the fruit also in sunny aspects
taking on a much more golden colour, the flavour

446

THE CxARDEN.

[December 5, J i

also being superior. I do not see why so many
of these soft fleshed, uncertain keepintr Apples
need be planted, even where profit is the chief
cjnsidaration, as there are others ripening at the
same time and possessing those great qualifica-
tions, size and good appearance. I'otts' Seedling
may be oanfidently planted in market orchards in
any quantity, as no mere prolific variety can be
named : it is al.-o large and handsome. This
Apple is frequently met with in Norfolk, where it
is much esteemed. Another good October Apple
is Golden Spire, a tall conical fruit of bright
straw-coloured appearance, extremely free and of
excellent quality. This variety seldom disap-
point*. Tower of Glamis is a grand market
Apple, being large, solid, very clear in the skin,
snd a constant bearer. For preceding these Lord
Grosvonor cannot be beaten, as it will not only
succeed in all soils and climates, which Lord
SutEeld will not do, but it keeps fairly well, and
is worth careful packing for sending to adi^iance,
as its bright clear colour takes theeyeand ensures
good prices in eeasoDs when there is not a glut.
C. H.

PRUNING AND CLEANSING FRUIT
TREES.
These important operations are often postponed
until mid-winter, and in many instances until the
forward condition of the trees will brook no
further delay. Naturally enough the work has
then to be done hurriedlv, unless a large staff of
hands is kept, if the collection of trees is an ex-
tensive one, as so many pressing matters in
other departments demand attention after the
turn of the year. The cleansing, too, of the trees
can only be carried out then in an imperfect
manner, or, at any rate, such drastic remedies
cannot be used as would be the case when the
trees are in a dormant condition. I am a great
advocate for early pruning, and having a large
collection of fruit trees under my charge, I find
that there is a great gain in doing so, for many
reasons : foremost of which in my case is that the
labour can be the more conveniently spared in
the autumn and early winter months than later
on. Another advantage is the fact that the work
can be done so much more expeditiously now,
because, as a rule, the weather is milder, or if
frost should prevail, it is not of such a severe
character as that generally encountered after the
turn of the year. An early start enables almost
double the amount of «ork to be accomplished
in one day compared with that done under ad-
verse climatic conditions, owing to the assistants
being able to work with much greater comfort,
many years

Under the old system that prevailed

ago, such things as pruning and training fruit'

never used to be thought of until hard weather
set in, when all had to turn out to perform it
under circumsUnces that, to say the least, occa-
sioned great discomfort. Happily, this old state
of things is not so prevalent now, and young men
meet with more humane treatment in this respect
at the present day.

Another gain in early pruning is that the
wounds have ample time in which to dry and
before they are liable to be affected by frost.
Much harm is often caused— esi)eciallv in the case
of Apple trees— by pruning them d"uring hard
frosty weather, and many a case of canker might
be traced to this cause alone. I commence prun
ing as soon as the leaves have fallen, and I in
variably have the Apples, Pears, Plums, and
Chsrries out in the open ground done first. The
bush fruits are then done next, as we are troubled
but little with bird depredations in the way of
" disbudding,'' and this enables the cleaning of
the quarters to be carried out preparatory to
cleansing the trees. The Morello Cherries on
north walls are next taken in hand, then the trees
on fast and west walls, and then the Apricots.
When these are finished, the Peach and Nectarine
trees are attended to, as I find it quite unneces-
sary to wait until the orthodox time before prun-
ing these, and then the whole of the pruning,
training, nailing, and cleansing are generally

brought to a close by the end of the year. Many
object to pruning and putting their Peach trees
n order so early, and when such is the case they
Qay be allowed to stand over, but with regard to
ho other kinds of fruit trees there is no valid
objection to their being attended to as soon as
possible after they have shed their leaves. In
some districts I atu fully aware that the pruning
of bush fruits must be left until the spring owing
to birds destroying the buds. With respect to the

Clean;-

THE Trees,

this matter has now become an important feature
in fruit growing, as it is found to be the only
means of combating the many insect foes which
attack ftuit trees. If the trees are well cleansed
while in a dormant state a host of insects and their
eggs are destrojed, besides ridding the tices of
such imrasites as lichens and Moss, which aficct
trtc? more or less in low lying localities and on
bidlj-drained soils. This cleansing also occasions
a saving of labour in the long run, as it fends to
lessen insect attacks by a gradual extermination.
1 attribute my freedom from insects to nothing
else but persistency in following up this annual
cleansing. Of course, it must not be understood
that this does away with the necessity for spraying
before and after Apples and Pears come into
bloom, as such is not the case ; but, if such a
course of treatment is persisted in year after year,
it naturally follows that the spring attack becomes
less and less virulent. With regard to ways and
means, much will depend on the kind of insecti-
cides that find favour, and the means of apply-
ing them. Concentrated and powerful solutions,
or such as require to be largely diluted with
water, are best applied with spraying pumps,
which can now be bought cheaply. Under this
heading comes the insecticide that Mr. Wright
used so successfully and with such excellent re-
sults when he had charge of the fruit plantations
at Glewston Court, near Ross, and for applying
which special pumps aie now sold on account of
its corrosive native. A famous and well proved
insecticide is Killmright, and those who feel too
timid about using the first mentioned need have
no fear about this. A home made mixture or
emulsion of petroleum and soft .'^oap is not to be
despised, and finally, there are the homely soap-
suds, which do a vast amount of good, contain-
ing, as they do, a ceitain amount of soda in solu-
tion. The trees may be washed again and again
with "suds" so long as they remain dormant.
The best appliance is the garden engine, and
for walls tlie suds should be forcibly driven into
every hole and crevice, in addition to well wash-
ing every part of the tree. The petroleum emul-
sion is best applied through a sprayer to ensure
the globules of oil being broken up and regularly
diffused.

The first-named insecticide is made in the fol-
lowing manner : Take 1 lb. of caustic soda, 1 lb.
of crude potash, add 10 gallons of water, and boil
until the ingredients are thoroughly dissolved
A copper holding from 5& to 100 gallons is best t(
mix it in when large quantities are required. Care
should be taken to wear leather gloves when using
it, and choose calm weather, so that the spray will
not blow into the face of the person applying it.
Petroleum emulsion can be made as follows : Take
4 to 6 lbs. of soft soap and put into a copper hold-
ing 100 gallons of water. Boil until the soap is
thoroughly dissolved, and then add I fluid oz. of
petroleum to every gallon of water, and boil for
five minutes. Then draw the fire and use the
liquid in a lukewarm condition. Care should
taken not to fill the vessel, or whatever it may be
boiled in, too full, on account of the paraffin
catching fire should it boil over. Kilmright re-
quires but little preparation, all that is needed
being to dissolve 2 ozs. for every gallon of water
required. Caustic soda and potash are excellent
for cleansing Apples, Pears, Plums, and Cherries,
and I believe Mr. Wright used to recommend it
for Peach trees, but of that I am not quite sure
Kilmright, petroleum emulsion, and soap-suds may
be used on all kinds of fruit trees without any
distinction whatever. No uneasiness need be felt

in using any of these preparations so long as they
are made and used according to the directions
given above. The persons applying these insecti-
cides should follow close on the heels of the
pruners, weather jiermitting, and wash all wall
fruit trees prior to training, tying, or nailing, as
the case may be. Choose calm, open weather, and
cease early enough in the afternoon to allow the
trees to dry before nightfall. A. W.

GOOD LATE PEARS.
It is gratifying to find that the number <f
really good late Pears is increasing, and that
several of the newest varietieb have hardy con-
stitutions and will ripen satisfactorily, even in
inclement seasons. With the list we now have'
I do not think anyone need be without a suffi-
cient supply for home use from December to
April. Undoubtedly the best late dessert Pear
introduced for many years, all points con-
sidered, is President Barabe. This is usually
at its best during March, and it should be men-
tioned that it ripened perfectly after the in-
different autumn of 180.3 and the tropical one
of 1804. The flavour is delicious, with an en-
tire absence of grittiness in the centre, which
mars so many of our late sorts. Le Lectier is
another grand new variety from the Continent.
That it will succeed in a strong and any-
thing but warm soil I proved a few dajs since,
having seen fine fruit of it at Hillside near here.
The tree bears heavily and constantly on the
Quince, the flavour being exceedingly rich and
melting. From January to March is its usual
season. Belle d'Abre, another recent intro-
duction, should be included in the most select
collections, as although in this district after a
wet autumn scarcely perfect, yet in average
seasons no fault can be found with its flavour,
April being its season. The fruit is very Ijrge,
of a greenish appearance outwardly, and in shape
somewhat like Van Mons Leon Leclerc. I
have not yet seen this Pear quoted in trade
catalogues, but Mr. Newton has it in his gardtn
at Hillside.

Beurie de Jonghe is a finely-flavoured Pear
and a very heavy bearer. It is at its best about
Christmas, but will keep well through January.
It is a very slow grower and needs a sunny wall.
Of older varieties, the best in my experience is
Olivier de Serres, a variety ripening from Feb-
ruary to March, a most delicious russety fruit,
bearing well on the Quince and as a cordon.
This Pear is good in this locality in any season.
Josephine de Malines, a February to April
Pear, always ripens well ; fruit of medium size,
of sweet and refreshing flavour. Its only draw-
back is its ahyntss in midland and ncrthcrn
gardens. In the south I found it to be a regular
cropper. Beurr6 Ranee is condemned by many,
but it does well enough in this garden, fruit
from a very old tree on the south end of a
stable ripening up to dessert standard in most
seasons. After cold, wet autumns, however, there
is a slight grittiness about the core. Young
trees of Beurr6 Ranee need root-pruning to
bring them to fertility. Yet another late sea-
son Pear in use in January is Nouvelle Fulvie.
In this garden it always crops well on a cordon
on an east wall, the fruit, somewhat rugged in
appearance and of a bronzy red colour, always
being of good quality. It is somewhat strange
that this Pear should ripen better here than at
Guntoii, showing that a cool climate suits it.
Some of our mid-season Pears also rijien better
here than in the south.

The universally popular Pear Winter Nelis
is usually classed with the late section, although
perhaps no variety varies more in its time of
ripening. With me fruit from trees growing in
a sandy, porous soil is generally gone by Christ-

Decembee 5,

THE GARDEN.

447

mas ,' whereas in some gardens where the soil
ia strong it will keep till the end of January,
Crassane, a very old late season Pear, though
requiring a sunny autumn to ripen it thoroughly,
is well worth wall room where room is plentiful.
In several Norfolk gardens having a warm soil
it does remarkably well, the fruit during January
being brisk and refreshing

J. Ckawfokd.
Coddington Hall, Newark.

Apple The Gueen.— In last week's i^sue
"A. W." asks for information about this Apple.
I do not think he will find it a very free cropper
on orchard standards even in his locality. It is
apparently most at home as a garden tree worked
on the Paradise. My patience has been much
tried with it as an espalier, a good healthy tree
growing in the full sun and making annually
medium-sizsd wood having only yielded some
half dozen fruit in eight years. I missed summer-
pruning once to see if it would form buds on the
extreme points of the shoots in the same way as
Irish Peach, Worcester Pearmain, and several
others, but the experiment was a failure. — C. H.

Gooseberry Farmer's Profit.— In some gar-
dens late Oooseberries are much esteemed. Some
time ago Mr. Crook, cf Forde Abbey, made some
useful remarks on late Gooseberries, Warrington
being quoted by him and several other writers as
the latest hanging variety. This was my opinion
until quite recently, when I was informed by a
grower hailing from Great Yarmouth, that a large
red variety, a size larger than the old Warring-
ton and named Farmer's Profit, was grown in that
district for market. This variety he said hung
on the buthcs very late in the season, so late, in
fact, as the second week in October, and was of
capital flavour. Probably it is a local sort not
cultivated out of Norfolk, but if this is so it is a
pity, as such a late dessert Gooseberry would be
much valued in many gardens.— J. Crawford.

Peach Amsden Jane.— In a recent issue Mr.
Parker, of Goodwood, spoke of the above Peach
as being small when grown on open walls. Here,
however, on a south wall it has done remarkably
well for several years, the fruit swelling up to a
good size and colouring most beautifully. Of
course, the climate here is diile.'ent from that of
Goodwood, and my fruit does not ripen till, say,
the middle of July, taking one season with an-
other. Several jears ago I was induced by some
remarks of Mr. Wythes to plant Amsden June
under glass, previously feeling afraid to do eo on
account of the indifferent results of trials of the
other American varieties, Alexander and Water-
loo, although the latter does well enough with
me in pots. The result has been capital crops
each year with no bud-dropping or falling of the
fruit during stoning. The only fault I have to
find with Amsden June is that it will not keep so
long as many sorts after it is ripe.- Notts.

Apple Court Pendu Plat. — Some highly-
coloured examples of this late-keeping dessert
Apple were shown at Lincoln lately, one dish
securing a place in the prize list. Court Pendu
Plat is very seldom seen, which is rather surpris-
ing, considering that no other dessert Apple
keeps so well, its flavour improving up to the
very last. Another good trait in its character is
that it blooms so late that even late frosts seldom
catch it. A tree in our orchaid in a sandy soil
this autumn p-esenttd a grand picture, being
loaded with fine fruit of a most intense red colour,
a rather rare occurrence, for it must be confessed
that it is somewhat shy in cropping. It prefers a
sandy soil, some of the finest fruit of it I have
ever seen being exhibited at Ipswich a few years
Ego from trees near Bury St. Edmunds. Has
any other reader anything to say about Court
Pendu Plat i-J. C.

Renovating 'Vines.— In pruning the second
Hamburgh house this winter, I shall be able to
cut clean away the old rods that have done duty
for the last thirteen years, leaving younger ones
that have been gradually worked up from the

bottom wire to take their place, and although
there is nothing new or novel about this plan of
refurnishing a house it might, I think, be more
often followed, and we should see less of long un-
sightly spurs standing out from 6 inches to 12
inches from the Vine or long bare sti etches of
rod quite destitute of spur or eye. So soon as
there is a sign of the spurs getting away from the
stem I start this work of refurnishing by running
up a young cane from the lowest eye, this at the
next pruning is taken back to one-third of its
length, and a similar length of the old spurs taken
off the old rod. Under these conditions, as will
be noted, the cropping done the next season by
respectively the old and young rods will be two-
thirds and one-third, whilst after the next prun
ing when another third of the old spurs is re-
moved, the proportions are exactly reversed and,
as noted above, the next winter witnesses the
entire removal of the old rod. I do not suggest
that this renovating is necessary when one has to
deal with an ideal Vine soil, either natural or
made up, but where this is not the case and the
soil has no staying power in it except what one
can do by annual top dressings on a small scale,
it is certain that there is a gradual annual weaken-
ing of the growth thrown from old spurs, and
that a new lease of life from more points than one
is afforded by this refurnishing. In connection
with the spur pruning of Vines one sometimes
hears the remark that they can be kept close at
home for years by always cutting to the last eye.
True, but that is" just what we are not able to do
with all varieties. I can cut Foster's Seedling and
Lady Downe's hard back, and be sure of a bunch
however small the bud, but it is not the case with
Hamburgh, Alicante, Gros Colmaa and Cooper's
Black. In their case it generally means cutting
to a plump bud, and if this is done for several
seasons an undue lengthening of the spur naturally

follows.- E. BlRRELL.

POT VINES.
Pot Vines that were started early in the last
month will show signs of breaking. If the buds
are not swelling evenly, as is sometimes the case,
particularly after an autumn like the present, un-
loose the rods from the wires and bend them so
as to check the flow of sap and throw it into the
dormant buds. Avoid any sudden changes
in the temperature. A too humid atmosphere
should be guarded against, as this would have
the effect of causing spindly growth. Examine
the fermenting material about the roots and see
that this is kept at a uniform temperature, for if
allowed to decUne the flow of sap will not be so
active. There is much anxiety at this stage, as
the least check would do serious mischief ; when
once an even break has been made the rods may
be tied up in position. As growth proceeds, it
will be necessary to give more water at the roots,
but the soil should not be in any way soddened,
or the young rootlets will be destroyed. Where
the Vines are fruited round stakes, do not remove
them from the trellis till the buds burst, for
while they occupy that position they enjoy more
light and a freer circulation of air ; therefore, a
stronger growth is obtained. Permanent Vines
that are now pushing should be afforded air on
all favourable occasions ; in fact, where the re-
quisite temperature can be maintained without
over-heating the pipes, a little left on all night
will be very beneficial. Where fermenting ma-
terial is used to generate heat, this .-'lould be
examined to prevent it becoming overheatedand
giving off too much ammonia, which would have
a serious efl'ect on the young foliage if allowed to
condense thereon. To guard against the possi-
bility of any such mishap, leave a little top-air
on so that it may escape before the sun has any
effect on the glass. Vines started in this way
usually break more strongly than those which
have only had the assistance of hot water to
maintain the requisite heat. In some places
where the roots are in outside borders, particular
attention should be paid to keep them covered
with fermenting material, but the latter should

be protected in some way to ward off heavy rain
and snow. It is far best for Vines that are forced
early to be planted inside, but as frequently hap-
pens succession houses have to be started that
the fruit may be ripe in May. In order to secure a
crop previous to destroying the Vines, it becomes
necessary to afford some protection to the roots
outside. To do this effectually shutters ought to
be provided to keep off the rain ar.d snow, for
when these have full play on the fermenting ma-
terial there is a considerable waste of heat by their
action, thus rendering a greater thickness neces-
sary to be of any real service in warming the soil.
H. C. Frinsep.

TRELLIS GOOSEBERRIES.
The season for the depredations of bullfinches
will soon be at hand, and it cannot be too w idely
known that where they exist in considerable
numbers the only sure remedy is to protect the
trees. " Leave the bushes unpruned until the
buds are on the move," some tell us, but this
onlv means more food for the birds, and they will
certainly strip the bushes if they once start on
them, nor does there seem to be anything that
one can syringe, sprinkle or dust on the wood so
effectually as to act as a deterrent ; certainly it
might for a time, but the first heavy rain washes
it off or, in the case of things objectionable to the
birds, destroys its efficiency. The principle of en -
closing a goodly portion of small fruits inside a
permanent fence of galvanised netting seems to
be increasing in favour, and possibly has its good
points where objection is not raised to the outlay,
but strongly as one must object to the attentions
of feathered friends at some seasons of the year,
there are certainly times when the presence of
birds is welcome, and to exclude them entirely
seems to me a mistake. From many points of
view, and especiallv for the facility afforded for
temporary protection from the bullfinch, I thould
like to call attention at this planting season lothe
value of the espalier or cordon system, it a
double row of wires is placed in fairly c.ose
proximity, say about 3 feet apart, aU that is ne-
cessary so soon as the pruning is fanished, is to
drive a few rods down 6 inches from the outside
of either row, letting the tops stand some Sinchcs
or 4 inches above the top trellis wire on which the
Gooseberries are trained. Place on some shorter
rods horizontally and throw a piece of tish ne « ng
over all, of sufficiently small mesh to prevent the
birds getting through. It is sometimes sugg(S.ed
that this cordon system- restrictive, severely re-
strictive, as it is, for the trees will only average
five leaders and they get close summer pinching
and hard winter pruning- means a short life tor
them, but this is certainly not the case, for m nj
have been in fourteen years, they are in the best
of health, giM- me every year a very heavy crop,
and the loss has not been moie than 3 per cent.
To anyone starting their cultivation in tliis war,
I would suggest obtaining a list of suitable varie-
ties from any nurseryman who has made this a
speciality. A fai.ly safe rule is to select strong,
vigorous growers. Those with a tendency to
mike thin spindly wood are not so amenable to
this particular treatment. As will be naturally
inferred, the absence of shade, such as 18 afforded
to the earth in the case of bushes, coupled with
the very heavy crop, necessitates a liberal mulch^
ine and this it will be found advisable to put on
iutt after the fruit is set. With the exception of
bullfinches in winter and blackbirds - Bummer,
both of which are kept at bay by the fish netting,
the only enemy is red spider. In dry reasons this
s very troublesome, appearing '.^"'y^^f.V"^^.^^
the buds are bursting, and quickly making the
atter look very sickly unless P^^^^-^^ZT^i^h

Top-dres'siiTv^ei^ome very fine Gmpes
were shown at Lincoln last week by Mr. Wipf,
gardene? at Hartsholm Hall, near that city, the

448

THE GARDEN.

[Deosmber 5, IS

varieties being Alicante and Muscat of Alexan-
dria. On asking him how he treated his Vines,
he replied that the houses, which have an east
aspect, are aired very early in the morning and
the borders surfaced about twice or thrice during
the growing season with night soil, a hose being
then used to wash the strength down to the roots.
Ot course some ordinary soil would be placed over
the night soil to prevent unsightliness. The
borders, he added, were shallow, and had in them
an abundance of rubble and charcoal, so that fre-
quent copious waterings were necessary — in fact,
were given about ones a fortnight. Feeding with
ihis, the leaves were never troubled with spider.
—J. C.

Passiflora edulis.— I was very pleased to
see a coloured plate of thi.< Passion Flower in
a recent issue, with a cultural note from the
p«n of my friend Mr. Roberts. I have seen it
growing and fruiting in other places, but never
saw it produce such a profusion of fruit anywhere
as it does with him. Not only are he:\vy crops
produced, but the flavour of the fruit is far before
any that I have ever tasted before or since.
Where tropical fruits are appreciated, the fruit of
this Passion Flower would form a valuable addi-
tion to the dessert. When sending a note on the
cultivation of this fruit some time since to The
Garden, I mentioned that the variety grown by
Mr. Roberts was of his raising, and I was under
the impression at the time that fuch was the case,
but he corrected me afterwards and stated that it
was an improved form of the ordinary variety
As I saw it growing, I considered it far superior
to any other plant that I had seen of the sai
variety, and it certainly is a very great impro'
ment and deserving of extended cultivation.
A. W.

Mulching fruit trees. — We sometimes i
autumn mulrhing of fruit trees spokea of as being
harmful, which it doubtless is under certain
ditions. In gardens where the soil is heavy and
retentive and the subsoil none too porous,
mulching with manure at this period is no doubt
harmful. On the other hand, where the soil is
light and the subsoil open, mulching with rich
farmyard aanure is not only not harmful, but
positively beneficial. In such soil, if the locality
is a fair one, fruit trees invariably ripen theii wood
and shed their foliage at a comparatively early
date, i|uibe the opposite to" those growing in clay
soils and in late neighbourhoods. The strength of
the manure placed round the trees, say in Novem-
ber or December, is washed down by winter rains
and the roots have it to feed upon as soon as
activity commences in spring. I have a light
porous soil to deal with, the garden, moreover,
bsing at a rather high elevation, and I find the
above treatment suit both my wall and espalier
Apple and I'ear trees. Of i ourse, mulching has
reference only to trees in a bearing state. I do
not believe in applying it to newly-planted trees,
as a strong growth, tap roots and consequent un-
fruil fulness would be encouraged. To these
newly-planted trees I merely give a mulch of leafy
refuse to prevent undue evaporation during sum-
mer. With some of my choicest Pears I take away
a little of the surface soil in November, giving an
inch or so of fresh loam and artificial manure,
firming this well, then laying on the manure. —
A Grower.

Bemoving fruit from Fig trees. — Fig
trees that are grown in the open-air, or even in
perfectly cool houses, and do not therefore ripen
their second crop of fruit, are often weakened by
the latter being allowed to remain on the trees
until autumn. Indeed, some people have an idea
that these late formed fruit will ripen early ne.\t
year if allowed to remain en. This, as all prac-
tical gardeners know, is not the case as a rule,
isolated fruits only maturing now and then, the
majority falling to the ground as soon as the sap
commences to rise in the spring. This is so even
in the south of England, and after extra hot
summers. Uole.-? the trees are extra strong and
need checking, all the Figs formed too late in the
season for ripening should be removed as soon as
they are large enough to handle. This enables

the trees to increase their strength and form
strong embryo fruits on the extremities of the
current year's growths for swelling away next
.'pring, as they can then appropriate the sap
which otherwise would be used up by the second
crop fruit if allowed to remain on. This neces-
sary removal of late formed fruit is much
neglected by gardeners who force Figs both in
pots and in permanent borders. Sometimes a
second crop is taken from pot Figs, which will
not materially harm the trees provided over crop-
ping is avoided and the trees are liberally treated,
but to allow a third lot to remain on for any
length of time means waste of vitality to trees
that can of all others ill afford it. My own
opinion is that one crop, if a good one, is quite
sufficient in one season from Figs in pots. —
C. C. H.

riety that has only colour and i
mend it? — Ep.

DESSERT AND COOKING APPLES AT
SHOWS.
During the latt few weeks at Chrysanthemum
shows I have noticed that seveial exhibitors
put up cooking Apples in the dessert classes and
i-ice rtrxi). This would not so much matter if
judges passed such dishes over, but I regret to
say such is not the case, as I have seen Golden
Noble placed before Cox's Orange, the size of the
former being the only merit. It may be urged
such judging may only happen in a few cases. I
admit such glaring defects may not be numerous,
but others are. For instance, I have frequently
seen Cellini pitted against Ribston, Golden Spire
against Blenheim Orange, and the larger Lane's
Prince Albert, Gascoigne's Scarlet, and Peasgocd's
Nonsuch against what may be termed the cream
of the dessert varieties. I protest against such
awards, as we do not want huge dessert Apples,
and though every palate may not like the strictly
dessert kinds, there is no need whatever to judge
Apples by size or mere appearance. I think we
should endeavour to keep the two classes as dis-
tinct as possible. Lately I saw Wellington in a
successful dessert class. 1 admit Wellington is an
excellent variety in its class, but it should not be
admitted as dessert in any shape or form. I am
aware judges have a difficulty with what may be
termed both cooking and dessert kinds, but it is
not advisable to admit such kinds into any
competition. The same thing is noticeable with
Pears, as one often sees varieties only lit for
stewing in a class for dessert fruits. My con-
tention is that quality should get first con-
sideration, and size the least, as regards dessert
fruits.— W. S.

I should like to call attention to the de-
cision of the judges of dessert Apples at the ex-
hibition of fruit at the National Chrysanthemum
Society's show at the I'.oyal Aquarium. If I am
not mistaken, the winner of the first prize in the
classes for cooking and dessert Apples staged Cox's
Pomona and Blenheim Orange in each. I think that
in a collection of six dishes of dessert Apples fit for
table, any Apple classed as a cooking kind should
be disqualified. I take up this question, as I think
it would be a great help to intending exhibitors
to know what to exhibit, as they are now puzzled
as to the sorts, seeing that judges hold so many
different opinions. Several exhibitors (myself in-
cluded) could have staged excellent dishes of
both sorts in question, but did not think they
would be admissible as dessert fruit. — B. M.

At a recent show in the north of England

an exhibitor in a class for six kinds of dessert
fruit to consist of two varieties of Grapes, two
varieties of Pears, and two varieties of Apples,
showed Emperor Alexander as one of his dishes,
and, to his surprise, the judges disqualified him
for so doing, as they seemed to think it a cioliing
variety only. It is classed in all the principal
nurserymen's catalogues, and rightly too, as
suited for either cooking or des.sert.— J. Riudell.
*^* Emperor Alexander is purely a kitchen
Apple, and when there are so many valuable
dessert Apples now in season, what need is there
to run the risk of being difqualified by showing a

Notes of the Week.

Solanum integrifolium. — (.,'uite a large
group of plants in ."> inch pots was noted recently
at Kew carrying their curious, though brilliant
coloured fruits. The latter are corrugated and
not unlike a medium-sized Tomato of the Old Red
type.

Agave dasylirioides.— This curious species
has been flowering at Kew in the succulent house.
The flowers are of a greenish shade, closely
arranged on a long spike. It is not difficult to
trace its whereabouts owing to the peculiar odour
of the flowers.

Crocus Imperati.— The first flower of this
winter gem appeared on November 20. I can
always count on its flowers towards the end of De-
cember, but I never remember seeing a blossom in
November before. Is it not unusually early'/ —
G. PiM, Montsloum, Dublin.

Salvia leucantha.— For the sake of the
variety it affords, this plant is worth growing in
the greenhouse in company with S. splendensand
S. Betheli, and though the flowers are by no means
so showy as those of the two named, well grown
examples are very attractive.

Cattleya aurea.— I am sending you a bloom
of Cattleya aurea again this year from the plant
which flowered last season, the flower of which you
gave a description in The Gakhen, December 5,
iS95. It has not improved to any appreciable
extent, neither has it gone back. This year the
spike bore three blooms.— Hucii J.^mes Hcntek,
fdinbnrijh.

Boman Hyacinths. —These are among the
most welcome of pure white fragrant flowers for
the greenhouse just now, and most acceptable for
mingling with small pots of Maiden-hair Ferns in
the drawing room. Indeed, the frail spikes charac-
teristic of the plant are far better suited for cutting
than are the much larger trusses employed in
bedding and the like.

Leucodendron argenteum (the Silver Tree).
—The silken silvery leaves of this beautiful plant
are always an attraction among cool greenhouse
subjects, and for its exceptional appearance it is
well worth greater attention, particularly in those
gardens where the large conservatory contains a
good piece of rockwork, for liere the jjlant woull
always show to good advantage.

Streptocarpus. — There seems to be a never-
ending profusion to the flowers of these plants,
and though only accommodated in the ordinaiy
greenhouse, they flower continuously for months in
succession. This is the case even with pot plants,
while at Kew, in the succulent house, planted as
a margin, those Streptocarpi have proved among
the most profuse flowering things that are grown.

Tecoma Smithi.— This showy plant promises
well as a useful plant for autumn flowering. Some
compact and well-grown plants have been pro-
ducing their heads of richly-coloured blossoms for
a long time, the result of seeds that were sown
quite early in the year. When it is remembered
that in six months or little more the plants attain
to flowering size and are only 2 feet high, it will
be seen how serviceable such are likely to become
in an ordinary greenhouse, while the length of
time the plants continue in bloom is also worthy
of special notice.

Marguerite Carnations. — For continued
flowering in the greenhouse at this season, these
are by no means to be desjiised, as, apart
from the great variety of colour which they pro-
vide, many are deliciously fragrant and certainly
very pleasing associated with other flowers. One
noticeable feature is that the large majority of
them possess a certain perpetual habit of flower-
ing, so that by regulating the sowing of the seed
a batch may always be secured for the winter
months, a time when their heavily fringed petals
are not so much objected to.

December 5, 1896.J

THE GAPvDEK

449

Trees and Shrubs.

THE GREA.T-LEAVED VINE OF JAPAN.

(VITIS COIGNETI-E.)

Almost all the species of the genus Vitis, to
which Ampelopsis is now joined, are very beau-
tiful leafy climbers, but, so far as I know, the
leaves of none surpass in size and colouring

of any extensive demand for plants of it, seem
to have militated against its general distribu-
tion. It appears to have been also grown in
the Jardin des Plantes at Paris, and became
more popular after Mme. Coignet imported or
brought over a supply of Japanese ripened
seeds. Mr. J. H. Veiich and Mr. W. Goldring
both saw the plant in its native country, and
Mr. Veitch, in company with Professor Sargent,
in the month of September, 1892, gathered

I Chili and Peru. The Earl of Annesley was,
doubtless, thefirst to introduce into and cultivate
this noble Vine in Ireland, having obtained it
from Mr. AVaterer twenty years or more
ago. The t.vo finest plants known to me
are that at Castlewellan, Co. Down, and a re-
markable example on the garden wall at

I Karrowwater, near Newry, this as a young
plant having been given by Lord Annesley to

I his neighbour, the late Major Hall. In these

:^ ^i^m^,.:.^^:

The Japanese T

Co. Down. From a photograph sent by Lord Annesley.

those of Mme. Coignet's Vine from Japan.
For mmy yeirs past visitors to Mr. Waterer's
nursery at Knap Hill have noticed and admired
this Vine as seen luxuriantly clambering over
some Scotch Firs pretty much as it scrambles
and dangles from coniferous and other trees in
the woods or forests of Japan. Hosv or when
this rare Vine came to Mr. Waterer does not
appear to hi known, and the practical diffi-
culties in its propagation, or it may ba the lack

seed of this Vine in the thick, low woods of
the northern island of Hokkaido, where for
days together in the autumn there is almost
ceaseless rain.

The illustration gives some idea of the luxu-
riant character of this Vine as grown in Northern
Ireland, where the climate seems pre-eminently
fitted for the healthy growth and vigour of
nearly all the hardier plants of Japan as well as
those of New Zealand and of the mountains cf

two gardens this Vine has been cultivated from
diff:rent points of view, as it were. For ex-
ample, at Castlewellan one of the main objects
was to get highly coloured foliage in a moist
climate rather than mere size of leafage, and
when Mr. F. Moore, of Glasnevin, and myself
accompanied Mr. J. H. Veitch on a little gar-
den tour in Northern Ireland last September,
we were all charmed by the vivid colouring of
the Castlewellan p'anc, as we were by the

450

THE GARDEK

[December 5, 1896.

luxuriant growth and size of the leaves on the
specimen at Narrowwater. Mr. Morrison, at
the latter ])laoe, who planted the specimen last
alluded to, told nie that he treated very liberally
the little stranger when it arrived, giving it a
good supply of deer-park loam and some slight
additional stimulus iu the shape of special Tine
manure. As a result, perhaps, the individual
leaves of the Narrowwater plant are finer than
those seen elsewhere, though perhaps not so
vivid in colouring as those dried examples
brought home by Messrs. Veitch, (ioldring
and "other travellers in Japan. The largest
leaf I actually measured from the plant
last alluded to was II inches long by
II inches in extreme breadth, but this year
there appeared to be leaves even of greater
dimensions. The variation in colour, as shown
by the foliage in autumn, is very rich and ex-
tensive. The green turns to yellow, buff,
orange and purple, the purple becoming crimson
before the leaves ultimately fall away, and it is
a further charm that no two leases colour m the
same manner. As the coloured leaves are seen
between the eye and the sunlight, their bril-
liancy of colour, resembling that of old
stained glass, is most effective. The under
surfaces of all the leaves, however, agree in
being of a deep rich buff or wash-leather
colour.

The true Vitis Coigneti.-e is undoubtedly a
plant to be desired by all possessing space for
its full development, but much difficulty was
experienced in increasing it until of late years,
when a supply of Japanese seed was obtained.
Mr. Morrison succeeded in layering some of the
lower branches, and this, if a slow, is a sure
method to adopt whenever practicable. An-
other way is to graft scions in spring on to stem
or root cuttings of the common Grape Vine,
buiying them in the soil so that the scions even-
tually root, as is the case with Clematis. Even
two stem cuttings of Vitis Coignetia; spliced to-
gether and buried under suitable conditions of
heat and moisture would doubtless root more
freely than single cuttings, as is now known to
be the case with many other plants. Of course,
if the imported seed comes true, large stocks
may socm be obtained, but there are some
douVits as to the seed always yielding the exact
counterpart of the plant as first grown in Eng-
land by Mr. Waterer, and as now established
at Castlewellan, Narrowwater, and elsewhere.
At the Jardin Botanique d'Acclimatation at
Antibea, the director, M. Naudiu, once showed
me a .Japanese Vine in fruit under the name of
V. rugosa which closely resembled V. Coigne
ti;i-, except that it had not the rich buff tomen
turn on the back of its leaves, and a seedling
from that ^'ine which I raised from fruit M.
Naudin gave me, although resembling very
closely in size and colour of leaf V. Coignetije,
is not precisely the same thing. Another Vine
called V. amurensis is .similar to M. N^audin's
V. rugosa, and this last has long been culti-
vated in the vicarage garden at Bitton, and is
a very beautiful climber for pole or pergola, or
even on a gable or wall. I have heard great
things of a Vine 1 have never seen, viz., Vitis
califomica, which is said to be one of the most
luxuriant in habit and to produce enormous
leaves. Any information about it from Ameri
can readers would be welcome. The only
drawback about Vitis Coigneti.'e is in its being
deciduous, but even so from the first bursting
of its grey and rose-flushed buds in April until
the fall of its leaves in November it is an ever-
changing and beautiful thing. F. W. B.

The creeping evergreen Euonymtis.—
Xureerymen are very apt to get hold ol varie-

gated forms of plants of which the wild forms are
prettier. For instauce, a common little plant is
Euonymus radicans variegatus, but we rarely see
a trace of the green plant from which it sprang,
which is a prettier one. It is a close, green
creeping shrub, excellent for walls in exposed
places or for banks or rocks, bearing berries like
tho.se which make our native Spindle Tree so
attractive. When these are borne freely, the
contrast between the dark green foliage and the
fruit is pretty.

CLIMBING, TWINING, AND WALL
PLANTS.
There is scarcely any limit to the different u;es
that plants of a climbmg or rambling habit may
be put to, for many of them are extremely beauti-
ful when employed for the draping of arbours,
pergolas, or even living trees, while for hiding
unsightly fences or clothing sloping banks, the
more vigorous kinds are well adapted. For
draping buildings or furnishing walls there is a
great variety of subjects, either quite hardy or
sufficiently tender to need the protection of a
wall in order to pass through an ordinary winter
without much injury. The majority of those
enumerated belovv are hardy enough to succeed as
wall plants in any part of England, while a few
especially indicated are adapted only for particu-
larly mild districts. The list herein given is a
pretty extensive one, and when the vast number
of varieties of Roses, Clematis, Loniceras, &c., is
also taken into consideration it is evident that there
is a wide choice of subjects open to the planter.
It is, however, a very difficult matter to get some
of them in vigorous plants that will sonn make a
goodly show, for though kept in stock by several
nurserymen, the plants supplied .ire in some cases
usually so small that it is some time before they
reach an effective size.

Abelia floribunda Clianthus punicsus, only

triflora for especially favoured

Abutilon vitifolium and districts
others in warm dis- Convol

tricts
Actinidia Kolomikta

volubilis
Adlumia cirrhosa
Akebia quinata

Cotoneasters
Crat.'pjus Pyracantha
Cydcnia japonica in var.
I)ecumaria barbata
Desfontainea spini

Aloysia citriodora, if in- Discaria longispina
jured by the winter Duvaua depende

soon recovers
Apios tuljerosa
Aristolochia Sipho

tomentosa
Azara Gilliesi

microphylla
Berberis stenophylla

Eccremocarpus scaber
Edwardsia microphylla

tetrapttra
Embothrium coccineum,
only in the south and
wesC of England and
Ireland

Escallonias in var.
Eucryphia pinnatifolia
Euonymus in var.
Exochorda grandiSora
Exogonum purga
Billardiera longiflora, Ficus stipulata (repons),
needs a warm wall in more hard}' than is

spot on a wall
Berchemia volubilis
Bignonia cipreolata

grandiflora

radicans

full sun
Buddleia Colvillei

globosa
Calystegia dahurica

pubescens fl.-pleno
Camellias in var.

generally supposed
minima
Forsythia suspensa
Fremontia californica
Fuchsias in var.
Garrya elliptica

Cantua dependens, needs tielsimiumsempervirens,
a little jieat and a somewhat tender
sheltered spot on a Grevillea rosmaiinifolia
wall sulphurea

Carpenteria californica Haberlitzia tamnoides
Caryoptetis mastacan- Hederas in var

thus, for a sunny wall lUicium floridanum
Ceanothus in var. religiosum

Celastrue scandens Indigofera decora alba

articulatus floribunda

Chiraonanthus fragrans Jasminums in var.
Choisya ternata Kfidsura japonica

Clematis in var. Kerria japonica

Cocculus carolinus j. flore-pleno

Thunbergi j. variegata

Lapageria rosea, needs a

peaty, well - drained

soil, fairly moist, and

is at best half liardy

Lardizabala biternata

Leptospermum ecopa-

Loniceras in var.

Lophospermum in va-
riety for summer

Lycium barbatum
europaum

Magnolias in var.

Mandevilla suaveolens,
for a wall in favoured
districts

Maurandya Barclayana,
blooms throughout the

Maximowiczia sinensis

Medicago arborea

Menispermum canadense

Mitrariacoccinea, needs a
mixture of peat or leaf
mould with the or-
dinary soil, and a
sheltered spot

Muhlenbeckia com-

plex a

Myrtus (Myrtle) in var.

Paliurus aculeatus

Passifloras in var.

Periploca gra;ca

Physianthus albens,

somewhat tender

Piper Futokadsura

Piptanthus nepalensis

Pittosporum Tobira
crassifolium

Plagianthus Lyalli

Pueraria Thunbergiana

Punica granatum (Pome-
granate)
g. album plenum
g. rubrum plenum
g. nanum

Rhus toxicodendron ra-
dicans

Ribes speciosum

Roses in great var.

Rubus australis

deliciosus and others

Sehizandra chinensis

Semele (Ruscus) andro-
gyne, for mild dis-
tricts only

Solanum crispum

jasminoidee, more
tender than the pre-
ceding

Sohizophragma hydran-
geoides

Smilax in var.

Sollya heterophylla and
linearis, for south and
west of England and
Ireland

Stauntonia hexaphylla
latifolia

Stuartia pseudo - Ca -
mellia

Thunbergia alata, does
well during the sum-
mer

Trops-olums in var.

Viburnum plicatum

Vitex Agnus-castus

Vitis in var. , now includ-
ing Ampelopeis

Wistarias m var.

Xantboceras sorbifolia
T.

Flower Garden.

THE COLLEGE GARDENS, DUBLIN.
The Botanic Gardens of Trinity College, Dub-
lin, are situated about a mile from the college
itself, and occupy a plot of about 8 acres along-
side the Blackrock Koad, near to Ball's Bridge.
Dublin has long been famous for its orchards
and gardens, as testified by a note in the city
annals, which states that in a.d. 989 a tribute
of 1 ounce of pure gold was paid by the Norse-
men or Danes to the King of Ireland for every
capital messuage and garden in the city. The
county of Dublin is even to-day famous for its
Apples and Strawberries, and the city is for-
tunate in having two botanic gardens and several
important public squares, including St. Ste-
phen's Green and the noble Phcenix Park, with
its well-kept and attractive " People's Gardens."
The extensive and beautiful botanic gardens at
Glasnevin, Dublin, are too well known to need
any further comment here, but, in passing, one
may remark that they are now under Govern-
ment supervision and support, although really
established about a century ago under the
auspices of the Royal Dublin Society. The
College Gardens, on the other hand — as is im-
plied in the name — were founded, and are
sustained, mainly for teaching purposes by the
University of Dublin. The present gardens at
Ball's Bridge represent the third botanic or
jjhysic garden in the possession of the college.
The first garden existed within the precincts of
the college itself, occupying the ground between
the present library and Nassau Street, and it
appears to have been done away with about
1711, when a new anatomy house was erected
on that site. A second garden was established
at Harold's Cross under the auspices of the then
professor of botany. Dr. Hill, who is referred

December 5, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

451

to in the college accounts as receiving j running past the gates. The gardens or I Bain, who succeeded Mackay as curator and
£618 19s. 8d. as compensation for the " botany grounds themselves may be said to transgress ' long maintained the gardens at a high level ;
aarden " in 1803, whence we may infer that , all the rules of the landscape gardener's art, and, to come down to our own time, Mr. F.
the garden was to a great extent of his own found- | being as flat or level as a billiard table, nearly j W. Moore was curator here until he succeeded
ing. The third and present-day botanic garden at all the walks being straight and at right angles I his father at Glasnevin in 187i>.
Ball's Bridge was made on a site leased from the to each other. All this, notwithstanding, these ' The garden is well stocked with trees and
Pembroke estate by the college in July, 1806, , gardens possess a quiet. Old World charm at ', shrubs of various kinds. There is a tradition
for 175 years at a rent of fifteen guineas per all seasons, more especially in spring when that the dwarf, but characteristic Cedar of
acre. The first curator was James Townshend there is a bird song accompaniment to the Lebanon now growing here was thirty years
Mackay, who a year or two previous to the last . flowers and newly opening leaves. They have ^ old when removed from a neighbouring garden
named date had been engaged as "collector to the rus in vihe tone, and the songsters that ; in 1807, when the oldest portion of the grounds
the professor of botany," and to whose re- seem of right to belong to College Gardens was planted. Close to this Cedar stands a good
searches in this and other capacities we are in- everywhere, though, unlike those of Cambridge and healthy specimen of the Italian Stone Pine
debted for the " Flora Hibernica," published ' and of Oxford, the nightingale never comes so I (P. Pinea), and this is well shown in one of our
in 1836. far west, and so is never heard herein. illustrations. The tallest and most graceful tree

Again, we find that the existing College ' Close along one side of the garden lies the site i in the old garden is the American Elm (Ulmus
Garden is itself of a three-fold growth or of the old foundry and fitting sheds of the i americana), its trunk densely feathered with
development. The first garden consisted of I Hammersmith works, wherein the late Mr. W. weeping branchlets, as is peculiar to this species,
about three Irish acres, and was walled in all Turner cast and fitted the cast iron framework 1 There are very good examples of Ulmus mon-

tana pendula beside the
pond, a large purple-
leaved Beech and a fine
Manna Ash (Fraxinus
Ornus). The true Service
Tree (Pyrus (Sorbus) do-
mestica), Pyrus tormina-
lis, P. intermedia and
others fruit freely here,
as do various rare Thorn
trees, including a noble
tree-like specimen of
Cratiegus tanacetifolia.
Arbutus Andrachne and
A. hybrida are repre-
sented by fine trees, and
one could not readily
find larger specimens of
(iarrya elliptica and of
the Japan Wax tree (Li-
gustrum lucidum). Over
one of the gates there is
a fine Wistaria, planted
in 1832, that forms a
pretty picture when in
bloom, and there are fine
trees of Diospyros Lotus
and Magnolia acuminata.
Colletia horrida and C.
biotonensis are each 12
feet high on the walls,
these having been planted
about sixty years ago.
One of the most remark-
able of trees lately in-
troduced to the garden
is the Himalayan Paper
Birch (Betula Bhojpat-
tra), with its waxy white
trunk and branches.
Seeds of this rarity were
generously presented by
Sir Joseph Hookershortly

round in 1807, when also the planting was ' of the great Palm house now so well known at before he retired from Kew, and from these
begun. In the year 1832 a plot of two acres or ^ Kew Gardens. How ani why such a structure I the two healthy little trees now in the gardens
more was added along the Blackrock Road, and could only be made in Ireland at the date of its were raised. ii ■ i

the present entrance gates erected, together with erection may be left to modern students of ' The soil of the garden is light sandy aUuvial
a strong iron railing. Again in 1848, a further political economy, but we may at any rate earth of great depth, resting on o^ river beds,
shelter belt or narrow strip of land extending record the fact. Under Mackay's management , or creeks that at one time extended thus tar troni
the full length of the garden was added along the College Gardens soon became weU known, the seashore. Aided by a deep, warm soil, good
what was then called " Old Watery Lane,-' but and early in the present century Sir W. j shelter, and proximity to the sea, many plants
which is now the Lansdowne Road. These Hooker, of Kew, Lindley, Paxton, and the i usually only half hardy here withstand the open-
three plots of difi-erent dates of planting each McNabs, Veitch, Loudon and many others made air climate all the year round and tor many
contain trees planted at the time, so that an it a point of visiting them. Again, many of the years consecutively. Yuccas, Cordylmes JNew
index of growth of some interest is thus young men originally employed here under Zealand Flax (Phormium), the great-leaved
afi-orded as throwing a side light on the soil Mackay became famous in afterlife. Of such Gunnera manicata, and Chamterops J^ortunei
and the climate since each portion of the we may name the late Dr. David Moore, of are all represented by healthy specimens, and
garden was annexed. Glasnevin; Fraser, the landscape gardener ;] the Yuccas especially flower very treely. ine

At the present time the College Gardens Balfe, long the able secretary of the Dublin I deep, warm sandy loam also lends itselt to the
really constitute a sort of semi- private town Horticultural Society ; Mr. Charles Bloore, who cultivation of hardy, herbaceous and bulbous
square, being surrounded byroads and houses has only recently retired from the directorship plants of all kinds. Irises, LUies, and more
on all sides, with a modern electrical tramway i of the Sydney Botanic Gardens; Mr. John i especially Narcissi being thoroughly at home m

A garden door loith Magnolia on wall— Yuccas on Daffodil border in College Oardents, Dublin.

452

THE GARDEN.

[Dhcembeb 5,

this garden. The illustrations herewith were all
made from photographs made by Mr. .U>lm
McLeish, of Straffan.

COMBINATIONS WITH BULBS.

The formal beds of Tulips and Hyacinths in
rows at equal distances from each other give a
very poor idea of the beauty that may be got
out of bulbs. In fact, except as blazes of
colour for a very short time, such displays are
the reverse of beautiful. In my opinion the
best way of growing bulbs is to intersperse
them freely between the usual plants in her-
baceous borders. You may get of the Dutch
florists 1000 mixed single early Tulips for a
sovereign, carriage paid. If these are planted
out freely, simply by chance, among the usual
perennials, you get a remarkable display of
brilliant colour, in all sorts of varieties, and
the ellect is toned down by the young foliage
of the summer and autumn plants, such as
Dielytras, Delphiniums, Asters, Pyrethrums,
Asters, and so on. Not that I recommend
early Tulips only being massed about in this
way, for they are only in flower for a short
time. The bulb display should begin with
winter Aconites, Snowdrops, Scillas (particu-
larly S. bifolia), Chionodoxas, Crocuses, Daffo-
dils, following on with early Tulips, the suc-
cession ending with the tall old Tulips, either
in self colours or striped. The whole her-
baceous border should be covered between the
other plants with big clumps of all these
bulbs, never to be dug up or meddled with,
manure or dressings being only put on the top
as needed.

-Another good way of growing bulbs is to
plant them under Roses (particularly unpruned
ones), surfacing the ground with Forget-me-
nots and Iceland Poppies. Of course sueh
things must not be buried in the masses of
rank manure that so often turn Rose beds into
stinking manure heaps for so many months.
Roses really do not require such quantities of
nutriment, and what they do require can be
given them in the shape of cleanly artificial
manure. With the more delicate bulbs, such
as Snowdrops, Scilla bifolia (one of the most
delightful of spring plants) and Chionodoxas, a
surfacing of mossy Saxifrages is very appro-
priate, and these and other small bulbs also
look beautiful among rock plants. There also
the bulb display can end with the Colchicums,
which require support to their flowers. Two
large beds of single and double Pieonies have
been a great success here. The ground is sur-
faced with Violas, and below the latter are
massed with bulbs in the varieties named
above. From February to June there is a con-
stant succession of beautiful colour, end-
ing in the Pieonies. Then follow on
in the same bed Lilies, such as testaceum,
Martagon, and dalmaticum, the floral circle
for the year ending with Lilium tigrinum
splendens. I tried a backing of hardy Chrysan-
themums to these beds, but they required a
change of soil and were a failure on the let-alone
principle. As the Pteonies grew big also the
Violas got rather smothered. A splendid bed is
made by growing Tulipa fulgens, or any of the
grand late kinds, in combination with Anemone
japonica H. .Jobert, a far finer plant than
the miserable " improvements " upon it lately
sold at high prices. The later Tulips come up
well through the Lent Lilies in two of my beds,
which are also plentifully interspersed with the
Lilies named above, as well as with auratum,
speciosum and other kinds. L. speciosum does
excellently, coming up through a mass of Lilies
of tb*^ Valley. I have tried Crown Imperials

in combination with the Madonna Lily, but the
bed was a failure, as the stems, &c., of the
former died off at the wrong time. Groups of
Anemone apenniua look beautiful among shrubs,
and, of course, under trees. A mixture of
Lilium candidum, Tulips and Lilium tigrinum
splendens gives a long succession of bloom.
The first thing for bulb growers to discard is the
miserable old plan of digging up the roots every
year, drying them and putting them away. The
next idea to discard is that bulbs are costly
things, for if they are bought in quantity they
are exceedingly cheap. No doubt a leading
florist will charge you Is. for a Hyacinth of a
choice variety, but that is a fancy price, and the
prim Hyacinth is a tasteless plant for the gar-
den till it has run back to its natural size and
shape by being let alone out of doors for a few
years. A bed of Hyacinths such as we see in
the paiks is really hideous, though the colour
at a distance may be pleasing. The prim
spires, the comparative absence of foliage, and
the regular pips of blossom must be oftensive
to anyone with a real love of flowers to whom
such artificial creations of the florist appear
ply as ugly abortions. Our own wild Hya-
cinth is a far more beautiful and graceful
plant than the best show Hyacinth. Bulbs as
showing the first efl'orts of returning spring
after our tedious winters should be grown as
far as possible in a natural and graceful way.
The next thing to abolish is the growth of
masses of bulbs of one sort or colour in bare,
formal beds and in lines and rings. This is
the proper answer to your correspondent
" \V. T." (page 424), who wants to know how
to "decorate" beds of bulbs. —J. I. R.

"W. T.," Bisbop^tei.unton, inquires at

page 424 for suitable annuals or perennials to
flower as a succession to bulbous plants, and
rightly concludes that the ground may be utilised
without injury to the bulbs. There is quite a host
of plants suitable for the purpose named, which
virtually is nothing more nor less than a mixed
arrangement of herbaceous and bulbous plants, of
which doubtless there are numbers in existence.
Perhaps the greatest gain of all to such an ar-
rangement lies in the fact that such thinys as
Narcissi, by their early flowering, would seem
fitted to associate with many of the best hardy
perennials, as large numbers of the latter are
really only beginnmg to move when the Narcissi
,re in full flower. Take, for instance, the Pent-
temons, with their bright and varied colours,
that make so fine a display during the summer
months, and by raising such things from seed or
cuttings, the bed they would hereafter occupy
would in spring be quite unfettered and the bulbs
allowed full sway. I mention these firct because
it not unfrequently happens that such beds are
better suited to plants that are either easily raised
from seed or cuttings, or eas'ly replaced from
year to year. The Tufted Pansies of course form
a most important group, .ind may be planted in
autumn at the same moment as the bulbs, or be
allowed to stand over till spring. The first named
would, perhaps, be best, because this arrangement
would also provide a certain amount of greenery
during winter, besides giving a much earlier
bloom, while the spring-planted ones would have
a value of their own in yielding a succession of
their beautiful and varied flowers. Another bed
may be devoted to the best Oerman Irises in con-
junction with bulbs ; another may be reserved
for Aster Amsllus varieties, or Aster acris,
or any of the cordifolius section, together with
the pretty rose-coloured A. l.uvigatus. AH these
Starworts are not only easily established, but,
what is equally important, they do not ramble
away in a weedy manner as some kinds do,
which is objectionable for more reasons than
one. Carnations would also make a fine suc-
cession to bulbous flowers, and are thus fretiuently
employed. Another good mixture may be had
by planting Galtonia candicans, also Tigridias,

the latter to be planted in February. The white
varieties of Campanula persirifolia are very pleas-
ing, as also Gaillardia hybrida grandiflora, which
provides such a rich and varied assortment of
flowers for so long a time. The beautiful hybrid
Columbines would be exquisite in such a place,
and invaluable for cut flowers also ; and by raising
the seedlings early in the year in the open on a
reserve border, they could be planted with nice
balls of earth quite early in September without
in any way interfering with the bulbs. A suc-
cession of Lilies may also be fitted in, so as to give
a succession of bloom, with such things as Aubrie-
tias or the dwarf alpine Phloxes to form a carpet
for the whole. The Iceland Poppies are very
pretty and easily obtained, while Heuchera safi-
guinea would also be most suitable. To these may
be added Geum coccineum pi., G. miniatum and
G. Heldreichi, all delightful in general aspect and
wonderfully free-flowering. As dwarf carpets,
such things as Silene alpestris, S. maritima plena,
< Knothera macrocarpa, <]■',. acaulis and others are
worth naming. These are some of the better suited
among hardy perennials for the purpose named ;
numbers of the boldest and showiest of perennials
must for such a position be omitted, by reason of
their great vigour or deep-rooting character. Of
annuals there are many, such as Zinnias, Stocks,
Asters, Candytuft, Linums, Shirley and other
Poppies, Nasturtium, Petunias, Mignonette,
Phlox Drummondi, Verbenas, Nicotiana afiinis
and many more ; while at least one bed may be
devoted to the tuberous Begonia, which invariably
keeps up a good display into the autumn months.
It would, perhaps, be advisable in such arrange-
ments that the bulbs be planted somewhat deeply,
so as to avoid any interference when the other
things are being planted on the surface ; though
by marking well the positions of the clumps of
bulbs it would be quite easy to avoid contact with
them when planting the perennials, the whole of
which may remain at least three or four years
with advantage if this is needful.— E. Jenkins.

In answer to the query that is found on

page 424, I may mention that short notes on the
above subject h.ave appeared several times
throughout the year in connection with flower
garden work, but if your correspondent has not
the back numbers of ids (Jarden to hand, it may
not be out of place to refer to the question at
some length, as it is a matter of interest to all
rtho grow bulbs rather largely, whether in single
beds or in patches on large borders in connection
with other things. The list of plants suitable for
the work may be divided into hardy perennials,
dwarf bedding plants propagated either from seed
or cuttings and planted out, and annuals that
may be sown on the ground. Of the last named,
which, as they would be sown some time towards
the end of April, might be used in the case of
bulbs whofe foliage is not lasting, four serviceable
things are Mignonette, the new dwarf Toadflax
(Linaria reticulata), Portulacas, and the miniature
French Marigold. The soil can be lightly pricked
up with the fork and broken down fine, and if
slugs are likely to be troublesome, a thin sprink-
ling of coal ashes can be put on : this will quickly
be hidden when the plants begin to grow. Of
bedding plants suitable for the purpose I have
used Lobelia pumila. Petunia nana compacts.
Phlox Drummondi (pegged), Gazania splendens,
the variegated Mesembry.anthemum, and Can-
nell's dwarf Ager.atum. With respect to the
hardy plants available, the list is a long one,
especially if it is simply a question of carpeting
the ground and foliage irrespective of flower is
what is chiefly required. I should place the
Tufted Pansies (the Violetta type) ([uite in the
front rank as hardy carpet plants. They practi-
cally cover the ground with their foliage, and
floiver continuously all through spring, summer,
and early autumn. Violetta is still about the
best of the section, but Lilian (lilac) and Orange
Queen are also good and will give a variety in
colour. They can be propagated by cuttings to-
wards the latter end of July or by division in
autumn, and the young plants in either case can
be put out on the bulb beds towards the end of

December 5,

3.]

THE GAEDEK

453

October, or, failing that, at any later time when
the weather will permit. This section of Pansies
keeps its foliage green and healthy all through the
winter, and once planted may remain for two or
three seasons without getting bare or ragged.
All the varieties of Phlox setacea are useful for
the purpose. True, they flower somewhat earlier
than the time named by your correspondent, but
they keep a bright carpet of foliage all through
the summer, and this year, doubtless owing to the
heavy rainf, we have had a display of bloom
through the latter end of September and October.
They may be planted at any time throughout the
year when the ground is available. Other dwarf
spring-flowering perennials that might be tried
are the varieties of Arabis and Aubrietia. An
occasional trial could be given to one or two of
the Saxifrages of the umbrosa type and Gentiana
acaulis, not planted too thickly, but dotted spar-
ingly over the surface of the bed, allowing a free
passage for the bulbs. I am very fond of the old
double Chamomile as a carpet plant, and it is
difficult to find anything better for tall plants, as
Montbretias and other things of similar habit,
especially given a dry situation .and a light soil.
Once planted it will stand for years, and all the
attention required is an annu.-il shearing over after
the bloom is at an end. If it gets weedy, clean-
ing is sometimes difficult, and then it is advisable
to lift it, pull it to pieces and replant.

Turning to a few things grown for their foliage
or whose flowers are so insignificant or short-
lived as to render them of secondary importance,
many of the hardy Sedums, as acre and its va-
rieties, glaucum and Lydium, also Ajuga reptans
and reptans variegata, can be used for small beds
or patches, and for those on a larger scale Anten-
naria tomentosa and Veronica inoana. The above
list, it will be noted, is restricted to either per
manent plants or those annuals which will last
out until the end of the season. Spring flowe:
annuals are also largely used in connection with
bulbs, and a very pretty effect is produced if due
regard is paid to arrangements affecting the con-
trast in colours. The varieties of Myosotis and
Silene, also Limnanthes Douglasi, are most in
favour for this purpose. — E. Burrell.

want to be sown early, but there are few places
that have not a bit of glass, and if the seed is
put thinly into boxes and placed on the shelf of a
greenhouse or vinery it will germinate quickly,
nd the seedlings may be pricked out early into
other boxes or a frame, if the latter is available.
Let me recommend a note to be made of Carna-
tions Grenadin and Marguerite, Pentstemon
gloxinioides, the annual Gaillardias, and Princess
Alice Stock, that never fail to give satisfaction,
and, with the exception of the Pentstemon, the
flowers of which drop rather quickly, all first rate
for cutting.— E. Burrell.

Jadoo fibre and Xiilies. — This material is
good for potting Lilies in. Byway of experiment
I potted a good bulb of Lilium speciosum Melpo-
mene in a smal' pot last season, using Jadoo
entirely. The bulb threw up a strong stem and
flowered beautifully. On examining the bulb this
week I found it very clean and firm and with
plenty of new basal roots, also with six offsets,
one as large as a Walnut. I shall try L. auratum
in it and see if this refractory kind will take as
kindly to it as L. speciosum evidently does. I
am also trying it for a bed of Montbretias, which
seem to prefer something light to grow in. — T. J.
Weaver, Crouch End.

Planting Spanish Irises. — Having a very
great demand for cut flowers during the London
season, I have purchased a lot of Spanish Iris
bulbs with the intention of keeping them out of
the ground until, at any rate, February with the
hope of securing a good batch of flower-spikes in
July. I know it is generally advised not to delay
planting the bulbs after November, but as I last
year proved that various bulbous subjects could
be kept plump and good unplanted till the sijring,
I am induced to give the Iris a trial. They are
excitable things, more so than the English sec-
tion, and no doubt to be successful in the experi-
ment, a perfectly cool as well as a dry place will
be necessary. If, however, I find growth com-
mencing, they will be planted at once. Has any
reader ever tried delaying planting the Spanish
Iris till spring, and with what result'.' — C. C. H.

A plea for annuals.— In the majority of
gardens room might easily be found for some of
the most enduring annuals, especially where the
collection of hardy perennials alike in quality and
quantity is not of the best. The experience of
the last few years leads to the conclusion that
they cannot be too strongly recommended. They

CALIFURNIAN IRISES.
To THE Editor of The Garden.

Sir, — I have read with interest the article in
your issue of September 5, 1890, on Beardless
Irises. As I am familiar with most of the Cali-
fornian specie.s, I can, I think, give you some
interesting notes regarding them.

Iris missuurie-ssis is not really a Californian
species. It barely enters our borders in that sec-
tion east of the Sierra Nevada. That is Califor-
nian only in name, and more properly belongs,
both geologically and in its flora, to the Great
Basin.

I. LONiarETALA is the Iris of the section im-
mediately along the fea coast of California from
Monterey north for 200 miles. Its home is a
region of liberal winter rains and heavy summer
fogs. Towards the interior the climate becomes
drier, and Iris longipetala first becomes confined
to the cooler northern slopes of the mountains,
and still further in the interior gives place to Iris
Douglasiana. Where found in open lands near
the ocean and San Francisco Bay, I. longipetala
grows very rank, forming great masses in the open
pastures and meadows. The soil is usually
heavy, but sometimes sandy, and it affects low,
wet places.

I. Douglasiana. — The famous Redwood forest
of this State lies along the seacoast of Northern
California from Monterey to the Oregon line. The
forest extends into the interior from a few miles
to at one point forty miles. As the coast is left,
the forest, which near the coast is composed
almost altogether of Redwoods, becomes inter-
mingled with Tanbark Oak, Douglas Spruce, and
other trees, until at last the Redwoods themselves
are confined to the cold north hillsides and the
cooler stream courses, and the main forest is com-
posed of Douglas Spruce and various Oaks. In
this high borderland Iris Douglasiana finds its
home with the last survivors of the Redwood
forest. It is also to be found in a few scattered
Redwood groves on the north side of San Fran-
cisco Bar. The winter rains in its home are
heavy, but from May till October there are none,
and fogs and dews are rare. Iris Douglasiana
grows on the cool northern slopes in the woods or
along the cooler canyons in a well-drained soil,
usually clayey, but often gravelly or composed of
rocky debris and leaf-mould. It seems to grow
best in the latter, and at its best it is certainly
one of the most exquisite of the genus.

I. MACROsirHON ranges from San Francisco
Bay northin the coast range and well into Southern
Oregon. It begins where I. Douglasiana leaves
off, and is common in all of the great coast range
section, preferring loose, dry soils and warm situa-
tions in the timbered sections. It grows best ir
loose, dry, gravelly soils in open woods. The
type of the species is lilac or purple ; white sports
rarely occur, but in some sections all of the plants
bear yellow or creamy flowers. The line of de-
marcation is drawn very strongly between the
lilac and the yellow variations, and I know of
two inst.ances where within a half-mile the
yellow flower disappears, and is replaced by the
lilac type. At my home in Ukiah and for 12i
miles south only the lilac or purple form is found
Eight miles east they suddenly gave way to the
creamy form, and then for 60 miles by the road,
the white again is found, until on its eastern

margin it • as suddenly gives way to the purple
form. In a canyon on another route a few miles
from here the yellow form is found on a single
hillside, with every conceivable variation from
sky-blue to yellow.

I. Hartweoi is a native of the foothill region
of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California,
and extends along that range for several hundred
miles. It usually grows in very loose soil in the
dry Pine woods, and the climate in that region is
even drier both in summer and winter than the
regions where the other Californian varieties
grow. The soil is either a red volcanic one or
granitic sand, and never gets really wet.

In the culture of Iris macrosiphon, J.
Douglasiana and I. Hartwegi I am afraid that
most of your cultivators have made the mistake
of planting in too heavy a soil and giving too
much water. From what I have said, it can
be seen that these species come from regions
very dry in the summer, that they grow in
well-drained soils and make their growth in
the winter and spring in their nitive homes.
In the summer they ripen up hard and the
roots become dry and wiry. With the coming
of cool weather and moisture in the fall, they
at once start into growth. I examined plants
this fall before there was enough rain to wet
even an inch down, and found plants in some
instances starting new roots. I lifted wild
plants of I. longipetala, I. Douglasiana and
I. macrosiphon about October 15, which were
then quite dormant or a few barely starting,
and planted at once in loose, moist soils. At
this date (November 7) strong new roots are
starting. I note that Max Leichtlin— as re-
ported in Garden ami Forest by Mr. Gerard-
says that he has successfully grown I. macro-
siphon from seed, and finds that it can be
handled readily just as it starts into growth,
which with him is in May. It is apparent that
his seedlings have adjusted themselves to the
changed climatic conditions, and in Germany
are taking their rest in winter instead of in
summer, as here. I have for some years had
I. Douglasiana in cultivation, and I have never
seen wild plants to match my own. They are
growing in a cool corner among Ferns in a rich
soil of clay and compost. I have a large bed of
I. missouriensis, now in its third year, from
small wild plants. I planted in May and they
have done well. Iris longipetala 1 found no
difficulty in establishing. I. macrosiphon I
have in strong clumps, but, owing to a lack of
knowledge at the time, my present old plants
are the survivors of a much larger number.
Success with these Irises is to be found in giv-
ing them sunny (juarters and not too much
water, and transplanting just as they start into
til. Carl Purdy.

gro

Vkiah, Califo:

Anemone japonica alba var. Lady Ardi-
laun.— Having read the remarks of " S. W. F."
in The Garden for November 14, page 388,
wherein he describes the above as inferior to
Anemone Honorine Jobert, as the raiser of the
above, I would be glad to know, first, if " S. W. F."
has got the true variety ; secondly, if he has
given it the proper treatment. Anemone japo-
nica Lady Ardilaun has a decided objection to
anything in the way of fresh manure, or to a bed
or border that is over-rich. It delights in a deep,
well-pulverised loamy soil, to which leaf-mould
has been added at the time of planting ; in this
soil it will flourish. The variety is easily distin-
guished by its strong, robust growth and large.
Vine-like ifoliage ; its flower-stems are strong and
attain to a height of 4 feet. It is a profuse
bloomer ; its petals are large and shell-like, tinged
on the back with violet-purple ; its flowers are
replaced by large heads of seed. Here under
ordinary treatment this season it has retained all

454

THE GARDEN.

[December 5, 1896. ;

its distinctive qualities. I know there are cases
in which failure has been caused by planting in
srround that had been made over rich, but if
" S. W. F." will treat Antmone Lady Ardilaun as
above, I am convinced that his present unfavour-
able impression will be removed. — Ani'Kkw
C.tMrBELL, The Gardens, St. Aiim's, Cloiila>-/\
Co. Dublin.

A GARDEN IX THE LAKE DISTRICT.

Pekhats tlie following notes from a little gar-
den in the lake district may interest those who
with only one gardener and a few frames — like
myself — wish, nevertheless, to grow as large a
selection of flowering plants as possible in a
small space. The garden in question is guilt-
less of design, having (with the exception of a
square raised flower plot^ been gradually made
out of a pasture field, sloping rather steeply to
the S.W., well sheltered from the north wind,
but exposed to the furious south-westerly gales
which often make havoc of the summer flowers.
The house, a long rambling buildini;, is entirely
covered with creepers — Ivies, an enormous
Traveller's Joy, Vines, Clematises, Jessamine,
Honeysuckle, Pyracautha, and Roses, Ayrshire,
Aim^e Viberl and ]\Iartcbal Xiel. There is a
three-cornered lawn on which are groups of
shrubs and, as yet, small trees — Pyrus Malus
floribunda, P. spectabilis, P. coronaria. Spiraeas,
Scarlet Oak, Koelreuteria, Thorns in variety,
Forsythia, Philadelphus, strong growing Roses,
Cotoneasters and Rubus nutkanus. On one
side of the lawn is a wide border backed by an
attempt at a pergola, in front of which 'stands
a row of choice evergreen shrubs, the rest of
the border being filled with Oriental Poppies,
Delphiniums, Silphium, Echinops, Monarda,
Anthericums, Cimicifuga, Rudbeckia, and
other large herbaceous plants, with masses
of Lilies — testaceum, davuricum, croceum
and chalcedonicum growing like weeds. The
border on the other side is not so wide,
and contains a Glastonbury Thorn, which
flowers here at Easter instead of Christmas, two
of the first Japanese Maples imported into this
country, Genista Andreana, Hemerocallis, Gail-
laidias, <;reat white Asphodel, and more Lilies,
especially L. pomponium verum. At the edge
are Mrs. Sinkins and old laced Pinks. The
road in front of the house is on a terrace sup-
ported by an old drystone wall, in the chinks
of which live various Sedums, Cistus, woolly
Thyme, Arabia, and Houseleeks, the cobweb
variety forming large tufts. There is a narrow
border at its foot with many Lilies, the air in
June filled with the scent of the little yellow
Turncaps, and L. superbum grows nearly (i
feet high at the .shady end near a big bush of
Sweet Gale, with Willow Gentian growing
through it. There are Roses also— Teas and
Perpetuals of many kinds. Pyrus japonica
and P. Maulei, herbaceous Clematises, Cam-
panulas, hardy Fuchsias, and a crowd of
smaller things fill every vacant space. Not far
ofl" a standard Prunus Plssardi in the centre of
a peat bed is a vision of beauty every spring
with its pinkish flowers and purple leaf-ljuds.
This autumn, for the first time, it bore two or
three plums. Scotch and old-fashioned sum-
mer-flowering Roses form a thicket, and a large
Mask Rose on a low wall blooms abundantly in
September. Lord Penzance's Sweet Briers
have not been here long, but they promise soon
to rival in siza the huge bushes of the common
variety. Tree Pa^onies grow well, if slowly,
and I hope for great things from a row of im-
ported ones, but I fancy they will hardly beat
Reine Elizabeth. Anemone japonica is a per-
fect weed ; one of the best borders is filled with

it ; ai d Tropa-olum speciosum is rapidly taking
possession of another.

I have said nothing of the bulbs which line
the foot of every hedge and are planted in
iiuantity in the grass— double Snowdrops,
which have been here since time unknown —
in company with scarlet May-flowering Tulips,
Daflodils from Wordsworth's own to Horsfieldi
and Emperor, Squills, Fritillaries, Colcbicums,
Tritouias and others. Nor is there space to
mention the summer flowers which sometimes
come to grief early. Dahlias having been cut
down by frost in September, but then we are
nearly 800 feet above sea-level. Some of the
most interesting plants are still in the stage of
experiment. Eremurus, Lilium giganteum and
some of the new Kuijihofiashave not yet passed
through a hard winter, and I hope may never
have to withstand such an one as the beginning
of 1895, when the lake was frozen for seven
Sundays, and if it had not been for a snow
blanket everything in the garden would have
been killed down to the ground at least.

I'euriih. May.

NEW REGULATIONS AT THE HALLES
CENTRALES, PARIS.
The chief points of the new regulations at the
Halles Centrales are embodied in a law which
came into operation on June 13, lSfl6. The text
of this law is too long to be reproduced here in
full, but we may say that, on the whole, it appears
to us to define and clearly mark out the privileges
of factors and salesmen in such a manner as now
to afl'ord both to sellers and purchasers a certain
amount of security. The scope of this law is es-
pecially obvious from the following provisions : —

Art. 2. — Any person may receive from growers
and forwarder? of field and garden produce a com-
mission to sell the same, provided he can fulfil
the following conditions :—

1.— He must be of French nationality and
possessed of the civil rights which are thereto
attached.

i2.— He must never have incurred any penal or
disciplinary londemnation to stain his honour.

.^.— He must have his name inscribed on the
list drawn up for that purpose by the Tribunal of
Commerce after imiuiry made and notification
from the Prefecture of Police.

4. — He must ceitify as to the concession to him
of a position in the market by the civic authorities,
and also as to his having deposited in the munici-
pal treasury, as security, a sum of money equal in
amount to the sum total of the market taxes paid
by the occupier of the position at the last visit of
the tax-collector ; the amount, however, of such
security is in no case to exceed 2500 francs
(£100).

Art. :? — Salesmen are expressly forbidden to
purchase on their own account any goods which
have been forwarded to them for sale or similar
goods from any quarter, to trade with either per-
sonally or through the agency of other parties even
outside the precincts of the Halles Centrales.
They are also forbidden to possess any warehouse
or store-house either in Paris, or in the provinces,
or in foreign countries. They are to be remune-
rated solely by the commission which has bean
freely agreed upon between themselves and those
who employ them.

Art. 8, 2nd section.— The Prefecture of Police
will maintain good order in the matters of the
hoiulfi'de character of the business transactions, the
soundness of the goods offered for sale, and ensur-
ing freedom of moving about by preventing over-
crowding. For this purpose, a commissary of
police will be specially attached to the Halles
Centrales, and all the inspectors and agents under
his orders will have authority to report on these
and other subjects.

Art. 10.— Factors and salesmen who are now
doing business in the Halles Centrales will have
three months allowed them from the date of publi-

cation of the law in the Journal Ofliciel of public
administration to enable them to satisfy the re-
((uirements of sections 1, 2, 3 of Article 2. If they
do so, they will have a right of priority in claim-
ing the conression of a position in the market.

After all, laws, it has been said, are only of use
when they are properly carried out, and undoubt-
edly it is reasonable to expect that the authorities
of public administration will steadily enforce them
in the present case. — Jiei-ue Horticole.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1095.

THE WEEPING JAPANESE CHERRY. "

(PRUNU.S PENDULA.)
(WITH A COLOURED PLATE.*)

The Cherries and double Cherries with which
we are mostly familiar are quite distinct from
this, which we saw in good condition last
spring in M. Letellier's nursery at Caen.
It was a standard tree with graceful weeping
branches, the eflect a little way off being
something like that of a weeping Almond,
but quite distinct from anything we had ever
seen. As this family of shrubs and flowering
trees has been so recently and well described
by Mr. Bean (Oct. 17, p. ^312), we need not repeat
what has been so alily said. This is a very
precious addition to our trees and shrubs, and
one which it would be well worth our while to
try on various stocks, so that it might not show
the habit, which some double Cherries do, of
suddenly dying off, no doubt owing to having
been grafted on a stock to which they are
averse. It should be got from seedlings and on
its own roots, and also from layers or grafted
on any vigorous stock. If we get healthy and
enduring plants of this, as all other Cherries
naturally are, people can then see what a lovely
thing for covered ways and bowers, as well as
a weeping tree, we have in this precious Japan-
ese Cherry. Under the brighter skies of France
and the United States it flowers more profusely
than it does in Britain, and we have heard one
of the leading authorities on trees and shrubs
in North America describe this as the most
lovely of all Japanese trees. But even in duller
Britain it is surpassingly beautiful, and there
are fine specimens in both the Coombe Wood
and Knap Hill nurseries.

The following notes have come to ua in a
letter from M. Letellier concerning this and
other Japanese Cherries ; —

This species of Cherry is very common in
Japan, where it appears that it occurs very
frequently in the extensive .thickets which are
one of the features of that country. Like all the
varieties of the Japanese Cherry trees, it does not
produce any edible fruit, and this explains why
tho Cherries which are eaten in Japan are imported
from Australia for the special use of European
residents. Last year we received a collection of
twenty-two varieties of Japanese Cherries. We
have been assured thit this collection cannot b3
surpassed for completeness, and that all the varie-
ties which it includes are (juite distinct. Of this,
however, we shall be better able to judge either
next year or the year after, when they come into
bloom. None ofthem has flowered yet. Besides
the variety pendula flore roseo pleno, we have
here under the name of Japanpse Cherries two
other varieties, which are, however, already
pretty well known, esptcially the one named
Cerasus Sieboldi flore albo pleno, a splendid
form, the flowers of which are very broad, but

* Drawn for The Garden in MJI. Letellier fib'
nursery, Caen, France, by H. (i. Moon. Litho-
graphed and printed by J. L. Gofikrt, succeEsor to
Gaillaume Severeyns.

^

PP.UNUS PENDULA

December 5, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

455

rose-coloured rather than white. The other ' to act as a check on the pre-disposition to become early work, are not far from the surfaoa it is wise
Cerasus (so-called), Sieboldi flore luteo virescanti drawn. Late seed Potatoes can but seldom be to cover with soil the small portion of bare stem
pleno, has very large flowers of a greenish yellow afforded room to lie thinly, and these will 1 which they have, adding more from time to time

colour and semi-double rather than double.'

The Week's Work.

still be perfectly safe in the clamps. An early as the stems lengthen, so that at no time shall the
opportunity should, however,. be taken to overhaul , collars of the plants be exposed to the direct in-
the heaps and to remove all diseased tubers ; this fluence of frost. This is easily and ([uickly
I and the airing they get in the process will check managed with the aid of a good draw hoe and
any tendency the sound tubers may have towards should not be neglected.
early sprouting.

. KITCHEN GARDEN.

Seed Potatoes. — These have in too many cafes to
be stored somewhat thickly at the time of lifting,
but little harm will have come to any such up to
the present, as shoot production will not yet be
much in evidence where cold storage is practised.

CrcuMDERS. — Up to the time of writing the
Store Put.\toes. — Though I am no believer in weather has suited these excellently, for Novem-
the theory of transmission of disease from tuber i ber has not given us its usual number of foggy
to tuber after storing, I advise that all the stores ' and dull days which tell so badly on many things
should be examined and diseased tubers thrown which are being forced out of season, and espe-
out before winter really sets in, as these are, when j cially so on Cucumbers. Extra vigorous growth
thoroughly rotten, very disagreeable to handle must, however, be made no excuse for overcrop-
and make messy patches throughout the heap, and ' ping, for those who have only the limited means
Ageneralthinningoutof the early varieties should, as most of those which are attacked can now be afforded by one house and one set of plants from
however, now take place, and this is especially seen they are best got rid of while there is a | which to get the winter supply, will find that only
important with tubers intended for forcing, as chance of opening the clamps. In re-covering by strictly limiting the crop to a tithe of what
the loss or weakening of the principal sprout on the heaps it will be advisable to throw aside and the same plants would carry in summer, can they
such tubers will retard the crop and lead to the replace with new any Bracketi or straw which keep the crop going without a break until plants
production of undersized tubers. Where a com- may have become wet, as such material will have raised from seed early next year are in fruit.
mencement in forcing under the pot, or any other but little frost-resisting power. Finally do not Very little ventilation will be necessary now, and
system, is soon to be made, sufficient tubers should | stint the covering. This is frcijuently done, and anything in the shape of catting draughts must
be selected at once and the shoots reduced to one : there are but few of us who have not heard a sad be avoided. Still, I like to give sufficient during
or two at most on each tuber. The latter may ] outcry about frozen Potatoes after each winter the mildest part of the day to prevent the stufty
then be placed in shallow boxes, have a little well- I which has been at all severe. A little more state of the atmosphere which is sometimes

allowed to prevail in winter Cucumber
pits. Syringing should be almost entirely
suspended for the time being, as it creates a
flabby growth and insect pasts may be kept
down by other means. Light top-dressings
should bo given whenever the roots appear
through the surface, as such roots would
soon perisli if left uncovered. Should the
stems show any signs of canker, as they
sometimes will, just above the surface of the
soil, ther3 is no surer uure than smothering
the affecfced pirts with newly slaked lime in
a powdered state, and this should be done
before the disease has time to spread far.

Tomatoes.— The progress of winter-fruit-
ing Tomatoes is slow, the fruits taking a
long time to come to perfection, but it will
not do to attempt hurrying them by increas-
ing the temperature, as this only induces
the formation of shoot-growth at the ex-
panse of the fruits. A night temperature
of from 55" to 60° suits the plants well and
should not be much exceeded. Free ventila-
tion is imperative, and saffioient must be
given at all times to keep the inside air
buoyant, and only in the case of very foggy
weather should the ventilators be entirely
closed. The plants must not be allowed to
suffer from want of water at the roots, but
beyond that no water should be used about
the house. J. C. Tallack.

Gardens, DnoUn. (See p. 451.'

Gunncra manicata on pond margin in CoUe.j,- ^..iwi.c.o, .^.-u„.„.. v^^^^ t- ■^'-' HATtnV FRTIITS

BnsH FRUIT. — The saason up to the present
decayed leaf-mould or light soil put in round | material and a little more labour would avoid all i time having been fairly mild, birds have in no way
them, 80 that only the shoots are left exposed, such calamities. • , interfered with the buds of either tJooseberries or

and then be placed in a light position in a mode- ' Broccoli.— As a rule the supply of Broccoli ! Currants. We may, however, expect a change m
rately heated house, when growth will at once here after New Year's tide, or when Veitch's Self- the weather shortly, when, if the ground should
commence, and in three weeks or so they will be protecting is over, is uncertain, more especially ' become covered with snow for a few days, so that
in the best possible condition for potting or plant- so of late years, since it has become difficult to the feathered tribe would be unable to find food,
ing. During this period they should be kept in obtain the true stock of Snow's Winter White they might set to work, and so destroy the greater
a fairly moist condition throughout, and when which did such good service years ago. I am portion. Every possible care should therefore be
the time comes for transferring them to their fortunate this year in having obtained what taken to prevent them from doing so. If the bushes
growing quarters, great care is necessary to avoid appears to be an excellent stock, and all the ' have been pruned they ought to receive a dressing
the slightest semblance of a check; it is only by plants throughout the plot are now turning in. of newly slaked lime, or a mixture of lime and soot
the observance of this that anythintc is gained by As it is impossible here to obtain mid-winter ! as previously advised, anything, in fact, that will
the system, and I would prefer using tubers taken Broccoli from outside, these plants will now ba make the buds distasteful to them. It is not only
direct from the store boxes to depending on any lifted and transferred to the deep pits which are the bullfinches and linnets that take the buds,
started in this way, and which did not look happy fast being cleared of the Self-protecting and the for where fruit plantations are adjacent to farm
either before or after the transfer to pots or ; Autumn Giant Cauliflower, treating them in pre- I buildings sparrows congregate in such numbers
frames. Tubers for successional forcing batches ciselv the same way as I recommended for the that they soon strip the bushes, leaving nothing
and those for planting in the open are best served latter varieties some time ago. By these means , but the bare twigs. To have nicely shaped
by standing them on their eyeless ends in shallow an unbroken succession will be maintained up to ' bushes in such places it will be necessary to keep
boxes, a single layer in each box. The Kidney- , the end ef February. these mischievous little creatures oil them,

shaped varieties usually used for early crops Cai;i;ace.s.— The growth of Cabbage plants has Where this can be done effectually, early pruning
occupy far less room in this position than they i been more rapid than usual this year, and the is advisable, as the buds left always swell up and
do when laid flat. Instead of keeping these any sterna are in consequence sappy and liable to in- i produce finer flowers, therefore better truit. As
longer in the dark root-store, where the atmo- ; jury from severe frost when it comes. Moulding previously pointed out, all varieties of Goose-
sphere is naturally humid and close, I prefer to i up the plants is the best preventive of such in- | berries have not the same habit, for while War-
put them into frost-proof sheds, where they will i jury, and though the lower leaves of such varieties i rington, Rifleman, and others of that class make
get a little light and a sufficient circulation of air ' as Ellam's Early, and others which are used for ! upright shoots, many of the larger kinds make

456

THE GARDE1\.

[December 5, 1896.

pendulous one«. Theso latter arc thorefors
best grown as bushes having stems from a foot to
IS inches high, that the fruit ma3- not get dashed
by heavy rains. In pruning these latter the
young shoots should also be shortened to prevent
them jissuming such a pendulous habit. The
buds being yet small no harm will be done if the
shoots are p.iinted with a soft brush, using a mix-
toire as previously advised. In the case of Red
Currants the shoots ought to be allowed ample
room, as far more fruit will be gathered from
bushes where the light and air are freely admitted,
than from others that are allowed to become a
thicket of wood. In the former case the growth
made will be short-jointed and firm, thickly
studded with buds, while in the latter it will be
soft and pithy. Both these fruits are in great de-
mand, and on that account should be well looked
after. Where any planting has yet to be dene,
do not fail to bring all such work to a conelusion
as speedily as possible.

Bl.\. KiiEKkiKs — It is astonishing the length of
time these have continued to fruit this season,
and though there is but little flavour in those
ripened now, they give a variety. Where grown
against a wall so as to be protected, the fruit will
hang for a long time. I recently saw a dish
gathered from such a position that was very
creditable. The foliage, too. assumes a beautiful
colour late in the season, '["here are not many
places where a vacant wall could not be found for
a few plants of these. Even against the stable or
outbuildings they would not do amiss, as they re-
i|uire no particular cultivation, though when
well grown, better flavoured fruit and in greater
quantity may be gathered.

R.\~iEKRKiKs. — Assuming that these have not
yet been tied, they ought now to receive atten-
tion, for where the canes grow strongly the wind
will be likely to twist them ofl' at their base.
These, like all other fruits, do better when al-
lowed ample room ; the space between must in a
measure depend on the variety and the quality of
the ground. Though requiring liberal treatment,
it is not well to have soft, spongy canes, as such
are frequently injured in severe winters. To
avoid this, single rows are preferable. Most
people wilt by this have become acquainted with
Superlative. Those who have not would do well
to plant a row Hornet is also a good variety,
and where grown in iiuantity this will answer
well, as the canes are stout enough to do without
support. Norwich Wonder is also a good variety.
Strawkekrif.s.— Owing to so much wet during
September and October, plants that were put out
early have made good growth. The ground,
however, between the rows will have become in-
fested with weeds unless a crop of some kind was
grown. It will be difficult to destroy these by
hoeing. The plants should be carefully weeded
and the spaces pointed over, turning the weeds
under, for if allowed to remain they will be
troublesome in spring. Care must be taken in
doing so not to injure the roots of the Strawberry
plants or to loosen them in the operation, or they
may be lifted by frost should the winter prove
severe. Where there is any fear of this, the
ground may be made firm again after the weeds
are turned under. Strawberries in pots that still
remain unprotected ought to be either plunged
in ashes and lights put temporarily over them, or
removed to quarters where protection could be
afforded in the case of severe weather.

H. C. Pki.nskp.

distinct characteristic of these being their brilliant
colour while yet in the bud state. The colour is
of an intense crimson-lake and extends the entire
length of the tube, thus rendering the undeveloped
head of bloom striking and attractive. In the
dulness of a November day this brilliant shading
displays itself to great advantage. The species
is a native of Mauritius and requires the tempera-
ture of the stove.

Crinum angustum.— Truly a remarkable
species, at once the noblest of this well-known
race of bulbous plants. The plant bearing the
above name is now flowering in the Palm house at
Kew, and should be seen during the next few days
by all interested in choice or rare bulbous flower-
ing subjects. Some idea may be formed of the
exceptional beauty of the species from the fact
that its leaves are between 3 inches and
4 inches broad and about 4 feet in length ;
the scape, which is lateral, somewhat compressed,
and about .3 feet high, ia crowned by an umbel of
about two dczen of its flowers, a striking and

Kitchen Garden.

WINTERING ENDIVE.

At this season itbe eud of November) one
not feel the loss of a few salad plants with
plenty of Lettuce and other green salads in
abundance, as the wet autumn has made growth
so late and plants sc plentiful— in fact I never
knew a season when such variety could be had
with so little care or with what may be
termed only ordinary culture. On the other
hand, a gross growth in salads means scarcity
three months hence, unless some means are
taken to protect the crop. As regards protec-
tion, much depends upon the convenience to do
so. Many growers have to make rude shifts,
and it is not always that those wlio have every
convenience have the best supplies. In the
southern parts of the country 1 have wintered
the Moss-curled Endive at the foot of a south
wall on a sloping border. As most growers of
this useful vegetable are aware, moisture at
certain seasons is more harmful than frost, and
there is less difficulty on a dry or sloping
border, and the wall throws ofl' a lot of rain
and snow. The variety named is one of the
most tender of the Endives, and cannot be
classed as most useful. Doubtless it is the
most ornamental and a pleasing addition to the
salad bowl at this season, but it is the most
tender, being very susceptible to cold and damp ;
therefore it should be used for autumn sup-
plies. Those of the Batavian type are the best
for keeping, and do not decay like the Moss-
curled. The Improved Round-leaved Batavian
may be kept good well into April if lifted with
a ball and wintered in a cold frame. After
several years' trial of wintering in the open, I
have come to the conclusion it is useless to rely
upon unprotected plants, as though there was
no difficulty in the winter of 1895-0, how
rarely can we rely upon such. As regards
protection, 1 have come to the conclusion
nothing is equal to frames, and plants
nearly full grown may be lifted with a
nice ball of earth and roots if precaution is
taken when planting for winter supplies to
plant in well - firmed soil. It is surprising
what a quantity of plants may be got into
a small space, as they are not injured placed
close together if due attention is paid to airing
and removal of decayed outer leaves. At one
time, requiring a lot of Endive in the early
spring, I had to make various shifts, and resorted
to turf pits with thatched hurdles, using dried
Bracken in severe weather. I never had better
supplies or of better quality. I was particular
as to the removal of the covers in mild weather
and there was little decay. Coddling, if 1 may
use the term, is the worst enemy the plants
have, as once they are soft and decay begins
difficult to arrest it. Endive suft'ers con-
sideraWy if shut up for a long time and then
expo.sed to bright sunshine ; indeed, few plants
suffer so quickly ; far better thaw gradually,
leaving on the covers and leave open after
sun has passed over than expo.se all at once.
Many may with advantage lift and shelter in
sheds with a fair amount of light. Plants
do fairly well given a cover in severe

weather, the only drawback being they cease
to grow when in a dark place ; the top
blanches and this does not tend to keeping.
For spring supplies one may often adopt the
middle course. Lay those for use up to Christmas
in such places and later plants in a lighter
place. I have protected the Batavian types
with success at the foot of a warm wall. The
plants are lifted and placed close together, care
being taken to get a fair ball of earth. This
prevents flagging, an important point, as once
the leaves droop at this season they rarely get
erect again. In severe weather a few sticks or
boards are placed in front of the plants and a
mat with Bracken or litter will keep the plants
sound in ordinary winters. A few have Peach
cases or similar structures. In such they can
winter the plants grandly, as the treatment re-
quired for the trees previous to forcing is suit-
able for the plants. I do not advise cover-
ing in their growing (juarters in the open
for late supplies, as excessive moisture is more
injurious and the plants rarely thrive unless
in the most favoured situations.

G. Wythe.s.

Yellow garden Turnipe.— With a desire to
test the edible properties of Golden Ball Turnip,
which is ciTtainly a very beautiful and solid
Scotch selection from the old Orange Jelly, I
obtained a few bulbs and had them cooked Bei)a-
rately, but at the f.ime time with some bulbs of
the White Snowball. There could be no question
as to the greater excellence of the yellow ones.
They were of more solid or marrowy texture,
better flavoured, and when served, because of their
colour, more attractive. It may be that in the
.south the flesh has a stronger taste, but I do not
know it is so. Certainly white Turnips are with us
often not only hard, but hot, and so far objection-
able. It is a matter for surprise that yellow-
garden Turnips are not more generally grown.

Giant Leek?. — At the recent show of vege-
tables at the Westminster Aquarium it was
noticeable that the judges favoured the stout-
stemmed Leeks, some as big almost as a man's wrist,
though wonderfully well blanched, over those
blanched several inches longer, but though very
handsome, yet of much leas thickness. From a
purely edible point of view it has generally been
held that the smaller the stems are if well
blanched the better. Laeks seem to be rarely
consumed in a whole state, but cut up small and
employed to give body and flavour to soups,
they are delicious. I had the opportunity re-
cently of tasting some of these giant stems
when cooked alone, the stems being cut into
lengths of 4 inches. They were first well boiled
in water which was poured off, then a little
fresh water, some nice gravy and melted butter
were added, and allowed to simmer. Served
up, they were delicious, perfectly tender through-
out, and entirely devoid of .'.ny strong taste.— D.

Stachys tuberifera.— We have reached the
time of year when the small white tubers of this
hardy plant become very useful, and, properly
cooked, constitute delicious eating. Many useful
vegetable introductions from time to time suffer
from bad cooking or imperfect methods of pre-
senting them at table, ami the Chinese Artichoke,
so called, is amongst them. In a few places, and
it is far from being generally grown, the proper
cooking being understood and appreciated, the
tubers are in great re(|ue9t. That is not a matter
for surprise, because when so presented they are
really then very delicious. Very hardy and won-
derfully productive, it seems but needful to
plant, say, half a rod of fairly good ground with
tubers at from 12 inches to 14 inches apart in
February or March to have an abundant supply
in the ensuing winter. When fully ready for
" fting, the roots having ripened, they are quite
white, and if, when got up, those intended for
cooking be at once thrown into clean water, nob

December 5, 1896.

THE GARDEN.

457

only is their purity of colour preserved, but they
speedily become cleansed of dirt. Xext trimmed,
dried on a cloth, and gently boiled, the water
poured o£f eo that the tubers dry, then gently
fried in a pan over a slow fire in butter, so as to
brown them, and served with gravy or melted
butter,- they are as pleasant a dish as any form of
root or tuber can furnish. Unlike Potatoes, the
tubers are so small they can be eaten whole,
which is an advantage. It is just possible that
because the cooking gives a little trouble, this
Stachys may not be popular in the kitchen. —
A. D.

NOTES ON PEAS.
The varieties grown here are Veitch's Extra
Early and William I. Main-crop, a very good
green Marrow, 3 feet to -i feet in height, has
proved a useful variety with me this season on a
south border, following well in succession William
I. It is a good cropper and excellent in ijuality,
pods large, with from nine to eleven Peas. Next
in succession comes Champion of England, good
in quality. This is followed by Prodigy, one of
the very best Peas for a main crop ; height 4 feet
to 5 feet. This season Criterion has proved a
valuable variety for mid-season ; height 5 feet to
6 feet, a very heavy cropper, and Peas of excel-
lent quality. This is succeeded by British (^'ueen,
still one of the very best ; and for a late variety.
Autocrat is the very best, producing well until
cut ofif by frosts. Eight good successional varie-
ties are" Extra Early, William I., Main-crop,
Champion of England, Prodigy, Criterion, British
Queen, and Autocrat. Four good varieties for
small gardens are William I., Main-crop, Prodigy,
and Autocrat.— Bailey Wadds, Birdsall, Yorls.

Than Chelsea C4em, I have grown no better

dwarf-growing early Pea. A tall-growing early
sort named Springtide promises well as an early
and abundant cropper. Just a little later in com-
ing on is Gradus, a sort that does not crop so
heavily, but which is a great advance on any of
the green early Marrow Peas that have come
under my observation. I have grown Pioneer two
years, and lind it an enormously heavy cropping
sort. The Peas are not so green in colour as
those of the last-named, but the flavour is as good,
and it crops much more heavily. Another very
productive Pea that is worth attention is Early
Favourite. The largest-podded and in other re-
spects a first-class variety is Prior. The pods run
under ordinary culture up to 6 inches in length,
and are well filled with large green Peas of a
delicious flavour. Not quite so long in the pod,
but much broader and perhaps a grander Pea
altogether, is Potenate. Grown alongside any
of these, the long highly-esteemed William I. is
poor. Veitch's Main-crop is an excellent sort of
the Ne Plus Ultra type, which, it may be said,
many of the newer Peas largely favour. Memorial
and Wem are two of the.':?, and Fame, an older
variety, is very good. Two excellent main-crop
varieties are Censor and Epicure, not over tall in
growth and possessed of the other qualities of
cropping and flavour in a high degree. Webb's
Senator I have found an excellent variety as re-
gards its cropping qualities. — R. P. Brotkerstox,
Tynintjliaine, East Lothian.

- Exonian has proved the best this season,
and Chelsea Gem has been very fine. May Queen
and Sutton's A 1 have all been good. For twenty
years I have grown Criterion, and it has proved
the most uniform in habit, ijuality, and crop of
any Pea I have thrown. Duke of Albany, Prodigy,
Veitch's Main - crop, Fillbasket, and Queen
(Sharp's) have been splendid. Of late Peas, Ne
Plus Ultra is very fine, height alone is against it
in small gardens. Latest of All and Autocrat are
the best late kinds here. — Geoece Hai!RIs, Ahuricl:
Cattle, Xorthumherland.

I do not grow many new Peas, preferring

to rely on well tested varieties. I think the
following selection will hold their own with many
newer varieties. Early : Chelsea Gem, Veitch's
Earliest Marrow, and' William I. Main - crop :
Main-crop, Ciiterion, Duke of Albany, Prodigy,

and Veitch's Perfection. An excellent Pea little
known is Fowler's King, growing to 5 feet in
height, very vigorous in haulm, and a great
cropper, averaging nine Peas in a rather flat, long
pod, and of delicious flavour. For late gathering 1
Drefer Veitch's Autocrat, Chelsonian (a fine Pea),
Ne Plus Ultra and Sturdy.— Fkehk. Scrivener,
Bolton Hall Gardens, Leyburn.

CABBAGE IN WINTER.
I have in former years noted the value of a good
supply of Cabbages for early spring cutting ; there
is an absence of coarseness and the flavour is quite
distinct from that of those grown at other seasons.
Now is the time to make good any deficiency,
and with attenticm there will be good heads for
late spring use. Many find fault with this crop
running or bolting just before it should turn
in, but, in my opinion, much of this is owing to
faulty culture and a loose and rich soil. I am aware
this latter remark will be questioned by some who
think it necessary to dress the land heavily with
manure previous to planting. For years I have
adopted the opposite course, not giving food at
planting, and can safely say that not one plant
in a hundred will run. To prevent running, I
find it advisable to make two sowings and two
plantings, getting a succession of heads free from
the evils referred to. I am aware in many cases
less quantities are required. One sowing may
sutlice, but even then it is equally important that
the one lot grown should not fail. Some few years
ago I had many plants bolt and tried various re-
medies, but came to the conclusion one could be
too good to the plants. I now plant the earliest
Cabbages on ground just cleared of Onions. The
ground is not given any culture for the Cabbage,
merely hoed over and shallow drills drawn for
the seedlings. Many would advise forking up
or loosening of the soil, but a hard firm growth
is required. Planted just as the spring-sown
Onion crop is cleared, there is freedom from
running, no danger from frost, and an early lot
of heads for spring cutting.

I now come to the few necessary cultural de-
tails during the winter. Of course, cleanliness is
the first, and, though simple, it tells on the health
of the plants. I find it of great value to keep the
ground clean after planting, frequently loosening
the surface and keeping down small weeds. I
notice some plants this season do not appear to
have the same vigour as in previous years. The
rainfall has been excessive and weeds have been
most troublesome. What I lay most stress upon,
especially in light soils, is now going over the
quarters and making the plants firm. Each plant
is well trodden round and then well moulded up,
the soil being afterwards drawn well into the
lower leaves. Treated thus, one need not fear
bad weather, and in mild winters the hard soil is
conducive to fibrous root growth and prevents
bolting. Any filling up should not be delayed,
and, though full late, if good plants are obtain-
able and put out now, they will give nice useful
heads when the earlier lots are cut.

G. Wythes.

roots sent to the kitchen are soin cleaned and
ready for use, requiring less preparation than
Artichokes and not much skill in cooking, as if
boiled gently and served when soft they possess
the same flavour as the best Celery. As a vege-
table I am disposed to class it far ahead of Arti-
chokes, and for winter it has few equals. For
salad it is far superior to Beetroot. It is a
splendid addition to the salad bowl in winter.
There are not many varieties, and to show how
little this root is appreciated in this country I
fail to find any distinct kinds catalogued, though
I know there are at least half a dozen. A new
introduction I recently saw growing in the Royal
Horticultural Society's gardens has a fine root,
pure white, but with variegated foliage. I do
not know if it will prove as hardy as the green-
top kinds, but the flavour when cooked was ex-
cellent. I believe this variety is a great favourite
in shallow soils on the Continent — at any rate, it
is worth a trial. The best hardy typa of Celeriac
I have grown, taking size and quality as leading
points, is the Lirge Smooth Prague of the Messrs.
Vilmorin, of Paris. It is a splendid root, of great
substance and excellent quality, and a variety I
would certainly advise intending cultivators to
grow. I have had the ordinary Turnip-rooted,
the only variety often catalogued in this country
sent for the Prague, but it is not worth culture
in comparison. The Early Erfurt is also a fine
type of medium size and specially good for early
supplies. For storing for winter the larger kind
is better. The Apple-shaped is good, but not
superior to the Prague, though the quality is
quite equal. The culture is very simple. If sown
like Celery in heat, pricked off and planted in the
open in May, good roots will ba formed by Sep-
tember. It requires no trenches, but in light soils
drills are advisable, as the plant is a great lover of
moisture and well repays copious supplies of liquid
manure during growth. I plant in drills 6 inches
deep, the plants IS inches apart in the drill, and
3 feet between the rows ; the ground is kept clear
of weed growth and no moulding up is required,
only keeping the plants free of sucker growth and
encouraging one main growth. The roots may be
lifted in November and stored like Beet. I prefer
to leave them in their growing quarters and draw
up some soil to cover the crowns. Treated thus
they are of better flavour. S. H. B.

CELERIAC AS A WINTER VEGETABLE.
The value of the above as a winter vegetable is
not sufficiently known. An3'one who possesses a
garden may grow Celeriac, as the culture is very
simple. This vegetable, in my opinion, has not
received sufficient attention in this country ; why,
I am unable to say. Now that Celery has become
a favourite winter vegetable when boiled, there is
a chance of Celeriac receiving more notice, as the
flavour resembles that of Celery, and being so
readily grown it should find f.ivour. I am not at
all satisfied with the meagre space allotted to this
vegetable in our leading seedsmen's catalogues, as
in the description of Celeriac it is recommended
as useful for soups — very poor advice for so good
a vegetable. The root when boiled and served
with white sauce is a perfect dish. It is one of
the best vegetables to serve with poultry. There
can be no objection to its preparation, as good

Red Cabbages Bplitting.— The splitting of
pickling Cabbages is very common this autumn,
as indeed it generally is when a very dry time
during the growing season is followed by much
rain. I had a fine row this season, some of the
heads being very heavy. They remained quits
intact until the rain came, when every one with-
out exception burst open. When this occurs the
wet soon rots them. The best way in such cases
is to cut them immediately cracking is perceptible,
or rather to pull them up, and suspend them from
the roof of a cool shed until wanted for use. I
have an idea that red Cabbages raised from spring
sowings are less liable to crack in autumn than
those from autumn-sown seed, as growth does
not come to a standstill so soon. It is surprising
what fine red Cabbages can be grown from seed
sown in a frame in February. — .J. C.

Improved Ronnd Batavian Endive.— The
merits of this useful Endive have been often
noticed in these pages, and after a longer trial I
have no hesitation in describing it as the most use-
ful of the winter varieties on accountof its hardiness
and vigorous constitution. Those who have only
grown the old round- leaved variety have no idea
of the improvement in the above, as it hearts
freely and blanches naturally in the centre. The
young leaves as the dark days approach fold in,
thereby protecting the heart of the plant. With
this variety there is much le^s waste than with
the curled kinds and the flavour is much liked.
Last winter on a sloping border it was uninjured,
and with a little protection in severe weather it
winters well. I have observed that if protected and
the covering allowed to remain on till thawed,
the plants suffer less, as bright sun soon shrivels
up the leaves when frozen, and winds have

458

THE GARDEN.

[Dbcl-muer .5, 189C.

the Eame eefcci. Many persons lite Kndive
as a green vegetable. This i8 the best for that

FORCING ASPARAGUS IN ORDINARY
BEDS.
With an abundance of fresh leaves, those who
force Asparagus have just the material at hand
the roots require, and the forcing may be done
at small cost without destroying the roots, as is
done when the plants are lifted. Owing to this
vegetable requiring so much time to build up the
crowns, forcing is a costly proceeding when roots
are speciallj- ^'rown for the purpose. My method
for permanent beds not grown with an idea to
forcing is very simple, and can readily be carried
out if there is, as always should ba, a fair width
between the beds, say, at least .'! ft-et. If this is
dug out 3 feet deep and fresh leaves rammed in
as firmly as possible any time during December,
with quite 1 foot of leaves above the bed, a gentle
heat will bo generated, and by using
fresh litter from the stables as the heat
declines, good heads may be had weeks
in advance of ordinary beds in the open.
It may be thought the removal of .*oil
between the bed will necessitate tin
destruction of valuable roots. Such -
not the case, as though I admit si:
roots are destroyed, the plant aftii
fori- ng gets the value of the new root
ing material and soon makes up for the
loss. Of course, it is useless to attempt
forcing beds very close together : there
must be room for the heating material.
Leaves are the best material I have used,
as they give a genial warmth without
unduly exciting the plants, and though
fresh leaves are employed, they must be
used in such a state and in sutficient
quantity that the heat is retained till
growth 18 fairly active. I have given n
depth of .3 feet; as enough, but nnic'
depends upon the soil and position •
the beds. Of course more would bar^t. n
the forcing, but rapid forcing is not
advised, the object being to excite
growth, and at the same time, to save
the plant. To get the best return, it
will be best to place the leaves in bulk
and get them turned over once or twice.
As soon as the first lot begins to sink,
another lot prepared in the same way
should he in readiness. It is necessary
to add fresh leaves during the forcing,
and also to keej) the heating material
quite solid. The leaves may be placed
in position as gathered, but I do not
advise it, as when heated in bulk the
heat is more regular. Manure is too
soon heated and quickly cools. I ad-
vise using some manure on the top of
the leaves to keep in the heat, but not
at the base. Manure may also be used
should there be a scarcity of leaves at
the finish. There arc other heating
materials. Tan fresh from the tan-yard,
as regards a steady heat, is doubtless superior to
leaves, but only whilst the heat lasts. As food for
the roots it is of little use, and to do the plants
justice would need removal after forcing. When
leaves are employed it is well to give the surface
of the beds a coating of warm material till the
growth pushes through. Gkowf;r.

can be thrown in inclement weather. After a
wet autumn. Parsley stands sharp frost but poorly,
and a good healthy lot of plants often ((uickly be-
comes next to useless, whereas a little timely pro-
tection will preserve the bed. I use iron bearers
turned at the ends, the latter inserted into
the ground. These are used throughout the
summer for protecting seed beds from birds, fish
netting Keing thrown over them. Good Parsley
is so much esteemed that a really good bed is
worth taking trouble with. In long spells of frost
I allow the covering to remain on sometimes for a
week at a time. — •!. C.

Beet Cheltenham Green-top.— Tliis Beet
has of late been brought into prominence, and
rightly so, as I know of none equal to it in quality
when grown for keeping or winter use. At page
417 I gladly welcome " W. I.'s" contribution.
For many years I have grown the Beet in ques-
tion, and knew it was a great favourite in the
Cheltenham district, having received mv first seed
from a large grower there with the remark, "You

much for wmter supplies, and I am of his opinion.
L p to November they are useful, pretty also, but
not at all reliable for late supplies. I would ask
" J. C." to give the winter Lettuce-leaved Endive
a trial for mid-winter supplies. This is a com-
paratively new variety, but one of great excel-
lence, and remarkable for its good quality and
doing well in exposed positions. The above va-
riety produces very fine Lettuce-like leaves, and
is one of the best for a sheltered border where only
wall protection can be afforded. With me it is
less compact and slower to form hearts than the
Batavian, but it is the best I have grown for keep-
ing late, as it does not run to seed so soon as
others, and the flavour is most agreeable when cut '
up for salads. Like most of the large-leaved
kinds, it pays well for rich soil and good culture
in the early stages of growth.— W. B.

Winter Radishes.- 1 have frequently seen it
stated there is no demand for winter Radishes. I
think this is often owing to the poor supply. On
(-.._i: ^ ^1 _ T, . , winter is largely

the Continent the Radish

College Gardens, Dublin

See p. 451.)

Protecting Parsley.- It is not everyone that
ha? frames to spare for protecting Parsley through
the winter. In very small gardens this n often
quite out of the question. .Much, however, may
be done to save the plants from damage from
severe frost by temporary protection. In the case
of moderately-sized beds, it is easy enough to fix
a few supporting rails round the sides and ends
and to carry cross bearers from one to the other,
these forming a good framework, over which or-
dinary garden mats, canvas, or oilcloth covers

grow this you will grow no other." I was aware I
of the interesting point " W. I.'' has brought to
light. Many to whom I have pointed out a luarter
of this P.oet have raised an objection on the score
of the foliage being green, but that is immaterial
when the root is of a good colour. 1 was at the
Chiswick trial " W. I." notes, and in most of the
stocks of this variety the colour was perfect. 1
am glad the question of size is also noted. If not
sown in rich land there will be no complaint as to
grossness. I admit this se.ison many roots lost
their true character, owing to the heat and
drought at the early period of, their growth, with
much rain afterwards, this making growth later
than usual. — G. WvTHf;s.

"Winter Lettuce-leaved Endive. — Those
who grow p^nrlive in (juantity are often short of
good material in the early spring. I note "J. C."
at page 'i'.)2 does not value the Moss Curled Endives

used, and is not the poor imperfect specimen often
seen growing in our own gardens. It is not
generally known Radishes can be stored like
Beetroot ; few roots are more easily cultivated.
If sown at the end of July or early in August
there is no lack of roots for winter, and in well-
drained land they winter well in the open.
Worms and slugs are fond of the roots, so it is
advisable to store in as cool a place as possible,
with plenty of soil, sand or fine ashes between
each layer of roots to keep them crisp. For
the purpose named it is best to rely upon the
winter kinds, the best of which are the China
liose and Black Spanish. I prefer the former,
it being the more delicate of the two. The Black
Spanish keeps longer and will winter well with a
little surface protection. — G. W. S.

A new winter Radish.— I am aware there ie
little demand for winter Radishes in this country.

DECESrBER 5,

THE GARDEK

159

but I am anxious to point out the value of the
Radish to those who require salads, as in my
opinion the more variety vre have if good the
better the salad. Salads haVe a great value at
all seasons, and from midwinter to May there is a
scarcity of what one may term good subjects to
furnish the salad bowl, and any addition which
may be grown at small cost is worth noting. The
variety in question, which was recently intro-
duced into this country from Japan, is named
Sutton's Japanese. It is quite distinct, and cer-
tainly a novel variety, a long root, white, with
serrated leaves, the quality superior to that of the
Black Spanish, a good winter variety. Treated like
the older winter kinds, it grows well ; indeed
it is a good companion to the China Rose, and
well worth room in all gardens where salads are
appreciated during the winter months. — S. H. B.

Tomato Dake of York.— I am pleased to see
"A. W.'s" note on the above Tomato, as from
the first I have advocated its culture in these
pages. At this date (the last week in November)
I have good crops. I am rather surprised to note
"A. W.'s" remarks as to its size. I fully agree
with him as to its cropping qualities ; indeed, I
have found none to surpass it, but I cannot class
it as medium-sized. During the summer I admit
many of the fruits are only of medium size, but
some attain a large size, and to prevent this it is
an easy matter to clip off the first fruits which
set. These usually with me come very large. At
this season the fruits are rather above medium
size, and are produced in abundance. My note
was not intended to bring size into prominence, but
to note the 8ucce3s of this variety in different locali-
ties as being a splendid addition to the already
numerous types of Tomatoes. For early, mid-
season, or late use it is equally valuable. — \Y. S. H.

A good autumn Lettuce.— At this season
there is room for a good Lettuce of compact
growth and not too tender to be injured by au
tumn frosts. The best form I have grown of late
years is the Intermediate, this being less affected
by rains and frosts than any others I have yet
tripd. I am not questioning the value of the
hardy Cabbage varieties for wmter use. My note
refers to a period when there are none too many
good Lettuces from October and later. At that
season I have found the newer Intermediate a
splendid variety, very hardy, and of good quality.
As most growers of Lettuce are aware, the Brown
types of Lettuce are the hardiest. Interme-
diate mav be described as a cross between the
Black or Brown Cos and the hardy Cabbage va-
rieties, and one of the most distinct forms I
have seen. The plants, which are very dwarf,
heart close to the soil and are not readily
affected by frost. In colour the leaves are not
unlike those of the Bath Cos, but shorter and
thicker. For use at this season or for lifting to
provide the winter supply, this is a fine variety.
Last summer I found it a fine variety in a light
soil to withstand heat and drought.— G. Wythes.

TERCENTENARY OF THE POTATO.
The introduction by Sir Walter Raleigh 'Mil)
years ago of the tuber which was destined to be-
come the staple food of the people of Ireland is
to be celebrated in a befitting manner by a con-
ference and exhibition, which will be held under
the auspices of the Irish Gardeners' Association in
the Round Room, Rotunda, Dublin, on December
9 and 10. The conference will deal with the
scientific as well as the practical sides of the
question. Lectures will be given. The dreaded
disease to which are attributable the misery and
want which marked the terrible famine years of
1846-8, and which for so many years completely
baffled scientists, is now no longer enveloped in
doubt, but is well understood in all its bearings,
and every point in connection with its cause,
origin, development, and cure will be fully ex-
plained. The practical lectures to be given at
the conference will embrace all the points con-
nected with the cultivation of the Potato, and

must certainly be of more than passing import-
ance to all who are interested in the agricultural
prosperity of the country.

The exhibition of Potatoes will be the largest
ever seen in' Ireland, and will comprise specimens
of every known variety of the popular esculent,
each variety being duly accompanied with as
much information as possible regarding soil, ex-
(josure, and general conditions of the districts in
which it was grown.

The object of the committee in thus collecting
such an enormous number of varieties of the Potato
is one of extreme importance. It has been found
that one great cause to which disease may be
attributed is the persistency with which the
Irish farmer clings to one particular stock of
Potatoes, planting the same sort year after
year. This was the primary cause of the failure
of the crop and the consequent famine in 1847,
a recurrence of which was only prevented in our
own time by the introduction and distribution of
the Champion. Now the Champion is rapidly be-
coming exhausted, as all the older varieties have
before it, and the question naturally arises, " What
is to succeed it ? " True, we have any number of
new varieties of excellent (|uality, but which of
them is best suited for genera'l cultivation in
Ireland ? We know that some of the varieties of
recent introduction are excellent in some districts
and utterly worthless in others, that some are
good in dry and bad in wet seasons, and we have
seen specimens of the same variety grown in dif-
ferent localities as unlike in appearance, flavour
and texture as it was possible they could be.

One of the labours of the conference will be the
selection of a really good I'otato, having reeard to
every circumstance. T. S.

Orchids.

SMALL-GROWING AERIDES.

A FAULT often found with the odoratum, virens
and similar species of this genus is that they
take up too much room. This cannot be urged
against such kinds as A. affine, A. Wightianum,
and one or two . others, for although some at
least of tbem attain a height of a couple of feet
or so in course of time, it is seldom indeed that
.such plants are seen, the growth being very
slow, not to say uncertain. But neat little
specimens may without much difficulty be
grown, and would prove of interest where they
are not known. Many of these plants have
been imported at various times, but cultivators
as a rule have not made much of them, and for
various reasons. One is that they are usually
placed in pots or other receptacles much too
large for them, and although it seems almost
incredible, it is not long since I saw a plant of
A. roseum with only about a dozen leaves in a
large cylindrical pot about 18 inches deep and
half as much across. Such extreme cases as
this need no comment. What is more often seen
is plants of this section treated just the same
in regard to root-room as the vigorous Fox-
brush Aerides, A. Fieldingi. Not being so
strongly rooted, they fail to reach the sides
of pot or basket, and owing to insufficiency
of air in the centre of the compost, the roots
become weakened and soon die. A small pan
about 4 inches across would be large enough
for a medium-sized plant such as is sold at
the sale-rooms or nurseries, and the more room
the plants get beyond this the less chance they
have of succeeding. Newly-imported plants
should have no Moss or any other kind of com-
post the first year, but be simply placeil in the
pan or basket, this being filled up to the base
of the leaves with clean crocks or potter's
ballast. Air filters readily through this mate-
rial, and if kept nicely moist, the roots when
emitted will soon find their way through them.

The next spring any plants that have made
some progress at the roots may have a little
Sphagnum laid on the top of the crocks, this
being added to as occasion recjuires until the
plants require repotting, when of course they
come under the description of established
plants. These require very careful manipula-
tion, for no Orchids are more easily injured by
undue disturbance or careless handling. In all
cases the pan should be carefully broken with
a hammer, the roots, with the broken pieces
adhering, being placed in the new ones. Plants
in baskets are rather more difficult to manage,
but here a little practice soon makes it possible
to withdraw some of the rods and cut off others,
so that the plant may be loosened without
serious damage to a single root. Whether or not
a larger receptacle is needed will depend on how
the plant is progressing, the number and size of
the roots and so forth, but it is better in all
cases to be rather below than above the mark
in size. In a pot too small the plant pushes
roots out into the atmosphere, and although
these do not perhaps quite take the place of
those growing in the compost, yet they are
aids to the plant. On the other hand, as de-
scribed above, the roots in a pot or pan too
large soon cease to be of any benefit. Nothing
is required for compost but Sphagnum in a
fresh living state, kept open by the free admix-
ture of crocks and charcoal. Fix the plants
firmly, finishing the line of Mo.ss well above the
rim and allowing the base of the leaves to
just sit on this, not burying them, though it
will do no harm if the green points of the
Sphagnum as they grow push up an inch or so.
If seen to be too vigorous as winter approaches,
a little of it may be cut off or carefully pulled
out.

In the temperature for Aerides, again, some
growers go wrong, for many of these Orchids
are found growing naturally in the higher moun-
tainous regions of the tropics, where cool nights
and fresh dewy mornings take the place of the
sweltering heat of the valleys. From this we
should take our cue, and while keeping up a
moist and genial heat at midday, allow the tem-
perature to drop naturally at night, this causing
a restful and fresh state of the atmosphere,
wherein the plants, so to speak, recoup them-
selves after the heat of the day. No regular
dry and wet season ne^d be observed, but dur-
ing the late autumn and winter much less water
will be needed than during the summer, when
the plants are in their fullest growth. At this
time, owing to the rapid evaporation and ab-
sorption by the roots, the plants in small pots
M'ill require water sometimes as often as twice
a day, while in winter this would last more than
a week under ordinary circumstances. The
roots themselves are the best guide to the water
supply needed, for when these cease to forage
for it, it is evident that very little is required.
With regard to atmospheric moisture and light,
these Orchids are to a cjrtain extent like
Phalaanopsids. They are sensitive to atmo-
spheric changes too rapidly brought about, and
therefore when drier and more airy conditions
become necessary in autumn to consolidate the
leaf tissues and prepare the plant for its winter
rest, let the alteration be made as naturally
and gradually as possible. The same in spring ;
let the temperature by day rise by degrees
and increase the moisture in a like ratio, and
hen outside conditions of climate are unsuit-
able to free ventilation, endeavour by careful
stoking and damping to prevent a harsh, dry
state inside. The East India house is a little
too warm for these small-growing Aerides,
though if hung up close to a ventilator they
will usually be satisfactory. They all do well

4G0

THE GARDEK

[December 5, 1896. ^'^

iu company with Vanda suavis and similar
kinds, and those who have tried such as A.
athoo and its varieties, A. rosenni or A. "Wight-
ianum in a strong heat and been unsuccessful,
should i;ive them" another trial on the lines here
briefly laid down. Iv.

CATTLEVA DOLOSA.

This pretty little Catth-ya mu?t be eitbir rare in
its native habitat or collectors think it too small
to trouble about, for it has, I think, been seldom
imported. This is a pity, for though small it
possesses considerable beauty. The pseudo-bulbs
.ire small, and eich bears a couple of oblong re-
curved lea\ee. while the flowers are usually each
about a couple of inches across. The segmentj
are broad and overlappinfr, the outer ones a pretty
soft rose, the lip purple in front, yellow on the
crest and having a white throat. The culture of
all these small Cattleyas is somewhat similar,
many cultivators making the mistake of treating
them just the same as larger and stronger grow-
ing kinds. C. dclosa may be very well grown in
small baskets or pans suspended" from the roof.
Stuck in the middle of a large pot with a quan-
tity of peat and Moss about the roots, it cannot
thrive, and will always wear an unhappy appear-
ance. As a matter cf fact the roots are never so
healthy as when gripping the sides of the small
pans referred to. Another point where many of
us err with these plants is in trying to get very
large specimens. Xo matter how carefully these
are potted, watered, and otherwise attended to,
they will be less vigorous as the pots required to
take them become larger. Some may be inclined
to ijutstion the wisdom of the proceeding, but I
have very frequently cut several of the older bulbs
off plants of this kind rather than risk putting
them into large pats. The rhizome need not if
healthy be cut away, but if thi bulbs are cut clean
out just above it, it will be easy to dispose it
around the rim or bend it underneath among the
crocks, and the loss of the oldest bulbs will not be
felt bv the plant. In appearance the plants are
benelited, and certainly in health. Then in
watering these plants great care must be taken
not to go to extremes of either moisture or
drought, for they have not the staying power, so
to spsak, of their larger growing rel.itives and in
consequence are more readily checked. These
few points attended to and the growth kept to its
proper season, the species in (|uestion will thrive
well in an ordinary Cattleya temperature. The
growths push at various seasons, but endeavour in
all cases where possible to get the young pseudo-
bulb ripened well in autumn and keep it dormant
until the increased light in spring makes it easy
to keep up a congenial atmosphere consistent
with a good supply of fresh air. C. dolosa is a
Brazilian species, and was introduced in 1872.
H.

Cymbidium sinense.— The blossoms of this
species are not particularly showy, but while they
are open they emit a most delicate fragrance, not
unlike that of Boronia megastigma. Like many
other Orchids, it has to give place to showier kinds,
but where it is cared for it may be grown in the
cool house with C. giganteum and similar kinds.
The sepals and petals are brownish yellow with
stripes of purple, while the lip has a greenish
tinge, with spots of magenta-crimson. C. sinense
is one of the oldest Orchids in cultivation, it hav-
ing been introduced in 179.3.

Oncidium cheirophorum. — This elegant
little species is now in bloom, the slender, closely-
flovered scapes being much branched, and having
a pleasing and very bright appearance. It is one
of the most useful and popular of the small grow-
ing set, and should be grown by all who appre-
ciate beautiful plants, whether large cr small.
It is most satisfactory in a temperature kept rather
higher than where Odontoglossums thrive, and
may he suspended from the roof, both on account
of the light ntd the liking this species has for a
free circulation of air moving about it. An ordi-

nary mi.xture suits it well as compost, and pots
or pans of moderate dimensions must be used.
It comes from Ecuador, and was introduced in

Oncidium ornithorrhynclium.— The pretty
branching inflorescence of this little Oncid has a
light and elegant effect among other Orchids.
Unlike most Oncidiums, yellow is conspicuously
absent, the whole flower being a delicate rosy
magenta. The perfume is sweet and lasting
without being heavy and the blossoms remain in
good condition for about Ave weeks. Grown in
medium-sized pots on the stage in the Cattleya
house it will usually be satisfactory. Tho com-
post may consist of peat and Moss, kept in an
open condition with crocks or charcoal, and as

little that Altered through the grain of the wood,
while during summer the blocks were frequently
syringed. The crocks and Moss were kept moist
ad the year round. Wood is without doubt the
best and most natural holding for these small
growing Moth Orchids, and as long as this is kept
sound the plants will be healthy. The ditliculty
is in removing them to a fresh piece when the old
is decayed. Only a very little Moss should be
placed about the roots ; in fact if watering is
carefully attended to the plants are (juite as well on
the bare blocks.— H. R.

Angreecum Eichleriannm. — I enclose ' a
bloom of an Orchid, and would be obliged if you
or some of your correspondents could give me
some information about it. The plant was brought

abundance of water is needed while growing, the
drainage must be well seen to at potting time. It
dishkes much sunlight and does best at the cool-
est end of the house. It is an old species, having
been introduced from Mexico in 1826.

Fhalasnopsis Lewi.— This is one of the most
beautiful of all Orchids, but unfortunately not
easy to grow. Flowers of it come from a corre-
spondent who says he keeps it much drier during
the winter months than any other of the Moth
Orchids. It certainly will not thrive if kept too
wet, but I am always afraid of the foliage of these
sensitive plants and cannot advise too dry treat-
ment. The best plants I have .seen of 1'. Lowi
were growing on teak blocks, the ends of these
resting in large pans filled loosely with creeks and
lightly surfaced with Moss. The only moisture
these plants obtained during winter was the

hint. (See p. 451.)

from South Africa two years ago and has just
bloomed for tlie first time. I named it Tricho-
glottis fasciata, but find I was wrong. The
flowers are produced singly on the sides of the
stem.— J. Maijxji.m.

*,* The bloom you send is that of a rather un-
common species from the west coast of Africa.
The flowers are pretty and very distinct, but they
are not sufficiently numerous, as a rule, to make
a well-furnished plant. It likes plenty of heat
and a light position, only shading from the
brightest sunshine. The fact of the roots being
emitted all along the stem makes it rather diflfi-
cult to grow the plant strongly if potted in the
ordinary way. I used to grow this species on a
Birch pole, charred at the bottom and set in a
large pot, the stems being firmly wired up this
and a little Sphagnum placed under the ties.

December 5, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

461

The pot wa9 filled with charcoal and Moss to
accommodate the lower tiers of roots. The pole,
being freely syringed during the growing season,
was covered with roots from top to bottom. This
is the best way to grow it, but if you decide to
rely on pots alone, be very careful to keep the
atmosphere always moist and cover as many as
possible of the aerial roots each time the plants
are repotted. Sphagnum and charcoal will suffice
for compost, and the free water supply required
makes perfect drainage necessary. — H. R.

Chrysanthemums.

RECENT VARIETIES.
Really good sorts of the present year have
not been numerous, although the number of
introductions has been as large as usual. It
may be that our established kinds, especially
of the Japanese class, are so excellent that
improvement is slow. Still, I think one
might desire more colour — I mean in the
deeper reds and crimsons ; also in the bronze
shades there is room for other kinds. The
variety E. Molyneux has now been grown a
considerable number of years, and it is still
by far the best of the type. It is, however,
none too sure in giving the handsome blooms
which are generally admired. White and yel-
low are the shades too frequent in the novel-
ties. But if quite new sorts of merit are
somewhat scarce, there is ample choice among
those really of last year, but which had not
established themselves until this. Take, for
example,

Modesto. — This is a decided gain in colour,
form, and substance. It is of American origin,
having been raised by Messrs. N. Smith and Son,
who sent over that most useful white, Niveum.
The colour of Modesto is the richest possible
shade of orange, tinted 3-ellow. It has long,
thick petals, which build up a perfectly-formed,
loosely-incurved bloom of most excellent finish.
The plant is of medium height and requires
special culture to obtain good blossoms.

Western King is a first-rate white, notable
for its superb form and substance. It is not extra
large, and the petals, which are somewhat
pointed, incline to incurve. The growth is of
moderate height. This sort is sure to become
popular for any purpose.

Si.MPLiciTY. — This also is a white flower, and is
of the most refined character. It has long, nar-
row, slightly drooping florets. The blooms come
large, and its culture is easy.

SuNSTONE. — This has flowers of a striking shade
of yellow, tinted bufi'and of exceptional substance.
Some of the plants incurve, others reflex, thus
giving us a distinct as well as handsome bloom.

Nv.^Nz.i is hardly a new variety, but it is yet
too little known. This, like all the preceding, was
raised by the firm named. The colour of Nyanza
is rich dark crimson, with just a shade of old gold
at the points of its petals ; it is a large, full and
splendid flower when seen at its best. Not only
as a show flower, but for general culture this sort
should be noted. The next three to be named are
Australian raised Chrysanthemums ; they are
capital introductions.

OcEAN.\ is alight yellow flower, of large size and
very fine form. The petals are wide, and ma"
up an incurving bloom of exceptional merit. The
habit of the plant is dwarf and sturdy ; it has
therefore, all the qualities of a first class kind.

Pride ok Madford {syn.. Beauty of Teign
mouth). — In this I think we have the best sort of
its colour — rich amaranth-crimson. The silvery
reverse is sometimes too much in evidence, but
even then it is a full, handsome blossom. The
growth is sturdy with ample foliage, and it is s
sort of most easy culture.

AusTRALiE. — This is a gigantic flower. Ama-
ranth with silvery reverse is a combination of

colour somewhat common among Chrysanthe-
as, but in this case the latter shade, which is
most seen, is most pleasing. For exhibition this
sort is fine ; the rather tall habit of growth may
prevent its becoming otherwise popular.

John Neville is an English seedling of re-
markable beauty ; colour crimson, with golden
reverse. It has large blooms of a drooping cha-
racter.

George Seward has wide, but rather flat
blossoms ; colour a rich bronzy shade of yellow
suffused red. This is a showy flower.

A. H. Wood.— In this we have a bloom of
wonderful siz3, being a light yellow sport from
Primrose I-eague. It seems better than the
type, and will no doubt be largely grown for ex-
hibition.

Calvat's Australian' Gold. — This will doubt-
less be among the most useful of Chrysanthe-
mums, it being so easy to grow ; colour, light
yellow. It has full, well- formed flowers of great
siz5, when cultivated for such, but in the form of
a natural bush plant it ia not less striking, as the
graceful blooms are borne in great profusion.

Mme. Gustave Henry has large spreading
blooms which incurve their florets at the points ;
colour creamy white. This is rather eirly and
is a welcome addition. The habit of the plant is
dwarf and vigorous.

Pride of Exjiocth. — This is a very large,
well-built flower of a blush tinted white shade.
The formation is drooping. It is a good sort for
any purpose.

M. HusTE is a very large sort. The petals are
long and wide ; colour white with rose and
yellow shading. It is a striking bloom with
perhaps a suspicion of coarseness, the growth
dwarf and sturdy.

Mrs. J. Lewis. — This appears to me the best
new white flower of the year, and it is certain to
be largely grown. There is an especial richness
in the florets ; the form of the bloom, too, is grace-
ful and the plant of easy growth.

Mrs. C. Orchard is a most taking bloom on
account of its pretty shade of colour— light
creamy- yellow. The flowers are large and nicely
formed.

(iOLHEN Elsie is a capital addition. The type
is creamy-white, and ia most excellent as a bush
plant. The blossoms are not large, but are
especially graceful, being composed of na
thread-like florets. H,

CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT FRAMFIELD,

SUSSEX.
Tire name of Mr. Norman Davis is so well known
in the Chrysanthemum world, that a few notes as
to the new establishment to which he removed
early in the present year may be of interest to
thote who cultivate the flower. The new nursery
is of considerable extent, almost -2 acres of it being
covered with glass. The structures are of immensa
size, affording ample room to house the many
thousands of Chrysanthemums that are grown.
The situation of the nursery is a delightful
one, sloping gently to the west. Three very long
houses are filled with Chrysanthemums, which are
representative of the different types of the flower.
One large structure contained a fine collection of
seedlings, and among these were some very pro-
mising novelties. Ttie colours of some of these
were most remarkable, and will give the exhibitor
in the near future many shades of colour. What
was also remarkable was, that many varieties
which are recognised as pure white were develop-
ing blooms tinted rose and pink, while many
flowers which have long been recognised as pure
yellow had quite a bronzy appearance, through
a fine suffusion of crimson passing through the
yellow florets. This may be accounted for by the
fact that the water here is largely charged with
iron, Framfield being well within the ironstone
district.

Most of the plants were not finally potted until
August last, but this does not appear to have had
any deterrent effect, as the flowers which were de-
veloping were of large size both in width and

depth. Of the Japanese, a nice batch of Mrs.
H. Biiscoe-Ironside was much admired, the colour
being quite a new one— beautiful light salmon-
pink, with rdther narrow florets, and unfolding
with evenness and regularity. Lady Randolph
was represented by very full flowers of an
amaranth-crimson colour, with a silvery reverse
to the broad florets. Miss Dorothea Shea has pro-
bably never been seen in finer condition, the colour
being of the finest ecirlet, florets of great length,
building up a bloom of immense proportions. This
variety wants a very steady growth, not taking
the crown buds too soon. Some fine plants of
Nathan Smith's White were prominent, Mr. Davis
pronouncing it to be a great improvement on
W. G. Newitt. The blooms are of great depth,
the florets being of good width and substance,
slightly twisted and forked at the ends, the
plant being about 5 feet high. Mrs. Richard
Jones, another very large white bloom of great
depth, with long florets of medium width,
promises to be one of the finest novelties. The
neatest and most promising white, however,
was a variety named Western King, said to be a
cross between Niveum and The Queen, and this
was seen in grand form. It is a good type of the
Japanese incurved, with broad incurving florets
of much substance. This variety is an easy one
to grow, but to obtain flowers of the greatest
beauty, it should be grown on strongly and a late
bud secured. Emily Silsbury is regarded here
with great favour, and as a market variety it is
highly esteemed. The smallest plants were pro-
ducing large flowers of the richest shade of pearly
white'with broad florets. Properly timed, these
flowers should bear favourable comparison with
those of Mile. Therese Rey. The most striking
novelty was Modesto, a large and refined Japan-
ese incurved, of the richest and deepest shade of
yellow. This is a variety that will be invaluable
to exhibitors. The florets, which are very long
and prettily incurved, develop in whorl form.
The flowers are very full and the habit is good.
Sunstone is a rich buff straw-coloured flower,
beautiful and distinct, with long florets of good
width and very promising. Mrs. John Shrimp-
ton was seen in fine form, colour buff, with crim-
son centre. This is a nice even flower of useful size.
Lady Byron is a grand flower of large dimensions,
white, slightly tinted green in centre, with long
and broad florets slightly incurving. The largest
flower, and one which called forth special praise,
was Mrs. H. Weeks. This is a bloom of a beauti-
ful blush-white, with florets of great width,
slightly incurving and hirsute. This should be
in all collections, as it is quite distinct. There
were many other good Japanese, such as Mens.
Pankoueke, Mens. C. Molin, Pallanza, Dorothy
Seward, Mrs. Hermann Kloss, Souv. de Petite
Amie, Mrs. W. S. Trafford, Mrs. J. Smeers
(grand white), and Mile. Marie Hoste, each
u-iving evidence of high cultural skill. Among
the new incurved we noticed Duchess of
Fife, which looks like making one of the
largest white flowers of that section. The
Anemones were in lovely condition, a large batch
of this interesting type receiving attention, and
being almost representative of the best known
sorts. We noticed specially Owen's Perfection,
John Bunjan, Junon (like an improved Sa-ur
Dorothi^e Souille), and Descartes, the last in
grand form, and from terminal buds very free.
A large collection is grown for market, a wise
discrimination between the many sorts claiming
cultivation being made here.

Grapes and Tomatoes are also well done, quite
a ton of the latter having been picked.

Chrysanthemum Miss Blsie Teichmann.
—This sort has come well to the front during the
present season. Being an English-raised seed-
ling, a special interest naturally attaches to so
good a flower. The Japanese incurved section is
enriched by its addition, the beauty of the florets,
which are fairly broad and slightly pointed, with
a graceful twist and curl to them, and of the most
refined pearly white, stamp this variety as a de-
sirable addition to the list of exhibition sorts.

462

THE GARDEN,

[December 5, 1896.

For grouping the plant is exceedingly useful, a3
the growth is dwarf and sturdy, retaining its
foliage well down to the pot. — B."

Chrysanthemum "W. Wright.— This variety
is piob.<ibIy one of the largest Japanese flowers at
present in cultivation, and it appears to be very
little known among e.xhibitors. In form it is a
Japane-e reflexed, with very long florets, of good
width and much substance. The colour is best
described as pale primrose, heavily flushetl and
tinted a pleasing shade of rose-pink, paling near
to the centre. The plant is of ea.sy culture, pro-
ducing ideal blooms from cuttings propagated
during April and May, and finally potted into
6inch pot*, allowing one flower to each plant.
Grown in this orthodox fashion a late crown bud
is absolutely necessary to secure blossoms of the
best kind. Exhibitors should makea note of this
useful sort. Height about oJ feet.— D.

Chrysanthemum Harold Wells. — This
pretty flower has been frequently exhibited before
the floral committee of the N C.S., but so far has
not been recognised as a proper type of incurved
flower. It is a soft yellow sport from Sir Tuvor
Lawrence, this latter variety having been distri-
buted as a Japanese incurved. Probably because
of its parentage and also because the properties
of the parent were not in the first place properly
appreciated, the variety under notice is sufleriog.
I have just seen two most delightful blooms,
neatly finished, without artificial dressing, and
with incurved florets of the truest type, beauti-
fully rounded off at the tips. The time must
come when its proper place will be recognised
among those forts belonging to the incurved sec-
tion.—C. A. H.

SHORT NOTES.— CHRYSANTHEMUMS.

Chrysanthemum M. Demay Taillandier.

—The wonder is that this sort has not found more
favour. It is a Japanese incurved of massive build,
with broad florets, curling and incurving. Inside
colour is best described as claret-red, w'th a re\erse of
light bronze.— C. A. H.

Chrysanthemum Vicomte Eoger de
Chezelles. — M. Ernest Calvat in this variety has sent
us a flower of considerable promise. The blooms are
large and deep, with florets of medium length and
width, and forked at the ends. With age the florets
prettily reflex, showing up its colour — rich bronzy
vellow, striped reddish crimson— to great advantage.
— C. A. H.

Chrysanthemum Dr. H. Bond.— The flowers
of this charming novelty are not of the enormous size
that appears to find most favour now, yet thev are
sufficiently large to render them of value for exhibi-
tion or as a plant for the conservatory. The blooms
are mostietincd, with lone tubular florets, somewhat
resembling those seen in Gloriosum, but of the richest
shade of canary-yellow. The florets t-n-ist and curl in
a most graceful manner. — B.

Chrysanthemum Owen Thomas.-- This
variety has not come ap to expectations this season,
but should not be discarded without further trial on
that account. Of the Japanese incurved type it is a
pretty example, and in form something in the way of
Stanstead V^ hite. The florets are long, incurving at
the tips, and the colour is yellow, deepening to the
centre of the flower. This variety is a trifle late in
perfecting its blooms which are produced on plants of
a remarkably dwarf habit. — C.

Chrysanthemum Niveum.— Apart from its
value as an exhibition variety, Niveum is an excellent
kind to gr w for general purposes, as the habit is so
good, and if. gives excellent results grown in small
pots. For house decoration its value is beyond all
question, its large snow-white blooms being very tell-
ing when mixed with other varieties or when used
with other subjects for filling large baskets with plants
in front halls. I intend growing it largely for this
purpose another season. — A. W.

This white variety is most tisefnl for the supply of

late Wooms. By striking the cuttings at various times
in the spring one may have succeeding batches to bloc m
from early November ap to Christmas. It bears its
blooms on stiff foot-stalks, and these being long, one
may cut the single flowers apart from the trusses and
have good material for crosses and such like.— .S.

Societies and Exhibitions.

NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY.

Dkiember 1, 2 .vNi) 3.
The early winter exhibition, he'd under the
auspices of the above society at the Royal
Aquarium, Westminster, and which ofcned on
Tuesday last, must be pronounced a groit success,
the anticipations of the supporters cf the Decem-
ber show being far exceeded. The display made
in almost every class was distinctly an advance on
any previous effort. Owing to the ground-floor
space being occupied, the exhibits we e stsueil in
the two galleries upstairs, where ample accora
modation was made for every exhibitor, and also
where the general public could view tVe show with
comfort and also under a fairly good liyht. There
were in all sixteen classes in which Chrysanthe-
mums weie asked for, thirteen of these being ojien
and the remainder confined exclusively to ama-
teurs. There were also six classes provided for
miscellaneous plants, in which Cyclamens and
Primulas were most conspicuous. The miscel-
laneous and non-competitive exhibits were not
particularly numerous, yet sufficiently so to lend
additional attractiveness to the exhibition, and
under this heading one of the best featuiei of
the show was to he seen.

In the opeD classes for cut blooms the display
was of a most exceptional kind, and was chiefly
noticeable for its large extent and the keen rivalry
which it produced. It was also pleasing to notice
that the blooms staged were very nice and fresh,
while the colour in most instances was very bright
and good. In the premier class for twenty four
Japanese blooms the stand of Mr. W. Messenger
contained specimens that would Ijiar favourable
comparison with many of those exhibited at the
November show. That good quality must have
existed is proved by the fact that in this class
there were no less than eighteen exhibits placed
upon the table. The bunches of cut blooms were
the fioest that we have seen, the twenty-four
which secured piemier honours for Mr. Norman
Davis containing flowers remaikable for their
freshness and grand colour. The free and un-
restrained manner in which they were set up also
deserves note. Probably such a fine lot of in-
curved blooms has neverbeen seen so late in the
season at a show befoie. There was a splendid
competition, the twelve shown by Mr. W. Neville
being exceedingly we'.l finished and beautifully
fresh and clean. Single flowered sorts were well
shown, the large flowers now being separated from
the smaller ones — a distinct advantage in every
way. The jubilee edition of the catalogue of the
N.C.S. was probably of much assistance to exhi-
bitors, enabling them so easily todetermine to which
class the respective blooms belonged. Blooms
in vases were represented by several charming
exhibits, and proved so conclusively the value
of large floweis when associated with suitable
foliage. The advent of Christmas was forcibly
illustrated by the eight exhibits of baskets of
beiries. A capital variety in the berries, autumnal
and winter foliage, in which the Holly played a
prominent part, was most conspieuous. The
table of flowering, berried and fine foliaged plants
set up by Mr. A. Newell was a good one, and
a pleasing variation in the exhibition. It
was surprising to find the exhibiiiin was not
more largely patronised. Although there were
many varieties of Chrysanthemums exhibited
which we are accustomed to see at the earlier
shows, there were also a large number of later
sorts to be seen. Blooms of certain varieties
which are often seen in indifferent form at the
earlier exhibitions were on this cecasion illus-
trated by those of a typical character. The pro-
posal to make the corresponding show in ISII" a
week later will find favour with most admirers of
the flower, as by this arrangement there is a
greater possibility of securing a representation of
the best of the late varieties. Altogether, the
executive of the N.C.S. have every reason to be
pleased with the result of the December show,

proving conclusively the value of an oppor-
tunity for illustrating the usefulness of the Chry-
santhemum late in the season.

Ci-r Blooms (Oi'en).
In the premier class for twenty. four Japanese
Chrysanthemums, in not less than eighteen varie-
ties and not more than two of a variety, there
were no less than eighteen competitors, tie whole
length of one table being required to accommodate
them. The first prize was won by Mr. VV.
Messenger, gardener to Mr. C. H. Berners,
Woolverstone Park, Ipswich, with a grand lot of
blooms. His best varieties were Mme. Carnot,
International, Waban, Etoile de Lyon, M. Chencn
de Lechi?, Violetta, Golden Gate, Miss Maggie
Blenkiron, Beauty of Ca-tlewocd, Silver Kingand
a pretty bloom of Duchess of York. Second
honours deservedly went to Mr. W. Slogrove,
gardener to Mrs. Crawford, Gatton, Reigate, for
a nice, clean and even lot of flowers. A magnifi-
cent example of Mme. Carnot was in this collec-
tion, others worthy of special mention beirg
G. C. Schwabe, James Myers, Le Moucherotte,
and T. Wilkins. There were six entries for twenty-
four bunches of Chrysanthemums, any varieties.
Mr. Norman Davis, The Vineries, Framfield,
Sussex, took highest honours for a remarkably
fine lot arranged in a free and easy manner, the
flowers beautifully fresh, of good colour and large
size. The most noticeable sorts were recent
novelties, and included Sunstone, a pretty golden
buff suffused crimson Japanese ; Matthew Hodgson,
the brightest crimson yet seen; Mrs. H. Wieks,
lovely blush with grand florets, of large Japanese
incurved form ; Stressa, a lovely yellow variety ;
Admiral Avellan, Philadelphia, Mrs. Hermann
Kloss, a lovely bronzy-orange ; Niveum and the
new Japanese incurved white. Western King.
Mr. R. C. Notcutt, Broughtcn Road Nursery,
Ipswich, was a very creditable second with a
bright and even lot. The varieties worthy of
notice were M. E. Montigny, Mrs. Dr. Ward, M.
Gruyer, Mme. Ad. Chatin, a beautiful Japanese
incurved of the purest white, and Mme. Ad.
MouUin, also a white, but of spreading form.
Eighteen competitors put in an appearance for
twelve Japanese distinct, and the judges must
have found their task by no means an easy one.
I'remier honours eventuallj- rested with >Ir.
Henry Perkins, gardener to the Hon. F. D.
Smith, Greenlands, Henley-on-Thames, for a very
fine lot of blooms. All his flowers were good ; the
best, however, were Mme. Carnot, Mrs. H.
Weeks, Graphic, General Roberts, W. Wright,
Niveum, and a g-^and white, Mrs. R. Jones. The
second prize fell to Mr. W. Messenger, with even,
though not over-large flowers, Etoile de Lyon,
Rose Wynne, Duchess of York, and Mme. Carnot,
being among his best. For six Japanese distinct,
there were also eighteen exhibitors, Mr. Henry
Perkins again taking the leading position with a
fine stand of flowers. Fcr small growers the
names of his varieties may be useful ; they were
Mme. Carnot, Graphic, VVaban, Mutual Friend,
Mrs. R. Jones, and a superb example of Golden
Gate. A good second was found in Mr. C. Pajne,
gardener to Mr. C. J. Whittington, Elmhurst,
Bickley Park, Kent, three blooms in his exhibit
being worthy of special mention. These were
Mens. Chenon de Leche, one of the prettiest and
most striking flowers we have seen : Mutual
Friend and a grand specimen of Etoile de Lyon.
There were twelve lots in the class for twelve in-
curved, in not less than six varieties, and not
more than two blooms of one variety. This
was eventually secured by Mr. W. Neville, gar-
dener to Mr. F. W. Flight, Cornstiles, Twyfoid'
\\ inchester, Hants. His flowers were beautifully
even and neatly finished, and the best exhibit
ever staged at any previous December show.
C. H. Curtis was in splendid condition, as also
were Mrs. R. C. Kingston, W. Tunnington,
Major Bonaffon, King of Orange, and Bonnie
Dundee. Mr. H. Butcher, gardener to Mr. C. J.
Buss, Lodge House, Smeeth, Ashford, was a good
second, his best flowers being Mrs. K. C. Kingston,
Mrs. F. W. Flight, Bonnie Dundee, and a new
variety, Miss Phyllis Fowler, of a pleasing prim-

:EMBER 0,

1896.]

THE GaHDEK

463

rose-yellow colour and of large size. For six in-
curved, distinct, there were thirteen competitors,
and Mr. Neville was again placed first, his
blooms of C. H. Curtis and W. Tunnington being
large and neatly finished. Mr. Henry Perkins
was a good second, Mrs. R. C. Kingston, Mrs. J.
Gardiner, and D. B. Crane being his best flowers.
Seven competitors came forward in the class
for twilve bunches Japanese blooms, not less
than six varieties, three blooms of each variety
only in a bunch. Mr. R C. Xotcutt secured
premier honours with a highly meritorious ex-
hibit ; the flowers were large and fresh ; Silver
King, Matthew Hodgson, Louise, Mrs. C. E Shea,
LeKhone, Mme. Cainot,and R.Owen were the best.
A very close second was found in Mr. Norman
Davis, who had a grand exhibit in which were
blooms of large size and rich colour. His flowers
of Stressa, John Seward, Mrs. Hermann Klos?
and Etoile de Lyon were ideal specimens. The
smaller class for six bunchfs Japanese, three
blooms of one variety only, distinct, was well con
tested, fourteen competitors entering the list. A
beautiful exhibit from Mr. W. Slogrove obtained
for him the leading position, Duchess of York,
Mile. Theiese Rey, Mrs. Higginbotham, and
fio'den Gate deserving special recognition. Mr,
Norman Davis was a close second. The compe
tition in the classes for single-flowered varieties
was not so keen as might have been expected.
For twelve bunches of large-flowered single varie-
ties, three blooms in each bunch and not less than
six varieties, Mr, G. W. Forbes, gardener to
Mr. D. Nico'.s, Regent House, Surbiton, was
first with a wonderfully good lot ; Mies Brown,
Yellow Giant, Purity, Rudbeckia, Alphonso,
Admiral Sir Thomas Symonds, and Tuscola were
his best flowers. Mr. W. C. Pagram, gardener to
Mr. J. Courtenay, The Whin, Weybridge, was a
creditable second, his flowers of Rudbec'iia and
Guernsey Sunset being very fine. Mr. G. W.
Forbes was again first for twelve bunches of
small-flowered single varieties in not le^s than six
sorts, and three blooms in each bunch. His
flowers of Mrs. D. B. Crane, Nellie, Norah, Nellie
Robinson, Mary Anderson, Scarlet Gem, and
Sarah \Vell8 were charming, and illustrated the
decorative value of these small flowers. Mr.
Pagram was a good second, a beautiful bunch of
Terra-cotta being particularly striking in colour.
For six bunches large-flowered singles, Mr. A.
Felgate, jun., Horsham, was first with a very
nice lot. Golden Star, Captain Felgate, Purity,
and Yellow Giant being his best flowers. Mr.
James Agate, Havant, was a close second, his
bunch of Harold Stallard being specially good.
Six bunches of small-flowered singles made a
pretty display, Mr. James Agate being a good
first; Miss Annie Holden, White Perfection, and
Pattie Penford were well shown. The second
prize was awarded to Mr. A. Felgate, jun., for a
nice even lot, most cf which were seedlings. The
class for a basket of autumn berries and foliage
brought forward eight competitors, and a very
unique display was the result. Not one cf them
was poor, the first prize falling to the lot cf Mr.
W. Green, jun., Harold Wood, Essex, for a nice
light arrangement and thoroughly representative.
Holly, Berberis, Privet, and other berries, besides
pretty pieces of autumn-tinted Strawberry foliage.
Ivy, golden Euonymus, and several other sub-
jects were pleasingly associated. Mr. Thos.
Osman, The Gardens, Ottershaw Park, Chertsey,
was a good second with a charming arrangement,
his free use of Berberis Aquifolium and grasses
assisting very materially.

Amateurs.
For six Japanese blooms, not less than three
varieties, Mr. H. A. Needs, Horsell, Woking, was
placed first with a good stand. There were
twelve exhibitors, and this lot stood out conspi
cuously from the rest. He had four large blooms
of Mutual Friend and one each of Phubus and
Niveum. Mr. F. Durrant, Ware, Herts, was
awarded second prize for a nice lot of blooms, Mrs.
R. B. Martin and Mrs. W. H. Lees being his best.
A class for one large vase of Chrysanthemums
with any kind of foliage, grasses, and berries I

brought out five competitors. The first prize was
easily secured by Mr. D. B. Crane, Highgate, N.,
with a noble arrangement of large Chrysanthe-
mum blooms prettily finished with smaller flowers
of the pompon and the thread- petalled section. A
rich blending of colour in crimson, orange, and
yellow was eflected. Berries, autumnal foliage,
Croton leaves, and grasses, with long, over-hang-
ing growths of Asparagus and Smilax completed
a very lovely stand. Mr. W. Green, jun., was
placed second, with a pleasing arrangement of
yellow and pink Chrysanthemums.

MiscELLANEiirs Plants,

The collection of Cyclamens in pots was repre-
sented by splendid exhibits. That securing the
premier award coming from Mr. W. Orpwood,
Andover Nursery, was a magnificent display.
The plants were in a healthy and fresh con-
dition, the blossoms large. White, rose, tlush,
and other shades were each displayed and called
for special notice. The second prize was awarded
to Mr. A. G. Bowles, Church Road Nursery,
Hanwell, for a very pretty table of Cyclamens
interspersed with grasses. In the class from
which narserymen were excluded for twelve Cy-
clamens in pots there was only one entry, but
this was a very fine exhibit and well merited the
first prize which was awarded to it. This came
from Mr. W. Frost, 9, Ashley Road, Godminton,
Ashford, who arranged his plants splendidly. For
a collection of Primula sinensis, a nice lot was
staged by Mr. James Gibson, gardener to Mr. E H.
Watts, Devonhurst, Chisnick, who was first. The
plants were freely flowered and there was a good
variety in colour. To enhance the beauty of the
exhibit, small Crotons, Pandanus Veitchi, Isole-
pis gracilis. Asparagus and CocosWeddellianawere
freely used. Mr. J. P. Macgregor, gardener to
Dowager Lady Hay, North House, Putney Hill,
was second with a nice fresh lot, but arranged in
a rather formal manner. For twelve Primula
sinensis there was a good display, the best lot
coming from Mr. James Gibson, with a fairly good
varietyin colour and freely-flowered plants. A good
second was found in Mr. R Bassil, gardener to Mr.
D. H. Evans, Shooter Hill House, Pangbourne,
Beds, for a freely- flowered lot of plants, arranged
in a pleasing manner, Panicum variegatum o
hanging the sides of the table in a graceful man
Only one exhibitor was forthcoming in the class
for twelve double Primula sinensis. First prize,
however, was awarded to Mr. J. Sandford, gar-
dener to Mr. G. W. Wright-Ingle, Wood House,
North Finchley. For a large table containing a
collection of flowering, berried and fine-foliaged
plants arranged for eflect, a handsome exhibit was
put up by Mr. A Newell, gardener to Sir Edwin
Saunders, Fairlawn, Wimbledon. A free use of
highly-coloured Crotons, Pandanus, Cocos Wed-
delliana, Roman Hjacinths, Bouvardias and Chry-
santhemums combined to make up a splendid dis-
play. Mr. W. Howe, gardener to Mr. Henry
Tate, Park Hill, Streatham, was awarded second
priza with a somewhat poor arrangement.
Miscellaneous axd Trade Exhibits,

The place of honour must undoubtedly be given
to Mr. H. J. Jones, Ryecroft Nursery, Lewisham,
S E. It covered an enormous space, and the
arrangement of the plants evinced the best
artistic taste. As a background there were Palms
and fire-foliaged plants. The Chryfantheniums
were disposed of in a very pleasing manner, choiea
Crotons and Cocos Weddelliana enhancing the
finish. A nice batch of a red sport from Lord
Brooke and named Mrs. John Cooper promises to
be a decided acquisition to the Japanese incurved.
The Egyptian, a large incurved, was seen in good
form, and a plant of W. Wright, an immense
Japanese, was much admired. A gold medal was
deservedly awarded to this exhibit. Silver-gilb
medals were awarded to Messrs. H. Cannell and
Sons, Swanley, for a magnifif^ent exhibit of cut
Chrysanthemums and about fifty superb bunches
of zonal Pelargoniums in all shades of colour ; to
Messrs. J. Laing and Sons, Forest Hill, S.E., for
a collection of Apples and Pears, and to Mr. W.
Wells, Redhill, for a nice collection of cut Chry

santhemums. Silver medals were given to Mr.
W. Neville for two dozen beautifully incurved
flowers, to Messrs. J. Peed and Sons for a nice
assortment of Apples and Pears, and to Mr. T.
Tullett, gardener to Mr. G. Alexander, Warley
Lodge, Brentwood, Essex, for four vases of Chry-
santhemums arranged forefifect. A bronze medal
was awarded to Miss Eisterbrook, The Briars,
Fawkham, for a pretty basket of Chr^sarithemum
Snowdrop and pink Carnations. A silver gilt
medal was awarded to Mr. C. J. Waite for an ex-
tensive collection of vegetables, showing good
culture, his Intermediate Carrots baing very hne.
Mr. Norman Davis staged some charming decora-
tive Chrvfanthemums, Tuxedo, a rich orange, and
Framfield Pink standing out distinctly. The One
and All Manure Co., Lt , Lawes' Cnemical Ma-
nure Co., Lt., and the Icthemic Guano Co. each
had a stand illustrating their respective speciali-

Oa Monday, the 2:iid last, a meeting of the
committee was held at Anderton's Hotel, Fleet
Street, Mr. B. Wynne being in the chair. After
the minutes of the previous meeting had been
read and confirmed and the usual piel.ni nary
business arising out of the correspondence had
been disposed of, the secretary gave some in-
teresting statistics concerning the Jubilee show,
from which we learn that nearly half a mile of
tabling was required. The sixty cut-bloom class
for incurved and the same class for Japanese
brought eleven and twelve competitors respec-
tively, while in Mr. Jones' class for cut blooms of
twenty-four Japanese there were thirty -seven
entries, and of these thirty-three actually staged
exhibits. Grapes were shown in 23-t bunches, and
the fruit. Potatoes, &e., required thg very cori-
siderable number of 120i) plates. Mr. Dein took
the opportunity of thanking the gardening press
for the assistance rendered.

Mr. Harman -Payne was called upon to report
on the recent visit of the N.CS. delegates to the
foreign shows, and briefly gave an interim report,
which he promised to elaborate by a more formal
one at the next meeting, having only just returned.
He reported en the society's exhibit at the Ghent
show, which was contributed by several members
of the society and which won a silver-gilt medal.
The deputation visited other displays at Brussels,
Paris, and Amiens, and he spoke in high terms of
the cordial reception the delegates had every-
where met with. Differences between English
and foreign shows abounded, especially in the
setting up of cut blooms, but que,»tions such as
these would be duly dealt with Mr. Thos.
Bevan also made some remarks on the flattering
reception and the cordial manner in which the
deputation participated.

The shows for 1897 are recommended as fol-
lows : October 12, 13, and 14 ; November 9, 10,
and 11 ; December 7, 8, and 9. The question of
a September show is to be left in abeyance for
the present.

A new cup and tube was exhibited by Mr.
Waterer, and this was referred to the floral com-
mittee for their consideration. New members,
numbering twenty-one in all, were elected, and
the meeting closed about 9 o'clock after a some-
what full agenda.

A meeting of the floral committee of this society
was held at the Royal Aquarium, Westminster,
on November 2S, Mr. Thos. Bevan occupying the
chair. E.xhibits were somewhat few in number,
but of fair average quality.

First-class certificates were awarded to—

Chrysanthemum C. W. Ri<;hard!,on.— A noble
Japanese of large dimensions, very full and
double, with long curly twisted and intermingling
florets, rather narrow and grooved, colour pure
pale yellow with a reverse of wavy yellow— ([uite
an acquisition. From Mr. W. H. Lees, of Trent
Park Gardens.

Chrysanthemum Ge.m ok Earlswood. — An
appropriate name for a charming little neat pom-
pon Anemone. It is of medium size and very
perfect in form. The ditc is of good form and

464

THE CxARDEK

[December 5, 1896.

yellow, while the ray florets are flat, 8tiff, and of
neiium width, colour lilac-mauve. A novelty,
shown by Mr. W. Wells, of Earlswood.

Several other novelties were submitted, the
best being Miss Louise D. Black, a rather rough-
looking incurved bloom, colour orange-yellow :
Lady Northcote, a large white Japanese : The
Egyptian, a big solid-looking Japanese incurved
with broad grooved florets, colour purple-chestnut,
and two incurved almost identical in appearance,
viz. , Thomas Lockie and General Mauric. Others,
such as Bynum Schiltiz, Esther, Olive Oclce.
Melina Duchanel, were attractive and worthy cf
notes.

The annual dinner of this society was held on
November 26 at Andcrton's Hotel, Fleet Street,
Mr. Fowler, Mayor of Taunton, in the chair.
This dinner is distinct from the jubilee celebra-
tion held at the Hotel Metropole recently, when
the president of the society. Sir Edwin Saunders,
occupied the chair. The dinner held last week was
cf special importance, occurring in the jubilee year
of the society. We have never seen greater en-
thusiasm shown before at a public dinner when
the lojdirg prize-winners received their awards
gained at the past jubilee show at the Royal
Aquarium.

Amongst those present were M. Martinet,
Editor of L( Janlin, Messrs. Harman-Payne,
T. W. Sanders, B. Wvnne, C. Orchard, W.
Weeks, H. J. Jones, 1)". B. Crane, T. Bevan,
Rich.ird Uean, secretary, J. W. Wilkinson, eecre-
t iry of the Royal Acjuarium, and many others.

The usual loyal toasts having been proposed by
the chairman, the toast of the "National Chry-
santhemum Society" was then proposed by Mr.
Fowler, who said that the society deserved it»
present high position and its schedule was a mcdt 1
for provincial friends to copy, as so many mistakes
were made by the smaller societies in the vay
their prize lists were compiled. Special mention
was made of the great show recently held at the
Royal Aiiuarium and of the film hold the scciety
hsd obtained upon those who had the welfare of
the flower at heart. He said that 182 new mem-
bers had been added to the list since January 1
last, ard twenty-six societies admitted intoathlia-
tion. The floral committee wtre praised for the
careful work tbev accomplished in regard to the
new \arietifs. Mr. P. Waterer proposed the
" Atfiiiated Societies,' which he said were of great
benefit to the parent body and contributed largely
to the jubilee fund. Mr. Waterer said that the
president of the Scottish Society had telephoned
that he was in thorough sympathy with the
society, an announcement ibat gave life to
much applause. Mr. Waterer mentiontd, as
showing the popularity of the society, that
.33,01" I persons bad passed the gate at the
recent Scottish exhibition, and that a sum of
£llnO had been received. This toast was responded
to by Mr. W. Weeks, secretary of the Bromley
Society, which contributed the largest amount to
the jubilee fund. He said he would like to fee
more competition in the class for affiliated sccie-
ties provided at the November show, and made
reference also to the vitit of Mr. Payne, Mr.
Jonts ai d Mr. Bevan as deputies frcm the tocietv
to the Paris exhibition of Chrysanthemum".

At this point the medals, cups ard so forth
offered as prize? at the last jubilee show were pre
scnted by the chairman, the reorganised Ports-
mouth Society receiving for the year the National
challenge trophy, a creditable gain considering
that this is one of the cjuite newly-formed socie-
ties. Mr. Berry received it on behalf of the
Portsmouth Society. Mr. Mease, gardener to Mr.
Tait, who won the first prize in both the classes
for sixty Japanese Bowers and the same number of
incurved (a jubilee class), was received with
great favour, also that well known plant grower,
Mr. Donald.

Then occurred a most interesting presentation
by M. Martinet, who had come over from Paris late
that afternoon for the express purpose of giving
to Mr. Payne, in the name of the National Horti-
cultural Society of France, the Mr'rite d'Agricole

awarded to him by the Frerch Government. M.
Martinet, in an excellent speech in English, re-
ferred to the work of Mr. Payne for the society,
and said he was well known amongst French cul-
tivators for the interest he has always fhcwn in
the Chrysanthemum, and referred to h's late visit
to Paris in the name of the society. M. Martmet
was splendidly received and the " Marseillaise "
was sung. .Mr. Payne suitably replied.

The toast of "The Donors of Special Prizes''
was proposed by Mr. T. W. Sanders and seconded
by Mr. Jones. Mr. Wynne proposed "The Chair-
man," and the toast was received with much en-
thusiasm, as Mr. Fowler is interested largely in
the culture of the Chrysanthemum.

Mr. C. Orchard proposed the toast of "The
President, Secretary (Mr. Dean), and other
Officers," and Mr. T. Bevan "The Press," which
was responded to by Mr. E. T. Cook.

THE NATIONAL DAHLIA SOCIETY.
The annual meeting of this society took place at
the Horticultural Club, Hotel Windsor, on the
24th ult.. Mr. E. Mawley (the chairman of the
committee) presiding over a good attendance of
growers from various parts of the country. The
annual report, which was read by Mr. T. W.
Girdlestone (the hon. sec), stated that if the show
Dahlias were not so numerous as usual at the ex-
hibition at the Crystal Palace last September, it
was not owing to any diminution of zeal on the
part of the growers, but to the abnormal nature
of the seafon. An almost sunless spring and
summer prevented the plants from making their
natural growth at the usual time ; and the rainy
time setting in just when the plants should have
bloomed, they started into growth and bloomed
so late, that some of the leading cultivators were
unable to exhibit. The Cactus varieties were,
however, especially good, and probably never
before seen in better character. The class for a
vase or epergne showing the decorative value
of the D.ahlia proved an excellent addition co the
show, but the classes for cottagers and amateurs,
which were intended to assist in bringing some re-
cruits to the ranks of the Dahlia exhibitors, did
not prove so satisfactory as desired. They would
be again found in the schedule of prizes, but be
more especially for these who had never before
won a prizs at the society's exhibitions. The re-
port also set forth the names of the varieties
awarded certificates of merit at the last exhi-
bition, and expressed the thanks of the committee
to the donors of special prizes, which had proved
very helpful. The financial statement set forth
that the receipts from all sources, including the
balance of £4 13s. 5d. from last year, was
£142 IPs. Id., .and the entire expenditure, includ-
'ng the payment of prizes, was £134 8s. 9d.,
leaving a balance of £S lUs. 4d. in favour of the
treasurer. As a portion of the report, the list of
true Cactus Dahlias given in the schedule was
revised. Beauty of Eyntford, Countess of Radnor,
Henry Cannell, Kynerith, Lady Henry Grosvenor,
and Viscountess Folkestone were struck out and
the following new varieties, certificated by the
society in September last, added, viz , lona,' Mrs.
(iordon Sloane, Mrs, Leopold Seymour, Starfish,
Keynes' White, Cycle, Fantasy, and Charles
Woodbridge. It was resolved," now there are
so many first-class Cactus Dahlias, to drop the
term decorative, and require that only Cactus
varieties be exhibited in the society's classes. It
was also resolved to have a class for a vase of
twelve blooms of Cactus Dahlias shown with
stems, and also one for an epergne of Dahlia
blooms arranged for effect with any kind of foli-
age, and to the classes for six blooms of one
variety two additional one* were added, one for
white, the other for red. Thereport and financial
statement were then adopted. A resolution was
unanimcusly passed requesting the Royal Horti-
cultural Society to arrange for a meeting of its
floral committee about the middle of September,
as at that time there are many new varieties the
raisers desired to submit to some competent
tribunal, and also one to the effect that, subject

to the approval of the authorities of the Crystal
Palace, the annual exhibition should be held on
September 3 and 4. It was also resolved that in
the case of scedlirgs shown for certificates, they
thculd be on stems 9 irches in length with foliage
Hs grown. The president, the vice-presidents —
Mr. William Robinson being elected in the place
of Mr. George Gordon, who retires^the com-
mittee, Mr, E. Mawley as hon. treasurer, and
Mr. T. W. Girdlestone, hon. secretary, were re-
elected, and the proceedings closed with ahearly
vote of thanks to the treasurer and secretary.

National Amateur Gardeners' Ascocie-

tion.— At the monthly meeting of this association,
held on Tuesday last at the Memorial Hall, -
Farririgdon Street, E.C, a lecture was given by
Mr, E, T. Cook on " Some Ways of making Gar-
dens Beautiful," illustrated with many limelight
views of groups and masses of hardy perennials.
The chair was taken by Mr. T. W. Sanders (the
president), and there was a large company pre-
sent. It was announced that in future the meet-
ings of the association would be held at Winchester
House, City,

Public Gardens.

An open space for Pentonville,--The
formal transfer has been made of the churchyard
of St. James's, Pentonville, to the vicar and
churchwardens of the parish of Clerkenwell for
the purpose of the same being laid out as a public
recreation ground.

An open space for Islingtoc.— The Court of
Common Council, at a recent meeting, approved,
after a long discussion, a report of the Cattle
Markets Committee, offering to sell to the Isling-
ton Vestry a certain piece of land adjoining the
Metropolitan Cattle Market for the purposes of
an open space for the sum of fl6,(iCli. The Vestry
has urged that the price should be £lii,iiiio.

Public park for Dublin. — Lord Ardilaun'
Lord Iveagh, and Mr. James T. Power have made
arrangements for laying out and maintaining a
public park near St, Patrick's Cathedral, one of
the most crowded districts in the city. Already
£10,000 has been expended, and it is intended to
spend an additional £20,n(l0 in acquiring the
necessary property and in laying out the park.

The weather in West Herts.— A very cold
week. During the night preceding the .30th ult.
the exposed thermometer showed 17° of frost, or
as great cold as at any time during the whcle of
last winter. The pist month was the coldest
November for nine years. It wa.salso remarkal ly
dry, the total rainfall being \\ inches below the
average for the month, and less than in any
November eince 1^7'.). No rain may be said to
have fallen during the latter half of it, the
amounts then registered being so insignificant.
My humidity records here extend back to ISSG,
but in no previous November has the air besn so
dry as it was last month. The sun shone on an
average for exactly three hours a day, whereas in
the brightest cf the preceding ten Novembara the
highest mean daily record was 2| hours. — E. M,,
BtrViamsted.

Names of plants.— Fn7;,—Adiantum niacro-

pliylhim. F. G. Stove. — Ferns, a, Adiantum Fa-

cotti ; b, Adiantum capiilus-Veneris ; c, Adiantum

undulum, D. Mc. ii.— Cissus discolor.

Names of fruit.— Dr. Wright —Apples, 1,

Ribstoii; 2, Lane's Prince Alhert. J. IT.- Pear

Pitmaston Duchess.

Fifth, Edition, no^v reciily, heauiifiiUy illustrated,
medium 8io, price l^s. The English Flower
Garden : Designs, I'lcus, and Plans, u-ith Descrip-
ions and Illustrations of the Best Plants, their Cul-
ure and Arrangement. London : John Murray, and
>f all Booksellers.

THE GARDEN.

465

No. I3C8. SATURDAY, Dicemter 12, 1896. Vol. L

"This is an Art
Which does mend Nature ; change U rather ; but
The Art itself la Nature.'' — Shaktspevre.

Chrysanthemums.

INCURVED CHRYSANTHEMUMS.

I HAVE come across several cases lately whicL
appear to me to bear out the truth of a remark
that has often been seen in the pages of The
Gaedek, that the incurved Chrysanthemums
are much overgrown, and hence they are not
exhibited in such perfect form as in years
gone by. It was a pleasure to meet with
sorts known as the "Tecks" in such perfect con-
dition as at Alderbrook, Cranleigh, Surrey.
The well known variety Princess of Teck has
given sports, and these in turn have also thrown
branches of othtr colours, until there is now a
recognised "Teck" family. Besides the type,
we have Hero of Stoke Newington, Mrs. Norman
Davis, Lady Dorothy, Chas. Gibson and Lord
Eversley. When in condition they have flowers
of almost perfect globe shape and are much
admired, but are seldom seen in that desirable
state. The blossoms at Alderbrook are the
finest I have seen for many a day, and the com-
parative smallness of the plants indicated that
they had not been overgrown. I was informed
that the cuttings were put in on January 29
last ; their season had, therefore, been short.
The plants were growing in pots 8 inches in
diameter, and the leaves were s^mall, but
leathery in texture. The foliage, too, was simi-
lar, and the plants were barely 4 feet in height.
A grower of Chrysanthemums who was with me
expressed his surprise at the splendid results of
these plants, because he had seen them a couple
of months previously and remarked how weak
they appeared. Here then, I think, is a lesson.

The finest bloom of the most perfect of all in-
curved varieties (Lord Alcester) I have seen
this year was in a small garden in a remote
village, where the gardener excused himself by
the remark that he had too much to do and
was unable to pay any special attention to
Chrysanthemums. But here such incurved
kinds as Lord Alcester, Golden Empress of
India, Nil Desperandum, Lord Wolseley, Miss
M. A. Haggas and a few others were very fine.
And so one might go on. An authority thinks
that the constitution of the " Queens," for in-
stance, is gone, and that we cannot hope to
see them in such fine form as they were grown
some years ago. I his appears strange to me.
The variety Queen of England was raised about
1853, and not half a dozen years back was ex-
h'bited in what may be called perfect form.
Now, if the constitution of that variety is
ruined, why did not this happen during the long
term of years that had gone before ? My
opinion is that the decadence of the best types
of incurved Chrysanthemums is caused by the
plants being overfed, overgrown, and in the
place of them we have the semi-Japanese
sorts Globe d'Or, J. Agate, Chas. H. Curtis,
W. Tunnington, and the like filling the more
prominent positions in the prize stands.

Some comment has been caused recently be-
cause the floral committee of the National Chry-
santhemum Society drew the line and refused
to recognise Miss Louise D. Black as an incurved,
and also one named Duchess of Fife. I think
that body is right. There are a number of the
Japanese sorts which might, with a little
"dressing," be equally as admissible. Louise,
Lord Brooke, and Mme. Ad. Chatenay are some
that occur to me.

There is room, of course, for more variety,
more colour in the incurved type of Chrysan-
themum, but let us have the true ones. I feel
confident that if less attention were given to
big, coarse growth we should see the good old
ones better grown than they are at present, and
the number of those who like them considerably
increased, instead of, as is now the case, per-
sons giving them up because they fail to succeed
in their culture. H. I

Chrysanthemum Mme. Carnot.— This white
variety is considered the finest of all show kii
but I saw it in one instance this year grown as a
large specimen plant. This specimen had not
been so rigidly trained as one mostly sees, and
consequently the light arrangement of the growth
suited the long graceful florets of the sort. I
should think the plant had rather over three dozen
flowers; fine blooms, too. — H. S.

Chrysanthemum Modesto. — When really
well grown this variety as an exhibition bloom is
hard to beat, its colour, size, and depth being
of a high order of merit. With this new in-
troduction, PhoL'bus, Sunflower, Edith Tabor,
Duchess of Wellington, and Mons. Pankoucke,
exhibitors should have no ditficulty in providing
the rich yellow so needful for efi'ect in a stand of
cut blooms.— S. W. F., South Devon.

A good plan of striking Chrysanthemum
cuttings. — Those who can command a frame where
ahttle fire heat may be turned on in severe frosty
weather have an excellent structure in which
these plants may be propagated. Fill the same
with any material up to 1 foot of the glass ; then
place on this a lajer, 6 inches deep, of soil com-
posed of loam, leaf-mould and an addition of sand.
Make the surface flat and dibble the cuttings in
about :? inches apart ; water them thoroughly
and give air cccasionally just to let out mois-
ture. In about six weeks the cuttings will be
struck, and may be lifted with fine balls of healthy
roots, subsequently making sturdy plants. — H.

Chrysanthemum Marie Stuart. — What has
become of this old, but most attractive Anemone
pompon variety ? Fifteen years ago it was to be
found in all good collections, and I do not know
a single variety now that can beat it, all points
considered. It is such a free grower and bloomer,
that dense bushes can be had for conservatory
decoration or for producing lots of cut flowers
from a cutting in one season. I once saw a plant
grown from a cutting in eleven rconths some

feet in diameter and literally crowded with its
elegant blooms, these having a yellowish centre
with a pink edge. I have been looking lately in
vain in the various trade catalogues in order to
find it mentioned.- J. CeawkoIvD, Coddington
Hall, Xtwarh

Chrysanthemums at exhibitions. — A
noticeable feature at Chrysanthemum exhibitions

the fact that very few of the dark or crimson-
coloured varieties are exhibited, particularly
among the Japanese, and I think that this year
they are less in number than ever. At one time
the rich-coloured Jeanne Delaux used to crop up
with an almost monotonous regularity in nearly
every stand ; then its place was taken by Edwin
Molyneux, which has now lost the position it
once occupied. William Seward, which forms
such a charming specimen, was at first largely
shown as a cut flower, and the fact that it is not
exhibited so freely is, in all probability,
owing to the circumstance that there are many
other varieties with larger flowers. G. W.
Childs is a very effective variety of a rich crim-

D tint.— T.

Dwarf Chrysanthemums.— For several sea-
sons past the display of Chrysanthemums at
Worham Hall, Woking, the residence of Mr. R. X.
Stevens, has been of an unusual character, in-
asmuch as we find the plants especially dwarf,
the system of cutting down being practised most
successfully by Mr. Seabrook, the gardener. This
ye£ir the plants generally are shorter than hitherto,
and although the blooms are not so large as

we see them at exhibitions, they are excellent in
both form and colour. The plants range in
height from 12 inches to .') feet, and without ex-
ception carry well-developed foliage to the rim of
the pot. Some sorts lend themselves to this
treatment better than others, the dense-growing
kinds making the better-looking specimens.
A. H. Fewkcs, yellow ; W. H. Lincoln, yellow ;
Wm. Seward, crimson; ilarie Hoste, white;
Mile. Th^rfese Rey, white ; Niveum, white ;
Souvenir de Petite Amio, white ; Lord Brooke,
bronze ; Sunflower, yellow ; Robert Owen, bronze ;
Viviand Morel, mauve ; Charles Davis, rosy
bronze ; and Commandant Blusset, amaranth, are a
few of the most striking varieties. The mode in
a few words is as follows. Cuttings are struck at
the usual time and grown on in cool frames until
May. At this time the plants have stout stems
and are in 6-inch pots. At the end of the month all
are cue back to within 3 inches or so of their base.
Less water is then given until new shoots form,
then the plants are finally shifted into their
flowering pots, 9 inches in diameter. Three stems
are allowed to each, and in most cases the
earliest buds that appear are selected. This
mode of growing is one which commends itself to
those who object to tall plants and who are satis-
fied with medium-sized blossoms, which are as
effective as any in groups.— H.

Chrysanthemums deteriorating. — If, as
many growers of these flowers affirm, it is in-
evitable that stocks grown under the somewhat
artificial conditions by which show blooms are
produced will deteriorate, it seems odd that the
precaution be not taken to plant well-rooted
late-struck plants outdoors, where under natural
conditions they should soon resume their wonted
health. Such plants should give plenty of stout
cuttings that should have the merit of giving
robust plants, especially if rooted in a tempera-
ture as low as possible rather than in a hii,'h one.
far as the Japanese kinds are concerned, the
bulk of these are fairly robust, and it seems
hardly needful, so rapid is the development of
varieties, to keep them above five years. The
mcurved, however, come more slowly, and the
Queen type especially has been long with us and
still cannot be spared. To secure robust stocks
of these should not be at all ditEcult. No one
who takes stock of the Chrysanthemums seen
growing in small gardens, such as we have here
front of cottages in many of our Kingston streets,
can fail to have noticed t!he remarkable strength
of growth made by many varieties, old and new.
Planted out as ordinary perennials and left to
shift for themselves, they go on producing robust
growths and really beautiful heads of bloom for
years with no actual culture. Does not this arise
from the fact that the plants are growing under
natural conditions ? No doubt cuttings taken
from these hardy plants and rooted cool would
produce very strong stems and very fine flowers.
It seems but needful to treat the Chrysanthemum
as a hardy perennial to have its cutting progeny
robust health.— A. D.

CHRYSANTHEMUM NAMES.
It must have come as a surprise to many that the
floral committee of the National Chrysanthemum
Society recommended the golden sport from Elsie,
shown'under the name of Golden Ball, to be renamed
Golden Elsie, on the ground that there was a
Golden Ball already in cultivation. This is un-
doubtedly a step in therightdirecuon,forwe have
been so long accustomed to see existing names
applied in a haphazard manner to new varieties
for which, by the way, the raisers or distributors
e responsible — that any attempt to check such
practice could but be commended. At the same
meeting, however, the element of confusion again
asserted itself, for a certificate was awarded to
Mustapha— a name which has been appropriated
by a pompon variety for some years. Perhaps a
suggestion to Mr. Gibson would have resulted in
another name being found for this. Mrs, C.
Orchard, again, w hioh was certificated on the same
day, is another instance of an old name being

466

THE GARDEN.

[December 12, 1896.

used for a new variety. Two other particularly
glowing examples of this have been noticed dur-
insr the present season, for on October li a cer-
tificate was awarded to Japanese Chrysanthemum
burprise, which name is borne by three varieties
in the catalcgue of the National Chrysanthemum
Society just issued, and, besides these, there is a
pompon of this name, sent out about ten years
ago. Much the same may be said of M. Hoste,
certihcated on October -21, there beinj; a rather
old pompcn variety of that name. Then an early
flowering Japanese was sent out in li^NCJ, being
?i'n-' » ■"« which inclided the now popular
Jl. U lUiam Holmes, after which we had a crimson-
flowered Japanese M. Hoste, and lastly, the new
form mentioned above. This indi'scriminate
naming of new varieties often leads to great con
fusion, many instances of which have ccnie under
my notice. One of these was in refererca to the
universally grown Viviand Morel, which is, as far
as I know, the second variety bearing the same
name, the lirst (a worthless kind) havin- been sent
out about two years before the othtr, and in
more than one case it was supplied instead of the
superior form. This protest against the continual
ufe of established names may to the specialist
seem as if too much importance is attached to the
matter, but where one endeavours to ac(|uire as
much knowledge as possible concerning plants in
general, anything that tends to confuse, without
possessing one redeeming feature, is i;reatlv to be
deprecated. One eflect of the popularity'of the
Chty.-anthemum at the present day is that vast
numbers of worthless varieties are sent out as
new, and I wonder what percentage of so-called
new kinds is grown for a longer period than a
season or two. T

Chrysanthemum Mis. Carter. — This is a
capital variety for cutting, colour a mixture of
l.ght red and cUl gold. If grown two plants in a
9_ir.ch pot and not disbudded in the least, every
shoot frcm the largest to the smallest will be fur-
nished with flowers. This variety, more than
any other I know has a habit of forming a whole
host of ude laterals, all of which form buds
waich open perfectly afier the main shoot ones!
thus forming a succession. These later blooms
are most useful for small glasses, or for in-
serting around ?nd ove.- the base of miniature
groups of plants on the dinner table, the colour
cantrasting well with the white cloth. In larger
vases sprays of bloom of this variety look charm-
ing wiih .1 few cobnred dried fronds of wild
Ferns.— J. C.

Chrysanthemum Tokio.-Thie belongs to
the small- flowered Japanese section, and is indis-
pensable for cutting during Xovember. The
petals are somewhat twisted and of a dark brilliant
led co.our. The texture of the blooms is ver
wiry, recdering them long lasting. It pays t
keep Eeveral old plants of this variety, givin
them large pots in J.-,nuary. These give a
incredible quantity of bloom the following
season, and if the yearling plants are kept out
under canvas till say the middle of October and
then placed in a north house a succession of this
most useful variety may be had up to the middle of
December. These free flowering sorts are far
more useful for decoration in the house than many
of the larger varieties, which will, with much
feeding, produce a few mop-headed blooms, but
which under ordinary cultivation refuse to open

the iAtf^r-inrmaA knrlo C C H

-Thi

the later-formed bud

Chrysanthemum John liambert
produces finely shaped individual blooms of lar'ee
size if grown with that end in view. It alio
forms useful bushes for ordinary decoration ; the
numerous bufl'-coloured blooms, for it is very free-
flowering, I reducing a telling effect, mixed
with those of a brighter hue. John Lambert is
stinct in colour that it ought to ba in every
Blooms grown for exhibition are
nsualiy so perfect in form that, like those of
Baron H.r.jch, they need little or no dressing
Ibe central or leading blooms on the main '

collection.

arranged in large earthenware vases, which,
by the way, are now becoming very popular. In
wet sunless seasons it does well, hardly ever show-
ing a blind bud.-C. C. H.

Chrysanthemums in open air.— No one can
deny the great improvement that has taken place
in the Chrysanthemum of late years, for the
blooms that are seen at our great shows are fault-
less. One thing appears to be almost entirely
lost sight of, and that is the value of the Chrysan
themum as an open-air flower. In point of ability
to withstand our variable climate none of the
new and improved varieties can compare wit!
these older sorts that made a brave show in gar
dens some twenty years ago. I grow a quantity
of flowers for lutting, and few are more generally
useful than the early Chrysanthemums of the
Mine. Desgrange type, but after they are over
the seasons are too precarious to make Ch
themum growing in the open air a profitable
speculation, for just as such varieties as Suur
Melanie, Mme. Lacroix, or any of the other mode-
rately early sorts are coming into flower, a single
frost of .Scr 10° spoils the lot. If only partially
frost-bitten the purity of colour and value are
gone ; therefore we have to lift and place under
glass quite early in the autumn. To grow Chry-
santhemums with the idea of flowering them in
the open air appears to me a sheer waste of time,
and certainly as a profitable speculation it is out of
tho question. For some years past I have been
watching the efforts of an amateur cultivator of
Chrysanthemums, who fills his garden with them in
the vain hope of having a goodly show in Novem-
ber, but .13 far as the new sorts are concerned it
is a failure. While the old button-flowered pom-
pons defy the frost and fog, and bloom cii heed-
less of the dismal surroundings, nothing less than
a glass roof would tempt the Japanese incurved
or Anemone-flowered ones to face an English
climate in the open air of November.— J. G.,
Gosport.

LATE - FLOWERING CHRYSANTHEMUMS.
NuTw ITHSTASDING the large number of varieties
of Chrysanthemums, there is not a very wide
selection of sorts that are naturally late-blooming
or that will keep in a fresh state until December
or January without some special means being
taken to preserve them. At the recent Acjuarium
exhibition one might have noted the names of
most of the kinds which were prominent at the
shows a month earlier with but few additions.
I think the sort most generally seen in a perfectly
fresh state was Golden Gate, thus proving it an
exceptionally fine variety for a late supply of
blooms. Its tawny-yellow shade of colour is one
that finds much favour, and, apart from growing
it as a large specimen flower, it is e(]uallv valu-
able for cultivating in the ordinary way for a
quantity of bloom. Niveum is now pretty well
known and is a most valuable white Chrysanthe-
mum for a late supply, and keeps fresh a long
time. I.. Canning in many respects is uneiiualled
for the f^rowth of medium sized ^vhite flowers for
Christmas, but the sort has a habit of produc-
ing a number of blind buds with some, and I
have seen in more than one case lately where
Niveum and L. Canning are growing side by
side that the former is the more certain and
better doer. Its growth is the taller of the two,
but the flowers are beautifully light in formation
and the stems long and stiff. Le Moucherotte is
likely to make an excellent sort to grow for late
bronze-coloured blooms. The shade is rich and
the flowers (|uite double in every case. Le Rhone
is a til st rate yellow, the plant very dwarf
and free flowering. A bunch of this sort was
among the freshest at the show named above. I
think it will run W. H. Lincoln hard as the best
late yellow. The latter, although extra tine in
habit, has blooms a trifle wanting in light-
ness of formation. Duchess of York is another
pretty shade of yellow late in the season. Its
blooms, too, are most graceful in form
Xovember variety it has fa

look wel if cut with « cn^^'.°" »u f^'" '-°''- -^"^^"''er variety it has fallen away from its early
look well If cut with a good length of stem and I reputation, but one should not discard the sort by

any means if a late supply of bloom is re(iuired.
A charming yellow is William Filkins. It is one
of those tiny wiry floreted blooms, and will be
found very useful for vases where a light arrange-
ment is needed. This sort is naturally late, and
may be had at Christmas without dirticulty. I
have never seen Elmer D. Smith so fine as it has
been lately. The colour, rich dark crimson, is
wanted late. It has handsome drooping petals
and the blooms last fresh for a considerable time.
In Pluton we have a late crimson likely to be
useful for the growth of medium-sized 'flowers
and the habit is dwarf. Beauty of Castlewood is
a good late sort for show blooms, but it is a b id
doer, and therefore of little use to the majority
of growers. Graphic appears to be excellent Ute
in the year. Early in the season the flowers are
white, but from late buds they are light pink,
very pretty, too, both in colour and form. Sun-
stone has blooms of a striking shade of buff-jel-
low. This shade should make it valuable for a
late supply. Rose Wynne is a very handsome
flower. The form and colour (white, slightly
tinted) appear perfect late in the year. This is a
tirst-rate sort to keep a long time in a fresh con-
dition. Mme. Rozain, pearly pink, makes a tine
large show flower, and is also good when the
blooms are not disbudded. A lovely pink va-
riety named Framfield Pink is likely to find much
favour w hen better known. It is not large, but
in shape it is pretty, and the colour is free from
that washy character too often teen. Under
gaslight the colour is remarkably striking. Mrs.
H. Weeks is a good white flower late in the
year, as those who failed to obtain blooms of it in
November will find.

The single Chrysanthemums are well adapted for
late flowering ; thus their value as useful sub-
jects is greatly enhanced. The best are Ad-
miral Sir T. Symonds, large yellow; America,
white, shaded ; Golden Star, yellow ; Miss Annie
Holden, light yellow ; Miss Mary Anderson,
blush-white ; Miss M. Wilde, rosy cerise ; Eu-
charis, white ; Purity, white ; and Treasure,
yellow. H. S.

Chrysanthemum L. Canning.— This is an

excellent Japanese variety suitable for growing for
decoration, as tlie habit of tbe plant is dwarf and the
blooms are well formed and freely produced. Plants
earryiutr from six to eight floweri are very efTective,
as the individual blooms then grow to a large size, or
quite large enough for all ordinary purposes. Where
white Chrysanthemums are in deaoand, L. Canning
should be one ftf the number of varieties grown for
furnishing the supply.— A. W.

Chrysanthemam Lady E. Siunders. — I
am at one with your correspondent "C' as to
the merits of this variety, which he does not in
the least over-estimate. I have grown it for the
first time this feason, and its lovely soft primroie-
coloured blooms have been greatly admired. I
do not like very big blooms, as they are not re-
quired here, but grow simply for house decoration
and for cutting. The plants of the variety in
question are carrying from twelve to fifteen
Bowers each. Some plants of the same vaiiaty
lifted and planted in a decomposed bed of fer-
menting material in a vinery will give some good
blooms in a fortnights time. This, I find, is a very
' way of dealing with plants that are merely
re(|uired for cutting from. It saves trouble in
potting, and also saves the pot plants from being
spoilt by denuding them of their blooms while in
full beauty.— W. S. E.

Chrysanthemum Mrs. Wm. Filkins. —

The thread-petalled varieties at the time of their
introduction were often written about, and their
grace and beauty also often defined. Many
growers may have been disappointed because of
their failure to produce flowers of large size. In
an attempt to make flowers of large proportions
the charming characteristics would to a great
extent be lost. The variety under notice is o.ne
of the best of these beautiful decorative sorts,
and. to be seen at its best, it should be grown in
bush form and without any attempt to disbud.
In this way sprays of the most elegant description

December 12, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

167

n-ay be obt'^ined in large quantities. As a rule
ibefe may be had with one flower fully expanded,
ard two or three others only partially developed,
yet sufficiently so, to give an additional lightness
and grace to the feifect flower en the same main
Etem. The florets are very narrow, becoming
smaller as the tips are reached, and these are so
prettily forked that an extra charm is thereby
given to the flowers. For bouquets, epergnes,
buttonholes and sprays the flowers of the thread-
Retailed varieties are invaluable. The habit of
this variety is dwarf and bushy. — D. B. C.

Chrysanthemum showing.— We have very
painful memories cf a visit to the Weftminster
Aquarium on the occasion of the great Jubilee
show of these flowers, where the Chrysanthemums
were all set out like coloured Cauliflowers, and
nearly as large as some of those grown at Naples,
cr as pretty as if cut out of Carrots and Turnip?.
The progress that has been made in this flower
of late years does not, we regret to say, go hand
in hand with any improvement in the taste of ex-
hibitors, which is, and has always been, shock-
ing. Even the groups shown for what they call
eflect were all as formal as haycocks and almost
absolutely like each other, all the lovely colours
of the plants dotted about neutralising each
other, nothing being held together, nothing
simple, nothing broad or artistic. A few days
since we passed a few tufts of the common little
cottage kinds grown in the open air without a
particle of protecticn, and after the great tem-
pests and rains of an unusually severe autumn,
bearing fresh and pretty flowers, proving that
there are ways of growing Chrysanthemums so
that one can enjoy them, and even find then
beautiful things in a irarden picture. The old
fashioned small kinds are the best for this, and^
of course, are doubly good when not mixed up,
but each beautiful kind grown in some breadth
and quantity sufficient to tell its story properly
Where we saw these doing so well was on a heavy
soil, so that those who have light srd warm soil
should do them much better. — i^ic/t^

charming seaside shrub that is as hardy as the its fellows, and so it ccmes that the practice of
shrubby Veronica, but is very little planted, it | grouping jpeci^s in great variety can always, if
A long line of Iris fcetidiss'

Flower Garden.

A WINTER GAEDEN.
We do not, I think, fully appreciate the
amount of our gains in the outdoor garden
duiiug early winter. Ceitainly the other day
I was so struck by the beauty and even bril-
liancy of flowers, shrubs, and foliage in the
clear sunny mornings that so frequently are
found in November and December on this
coast, and I presume elsewhere, that I made
notes for what I will call the December garden,
which may easily be a thing of beauty in any
favourable season, more especially near the £ea
where there is a little shelter.

First, take that sunny wall ; it is a perfect
lilaze of colour with Pyracantha La;landi
berries, which cover the branches much more
evenly and continuously than the old and com-
moner form. Silver variegated Madeiran Ivy
is growing up through it, and there is a mass tf
the yellow winter-flowering Jasmine well out
jujt beyond. Nothing brighter than these two
can be seen outdoors at any time. Chimonan-
thus fragrans is just opening its first sweet
flowers, and near it b=g bushes of shrubby
Veronicas are in aburdant flower, ctinifon",
white, deep blue-purple, soft pink, and the
commoner shades of colour being all well
represented. Purple Queen makes a good
dwarf edging to this bold clump, which is now
as full of beauty as it was some months ago.
Laurustinus bushes, so pretty with their red
buds and white opening flowers, make a charm-
ing background, and the white Eupatorium
Weinmannianum close by is still well sprinkled
with its pure white corymbs of bloom— a most

seems to me,

rich in green foliage and scarlet-berried pods,
rises from a groundwork of Saxifraga ligulata
and Periwinkles, already studded with blue and
white stars, and the pink heads of the first
Saxifrage flowers.

But all these are merely the outworks of this
garden, for the beds are fragrant with that
charming yellow 'Wailflower, Earliest of All,
which in December is so welcome both for col-
our and fragrance, that one pardons its poorer
flowers when the later kinds are open. This
year, at any rate, the beds of the giant Helle-
bore (H. niger maximus) and both the white
and the red bedding Primroses are full of flower,
making a wonderfully bright and spring-like
eflect. The yellow sorts are not so precocious,
but that colour is so well given by Wallflowers
and the late hardy Chrysanthemums, such as
Ryecroft Glory and Source d'Or, that it is
scarcely missed.

Perhaps one of the most reliable winter
flowerers is a charming double pink Daisy which
I first saw at Monte Carlo, but which is just as
free and beautiful in England as it was there.
This gives a colour that is especially fresh and
welcome, and well repays the trouble it takes
to prevent its seeding and filling the beds with
ordinary red-tipped single Daisies. The double
white and red varieties only give a few blooms
at this season, but " Monte Carlo " is perennial
in its gaiety.

I need say nothing of the many belated
autumn flowers, such as the white and yellow
Paris Daisies, red Schizostylis, rose-coloured
Mesembryanthemums, and many others, which
may or may not add their quota to the modern
December garden, for when one adds the hand
some foliage of Aralia Sieboldi, New Zealand
Flax, and other still hardier shrubs, I think
any garden lover will realise how easily in many
places a winter garden may really be a thing of
beauty, to be enjoyed whenever the weather
propitious, and which with the first return of
milder weather will be added to very rapidly
by the host of spring bulbs, which begins by
Christmas with Crocus Imperati, and is soon
followed by the lovely flyacinthus azureus.
Ai-arboivugh. Ehward H. Woopall.

space permits, be successfully adopted. Whilst on
the subject of haidy plants I should like to add a
word at this season on increasing by division and
the best means of performing the same. This
with many, perhaps the majority of things, is the
mode of propagation most in vogue in private
places where a large stock of any one particular
species or variety is not required, and it possesses
the merit of giving very little trouble — no storing
away in nursery or prepared beds for the time,
simply lifting, dividing, and replantrng where re-
quired. Now the particular point to which I
want to draw attention is the advisalility of care
in such division. Even with the Pyrethrums,
close and matted together as they are, it is worth
consideration, but very much more where the
crowns are at all loose, and rough handling means
not dividing them into three, four, or half a dozen
compact pieces as their size may admit, but split-
ting up into fragments, which are then sometimes
huddled together and crammed into a small hole to
try and hide the careless work. The right way in
dealing with these things is to shake the soil away
gently from the crowns, then to run the fingers
lightly both through these and the roots to find
where the place of separation can most easily be
eSected, and to per form the operation with a sharp
knife, taking care neither to bruise nor mutilate
crown or root more than is absolutely necessary. It
is only reasonable to infer that plants so treated
will feel the division least and come away much
more quickly in the following spring. E. B.

FLOWER GARDEN NOTES.
C.\KNATiciN Uriah Pike.— It is to be hoped that

AUTUMN PLANTING.
It seems to me that the majority of gardeners
(and I write personally, for the thought has only
tely occurred to me) fail to realise that in nearly
all hardy plants a mixture of varieties (not species)
is invariably in good taste. The blending of colours
that is seen either from a distance or close at hand
produces nothing objectionable. I noticed this
particularly this season first with a mixed border
of Polyanthuses, and later with one of Carnations.
Naturally, if seed is required of the former, or if
the Carnations are to be layered where they have
flowered, it is advisable to plant in blocks of
selected colours or in separate varieties, but if in
neither case this is desired, then a general mix-
ture may be safely adopted with the very best re-
sults. We have, too, in such planting a variation
the height that has nothing of the severe regu-
larity about it inseparable with the other style,
but every plant varies as much in height as in
colour. Perhaps in the Carnations a pronounced
yellow would not look at home side by side with,
a«y, Ketton Rose, but I have never yet found a
yellow that is at once perfectly hardy and free,
and so have nothing of that shade among the
border varieties. The same rule holds good with
things of larger growth — Pyrethrums, Phloxes,
and Starworts, for example. One can hardly in
either case pick out a variety and say that it will
not from a colour standpoint associate well with

this Carnation, which came as such a capital
stitute for the Old Crimson Clove, will not develop
the objectionable failing that rendered the cultr-
vation of the latter variety in the majority of
places practically impossible. Certain it is that
the plants have a touch of spot, and, as formerly
the case with the older sort, it is the only one out
of about two dozen varieties that is in any way
affected. The only way I can account for it is
that some of this sort was layered in a frame to-
gether with two or three Malmaisons, and may
possibly have taken it from them, although no
symptoms of disease were apparent when tho
plants were put out. We know, however, that
some sorts are particularly susceptible ; indeed,
one season I remember having the Old Crimson
planted side by side with two members of tho
same family, a pink and white, and whilst the two
latter kept perlectly clean, the former was simply
covered with spot, a state of things that makes
the visitation all the more mysterious. Greatly
appreciated as Carnations are generally, it is, I
think, to thoroughly good self?, whether in white,
apricot, yellow, scarlet, p'nk, or crimson, that rhe
most favour is shown. Their welfare is invariably
the first consideration— that is, it is to these ore
naturally repairs when making an inspection of
beds, and good crimsons are not so common thit
we can aflbrd to contemplate with indifference
any defect in the constitution of a variety so gocd
alike in colour and scent as Uriah Pike. Writing
of this class of plants reminds me that those b bo
are wanting to strengthen for cutting their stock
of finely scented white flowers cannot do better
than invest in a small stock of Snowflake Pink.
It is a variety of great excellence, being very free,
pure in colour, and a non-splitter.

P.KONiES. — Anyone contemplating a rather ex-
tensive planting of Pieonies must remember and
study their re(iuirements a little, or the result
will hardly be satisfactory. There are some
hardy plants that will do fairly well rn almost
any situation, but this cannot be said of Pjeonies.
Here, for instance, if just planted in the natural
soil and left without further attention, the flower-
ing season in summers when the heat is above and
the rainfall below the average would be of the
briefest character. It is absolutely necessary to
work in a liberal dose cf a stiffer compost than is
naturally available, to add cow manure in tke

468

THE GARDEK

[December 12, 1896.

ratio of one to three or four of soil, and to mulch
heavily. Bearing in mind, even with the best
culture, the comparatively short season, it is hardly
advisable to group them inciuantity alone.although
a selection of both singles and doubles would give
a display through the greater part of ilay and
June. The better plan, however, is to plant at a
distance that will allow for working in other
thing,*, choosing in preference something that will
take up the flowering after the r^onies are over,
and continue more or less till the end of the

PorriEs.— It would seem that there is a growing
fancy for gorgeoushued flowers, althoujrh their
beauty is of a somewhat transient character, and
Poppies in variety may claim to be a sort of
miniature edition of the I'^ony, although some
of them equal, even if they do not exceed, the
largest P;ionie8 in size. The varieties of orientale
and brac'.eatum, for instance, would, I suppose,
produce the largest flowers to be found in the
garden. These, I think, show to the very beet
advantage in bold clumps in the front of shrub-
beries, and if they can be planted on the grass,
so that a bit of green shows between them, so
much the better. As pointed out in a recent note,
a ditiiculty is cfcen found, where rabbits are
troublesome, of providing for the wild garden
without the expense and unsightliness of wire
netting. I should think the Poppies, like Fox-
gloves and Daffodils, would be among the few, the
very few, plants that rabbits will not touch. Alike
in height of plant as in size of flower, these Poppies
are on the big side,aIthough they vary considerably.
The mention of Poppies and a thought of the
wants of the wild garden led to the mention of
the large types, but it was nudicaule and its
varieties of which I was thinking when starting
the comparison and similarity between Ta anies
and Poppies, and although the annuals, such as
the best varieties of somniferum, exceed them in
size and brilliance, for graceful beauty, purity of
colour, long - sustained flowering, and greater
duration in a cut state, the Iceland varieties hold
their own remarkably well. June is a good time
to sow, and if the summer is anything like that of
l!S96 a pirtially shaded position is advisable,
the soil fairly light and open. The plants can
either be pricked out for a time or they can be
thinned early, a little fine soil being put in among
those that are left, these being transferred when
convenient to permanent quarters. The Poppy
can hardly be put out of place, and a large
batch I have for cutting is growing on some
narrow borders, tilling up any space there is to
spare between bush Apples. It is a sign of the
increasing' favour with which such flowers are re-
garded to find them very largely in evidence in
the most tastily arranged dinner tables ; in fact,
together with the annual Poppies, Sweet Peas,
large-flowered Marguerites, and single Gaillardias,
they are about the very best things for such work.

Clarunont. E. Birrell.

Eczema and Hyacinths. —At a recent meet-
ing of the Linnean Society of London, Dr. Morris,
C.M.G., of the Royal Gardens, Kew, showed some
specimens and slides of raphides in the bulb of the
common garden Hyacinth ( Hyacinthus orientally
and its varieties). Gardeners are aware that fer
sons handling and cleaning these bulbs are liable
to eczema, and Dr. Morris's experiments and ob-
servations in the Jodwell Laboratory at Kew have
shown that the scales from the bulbs, whether dry
or moist, were capable of causing much irritation
in some people when applied to the skin. The
raphidee, which it seems clear ciuse this irritation,
are needle-shaped crystals of oxalate of lime, vary-
ing in length fromone-hundredth totwohundredth
of an inch. They are arranged in close bundles
and when the scales are rubbed are easily detached'
Dr. D. H. Scott, F.R.S., at the same meeting
mentioned some experiments which conflrmed the
conclusion that the irritation of the skin produced
by handhng Hyacinth bulbs was due to puncture
by the numerous raphides on the scales. It ap-
pears that Roman Hyacinths (var. albulue) are
particularly liable to produce the irritation. As

to the use of the bulbs of this crystal armour, it
is suggested that they are protective, and, as a
matter of f.ict, gardeners are aware that snails will
avoid Hyacinth bulbs, but attack others growing
close by.

Polyanthuses. — A grower of a very high-class
strain of the gold-laced section recently stated
that there was very little call for seed, very few
persons caring to grow these old florists' forms.
There can be no doubt that these have found in
the tirie free-growing border section very formid-
able rivals, and those who grow I'olyanthuses for
garden decoration only and not for exhibition
greatly prefer them. And yet there can be no
doubt that there is mut^h that is very attractive
in a really good strain of the gold-laced section,
for the markings are charmingly defined and in-
terest in them increases as the florist's points in
them are understood. Nine-tenths of those wlio
grow these hardy spring flowers outdoors not only
do not understand what are the properties of a
good flower, or indeed, except cursorily at some
spring show, have ever seen good ones. A bad
strain usually comprises the veriest rubbish Poly-
anthuses can produce. It would be gratifying
did a few more persons who fancy hardy flowers,
but become attached to the gold-laced forms,
study them, improve them, and thus once more
bring them into popularity. With regard to the
border section, although far less grown for show
than they deserve, yet they have in them merits
it is but needful to understand to realise. The
pips should be borne in good even trusses on
stout, erect stems, and should be of good size,
though not unduly large, have good clear colours
or markings, pure yellow or lemon eyes or centres,
well defined, and have perfect thrum ejes. These
are points any amateur can easily comprehend,
and should select specially to secure. Selection
will do much and some careful intercrossing will
helpalso.— A. D. ^

PHORMIUMS.
Or late there have appeared many interesting notes
in Thk G.\rden respecting those plants, though
none appear to have stated the amount of frost
they will endure with impunity. " F. VV. B"
mentions Phormium tenax growing well at
Powerscourt, Co. Wicklow, Ireland, but does not
say how much frost the plants had to endure.
During the time I lived in that part of the
country frost was never so severe as to kill many
plants that perish in an ordinary winter in the
south-east of England, for, as a rule, along the
coast of Ireland the weather in winter is mild. I
have grown several varieties of Phormium, but
have always found it best at the approach of
winter to lift them and store them awav for a
couple or three months in winter. In this way
there is less risk of losing them. Plants that have
remained out during severe weather unprotected
usually present a sorry figure in spring, and it
takes them all the following summer to recover.
There are several plants in this neighbourhood
that have remained out for years, but thev are no
larger now than when first turned out. The one
I have, named Colensoi, is the strongest grower
of the lot. It has variegated foliage, but the
stripes are not very distinct. This often sends
up flower-spikes from 12 feet to 15 feet high,
which produce seed - pods different in shape
from those of the others, for while those on the
o'd tenax are thick and terminate with a blunt
end, Colensoi has long pods which are pointed
and turned back. P. Veitchi has the prettiest
foliage, the stripes being much plainer and of a
more yellow tinge, but this does not flower so
freely. P. tenax variegatum with me is after the
old broad-leaved form, the stripes being near the
edges cf the leaves. Strange as it may appear,
none of them will produce variegated plants
from seed. Last year I saved a (juantity of seed
which was sown in a box and placed in a C'ucum-
ber house: it readily germinated and all the first
leaves were white, but after a time they changed
to green, so that at the present time, instead of

having a bitch of variegated plants, they are all
green. This, I should fancy, is the cause of the
upright form of the Powerscjurt variety, it being
a seedling of the variegated form of Colensoi
which grows to the height of about 6 feet : the
foliage IS not so broad as in tenax, much stouter,
and not so liable to get bent by the wind. Those
who have never seen the flower-stems of thtsa
plants can have any idea of their baauty. They
are striped in the same way as the leaves, but in-
stead of green and yellow are chocolate, bull,
brown, and various other colours running into each
other. H. C. Prissei'.
Ilnxt,,l.

NOTES ON HARDY PLANTS.
The Japan Anemone.— Ten or twelve years
ago I believe in these columns I mentioned that I
had seen a grand lot of seedlings in the little
nursery corner of the Princes Street Gardens,
Edinburgh. As well as I can remember, the
shac'cs varied from red-purple to the delicate
pinky tint of the Dog Rose, and in the white
forms there were some noble flowers as well as
fantastic shapes equal to, if not more so than in
Whirlwind. The conversation I had with the
manager who raised them need 'not be given
further than that he told me he had a great lancy
for the species and had been getting plants of it
from seed of his own.

Romneya Coulteri.— This during the month
has been one of the most pleasing objects. The
plants were in pots and had stood all the summir
in the garden, but after one or two [sharp frosts,
when the buds seemed to remain firm and unic-
jured, the pots were taken into a cool greenhouse,
and it is in this way I have got the superb blooms
as well as the promise of some good seed, the
capsules swelling fast. It is well known that in
these northern parts this plant is not always sure
to survive a severe winter, or only when protected
by mats, Bracken or some such dry covering.

Saxifraga Fortunei is a late, almost too late
flower, but as by the time it conies the rank and
file have passed away, its value is enhanced.
Another feature of this plant is, that until a severe
frost occurs its foliage is both ample and fresh.
The flowers, too, unlike those of most Saxifrages,
are large, showy and beautiful. A keen frost in
November brings a sudden change ; all is withered
up in a day ; the only consolation is that the roots
remain sound, and we shall see it flourish tl e
f jUowing year.

Saxifraga cuscutaeformis. — This is another
of the less common Saxifrages, which goes on
flowering in a cold frame to near Christmas. It
belongs to the sarmentose section, and is some-
times called the Dodder Saxifrage, from its
numerous thin stolons. The least plant of its
section, it has the biggest flowers, and these of
purest whiteness and of moth-like shape, com-
bined with the charming wedge-shaped foliage,
mottled and netted with delicate white lines, all
go to make this plant of the utmost interest and
beauty. As it can be kept in sheltered nooks in
the warmer parts of our country, in cold frames,
greenhouses, or even dwelling-room windows, it
should be more often seen. Many complain they
lose it. It may not be generally known that well-
established plants develop crowds of minute
tubers or granules, and once you get a strong
plant of this character it is not easily lost.

Shortia galacifolia.— What can it be that
hinders so many expert growers of hardy flowers
from succeeding with this handsome if humble
plant? When I see it in some g.irdens and com-
pare it with my plants, I am half inclined to be
vain, but I have nothing to warrant such vanity,
having done nothing very special for them,
I can only thus express my surprise that anyone
should fail with healthy specimens. \ow that
the garden has been shorn of all its flowers and
most of its greenery, this beautiful evergreen,
with its sombre, yet rich tints, becomes more
attractive. J. Wood.

Woodmlh, Kirkntall.

December 12, 1896.

THE GaKDEK

NELUMBIUM SPECIOSUM IN AUSTRIA.
On October 3 you inquired whether anybody
had tried to acclimatise the Nelumbium. Some
Nelumbiuras, particularly the following : N.
speciosum roseum, N. Osiris, N. album, N.
luteum, and N. pekinense rubrum, have been

469

fully. During the winter I put the plants
back into a cold house where they bore the
winter well with 4° to G° Reaumur. Only
one shoot of N. album which had grown out
of the tub lived out of doors, and remained there
through the winter. Contrary to expectation,

Nelumbium speciosum in M. Bombelle's garden at Schloss Opeka, Croatia. From a
photograph sent hy M. V. Schendel.

cultivated successfully for yeara in tubs in the ; this plant bore the cold weather beautifully,
garden of M. Bombelle. Two year3 ago I and commenced growing in the middle of May
tried growing the plantain tubs in a pond. The next year. This induced me to make another
result was good ; the plants got on vary well in i trial. I ordered some young plants from Latour-
the open air and commenced growing beauti- Marliao, Temple-sur-Lot, France, consisting of

N. speciosum and N. Osiris. I planted them out
m baskets, having cultivated them in boxes
until the middle of June, when I placed them
again m the pond in a part which was about 10
inches deep. These plants grew well during the
summer. Some of them had as many as thirty
leaves. They remained out of doors durino- the
winter without being covered up at all, only the
water was somewhat higher, so that it covered
the plants by about 2 feet to 2 feet 4 inches.
The plants stood the winter with the exception
of N. speciosum roseum, which perished.

Herewith two photos taken this summer.
The illustration on p. 471 shows N. Osiris with
hfty leaves and six buds, three of which only
developed owing to the hail. N. album had
over sixty leaves and two buds, both of which
were killed through the hail. One plant of N.
speciosum roseum in a tub had eight buds. The
illustration herewith represents a tub plant.
v. Schendel.

The Gardens, Schloss 'jpeia, nr. Viitica,
Croatia, Austria.

Pampas Grass protection.— My experience
in the county of Monmouthshire is not in accord
with that of your correspondent John Crook. I
have numeious plants of the Pampas Grass, large
and email, jouog and old, probably as good as
any in the raunty, and, as a rule, they are pro-
tected either late in the autumn or very early in
the winter with either Bracken or very loose
stable manure, the same as I apply to the Arti-
chokes, which seldom fail. As a protection I
prefer the loose stable manure. Unfortunately for
me, through change of my head gardener, this
protection in ]S!»4 was neglected, or rather par-
tially so, the result being that the unprotected all
died, young and old, whilst most of the " "

Clematises on their own roots.— Clematises,
like Ro3ee, are so universally grown as grafted
plants, using the roots of C. Vitalba or Viticella
for the stock, that very few ever give a thought
to growing them in any other way. They can
easily be increased by cuttings or layers, for I
have rooted a good many of various kinds, especi-
ally of that old well-known kind C. Jackmani
and that universally grown early white U. mon-
tana. As I have not used them for comparison as
to growth with grafted ones, I cannot speak with
any certainty as to them. As some readers may like
to try striking cuttings, allow me to say that the
best time is now close at hand, as the Clematis
starts into growth very ;early in the season, and
very early in the new year, on sunny walls, the
young shoots will be found pushing freely. When
they are from 4 inches to 6 inches long take them
off with the heel or bud intact and insert them
round the edges of small pots in fine sandy soil,
and treat them like any other soft-wooded cut-
tings. The majority of them will make good
plants during the season. As they are very
brittle, they require careful handling. — James
Griiom, Gosport.

Cutting' down herbaceous plants.— At
this time of the year, when flower beds and bor-
ders are receiving a general clear up, hardy plants
are stripped of their old leaves on the plea of tidi-
ness just as the most inclement period of the year
is at hand. If one remonstrates with the
gardener, you are sure to be met with the remark,
" Well ! they are dead, and of no more use. Why
not cut them off?" As far as appearance goes the
advocates of cutting down get the best of the
argument. The old drooping leaves of Pajonies,
Irises, Deliihiniums, and a host of others not only
look sered and weather-beaten, but they collect
and hold in their embrace all the loose tree leaves
are flying before the autumn gales, and col-
lectively they form a very effectual screen against
the winter's cold, and above all it must be remem-
bered that where the leaves are cut off the hollow
ft ms let the rain down right into the heart of the

470

THE GARDEN,

[December 12, 1896.

plant, while the bending stem keeps the heart dry,
and therefore able to resist much more cold. I
have ofcen been struck with the luxuriant growth
of plants left in old totally neglected gardens,
where the old foli^ige cf one year dies down and
forms a top dressing for the roots duricir the next,
and although the strongest growers do in these
cases soon overgrow the weaker ones, 1 cannot
but think that a lesson may be learnt that m.ay
make us pause before we shear oH' even the
withered leaves of our hardy plants nt the approach
of winter, and leave them to face it without any
artificial protection. No wonder that many a plant
that would prove hardy if left alone dies outright,
the victim of mis-directed zeal.— J. G., Oosporl.

SPRING GARDENS.

The qnickeninj year dissolves the snow,
And grasses spring and blossoms blow :
Through greener plains the river pours
Its lessening flood by silent shores :
Again th' awakenieg forests wear
Their pendent wealth of wreathed hair.

Horace, English by .Sir E. De Vere.

Is our islands, swept by the winds of ice-
less seas, spring wakes early in the year,
when the plains of the north and the moun-
tains of the south and i-entre are cold in
snow, and in our green springs the flowers of
northern and alpine countries open long he-
fore they do in their native places : hence the
artistic error of any system of flower gardening
which loaves out the myriad flowers of spring.
It is no longer a (]uestion of gardens being
empty of the right plants; nurseries and
g.irdeiis where there are many good plants are
now about us everywhere, but making eftec-
tive use of these is another matter, and one
to which much thought is rarely given. Thi
garden may be rich in plants, but poor in
beauty ; many gardens are stuffed with things
and are in effect ugly.

If we are to make good use of our rich
spring garden flora, we should get rid of
much annual culture, though it is not well
t" get rid of it altogether, as so many
things depend for their full size and beauty
on rich ground and frequent cultivation.
But, considering the many things that
grow without these, the most delightful spring
gardens are only likely to exist where we
make the best use of the many plants that
demand no annual care, from Globe Flowers
to Hawthorn?. The usual "spring garden-
ing" consists of "bedding out" of Forgctrme-
nots. Pansies, Daisies, Catchflies, and Hya-
cinths in beds and in ribbons, but this way
of cultivating sjiring flowers is far too narrow,
and originated when we had few good spring
flowers.

The fashion of leaving beds of Roses and
choice shrubs bare of all but one subject
.should be given up. In many })laces
the half-bare Rose beds might be a home
for choice spring flowers — Pansies, Violets,
early Irises, Datlodils, Scillas, and many
other dwarf plants in colonies between the
Roses. Double Primroses are happy and
flower well in such beds. The flight shade
.such plants receive in summer from the other
tenants of the bed assists them. "Where the
Rhododendron beds are planted in an "open"
way (and these precious bushes never ought
to be jammed together), a spring garden of

another kind may be made. The peat-
loving plants (and there are many fair ones
among them) will be quite at home there —
much more so than in any bare borders. The
white "Wood Lily of the American woods
(Trillium), the A'irginian Lungwort, the
Canadian Eloodroot, the various Dog's-tooth
Molets, and many early-flowering bulbous
plants enjoy peat beds.

Next we come to borders and beds of
favourite spring flowers, such as Polyanthuses,
Primroses in their coloured forms, Cowslips,
Auriculas, which in the self-coloured kinds
are charming, so that there is a variety of
ways of enjoying such plants more easily
managed than the "bedding' out" of spring
flowers. That may follow the fashion of the
hour, and with such plants as Forget-me-nots,
Daisies, .Silene, Pansy, Violet, Hyacinth, Ane-
mone, and Tulip, bi ight and pretty effects may
be formed ; but without any formal beds
under the windows, fair gardens of spring
flowers may be made in every place, and the
eternal problem of the design for the few set
beds of the " spring parterre " will not be so
serious a matter as in the past. There are so
many

H.\RDY Plants that Flower in Spbikg
(many alpine plants blooming as soon as
the snow goes), that it would be impossible to
enumerate them all in an essay devoted to
the more effective and essential groups for our
gardens. We must omit any detailed notice
of plants like Adonis, C.yclamen, Draba, Ero-
dium, and the smaller Rockfoils and Stone-
crops, Erinus (for old walls essential), hardy
Geranium, Dicentra, Fumaria, Omphalodes,
Orobus, Pamondia, Sanguinaria, Silene, and
many other flowers of spring.

Rock Cresses and Wallflowers.
As to the dwarf plants for the spring gar-
den, the first place belongs to certain mountain
plants of the northern world, which, in our
country, come into bloom before the early
shrubs and trees, and amongst the first bold
plants to cheer us in spring are those of the
Wallflower order — the yellow Alyssum, very
effective if treated in bold ways, and easy to
grow, the white Arabis, very well known,
and even more grown in Northern France
than in P^rgland (and it well deserves to be
spread about in sheets and effective groups),
and the beautiful jiurple Rock Cress (Au-
brietia), which is a lovely plant of the
mountains of Greece and the countries near,
and which has varied into a number of kinds
even more beautiful in colour than the wild
kind. Nothing for gardens can be more
precious than this plant in nearly all its
forms, its hardiness, habit, and long spring
bloom being qualities useful in almost every
kind of flower gardening — hanks, walls,
edgings — and it should be seen in strength
in every fli>wer garden where spring flowers
are thought of. These are among the plants
that have been set out in hard lines in
spring gardens, but it is easy to have better
effects from them in groups, and even in
broken lines and masses, or as carpets beneath

tall plants or bushes, thus giving softer, if
less definite, ettect^i.

The white evergreen Candytufts are effec-
tive plants in clear sheets of white for borders,
eugings to beds, tops of walls, and the rougher
flanks of the rock garden.

Happy always on its castle walls and
rocks, the Wallflower is most welcome in the
garden, where on warm soils and genial
climates it does well, but hard winters injure
it often in cold and inland districts, and it
it is almost like a tender plant in such con-
ditions. Yet it must ever be one of the
flowers best worth growing in sheltered and
warm gardens ; and even in cold places one
may have a few under the eaves of cottages
and on dry south borders. It is where large
masses of it are grouped in the open and are
stricken — as the greens of the garden are
stricken in cold winters — that we have to
regret having given labour and a place to
what might have been better devoted to
things hardy everywhere. The

WlXDKLOWEBS

are a noble group, among the most beautiful
of the northern and eastern flowers, .some
being easily naturalised (like the blue Italian
and (ireek Anemones), while the showy
Poppy Anemones are easily grown where the
soils are light and rich and in genial warm
districts : but these and other large Anemones
require some care on certain soils, and are
among the plants we must cultivate and even
protect in cold districts and hard winters. And
the same is true of the brilliant Asiatic Ranun-
culus and all its varied forms — Persian, Tur-
kish and French, as they may lie called, all
forms of ont' North African plant. The
Hepatica is a lovely little plant where the soil
is free, though slow in some soils, and where it
grows well all its varieties should be encouraged,
in borders and margins of beds of American
bu.shes as well as in the rock garden. Colum-
bines are very beautiful in the early part of
the year, and if we had nothing but the
common kind (vulgaris) and its forms, they
would be precious ; but there are a good many
others which thrive in free soils, some very
graceful and charming in colour. The common
Kingcup, which is so fine in wet meadows
and by the waterside, should be brought into
gardens wherever there is water, as it is a
most effective plant when well grown, and
there are several forms, double and single.
The Clematis, the larger kinds, are mostly for
the summer, but some (C. montana, C. alpina,
C. cirrhosa) are at their best in the spring;
they .should be made abundant use of on
walls and over banks, trees and shrubs. The
Leopard's - banes (Doronicura) thrive every-
where, and are vigorous and handsome in
shrubberies and rough ground. The winter
Aconite (earliest of spring flowers) naturalises
itself in many soils, but on some few dwindles
and dies out. It should rarely be grown in
the garden, but in shrubberies, copses, or in
grassy places.

Lesten Roses.

The most distinct addition to the spring

garden of recent years is the Oriental Hellebore

Dece-uber 12, 1896]

THE GARDEN.

t71

in its many beautiful varieties, many of tliem
raised ia gardens. They are handsome and
stately plants, with large and delicately marked
flowers. AVith the usual amount of garden
shelter and fairly good soil they grow bold
and free, and have a stately habit and fine
foliage, as well as beautiful flowers — excellent
for cutting, too. They are most effective,
sturdy,, impressive plants for opening the
flower year with, often blooming abundantly
at the end of February.

Amongst the most beautiful of the smaller
alpines bushes ever brought to our country
is the alpine forest Heath, which is cheery
and bright for weeks in spring. It is one of
the plants that never fails us, and only requires
to be grown in bold ways to be effective —
in groups and masses fully exposed to the
sun. The European Dog's-tooth Violet is
pretty in the budding grass, where it is free in
growth and bloom The common Fritillary
is one of the most welcome flowers for grass,
best in moist meadows ; the rarer kinds do
well in good garden soil, some of them with
pale yellow bells being charming.

.Snowdrops, Snowflakes, CnocusEs axu
Hyacinths.

The Hyacinth, which is often set in such still'
masses in our public gardens, gives prettier
eff'ects more naturally grouped, but, with all
its popularity, it is not nearly so important for
the open air as many flowers more easy to
grow and better in efi'ect, though some of tlie
more slender wild species, like H. amothysti-
nus, are very beautiful and deserve a good
place.

The Snowdrop has attained much greater
value of late years, owing to new and in-
U resting forms of it, some of which have been
brought from Asia Minor and others raised in
gardens. In some soils it is quite free and
becomes easily naturalised, in others it
dwindles away, and the same is tine of the ver-
nal Snowflake(L9ucojum vernum), a beautiful
plant. The larger Snowflakes are more free in
ordinary soils, and graceful ia certain positions ;
easily naturalised, too, in river bank soil.

The Crocus (the most brilliant of spring
flowers) does not always leud itself to growing
naturally in every soil, but on some it is quite
at home, especially those of a chalky nature,
and will often naturalise itself under trees,
while in many garden soils it is delightful for
edgings and in every way.

To the blue Scilia we are much indebted,
from the wild plant of our woods to the vivid
blue of the Siberian kind ; some kinds
are essential in the garden, and some may
be naturalised in warm and good soils.
With these lovely early flowers has come of
recent years to our gardens the beautiful
Chionodoxa from Asia Minor, of about the
same stature and efiect as the prettiest of the
Seillas, but more important for ettect ; it is
among the plants which may be planted with
best results in visible groups on the surface
of beds planted with permanent flowers, such
as Roses — where Eose beds are not surfaced
with manure, as all Eose growers unwisely
advise.

Ibis anh Gkape Hyacinth, Xaeciswus
AND Tulip.

In good and warm soils some of the more
beautiful of the flowers of spring are the early
Irises, but, in gardens generally, the most beau-
tiful Irises come inlate spring, with the German
kinds, which are so free and hardy through-
out our country. Orchid houses themselves
cannot give any such array as these when in
bloom ; and they are often deserving of a
little garden to themselves, where there is
room for it, while they are useful in many
ways in borders and as groups. About the
same time come the precious Spanish Iris
in many colours, lovely as Orchids, and very
easily grown, and the English Iris. The
Grape Hyacinths are pretty and early plants
of Southern Europe, and always delightful
in colour ; they increase rapidly and some
kinds do very well in the grass, but the rare
ones are best for warm borders and groups

Schloss Opeka^ Croatia. From
M. V. Schendel. (See p. 469,

the rock garden. The Narcissus is the best of
all plants for the spring, and worth growing in
every way, the rarer kinds in prepared borders
or beds, and tlie many that are plentiful in
almost any cool soil in the grass.

The Tulip is the most gorgeous in colour
of all the flowers of spring, and for its colour
and eft'ectiveness is better worthy of special
culture than most ; indeed, the florists' kinds
and the various rare garden Tulips must have
attention in order to attain their full size and
beauty, and replanting now and then is almost
essential with a Tulip garden if we are to
keep the bulbs free from disease. The wood
TuHp and certain wild species may be natura-
lised, and in that state are as beautiful, if not
so large, as the cultivated bulbs.
P.EONY AND Poppy.

Pa'onies are ettective in many ways.
Where single or other kinds are plentiful
they may be well used as broad groups in
new plantations, among shrubs and low
trees, and as to the choice double kinds,

no plants better deserve a little garden or
border to themstdves. The great scarlet
Poppies are showy in .'•pring and best among
trees and in the wild garden, and with
them may be named the Welsh Poppy,
a very effective plant in spring as well as
summer, and often sowing itself in all sorts
of places. The various garden forms of the
opium Poppy and of the field Poppy, both
double and single, are very showy where any
thought and space are given to annual flowers.
The tall Phloxes are plants of the summer,
but there is a group of American dwarf
alpine Phloxes of the mountains, which are
among the hardiest and most cheery flowers
of spring, thriving on any dry banks and in
the drier parts of rock gardens, forming neat
mossy edgings in the flower garden, and break-
ing into a foam of flowers early in spring.
Primroses are a lovely host for the garden,
n I especially the garden varieties of the com-
mon Primrose, Polyan-
thus and Oxlip. Few
things deserve a better
place, or are more
worthy of good culture
in visible groups and
colonies. Some kinds
of hardy Eanunculus,
the hardy herbaceous
double kinds, are very
fine in colour, and in
bold groups are pretty ;
and nearly allied to,
and somewhat like
them in effect, though
taller and bolder, are
the various Globe
Flowers, easily na-
turalised in moist,
grassy places or by
water, and also free
and teUing among
stout herbaceous
plants. The large-
•' leaved Indian Rock-

foils are, in many
soils, very easily grown, and they are showy
spring flowers in bold groiap?, especially some
of the improved varieties.

Panssies.

The Viola family is most precious, not
merely in the many forms of the sweet Violet,
which will always deserve garden cultivation,
but in the many forms of the Pansy, which
flower so effectively in the spring. The best
of all perhaps for artistic use are the Tufted
Pansies, which are delightfully simple in
colour — white, pale blue, or lavender, and
various other delicate shades. Almost peren-
nial in character, they can be increased and
kept true, and they give us distinct and deli-
cate colour in masses as wide as we wish,
instead of the old " variegated " mixture of
Pansies. Though the separate flowers of
these were often handsome, the efi'ect of the
Tufted Pansies with their pure and delicate
colours is more valuable, and these also,
while pretty in groups and patches, will.

photograph sent !)i/

472

THE GARDEN.

[December 12, 1896.

where there be space, often be wortli growing
in little nui-sery beds.

In ;»1I chalky, s.<uiily, and -warm soils the
early S^tocks for spring bloom are very free and
fragrant, but it is a waste of time to attempt
to grow them on certain cold soils. The
tommon perennisil Lupine is a very showy,
pretty plant grown in a free way in groups
and masses, and may sometimes be natu-
ralijed, and, associated with Poppies and free
growing Columbines in the wild garden, it is
very effective.

FOHGKT-ME-XOTS

are among the best Howei-s of spring. Before
the common and most beautiful of all — the
marsh Forget-me-not — comes, there are the
wood Forget-me-not (M. sylvatica) and M.
disisitiflora and M. alpestris, all precious for
spring gardening. Allied to the ever-wel-
come I'orgct-ine not is the common Ompha-
lodes, or creeping Forgetme-not, a good
border plant, but more valuable still for its
freedom in growth in half-shady or rough
places in almost any soil — one of the most
precious of the plants which take care of
themselves, so to say, if we take a little
trouble to put them in likely spots. Among

AsxDAL Flowers that Bloom ix Spring

where the soil is favourable, excellent re-
sults are often obtained by sowing Sweet
Peas in autumn. AVhere this is done, and
they escape the winter, they give welcome
hedgerows of flowers in the early year. So,
too, the CornHower, a lovely spring flower,
and perhaps the finest blue we have among
annual plants ; but to have it good and
early it should be always sown in autumn,
and for effect it should be in broad masses
among shrubs. Some of the Californian
annuals are very handsome and vigorous
when sown in autumn, always provided they
escape the winter. The white Godetia we
have had very fine in this way, and some
annuals and biennials, like the wood Forget-
me not, are worth sowing in the early autumn
here and there among newly-planted things.
It would be taking too naiTow a view to omit
from our thoughts of spring gardens the many
beautiful

Flowerixg Shrubs axd Trees that
Bloom in Spbing,
as some of the finest ellects come from the
early trees and shrubs. Among the most
stately are the Ch-stnuts, particularly the
red kinds, fine in all stages, but
especially when old. The snowy Mes-
pilus is a hardy, low-sized tree, blooming
regularly, and well deserves a place in the
jilea-sure garden or the fringes of shrubberies.
The Almonds, more than any shrubs, ]ier-
haps, in our country, light up the earliest
days of spring, and, like most southern trees,
are best in warm valley soils, growing more
slowly in cool, heavy soils. They should be in
groups to tell in the home landscape. Per-
haps of all the shrubs ever brought to our
country the hardy Azaleas will, in the end,
be found best, the most constant in bloom.

iuid the most effective. They are raised from
kinds that are wild on the mountains of Ame-
rica and one European kind, and many forms
have been raised in gardens which are of the
highest value in effect. ]\[any places do not
as jet show the great beauty of the different
groups of hardy Azalea, particularly the
late and large flowered kinds raised of
recent years, which are better than the old
Azaleas. A neglected tree with us is the
Judas tree, which is very handsome in
groups, as it ought always to be grown,
and not as a starved single tree. The
various double Cherries are well suited for
our country, being showy as well as delicate
in bloom, and the Japanese kinds do quite
as well as the old French and English double
Cherries, though the trees are apt to perish
from grafting. The American Fringe tree
(Chi(inanthus) is pretty, but some American
flowering trees do not ripen their wood
well enough in England generally to give us
the handsome effects seen in their own
country. Hawthorns are a liost in them-
selves; those of our own country make natural
spring gardens of hills and rocky places, and
should teach us to give a place to the many
other species to be found in the mountains of
Europe and America, which vary the bloom
and prolong the season of early flowering
trees, and there are many varieties of our
native Hawthorn — red, pink, double, and
weeping. The old Laburnum has for
many years been a joy with its golden
rain, and of late we are doubly well off with
impro\ed varieties of the alpine Laburnum,
with long chains of golden flowers. These
>\ill form the noblest flowering trees as they
get old, hence the importance of grouping
Laburnum trees that look well in any place,
but it is better to get the varieties together,
so that the different forms may come well
into the picture.

Broom axd Fuuze.

There is no more showy plant or one more
beautiful in eflect in masses than the common
Broom and all its allies that are hardy enough,
even the little Spanish Furze giving fino
colour. The common Broom should be en-
couraged on bluffs and sandy or gravelly places,
so as to save us the trouble of growing it in gar-
dens, for in effect there is nothing better. The
same may be said of the Furze, which is such
a lieautiful plant in England, and the double
Furze deserves to be massed in the garden
in picturesque groups. In country seats,
especially those commanding views, its value
in the foreground is very great, and it is io
easily raised from seed, that fine effects are
very easily secured. Among the more refined
charms of the spring garden are the slender
wands of the Forsythia, hardy Chinese bushes,
pale greenish yellow, delightful in effect when
massed in a picturesque way ; effective also
on walls or grouped in the open air on banks.
Another plant of refined beauty, but too
little planted, is the Snowdrop tree (Halesia).
Unlike other American trees, it ripens its
wood in our country well, and often flowers
very effectively. The mountain Laurel of

America (Kalinia) is one of the most beautiful
things ever brought to our country, and as a
late spring flower is precious, thriving both in
the open and in half-shady places.

Rhododendron and Magnolia.

Tlie glory of spring in our pleasure grounds
are the Rhododendrons; but they are so
over-mastering in their eflect on people's
minds, that very often they lead to neglect
of other things. It would be difficult to
over-rate their charms ; but even amongst
them we require to discriminate, and avoid
the too early and tender kinds. JIany of the
kinds raised from R. ponticum and the Indian
Rhododendron, while they thrive in mild dis-
tricts in the south of Ireland and England,
and by the sea here and there, are not hardy
in the country generally. Some of these
tender hybrids certainly flower early, but we
get little good from that. The essential thing,
when we give space to a hardy .shrub, is that
we should get its bloom in perfection, and
therefore we should choose the broad-leaved
kinds, which are mostly raised from the hardy
North American li. catawbiense, and be "a
little particular in grouping the prettiest
colours, never using a grafted plant.

For many years the Magnolia has, when well
grown, been one of the finest trees in English
southern gardens. IMothing is more effective
than the Lily tree in gardens like Syon and
others in the Thames valley ; and of late years
we have seen good additions to this the noblest
family of flowering trees. Some of these, like
M. stellata, have proved to be valuable ; all are
worth a trial, and, as to the kinds we are sure
of, the great thing is to group them. Even
in the case of the common Lily tree it makes
a great difl'erence whether there are four or
five plants or one.

Pyrus japonica, a handsome old shrub
often planted on cottage garden walls, may
in many soils be used with good effect in
groups and hedges. The evergreen Barberries
in various forms are beautiful eai-ly shrubs,
with soft yellow flowers, and excellent when
grouped in some quantity. Two very impor-
tant families are the Deutzias and Syringas,
which are varied and beautiful, mostly in
white masses. They should never be buried
in the common shrubbery, but grouped in
good masses of each fanuly. The flowering
Currant (Ribes) of the mountains of N.W.
America is in all its forms a very cheery
and early bush, which tells well in the home
landscape if rightly placed ; but perhaps the
most welcome and important of all early
trees and shrubs is the Lilac, which is often
neglected or grown in one or two kinds only,
when there are many. Beautiful in almost
any position. Lilacs are most efl'ective when
planted together, so as to enjoy the full
sun to ripen their wood ; the danger of
thick planting can be avoided by putting
Irises or other hardy flowers over the ground
between the shrubs, which should never be
cro^vded.

Orchard Beauty.

"We must not lose sight of the orchard
trees, as nothing made bv man is so beau-

December 12, 1896.J

THE GARDEK

473

tiful in spring as an orchard. If vfv see
sucli fine eti'ects where orchards- are poorly
planted with one kind of tree, as the Apple
(and in many country places there are
no orchards worthy the name), what might
not he expected of an orchard in which the
heauty of all our hardy fruit trees would be
visihie 1 If we consider the number of dis-
tinct species of fruit trees and the many
varieties of each, we may get some idea of
the pictures one might have in an orchard, lie-
ginning with the bloom of the Sloe in the fences .
The various Plums and Damsons are beautiful
in bloom where they are grown in quantity,
as in the Thames valley and about Evesham.
The Apple varies much ia bloom, as may be
seen in Kentish orchards, whore the flowers
of some are of e straordinary beauty. The Pear,
less showy in colour, the Medlar, so beautifa'
in flower and in foliage, and the Quince, so
pretty in bloom in Tulip time, must not
be omitted. The Cherry is often a beau-
tiful tree in its cultivated as well as wild
forms, and the Cherry orchards in parts of
Kent, as near Sittingbourne, are pictures.
There is no better work than choosing a
piece of good ground to form an orchard ; and,
considering the number of trees that are worth
a place for their beauty as well as their fruit,
a dozen acres are not too much in country
places where there is land to spare.
Crab Bloom.
Apart from the many orchard trees grown
for their fruit, we have in our own day to
welcome some of their allies — lovely in flower,
if often poor in fruit. Our country has never
been without some of this kind of beauty, as
the Crab itself is as handsome a flowering tree
as are many of the Ajiples which are descended
from it in all the countries of Europe, from
Eussia to Spain. And in our gardens in past
days there were for many years the old Chinese
double Pyrus, a very handsome tree which
became popular, and the American Cral),
■which never became so. But of late years
we have been very much enriched by Japan
in these ways, and many of us have been
charmed to see the heauty of the Japan Crab
(Mains floribunda), which is certainly a lovel
tree for some weeks in spring, and bids fair
to become a favourite everywhere. At least
two others, however, deserve the same fate ;
one is Parkman's Crab, which comes to us
under more than one name, and the other
red form of the Japanese flowering Crab
before mentioned. All these trees are as
hardy as our native Crab, and ditt'er much
in colour and sometimes also in form.
It is difficult to describe how much beauty
they give where well grown and placed ; they
are not the kind of things we lose owinu,- to
change of fashion, and, in planting them,
it is well to put them in groups where they
will tell. Apart from these more or less wild
species there are numbers of hybrid Crabs
— raised between the Siberian and some com-
mon Apples in America and in our country
— that are beautiful also in flower, and re-
markable, too, for beauty of fruit, so that a
beautiful grove of flowering trees might be

formed of Crabs alone. With these many
fine things, and the various Honeysuckles, we
are carried bravely down to the time of Rose
and Lily — summer flowers, though Roses often
come on warm walls in spring.

Spring Flowbbs in Sun and Shade.

Genista

Halesia

Eerria

Laburnum

Lonicera

Magnolia

Mahonia

Malus

Mespilus Styrax

Philadelphus Syringa

Prunus Tamarix

Pyrus Ulex

Rhododendron Viburnum

Ribes Weigela

Spartium Wistaria
Spiraia

W. R.

It is worth while thinking of the
in the blooming of spring flowers in various
aspects. Daffodils do better in half shade
than in full sunshine, and Scillas and other
bulbs are like the Daffodils in liking half shady
spots ; so also Crown Imperials, which, like the
Scillas, bleach badly if fully exposed to the
sun. We may see the Wood Hyacinth pass
out of bloom on the southern slopes of a
hill, and in fresh and fair bloom on its
northern slopes. Flowering shrubs, creepers
on walls and all early plants are influenced
in the same way. Such facts may be
taken advantage of in many ways, especially
with the nobler flowers that we make much
use of. If difierent aspects are worth securing
for hardy flowers generally, they are doubly
so for those of the spring, when we are more
liable to sudden storms of snow and sleet
that may destroy an early bloom. If for-
tunate enough to have the same jilant on the
north side of a hill or wall, we have still a
chance of a second bloom, and a dift'er-
ence of two or three weeks in one place in
the blooming of a plant.

Let all who love the early flowers look at
this list— not one of the kinds of spring
flowers (which are innumerable), but of the
families, while some of these, such as Narcissus
and Rockfoil, are large groups of lovely
flowers, and the story of these, too, is the
story of the spring.

Some

gpKINO AND EaELY SUMMER FlOWEES

Hardy in English Gardens.

Adonis

Eranthis

Omphalodes

Alyssum

Erica

Ornithogalum

Andromeda

Erinus

Orobus

Androsace

Erodium

Pajonia

Anemone

Erythronium

Papaver

Aquilegia

Ficaria

Phlox

Arabis

Fritillaria

Polemonium

Arenaria

Fumaria

Potentilla

Armeria

Galanthus

Primula

Asperula

Genista

Pulmonaria

AsphodeluB

Geum

Ramondia

Aubrietia

&^o^i\^

Ranunculus

Bellis

Sanguinaria

Caltha

Hepatica

Saponaria

Centaurea

Hesperis

Saxifraga

Clematis

Hyacinthus

Scilla

Crocus

Iberis

Sedum

Convallaria

Iris

Silene

Cyclamen

Leucojum

Trillium

Daphne

Linum

Triteleia

Dentaria

Lychnis

TroUius

Dianthus

Meconopsis

Tulipa

Dicentra

Muscari

Uvularia

Dodecatheon

Myosotis

Veronica

Doronicum

Narcissus

Vinca

Draba

Nemophila

Viola

Epimedium

Of spring-flowering trees and shrubs hardy

British gardens the following a

re among the mc

effective ;—

.*:3eulu8

Cerasus

Daphne

Amelanchier

Cercis

Deutzia

Amygdalus
Azalea

Crataegus
Cydonia

Erica
Exochorda

Berberis

CytisuB

Forsythia

Stove and Greenhouse.

BOUVARDIAS.
As the Chrysanthemum season draws to a close
the anxiety of those who have to keep up a cod-
tinuous supply of flowers increases, as these
plants ailord such a rich harvest of bloom suit-
able for all purposes, that unless steps have
been taken to secure good batches of other
things to succeed them their loss will be still
more obvious. For such a purpose I look upon
Bouvardias as indispensable, especially where
grown under such conditions as to incur a mini-
mum of labour and expense during the summer
months and affording a wealth of choice bloom
at a most trying season. In growing Bouvar-
dias successfully, gardeners in the south have a
decided advantage over those in the north, in-
asmuch as the latter, owing to climatic in-
fluence, have mainly to keep to pot culture under
glass, and although good plants are raised in
this way, the quantity of bloom is not nearly
so great as can be obtained from plants which
have been planted outdoors during the growing
season. The chief reason why Bouvardias dp
not succeed well in many gardens is due, I con-
sider, to giving the plants too much heat and
not afibrding a season of rest, as I find when
kept in a humid house the growth becomes
weak compared with that of plants given full
exposure. The advantage gained by planting
in a sheltered outside border, when given ordi-
nary care and attention, over plants that have
been raised in pots will be patent to all who
are in a position to give both systems a fair
trial. Pot plants whose roots are restricted are
naturally less vigorous than those that have
more freedom, and the shoots, therefore, can-
not stand so much stopping, with the result
that the one plant is twice the size of the other
by the end of summer. This is not all, as
those with the greatest amount of healthy roots
are in a condition to throw up strong growths
from the base after the plants are housed.
These in turn will give a second crop of bloom
equal, if not superior, to the first lot, while
the plants by being fully exposed require little
or no fire-heat until frost is sufliciently severe
to necessitate its being used, and the flowers
thus produced having more substance will stand
much longer when cut.

Resting the plants.— As the plants go out
of flower towards spring, a few weeks' rest will
be beneficial by withholding water from the
roots and placing them in a dry house or pit,
which will induce most of the foliage to fall,
the same as one would treat Fuchsias in the
autumn. The wood will then become well
ripened and will break more strongly when the
time arrives for cutting the plants back and
starting them again into growth, which should
be towards the end of April.

Startini; the plants at this date may ap-
pear rather late, but I find nothing is gamed
by doing so earlier, as then fire-heat would be
required, which, as before stated, causes weak
growth, and to build up strong plants, cool
treatment with plenty of air from the first is
very necessary. The plants after having been
cut bask should be placed close to the glass in a

474

THE garbe:n.

[December 12, 1896.

cold frame, water being withheld until growth
has commenced, encouraging this by dewing
the plants over each eveniug and closing the
lights. As the young shoots appear more air is
alforded ; in fact, the lights may be removed
entirely during mild showery weather, and by
being fully exposed to the sun, the growth at
tirst may appear slow, but it is very sturdy and
very different from that made in a close, moist
atmosphere.

Plaxtim; oiT.— By the end of May or be-
ginning of June, the shoots having attained an
inch or two in length and just as'the roots be-
come active, the plants should be placed in
their summer quarters, which should be a
sheltered border, but fully exposed to the sun.
Before doing so, however, see that each ball is
thoroughly moistened, and in planting, carefully
reduce most of the old soil. If the soil is
fairly good it is not necessary to manure the
border previous to planting, but add a spadeful
or two of good compost rovind the roots as the
work proceeds, the aim beiug to keep these
close to the stem. The plants should be placed
quite 2 feet .apart, as when closer they are apt
to get thin at the bottom before autumn. One
or two waterings may be Decessary to start the
plants, after which the chief thing required is
regularly stopping the shoots, and as growth
will be rapid the plants should be looked over I
for this purpose every fortnight, the last stop

almost of Laurels go a long way to prove
what is the correct treatment ot the plant. Theee
specimens had, however, been planted out in good
deep loam at the base of a high wall in a corridor.
The plants never felt the sun's rays, and with
plenty of freedom at the root, the growth was re-
markable and flowers were plentiful,— T.

Fleroma macranthum for roofs.— This,
which is quite as well known under the generic
name of Lasiandra as that of Pleroma, does not
get its merits as a plant for the greenhouse roof
sutiiciently recognised, for it is seldom seen so
treated, though it is one of the most beautiful sub-
jects that we have for such a purpose. This
autumn, as usual, it has been very fine in No. 4
greeid)ouse at Kew, and should form a good
object lesson to the many visitors there. The
rich purple blossoms supply a colour which is but
little represented among indoor plants, being
more in the way of Clematis Jackmani. Some
of the Pleromas, V. elegans, for instance, are
difficult plants to cultivate successfully, but no
such thing can be urged against P. macranthum,
which will grow fretly in an ordinary greenhouse
temperature, while it will also thrive if kept
somewhat warmer. It is not at all difficult to
strike from cuttings of the young growing shoots
put in durin;4- the spring months, but preferem
should be given to shoots of moderate vigour
rather than the very strong ones. A very suit-
able compost is a mi.xture of loam and peat, with
a Uberal dash of rough silver sand. This Pleroma
stock plant in most nurseries, but if kept for

•Vnother interesting feature is a house full of
plants grown from (ierman seed. Messrs. Low
and Co. having heard it expressed that the
German Cyclamens were better than the English,
secured some seed from the leading German growers.
Most of the plants have their first blooms
open, but they certainly do not compare favourably
with those of their own strain, the flowers
being much smaller and the colours not so dis-
tinct. The habit of growth is their best point,
being compact, with broad foliage, which is dis-
tinct from that of most English strains. The
vigorous growth shows that the German strain
has been under etjually good treatment as the
homo strain.— VisiTiiK.

ping taking place towards the end of August or | some time in comparatively small pots for con

some ten days before the plants are lifted. In
lifting the plants select a duU day if possible,
and see that the soil is thoroughly moist before
doing so. If it is decided to'flower the plants
on the borders in Melon or Tomato houses, all
that is necessary is to lift the plants with a
good ball of earth, tilling in between the roots
with good soil. Give a copious watering, keep
the foliage well syringed, and afford plenty of
ventilation. The plants will soon become es-
tablished, and will not fail to give abundance
of bloom from the end of November onwards.
It is not, however, in all gardens that houses
can be devoted to these plants, as they are
often required for other things early in spring
before the Bouvardias have done flowering, in
which case it would be better to pot the )>lants,
30 that they may be taken to different houses
as reiiuired. The advantage gained with pot
plants is that they can be kept outside much
later, which will not only retard their flowering,
but the plants become well established before
being ]ilaced under cover.

I have a houseful of plants which have re-
ceived this cool treatment just coming into
bloom. They are all that can be desired, and
will supj.ly an almost unlimited quantity of
bloom fur some months to come. I may add
that though all varieties have done remark ibly
well I find that the double ones require a little
more warmth whtn the flowers are opening.

Ooodv:o;d. R. Pakkek.

Daplrne indica alba.— This is doubtless one
of the most charming and ex.iuisite of all fragrant
flowering shrubs. A few ^pray8 in water before
me gathered from a pot-bound plant are sufficient
to scent an ordinary sized room, and nothing could
be more welcome than the fragrance thty shed
around. The plant is an old inhabitant of our
gardens and of comparatively easy culture, yet it
IS only rarely that good plants are seen, and less
frequently that thev are well flowered. It is
generally supposed to be a peat loving plant,
though I have not found it so, as the best and
most vigorous plants I ever had were grown in
the yellow loam of Banstead without peat A
uniformly cool place I have proved to be of
great benefit : indeed, plants each several feet
through and possessing the strength and vigour

enience of transit, it is sometimes difficult to get
it to grow away freely afterwards.— H. P.

Miss Joliffe Carnation.— I notice in Tu
Garden (p. 4.S9) a paragraph by " C. H." on th
Carnation and mildew. He says it is very apt
to die off suddenly, and is liable to attacks of thi
disease. I think if the first principles of growing
Carnations under glass were adhered to, there
would be no cause for complaint on this head. I
mean by these, plenty of air, plenty of room, and
very little water. I have never seen mildew here,
and I have grown quantities of this variety for
the last ten years. Your eorrespondent calls'Miss
Joliffe " the grandest of all pink-flowered Car-
nations." It is to this that I beg to take excep-
tion. For some years there have been several
varieties in commerce that are very superior to
Miss Joliffe both in size and quality, but of the
same lovely colour. Re,i:inald Godfrey, for in-
stance, is a far larger and better bloom and
e(|ually free-blooming, but what surpasses all others
is Mistral, which is the best winter- flowering
variety of this colour that I have yet seen. I
have grown it for some years and have sent away
large quantities of it, and it has been universally
admired by all growers of winter-flowering Carna-
tions. Miss Joliffe is largely used for button-
holes. At this time of year you will always see it
in florists' shops, but to make the bloom of
sufficient size, three or four are wired together,
which gives it a lumpy appearance. Mistral is
quite large enough to stand alone, and a single
of it elegantly mounted is infinitely
more graceful than a bunch of Miss Joliffe.—
H. W. VVi;.:rKLIN, SI„_d<lon, Tagnmouth, Devon.

Cyclamens at Bush Hill Part Nursery.-
Messrs. Low and Co. have long made a speciality
of Cyclamens, and at the present time their strain
is unsurpassed. Their stock, too, is one of the
largest in the trade, house after house bein^- filled
with plants in various stages of growth. Though
not yet quite at their best, they are sufficiently
forward to judge of what they will be later, and I
have never seen a more promising lot of plants.
The various shades of colour are grown together,
each variety being kept separate when the seed
is saved. It is remarkable how true each variety
keeps. The colours range from pure white to the
deepest shade of crimson. Among the whites
there is an interesting variety with a feathery
growth on each petal, almost like an additional
petal, but it is attached throughout its length,
which is nearly the length of the normal petals.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1096.

BEGONIA GRACILIS.

(SVN., 11. MARTIANA.)

(with a coloured plate.*)
This is one of the most beautiful of the species
of Begonia that have a tuberous root-stock and
annual stems. Hitherto, however, it has not
become generally grown, owing, I believe, to
the poorness of some of the forms of it which
have been introduced, for it is one of the most
variable of Btgonias, and some of the varieties
are miserable both in stature and floral
attractions compared with the best forms of it,
one of which is represented in the accompany-
ing plate. Probably, too, seme cultivators
have discarded it because of its failing to grow
well under ordinary treatment. When well
grown, however, it is a most charming plant
for the greenhouse. It is also a first-rate plant
for the flower garden ; at any rate, it proved
such in the Cambridge Botanic Gardens this
year, Mr. Lynch having planted it in a round
bed on one of the lawns ; and when 1 saw it in
October it was exceptionally charming, the
stems being from 1 foot to 18 inches high,
clothed with sturdy foliage and rich pink
flowers. Mr. Lynch starts the tubers at the
same time and in the same manner as the ordi-
nary tuberous Begonias, planting them in the
open ground at the same time. Their stems,
however, require to be supported with stakes,
and a position sheltered from wind is preferable
for them. Grown in pots, this species should
be started in a little warmth in February,
potted in light loam and leaf-mould and kept
near the glass, shading it from bright sunshine.
During the summer a cold, airy frame or light
greenhouse suits it. Lender warm treatment
the stems grow spindly and the flowers are thin
and wanting in colour.

B. gracilis was fiist introduced from Mexico
in 1829, when it flowered in the garden of Mr.
P. Neil, of Cannonmills, Edinburgh, and was
figured in the BoianicHl Maijadiie. L'nluckily,
this was a bad variety, as is shown by the
figure. In the description it is stated to have
climbing stems. Being widely distributed in
Mexico and so variable in stature, &c., it has
been named several times, and is still grown in
some gardens as B. Martiana, B. diversifolia,
and B. bicolor. About half a dczen varieties of
it have been named, one called grandiflora by
M. Lemoine, and having large flowers of a rich
carmine colour, being perhaps the best ; the
form called bicolor is also a good one. Accord-
ing to Mr. C. C. Pringle, who has collected
specimens of this Begonia in various parts of
Mexico, it occurs in regions where there are
severe frost and snow. Some years ago I saw

* Drawn for The Garden by H. G. Moon in
the Royal Gardens, Kow. Lithographed and printed
by J. L. Gotfart, successor to Guiilaume Severeyns.

iC J» 1896

BEGONIA MARTIANA VAR. GRACILIS

Decembee 12, 1896.1

THE GARDEN.

475

in the gardens of Mr. Chamberlain at High- 1
bury some plants which were hybrids between
B. gracilis and an Andean species or variety.
I have not heard of these since, and, so far as I
know, no good cross has yet been raised from
B. gracilis, although it appears to have all the
merits of a good breeder.

The tuber is white, smooth, more or less
tidney-shaped, and up to 2 inches in diameter.
The stems are erect, from IJ feet to 2J feet
high, unbranched save near the top, unless
pinched when young. The leaves are pale
glistening green, variously lobed, and very
succulent. The iiowers are bonie in axillary
racemes, and in a good variety they are large,
of good substance, and of a rich carmine colour,
as shown in the plate. Seeds are ripened
freely, and in addition to these, as a means of
reproduction, myriads of small seed-like bul-
bilfe are developed in the axils of the leaves
and in the basal sinus of the leaf-blades.
These should be gathered and sown at once in
a pan of rather dry soU, placing them upon a
shelf in a greenhouse to be kept dormant till
spring. For the multiplication of good varie-
ties these bulbilae are, of course, preferable to
•seeds, as they reproduce all the characters
peculiar to the parent plant. During the
winter the tubers should be rested along with
those of the common tuberous Begonias.

The Week's Work.

FRUIT UNDER GLASS.
Cheeries. — Where ripe Cherries are required by
the end of April or early in May, preparations
should now be made for starting the trees. If
treated as previously advised they will have had
good rest, and should therefore start readily into
growth. For the first supply, trees grown in pots
are preferable, as a greater variety can thus be
had in a limited space. It is useless to attempt
to force trees that have recently been taken up
from the open ground and potted ; they should
have been established at least one year. For this
reason it is always well to procure a stock of
young trees each autumn, potting them up, and
afterwards plunging them in the open ground,
when if any of those which have been forced the
previous year should show signs of exhaustion,
others will be in readiness to take their place,
Cherry houses should be well ventilated, and have
sufficient piping in them to prevent the necessity
of over-heating to keep up the requisite tempera-
ture. Where it has been necesfary to rearrange
the hot-water apparatus, care should alwayi
taken to have the boiler so fixed, the mains so
arranged, and the valves placed in such positions
that each house may be worked independently,
for when the heat has to pass through one house
before it can reach the next, much inconvenience
and waste of heat always occur. Previous to in
troducing the tree.'*, see that both woodwork and
glass are thoroughly cleansed. The trees them-
selves should also be washed with some kind of
insecticide, taking care not to injure the budi
doing so. The surface soil of the pots should then
be removed and replaced with a rich top-dressing.
This should be well rammed down to make it firm,
that the young fibres may the more readily take
hold of it. Cherries will not stand hard forcing ;
therefore it is preferable to start the house a
week earlier than to attempt to hurry them on by
too much fire heat, as this would only result in
failure. In dull, cold weather the heat should not
exceed 40°, but on bright, mild sunny days the
thermometer may be allowed to run up to 50' or
«ven o5", provided plenty of air at the same time
is afforded. If there is a prospect of a tine mild
day, the ventilators ought to be opened a little
■•earlier in the morning to prevent a toolsudden
lise of the temperature, and as the heat increases

mora air should be given. The trees may be
syringed twice daily when the sun is bright, but
when dull, once will be sufficient. Particular
attention must be exercised in watering, for if
once the roots are allowed to become dry, the
flower-buds will not develop properly. When the
buds commence to swell, a sharp look-out should
be kept for the black fly, for if the first of these
that are hatched be destroyed, it will lessen the
work of keeping the trees clean afterwards. The
flower- buds should occasionally be looked over,
as it is on these that they first make their appear-
ance.

Plums. — Where a variety in the dessert has to
be kept up a few trees of these in pots may be in-
troduced into the Cherry house, as the same treat-
ment will answer for both. The trees should be
prepared in the same way as recommended for
Cherries. They may, however, be pruned either
to assume a gridiron shape, kept as pyramids or
cordons. In either case it will be necessary that
they should be thoroughly established before at-
tempting to force them. Early varieties are the
most suitable for the purpose, fuch for example
as the Early Gage, Dennisoon's Superb, Stint,
Royal Hative, July Gage, Purple Gage, De Mont-
fort, Early Transparent and others. These, like
the preceding, object to too much fire-heat ; there-
fore gentle forcing only should be adopted. A
close look-out must be kept for black fly, which is
sometimes very troublesome to trees when grown
under glass ; this should be destroyed on the first
appearance.

Early Peach houses. — The trees in these will
now be swelling their buds rapidly ; as soon as the
colour of the flowers can be seen syringing ought
to be discontinued till the fruit is set. It is,
however, advisable to look carefully over the
shoots to see if there are any signs of green fly, as
these sometimes make their appearance just as
the buds are expanding. If any are found these
should be at once destroyed, for by so doing the
trees may be kept clean till the fruit is set. Be
careful not to excite the trees too much by fire-
heat ; better by far when the nights are frosty and
the days bright allow a greater range of tempera-
ture than follow the old orthodox rule of adher-
ing to a fixed degree. If we followed Nature's
teaching a little in this respect there would be
less harm done. It is one of the greatest mistakes
that could be made to insist on the temperature
of fruit houses being kept up to a certain degree
when that of the outside is down so low. There
is, however, a limit that must not be passed, as a
very low moist atmosphere is apt to encourage
mildew, while the opposite would prevent the
flowers being properly developed, and such would
therefore fail to set any fruit. If we take notice
of the weather we shall find that Peaches set more
freely out of doors, when the flowers open
gradually, than when they are forced into bloom,
as it were, by summer-like weather in the early
spring-. The weather at this time of the year is
often very treacherous, as sometimes it will be so
very mild that fire-heat in such structures can al-
most be dispensed with, while at others it is so
cold as to be of almost an arctic nature. When
the nights are frosty we often have a clear sky,
therefore bright sunshine in the day, which runs
the temperature of the houses up very quickly
unless precaution be had to look to ventilation in
time. These sunny days must be carefully
watched, or much harm may be done in fruit
houses owing to the temperature rising too high,
From 411° to 4.")° at night will be ample till the
fruit is set, after which growth may be encouraged
more rapidly.

Su(\E,><siuN HOUSES. — The trees in these fhould
be pruned and cleaned, taking care also to wash
the woodwork and glass to rid them of the larva;
of any insect pests. All bare walls should re-
ceive a coat of limewash to which a little sulphur
has been added, as this will help to keep the
house clean till the crop of fruit is gathered.
When all has been cleansed the trees should be
neatly tied to the trellises, taking care to leave
sufficient room for the wood to swell. The border
should then be loosened and have a top-dressing

of some artificial manure. Give a thorough soak
ing that every particle of sail may be moistened.
The house may then be thrown open both night
and day except in frosty weather.

General work. — Any pipes in fruit houses
that are not required to be used for the present
should be emptied to prevent the frost from split-
ting them ; care must also be taken to protect any
boilers not in use that are in exposed places, for
it is not safe to leave them longer without some-
thing to ward off the frost. Should severe
weather visit us so as to put a stop to general
outdoor work, cuttings of (iooseberries and Cur-
rants could be made reatly for planting, where
such work has not already been done, and when
the ground is frozen hard so as to be dry under
foot, have all trees possible mulched, as wheeling
can be done with far greater ease when everything
is hard and dry. Do not excite Oranges by too
much fire-heat. Where these are grown in houses
especially set apart for them a gentle warmth
should be maintained in the hot-water pipes to
prevent the temperature from falling too low, but
no more heat should be applied than will main-
tain the night temperature at about 4.5" till it be-
comes necessary to start the trees into growth

again.

C. Pbinsep.

KITCHEN GARDEN.
Mushrooms.— With a brisk demand the making
up of Mushroom beds ought to be as continuous as
possible, as the supplies are seldom overdone and
the crop is a little precarious as to time of turning
in, and no grower can with any certainty guaran-
tee from any one bed a supply in a given time, es-
pecially when that time is reduced so low as from
six to eight weeks. For example, each bed that
I have made since August has taken exactly nine
weeks from the time of spawning until I have
commenced to cut, but these beds have been either
in a cellar without artificial heat or in a house
where 50° is the maximum temperature when the
weather is at all cold. This slowness, however, is
not a thing to be regretted, as crops are good and
the Mushrooms extra fleshy, better, in fact, than
they would have been if given more heat. An-
other thing which should incite all private
growers to only allowing a short interval between
the making up of beds is that beds will occasion-
ally turn out failures, and such should be pro-
vided for. Of course we now and then read of
growers who havenever hadafailureduring aperiod
lasting over ever so many years, but I fear that
such cases are very exceptional indeed, and young
growers should never allow themselves to fall into
the state of false security which such statements
are calculated to engender. Good supplies of
Mushrooms can be had in most places with-
out the assistance of an elaborately fitted - up
Mushroom house, and there are but few places
which can boast of a heated greenhouse or two
where room could not be found for, and winter
Mushrooms grown on, beds in cosy corners iu
sheds or other such places, through or below
which the hot-water mains may pass and give oS'
heat enough to keep a growing temperature
around such beds, which must of course be kept
covered to prevent the surface from getting too
dry. I often regret the loss of heat which is so
common in most places from having the main hot-
water pipes rigidly bricked in instead of simply
covering them with something easily moved, so
that the heat they give oflf may be utilised to
advantage in the forcing season, and for my own
part I am never content until I can command all
such sources of heat and use them to assist the
supplies from the forcing quarters proper. The
oldest Mushroom beds will now be somewhat spent,
and should, if at all dry on the surface, get a good
watering, sufficient to thoroughly damp the soil
casing, but not to soak far into the manure. For
this watering I advise, where possible, the use of
stable drainings used in a clear state and well
diluted with clear water, but if this is not avail-
able, a good handful of salt in a big can of water
will have a similar effect— that is, it will lead to
the production of a good second crop. This will.

476

THE GARDEN.

[December 12, 1896.

however, hardly be a satisfactory one unless the
method adopted by the best growers of taking out
the whole of the Mushroom and the hard substance
underneath it when gathering and tilling up the
holes so made with fresh soil has been followed, as
the old stumps and roots lead to decay when left
in the beds, while their removal imparts fresh
vigour to the spawn remainioLT. Whatever
water is used should be comfortably warm and be
put on gradually and evenly, and "not allowed to
run over the surface or to soak in in undue pro-
portion on the lowest parts of the beds. Dryness
of the atmosphere surrounding Mushrooms is bad,
but should not be counteracted by the daily use
of the syringe en the beds, which is only a make-
shift method for counteracting indifferent treat-
ment, and most in vogue by those who advocate
a high temperature for the Mushroom house and
maintain such by overheating the pipes. A slight
damping down of the floors now and then, com-
bined with a low temperature, rarely exceeding
50% will usually keep the atmosphere at its best.

AsiARAors — The forcing of Asparagus can now
be easily accomplished with the most ordinary
hotbed treatment ; the principal points to remem-
ber are to make sure that the bed of leaves and
manure is suHiciently bulky and well trodden
to retain its beat long enough to carry the
crop. With a gcod supply of leaves this is
easily accomplished, better without than with a
large c|uantity of stable manure being mi.xed in
with them. My practice is from now onward to
put from 4 feet to 5 feet depth of leaves into deep
pits, the leaves being carted direct to the pits as
gathered, and put in at oree without the usual
turning and mi.\ing, and as the filling and tread-
ing proceed, thin layers of, say, one-fourth of
stable manure are mixed in until "the pits are full.
All is thoroughly well trodden, and if the leaves
are very dry th"ey are slightly sprinkled. Beds
made in this way do not get overheated and re-
tain the heat long enough to carry a crop of
fori ed Potatoes, which are planted directly the
Asparagus is over und in the same soil, with some
addition if the bulk is not sufficient at the time
of planting. I usually soil the beds and plant the I
Asparagus directly the pits are filled, there being
no need to wait until the heat has been tested, as ,
would be necessary if a greater bulk of manure
were used. Very little soil is required under the j
Asparagus, but sufficient should be used for cover-
ing to permit of at least 3 inches of growth being
made before the heads show through. If the
crowns are but barely covered, the shoots will not
be nearly so good in <|uality as they will if more
covering is used, and many will aleo come bent
and unshapely. The soil I use is light, and con-
sists principally of accumulations from the Cu-
cumber frames and from the frame crops gene-
rally.

Impkovinc soils. — In gardens where the soil is
not entirely satisfactory it should be the aim of
those in charge to bring each year a portion large
or small into better condition. Clay 5oils are
geceraliy more or less troublesome to work and
some ciays are very bad indeed, the weather
and state of the ground having to be very closely
watched to permit of their being workedat all in
a satisfactory way. At the same time, it should
be remembered that such soils are generally the
most productive, and whatever method is chosen
to ameliorate their condition should notbe too dras-
tic or carried too far. Probably the best method
of dealing with troublesome heavy soils is to bake
a portion of the surface soil sufficiently to destroy
its tenacity, spreading and digging it in later on ;
this will have an excellent efifect, and no better
time than early winter can be chosen for the work.
The method of burning is simple, and the only
material required is some slack coal, plenty of
which can generally be found in stokeholes, and
some kindling wood. Small heaps of this should
first of all be got well alight here and there all
over the plot which is to be treated ; each heap
should then be banked with clods of soil t-ut out
roughly and not too closely packed, as room
should be left between crevices for further sup-
plies of the slack, and the heaps should have both

soil and slack added to them from time to time,
taking care, on the one hand, not to smother the
fire entirely with too great a weight of soil, and
on the other hand, not to allow the fire to
break through and burn fiercely. Of course,
much may be done in the way of improvement by
digging in all available light material, such
as leaf-mould, tan, decayed cocoa-nut fibre, and
the like, but these things can rarely be had in
sufficient quantities to make any appreciable
difference for some years, and burning as I sug-
gest will surely be found the best and (|uickest
way of dealing with such soils. The addition of
light material may also be done as a supple-
mentary measure. In writing thus, I am taking
for granted that the soil is already well drained :
if not, this should be the first thing done and the
result watched for a year before further measures
are taken, as many so-called heavy soils only re-
quire draining to bring them into excellent condi-
tion. Light soils are less troublesome, if less pro-
ductive, and if over- light may readily be im-
proved by having a coating of marl, i.e., clay
which becomes disintegrated under the action of
frost, spread on the surface in early winter
and dug in in spring. This coating should
be more or less heavy according to the degree of
lightness of the staple soil. Over-rich soils are
not uncommon in gardens where manure has been
easily obtained over a number of years. The
plants grown will generally betray ground of
such a nature, as the growth is gross, though un-
fruitful, and many things are particularly liable
to flag under a light sun even when the soil is
not dry. If either of these symptoms has been
noted on the crops, ordinary manures should be
withheld for a time and lime should be freely
used as a substitute, as this will set bottled-up
manurial properties free and bring the soil back
into a sweet state. J. C. Tall.\ck.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

APPLE GOLDEN WINTER PEARMAIN.
I GLADLY reply to " A. W.,'' Stoke Edith. As
to the above being identical with King of
the Pippins, I think the two varieties are
quite distinct, and will give my reasons as
briefly as possible. At the same time I must
congratulate "A. W." on his interesting note
on the origin of these varieties. Such notes are
read with great interest by those who study
fruit culture, and form a welcome addition to
our limited store of knowledge concerning the
introduction of some of our most useful fruits.
"A. W." must have hastOy read my note. If
he will kindly refer to my note he will find 1
stated that soils must have much to do with
the quality of Golden Winter Pearmain. In
Devon it was equal to King of the Pippins, and
doubtless 1 ought to have added in some other
parts it is inferior, as I inferred as much by my
selecting a favoured locality. In Monmouth-
shire it was always good in crop and quality,
and doubtless in "A. W.'a" adjoining county
it is the same, as he gives us a good report of
the varieties in question. I regret to say the
cropping and eating qualities differ in certain
soils, and I am induced to place King of the
Pippins first for general culture in poor land.

In my note I referred to King of the Pippins,
andnotto Seek no Further. I am at variance with
"A. W." as to these two kinds being distinct.
I think they are the same, and can see no dif-
ference whatever : in fact, most of our large
fruit tree growers only recognise them under
the name of King of the Pippins. In several
counties I have lived in and at my home in the
adjoining county to Stoke Edith — Worcester-
shire— it was always known as Prince's Pippin,
and I am of the same opinion as quoted at
p. 405. I think Golden Winter Pearmain the

less valuable of the two kinds. I also note re-
ference is made to the Apple congress at Chis-
wick in 1^83. " A. W." states that the conclu-
sion arrived at was that all three kinds were
one and the same thing, and that anyone would
be di.«(iualified if exhibiting them as distinct.
This does not agree with the report of the com-
mittee (p. 187) compiled by Mr. Barron. He
states Golden Winter Pearmain is a dessert
Apple of medium size, round, greenish yellow,
hard, midseason, third quality, somewhat con-
fused with King of the Pippins, but distinct.
This was staged by twenty-two exhibitors and
by the Koyal Horticultural Society, so that this
shows that it was considered distinct, and I fail
to find where " A. N\ ." quotes from to show the
reverse. I had not noticed this quotation till
mentioned at p. 405, and I agree with the con-
clusions arrived at except classing it as third-
rate. I would not place it so low down, but
give it second place, and I have, as previously
stated, seen it nearly equal to King in a good
fruit district, but one cannot rely upon it like
King. Seek no Further is described as synony-
mous with King of the Pippins at the congress
named, and Mr. Barron gives it first quality
here. I think he gave a liberal award as to its
merits. I admit in a warm soil it is worth the
first place, but I am inclined to thmk there are
poor varieties of this [lopular Apple ; the beat
possesses more colour, is a rich golden, and a
more conical fruit. This may lead many to
think this variety and Seek no Further are dis-
tinct. I am aware many hold the same opinion
as " A. W.'' I grow a great number of the
King. There is an orchard close to me of this
variety, and it is surprising to see the diversity
in the trees in the two places. The orchard
trees came from a different district, they having
been all grafted from one stock many years ago.
To show how popular King of the Pippins is, 1
note 100 dishes were staged at the congress in
1883, and Mr. Barron classes Seek no Further
as synonymous with some five others. I think
A. W.'s" Golden Winter Pearmain must be
different from mine, as at this season this fruit
offer than 'King. Probably some of the
twenty-two exhibitors who staged this variety
may be able to give us some further informa-
tion. I note trade lists do not give Golden
Winter Pearmain, doubtless on the score of
King being considered superior. W. B.

A good-flavoured Pear.— In these days one
is glad to find that flavour — the true test in a
Pear— is recognised, and in some kinds less known
than others one is glad to find this good quality.
The Pear in question is Beurri? Baltet Plre, a
large" November fruit of great excellence in such
seasons as we have recently experienced. As I
have observed, this variety is a lover of warmth,
and does well in a warm soil with full sunshine.
In shape it is somewhat turbinate, with a pleasing
colour on the sunny side, skin smooth, dotted

ith spots, fruit melting, oi rich flavour and very
juicy. It is a grand November and December
fruit, and in my opinion not a bad variety to fol-
low DoyenniS du Comice, which in appearance it
somewhat resembles. On the Quince it bears
freely, and is well deserving of a wall in any gar-
den where Pears are a speciality. I have it mostly
in cordon form, but am planting it in others, as I
like its ([uality, and one tan rely upan its giving a
crop, which some of the newer introductions do
not, in adverse soils. This variety fruits freely in
a young state with me as a cordon, and makes a
nice growth on the t,)uince stock. — G. W.

Apple Cox'a Orange Pippin.— The interest-
ing exhibits of I'eais and Apples for flavour afc
the meetings of the Royal Horticultural Society
show at a glance that no Apple exceeds this in
flavour, indeed, does not approach it, for as long
as the above variety is staged there is no chance

December 12, 1896.]

THE GARDEK

477

of others obtaining any awards. Most of us
would be inclined to place the above in the
premier position, and it does not need to be re-
peated eo many times over. I am aware the
schedule is so framed that as long as anyone can
produce a fair Cox's Orange he may be assured of
success. As most fruit growers are aware, by
allowing this variety to hang late on the trees
good fruits may be had well into May. I have
heard the late Mr. VVaterer, whose loss we
all deplore, state he could generally keep this
variety good till the Ascot week, so that this
shows its keeping properties. Would it not have
been better to have given a stated period for
each kind of fruit, a fair margin being allowed
between north and south, or if this was impr.<>c-
ticable, to have given one kind only a certain
number of chances '.' This would have brought
to light any new kinds, and would, I think, have
brought forth thote kinds not so well known, and
in a measure have fulfilled the wishes of the
generous donor of the prizes. If we take Pears
the eame thing holds good. As long as anyone
could stage Doyenni? du Comiceno other Pear had
a chance. I fail to see why one exhibitor should
be first with any stated variety and the next best
fruit of the same variety not be allowed to come
in second when the prizes are awarded meeting
after meeting to the same kind. My idea is
that the schedule should have been framed to give
other kinds a chance. I am not complaining, but
so far it teaches us little but what we knew. I
think points may with advantage have been
allowed for kinds lest known.— W. I. M.

drained, but in cold, badly drained soils it will My trees

not do at all. Of the early Codlin section,
Lord Suffield and Lord Grosvenor are both
excellent, the latter being first-rate for cold
soils and late districts, where Suffield would
not succeed. A splendid sauce Apple in use
from December to February is Lady Henniker ;
it has a fine Blenheim flavour, the fruit also
keeping firm and free from mealiness, and the
tree succeeding well in exposed situations. In
a garden near Great Yarmouth this Apple
grows to an enormous size on bush trees.
Mention must be made of Potts' Seedling,
this being indispensable where flavour is con-
sidered. This is essentially a sauce Apple,
having the extra qualification of bearing heavUy
on either stock and coming into use in August
and September, a season when high-class cook-
ing Apples are none too plentiful. This is a
special favourite amongst all classes in East
Anglia. For use between October and Decem-
ber, Tower of Glamis, or Carse of Gowrie,
most excellent variety. I have been eating it
lately, and find its bronzy pulp most delicious.
It bears well grown either as an orchard tree or
espalier. Sussex Duck's-bill, or Winter Qi
iug, very little known outside its own county,
is one of the best cooking Apples in existence,
baking soft and beautiful, and having a spe-
cially pleasant flavour. The tree grows and
bears well in cold soils. J. C.

the Quince. Some few weeks

SAUCE APPLES.
It is strange that many of our finest and
showiest cooking Apples, and even some that
will keep well, are either void of flavour when
cooked or refuse to soften even in the hands of
the best cooks so as to merit the name of
sauce Apples. When baked whole or sliced
they remain hard and leathery, and therefore
unpalatable and indigestible. Happily, how
ever, there are many varieties the reverse of
this in character, no matter in what soil the
trees are grown, and these should be planted
by all who place quality in the first rank.
Some of the old-fashioned varieties are still un-
surpassed for cooking, although having little
to recommend them to those who go in for
beauty alone. Perhaps, all things considered,
that well-known, but now seldom planted
variety, on account of the length of time it takes
to come into bearing, Blenheim Orange, is in its
season as good as any for cooking in any way,
its amber-coloured pulp being delicious, and,
what is more, requiring little or no sugar. The
same may be said of the old Sturmer, which,
though not a large Apple even on the best of
soils, is not to be surpassed by any of the newer
kinds for cooking during April and May, and
as for cropping, it does not miss one season out
of ten. That very old Apple Hambledon Deux
Ans is most excellent late in the year, keeping
both its weight and flavour till the month of
May. This Apple is little known, but market
growers would do well to plant it freely, as it
finds a ready sale after all other sorts are gone.
At Revesby Abbey, in Lincolnshire, there are
several very large trees of this variety, the
owners setting great store by them, as the crops
of fine fruit borne by them every year are
enormous. The trees grow very quickly and
last many years in robust health, longer, in fact,
than most varieties. Another remarkably fine-
flavoured cooking Apple resembling Wellington,
but keeping well till June, is High Canons.
It goes to a complete pulp, is of a fine amber
colour, and rich spicy flavour. This also may
be safely planted in all soils and climate.
Wellington should always be included in gar-
dens where the soil is warm and thoroughly

Apple Gascoigne's Scarlet Seedling.— I

have grown Gascoigne's Seedling for the last
eight years under garden culture, and my ex-
perience is that it is most unsuitable for that pur-
poEC, requiring, 1 expect, to be grown in standard
form, and subjected to no pruning back. There
is one thing certain, that if this Apple can be in-
duced to crop it is sure to sell readily, as it has a
beautiful appearance. I am informed that in
Kentish orchards in warm, rich soils it is largely
grown and crops freely, but whether it will suc-
ceed in all climates and soils remains to be seen. —
J. C.

Pear Comte de liSmy.— This Pear should
be in every garden. There is no hardier or freer-
bearing variety in cultivation, trees in midland
counties yielding as well as in the south. As re-
gards flavour, it is very hard to beat at the time
of year at which it ripens (October), and it suc-
ceeds well either as a wall tree, pyramid or
standard. The skin is yellowish green, with a
russety red on the side next the sun. This is a
great favourite in Norfolk, being found in the
majority of gardens there. Some complain of the
small size of this Pear, but if the fruits are thinned
out when quite small they grow to the size of an
ordinary Winter Nelis. I have a tree on a west
wall, where it does exceedingly well.— C. C. H.

Vine leaves for decoration. — At this
season of the year the beautifully tinted leaves of
such Vines as Barbarossa, Alnwick Seedling and
Gros Maroc are most useful, not only for adorning
dishes on which dessert is placed, but also for
placing here and there on the dinner-table.
Arranged round the base of centre-pieces and
mounted with graceful fronds of Adiantums, they
have a fine appearance bj' artificial light ; they
likewise look well placed in vacant places on thf
cloth, so as to form a kind of star, a medium
sized bloom of some showy Japanese Chrysanthe
mum being placed in the centre. Earlier in the
season the leaves of Madresfield Court may be
used for these purposes, being in many instances
beautifully coloured. — N. N.

Notes on Pears.— The notes on Pears that
appear from time to time in The Garden are
valuable, more especially when the writers state
the kind of soil they have to deal with and the
district. I am glad to see " W. S.,'' Wilts (p.
364), found Thompson's good this year. With me
here (Dorset) it has never been good, although
I have found it very good on a warm sandy loam

ago •• A. W." spoke well of Hacon's Incomparable.
I have a tree of it as a bush on the Quince. The
fruit is large, but very poor in Bavour. On a cot-
tage here there is a big tree of this in the best of
health. The fruit is large, but the flavour
is poor. The iispect is south. When living
at Didlington Hall, in Norfolk, where the soil
is light and sandy, this kind from an espalier
tree was very good, and this induced me to plant
it in this garden. Several writers recently spoke
highly of Doyenni? du Comice. In this garden
this year it was very highly flavoured and of good
size. On looking over the fruit at Farnborough
Hill I tasted Doyenn^ du Comice, and was sur-
prised to find it so poor in flavour. One of my
best Pears is Winter Nelis, which I never found
to be second-rate. Marie Louise is very fine from
an old big tree on a west wall on the Pear stock. I
have a tree on a north wall. Here it is later
in coming into use, butec[ually as good in flavour.
Louise Bonne of Jersey from a big bush tree on
the Pear stock is of splendid flavour, but rough
looking compared with fruit 1 have from trees
on walls. These latter, however, are not to be
compared with those from the bush from a flavour
point of view. Glou Morceau from a tree on a
west wall is handsome and good in flavour and is
just coming into use. Alexandre Lambre from a
bush on the Quince is very good, very free bear-
ing, and keeps well. Emile d'Heyst is a good
cropper as a bush, but the flavour is only second-
rate. On a dry soil in North Hants tliis was
grand in flavour. Chaumontel growing on a
north wall is of far better flavour than the greater
number of kinds I grow. This kind I saw grow-
ing as a standard at Kousden and at Bovey House.
In both instances the flavour was good. — J.
Crook.

LATE MELONS.
The culture of late Melons is often decried by
cultivators on the ground that fruit obtained at
this season lacks flavour. Under certain circum-
stances, and in some seasons there may be good
reason for this, but for several years I have made
it a practice to plant the last batch in September
and have never regretted doing so. A good ripe
Melon makes a very welcome addition to the
dessert just now, and where the fruit is liked the
seaEcn is never too long. I have usually de-
pended entirely upon Hero of Lockinge for winter
fruiting, but this season have included Eureka
as well. The quality of this is almost as good
now as in the summer, and being a little quicker
in ripening than Hero of Lockinge helps to keep
up a longer succession from the same house. For
late work I prefer the cordon system, pinching
the plants when halfway up the trellis and taking
a couple of fruits from each. Every other lateral
on each side of tho stem is rubbed out as soon as
it can be seen. The two lower ones are stopped
at the first leaf when the latter is about the size
of a penny, the resulting shoots generally produc-
ing fertile blossoms at the same time as the third
and fifth up the stem, so I have at least three
and often four fruits swelling away regularly, a
choice being made from these early. A most impor-
tant point in their culture is to keep the primary
leaves in good order, and this is more difficult in
autumn than in the height of summer. In
summer the ventilators may be opened freely early
in the morning and the foliage dries on the upper
surface before the sun has much power. For
obvious reasons this is not always practicable in
autumn, and a slight mistake often means injury
to the plants by scorching. Unless the leaves
keep fresh and green until the fruit is ripe this
can never be of first-rate quality, and enough
moisture should always be present in the soil to
allow of this. By frequent and thin top-dressings
of good loam, finely broken charcoal, and a little
bone-meal while the plants are growing and the
fruit swelling I can always afford to do without
liquid manure. Syringing is discontinued as soon
as the fruit begins to colour and as much air as
possible is given while the latter is finishing. These

4; 8

THE GARDEN.

[Dkci:mber 12, 18f

Jtiglans regia gibbona

Noix Chaherte.

Noix Mayette,

December 12, If

THE GARDEK

479

few simple matters attended to, and given careful
ventilation and sufficient fire-heat during the
whole time of growth, good Melons may be pro-
duced up to the middle of December. The two
varieties mentioned are the best I have tried up
to the present, and it would, I think, be interest-
ing to know from successful cultivators how far
the list may be extended. H. R.

THE COMMON WALNUT.
Walnuts have been unusually plentiful this
year and , with a singularity which I have never
hitherto observed, their period of ripening has
been prolonged for a length of time of which we
have no previous record. The first ripe fruits
made their appearance in the beginning of Sep-
tember, and the supply of excellent freshly-
gathered nuts was extended beyond the middle
of October. This is a plain proof that among
the plantations of ordinary Walnut trees, which
are generally grown from seed and not grafted,
varieties exist which differ from one another
not only in the quality of their fruit, but also
(what is equally important) in their time of
ripening. A« I have eaten more Walnuts this
year than I can remember that I have ever
eaten before in all my life, I am desirous of
saying a few words about this fruit.

According to Mons. Chas. Baltet, Paris
alone annually consumes about G875 tons of
dried Walnuts. Besides these, the freshly-
gathered nuts are in great re(iuest at all dinner-
tables. These fresh nuts are better and more
easily digested when eaten with a little salt.
Later on, when the skin does not separate so
readily from the kernel, they should be par-
taken of very sparingly, as not only are they
then indigestible, but are apt to bring on a
cough and, with some persons, a headache.
In the country there is perhaps even a larger
consumption of dried Walnuts than in towns.
My own opinion is that they are not so good as
dried Almonds, and the.se, again, are not so
good as Almonds in the fresh state. Walnuts
are utilised in some departments of France for
the manufacture of oil. In preparing this, the
kernels are separated from the broken shells
and the laminar partitions of the nuts. The
kernels which are tound to have turned blackish
or brown are put aside to furnish lamp oil.
Oil for table use is made from the others. The
first-drawn oil (which is obtained by pressure
without the aid of fire- heat or hot water) is
termed " huile vierge." This improves by keep-
ing and is then highly valued for cprtain phar-
maceutical preparations. Oil of the second
quality (which is extracted by the aid of heat
from the residuum of the first-drawn oil) is
termed " huile cuite," and is used for making
soap and in painting ; it dries very quickly and
enters into the composition of various kinds of
varnishes and printing-inks.

Walnuts are also eaten in the green state
while the kernel is still of a milky consistence.
They are then prepared by cutting them in two
and leaving them to steep and soften in water
mixed with vinegar. They are also. pickled like
Oherkins, but require to be more strongly
.spiced, and it is especially necessary that, when
used for pickling, they should be gathered be-
fore the shells have become too hard. The ri^ht
time for doing so is while the nuts can be piei ce 1
through and through in every part with a needle.
In addition to these uses, AValnuts are alsu cm-
ployed in confectionery. In Auvergne, accord-
ing to M. Baltet, certain establishments for pre-
served fruits prepare the skinned kernels of
Walnuts with sugar, making the preserve up in
short-necked, wide-mouthed bottles. In Belgian
Limbourg also Walnuts are sold in the green
state to the confectioners. At Poitiers three

oil factories send out annually 132,000 gallons
of Walnut oil. With its VoOO acres of Walnut
plantations on alluvial aud calcareous soils, the
department of Lot produces annually about 80GG
tons of Walnuts and employs 100 oil-pressing
machines. A Walnut tree in good bearing yields
annually about 176 pounds' weight of nuts, and
the proportion of oil which is extracted at the
factories is equal to about Is per cent, of the
weight of the nuts. The pressed residue of the
nuts is used, like linseed oil-cake, for feeding
cattle and also as a manure. Fattening poultry,
especially turkeys, by means of Walnuts is a
practice well known amongst the Walloon
poultry raisers, and in country places poultry
are frequently thus prepared for special family
dinners or festive meetings of friends.

It is evident that from a commercial point of
view the Walnut is an excellent kind of fruit,
the culture of which has, perhaps, been some-
what neglected of late. Statistics show that in
France the production in the year 1885 amounted
to over 80,000 tons, representing a money value
of twenty-five millions of francs (£1,000,000).

The Walnut is usually propagated from seed,
but, as in the case of other " fruit trees ■'
properly so called, the special qualities of the
parent tree are not reproduced by this mode of
increase, although it may be admitted that by
a careful selection of the seed-parents a certain
amount of constancy might be attained in the
reproduction of varieties. At present, superior
varieties, the fruit of which has a higher market
value than the ordinary kinds, must be pro-
pagated by grafting. Grafted Walnut trees are
much more productive than those raised from
seed, and this forms an additional inducement
to employ this mode of reproduction when local
conditions create a preference for one variety
more than another, either on account of the fine
appearance of the fruit, the quality of the ker-
nel, or the earliness or lateness of the time of
ripening.

Walnut grafting is no novelty, the practice
having been recommended by Olivier de Serres
about A. I). IGOO, but the operation is not a very
easy one and, to be successful, requires dex-
terity and experience. The methods employed
are those known as pipe-grafting and cleft-
grafting. One of the most successful ways is
a modification of cleft-grafting in which the
scion is cut with a bifurcation or fork at the
lower end, into which the top of the stock is
inserted, having been previously cut so as to fit
exactly into the fork.* The grafts must be well
secured with ligatures and carefully covered
with grafting-wax or similar air-tight material.

The Walnut tree is by no means fastidious
as to the soil in which it is planted, and maybe
seen growing in ground of the most sterile
character ; but, to thrive properly, it requires
soil of a calcareous, schistous, or volcanic
nature. It will not grow in granitic soil, and
damp, clayey ground is almost equally unsuit-
able for it. A native of the mountains of Asia
Minor and Central Asia, it was introduced into
Europe at a very early period, and was already
naturalised in Greece when Theophrastus
wrote his " History of Plants" (b.c. 314). It
seems to have been next introduced into Italy,
whence it made its way into other parts of
Europe. Resisting with difficulty the inclemen-
cies of the more northern climates, it does not
ripen its fruit beyond the 'loth degree of N.
latitude.

Mons. Chas. Baltet, in his excellent treatise
on the subject, gives descriptions and illustra-
tions of the best varieties of Walnuts. Besides
the common kind, he mentions and figures the
noix a coque tendre or noix a mcsange, a nut of

This is ImcRTi in England as '* saddle-grafting."

medium size and elongated shape, the shell of
which is easily detached from the kernel ; the
noix a gros fruit, of which there are several
varieties with round or elongated nuts, desirable
kinds, good for eating when freshly gathered ;
the noix de la St. .Jean, a medium-sized nut
with a hard shell, the principal merit of the va-
riety being that it is late in coming into growth,
a point of some account in making a selection
of varieties, as the Walnut suffers from late
spring frosts unless it is somewhat sheltered,
and early-growing sorts, of course, suft'er the
most.

Amongst the varieties grown in France, M.
Baltet also mentions the Chaberte, Franquette,
Mayette, Parisienne and Barthere, the last-
named being a very elongated, peculiar-looking
nut. Lastly, the Noyer fertile (Juglans fer-
tUis), a variety highly recommended, which
bears fruit at a very early age, and comes
tolerably true from seed. There are besides
many varieties of ornamental-foliaged Walnut
trees well adapted for pleasure-grounds and
also yielding good fruit, such as Juglans hetero-
phylia, J. laciniata and the Weeping Walnut
(J. pendulaj, which when grafted as a tall
standard forms a magnificent tree of most
picturesque appearance. — Ed. Pynaert, in
Bulletin d'Arhonmltiire.

Pear Hacon's Incomparable.— I have a
large pyramid of this Pear in orchard on Pear
stock. It is in rather a shady aspect and it has a
good crop of fruit each year. The fruit is of good
flavour. I commenced using it on November 20.
— A. J. B., Xorthampton.

On p. -140 "J. C." calls attention to this

Peir, but appears to have been unlucky with it.
My experience differs from his, and I find it one
of our most valuable late Pears, remaining in sea-
son over a long period. It has a pleasant flavour
and never becomes gritty or rots at the core.
The tree here is a good grower, healthy and
robust in the pyramid form and worked on the
free stock. Its greatest fault has been shy bear-
ing, and I am sorry to give it this character. I
have, however, succeeded by root pruning in
counteracting this fault ; still I fear it will never
become really free, though quite worthy of a
place in any garden where a constant supply is
required, as it gives a few dishes of fruit excel-
lent in quality at a time when such fruits are
scarce. The tree in itself is quite a pleasure to
look upon, from its healthy appearance and good
habit.— J. C. Tali.ack.

Wintering pot Strawberries. — " S. H. M."
does well in re-opening this important question,
for important it is from the fact that Strawberry
forcing to be successful must depend entirely on
the condition of the plants, for if the latter have
not their crowns well ripened and if they have
not been subjected to a period of rest, good results
cannot be expected. To ensure rest, the plants
must be kept as cool as possible, and plunging the
pots to the rim in a bed of ashes is a very
rational method of gaining this end, as is also the
old-fashioned way of building the pots in stacks
with ashes placed between them. Both methods
answer well in average winters, but when un-
usually hard, frosty weather occurs it is often a
difficult matter to liberate the pots from the
ashes. In the early part of 1S!I.') it was an utter
impossibility to get the plants out of the plunging
bed of ashes, although covered with Bracken and
mats, and much valuable time was lost in conse-
quence, to saj' nothing about the loss in the way
of broken pots when the thaw took place. I have
given up stacking Strawberry plants for forcing
several years now, and my experience of 189.5 led
me to abandon plunging, and I now winter them
in cold pits and frames. The plants are placed
close together in the latter, and they have free
exposure, as the sashes are kept drawn off, and
will only be put on when hard weather seems
imminent. This plan answered well last year,

480

THE CxARDEK

[December 12,

and although there was an almost entire absence 1 one of the finest varieties ever seen. Vanda 1 wide margin of white. This, too, is continued
of frost the plante gave satisfactory results when Sanderiana requires the temperature of the ' farther down the sides than in most varieties,
'creed. 1 quite agree with " S. H.M." that it is East India house. The plants are usually im- In the centre upon a greenish ground are many
far better to run the risk of plunging the plants ported as single growths, and I find that they '"•"aa blotches of violet-purple, a few of these
outdoors than to store them away in houses, for do best in baskets, in which should be plenty i reaching nearly to the apex. The petals are
however well the latter mav be ventilated, the of clean crocks. The whole surface should be r'""''J '^° ^^j'.s u u^^ ''^ P®^!'''° ,''P ^^^^^ ".^"""^

and of a reddish brown. The leaves are longer
and a little broader than those of the type, and it
thrives under exactly similar conditions.
j Odontoglossum Sanderianum.— The flowers
of this species cannot rival many in the genus for
I size, but they are extremely pretty and very dis-
I tinct. They occur on arching spikes, a great
many on each, and have narrow yellowish seg-
ments spotted with red. Tlie lip is white in
ground colour, spotted in front and having a large
irregular blotch of red in the centre. It is not a
difficult plant to grow if suitably treated. The
roots being small, small pots or pans only are re-
quired, and these should be well drained. Good
peat and Mofs in equal parts, kept open by
1 adding plenty of crocks, will grow it well, tho
plants being potted with the base of tli9 pseudo-
I bulbs a little above the rim. The pans may be
I suspended from the roof with advantage. It does
best in quite a cool house, heavily shaded during
I the summer and in winter kept well ventilated.

-^^^^ , /

Vanda Sanderiana

y Fuwler'? garden at Qlehelands, South Woodfi

plants have not that free exposure to the elements i covered with good living
that they experience in cold pits or frames. Al- | Sphagnum Moss. The bas-
though "S. H. M." says that this question was ket should be suspended
amply discussed a few years ago, the reopenin- ' f^om the roof if possible,

?Li^T°^ H ?*k' '".^'^ ;''P'"''\^ to prevent attacks from,^^__
those who had not the privilege of perusing the „„cVroachea as these are **s^
notes that appeared at that time, and it may, per- cockroacnes, as tnese ai e ^

haps, lead Slhers to give their experiences.- ^'^7^ f""*^ "l ^he roots
^_ W I and flowers oi this plant.

;^^^^^=?^^?^!^=^5^?r« This Vanda requires a

liberal supply of moisture
ORCHIDSi throughout the growing

season, both at the root

VANDA SANDERIANA. and in the atmosphere,

but it should be kept on

^i"!.fJ'°™J'*"r™!i'l"l*.^!H"°.„'nl^^^^^ «'de during the

..1^^^^.^^ season. It must,

however, never be allowed

plant in Sir. Gurney Fowler's collection. This
was exhibited at the Royal Horticultural
Society's meeting at the Drill Hall, October 13

to suffer from want of root

last. It was certainly the finest specimen ever moisture, as if so the
seen, and the society s gold medal was never jg^ves are liable to turn
more deservedly awarded It had eight growths, , i]„^ and cause the plant
eleven flower-spikes and 120 flowers fully ex- t„ become unsightly,
panded. It originally had twelve spikes and I ^ coloured plate taken
lo. flowers, but one of the spikes had been re- from the plant which first
moved previous to its being exhibited. The flowered in this country
flowers were veiy large, each measuring up- ^ the collection of the
wards of ;, inches acros.s The plant was j^^^e Mr. W. Lee at Down-
brought home by Boxall, Messrs. Hugh Low ^^^ Leatherhead, was
and Co. s veteran collector. To show the rarity
of large specimens and how much Boxall i jq4\

prized the plant, he packed it carefully in a

box with cocoa-nut fibre and brought it home Cypripedium ineigne Chantini. - This
in his cabin. This is the second time the p^ettv variety occasionally crops up among the

pilant has flowered in Mr. iowlers collection, dd species. It is one of the best of the insigne .^

Last year it had only one spike, but it was forme, the broad, well formed dorsal sepal being Schilleriana

sufficient to satisfy all who saw it that it

The first flowered plant of Vanda Sanderiana.

published in The Garden, vol. xxv. (page j Plenty of water both at the roots and in the at-
S. mosphere is necessary all the year round. O.
Sanderianum is a native of New Grenada, whence
t was introduced in ISsl.
Fhaleenopsis Stuartiana. — This "grand
one of the best of the insigne species is only second in beauty of foliage to P.
while the blossoms cannot be ex-
well displayed and having a more than usually celled even by those of the latter superb kind.

December 12, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

481

Many of these are produced upon the long
branching panicle, and in a good variety they each
measure nearly 3 inches across. The ground
colour of the sepals and petals varies considerably,
that of the typical form being pure white, the
sepals flushed with yellow below and spotted with
rose. The lip is white, with crimson spots, and the
front is curiously constructed, forming as it does
a pair of curved threadlike processes like the
antenna; of an insect. P. Stuaitiana is a good
grower jind will be satisfactory with ordinary
care.

Notes of the Week.

Carnation Daybreak.— This is of a pale
flesh-pink in winter and of a pinkish-white hue
in summer, the latter the result of the hot
weather. The flowers are very full and usually
produced singly on stems fully 12 inches long that
render them most useful for cutting.

Eacharis Stevensi. — This beautiful kind has
been flowering recently in the stove at Kew, the
blossoms very chaste and pure, though not in any
way surpassing those of the well-known E. grandi-
flora in point of beauty or even of purity. A
coloured plate of this was given in The Gaedex
of August 11, ISli-l, p. 1-2S.

Dracaena Broomfieldi. — This novelty should,
if easy of increase, quickly take a foremost place.
The plant, judging by the example recently seen
at the Drill Hall, is of moderate growth and
beautifully variegated with silver or white mark-
ings, the latter as prominent as in the case of
finely-coloured plants of Pandanus Veitchi.

Carnation Uriah Pike.— In some handsome
flowers of this variety gathered to-day (December
7) Ihe richness of the colour was very remarkable,
and quite distinct from that of flowers produced
by the same plants in the end of .June. Appar-
ently the duller weather at this season is well
suited to the variety, as the blossoms last a long
time in perfection.

P/imula obconica varieties.- In a large
batch that came under our notice of some iiOO
plants of this species raised from seeds it would
have been an easy matter to select several of de-
cidedly improved form. The improvement was
more in the direction of increased size together
with form and distinct eye, and by selecting these
for seed it should be quite easy to produce a much
improved strain in the near future. — E. J.

Tussilago fragrans. — Though perfectly
hardy so far as its roots are concerned, this fra-
grant weed rarely comes to perfection in the open
unless the position be sheltered. Too often, how-
ever, wet and frost complete the ruin of this wel-
come plant, and for this reason it is well worth
while to pot up the best flowering crowns each
year for the decoration of the greenhouse. A few
sprays of its blossoms are always welcome in
December.

Btinwardtia tetragyna.— This and R. tri-
gyna are among the freest-flowering of greenhouse
plants for autumn and winter. The blossoms are
each about 14 inches across, of a yellow colour in
the first named and of a rich orange yellow in
the latter species. Both species are of a some-
what shrubby habit of growth and of easy
culture. Red spider is frequently most trouble-
some and must be kept in check, or the foliage is
quickly disfigured thereby.

Carnation La Neige.— Among the winter-
flowering white Carnations this is one of the best,
the flowers being pure white and frtely prc-
duead. The variety does not come up to the
florist's ideal of excellence, for by these only the
smooth edge can be tolerated, and this La Neige
does not possess. The fact that it is free -lower-
ing and that many of the blooms are produced on
fairly good stems is in its favour, and where a
few kinds only are grown this one should be in-
cluded.

Fuchsia Moulsworth. — This is one of the
most continuous bloomers and of much value for

winter flowering, as we witnessed in a small
private garden only a day or two since. Many
varieties of Fuchsias are grown, but the one
named seems to surpass them all fcr winter
flowering, notwithstanding that the plants had
bloomed abundantly during the summer. The
sepals are red and the corolla double and pure
white. The flowers usually coming in pairs make
a good display even on small plants.

Carnation Mrs. Riley. — This winter-flower-
ing Carnation, which was distributed about two
years ago, is, I consider, one that is likely to be-
come a favourite. The flowers are of fair size, of
a soft pink shade and freely produced. It throws
up its flower-stems very early in the autumn,
considerably earlier than Tree Carnations gener-
ally, and in order to have it well in bloom during
the winter months the flower-stems must be
pinched back up to the beginning of September.
-J. C. B.

Pelargonium West Brighton Gem.— Where
small plants are required in quantity and a bit of
brilliant colour into the bargain, it would be
difficult to name anything more effective than
this. Very dwarf and compact in habit and pro-
ducing its dainty little trusses so freely should
make it welcome in the conservatory or warm
greenhouse any time in mid-winter. We are just
reminded of its exceeding usefulness by seeing
several hundred plants flowering as freely almost
as at midsummer. The plants were not more
than 9 inches high.

Tuberoses. — The very latest batches of these
useful flowers are now expanding their blossoms
in a temperature of not less than .^.i" at night.
Where such a temperature can be given them the
plants receive considerable benefit by being
plunged on a mild bottom-heat, and if the plung-
mg material be cocoa-nut fibre, the warmth
readily percolates through and is retained, to the
benefit of the roots. This with the addition of
tepid water will bring out a great number of
flowers, though invariably there ate a few spikes
that go blind at the top at this very late date.

Euphorbia jacquiniseflora — This is among
the most brilliant of stove-flowering shiubs, and
at this season of the year its beautiful arching
sprays of brilliant scarlet flowers in the exquisite
setting of leaves create a quite unique efi'ect.
When used for decoration in a cut state care
should be taken as each spray is severed from the
parent plant to use one or other of the simple
methods for preventing the exudation of the
milk like sap that flows to freely from members of
this genus. One of the simplest and always at
hand is a little fine and very dry silver sand, into
which the stems may be thrust.

Iberis gibraltarica— This plant is usually
referred to in connection with the rock garden or
hardy plant border, and while in many gardens
perfectly satisfactory when thus grown, it has a
value of its own in the conservatory at this dull
season of the year. Fresh seeds sown in the latter
part of spring make capital pot plants in a few
months, and the flowers, instead of assuming the
lilac hue so frequent in the open, are pure white
when grown under glass. It is a good plan to
sow half a dozen seeds in a 4 inch pot, and, in
place of pricking off, transfer bodily to pots 6
inches across. Thus treated and grown outside
till September, sturdy plants result, and lattr on
nice heads of pure white blossom. The seeds are
easily obtained and the plant is very useful for
cutting in the winter months.

Kose Catherine Mermet. — Notwithstanding
that fogs have been conspicuous by their absence

during the pi;

Litumn, this

feels the

absence of sunlight at this season. In its prime
the lovely tone of colour as well as the beautifully
formed buds so chara3teristic of the variety can
scarcely be beaten. Quite recently in a large
market nursery where this Rose is grown by the
thousand, its beautiful warm, salmony pink shade
had almost vanished merely through insufficient
light, the colour fading by degrees as the days
shorten and returning as they lengthen in a very
remarkable manner. The blooms are also much

valued at this season because of the scant sup-
plies that follow even the best known methods of
cultivation. The variety succeeds best in large
roomy houses where there is a plentiful supply of
air without opening the ventilators too widely.

Propagating Vitis Coignetise.— This is by
many considered a d ifficult plant to increase. How
such an impression has got abroad I cannot con-
ceive, as it is one of the easiest plants I know
of to increase, either by cuttings or layers. Here
I have a standing order from Earl Annesley to
keep up a stock of young plants, as visitors invari-
ably ask for plants of it, and his lordship has sent
plants to nearly all parts of the United Kingdom.
Of late years I have kept up the stock by layer-
ing, which is done at any time during the winter
or spring, not even going to the trouble of notch-
ing the layers. The beauty of Vitis Coignetiu- is
the way the leaves colour in the autumn. By not
overfeeding the plant you get the finest autumn
colour. I remember a few years ago some young
plants got neglected in watering in one of Ihi
frames, and 1 have never seen leaves so brilliai t)/
coloured as they were. Vitis Coignetiie flowtis
and fruits here, but I have never tried to raise
seedlings. No doubt young plants could be raised
from eyes. — T. Ry.\n, OantltweUan.

Stauntonia latifolia fruiting.— Lately one
of my young men brought me a fruit which he
called a Passiflora. As I felt rather doubtful
as to its identity, I went to see where he gathered
it, and found a similar fruit hanging on a plant
of Stauntonia latifolia which is trained up one
tide of the house. There was some little excuse
for thinking it to be a Passiflora fruit, as it some-
what resembles the one figured in your number
of November 21. I note in one of your back
numbers (April 30, 1881) you say of Stauntonia
latifolia: "If only for the delicious fragrance
emitted by the flowers of this plant, it ia well
worthy of a place in eveiy greenhouse, and tho
fact that it is a first-rate" evergreen with deep
green foliage gives it additional value. The
flowers are by no means showy, the pollen-bearing
ones being green and those that bear seed a livid
purple, borne in clusters in the axils of the leaves
at intervals along the slender branches." Ifc
would be interesting to know if it has fruited in
other places. I send you with this a fruit ; the
first one gathered was as large again, but got
damaged.- Jno. Hopkins, The GarJtini, High
Crofi, Fiamlield, Sussex.

Callicarpa purpurea.— This old Indian stove
plant was an attractive feature in Mr. W. Howe s
table of plants at the recent exhibition of the
National Chrysanthemum Society at the Royal
Aquarium ; the long shoots of berries in the first
freshness of their violet tint, which are borne in
cymose clusters, compelled attention, and there
were many inquiries from visitors as to the name
of the plant. It is a pity that fine old fashioned
subjects like the Callicarpa are not named when
they are set up in groups, as they are certain to
attract attention. The Callicarpa is one of those
plants which have suffered from neglect ; it is
occasionally seen poorly grown, then it appears
insignificant and is regarded as unworthy of culti-
vation. Mr. Howe's plants, attractive as they
weie, by no means represented the whole possi-
bilities of culture, but they were sufliciently win-
some to attract 'attention. Really it should find
a place in every collection of plants grown for
winter decoration. It is of shrubby habit, and the
flowers are borne in clusters upon foot-stalks which
issue from the leaf axils, and in the case of well-
grown plants the clusters of berries which follow
the insignificant flowers are in number from fifty
to 100 in a bunch. Their weight causes the
long branches to arch over, and so assist to make
it a valuable decorative plant for a warm con-
servatory or greenhouse. The berries will re-
main in beauty from November to May.— R. D.

The weather in West Herts.- A warm
week. There was not a single unseasonably cold
day and but one cold night, and then the exposed
thermometer only fell 9^ below the freezing point.

482

THE GARDEN.

[IHr

1-2 IFPP.

Ite tdnpei&tuie of the soil at 1 foot deep has
rifen about 5" since the beginning of the month,
and is now atcut 2° in excess of the December
average. Kain bf s fallen on all but one day this
month, and to the aggregate depth of nearly -
inches. During (he last nine days only about IJ
hours of sunshine have been altogether lecoided",
and none at all since the 3id inst. On the Ath
and 6th the barometer was veiy low, and en the
former of those days the mercury fell to :2?i .ISO
inches between 1 and -2 a.m., and rtinaired at the
same low point fcr rearly an hour. This is the
lowest readinj: lecridcd here since November h>,
1S91.— E. W., Etrlham.^Ud.

GARDEN DESIGN.

The follcwing letter has been sent to the
editors of the building papers : —

Sib,— I find the follo^iing paragiaph in the
beginning of Mr. F. Inigo Thomas's lecture :—

Fashions have come and gone in g-irdons as in
everything else, and lutil lately for well-nish a cen-
tnry it hss been the fashion to cispense with a garden
altogether, that is to say, the substitute that lias
usurped its place is what in a tetter peiiod would
have been called a wilderness.

There is not a county in England in which one
could not readily see that this is a complete mis-
statement, the very opposite being the truth, that
the gardens of our own century aie hsid and formal
to a degree which drives the" aitift out of them.
It is also untrue to fay that the garden of our own
time is a wilderness. Many of the primmett gar-
dens were made in our own day, as at Crewe
Hall, Witley Court, Windsor and Osborne, in-
cluding Paxton's cxtiavagance at the Crjstal
Palace, Sir Charles Barry's at Shiubland Park,
and Nesfie!d's at South Kensington. The only
" wilderness " to be seen in these places is one of
stone out of place. The old houses had not any-
thing of the kind, the walls about them having
some relation to use and need, as at Rocking-
ham, Haddcn, I<;htham Mote, Powis, Sutton,
Berkeley and many others, whereas the modern
etone garden is only a built drawing.
I remain, sir,

Yours faithfully, ,

W. ROBINSOX.

Books.

THE PLANT LORE AND GARDEN CRAFT

OF SHAKESPEARE.*
CaxoN' Eli.aco.mee's book has deservedly come to
a third edition, en which we congratulate him, but
not his publishers, none of the edit ens having
been printed with care. The present edition is
illustrated with eome of the crudest and worst
engravings we have ever feen. The draw-
ings appear to have heen gccd, but the ic-
production is of the ccncmonett process order,
and all the strcng blacks are in the distant
parts, which ought to be delicate (Shakespeare's
Echcolhcuse, facing page PiO). The frontis-
piece (Shakespeare's garden) shows a few
standard Rcses, looking as if done in worsted,
and at the time cf Shakespeare there were, ef
course, no standard Roses. "The Cedars,' facing
page 128, is cne cf the worst cuts we ha^e
ever seen in a bock of any pretensions, the trees
not being a bit like the Cedar. Another dreadful
illustration is the avenue at Stratford on Avon
Church, and such is the want of skill and cere en
the part of the publisher and printer, that these
wretched cute are put on special plate paper,
whereas those that print best are on the ordinaiy
paper. If anybody cares to see how the art of
engraving a book is going back, he has only to
compare this with a gocd French or English beck
cf a century ago, or even two hundred jeers ago,
such as, say, the first edition of Walton's "Com-

* "'ihe Piatt Lore ard Garden Craft of .SLaht-
epeare." By Canon Ellacouibe. London: Edwin
Arnold.

pleat Angler." We hope that in the next edition
Canon EUacombe will get his publishers to make
a book which in printing and engraving will be
worthy of the let'ei press.

Societies and Exhibitions.

NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY.
The floral committeeof this society held a meeting
on December 1, when Mr. T. Bevan occupied the
chair.

There were some good novelties staged, the
most attMictive heirg Mrs. F. A. Bevtn (a pale
yellow spcrt from Calvat's well-known Mme. Car-
not), Mrs. John Cooper (a rich crimson spoit from
Lord Breoke), Duchess of Fife, &c.

First (lass certificates weie awEidcd to —

CoMMuDOEE — A very full double Japanese with
narrow florets, incurving in the centre, but turn-
ing outwards ss Ihe blcoms expand ; colour pale
pearly blusb, with centre slightly tinted. This
came from Mr. H. J. Jones.

W. Wkicht, — A large Japanese, with long,
drooping florets of medium width ; colour white,
striped purple. Also shewn by Mr. H. J. Jones.

The floral committee of this society held the
last of its meetings for the present season on
Wednesday last at the Royal Aquarium, West-
minster, Mr. Thomas Bevan presiding.

A tirst-class certitifate was awarded to —

KiN(: OF 0i:ani:e. — A very double incurved
flower, deep in build and globular in form, the
colour golden orange, outer florets being slightly
tinted carmine. E.>hibited by Mr. F. W. Flight.

Disraeli, a small single Japanese, with fluted
ray florets of pale primrose-yellow, was com-
mended. Christmas Gold, a Japanese incurved,
with rather bread florets, colour pure deep golden
yellow, also received a commendation as a good
late variety in its colour. A white sport from
Primrose League ramed Florence Chandler was
also staged in very good ccnditicn, and must be
regarded as premising.

Boyal Horticultural Society.— The next
fruit and floral meeting of the Royal Horticul-
tural Society will be held on Tuesday, December
15, in the Drill Hall, James Street, Victoria Street,
Westminster, 1 to 4 p.m.

Shiubs for north of Slngland. — My em-
ployer wishes to plant a collection cf flowering
ard other shrubs in the pleasure grounds. Will
1 ny reader give me a good list through the pages
of Ti£E Gakden of suitable shrubs, &c., which
would stand this cold and bleak district? We
are only two miles frem the sea coast, Saltburn-
by-theSea, and we experience very cold eest
winds, especially in the spring. The soil here is
a gocd black Icam, — J. R. B.

*,* We do not think jour ccnditione at all un-
favourable if you get a little of the shelter usual
in gardens, and avoid the tender evergreens
people plant so freely everywhere and which
perish in hard winters. All the haidy deciduous
ihrubs, like Azaleas, Lilacs, Weigelas, and
Deutzias, you will find as much at home under
jour conditions as anjwhere else, except that
jour closeness to the eia will give jou advan-
tages over people inland. — Ed.

Gleeehcueee and the new .Agiicultural
Act —A decision that will affect the whole of the
market gardeners throughout Ihe United Kingdom
with respect to the new Agricultural Rating Act
lately came before the magistrates at Uxbridge
(Colonel Greville in the chair). Mr. Edwards,
of Ealing, the Surveyor of Taxes for the Uxbridge
district, appealed against a decision of the Ux-
bridge Union Assessment Committee, who re-
cently decided on an appeal to them by the
Hillingdon East overseers that land covered with
glasshouses, used as market gardens, be treated

ss agricultural land. Mr. Edwards ocnttndtd
that the glasshouses should be treated as build-
ings, and not benefit by Ihe new Act in anyway.
Mr. W. A. Bird (of the firm of Messrs. Bird ard
Son), solicitor, of Uxbridge, appeared on behalf
of the Hillirgdon Parish Council, and after
addressing the Bench at some length, dwelt prin-
cipally upon the case of Purser c. the Worthing
LocalBoard of Is^sT, where Lord Esher and the
Lord Justices Fry and Lopes upheld the decision
of the divisional judge, who stated that land
covered with glass was market garden land, and
should be relieved. The magistrates, after an
absence of forty minutes, dismissed the appeal
without costs. The Surveyor of Taxes signified
his intention of appealing at Ihe (i»uarter Sessions.

Public Gardens.

Highgate "Woods.— The General Purposes
Committee of the Islington Vestry has recom-
mended that the vestry contribute ££iiiiO towards
the money required for the purchase of Church-
yard Bottom Wood, Highgate, for the public.

Open space for Penarth.— Lord Windser,
Lord - Lieutenant of (llamorganshire, who is
ground landlord of Penarth, has generously de-
termined to hand over the delightfully situated
Windsor Gardens ard Clitf Promenade at Penan h
as a gift to the town, subject to reasonable ccnc'i-
tions as to maintenance.

Open spaces. — At the monthly meeting of Ihe
Metropolitan Public (Jardens Associiiticn, held
at S3, Lancaster Gate, W., Sir W. Vincent, Bait ,
vice chairman, presiding, the committee ap-
pointed at the last meeting to formulate ascheme
for the provision of open spaces in London and
the provinces in commemoration of the sixtieth
year cf Her Majesty's reign, reported that it had
held two meetings, to the latter of which it had
invited the attendance of representatives from
the Commons Preservation Society, Ihe Kyrlo
Society, and the National Trust, and that it had
been decided to form a joint committee of the
several societies to take such steps as may seem
desirable to give eti'ect to the proposal. The
secretary reported that the laying out of St.
James's Churchyard, Pentonville, as a public
garden had now been commenced, and that a
faculty had been granted for enabling the associa-
tion to undertake a similar work at St. Matthew's
Churchyard, Bethnal Green, which it was hoped
might be started next month. It was announced
that of the £12,000 recfuired to secure the "Post-
men's Park,' E.G., about £11,2.50 had now been
subscribed from various sources, the association
being responsible for about fl-JnO, one-half cf
which it had received chiefly in small sums.
The joint memorials from the Open Space Socie-
ties to the London and Middlesex County Councils
were signed on behalf of the association, ask-
ing those bodies to contribute towards the pur-
chase of Churchjaid Bottom Wood, N. It was
agreed to offer to provide trees for planting in
Great Western Road, W., and Hoxton Market,
N., and lay out Charles Siiuare, N., if the vestry
provided funds for the purpose.

Names -wanted.— Will any reader kindly
give me the Latin names of the following : Fallow
Wood, Karri, and Tanak'r- M. Cokrevun.

Fruits for cottagers. — May I ask you to be
so kind as to allow me the use of your columns to
ask the members of the fruit committee to come
to the next meeting on December 15 prepared to
revise the pamphlet " Fruits for Cottagers," pub-
lished in 1892. About G."),iiO0 copies have teen
distributed and a new edition is now wanted, and
the expediency of revision has been suggested.—
W. WiLKS, Secretary.

Names of plants.— 3f. B.— Iiupossible to nan

without flowers. W. L'.— Litohrcchia incisa (syn

Pteriesiimata).

THE GARDEN.

483

No. 1309. SATURDAY, December 19, 1896. Vol. L

Orchids.

• THE BLUE DISAS.
A GOOD many years ago I was admiring a spler.-
did pan of the great scarlet Disa grandiflora (D.
macrantha) of which the grower, a fine old
country gardener, was 7ery proud. " Nothing
could be finer," I said as we were leaving the
little half-shaded lean-to greenhouse, with its
small panes and big laps, in which the specimen
alluded to had been grown. " Well," said the
gardener, '' I am not so sure of that, for a gentle-
man was here a week ago who has been out to
the Cape, and he told me that he had seen big
patches of a Disa growing there which had
lovely sky-blue flowers. ' Wait until we get
tubers of that,' he said, ' and then we will see
what we can do with it.' " I never saw the old
man again, nor do I know if he ever saw roots
of the much-longed-for blue Disa, but I have
seen plants of several so-called blue-flowered
species since then, but they all lack the size,
dignity, and intensity of colouring that render
D. grandiflora the noblest and most satisfying of
all terrestrial Orchids as seen well and healthily
grown. The largest in flower of all the blue
Disas seems to be

Disa LOXcacoRXis of Thunberg, which hag
tubers and leaves not unlike those of D. grandi-
flora, and bears a solitary flower on a leafy scape
6 inches or S inches high. The flower is of a pale
slate-blue colour, the dorsal sepal being hooded
and having a long curved Aquilegia-like epur
behind.

D. MACULATA is a slender plant, only 5 inches
or 6 inches high, having three or four narrow,
grass-like leaves and a folitary bright blue flower
an inch or so across, and in shape reminding one
of the old Epidendrum cochleatum, the dorsal
eepal being cucuUate and shell-like. Of

D. BARBATA there are both white and pale slaty
blue forms, and

D. YENDSTA of Bolus, Sometimes put into the
genus Herschellia, has a close facial resemblance
to the last-named, its blue flowers being three to
five on a scape, but pale blue in colour. The dor-
sal sepal is half an inch in diameter, hooded and
spurred, and the lip is delicately fimbriated or
fringed.

All the above may be called blue Disas, but
the prettiest species I know of is

D. PURruRASCEXS of Bolus, quite recently
figured at t. 86 of his second volume of " Orchids
of South Africa." It bears two to five flowers on
a slender scape, which rises from still more slender.
Rush-like leaves. The individual flowers are shown
to be 1 inch across, and are purplish blue in
colour, but the large dorsal sepal is of a clear and
lovely pale blue, having a short green spur behind.

All the four or five species of Disas are
characterised by the most elegant tenuity of
growth, if we except D. longicornis, which
more nearly looks like D. grandiflora. Seeing
that the last-named species has been hybridised
with D. racemosa, I hope to see the blue species
hybridised together, the hybrids having a more
robust habit than the original species at present
possess.

Apart from the above, D. spathulata and D.
longicornis are two other species alluded to in
Williams' "Orchid Grower's Manual" as hav-
ing blue flowers. So far as I can learn, the
blue Disas grow in more open, dry, and sunny
positions than does D. grandiflora, so that
their resting season is longer and more jiro-

nounced. As to soil, sandy peat on a well
drained bottom seems best suited to them,
but the real difliculty is in resting them hot
and dry enough. A friend recently home from
the Cape tells me he has seen the veldt or
plains in South Africa scorched and blackened
by bush fires here an 1 there, all life seemingly
having vanished, and still within a few weeks
oidays even, after heavy rain, the whole place
is a flower garden of Disas, other terrestrial
Orchids, and bulbous plants of other kinds.
I have often seen terrestrial Orchids and Ne-
penthes spring up after jungle fires in the East
in a similar way after rain, but there is a lack
of the blaze of colour and variety of form which
suddenly burst forth in S. Africa, where
drought, and consequent bush fires, are more
common.

What seems now essential to know in more
exact detail is the native conditions under
which these exquisite blue Disas grow at the
Cape as seen by observers familiar with plant
culture, and then, given a good stock of sound
imported tubers, we ought to be able to culti-
vate them in our gardens more generally and
more successfully than is at present the case.
F. W. B.

CYPRIPEDIUM CALCEOLUS.
ArcoRiiiNG to the description given by Mr. W
Mauger, Guernsey, as to the conditions under
which he has seen Cypripedium Calceolus and
TroUius europieus grow, the usual order of
things eeems to be reversed at Ragatz. I
have witnessed similar surprising results in the
positions of plants according to the difterent
regions Ln which they grew. Primula Auricula,
for instance, which on the Alps usually luxu
riates on the arid apex of a rock, and is at
that elevation more rarely seen descending to
the alpine turf, grows here on the plateau
which Munich is situated (1090 English feet
above sea-level) in wet, peaty meadows, and not
only this, but almost exclusively even in the
little cavities resulting from the tread of cattle
or other causes ; where the ground is in the
least higher it is nowhere to be seen. So wet,
indeed, are these dimples, that the water bubbles
up from under the feet. Gentiana verna, on
the contrary — which generally is regarded as a
more thirsty subject — grows here by the million
on heaths " as dry as snuff," and there shrivels
up in summer to such an extent that it is a
diflicult matter to hunt it up in the turf. The
moister the position becomes, the more Gen-
tiana verna makes room for G. acaulis, which
best enjoys the conditions under which the
alpine Auricula and Primula farinosa grow, in
company with both of which the Gentianella
flowers in tens of thousands in the wettest
spots, the mixture of the three pure colours
mingling into a wondrous blend like shot
silk. A little later on, Trollius europajus
begins to flower, almost covering the whole
(entirely open) position with its golden balls.

From these extremes in the conditions under
which wild flowers grow in different parts, it
would seem to follow that the attempt to
naturalise them elsewhere should be regarded
from the standpoint of an experiment rather
than trying to closely imitate the conditions
under which they are seen growing in a clime
probably differing greatly from the one in which
they are now intended to find a new home.
In the midlands of Germany, on slightly undu-
lating woody ground, Cypripedium Calceolus
grows, not as a common plant, but, where it
does occur, often in large numbers together.
The aspect is invariably ground sloping to-
wards the east and of a calcareous nature,

mostly a soft, crumbling limestone, the inter-
stices of which are filled up with very stifl' cal-
careous clay, from which, on account of the
intercrossing roots of trees, it is o'ten diflicult
to extract the rootstock of the Cypripedium.
This Orchid is there seen to perfection in young
coppices in the half shade. When the shade in
time becomes too heavy, the stems dwindle
away into a spindly growth and cease to form
flower-buds until they apparently disappear
altogether. As soon, however, as the time for
the old wood to be cut down comes round
again, they forthwith reappear and soon regain
their former luxuriance. It is a glorious sight
to see hundreds, nay thousands, of the lovely
flowers expanded at a time, to enjoy which at
home would well repay the little trouble and
outlay of the trial to re-naturalise this lovely
plant in English gardens. The Lady's Slipper
does not seem to be at all fastidious, for I have
had a plantation of it in England on soil and
under conditions both widely diftering from
those described, but the plants flourished and
ncreased the number of their flowering crowns
amazingly from year to year.

Munich. E. Hei.nrich.

Odontoglossum tripudians. — A good form
of this somewhat despised species is well worth a
place, especially as it blooms when most similar
kinds are out of flower. The plant resembles
0. crispum, and, like it, may be ^rown i|uitecool.
The flower-spikes appear in the base of the leaves
and carry a good many blooms. These are dull
yellowish green externally, inside the segments
are bright yellow, with several rather large
blotches of chestnut-brown. The lip is whitish in
ground colour, variously spotted with rose and
violet purple. It is a native of Peru, and was
introduced about 1869.

Lselio-Cattleya Statteriana is the result of
a cross between La;Ua Perrini and Cattleya labi-
ata. A fine form is now in flower in Messrs. J.
Veitch and Sons' nurseries at Chelsea. The
flower is like a much enlarged and improved va-
riety cf L. Perrini, the sepals and petals being
much broader, owing to tht- influence of the Cat-
tleya parent. The lip is larger and more open
than in L. Perrini, but almost identical in colour.
The white throat is in striking contrast to the
bright purple front lobe. It is a distinct and fine
addition to this ever-increasing section of hybrids,
and is a great improvement on L. Perrini. It
was raised by Mr. Seden in 1893. — Stklis.

Cypripedium AUanianum superbum. —
This hybrid, between C. Spieerianum and C.
Curtisi, was raised in the collection of Mr. R. J.
Measures. It is superior both in size and colour
to the typical C. AUanianum, raised in Messrs.
Pitcher and Manda's nursery in America. The
dorsal sepal measures 2J inches across, white at
the top, with a heavy suffusion of rose, and veined
with a darker shade. It has the usual character-
istic of Cypripedium Spieerianum in the blood-red
band down the centre. The petals, which each
measure 5 inches from tip to tip, are pale green,
heavily suffused with reddish brown, and longi-
tudinally lined and spotted with dark brown.
The pouch is remarkably large, and resembles
that of C. Curtisi in shape, the colour dark brown,
shading to pale green. — Stelis.

Cypripedium tessellatum porphyreum. —
A fine form of this rare and lovelv Cypripedium is
now in flower in the nurseries of Messrs. J. Veitch
and Sons at Chelsea, where it was raised by Mr.
Seden, and fir^t flowered in 1881. It is the result
of crossing C. corcolor with C. barbatum. The
dorsal sepal is buff-yellow, heavily suffused with
deep purple and veined with a darker shade.
The petals are similar in colour to the dorsal
sepal, and thickly spotted towards the base with
blackish purple ; lip deep purple in front, shad-
ing to yellowish green at the base. The flower-
scape carries two flowers. If possible it should

484

THE GARDEN.

[December 19, 1896.

be suspended from the roof, and care must bo
taken to avoid drip and moisture getting into the
axils of the leaves at this season of the year. If
water is allowed to accumulate, it is liable to
cause the di.ided s|.ot to which hybiils belong-
ing to this section aic subject. — Stki. is.

Ccelogyne faEceecens.— This pretty species
is seldom teen, but is a well marked and useful
kind at present in flower. The pseudo bulbs,
each about 4 inches high, support a pair of deep
green leaves. The bloom-spikes are pendent
from the base of these and carry five or six large
brownish yellow blossoms. It "thrives best sus-
pended from the roof in a somewhat shady posi-
tion and an intermediate temperature. Either
baskets or pans may be used for it, and the com-
post may be the utiial mixture of Peat and Moss.
Only a thin layer of this need be given at first, as
this can be added to at intervals. It requires a
good supply of moisture while the growth is
active and must never be quite dry at any time.
It is a native of Burmah and was introduced in
1S4S.

Odontoglossum Halii magnificum. — This
is one of the finest of the varieties of O. Halli, and
has just flowered from an importation of O. Halli
xanthoglossum, which it resembles in its yellow
fringed lip. The sepals and petals have the usual
yellow ground colour, but thi^ is almost hidden
by a large rich chocolate blotch. Like the type,
it throws up an erect many-flowered scape from
the base of the maturing pseudo-bulb, and this
takes a considerable time" to come to perfection.
In habit and general characteristics it comes very
near 0. cirrhosum, the bulbs being longer than is
usual in the O. luteo-purpureum section, which it
resembles more in the flowers. It is a good doei,
and may be grown in the coolest house. It
should be repotted early and in medium-sized
pots, using a free acd open compost, consisting
of equal parts of peat and Moss over good
drainage.

NOTES ON DENDROBIUMS.

The majority of these are now at rest, only a
few of the early flowering species being as yet
in bloom. Though few Orchids need nic
heat than these while growing, the deciduo
species at any rate require very little during the
winter months. In a greater degree than most
Orchids, their time of flowering depends upon
their treatment now, and it is quite easy to
retard maby of them that may be required "
flower at a given date. At this early seas
such plants as D. nobile would require about
seven weeks after being put into heat before
they are well in bloom, but as the days
lengthen after the turn of the year rather less
time may be allowed, as the buds, although
showing no outward signs of activity, must of
necessity be more forward. Naturally those
plants that are best ripened should be chosen
tor the earliest batches, and care will be neces-
sary even with these. An old-fashioned plan
to get early blooms is to suspend the plants
with their heads downwards, and plentifully
sprinkle the bulbs with tepid water, at the
same time keeping the roots absolutely dry. I
have known this successful, but occasionally- -
and, I think, always in the case of unripened
plants— a large percentage of the nodes will
break into growth. In any case the plants
must be returned to the normal position as
soon as the buds can be plainly seen, other-
wi.se, owing to the habit the flowers have of
twi.sting at the ovary to face the light, they
will present a curious appearance when in
bloom. The more gradually the plants come
on and the less they are forced the more flowers
will be produced and of the better quality these
will be. Just now we are more nearly con-
cerned with the resting period, and tliia must
be made as thorough as possible. As the last
of the leaves fall the water supply must be en-

tirely suspended, and without mentioning more,
all the Pierardi, Parishi, Devonianum, primu-
linum, and similar kinds are quite safe in a
temperature of 45'-' at night. There are
others, such as the nigro-hirsute group, in-
cluding D formosum and D. infundibulum,
that would be much better if they could
be induced to rest entirely for a time,
but usually they are on the move and
must be treated accordingly. A stimulating
temperature is not needed, of course, but a
gentle growing heat with all the light obtain-
able. The evergreen kinds do not, as a rule,
take kindly to a very low temperature. They
are at rest and must be kept so, but a minimum
of 50° is quite low enough for D. densiflorum,
D. Farmeri, D. chrysotoxum and the rest in
this section. D. nobile cannot be said to be
strictly deciduous, jet its behaviour mostly re-
sembles that of this set, and although, being a
hardy and vigorous kind, it is not seriously
incommoded by a rather low temperature,
yet, 1 think, better results would often accrue
if this were wintered with the evergreen kinds.
The beautiful D. Falconeri requires care dur-
ing winter. Like the black-haired group, it
cannot always be kept dormant, but if this can
be managed and the plants given eool treat-
ment, if only for a week or two, they will come
away in spring with increased vigour. The
pigmy D. pulchellum is, as a rule, more amen-
able to a restful mode of treatment, and will
stand a month or two in quite a cool house with
impunity, though on account of its tiny pseudo-
bulbs very dry treatment must not be persisted
in. D. Brymerianum, D. fimbriatum and its
variety, and D. moschatum are all, strictly
speaking, evergreen kinds, but they all re-
(juire more drying during winter than these
cf the evergreen set named above, while
D. nhrjsanthum, decidedly a deciduous kind, is
usually growing at this season, and ir.ust con
sequently be kept moist. Many other instances
might be quoted, but the observant cultivator
will note them for himself and vary his treat-
ment to meet his own requirements and the
wants of the individual plants under his care,
for it is noteworthy that these, even of the same
species, behave a little difl'erently in difl'erent
collections. One thing is necessary in all, and
that is as complete a riddance as possible of all
insect pests while there are no tender young
shoots for them to spoil. The foliage of the
evergreen and the stems of the deciduous kinds
are harder now than at any other time, and in
consequence not so liable to be injured by in-
secticides. Have every part of the plant tho-
roughly wet before using any of these, and
keep in mind that a couple of weak doses are
more efi'ectual and less likely to do harm than
one strong one. H. E

SOPHRONITIS GRANDIFLORA.
The brilliant scarlet blossoms of this delightfu
little Orchid are now open, and lasting as they do
for over a month their value is obvious. Thei
is nothing exceptional about the shape of the
blofsoms, but what they lack in form they make
up in brilliancy, and they impart a very checrf
look to the cool house during the dull wintry
days. They are veiy large in comparison with
the size of the pseudo- bulbs, from the tops of
which they are produced just at the time the bulb
is maturing. The dual strain thus brought upon
the roots makes it imperative that these should be
well looked after, especially as regards moisture.
While many other kinds are requiring much less
water than they have been taking through the
f^ummer, the supply to these must be kept up or
weakly growths in spring must be looked for.
After the flowers are past and the pseudo-bulbs
have ewoUen to their full size there is UEually a

quiet season for a time when a much smaller
pply of water suffices, but even then they must
never be allowed to get absolutely dry, whi'e
should new growth start away again at once the
water supply must be kept up accordingly. Tl e
actual quantity of water requited largely depends
upon the class of material they are growing in, and
the size of the pot or pan. Large pots are a mis-
take, for the roots do not as a rule extend very
far from the centre of growth, and are apparently
more at home clingirg closely to rough pieces cf
charcoal and similar material in a restricted area
than pushing through '2 inches or 3 inches of com-
pressible peat or Moss. I have feen nice plants
grown upon rough blocks lightly dressed" with
Sphagnum, and, indeed, this seems to be a veiy
natural holding for them, but the trouble in keep-
ing them moist will always go against this mode
of culture for any plants that can be grown other-
wi.'e. I invariably use pans large enough to
allow about an inch cf compost around the plants,
and fill the-e half full of drainage. Cover this
with a thin layer of Moss, wrap a little Moss
and peat around the base of ths bulbs and place
them in the centre of the pan. Finely broken
crocks and charcoal are then placed up to the rim
and simply surfaced over with compost. In this
medium it is impossible for the roots to be sur-
feited, and most of it falls away readily when re-
potting again becomes necessary. Notwithstand-
ing the lightness of the make up the plants are
easily fixed by pressing the compost firmly with
the dibter, which would not be advisable if a
greater thickness were allowed. Wherever Odcn-
toglossum grande will thrive this Sophronitis
may also be grown, but the very coolest treat-
ment, as accorded to O. criepum and its allies, is
not so suitable. It grows naturally on trees at a
considerable elevation in Brazil, whence ib was
introduced in 1S37. R.

ORCHID NOTES.

TuERE is no better time for a thorough over-
hauling of the Orchid house than now, repotting
being nearly at a standstill and many of the
plants at rest. The roof-glass, stages and walls
must all be thoroughly cleaned as advised recently
for the cool house, and before re-staging the plants
each one must be carefully cleaned. Where the
plantsare staked, most of the stakes should be drawn
out and all old ties removed. If there are any old
and spent pseudo-bulbs or decayed leaves, cut
thete out first and then thoroughly moisten every
part of the plant with tepid water. Have ready
a weak solution of soft scapand tobacco juice, and
take each bulb and leaf separately whether insects
are observed on them or not. When these ate
done the rhizomes must have attention, removing
some of the sheaths about the bases of the bulbs
if necessary, to destroy the insects of the scale
tribe. Once thoroughly done in this way, the
plants will give no more trouble until spring, that
is, unless any were really badly infested, in which
cases it is better to look over them again in about
a fortnight, to make sure of none being left be-
hind. The plants may then be again neatly tied
up and arranged on the clean stages. While on
the subject of tying, it is worthy of note that many
amateur growers use far too many stakes, spoiling
the appearance of the plants. One good strong
and neat stake in the centre of the pot is sufficient
for all medium-sized plants, or say those in pots
up to the S-inch size. Bass tightly twisted is the
best material for tying, as it lasts longer than
ratfia, and the bulbs can be separately looped from
the central stake, forming a neat and tidy plant
with very little trouble. Most of the pseudo-
bulbous division of Orchids grown in an inter-
mediate temperature, such as Brassia verrucosa,
B. Lanceana.B.maculata and others. Chysis brac-
tescens, Maxillarias of sorts, many Epidendrums
and others, will by now be nearing completion, and
must be watered according to the state of growth.
Miltonia vexillaria is in full growth, and must be
encouraged by a warm, humid atmosphere, with
plenty of air on all possible occasions and a good
supply of moisture at the roots. Anythat require it

December 19, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

485

may still be repotted, but it is high time that this
work was completed and the roots working well
in the new compost.

Growth is still active in the cool house, and a
nice growing temperature with abundance of
fresh air must here be maintained. Plants potted
as advised some few weeks ago are now rooting
away freely. Flower-spikes aie appearing on
all sides now, Odontoglossum Peecatorei, O.
luteo-purpureum, O. Halli, 0. crispum, and a
host of others in this section pushing up strongly.
Keep a watchful eye against slugs and woodlice,
the latter being even a more insidious foe than
the former, for these at least leave their trail be-
hind, while their mischief is mostly done above
ground. The woodlice, on the other hand, often
make havoc with the roots far down in the pots
out of sight. Insects are always in evidence where
dirt and rubbish are allowed to collect about
under the stages and on the paths. The tempe-
rature in all the houses must be kept as steady as
possible now, the minimum for the cool house
being about 53° at night, 60° by day, the Catlhya
house 55° and 70° respectively, the warmest house
ranging from 60° on cold nights to about 75° by
sun-heat on bright days. These 6gures are, of
course, to a certain extent approximate, but the
nearer they are kept to in all cases the better.

Cypripedium. nitens. — This is one of a
numerous set of hybrids raised between varieties
of C. insigne and ('. viUosum. It originated in
Messrs. Veitch's nursery at Chelsea, but has
since been raised in several other places. It mcst
resembles its seed-bearing parent in growth and
also in the lower parts of the flower, but the dorsal
sepil is very similar to that of the best forms of C.
insigne Maulei. It will thrive best in the Cat-
tleya house in the usual compost and under the
conditions frequently advised for Cypripediums
generally.

Cymbidium elegans. — This species is seldom
met with, and is apparently rare in cultiva-
tion. The pseudo bulbs are rather small and
bear erect sword shaped leaves, from the base of
which the flower-spikes spring. Thefe carry a
good many blossoms, small individually, and sel-
dom opening more than half way. The sepals
and petals are dull yellow outside, the inner sur-
face being brighter and faintly lined with dull
brownish red. The lip is similar in ground colour,
but spotted about the centre with deep crimsan.
It is a native of the East Indies and thrives in
the warmest house. The compost must be sub-
stantial, and a free supply of water maintained all
the year round.

Vanda coerulea. — In your very flattering
notice of the Vanda ccerulea shown by me last
Tuesday I must correct one cultural statement,
as I fear it might cause disappointment unless
modified. The plants are grown in a Muscat
house from early in April till the first drop in
temperature comes in October. They then are re-
moved to the airiest and coolest part of the Catt-
leya house, where those that have not flowered
much enjoy the greater warmth and moisture.
After flowering is over they are gradually dried
off. The first sunny days in February they are
put into an crdinary plant house and only watered
if they shrivel, resting them thoroughly, and with
plenty of air on sunny days, till they go back to
the vinery in April to be treated like the Vines.

— E. H. WOODALL.

Cypripedium insigne Sander se.— This is
without doubt the finest of the yellow forms of
C. insigne. It was originally discovered b}- Mr.
Maynard amongst a batch of imported plants
in the nurseries of Messrs. F. Sander & Co. The
dorsal sepal is pale green at the base, shaded with
yellow and veined with a darker green, the upper
half and outer margin clear white. In the centre
of the basal half are several minute brown spots.
The petals are of fine form, pale yellowish green,
veined with a darker shade of green. The lip is
of a soft lemon-yellow, veined with a darker
colour ; the lower sepal also pale yellowish green,
veined with a darker shade. It has a charac-

teristic pale green flower stem 8 inches to 10 inches
long.— S.

Angreecum Scottianum. — This is a very
attractive little plant when in flower, and quite
distinct from the usual run of Angrttcums in that
it produces a long thin stem, the cylindrical
leaves occurring in a distichous manner along
this. The flowers usually occur in pairs on axil-
lary spikes, and are pure white with an elongated
spur at the base of the lip. During the summer
the plants are almost aquatic in their needs.
Overhead sprinkling is a great help in fine
weather, but must be discontinued during [dull
spells. In winter a slightly drier atmosphere is
advisable, and all through the year the plants
n^ed abundance of light. The stems have a very
natural appearance when growing on long pieces
of Tiee Fern stems, and this material is excsUent
as a rooting medium. In the absence of these the
plants may be grown in baskets suspended from
the root in the East India house, plenty of char-
coal being mixed with Sphagnum Moss as a com
post. As many of the roots as possible must be
covered with this material, this tending to the
production of others higher up the stems, which
will form excellent auxiliaries to those in the
basket. It is a free-blooming species, often pro-
ducing two sets of flowers in one year and is a
native of the Comoro Islands, whence it was in-
troduced by Sir John Kirk in I87S.

Stove and Greenhouse.

PENTAS CAKNEA.
This useful old free-flowering stove evergreen
shrub is not grown nearly so extensively as it
might be. Its culture is of the easiest descrip-
tion, and it grows and flowers most freely when
given an ordinary stove temperature. Dwarf
plants are exceedingly useful for filling vases in
rooms during the winter months, and they do not
sufl'er in the same way as many other things
when subjected to the unnatural conditions that
surround them in drawing or sitting-rooms. The
trusses of flowers when cut with a good length of
stem associate well with other cut blooms, and
they are very effective when used alone. They
also possess the good feature of lasting in good
condition for quite a week if the water is kept
nhanged. Cuttings made of the young growths
strike freely in a sandy compost, placed under a
bell-glass or in a propagating frame. When well
rooted they should be potted off into suitable
sized pots and shifted on again as soon as they
have made plenty of roots. The size of pot for
the last shift will depend on the purpose the
plants are required for. As a rule 8 inch pots are
large enough for growing plants in to furnish cut
blooms, and 6 inch or 7-inch for plants intended
for house decoration. A compost consisting of
three parts loam, one part leaf-mould, and a
liberal addition of silver sand suits their require-
ments and promotes a short-jointed growth. Fre-
quent stopping of the young growths is necessary
until good bushy plants are formed, after which
they may be allowed to flower. When commenc-
ing to bloom, weak guano water is beneficial, as it
not only leads to finer trusses of flowers being
produced, but it also assists the plants to break
back more speedily, with a resulting fresh crop of
blooms.

For furnishing plants for winter blooming, the
cuttings should be struck about the end of May
and grown on afterwards without a check, keep-
ing all flowers suppressed in the meantime. To
have the plants dwarf and stocky, they should be
kept close up to the light, and a light shade during
sunny weather is necessary. I am trying an ex-
periment with this plant this season, and have
planted out some old specimens in a Melon house
and trained them on the trellis. So far they have
given excellent results by furnishing great quan-
tities of bloom, and appear likely to do so through-
out the winter months. The soil they are plarited
in is nothing else but the bed in which the Melons

were grown, and they seem to be quite at home in
it. If the experiment proves a success eventually,
it will be an easy method of growing plants for
cutting from, as a good batch can be held in
readiness for setting out as soon as the Melon
plants are dispensed with in the autumn. I would
advise those who do not already possess the
plant to obtain it if they require a free-flowering
subject for the winter months, and if grown in the
way described, I venture to think they will not
regret having done so. — A. W.

Being just now studded with its clusters

of pale pink or blush coloured blossoms, this
Pentas is valuable as a pretty winter-flower-
ing stove plant. Its value in this respect is
still further enhancei by the fact that a suc-
cession is kept up for some time. The blos-
soms are in a general way more valuable at this
season than any other, and in order to obtain
plants for blooming during the latter pirt of the
autumn and in the winter the cuttings should le
struck early in the spring and the plants grown
on freely afterwards. The roots are not particu-
larly vigorous, and from this circumstance neat
little plants may be grown in pots 5 inches in
diameter. They should during the growing
season be stopped occasionally in order to ensure
a bushy habit of growth. The flowers remain
fresh when cut for a longer period than their
appearance would lead one to suppose. A variety
of the above, which is, however, usually referred
to as a distinct species under the name of Pentas
kermesina, produces blossoms of a bright caimine-
rose tint. The individual blooms are somewhat
smaller than those of P. carnt a. The constitution
is less robust, and P. kermesina is, as a rule, met
with much less frequently in gardens than was
the case a few years ago.— H. P.

Hippeastrum anlicum.— The pointed petals
and general contour of the flower of this Hippe-
astrum, or Amaryllis as it is more generally
called, stamp it as perfectly distinct from the
round flowered garden varieties, while the fact
that it may be had in bloom during the last two
months of the year furnishes another distinctive
feature. It stands out very conspicuous just
now at the cool end of the stove, for the flower-
scipe reaches a height of a couple of feet or so ;
hence the large showy blossoms tower above
many of their associates. The flowers are of a
bright scarlet-crimson, veined with a deeper
shade.— T.

Azalea Deutsche Perla.-This is probably
the most useful of all Indian Azaleas, as it comes
into bloom very early in the season without any-
thing approaching forcing. I had some plants
that expanded their pure white blossoms in the
open air in September, and since that time I have
had a succession of bloom from plants in quite cold
houses. If slightly forced one year and allowed
to complete their growth early under glass, the
plants will naturally bloom the next season quite
soon enough without the aid of any artificial
heat. Being semi-double and the petals beauti-
fully" rounded and firm, they are the very ideal
flowers for cutting.— J. G., (jofjiort.

Foinsettias.- These are now in their full
beauty, and at any season of the year it would be
difficult to find anything to surpass them in bright-
ness. A great point in their favour is that they
last a long time ; they may also be grown in the
neighbourhood of London without being seriously
afi'ected by smoke and fcgs. Strong and healthy
plants I have never known to fail to prcduce good
heads of their brightly coloured bracts. I find
that after the bracts are well developed, sunshire
is rather detrimental than otherwise, as it takes
the colour out to some extent. I believe many
growers fail to do Poinsettias successfully through
propagating too early in the year. It is difficult
to keep the old stock plants dormant after April,
but if when they have made some growth ihey
are cut back close, they will make a tresh start
later on. The end of June, or even July, is cjuite
early enough to propagate, and if good strong
cuttings can be bad in August, there will be time

486

THE GARDEK

[December I'J, 1896.

to make gocd plants. Where stcck is limited, it
may be well to start propagating early, and the
tops may be taken cfl' the younjr plants after they
are well establisheil. roinsetlias do not iniuire
a great heat, but .-ihould te gro^rn close to tlie
glass and fully exposed to the light. A little
extra warmth when the kiacts begin to show
colour will be beneficial. — A.

Tydaeas from seed.— In some catalogues one
meets with quite a long list of named varieties of
Tyda-3, all of which are beautiful, while the ma-
jority of them have their blossoms very quaintly
marked. In purchasing ary the best time of the
year to do so is when they" are dormant, as then
the small caterpillar-like rhizomes do not occupy
much space and can be readily sent by post. If
about to commence their culture, it is by no
means absolutely necessary to begin with named
varieties, as a pinch of eeed fown early in the
year will, if the young plants are grown on in a
satisfactory manner, foim neat little specimens,
the flowers on which are just now rapidly expand-
ing. I recently saw a quantity of seedlings of
the present year that formed a charming feature
in an intermediate house, as they not only
yielded a considerable wealth of blossoms, but
in their cclour and markings tliere was a
very great amount of variation. The plants
in question, now so useful, had not given a great
amount of trouble, as the seed was sown towards
the end of February, and as soon as the young
plants were large enough to handle they were
pricked o6F. The next move was to pot them into
small pots, and when large enough they received
their last shift into pots 5 inches in diameter.
These Tyd;eas prefer a fairly open compost, and
on that account a mixture of equal parts of loam
and well-decayed leaf mould, with a good sprink-
ling of sand, will suit them well. When the
roots have taken possession of the soil in their
flowering pots, weak liquid manure occasionally
will greatly benefit the plants. The specimens
just referred to had been kept during the summer
in a cold frame, but were removed to an inter-
mediate house when autumn set in. — H. P.

EARLY CALLAS.
The term " early Callas " is at times subject to a
rather wide interpretation, and not a few gar-
deners consider Christmas as early for the flower-
ing of tliese useful plants. For many years, how-
ever, with a batch of several hundreds I have
been able to secure a fine display of these flowers
from the middle of September onwards. This, in
fact, is the season that I have come to regard as
" early '' for the flowering of the Calla. The
plants were grown for profit, and I may also say
more closely reached that very desirable goal at
the time stated than at any season of the year.
The reason of this is not far to seek. September
and October are months replete with harvest
festivals and the like, which give a decided stimu-
lus to the sale of the flower in question, and upon
more than one occasion have the spathes realised
quite exceptional price?, while the average was
very high indeed, and I have good proof that the
increased rise in price was due to the cause stated,
coupled with the fact that Callas were not plenti-
ful on the market at that time. From planting
out and lifting it is not possible to get the-^^e early
blooms, and, as stated at p. 439 of Tiif; Garden
by "C. C. H.," if placed in a cool house they are
somewhat slow to push up their blooms. Indeed,
I have known instances where strong heat has
been absolutely needful to get lifted plants into
good flowering at Christmas. Then, again, in
low and moist district?, particularly near London,
there is always the possibility of having to fight
their greatest enemy— fog, a'nd while this over-
hangs them no heat within the house will induce
their spathes to move or to become white. In
fact, they incline day by day to a sort of green
tint. This is most provoking, particularly when
a good show is apparent and perhaps the fir.^t
of the season, for the blooms thus held in check
by the pDisoning influences of the fog are of but
litt!e use only for very inferior work. Those

who favour planting out have always points
to recommend in its favour, but the best
proof of the superiority of any system can
only be measured by the yielding power of the
plants for the season. A dozen or more years
since I proved from a flower-yieldinj;' and profit-
able standpoint that planting out was useless,
and since then I have always kept the plants in
pots the whole year round, repotting them annu-
ally each year early in August. The treatment is
a very simple one and is as follows : In the middle
of May the plants are turned out of the houses
and placed in a cold, deep pit, and presently
water is withheld and by degrees discontinued
altogether. Six weeks of absolute rest, without
any water, the pots meanwhile stacked in a pile
on their sides. After this period the pots are
again plared on a piece of standing ground, and
if no rain comes they are watered once a week till
the time of potting in the first week of August.
At that time the plants are shaken out and a
good, rich, fairly holding soil given, taking away
the useless material from the base. The largest
corms are planted in S inch pots, or two of a
smaller size, rjvering the corm about half an inch
or so. When potted, a thorough watering is given
and afterwards as required. Renewed growth
soon sets in, and with a vigour that would sur-
prise anyone unacquainted with the system. By
these means every newly- made root is secured to
the full benefit of the plant, which in no wise can
be urged for the planting-out system ; and what
is more, these plants potted in August can, by
housing them a month later and by a perfectly
cool system of treatment, be had in flower by the
middle or third week of September, and as the
roots fill the pots and fuller leaf development
ensues, the number of spathes increases. Under
this treatment, by the middle of November I have
obtained by actual figures an average of some
half a dozen spathes per pot before the disastrous
fogs set in as a rule, and also before a solitary
spathe by the same temperature is forthcoming
from the planting-out system. Of the value of the
system recommended I have the fullest confideme
after years of continued success, and those of your
readers who have any use tor these Callas in Sep-
tember and Ortober will do well to adopt it, and
having obtained these early blooms, the plants are
equally profuse, afterwards flowering continuously
with the aid of liiiuid manure till turned out for
the twofold purpose of a season's rest and to give
place to a more profitable crop for the summer.
E. J.

EUPHORBIA JAC(>iUINL1;FL0RA.
Ne.kt to the Poinsettia, this is one of the brightest
subjects we have for this season of the year. It
is more difficult to manage than the Poinsettia,
requiring careful treatment throughout. The
very slender roots are liable to be killed, either
through drought or excess of moisture. It is of
the first importance to have strong cuttings to
start with, and this can only be done by taking
care of the old plants after the flowers have been
cut; the plants are then rather shabby looking
and often get relegated to some obscure corner,
where they are apt to get neglected. A very few
plants kept in good condition will give a lot of
cuttings. Unlike the Poinsettias, the earlier in
the year these ran be taken the better. There
is little difficulty in rooting the cuttings. Taken
off close to the old stem, they will have a good
base, but from longer growths it is necessary to
cut them oS' quite close below a leaf, only putting
the cuttings in just deep enough to keep them
firm. Sand, peat and leaf-mould in equal parts,
and good drainage, should be used for the cutting
pots ; I like to put them in singly into small pots.
When ready for potting on, some loam and a
little manure may be added to the compost.
Early -struck plants may be stopped once or twice,
but only the tips should be taken out. Later-
struck plants may be grown three in a pot. It is
a mistake to suppose this Euphorbia requires
ripening off ; the more freely the plants are kept
growing the longer will be the racemes of bracts.

When required only for cutting it may be planted
out with advantage, especially if it can be planted
where there is a little bottom-heat, using rough,
porous compost and plenty of drainage. It
should be well exposed to the light, and with
good treatment will stand full exposure to the
sun. During the summer artificial heat may not
be required, but as soon as the nights begin to
get chilly, a little heat will be necessary. If
allowed to remain in a cold house, the mischief
will not be apparent until put into heat, when
the leaves will quickly fall off. A. H.

Manettia bicolor. — This is not so often met
with as it deserves, and I find it is a stranger tq
many gardeners, who on making its acquaintance
at once recognise it as a useful, though not a very
conspicuous plant. Where there is a daily de-
mand for button-hole flowers, this little Manettia
might be frequently used alone or in company
with other flowers of a suitable kind, the only
objection being that its short and slight stems
need wiring in order to set them up. This in
many cases would not be regarded as an objec-
tion, because the resultant bouquet would have
a light and pleasing quality about it, equal to
many Orchids, which are such favourites for
button-hole work nowadays. Another valuable
point in connection with the Manettia is the con-
tinuous nature of blooming. On a healthy plant
flowers are constantly developing during the
summer and autumn months— at least this is my
experience of it growing on strained wires near
the glass and in a pot. No doubt if planted out
the flowers would be larger and the stems of
greater length and stiffer, so that the necessity
for wiring would be minimised. It is strange
that provincial exhibitors of epergnes, which are
always an interesting feature, should not have
brought this into greater prominence. Light
sprays would have a decidedly telling effect ar-
ranged among other flowers. Ferns, and grasses.
For house decoration, too, it would have, or ought
to have, a similar value.— W. S., Wills.

Ivy-leaved Geranium Souvenir de C
Turner.— At p. 4.S!I Mr. Crawford writes very
highly of the variety Souvenir de Charles Turner.
I wish to add to his praise of it as an excellent
winter-flowering variety. For this purpose I grow
it largely, having at the present time quite '200
plants in fi-inch and 7- inch pots. A more free-
flowering variety there could not possibly be. I
gather several dozen trusses weekly and still they
come, and likely too, right throughout the season.
Another advantage is its adaptability for packing
and carrying long distances. Mine have to go to
London with other flowers for decoration, and
they withstand this trying ordeal excellently.
Being kept at a temperature of Go° in a light and
dry house, the trusses are thrown up with a good
length of stem, and the colour of the flowers is well
maintained. I have also used them for church
decoration where daily services are held for a
week together, and at the end of this time they
were almost as fresh as when cut. Buds which
are just commencing to open will unfold in water.
As stated by Mr. Crawford, early propagation is
essential, the cuttings being inserted during the
first week in March. Late propagation is use-
less, as such plants do not produce the quantity
of flowers earlier ones will. Yearling plants are
also the most useful, older plants not producing
nearly so many flowers. My plants are grown in
frames facing the south, the lights being removed
during the three hottest months, the buds also
being kept picked off till the middle of Septem-
ber. The wood being well ripened, and yet not
starved, flower-trusses will form at almost every
joint. I have got several other varieties I am
going to give a similar trial to next season, as 1
think some of the others under like treatment may
produce equally good results. In packing for
carrying long distances the trusses are better
gathered overnight and placed in water, and in
the morning packed in small shallow deal boxes
in a single layer. If packed with other flowers in
larger boxes, the delicate petals are liable to be
bruised.— A. Yorxc;.

Decembeh 19, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

487

Ferns,
the hakdy feex gaedex.

The marriage of the fernery and the fiower
garden is worth eti'ecting, our many hardy
evergreen Ferns heing excellent for associa-
tion with hardy fiowers. There are many
varieties of our native Polystichums, Hart's-
tongues, Blechnums, which would he excel-
lent companions to evergreen herbaceous
plants suited for sheltered, half-shady nooks,
and there are hardy and vigorous exotic kinds.
Giaceful eilects may he developed in fore-
grounds, in drives through glades, and in
many other positions by the bold use of the
larger hardy Ferns, whether evergreen or not.

plant of dwarfer habit. The Ferns themselves
are much benefited by this, because there is
not veiy excessive evaporation during lot
weather ; but the small Ferns are best with-
out any carpet, save what they form of their
own. The Fern-lover will remember that
not only have we our own beautiful native
Ferns fcr adoining our gardens, but also the
hardy Ferns of America, Asia, and the con-
tinent of Europe.

As to the hardiness of exotic Ferns, Mr.
Milne-Eedhead writes from Clitherce: —

Is it not strange that we so Eeldcm see, even
in good gardens, any wellgrown plants of exotic
Osmundae, Struthiopterip, &c. '; Here, after a
long Fpell of hot, dry weather, we bad on
May 20, ]8S6, a fharp snap of fros-t which com-
pletely cut off Ihe more ihrn ust-ally beautiful

winter, and is new throwing ip healthily its
pretty triangu'ar fronds, whose inder surface is
quite white with the pow der peculiar to the genus
— in fact, a hardy sih er Fern.

1 A recent visit to Mr. Sclater's Fern and
rock garden at Kewick reminded us forcibly
of the good ell'ects that may be had by using
the nobler hardy Ferns — both native and
foreign — in a bolder waj^, and often as need

; be in the open sun. The idea that a fernery
is best in a dark corner has had unfortunate
results in keeping the grace of such plants
out of the garden picture. And we notice
with pleasure that hardy Feins are being
used in bold and simple ways at Kew, in
which at one time they were in an obscure
femeiy. Even if seme Ferns reciuire dense
shade, mary do not in our cool climate.

Efect of brake in foreground. Engraved Jot The Garden Jrom a photograph by Miss Willmutt.

The Bracken is everywhere ; but there are i
Ferns of graceful form which delight in the
partial shade of open woods and drives, and j
succeed even in the sun. Ferns have, as a
rule, been stowed away in obscure corners,
and have rarely come into the garden land-
scape, though they may give us beautiful
aspects of vegetation not only in the garden, 1
but by drives. In countries where hardy
Ferns abound, they are often seen near
water and in hollow and ditch-like places,
and it will often be best to group them in
such places, but without any of the ugly ;
aspects of " rookwork " too often supposed
to be the right thing in a hardy fernery.

The beauty of a fernery is much enhanced
if the larger kinds of Ferns grow out of some

flowers of Azalea mollis, and seriously injured
the young growths of some Japanese Vines,
such as Abies firma, A. sachalinensis, and
others. This frost turned the young fronds of
our English Filix-mas and Filixfci-mina quite
black. Clote by these plants, and under similar
conditions of soil and exposure, the American
Adiantum pedatum, 1 foot high, and the tender-
looking Onoclea eensibilis were quite unhurt, and
Osmunda interrupta and 0. cinnamomea entirely
escaped and are now very fine. Our English O.
regalis was slightly touched, but the Brazilian 0.
spectabilis brought by myself from dry banks in
the Organ Mountains was not even browned in
its early and delicate fronds. All the Ferns I
have named are great ornaments to any moist and
rather shady place in the shrubbery. In a
sheltered nook in the rock garden I find, to mj
surprise, that C;ymncgramma triangularis has
survived the perils net only of a frosty spring,
but the still greater ones of a wet autumn and

1 Shade is, moreover, an elastic teim ; the bold
hardy Ferns one sees in the American wood-
lands would not have too much sun in our
open land, provided they were in the right
soil.

Many hardy Feins are excellent fcr asso-
ciation wiih haidy flowers, and many may

1 he grouped ■with evergreen rock and hill
plants in forming borders and groups of ever-

, green plants — so desirable in places rear the
house. Though we have enough native
Ferns in these islands to give us very fine
effects, as we see at Penrhyn, or wherever
Ferns are boldly grouped, many may not be
aware of the ntimber of exotic kinds that are
hardy in cur country, and seme of them bold
m habit and fine in effect where well placed.

4S8

^HE GAKDEIS.

[DECEiMBER 19, 1896.

Some of the finest Feins we see at Xiwick,
and also at >ibianva and other gardens,
aie natives of ^vorth Americsi. Among
these are the Feather Ferns, the American
Eoyal Ferns, and the Onoelea, which is in
■wide masses at Newick.

Hakhy Fekss at Newu k Pakk.
Few people seem to give much attention to
hardy Ferns, and in most gardens if there are any
at all, they are usually planted in some out-of-
the-way spot where no one sees them. Rarely
do wetind them well grown or an important
item in the gardtn picture. Botanically they
have not lacked attention, and the multiplica-
tion of more or less monstrous forms has been
great, but few of these have any value in the
flower garden. The bold and handsome Ferns
of our own and other countries deserve some-
thing better than to be condemned to a miser-
able existence among a lot of decaying roots,
which the conventional idea always associated
with them. There is much to be gained in
point of beauty, and we shall get a new feature
of interest in our gardens by bringing out
these fine Ferns into the full light of day and
associating them with some of the noblest
hardy flowers. This has been well donebv Mr.
Sclater in his charming garden at Kewick Park,
Sussex, and with the" happiest results. Here
Ferns in bold groups and masses are inter-
spersed with noble leaved and fine flowering
hardy plants along a delightful open, moist
dell, the luxuriant growth showing that per-
petual shade overhead is not essential, and
may, in fact, be wholly dispensed with if the
conditions of soil and site are otherwise favour-
able. The Riiyal Fern we have rarely seen in
greater beauty in an English garden — a tall and
spreading mass of fronds. Following out the
same idea, other Ferns similarly massed on a
bold scale appeared to better advantage than as
usually seen in isolated tufts. Onocka sen-
sibilis, covering about 20 square yards of
ground in front of Rhododendrons, made a fine
group of graceful growth, as desirable to have
as it is infrequent to see. Struthiopteria ger-
manica, too, made an imposing mass, its fronds
of great length, and the effect striking by reason
of the open vase-like arrangement character-
istic f f this family. Lastreas and Athyriums,
although native plants, lost none of their grace
and dignity here in association with exotics,
and they are indispensable wherever Ferns can
be grown, as if we do not preserve them in our
gardens we may lose them altogether, at any
rate in the south, for the assiduous Fern hunter
has pretty well depleted the hedgerows that
once were full of them. Polypodiuuis and other
Ferns of lowlier growth made pretty carpets
over smaller areas of ground, mingling with
Rockfoils and Stonecrops, and throughout the
whole dell Ferns were growing in a charming
way. yet relieved of any tendency towards
sameness through the perfect blending with
shrubs and good hardy flowers. — A. H.
Bkitish and Exctk Ferks Hardy in
E.N(;laM).
De( iDrois Kinds.
The name "British'' is very suggestive of the
hardy character which Ferns native of Great
Britain should possess ; but, if the nature of
the habitats in which some of the kinds are
found growing in a wild state is taken into con-
sideration it will soon become apparent that,
while the majority of British Ferns are per-
fectly hardy in every part of the United King-
dom, where they are able to withstand the
severity of our winters with impunity, some
are too slender and require to be protected

from hard and prolonged frosts, and must be
grown in frames or in greenhouses not only to
attain their full beauty, but even to live from
year to year. Among these are the Maiden-hair
Fern (Adiantum capillus - Veneris) and its
several forms ; the Sea Spleenwort (Asplenium
marinum) and its several varieties ; and the
Filmy Ferns Hymenophyllum tunbridgense
and Wilscini as well as Trichomanes radicans
and varieties, which, although they are not
injured by the cold, require to be protected
against wind and a dry atmosphere.

The hardiest of British Ferns are the common
Male Fern (Lastrea Filix-mas, propinqua, and
psoudc.-mas) with their numerous and beautiful
varieties, and the Lady Fern (Athyrium Filix-
fuinina) and its numerous and equally beautiful
varieties. These grow and flourish in almost
any position and in any soil, although they
thrive best when under the shade of trees,
with constant moisture at the roots. The
Broad Buckler Fnrn (Lastrea dilatata), the
Mountain Buckler Fern (Lastrea montana),
also known as L. oreopteris, the rigin
Buckler Fern (Lastrea rigida), the Maish
Fern (Lastrea Thelypteris) are as hardy as the
above-named, but the hay-scented Buckler Fern
(Lastrea temula, recurva or as it is also often
called, f(enisci) only thrives in sheltered spots.
Of the other hardy Ferns of a deciduous nature,
the most prominent are the Royal Fern (Os-
munda regalis) aid its crested foim O. r. cris-
tata, and the common Bracken (Pteris aquilina)
and its several crested and depauperated forms.
Among the smaller growing kinds, also of a de-
ciduous nature, we note the Parsley Fern
(Allosorlis crispus}, the Oak Fern (Polypodium
Dryopteris), the Beech Fern (Polypodium
Phegopteris), the Limestone Polypody (Polypo-
dium calcareum), and several sorts of Bladder
Ferns or Cystopteris.

Besides the above-mentioned Ferns, which
are natives of the British Isles, there are many
others also of a deciduous nature, which are
equally beautiful and quite as hardy as any of
them. Foremost among the strong-growing
hardy exotic kinds, there are the handsome
North American Osmundasj O. cinnamomea,
with its barren and fertile Jronds totally dif-
ferent ; O. Claytoniana, or, as it is commonly
called, O. interrupta ; O. gracilis or spectabilis,
a very pretty species of particularly slender
habit ; the Sensitive Fern (Onoelea sensibilis),
Dicksonia punctiloba or pilosiuscula, the beau-
tiful Canadian Maiden-hair (Adiantum peda-
tum), the North American Ostrich Feather
Fern (Struthiopteris pennsjlvanica), Lastrea
Goldiana, Woofiwardia virginica, all of North
American origin and attaining between 2 ft. and
3 ft. in height. Among the smaller-growing kinds,
we note Aspiaium nevadense, novaboracense
and the'ypteroides, Asplenium angustifolium,
Athyrium Michauxi and Woodwardia angusti-
folia, all of which grow from 18 in. to 24 in.
Among the small growing kinds, also native of
North America, we note Allo.sorus acrosti-
I choides, the very curious Cystopteris bulbifera,
the handsome Polypodium hexagonopterum,
Woodsia obtusa, oregana and scopulina, and
also two pretty Selagrnellas, viz., oregnna and
[ Douglasi. All these are of small dimensions,
j varying as they do from 0 inches to 12 inches
I in height. The remarkably pretty Hypolepis
anthriscifolia, native of South Afrii a ; the
robust Lastrea atrata, native of India ; the
.Japanese Lastrea decurrens, the massive Stru-
, thiopteris orientalis, also a native of Japan,
[ and the remarkably pretty Davallia Mariesi are
I all equal in hardiness to any of our British
deciduous Ferns. Respecting the latter spe-
cies, which in Japan, where it was discovered

by Mr. Charles Maries while travelling for
Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons, is extensively used
for forming crosses, wreaths, to which purposes
its flexible, slender rhizomes readily lend them-
selves, any doubts as to its hardiness in this
country have been efl'ectually removed by its
behsviour during the winter of 1894-95. Mr.
R. Maries, a brother of the discoverer of the
plant and a resident in Lancashire, writing in
June, 189;"), says : —

You will be glad to bear, I daresay, that Da-
vallia Mariesi has stood the severe winter of 1S(I4-
C") here without any protection. The plant is
growirg en a brick wall, and is now making some '
vigorous growth and creeping along the bricks of
a north wall.

This, coupled with the experience of several
other growers, affords sufiicient proof of the
hardiness of that species.

EvEEoEEKN Kind.';.
Ferns which are perfectly hardy in all parts
of the L^nited Kingdom need not necessarily be
deciduous. Sime of the evergreen kinds,
whether British or exotic, which stand the
severity of our climate, are in every respect
as hardy as those which are deciduous. For
instance, no Fern could possess a hardier con-
stitution than the various small-growing As-
pleniums, which delight in growing in old walls
exposed to the cold winds and severe frosts,
such as the black-stemmed Spleenwort (Asple-
nium Trichomanes), and its pretty crested and
notched forms cristatum and incisum, the little
Wall Rue or Rue Fern (Asplenium Ruta-mu-
raria), the forked Spleenwort (Asplenium sep-
tentrionale), the alternate-leaved Spleenwort
(Aspleniumalternifolium), the lanceolate Spleen-
woit (Asplenium lanceolatum), the gr^en-
stemmed Spleenwort (Asplenium viride), and
another of our wall-loving Ferns, the scaly
Spleenwort (Ceterach officinarum). All these
are small, seldom exceeding 8 inches in
height, while the black Maiden-hair Spleen-
wort (Asplenium Adiantum-nigrum), popu-
larly known as the French Fern, the hard Fern
(Blechnum Spicant or boreale) and its several
beautiful forms usually average from 9 inches
to 12 inches in height. The genus Polypodium
also contains some remarkably handsome plants
of evergreen nature ; even the common Poly-
pody (Polypodium vulgare) is a very orna-
mental plant in its way, and is seen at its
best when growing on a wall, on the branches
of seme decaying tree, or on the roof of a
low house. But by far the handsomest of its
numerous forms are the Welsh Polypody (Poly-
podium cambricum), the Irish Polypody (Poly-
pe dium semilacerum), the Cornish Polypody
(Polypodium cornubiense) and its remaikably
handsome, finely-cut varietie" elegantissimum
and trichomanoides, in which the fronds are of
a light and feathery nature, being several
times divided, and resembling very little in-
deed the typical species. Then there are the
more or less heavily crested forms, cristatum,
grandiceps, multifido-criatatum, Ac, all of larger
dimensions than the species from which they
are issue. The common Hart's-tongue (Scolo-
pendrium vulgare), also perfectly hardy, sup-
plies us with numerous forms of beautiful
appearance and of good dimensions. Fore-
most among these are the varieties named
crispum and crispum fimbriatuui, having the
er'ges of their fronds deeply frilled and fim-
briated ; cristatum, cristulatum, Ccolingi, digi-
tatum, grandiceps, Kelwayi, ramo ciistatim,
ramo-digitatum, ramo-marginatum, and Veloisi,
all with more or less heavily crested fronds,
averaging from 12 inches to 18 inches in length.
To the above named rray also be added the

Decbmker 1!', li;96.

THE GAilDEN.

489

curious corniculatum, lacerataui, or tiidivit- inches long, comparatively liroad and massive,
folium, exonare, keratoides, muricatum, pera- of a lovely metallic colour when young, and of
ferens, and fpirale, all very interesting, tho- a deep velvety green when mature. In Lastrea
roughly distinct, and of medium dimensions. Sieboldi we have a totally distinct plant, having
As regards strong-growing evergreen hardy the general aspect of a somewhat dwarf Polypo-
Ferns, however, none can compare with the dium aureum and of the same bluish colour.
Prickly Shield Fern (Polystichum aculeatum) This and Dictyogrammajaponica and its variety
and the soft Prickly Shield Fern (Polystichum , tessellata, which have somewhat bold and broad
angulare), and its numerous and very beautiful I fronds, are also quite hardy, and so are the
varieties, such as aculeatum lobatum, angulare I .Japanese Lastrea prolifica, a species with finely-
plumoaum, both of which produce very massive [ cut fronds, bearing on their rachises numerous
fronds 18 inches to 24 inches long. Then there j small plants ; the handsome Polystichum seto-
is an extensive section of varieties with iinely ' sum, with beautiful dark green, shining foliage;
cut fronds, such as acutilobum, divisilobum, Polystichum Tsus-simense, Lastrea coiuaca and
d. laxum, d. densum, multilobum, proliferum, i L. aristata variegata. Lomaria chilensis is a
p. Henlejte, p. Wollastoni, and tripinnatum, I large-growing Fern with fronds 24 inches to
in which the fronds in

many instances are as ]MKMBBKMBKt^^S^ii^^^^^^'^^^^^^^^^ S'^^^s^,
finely cut as those of the
Lace Fern (Cheilauthes
elegans), and infinitely
more massive in general
appearance. The soft
Prickly Shield Fern has
also produced some re-
markably crested forms,
the most distinct among
them being cristatura,
cristato - gracile Grayi,
grandiceps and polydacty-
lum, all of which are
equal in vigour and in
dimensions to the typical
species. The Holly Fern
(Polystichum Linchitis)
is also perfectly hardy,
and is one of those plants ] i^
which are usually killed
with kindness, through
being grown in a tempera-
ture higher than is re-
quired. As regards
Exotk: Evergreen

KiND.S,

North America supplies
the greatest part of those
perfectly hardy in Eng-
land. The larger-growing
kinds from that country
are Aspidium cristatutu
Clintonianum, Aspidium
floridanum, Aspleniuni
angustifolium, Lastrea
marginalis, Polystichum
munitum and P. acrosti-
choides, all of which sorts
attain from 18 inches to
24 inches in height. Not
less effective and quite as
interesting as the above,
though of smaller dimen-
sions, are the North
American Asplenium ebe-
num, the Walking Fern
(Camptosorus rhizophyl-
lus), Phegopteris alpestris, Pelhea atropurpurea, j 30 inches long and of a particularly deep green
Woodsia alpina and W. glabella varying in I colour, while L. alpina and crenulata are two
height from G inches to 12 inches. There little gems with fronds only 4 inches to 6 inches
are also some remarkably handsome strong- long, but produced in great profusion. Nipho-
growing sorts, native of japan, the most de- bolus lingui is a very distinct Fern with entire

massed bv shadi/ irmn. tivm a pJn
Mr. S. W. Fitzherbert, Torquay.

jph by

corative as also the most distinct among th
being Lastrea Standishi, known also as Poly-
stichum concavum, with fronds 24 inches to 30
inches long, very massive, though much divided,
and ot a lovely and cheerful green colour ; Las-
trea erythrosora, with fronds 18 inches to 24
inches long, of a beautiful bronzy red colour
when young, and of a deep dark green hue when
mature. Lastrea opaca is another handsome
Japanese form with fronds 12 inches to 15

fronds ot a very leathery nature, dark green
above and silvery beneath, having somewhat
the general appearance of our common Hart's-
tongue, but in this case the fronds, instead of
starting from a single crown, are produced along
a slender rhizome of a wiry nature. Perhaps
one of the prettiest of the hardy evergreen
Ferns is the violet-scented Lastrea fragrans,
native of Japan and also of North America.
This charming little^ plant, seldom more than

4 inches in height, succeeds well when planted
outside, as it is on the outside rockery in Kew
Gardens, where its crown is simply protected
by a handful of dry leaves during the winter.
The three Japanese Cyrtomiums— C. falcatum,
anomophyllum, and Fortunei— are all said to
be hardy when protected by leaves'in the winter,
but experiments with these in the neighbour-
hood of London have not been very successful.
-G. S.

Messrs. Birkenhead, of .Sale, write us that
the following exotic Ferns may be grown in the
open air if the more tender ones are protected
in winter by a covering of old fronds or soft
hay pegged down over the crowns. These
would be better in sheltered nooks in the rock
garden in good peatyearth. Those kinds marked
with an asterisk should receive protection in
this form. Unless otherwise mentioned, the
Ferns are native of North America.

American Maiden-hair
Fern (Adiantum
pedatum)
AUosorus acrostichoidea
Aspidium cristatum
Clintonianum
fragrans
nevadenae (Nevada

Wood Fern)
novaboracense
rigidum argutum
gpinulosum var.

Bootti
thelypteroides
A»plenium angustifo-
lium
ebaneum (polypcdi-

oides)
*fontanum (Europe)
thelypteroidea
Athyrium Filix-f.omina
americanum
Michauxi
Botrychium virginicum
"■Cyrtomium carjoti-
deum (E. Indies)
* falcatum (Japan)
♦Fortunei (Japan)
CjBtopteris bulbifera
fragilis (American
var.)
Dannstiedtia punctilo-

bula
Hypolepis millefolium
(N. Zealand)
anthriscifclia (S.
Africa)
Lastrea (Nephrodium)
*atrata (India)
*decurrens (Japan)
fragrans (a very
pretty violet-

scented Fern)
(ioldiana
intermedia
marginalia
*opaca (China)
prolifica (Jamaica)
Sieboldi (Japan)
*varia (China)
Lomaria alpina (New
Zealand)
chilensis (Chili)
crenulata (Chili)
Oooclea seneibilis
Osmunda cinnamomea

Osmunda Claytoniana
gracilis

japonica corymbi-
fera (Japan)
•Pelhei atro-purpurea

♦gracilis
Phegopteris alpestris
Dryopteris
hexagonoptera
polypodioides
Poljstichum acrostich-
oidea
a. grandiceps

Brauni

CDncavum (Japan)

munitum (Califor-
nia). This is a fine
vigorous Holly-
Fern like variety,
very hardy

m. imbricana

polyblepharum (Ja-
pan)
*prjliferum (Austra-
lia)
*setoeum (Japan)
Selaginella Douglasi

denticulata (hel-
vetica)
Struthiopteris gerraanif ;i
(Ostrich - feather
Fern) (Europe)
*orientali8 (Japan)

pennsylvauica

p. recurva. A very
distinct variety,
with the foliage
recurved
Woodsia alpina

glabella

ilvensis (Europe)

obtusa

oregana

pcopulina

W. alpina and W.
ilvensis are both
British aa well aa
American
Woodwardia angusti-
folia
•japonica (Japan)

orientalis (Japan)

radicaos (S. Europe)

r. americana

virginica

Fteris cretica Wimsetti. — This is now
getting pretty well distributed. It ha? proved
one of the best of recent introductions, being of
rapid growth and producing spores in great
abundance. These germinate (juickly, so that
there is no difficulty in getting up a large stock.
It is remarkable that, though a see ilirg variety,
there is little variation. Characteristic fronds

490

THE GARDEK

[December 19, 1896

may be had in quite small pots, but it is seen at
its best when gronn en freely until it fills a 6-inch
pot, or it may be grown on to make a f;ood speci-
men in an S inch pot. As it become? better
known it will doubtles-i supersede the older crested
Pterises.-A. H.

Lomaria pibba.— There are several distinct
varieties of this useful Fern. That with the pale
green, rather short fronds is one of the most
popular. The variety p'alyptera is a larger form
and makes a. fine plant, but. unfortunately, it
does not come true from spores, and it is only
rarely that a few stray seedlings appear, and
these are generally from the variety referred to
above. Although I have sown what ap)peared
good spores of platyptera a number of times, I
have never got seedlings up. Yet, when no plants
of the variety have been in the same house, or, I
may say, in the nursery, I have on more than one
occasion found seedlings as referred to above. I
lately saw a good variety at .Messrs. Low's, Bush
Hill Park Xur.«ery. It was of vigorous growth,
with rather long fronds, which grow more erect
than usually seen, and the young fronds have a
distinct readisb tint. It might well be distin-
guished as L. gibba tincta. Lomarias are not so
popular as formerly, yet when well grown thei
are very beautiful. They require rather carelu
treatment, for if rnce they get a check, fertile
fronds appear, and it takes a long time to get
them to grow away freely again. ' The seedlings
must be grown on freely from the time they are
taken frcm the seed pots, taking care that they
do not suHer from a low temperature, want of pot
room or water. — H.

it may be grown in heat, but it is almost hardy.
Probably the crowns would withstandfrost. Spores
do not always germinate freely. A, H.

FERX NOTES.

BLEcHNrM occiDENTALE is a very useful Fern, and
may be recommended as one of the best for house
decoration. In quite a small state it is one of
the best for the fancy pots now so much in use,
or it may be grown on to make a good plant for
a J inch pot. It comes freely from spores, and
grown in a loamy compost in an intermediate
temperature well exposed to the light, the young
fronds have a beautiful rosy pink hue, changing to
a bronzy brown and then to a liright fresh green.
B. australe is identical with the above, and there
are several nearly allied varieties. B. glandulosum
differs only in being of more eiect growth and of
a darker shade of green. B. polypodioides is
another slightly ditleront form, having narrower
pinn.x", which are slightly twisted. B. latifolium
is a larger spscies, but I have not found thi.s do
so well or prove so useful as the three first re-
ferred to. Xow that the Pterises are grown in
such immense quantities it becomes necessary to
lock fci something fresh, and any new sorts that
can be added are much appreciated, provided
they will make good plants quickly. Among the
older sorts there are some which, if taken in hand
and grown well, may prove very useful. Take
Pteria longifolia as an example. When three or
four plants are grown in the same pot and treated
well, it is very useful and quite distinct from the
ordinary Pterises of the serrulata type. The
Xephrolepises are coming much into use, especially
X. exaltata. For hanging baskets this has no
rival. Being readily increased from the rhizomes,
there is no difficulty in getting stock. In growing
the plants on they like plenty of warmth and
moisture and all the light that can be obtained.
They do well when suspended from the roof, as it
gives the long drooping fronds room for develop-
ment. After they have made good plants they
may he removed to a cooler house, and when
hardened off they last a long time. As a compact
pot plant, X. philippinensie is one of the best, be-
ing of free growth and fairly hardy. Osmunda
palustris is not so well known as it deserves to be.
It differs from the North American 0. gracilis in
being evergreen. Seedlings grown on freely make
symmetrical plants. They must not be crowded
together or they run up tall and thin, but give
them plenty of room and they spread out and
make well furnished plants. This has a pretty
brorz; tint in the young fronds. In a young state

Flower Garden.

CALIFOENIAN IRISKS.
Mr. C.xkl Purdy's most instructive letter
(p. 453) will, I feel sure, be read with great in-
terest by many others besides myself, who will
share with nie the hope tliat, by his help, we
may ultimately be able to clear up certain ob-
scurities at present surrounding the nomencla-
ture of some of these Californian Irises ; for
here, in English gardens at any rate, we have
certainly got a little "mixed" on this sub-
ject. 1 received a week or two ago a most
interesting letter from Mr. Purdy, and he was
so good as also to forward a bloom, which he
suggested might throw light upon the Iris
alluded to by me in my note accompanying the
plate of Iris Douglasiana (p. 272 of the current
volume of The Garden), and which I had
thought might perhaps be Iris Beechyana
(Baker's " Iridese," p. 7). The bloom sent was to
the eye of a non-botanist apparently identical
with those produced by my own plant, though
the foliage was considerably larger and seem-
ingly more vigorous than that of my plant.
However, I sent it on at once to Mr. Baker,
who was kind enough to reply by return of
post that " the Iris sent was no form of I.
Douglasiana, but was I. niacrosiphon (Torrey). '
Here, then, we have a dictum of the highest
authority, which goes, apparently, to limit the
range of I. Douglasiana as described by Mr.
Purdy, and to extend that of I. macrosiphon.
Here is an extract from Mr. Purdy's letter to
me : —

I think I can give you some information regard-
ing the two foinis or species that you mention.
The original of I. Douglasiana was collected near
San Francisco in 1,S27 or 1828. It grows in and near
some small

groups of Redwood (Sequoia semper-
virens) on the peninsula just north and across the
bay from San Francisco, and, I amtold,isalsofound
in portions of the city itse'f. It is readily acces-
sible, being in places only a mile or two from tide
water. The plate in The Garden, I think, de-
lineates this form. In actual growth I am not
well acquainted with it. I saw a large lot of the
flowers last May, and they show considerable
variability. .... Ukiah is situated 120 miles
north of San Francisco, and is in the interior
some 50 miles. The same Redwood forest begins
some 12 miles west of here, but small scattered
groves extend to the town limits. In these
scattered groves and among Douglas Spruce ad-
jacent, the second type I. Douglasiana is found.
I send you a plant (pressed) of this. As this
region was in earlier days inhabited by wild
Indians and quite inaccesrible, it is almost certain
that this type of I, Douglasiana (V) was not among
the earliest collections. As compared with the
type, it has shorter, heavier stalks, larger, flatter,
and broader flowers, yellow, and only veined
(never suffused) with purple or reddish purple.
The capsule is short, ovate, oblong. As to the
foliage I cannot be so sure, but my impression is
that the San Francisco type has narrower and
more erect leaves of a dark green. Both are rosy
at base. The Ukiah type is rhizomatous, in broad,
loose clumps, never so thick as in some other of

r Irises.

By collating the above with Mr. Purdy's com-
munication to The Garhen, it would seem that
while it is in fact a yellowish or whitish form
of I. macrosiphon that has been passing for I.
Douglasiana in Mr. Purdy's neighbourhood, yet
there must be sufficient difference between
this and the yellow, creamy, or white forms which

he mentions to have led to the error, and the
two species are even more closely allied than
was supposed.

There seems to be little or no doubt that the
plant figured in The Garuen (p. 272) from
flowers grown here is generally accepted as the
typical I. Douglasiana, or that this is identical
with the jilant found on the ptninsula to the
north of the bay opposite San Francisco, and
with regard to the culture of this variety there
18 apparently no difficulty whatever. It would
be unwise, I think, to divide it with a view of
replanting it in the open during late autumn
or winter, but it grows with as much vigour in
common soil (mine is stiff cold loam) as any
Apogon that I possess. The other dwarfer and
weaker-growing Iris (alluded to at p. 272),
which 1 also call I. Douglasiana, I have grow-
ing in made soil of a light and sandy descrip-
tion, but I put it there by accident, and I am
disposed to think I could do it equally well in
other parts of my garden where the soil is not
artificially concocted. Another Iris— obtained
as I. macrosiphon— I grew in an artificial bog.
This IS also perfectly healthy, and is, I see, at
this date (December 5) showing promise of
strong shoots in the spring. All these three
Irises last mentioned are rosy at the base.
The subject is, I think, one of much interest,
and if 1 get blooms, as I am pretty sure to
have from No. 2, and as I hope to get from No,
3 of those mentioned, I will endeavour to get
Mr, Baker's opinion upon them and communi-
cate the results to The Garden,

J. Carrington Ley,

Ranuncnlusbilobus,— There are some snow-
white flowers of this open. They are as fresh and
fair as those of spring, and with this species here
it is always so-an autumn bloom, and that from
the smallest plants I grow many of the alpine
species, and, speaking of them in regard to their
beauty and vigour as well as freeness of blooming,
I consider this about the best of the alpine
section both for quality of flowers and neatness
of habit, even were it but a spring bloomer.- J,
Wood, Woodi-ille, Kirhstall.

Anemone japonica alba var. Lady Ardi-
laun.- On page 458 Mr. Andrew Campbell refers
to my note on this Anemone in a previous number
of Thk Garden. I see that he recommends a com-
post of well-pulverised loam and leaf-mould as best
suited to its requirements. Also, I note that any-
thing in the way of fresh manure is objectionable to
this variety. It would appear, therefore, that the
plants of which I wrote had hardly a fair trial, as
the soil in which they are growing is a tenacious
loam inclining to clay, and the border had been
manured not many weeks prior to the planting.
The variety was received under the name of Lady
Ardilaun, but whether it is correct to title I can-
not say. The growth was certainly not " robust
and large," but I am aware that a single season's
trial, and especially such a season as the past
summer, will often be insutticient for a fair esti-
mate of a plant's characteristics to be formed, and
hat judgment should necessarily be suspended
for a time. Here Japanese Anemones grow
ery strongly, and in a low and rich border
I have plants of Honorine Joljsrt which gene-

lly exceed 5 feet in height. Whether Lady
Ardilaun will eventually succeed in like manner
it is too early to prophesy, but, even should it do
so, I feel that my preference will still rest with
the single flower.— S. W. F., South Devon.

While agreeing with all said of the

libove by Mr. Campbell (page 453), " S. W. F."
and others seem to overlook the fact that
Anemone japonica vars. Lord mid Lady Ardilaun,
being seed producers, offer the possibility of
improving the type, which Honorine Jobert does
not. I sowed seed of each early in March of this
year, placing it in a warm greenhouse. The seed
took from six to fourteen weeks to germinate.

December 19, 1896]

THE GARDEN.

The plants were grown in a coil greenhouse all
the summer, but would probably have done bettsr
planted out, only I was afraid the frost would
have cut down the leaves before they would have
produced flowers, and fine plants have expanded
their blooms. None of these are inferior to La-ly
Ardilaun, and I consider two are superior. One
of these is a single, with flowers mea^urino; over 4
inches in diameter, petals very broad, of good
substance and of the purest white The other
has four-distinct rows of petals and is equally a?
large, but the petals are much narrower. I cer-
tainly would not despise a double form with the
purity and substance of Lady Ardilaun, and I
think there are few who would refuse it a corner.
I quits agree with J. Cornhill that Lord Ardilaun
is much the better, although the foliage is not
so fine as that of Lady Ardilaun. The flowers are
finer and I believe it will prove the more vigor-
ou?. Certainly the seedlings from it are far more
vigorous than thoae of Lady Ardilaun. Perhaps
others who have been experimenting will giv(
their results.— T. Scott, Ashford.

prising the English group are naturally .some-
what lattr in flowering, and some late flowers
of these may be secured also by adopting the
suggestion above. The very latest date I ever
remember planting bulbs of this Iris was quite
early in January. From this planting numbers
were never seen again, and flowering plants
were very few. It must, however, be stated in
justice that this was the clearance of the bulb
shop after the season's sale, and therefore not
representative of what m^y be accomplished by
a batch specially retarded in a cool, uniform
temperature, with a view to securing some spe-
cial object later on. E. H. Jenkins.

RETARDING SPANISH IRIS.
" C. C. H." at page 453 asks for some informa
tion on the above subject, and proposes delay
ing planting the bulbs until February next. So
far as planting these things in the month named
is concerned, I fear little actual experience will
be available. A general knowledge, however,
of this section of Iris enables me to say that
they are far from being the beat things to main-
tain in a sound condition in the dry state, that
is when keeping them in the usual places that
are at once cool and dry. Some of the varieties
are particularly liable to a dry rot while in the
dry state, and with some varieties more than
others, especially .such as are grown abroad and
have been unduly forced to a large size by the
aid of quantities of manure. This was so appa-
rent some years ago by a comparison of home-
grown and imported roots that it was considered
advisable to get the bulbs into the ground as
quickly as possible after they were received.
The varieties of the English group by their
larger size are even more susceptible to this
rot when kept too long in a dry state, and large
numbers of useless bulbs in both sections have
to be discarded long before the season's sales
are completed. In deciding to keep the bulbs
out of the ground until February, has " C. C. H."
fully realised the usually unfit condition of the
soil for planting at that time, even should it
not be frost-buund. And even supposing the
bulbs can be safely kept until February, I am by
no means sure that the later flowering would
be at all proportionate with the period of retard-
ing. The usual result of a long-delayed rest to
many bulbs is seen in a decidedly shorter
stature, and if planted in the positions usually
prescribed, it is more than likely that, with a
hot May and June, they would be hurried pre-
maturely to flowering, and, from an absence of
the full complement of roots, the flowers would
be very small. I am strongly of opinion that
a much more satisfactory result wiU be secured,
provided the bulbs are now perfectly sound, if
ihey are planted at once on a shady north border
the soil of which is fairly well drained. This
is just the opposite position to that visually re
commended, and it is just possible by the uni
form coolness of the position, coupled with the
present late date for planting, that a good and
useful succession of these beautiful and valu-
able flowers would be maintained. It is quite
easy to understand the desire of " C. C. H "
have a long succession of these Irises, as they
are so chaste, particularly the white and yel
low kinds ; and, I take it, it is for these or simi
lar reasons that the Spanish section is preferred
by " C. C. H." ; otherwise, the varieties com

Apera arundinacea is worthy of a note. It
seems to be little known, anyhow, not much
grown. I have come across a beautifully appro-
priate common name for it— Pheasant Grass, be-
cause of the prevailing hue of that rich golden
and sheeny brown peculiar to the reals phea-
sant. The bright mahogany tint is especially
prominent, and, in fact, the grass may be said to
be a combination of all colours. A tuft seen by
gaslight on a white table cloth is very rich and
telling. I am sure those of The Garden readers
who may be induced to try it will have cause to
be glad at having met with such rich decorative
material that can be easily grown outside ; pre-
ferably, however, in a warmer corner, so as to
keep the grass all the longer in character. Stature
U feet to 2 feet.— J. Wood.

Eremnras robnstus. — If by any means the
early growth of this kind can be retarded in the
ground, it will be all the better. It may be hard
to do this in the case of very strong plants with
widely radiating roots. Shelter from wet with a
cover that darkens the crown, without presenting i
free access of air, will be helpful in this direction
Lifting the plants in August or September and
planting in November and December has been
proved to answer well, but this method implies
the greatest care in lifting and planting, as any-
one knows who has seen a matured plant out of
the ground. There is not the least doubt as to
the hardiness of the plant ; still, when a specimen
is replanted in the teeth of winter it may not have
equal resisting power to that of an established
specimen, and it would be a kindness to surround
it with a light covering of Bracken.— J. Wood,
WoodriUe, KirUall.

Dividing Irises. — Many of the Irises, and
cspecialh- Iris germanica, are such free-rooting
subjects," that unless taken up and divided every
few years, they impoverish the soil, weak growth
and few blooms bsing the result. In pleasure-
ground borders this is not of so much consequence
as on borders where the blooms are wanted for
cutting. I grow a good quantity in the latter
positions for affording cut bloom during the
London season, and find that, in order to keep up
a regular free-flowering habit, the roots require
lifting and dividing about every threeyears. Afresh
site also is needed, or the soil may be taken out to
a depth of 1 foot, being replaced with fresh, rich
loamy compost. A good quantity of rotten manure
fhould be mixed with the soil, and as soon as plant-
ing is completed, a liberal mulch of leafy refuse
given. Shifting and dividing are best carried out
in autumn, but, if work is pressing, they may be
done at any time during absence of frost. The
plants take one season to become established, and
generally Bower profusely the second season after
shifting. Most Irises will thrive fairly well in any
situation exposed to the light, and I grow a good
many on north borders so as to secure a succession
of flower. The lovely Spanish and English varie-
ties do well on a north border, but in my some-
what light soil they only stand one year. In a
neighbouring garden, having a stronger loam, well
drained, they remain profitable for several years,
and need no transplanting. I grow a good quan-
tity of that loveliest of all Spanish Irises, Canary
Bird, the colour of which is rich canary-yellow. —
C. C. H.

*jf* From experience we find that the best time
to move Ins germanica is immediately after the

flowering is over. In this way the plants have
time to become established, and flower as freely the
following year as if they had never been moved.
—Ed.

LILIES.
Mr. Camm's interesting papar upon Lilies, a
print of which appeared on p. 413, he speaks oi
his inability to flower Lilmm giganteum at Bourne-
mouth, in spite of his procuring the largest-sized
bulbs each year. When I lived in a spot where
the soil was light and shaly, 1 experienced the
same disappointment with this Lily, but now,
in strong and deep loam, I can grow it well
and have never had one go ofl', as was the ca?e
formerly. The flower-stems average 8 feet in
height and bear up to fifteen flowers, one plant
last year perfecting several thousands of seeds. I
find that this Lily is partial to well-rotted manure
within reach of its roots, and I generally give a
mulching of long manure in the winter. One is
glad to notice that renewed attention is drawn to
the fact, already alluded to by writers in The
Garden, of the" Madonna Lily thriving best in
cottage gardens, though when growing in such
environment it often flourishes as conspicuously
in a shady position as in the " sunburnt position "
advocated in the paper. Indeed, it would seem
as if this peerless Lily became so enamcured of
such sanctuaries as to cease to be critical on
matters of soil and situation, which would as-
suredly lead ta its speedy collapse in more pre-
teatious gardens. In the matter of the disease
that disfigi:res this Lily, my experience has been
that, after it has appeared on the leaves, the stem
is next attacked and generally rots through before
the buds are injured, but in difl'erent localities the
course of this fell epidemic may well vary in the
order of its symptoms. The longiflorum s3ction
I have given up in the open, or rather they have
given me up, and in that respect I note that
South Devon is afellow-suS'ererwith Bournemouth.
The bulbs that succeeded best, curiously enough,
were some of L. Harrisi, which were taken up in
Bermuda out of season and brought to England in
a biscuit-tin on board a man-of-war. However,
after three seasons even the last of these died out.
L. auratum is most capricious in its behaviour,
but generally, I believe, dies after the first flower-
ing. Mr. Camm, I see, has found the same at
Bournemouth. I have bought fine home-grown
bulbs and given them every consideration in the
way of soil and casing with sand, jet not one of
them has lasted a second season ; whilst a few
cheap imported bulbs, that were not thought
worthy of any trouble or attention, and were
roughly planted in the ordinarj' garden soil, have
lasted fairly well for four years. That a marshy
soil is not a nine qud non for L. pardalinum has
been proved to me by its doing well in a bed of
leaf-mould and loam, which became dust-dry dur-
ing the late summer. One of the stems was
6 feet in height and bore about fifty blooms. L.
superbum and L. canadense have also— though not
so conspicuously healthy as L. pardalinum— grown
and flowered fairly satisfactorily, and I found,
upon examination a few weeks since, that their
bulbs had considerably increased in siza during
the past three years. These Lilies are therefore,
I think, worthy of a trial, even if soil and con-
ditions do not assimilate closely to what are gene-
rally considered indispensable for their well-being.
L. Humboldti. an exceedingly handsome Lily, has
grown and blossomed well in loam, with an ati-
mixture of a little leaf-mould and sand, and is
certainly a little stronger with each succeeding
season. S. W . F.

South Devon.

Conveyance of farm, garden and dairy
produce. — The Great Western Railway Company
has issued to the public, in a concise and handy
form, a pamphlet embodying particulars of scales
of reduced ra^es for agricultural, garden and
dairy produce carried by passenger and goods
trains respectively The rates by passenger
trains have been specially provided for small con-

492

THE GAEDEN.

[December 10, 1896.

signment? of farm and dairy produce, such a*"
eggs, butter, cream, poultry, game, fruit and
vegetables. The scales of reduced rates granted
fcr tratt^i- sent by froods trains embrace fresh
meat, dead poultry, dead rabbits, eggs, butter,
fruit and vegetables, and apply to (luantities of
Ui cwt., 1 ton, -2 ton and 3 ton "lots respectively.
One important advantage i.i connection with these
rates is that they will cover mixed consignments
of any or all of the articles named, so that farmers
may combine to send away varj ing small quanti-
ties (exceeding 3 cnt. ) amounting in the aggregate
to 3 tons, 2 tons, 1 ton or 10 cwt., and have the
«hole of the separate lots charged at the rates
applicable to these quantities, the only stipulation
being that the traHic must be sent at one time
from one station to another station, and that the
carriage must be paid by one sender or by one
consignee. In addition to the reductions thus
announced, rates fcr the same descriptions of
traffic have been specially arranged to London, in
no case exceeding the scales above referred to ;
and rates have also been given for consignments
of less than In cwt., by goods train, in order to
supplement the fac.lities cllared by passenger
train for small quantities going to" the London
markets. The company have also revised and
largely reduced the rates for cider and perry from
the producing districts of Devonshire, Somerset-
sb re, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, and are
making nuoieroue and important reductions in
the charges for other articles of agricultural traffic,
such as Totatoes, Turnips, Parsnips, Carrots,
Mangold Wurtzel, feeding stutis and manures.

NOVEMBER IN SOUTH DEVON.
The characteristics of the past irottH have been
it? dryness, brigbtn=ss, and its low tsmperatare.
Only I' S4 of an inch of rain has been recorded
on 6 days, ccmpared with 7 !IS inches en 20 days
in the corresponding mcr.th cf IMto, and an
average of 4 2o incbts. The small amount of the
month's rainfall and the phenomenal register of
November, ls;i5, place the rainfall of the present
year, which at the end of October was approxi-
irating thtt of the prcccdirg year, again far be-
hind, the figures being : Ramfall for the first
II months of the present year, III 45 inches ; for
the same period of IsOo, 28 72 inches, the average
being 31 '>6 inches, which average we are now
over 12 inches below. The mean temperature
rf the month has been 42 S^', against .'0 3' in
November, 1S9.5, and an average of 47 3'. The
lowest reading on the grass occurred on the 7th,
when the mercury fell to 24 .S , or 7 2" of frost.
On the same dbte the lowest screen reading
i2S .5'') was registered, while the highest sun tem-
perature (89 2°) was reached on the 10th. On
13 days the grass thermometer showed readings
of 32' or under. As regards sunshine, the month
under notice has been far above the November
average of 61 hours 40 minutes, with a rcroid of
$■3 hours 20 minutes, this being nearly doub'.e the
47 hours' sunshine registered in November, 1.S95.
The records of the first 11 months of lS9.i and 1896
are both above the average of l(i.")7 hours
.50 minutes, lh9.5 coming first with 1792 hours
.5 minutes, and the present year just heading the
average by a few hours, with a record of 1G74
hours 2-5 minutes. The past month has been a
very quiet cne for November, the total horizontal
movement of the wind being G316 miles, against
9.327 miles in November, 1S9.5. The greatest
daily movement was 502 miles, which was recorded
on the 8th, and the greatest hourly velocity be-
tween the hours of 10 and 11 a.m. on the same
date, when a sj eed of 30 miles an hour was attained
by the wind. The records of the anemometer for
the first 11 months cf 1895 and lS9(i show a won-
derful similarity, the total horizontal movement
for 1895 beirg 72,6.32 miles, and that for 1896
being 72,(,9o miles. The humidity of the month
has been 84 [ er cent, against 8G per cent, for
November, 1895 ; while ihe ozone m the air —
rangirg from S5 per cent with a south-west
wind tn the 19 h to 5 per cent, in an easterly
bieez.e on the 3id— showed an average of 43 7

per cent, fcr the month. In the garden the
chief display has been afforded by the Chry-
saiitliciiiuras, which, as November has been dry
ai.d bright, have pi-ovcd unusually attractive.
In many cottage gardens pretty pictures were
formed by the large bushes of distinct coloured,
naturally-"arown Chrysanthemums. When trained
against a wall a very beautiful etioct is pro-
duced by these plants and one that is all too
seldcmseen. For bush and wall plants many of
the old-fashioned varieties, which have been dis-
carded by most growers on account of their
failure to produce the monstrous blooms requisite
for the show-board, are among the most satisfac-
tory. Of white Chrysanthemums, the old Elaine,
Mile. Lacroix, and Lady .Selborne are still hard to
beat as decorative varieties, although the new
Niveum bids fair to be equally valuable in this
respect. Amongst jellows, Peter the Great,
Jardin des Plantes, with its particularly rich
golden hue, and Guernsey Nugget will be found
satisfactory, and W. H. Lincoln as good as any of
the newer" kinds for outdoor work, the petals
being of good substance and the growth sturdy,
while the variety is very free-flowering. Crimsons
and allied shades are very effective for grouping
with the lighter colours, and for ornamental quali-
ties it would be hard to fix upon anything
superior to a well grown bush of the old-fashioned
dark crimson .Tulie Lagravere. Roi des Pri?coces,
Tokio, and CuUingfordi, all crimsons : Source
d'Or, chestnut-brown; La Nymphe, pink; the
beautiful Hiver Fleuri, a silvery flesh tint,
shading to pink and yellow, and Golden Christine,
yellow, merging into orange and chestnut, are
all well suited to the embellishment of the garden
both in the open beds and against walls should
the late autumn prove genial.

I Abutilcn vexillarium bloomed, though more
sparsely, well into November, and the white
Antirrhinums were flowering in sheltered nooks
throughout the month, while Sweet Alyssum has
been in blossom on a bank, and a few stray flowers
have opened on hanging curtains of Arabis and
Aubrietia on the rockery and the first Primrose
has already appeared. Some spots have even yet
' a little colouring of blossoming things still left,
' and I noticed at the month's end a little garden
where annual Chrj'santhemums, Cornflowers,
French and Corn Marigolds, Stocks, Eschscholt-
zias, Nicotiana affinis, and red Linum were in
bloom, while here and there a few belated blos-
' soms cf Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums and Mesembry-
anihcmums, Pentstemors. and Paris Daisies are
I still to be found, the 7° of frost already registered
seeming to have left the last unharmed in most
! situations. The giant Christmas Rose (H. alti-
I folius) has been and still continues in profuse
I bloom, its chaste flowers having the additional
merit of lasting when cut and placed in water, if
the stems are well split up, from a fortnight to
three weeks. Erigeron mucronatus, after a blos-
soming period of many months, has at length
gone to rest. Dark crimson Wallflower has al
ready been gathered in the open from plants that
are masfes of flower-buds, and a certain amount of
Violets may be picked from the garden beds. The
Habrothamnup, I notice, is still in flower against
a sheltering rock wall, and near by a planted-out
specimen of Sparmannia africana is in sparse
boom. The charming Iris stjlosa is now in the
zenith of its beauty, and has produced its lovely
sweet-scented lavender-blue flowers in ((uantity.
Associated wiih it is the Winter Flag (Schizostylis
coccinea), the bright crimson of whose flower-
spikes is the most vivid touch of colour in the
garden. Both the foregoing are invaluable for
indoor decoration, and, indeed, last longer in
beauty within the house than when left uncuUed.
Of Rose=, a few stragglers appeared at intervals
on the walls, chiefly on an old plant of Safrano,
which has ere now given a handful of rosy fawn
buds on Christmas Day. Solanum jasminoides,
after being in flower since June, practically closed
its blooming period m Novembp.r, although there
are now (in December) a few puny flower-clusters,
en which half a dozen blossoms or so have ex-
panded their petals, but which give no idea of

the wealth of whiteness, swaying with every
breeze, that has for months clothed the wall to
the eaves. The Lapagerias that I noted in Octo
ber were still in bloom at the end of November.
and the orange fruit of the Passion Flower still
gleams on wall and arch. Amid the sombre tints
of the waning year, the combination of Jasminum
nudiflorum with Cotoneastermicrophylla becomes
more striking as each attains a richer and more ex-
tensive colouring. The Lnurustinus is studded
with flower-heads, the maroon tint of the un-
opened buds being accentuated by the few snowy
petals that have already expanded. Escallonia
maciantha and shrubby Veronicas are now and
again to be seen bearing a few blossoms, while on
a sunny cliff the red Valerian still glows and the
gold of the Gorse shines. November is rich in
colour effects, which become more subdued as the
month advances. At its commencement we have
still with us the bright colour symphony of the
autumnal tints — the cnpper-red of the Beeches,
the jellow-gold of the Elms, and the more sombre
tints of the Oaks. As these vanish, the eye finds
other suave contrasts— the grey of great Lavender
bushes, bronzed gold of the feathery Tamarisk,
and purple, brown of the Megasea leaves, while in
the woods the Old Man's Beard (Clematis Vitalba)
festcons tree trunk and undererowth with billows
of smoke-grey down, and the scarlet trail of the
berried Bryony garlands the leafless Hazel wands
with vermilion. S. W. F.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1097.

THE SILVER TRUMPET LILY OF
LUZON.

(lILIIM PHILIl'PINE.N'SE.)
(with a fOLOtKED PLATE.*)

Rr.sKiN long ago fold us that so far as the corn-
yielding plants were typical of the grass of the
earth in its sterling use to mankind, so also the
Lily typified grass iu all its loveliness and
beauty. In any case, one of the rarest and cer-
tainly one of the most beautiful of all the
Oriental Lilies is that represented in the plate
to-day. Although Lilium philippinense was in-
troduced to British and European gardens by
Messrs. Veitch and Sons nearly a quarter of a
century ago, it has never become plentiful, a
fact iu part owing no doubt to its requiring
special warm greenhouse culture and a careful
period of rest in a warm and dry temperature.

The plant is a native of the Philippine
Islands, as its specific name implies, and it may
be considered as the most southern form of
the group typified by the well-known L. longi-
florum of Japan. I have sometimes wondered
if this Lily is really wild or only naturalised in
Luzon, just as the South American Hippeas-
trum (Amaryllis) ignescens is naturalised in
Labuan and the opposite coast of Borneo.

L. philippinense was discovered by the col-
lector Gustave Wallis in July, 1871, in the dis-
trict of Benquet, in the island of Luzon, at an
altitude of 7000 feet above sea-level. It was
said to grow in poor soil amongst grass and
stones, on steep bank.s, and in a rather shaded
position. The flower figured is only 7 inches
or 8 inches in length, but the blooms are said
to each attain a length of 10 inches to 12 inches
in their native home and to be very sweetly per-
fumed. The long and slender leafage of almost
grass-like tenuity distinguishes it from all its
allies, although there is iome resemblance in
growth between L. philippinense and L. neil-

• Iirawn for Thf Garden by H. G. Moon ia Mr
Wart's nursery, Tottenhatr. Lithographed an(
printed by J. L. Goffart, iucce eor to Guillaom
Severeyns.

LILIUM FHILIPPINENSE

December 19, 1896,]

THE GARDEK

49S

gherrense. Tlie loug and slender flowers of the
two also resemble each other in form, but while
those of L. philippinense are pure white, those '
of L. neilgherrense are of a soft old ivory
or yellowish hue. The other Lilies of the
Eulirion group to which L. philippinense
belongs are L. longiflorum and all its
forms, as reared in Japanese gardens, also
L. Wallichianum, which is wild in Kumaon,
Nepaul and other temperate regions of the
Central Himalayas, at altitudes of from 3000
feet to 4000 feet. L. longiflorum is wild
in both China and Japan, having been intro-
duced to Europe about 1810, and varies in its
native habitats as well as under cultivation.
Besides the type, the most distinct forms are
L. longiflorum var. eximium, L. 1. Takesima,
and the now widely popular L. 1. Harrisi, so

fully would be most welcome. All the Lilies
of this group or section, including L. longi-
florum itself, are not quite hardy, even here in
Ireland, where some half-hardy bulbs do well,
and th3 exuberant behaviour of L. Harrisi as
grown under sub-tropical conditions in Ber-
muda seems to show that a warmer soil and
more genial climate than our own are necessary
for its welfare. F. W. B.

The Week's Work.

FRUIT HOUSES.
PiMES. — At this season of the year there is not
generally much to be done in this department, as
most growers wait till the turn of the year before

Farejround efft

largely cultivated in Bermuda for exportation
and for forcing in our greenhouses here in
England. The other allied species is L. neil-
gherrense from the Indian peninsula, where it
is found on the temperate slopes of the Pul-
nies and on the Neilgherry Mountains.

Broadly speaking, L. philippinense is a tropical
form of L. longiflorum, difl'ering mainly in its
taller and more graceful stems, grass-like leaves,
and in its solitary and more drooping flowers.
It is curious to find it resembling the Japanese
L. longiflorum far more closely than does either
of the Indian forms known as L. Wallichianum
and L. neilgherrense. The grace and beauty
of L. philippinense are well shown in the illus-
tration, and it makes one wish that the plant
itself were more often seen. That it is difficult
of permanent cultivation is a drawback that we
hope may soon be overcome, and the experience
of those who may have already grown it success-

>/ Ladij Ferns. (See p. 487.)

starting the plants. It is, however, well to look
over the stock while the weather is mild and put
it in order. If previous instructions have been
carried out, plants in fruit will have been got to- j
gether at the warmest end of the house or placed j
in a small house by themselves where they can i
receive due attention. Others that have been |
rested ought to be carefully examined, and those ^
most forward and likely to show fruit the quickest
should be selected and placed by themselves.
Such can easily be detected, as they are usually
thicker in the neck, the centre leaves being
broader and less elongated, showing that growth
has been arrested. Where this is observed it is
a sure sign that the fruit is forming in the heart
of the plant, even though it cannot be perceived.
If a place for a few of these can be found in a pit
where they can be kept by themselves, and where
a bottom-heat of from 85'^ to 9U° can be main-
tained, they should be plunged therein, and have
a soaking of water to thoroughly moisten the soil,
which wdl cauEe the flower-stems to push more

vigorously. If thtra is no pit tj plunge them in
by themselves, they should occupy the warmest
end of the fruiting house, adding sufficient fresh
fermenting material to maintain the requisite
temperature fnr bottom-heat. These plantis must
have careful attention, for as a greatei- amount of
moisture will be necessary at the roots to induce
a healthy swelling of the fruit stems, too much
moisture must be guarded against, particularly in
cold weather, as this condenses on the glass and
falls again in the shape of drip, which is very in-
jurious if ib should touch the hearts of the plants.
At this stage it will not do to hurry the plants too
much. A steady temperature of from 65' tD 70°
should be maintained, with a rise of ID' or so on
bright sunny days. A fairly active growth will
then be made. These plants which oo not show
any sign^ of fruiting should be kept on the dry
side for the present, as it is not advisable to stai't
more than are required, a?
the others Will piixii uo more
vigoroutly altir the tjrnof
the days.

SncrEssiON HOUSE.— Dur-
ing the dull, cold weather at
this period of the year, when
everything is at rest, it
is not advisable to excite
growth more than can be
avoided, and as Pine plants
that are kept comparaiively
dry will put up with a lower
tempsraturethan those whose
rants are frequently supplied
with moisture, no more
water should be given than
will keep them in a healthy
condition ; at the same time
it will not do to check them
too much, or in all proba-
bility they will start into
fruit before they are re-
quirel. So long as the soil
is kept sufficientlv moist to
prevent a check, this will be
sufficient till the turn of the
days. Suckers that are wall
rooted will need careful
watching, particularly if in
pits where the bottom heat
IS supplied by hot - water
pipes, for at this time of the
year they are apt to get over-
heated, therefore the roots
of the plants become too dry.
If this happens, such plants
often show fruit after being
potted in spring instead of
continuing to grow. This
is one of the drawbacks of
hot water for bottom heat,
pjrticularly when the houses
are entrusted to c iraless per-
sons who do not take an in-
terest in their work. Where
it has not been possible up to
this to procure turf for potting, this should be
cut and stacked at once in a warm shed, that the
grassy portion may have time to rot, and the soil
become somewhat dry previous to being used, as
it is impossible to do the work satisfactorily when
the compost used is too wet. The present saason
has been a good one for collecting Oak and
Chestnut leaves. If these were got together
when dry they will be found very useful as a
plunging material later on when it bjcomei
necessary to renew the bottom-heat. They must,
however, be kept dry and not allowed to ferment
too much.

General hints.— Amongst the many duties a
gardener has to perform none is more necessary than
keeping up a stock of healthy young fruit trees,
for unless this be done blanks cannot always be
readdy filled. In most gardens of any preten-
sions there is usually a spare piece of ground that
could be devoted to what might be termed a nur-
sery. It has for a long time been the custom for
gardeners to piocure fiuit traes from nurseries

494

THE GARDEN.

[December 19, 1896.

either as maidens or trained in any of the
approved forms, so that at the present day
but few of the young men in gardens have any
experience in either buddirg or grafting, this
being le't to experts who make a speciality of such
work. No doubt this is good in its way, but one
is not always able to procure just what he wants
or at the time he requires it, to that if a portion
of such ground were set aside as a kind of reserve
ground, even if trees were not propagated therein,
young plants could be procured and planted at
a suthcient distance apart so that they could be
lifted at any time they might be required to fill
up vacant places. When trees cf any si/o have
to be procured from a nursery, roots and branches
often get so broken about in transit, that they
are disfigured. It is, therefore, always best to
purchase small ones and plant them at a suthcient
distance apart that they c.in be rcaddy lifted
without injury to either root or branch, and trans-
ferred to their permanent quarters. Large trees
procured from a nursery are seldom of any value :
they have become stunted in growth, so that they
fail to make a start, whereas if procured when
small and grown en they will not fail to give satis-
faction. If it be thought advisable to graft or
bud a few of any particular variety, stocks of
various kirds should be procured and planted in
readiness for fo doing. It is alw.iys advisable
that these should ha»e been established one
season before being worked, that root action miiy
be active, for though it is possible that the scions
may take if worked in spring on those planted
in the autumn, they would not make such a free
growth as those having more root action. Where
such work is contemplated a proper selection of
stccks should be made and planted at once ready
for another year. The scions may now be taken,
choosing some of the cleanest and best ripened
shoots for that purpose. A trench should be
taken out 6 inches or S inches deep, that they may
be buried for the greater part of their length ; in
this way they will keep fresh till required for use.
A north border is a good place for them ; if in-
serted thinly in such a position they will take no
harm, even if the winter is severe. Cob and Fil-
bert nuts may be propagated by layers. In nur-
series where this is practised old stools are cut
down in order that they may send up strong
shoots : these are layered during the wmter, the
points of the growth being turned up so as to
form a straight stem. In most nut plantations
there is usually a suiEcient number of suckers sent
up from the roots to keep up a stock. These
should be taken up carefully and planted in rows
in the nursery ground about 2 feet apart each
way. Do not attempt to cut them back, but tie
them up to a straight stick to keep them in a
perpendicular position ; by next winter they will
have become well established, and may then be
shortened to the desired height, a stem of .S feet
in most instances being sufficient, a little more or
less according to the fancy of the cultivator. All
buds should be picked out or rubbed oil except
those at the top of the shoot, which will push in
spring and form the future head of the bush. If
these are shortened the following winter to within
two or three buda on each, there will be sufficient
growth the succeeding year to form a handsome
head. The young growths from these should be
tied down to a hoop in summer at an even dis-
tance from each other ; by so doing, what is
termed a goblet-shaped head will be formed,
which is the most serviceable of all kinds. The
seed of these may also be sown at the present
time, but as seedlings vary so in character, either
suckers or layers are preferable.

Chestmts— In the most favoured parts of
England these will ripen their fruit fairly well,
but in colder districts it is of but little value.
Here seme of the trees have attained a great size,
some of them having clean stems for upwards of
6'i fest high, with a girth of about 1.5 feet at .'> feet
from the ground. These ripen their fruit in all
favourable seasons. I find the fruit very useful
for dessert, and it would well repay anyone to
plant and cultivate a few tree? for this purpose
alone. H. C. PriN!~e

KITCHEN GARDEN.
French Beans. — The crops on the various suc-
cessional batches of French Beans sown during
the last two months of the year will necessarily
be light, as the plants have to struggle against
the enervating influence of artificial heat, com-
bined with a great lack of daylight and scarcely
any sunshine. The small pot system is by far
the best for present sowings, as there is a better
chance with these of keeping up a healthy growth
from the fiist, and it is easy to give the plants a
slightly increased root run as the pots become
full of "roots by standing them on an inch or two
of soil and encouraging the roots through to this,
or by half plunging them in small hillocks, the
latter being the better way where there is head
room to allow of it, as the soil in hillocks has not
the same tendency to turn sour as it has when
laid flat. I have before expressed an aversion to
the earthing-up system which is sometimes prac-
tised, for the tendency of the roots is to go down-
wards and not to come to the surface to feed, as
Cucumbers and Tnmatoes will do. I leave no
room for top dressing when sowing, preferring to
have the bulk of the soil below the seed bean in-
stead of above it. As the seed does not always
germinate well, it is advisable to sow in each pot
at least double the number that will eventually
be needed and thin down when the healthiest can
be selected. Those which come up with one or
both of the cotyledons deformed cannot be ex-
pected to make heilthy or fruitful plants. From
four to six plants may be allowed to a Tinch pot
if they can be allowed a little auxiliary help as
recommended above when they need it. Sweet
fibrous loim, with the addition of one-fourth of
decayed horse droppings, suits the plants better
than any other mixture I have tried. Sow in soil
moist enough to promote germination without
needing any help from the water-pot until the
plants are well up. As an aid to germination the
pots may be stood on a plank or on slates placed
on the hot-water pipes, but must be removed to
a position close to the glass directly the young
plants straighten themselves. A night tempera-
ture of from 60° to 65°, with 10° or 15° rise by
day, should be given, though it is better to allow
a fall to 5° lower in very sharp weather than to
get a too fierce heat in the pipes at any time. The
twigs used as supports should be put in position
before the pots become very full of roots and
crowding should be avoided ; each pot should
have room to stand well clear of its neighbour.

Plants in krames.— Though one or two sharp
touches have been experienced, the weather has,
on the whole, been extremely favourable to salad-
ings, Cauliflowers, &c., that are being wintered in
frames. Lettuces and Endive have grown con-
siderably since they were stored, and the hearts
of the most forw,-ird plants are well blanched and
tender. This is as it should be, but it entails care
and watchfulness in keeping both frost and wet
from the hearts. The latter is especially danger
ous, as once it is allowed to get in there is no
chance of the plants becoming dry again, and
early decay will be certain. Though ample venti-
lation must be given on every favourable oppor-
tunity, it is only wise to draw the lights off the
frames in the finest weather, as a slight shower
coming on the plants will do mischief that may
not show itself for a time, but which is none the
less certain on that account. The better way is
to well prop up the lights back and front, and
where the lights are not in the best of condition,
a considerable fall should be given from back to
front. The heavy rains and general dulness
which prevailed during September and October
kept the autumn sown Cauliflower in a backward
condition while they occupied the seed bed, but
they have since come on well, and are quite as
big as I like to see them at this time of the year.
Full ventilation should be afforded such plants,
and in their case there is no need to fear a slight
wetting when the weather is mild. I like to give
the plants an occasional dusting of dry wood
ashes, as this appears to ward off attacks from
mildew ; and though the latter is not likely to ap
J ear on the plants yet, unless they have been

treated injudiciously in the matter cf ventilation,
a preventive that rather helps than hinders
growth is never out of place.

Fka.mes and pits. — The various structures,
which will soon be in request for forcing many
things on the hotbed system, and which may have
been in use for extending the season of tender
things into the early winter, should be emptied
of soil and old hotbed material as they are set free.
The walls of the pits should be brushed down,
and, after they have had time to become dry, a
good coating of hot limewash should be given
them ; this will kill all Moss growth and many
insects that may be lurking in the crevices. Th&
lights should be washed clean, so that they will
admit full light to the new crops. The toil, if
required again for a similar purpose, should be
heaped in a dry corner and have a little litter
thrown over it to prevent the possibility of its
being frozen hard when wanted, and it is also ad-
visable to prepare any additional soil which may
be wanted and treat it in the same way, so that
it may be ready to hand instead of waiting until
the time comes for using it and then finding it in
bad condition.

Potatoes.— For very early use, a few of the for-
wardeat of the seed Potatoes, which I recently re-
commended to be brought into moderate heat,
may now be potted up into lOinch pots, using,
where possible, light sandy loam which has been
stacked for a twelvemonth and in which the
fibre is in an advanced state of decay ; this will
suit the crop better than any mixture of soils, but
if the loam is not light, a little leaf-mould will im-
prove it. Half fill the pots with such soil, then
set in the Potato and fill up with soil to within
:> inches of the rim, this space being required for
a little extra soil to be placed round the stems
later on. Put the pots near the glass in a house
or pit with a minimum temperature of 50 ; this
will be quite warm enough for satisfactory growth.

St'NDRiES. — It will now be time to cover a
second batch of Rhubarb. This will come in for
pulling before the first batch is spent, but it is
always easy to check the crop slightly by giving
a little air to the boxes on fine days, and this im-
proves the colour also. My method of forcing
may be found in calendar for November 14 and
need not be repeated here. I should like to add
however, that I have found it an excellent plan
to place a heap of dry Bracken over each Rhubarb
stool that is to be forced during the season, and
also on the earliest lot which comes on without
actual forcing, and this certainly helps them to
start freely when required. Weekly batches of
Seakale and Chicory should be put into the forc-
ing quarters. One word of caution is necessary
here, which is, never to use the same soil for suc-
cessive lots of Seakale ; by so doing we court
failure. I do not say that it absolutely refuses
to grow under such conditions, but I have proved
that the growth is not nearly so good. If it is
not convenient to cover a portion of the ([uarters
containing such things as Jerusalem and Chinese
Artichokes, Parsnips, Salsify, Scorzonera, Horse
Radish, &c., with litter sufficient to prevent the
ground from becoming hard frozen, it will bo ad-
visable to lift and store sufficient of such roots to
provide for a supply in hard frosty weather, and
the same thing may be done with Celery, which
may be kept in good condition for some weeks in
the storeroom if not in a frozen state wheu
lifted. J. C. T.vllack.

Lycoris aurea. — We have seen a good deal of
this within the last two years at Kew, at some of
the R.H.S. meetings, and as dry bulbs at the
London auction rooms, but, generally speaking,
its cultivation does not appear to be attended
with any great measure of success. It is really
nearly hardy, as planted in a narrow border close
to a hothouse, as is often done with the Bella-
donna Lily, it will pass the winter, but under such
conditions flowers may be sought for in vain.
Sometimes the imported bulbs have the flowers
already in embryo, in which case heat and
moisture are all that are necessary for the de-

December 19,

THE CxAT^DEK

495

velopment of its heads of charming blosfoms, so
well shown in a coloured plate in The Gardkn,
January 19 last year. The climatic conditions
under which it exists in a native t-tate are some-
what singular and difficult of reproduction in this
country. A fair amount of success has resulted
from keeping the plants after flowering (\\hich
takes iilace in the autumn) in a good light posi-
tion in an intermediate house, placing them in the
summer on a warm greenhouse shelf, removing
them to a warmer structure as autumn sets in.
Though introduced as long ago as 1777, this
Lycoris never seems to have been generally culti-
vated, and it i.i only within the last few years
that bulbs of it could be obtained in quantity. A
second species, Lycoris radiata, is, under the name
of Nerine japonica, sometimes sold in great num-
bers at the London auction rooms during the
winter months. — H. P.

Kitchen Garden.

YELLOW TOMATOES.
The yellow varieties cannot be said to be so
largely grown or to find favour like the
red kinds, and for this one may give various
explanations. The principal reason doubtless
is that they do not sell, but in this note I
am not concerned as to their market value.
As Tomatoes are largely eaten in a raw state, I
fail to see what objection there can be to the
colour if the quality is good. In a few
cases the quality is superior to that of the
red kinds. To show how little the yellow Toma-
toes are grown, only a few days ago I heard
some remarks from visitors at a large show
who were surprised to see yellow fruits. Some
say they fail to crop like the red kinds. Such
ia not my experience, as I find no fault as re-
gards cropping, but I do think they are worse
keepers than the red-skinned varieties, as
they crack sooner in a moist place or with
much cold. 1 only advise their culture
for summer supplies. For salads I think
them of great value, as the flavour of a
few is so distinct and so delicious. There is
now a fair number of yellow kinds, indeed
an ample selection for everyone. Another
point worth noting is the superior habit the
newer types of this section have. Golden
^Nugget is a small fruit, but superior in
flavour to many of the' red kinds. There
is another point not always noticed with
several of the yellnw varieties, and that is
earliness. Golden Nugget is one of the earlitst,
and is therefore valuable for early forcing. 1
do not know if any readers have ever noticed
the precocity of the older Greengage, one of
the first of the yellow kinds. This is a good
flavoured fruit and very early. Another spe-
cially fine yellow fruit is Sunbeam. I was so
much piea;td with its good qualities grown on
a south wall this summer, that 1 have made a
note to give it more space both inside and out
next year. It is not a round fruit exactly, but
quite smi oth, and ia borne in clusters. It is of
a size much liked for salad and of a delicious
flavour. Sunbeam is a very early kind, and is
certainly an ideal yellow Tomato. If size is re-
quired, there are plenty to select from. Golden
Perfection is a large, very handsome variety
and a good indoor kind. Golden Queen is
equally good. It is a dwarfer grower than
Golden Perfection, good for pot culture and
most productive. Blenheim Orange may be
classed among the best of the large fruiters
of the yellow kinds. There are some half
dozen other yellow kinds, but I consider them
inferior to the ones i;amed above. Only last
week a very pretty fruit of a new kind was

noticed in these pages. In these days when so
much variety is expected I think the yellow
Tomatoes worth extended culture.

G. W.

Broccoli Sno^w's Winter White.— Sown
during the first week in May, my batch of several
hundreds is just in condition for transferring to
frames as a safeguard against frost. If the winter
should prove as mild as last season, the plants would
turn in just as well in the open without any fear
of injury, their ample leafage curling nicely over
the heads. To find protection for a quantity of
plants is no easy matter, and it is an excellent
plan to transfer the plants to a sheltered border
and lay them in, taking them up with a fair
sized ball, afterwards protecting in some way. —
A. Y. VV.

Wintering Endive.— Mr. Wythes' notes on
wintering Endive are opportune. I can quite bear
out what he says as to coddling being about the
worst enemy the plants have. All kinds of salad-
ing being in demand, I have ."ieveral thousands of
Endive at the present time packed awav in low
frames, and also makeshift places such as Mr.
Wythes describes. Fresh air is what the plants
like, also thorough protection in case of frost. My
plants, having been lifted during a dry time, were
all well watered afterwards so as to keep the soil
moist and the foliage from flagging. Flagging
must be guarded against or the plants will fail.
The Improved Round Batavian I can also recom-
mend as being the better variety to grow. When
well blanched it is really excellent. The Moss
Curled is all very ■nell for garnishing, but other-
wise I would not care to grow it. — Y. W. C.

A good November Broccoli.— One can ap-
preciate a nice compact Broccoli at this season
more than at any other, as with an absence of
Peas and Beans the Cauliflower or Broccoli,
though small, is a delicious vegetable. The
Broccoli in question is Veitch'a Self-protecting
Autumn ; it is, I think, one of the most useful
autumn Broccoli, as the heads being so well pro-
tected a few degrees of frost do not injure them.
I like it bettor than the Autumn Giant Cauli-
flower, as at times this is too large ; whereas the
Broccoli is smaller and not so readily injured by
frost. There is no difficulty in having this variety
from November to February if two or three sow-
ings are made. I usually make two, one to suc-
ceed the Cauliflowers and another to give a later
supply. I sow later than is often advised to pre-
vent coarseness. It is a splendid variety to lift
and store for midwinter.— 0. Wythes.

A good Celery. — Celery in many gardens
suffered at the start from hei»t and drought,
bub where ample moisture was given there will
be a good return. I was surprised to see how the
early frost afl'ected the plants this season, doubt-
less owing to the soft giowth and little sunshine
during October. With much rain many would
think the plants would get all they want. Not
so, as the growth would have absorbed the food
given and more be required in the shape of liquid
or a good fertiliser. A very fine Celery for autumn
supplies I find is Veitch's Superb White, one of
the best as regards flavour. With me it finds
more favour yearly, as there is no running or
hollow stalks. White varieties are more inclined
to go wrong than the red kinds, but the above ia
free of these evils, and is as good a selection of
white Celery as I have met with. You had a note
by Mr. Iggulden in January, 1894, as to its value,
but I find it so good in quality that I wish to
mention it. — W. S. M.

Good winter Lettuce.— My best winter
Lettuces are true stocks of All the Year Round and
Hicks' Hardy White. Planted out in good soil in
low and light frames these succeed excellently.
I have now about three dozen frames full, and
which will carry me on for some time. When the
frames can be spared early in the autumn it is
much the better plan to transplant direct into
these from the seed bed, the lights, of course, re-
maining off until the approach of frost. Want
of moisture and fresh air is a frequent cause of

failure with winter Lettuce. They require con-
stant attention, the lights being tilted or drawn off
daily according to the weather. Close attention
is also needed in covering effectively from frost.
No frost should reach them, but, on the other
hand, they must not be coddled. Many Lettuces
are spoiled when lifted nearly fully grown and
planted in frames from want of moisture.
Directly after planting they should receive a
thorough watering, or the plants may flag if the
weather should be at all sunny. With moisture
in the soil, decaying foliage kept oS', and the
soil stirred occasionally, there should not be any
difficulty in providing a supply of plump-hearted
Lettuce. — A. Y"oitn(;.

Potting up Globe Artichoke plants.— My
note on potting up Globe Artichokes concerns
those who experience severe losses with these
plants during the winter. I am a sufferer in this
respect, and have tried various schemes to avert
disaster. My experience is, that no matter how
carefully protected in certain districts, one losei
the plants badly, and, of course, crop also. I
tried binding up the tops, and also most other
modes of protecting, such as dry leaves, fine
ashes, long litter. Bracken, and banking up with
soil, but to little purpose. For some seasons I have
potted up a fair number of plants, taking up the
small side growths and placing in 4|inch pots
singly and plunging in ashes in a cold frame. In
this way I can keep up a good stock, and even
should those plants in the open pull through, the
potted plants give a valuable succession. There
is no reliance on seed, hence the nece=sity of
kf!eping up a good stock of plants. — G. Wythes.

Forcing Asparagus.- In this garden Aspara-
gus is largely grown for forcing, a=i a supply has
to be maintained from early in Novembar OQ-
wards. I do not share "Grower's ' views as to
forcing being a costly proceeding when roots are
specially grown for the purpose. For later
supplies and for preceding that of outd )or growth,
an excellent method is to fill the deep alleys
with fermenting material and cover tha beds with
glazed lights. But for this season of the year
and for a month after Christmas, " Grower's " plan
is much more costly. All that is necessary is suffi-
cient ground where a batch of young one year-old
plants may be planted annually. In three years
they will be strong enough for lifting for forcing.
It will be readily seen that three batches are
needed. Given deeply worked and well-manurei
sandy soil, no more skill is needed than for a patch
of Potatoes beyond annual top-dressing with
either natural or artificial manures, so as to build
up strong crowns. It is an easy matter at this
saason to fill a three-light pit with fermenting
material, a couple of pipes along the front main-
taining the desired temperature. — A. Y.

PEAS.
The notes appearing in The Garden on the above
are most interesting to all growers of vegetables,
as one can see how certain varieties behave, and
no young beginner need fear failures in selection
of varieties for next season's supply if he notes
the district and a few of the most prominent
varieties. I am agreeably surprisad to see such a
general consensus of opinion as to tha merits of
certain varieties in districts wide apart. With
regard to early varieties, how few cultivators there
are but have a good word for Chelsea Gem. Owing
to the introduction of so many new kinds, the
variety named will have a hard fight to remain
first favourite after a season or two. It lacks
size, and in these days many owners of gardens
are not satisfied with small Peas, the introductions
of late being much superior as regards size with
earlinese combined, a great gain to the grower.
Daisy is nearly equal in earliness to the one
named, and this in connection with its siza of
pod, cropping, height and marrow qualities makes
it a rival of the right sort and a great gain where
quantity is concerned. Another variety which
possesses the same good qualities is Laxton's
Gradus, a distinct early Marrow. lam pleased to

4SG

THE GARDEK

[December li', 1896.

see this variety holding guch a high place in the
selections from different growers. The late Mr.
Anthony Wateter considered Exonian the best
early Pea and cindemned Oradus. I asked him
to forward his (iradus to place alongside of the
true, and it was not Oradus at all. Only last
week I saw Early Sunrise named as one of the
newer varieties. TThis must be an error, as it is
in ray opinion quite out of date. I must give
Exonian its word of praise, and cannot do better
than class it as an improved William I., a grand
variety for early work and one of the best
flavoured varieties grown. Many may object to
my preference for large Peas. On the other hand,
I like what one may term successive croppers, not
those which are over after one or two gatherings.
Such kinds as Excelsior, May Queen, Bountiful,
Empress of India, Early Giant and several others
come under the heading of earliness with size and
quality combined. I do not think Mr. Dean
(p. 4S7) need ask fcr tiu:e, as though it is impossible
for anyone to g ve all
the new kinds a lair trial,
the grower is fortunate
in being able to see the
reports of others and thus
get some idea of the best.
It mostly happens those
of inferior quality soon
go out of cultivation. If
we could have another
report on the Pea ten
years hence, many of the
kinds I have noted as
specially good will by
then have made a name,
as they have an excellent
constitution which some
kinds lack. W. M.

bition variety it holds a high position, and this, I
think, is the secret of its popularity. But that
does not imply it is first-rate for other purposes.
I am aware size is a cardinal point, but what about
the crop, as the Duke of Albany in my opinion is
inferior to Stratagem in quality and crop, and
Autocrat is much superior in every way ? My i
objection to the Duke of Albany is its short season,
as after two or three good tjatherings it is over.
Another fault is that the Peas so soon get old,
whereas some of the newer varieties and those I
have named are what may be termed succession
croppers. Thej* do not yield all at once and are j
covered with successional pods all alongthe haulm. !
As an exhibition Pea doubtless it will hold its own.
— Gkowkr. I

Savoys in winter. — I think the Savoy in
midwinter and well into February, or even later,
of far greater value than in the autumn, when the
produce is strong and there is a good selection of
other vegetables of superior quality. For some '

of those that looked sound when stored now
unmistakably diseased. I feel sure that many of
the late sorts will soon be replaced by those that
mature earlier, for in the majority of seasons it is
the late ones that get caught by disease. Then
there is the great advantage of getting the land
cleared early for other crops. Early sorts are just
as good for cooking in the spring as the late ones.
During the present year I had some of the White
Beauty of Hebron sent to me for trial when the
same variety was nearly fit for digging in the
open ground, and better Potatoes could not have
been desired.— J. G., Oonport.

July sown Carrots.— At p. 417 J. Crook
refers to the value of this crop, and I find them
appreciated in the kitchen for use in soups and
fancy meat dishes. To secure good results from
sowings made at this late date, a good situation
and a well-prepared soil, as mentioned by Mr.
Crook, are necessary. Mr. Crook sows between
the rows of young Strawberry plants, but then

Pea Excelsior — I
grew this variety thi-
year for the first time,
and am pleased with it- .," >
behaviour in anything "•5i,"s'
but a good season owing -^ '
to heat and drought
I think it will prove .i '''
valuable variety for fore
ing and early cropping
in the open. It may be
classed as a di^tl^c^
Marrow of a very dwart
type. It will, 1 think.
in time prove a great
acquisition. It requires
no stakes, and may bi
planted closely, though,
in my opinion, no matter
how dwarf the variety if
it bears heavy pods, it
well repays a few short
stakes to keep the pods
free of the soil. Excelsior
is from 15 inches to 18
inches in height, though

the first lot sown for early crop in the open did
not exceed 12 inches, but drought may have been
answerable in some degree. The haulm is
clothed to the scil, pods large, containing eight
or nine peas of large size and delicious flavour—
a true Marrow. This, with earliness combined,
makes it cf more value. For forcing it is a
grand acquisition. 1 have never seen its C(|ual
given pot or frame culture. I saw it also at
Chiswick this year, it being one of the few kinds
that received favourable notice. It may be termed
a first early, as if sown in February it may be
gathered in May.— G. Wvthes.

Pea Euke cf Albany.— This variety is pro-
bably mere largely grown than any other kind. I
am aware the last ttason or two it has declined in
favour with the advent of so many good Peas,
From a private grower's point of view the Duke
;ack8 several gcod (jualities, and I have often
wondered why it is so largely grown. Size, I am
aware, is its chief merit, as it lacks the true
Harrow favour of older kinds. As an exhi-

years in these pages I have advocated sowing the
Savoy much later. I would, in fact, treat it like
a Broccoli. Sow in May or even June for late
cutting, as by so doing one gets much better
material as far as quality is concerned, and the
produce at a season it is of greater value. One
often sees the plants, if sown early, starving in
the seed-bed. If sown at the season named
thinly, such plants grow away freely when
planted and give much better results with less
labour, as starved seedlings require much atten-
tion to get them into condition. As regards their
value at the season named, few will disagree, as
everjone knows how badly the early plants get
infested with caterpillars and split. If sown later
this is avoided, the plants wintering well and not
making the huge heads some people like. — B. M.
Windsor Castle Potato.— This splendid va
riety has fully sustained the high character given
it in former years. In looking over my stock of
seed, there is tsrely one per cent, that has to be
removed, while in the later sorts I find quantities

his climate is warmer and better generally than
that with which many of us have to deal. If the
young Carrots do not come on so fast as desirable
owing to wet, sunless weather, it is a good plan
to place a spare frame over the bed, the lights
being drawn off when the weather is fine and
sunny. Mr. Crook mentions Scarlet Model as
being a good variety for the purpose, so also is
Market Favourite, a stump-rooted Carrot I lately
strongly recommended for growing on shallow
soils.— J. Cr.vwkokr.

Pea Stratagem.- Old Pea growers will be
pleased to see that good old variety Stratagem
mentioned by so many in the recent reports on
the best Peas. It is one of those sterling sorts
which have not been ousted by fresh novelties.
Where spare pits are at command gardeners
will find Stratagem most valuable for sowing
in November, allowing growth to come on
steadily for producing a supply at the end of May,
after the earlier forced pot or hot-bed lots have
been gathered, and before the^early border crop

December 19, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

497

are ready. I have grown it for many years and
always found it reliable, the haulm not drawing up
like that of some Marrow varieties when grown
under glass. Of course coddling will not do,
plenty of air being necessary except during hard
frosts. My practice has been to take out a trench
in the pit, and replaca the old soil with good
sound loam, first laying in the bottom a good
coating of well rotted farmyard manure, placing
a little fine soil such as pitting shed refuse about
the seed after sowing. The colour of Stratagem,
combined with its excellent flavour, ia sure I'd be
appreciated in the dining-room, and the pods
hang in good condition longer than those of
most other varieties. I allow 3 feet apart for the
rows, supporting growth with the short tops
that are cut oflf the ordinary Pea rods. Gardeners
should be particular in getting the seed of this
variety from a reliable firm, as although now an
old Pea, there is still a spurious variety, the
colour being whitish instead of dark green. The
pods of the latter strain are not so large, neither
is the flavour so good.— J. Cbawfokd.

EARLY CAULIFLOWERS.
I vriTE agree with Mr. Wythes(p. 416) that many
people spoil their chances of securing a satis-
factory crop of early Cauliflowers by sowing the
seed too early ; also in pricking the plants out
into loose soil in a frame. The result of such
treatment is that the plants grow much too large
by the time it is safe to transfer ihem to the open,
and, besides, the soil will not adhere to the roots
whilst being lifted. Under such treatment no
one can wonder that the plants turn out worthless,
buttoning prematurely. I am also in favour cf
autumn sowing for the earliest crop, and it csr-
tainl3' has its advantages over sowing in January.
When the sowing is left over to this latter season
the utmost care is needed, and it is with such
plants that I now intend t^deal. In large esta-
blishments early Cauliflowers are a very important
crop. I grew several hundreds last year for the
earliest crop, and they tumed out remarkably
well. Perhaps failures may occur through sub-
jecting the seedlings to too much heat ; also in
not pricking and potting the plants off early
•enough. The seeds require to be very thinly sown
in boxes. If these are scattered about three
quarters of an inch apart, quite a large quantity
of plants may be raised in an ordinary cutting-
box ; if more are required, it is easy enough to
sow two or three boxes. The boxes should be
placed in a temperature of 50° (not more) and the
soil kept fairly moist. Directly the seedlings
commence to heave the soil transfer them to a
shelf near the glass, where the seedlings may
ceive the benefit of all the light possible. As
soon as the first rough leaf shows signs of push
ing forth, prick the seedlings out into other boxes
For a few days keep them away from the roof
OD the side stage, where the little plants will
quickly pick up, when remove them at once to
the shelf. Do not allow cold draughts to blow on
the plants, as, being young and tender, mildew
would very quickly take hold of them. Under
such treatment they will become sturdy little
plants As soon as the weather is mild enough
transfer the boxes to a frame, elevating thsm on
pots or bricks so as to bring them up close to the
light, when, by careful watering and ventilation,
also taking care to mat up at night, the plants
will be quite healthy. Too much care cannot be
taken in watering even such a simple plant as an
early-raised Cauliflower. Deluging the soil with
cold water will quickly have an efiect upon the
stems by causing these to turn black. Five-inch
pots should be used for potting off, as smaller
pots cramp the roots and may cause buttoning.
The soil should be three parts loam to one each
of leaf soil and pulverised horse manure, the latter
rubbed through a sieve. A sprinklmg of wood
ashes is also beneficial. Pot fairly firm, placing the
plants in the soil u p to i he seed leaves. If the plan ts
are lifted out with a ball and potte 1 so that this
is not disturbed, the plants will not droop much.
Keep the lights fairly close and shade for a few

days. Each plant should be picked out and
watered when necessary. I once saw a lot of
plants rumed by sprinkling over daily. It is as-
tonishmg how quickly mildew will affect Cauli-
flowers at this season if care is not taken in the
ventilation of the frames. By taking care for
two or three weeks, the lights may eventually be
drawn off on all fine days. If a batch is required
as early as possible, either prepare a roomy frame,
or what is termed a skeleton frame is an excellent
makeshift, the sides being either of turf or boards,
but it must be in a warm part of the garden. The
soil must be deep and well manured. Here set
out the plants 16 inches apart, planting and also
watering carefully. To forward the plants, place
on the lights, ventilating so that a circulation of air
18 continually playing about the plants. Eventu-
ally the lights will be only needed at night, and
after a time when the weather is genial and warm,
remove them altogether. The soil at no time
must be allowed to become dry, or the plants will
surely suffer. The next set of plants should be
on a south border, and a good succession is had
by a further planting on a western aspect. The
soil in either case must be deeply worked, well
manured, and in what gardeners term a friable
state. Plant in drills drawn as for Potato plant-
ing, these being 2 feet apart, the plants Iti
inches apart in the row. This distance will grow
Cauliflowers quite large enough. Watering must
receive due attention from time to time. Especi-
ally is this necessary when the plants are first set
out, as if the balls are allowed to become in the
least dry, the plants would droop and receive a
severe check. a. Yodkg.

SPROUTING EARLY POTATOES.

The time has arrived when those whowishforearly
frame Potatoes, say, at the end of March or early
in April must prepare the sets by introducing
them into a little warmth and moisture. An
early Peach house or one in which the tempera-
ture ranges from 45° or jo° at night to 60° by day
is suitable for the first lot that are to be planted
in frames, say, about the first week in January.
I have now abandoned the old-fashioned way of
placing leaf-mould or fine soil in the bottom of
the box in which the sets are raised, as I found
that unless planting was performed in the nick of
time the young rootlets got interwoven, render-

ijury.

impossible to separate them without
I now simply place them end up in the box,
giving them a slight sprinkl'ng with the syringe
occasionally on fine days, avoiding saturation,
which is likely to cause rot. As soon as growth
is sufficiently advanced to remove I rub off all
sprouts except the two stoutest, as one of the
worst evils in connection with frame culture is too
much Ita'age, by which sun and air are excluded.
In abjut a fortnight's time it will be advisable
to plac3 those sets that are intended for succes-
sional frame crops, to be planted at the end of
January and beginning of February, in boxes in
quite a cool greenhouse to sprout gently. If left
till the last and then hurried on in much heat the
produce is invariably poor. Potatoes for very
early work are often placed in autumn in some
out-of-the-way corner and not again inspected till
wanted for starting into growth, when i: is found
that a blanched growth has been going on for
some time, the tubers, of course, being much
weakened. The best plan is to store in a cool
place thinly, and to examine them at short in-
tervals, removing the growths immediately they
appear. There is not much gained by previously
sprouting tubers intended for pot work, the best
way being to plant them at once in the pots,
keeping the soil on the dry side until growth
appears. j. c.

Winter Turnips.— Many have a desire to see
their Turnips, Carrots, Parsnips, Beet, Celeriac,
and other vegetables housed and the store made
neat for the winter supplies. I am sure there is
too much haste often displayed in the lifting of
roots. Many need no storing at all. I have often
seen such as Carrots and Turnips very scarce, the

iarm having to supply such in country districts.
We coddle our roots too much, with the result
that they lose quality, grow out badly, and are
not fit for use. I often see winter Turnips in the
store long before this ; whereas they would be
much better freely exposed and would remain
solid longer. I am aware roots much overgrown
will not stand much frost, but these are useless
in any form ; it is the medium or even under-
sized roots which keep best. If Turnips are
grown purposely for winter use they give little
trouble if not stored too early. My plan is to
place them in bulk and cover with enough Bracken
to ward off severe frost.— S. M.

White Milan Turnip.— This variety received
an award of merit on June 15 for its earlinese.
This I quite agree with, as with me, sown in the
open in March, it was fit to use the last week in
May. I am aware the Extra Early Milan, or
the purple-topped form, is equally early and some-
what like the white form in character, both as re-
gards quality and appearance ; but the one named
was a few days earlier, and at the season named a
few days are a great gain. Where vegetables
are required in quantity, I see no difference what-
ever in the (|uality of the two kinds, and some
may prefer the older form on account of its dis-
tinct colour. The Milan section of Turnips is the
earliest of all, and though this is their best quality,
it is a valuable one. For frame work or forcing
they are of great value, as good roots may be se-
cured in a short time, and with less top growth
than in the case of some kinds. For summer use
I do not advise their culture.— B.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

THE FEANKENTIIAL OK VICTORIA
HAMBDRGH.
A I'ixE Vine of the above variety, nearly lOO
years old, is growing in one of the vineries here.
It is planted in a narrow front border about
1 foot wide, and the main roots pass out through
a hole in the front wall and occupy an outside
border of the same length as the house. The
main stem is 13 inches in circumference — not
nearly so large as one would expect considering
its age — and from it there are sixteen rods lead-
ing in different directions and covering the whole
of the trellis. Originally it was a single-stemmed
Vine, and the fruit produced by it being con-
sidered far superior to that of other Black
Hamburghs grown here, it was decided that the
whole house should be given up to this particu-
lar variety. Accordingly the rod was headed '
back to induce it to break near the wall plate.
This it did in a very satisfactory manner, and
vigorous young canes were trained out in all
directions, sixteen of these being retained to
form permanent rods. These rods eventually
produced Grapes of exceptionally fine quality,
the bunches too being large. As this heading
back took place some twenty -three years
ago. such fine bunches are not produced now,
but there i.s not the slightest diminution
in the size of the terries, and last year they
were quite as large as the berries of Gros
Colnian. A few years ago the Grapes on
this Vine began to shank badly, and after due
deliberation a partial lifting was decided upon
the following autumn. One half of the border
was accordingly removed and plenty of healthy
roots were found. These were taken great care
of and wrapped up in damp Moss, with mats
placed on the top to prevent them from drying.
When t he last portion of the border was re-
moved it was found that it was not so much a
renewal of soil that was needed as the removal
of a tap root which had grown from the bottom
of the main stem. This had gone straight down
through the drairage and several feet into the

i9i

THE GARBEK

[De-ember 10, 1806.

clayey subsoil below. The root niiist have beeu
crowing a good many year.s, as it was as large
round as one's wrist, and it being impossible ou
account of iis size to lift and jilace it in a hori-
zontal position in the border. I determined to
cut it off. It was severed close to the stem,
and I took steps to prevent anythinj; of the
kind cccurrins again by putting in a floor of
concrete. It U rather singular, ami shows the
va.jarif s of A ines, that shanking should not
have occurred before, as previous to the time 1
speak of there was no shanking worth mention-
irg, or not more than one might expect from
an old Vine with an unlimited root-run.

After the removal cf the root, the new piece
of border was pnit in and the roots laid out in a
cartful manner, the older ones being nicked
throughout their length to induce them to emit
new rootlets. The fi'llowiug season, as may be
imaained, the Vine did not make a great deal of
growth, but an immense quantity of new roots
was made in the new border, and the yeai
after it had ijuite recovered. Since then it has
borne as well as ever, and according to appear-
ances seems likely to do so for many years to
come. Several of my friends thought the lift-
ing of such an aged Vine would cause its death,
and were astonished to learn afterwards that it
sufl^ered the lo's of a large root into the bargain,
but this only goes to prove what an amount ot
recuperative power a Vine possesses. It nia\
be mentioned in concluding these notes tjat
vigour is maintained by top dressing the oldei
portion f f the border with new soil every thiee
years, and by applying artificial manure to the
whole of the borders twice in the season The
first application is given when the hoaise is
closed for starting, and the second soon aftei
thinning is completed. To prevent undue
evaporation, the suiface of the border is mulched
with strawy manure from the stables. Since
penning the above the new piece of border has
1)1 en top-dressed, as an examination revealed
the fact that the roots had permeated it through-
rut its entire length and breadth, and the sur-
face could not be disturbed owing to the pres-
ence of eo many hungry feeding roots.

Sloke Edith. A. \Yai;i..

CORDON PEARS.
Wnii;5T fully prepared to admit the value of the
cordon sjt-tem in Pear culture as producing very
high class fruit and enabling one to grow a great
number of varieties on a limited area, the com-
plaint must be made that several eorts are by no
means a success. Their cropping is decidedly
below the average, and so far as healthy growth
ia concerned it seems impossible to get them to
grow freely. When planting trees on a wall
a few years ago I trenched in a liberal do^e of
a thin top spit from a meadow, and every season
since the trees have had an annual top-dressing,
and a good mulching if thi summer has proved
hot and dry. Some have responded well to the
treatment, but the failures are more numerous
than one cares to see. I fancy the oHending
varieties would on a soil like this do better on the
Pear stock ; they certainly want something to give
them adoitional vigour. Shoots come away fairly
well, but the sea'on has only run half its cour-e
before the tops shrivel, blacken and die back (juite
onethiid the length. That the stock in thtse
particular varieties is responsible for this is, I
think, apparent from the fact that otht-rs on the
same wall and with precisely similar treatment
Mtnt to ife top in two seascns and have alwajs
been healthy and vigorous. Williami-' Bon
Chieticn, Louise Bonne, Glou Morceau, Beurre
I) tl, Pitmaston lluchcss, and Jo-ephine de
ilalires, an; a few example? of sorts doing thor-
tughly well. Special offenders, on the other
har.d, are Beurri; d'Anjou, Beurr^ Barhplier,
L'ojenne dn ('.mice, Olivier de Serres and Chau-

montel. It is worth noting that fruit obtiined
from Beurre Diel cordons is vastly superior to
that from old trees, the latter can only be u?ed
for stmving, but the cordon fruit is juicy, fairly
melting and good. In all cases ripening has been
earlier, and that despite the fact that the fruit
was allowed to hang as long as possible. For
instance, I finished both Winter Nelis and Glou
Morceau by the end of the first wesk in December,
and good late IVirs will be hard to find after that
date. An old tree of Althorpe Crassane on a
north-west aspect has proved an acquisition this
year, keeping out longer than usual and ripening
up well, Chaumontel and Zephirin (ir^goire are
just coming in. Among later sorts occasionally
recommended that are not so well-known are
Marie Benoist, Mmo. Millet, Nouvelle Fulvie,
and Beurr6 Sterckmans. Perhaps some corre-
spondent who has tried them will say if they are a
success as cordons. E. Burrell.

Apple Court Pendu Plat. — W^ere it not that

this \ II ,tv cnipys tho reput-ntion of bpinrr so ex-

r">ntionally late a bloomer, we should hear very
little about it. Its fruits are of fair dessert
merit, but of no special e.xcellence, and it has
the undoubted demerit of being a thin cropper.
For that reason alone it is no great favourite. It
seems to be somewhat inconsistent to praise the
variety because it blooms late, and therefore
escapes frost (totally ignoring the fact that oft-
times we have sharper white frosts when this
Apple is in bloom than when the great bulk of
App'es are in bloom), and yet having to admit
that it is but a sparse cropper. If that be so, then
wherein lies the merit of its late blooming, seeing
that many better varieties that bloom early fruit
better and are of more robust habit of growth ?
— D.

Canker. — "W. I.'s'' admirable description of
the excellent way in which Mr. Arnold dealt with
and cured his previously much cankered trees is
gcod reading becauEe it serves to show what so

many have so long proclaimed, that canker in
fruit trees is less due to the presence of some im-
proper element in the soil than to the absence of
essential properties which proper treatment and
feeding can supply. Whether some fungoid
disease be associated with canker or not, in any
case it is evident that the primary cause is found
in starvation, owing to the roots getting into
soil almost, if not (juite, devoid of essential food.
Mr. Arnold's experiments bear out conclusively
the results of Mr. Tonks' (Birmingham) experi-
ments. The first thing is to sever roots gone in
the wrong direction, to replace useless soil with
good sod, and to feed the newly-formed roots with
proper food. Cure soon follows— A. D.

Apple Scarlet Nonpareil.— This small, but
very showy and good-flavoured late Apple, for
some unexplained reason, has been discarded of
late years. This is the more strange considering
that the tree is very hardy and a good cropper.
Moreover, the very late date at which the fruit
comes into use adds to its value, it being often
plump and good as late as the beginning of June.
At Earl's Court several years ago
a grand dish of it was shown by
.Mr. Mclndoe, which was much
admired. It seem9 to do well in
several gardens in the west of
I'.ngland— Button, for one. It
.Mtands an unfavourable spring
well and generally yields a good
crop. Where dessert Apples are
being planted for late use, Scarlet>
Noni>areil should certainly be in-
eluded. -J. C,

Pear Uvedale's Saint Gar-
main —It may not be generally
known that this monstrous stew-
ing Pear is slow at coming into
beaiing I have never known it
to fruit in a young state except
once, and that was a tree douli'e
grafted and grown in a pot. The
fruits were enormous, and re-
ceived hrst prize for weight at an
important exhibition. I remem-
ber a horizontal tree on a west
» ill in an east garden which did
n it bear i single fruit until it had
j;rown to a large size, or until it
»s^ it least eight or nine years
old ^^ hen, however, it com-
menced to bear, it did so regu-
larly, the fruit being very tine.
I ha\e had it in this garden, both
on a north and south wall, for
the pa»t nine years, but even
with root pruning I have not
been able to induce the trees to
fruit I have it both in the hori-
zontal and cordon form, both
alike being unfruitful. I really
think age is the only thing which
mil induce fruitfulness in this
varietv — C. C. H.

Apple Lady Henniker. —
While many Apples which in
trade catalogues are bracketed
as both dessert and cooking are after all only fit
for ti.o Mtchen, there are a feiv which well merit
the double title ; amongst these, Lady Henniker is-
prominent. Grown either as an espalier or as an
ordinary orchard tree in a sunny position, the
fruit colours up handsomely, and is at the end of
December and in January brisk and refreshing
eaten in a raw state. It bears sooner as a standard
than as an espalier, being a rather strong grower;
but very tine fruits are produced by the latter
system of training. Lady Henniker is a conical
Apple, slightly ribbed, skin a delicate yellow,
heavily flushed with crimson when the fruit is ex-
posed to the sun. As a cooking Apple it is hard
to beat. — J. C

Pear Hessle— Perhaps there is no Pear ripen-
ing in Octobtr that is more widely cuhivated than
Hessle, and although the fruit will not keep long
after it is (juite ripe, yet if gathered with judg-
ment before quite matured it will stand packing

December 19, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

499

and sending to market. The fruit is Bomewhat
below medium size, greenish-yellow in colour,
with numerous russety spots, the flavour being very
juicy and refreshing. It is one of the most pro-
lific varieties in existence and thrives well in cold
web climates. A good many Hessle? are grown in
orchards in Notts and Yorkshire, and still more
in the southern counties. In private gardens a
tree or two should always be grown, as t?.e fruit
can be watched and gathered just in the nick of
time when at its best. Hessle, although some-
what uncertain, is not nearly so much so as sorts
like Jargonelle and Citron des Carmes.— J. C.

DESSERT VERSUS KITCHEN APPLES.
I AM glad to sse that this matter is being ventilated ,
for under existing conditions one never knows
exactly what to do. Perfonally, I have always
refrained from f-howing cooking Apples as dessert
varieties, with the tingle exception of Blenheim
Orange, and have had to suffer defeat in conse-
quence more than once. Last year at our local
Chrysanthemum show the first priza collection of
six dishes of dessert Apples contained Golden
Noble. This year the corresponding collection
contained Emperor Alexander and Cellini Pippin,
the former of which is, to my thinking, outside
the pale altogether, and the latter only worthy of
use in a case of emergency, being long pist its crisp
stage by the middle of November. Pitted against
the collection containing these was one in which
were good samples of Ribston, Cox's Orange,
Court Pendu Plat, Fearn's Prppin, King of
Pippins and Blenheim Orange. The only pos-
sible excuse for placing the prizes as they were
placed was the extra size and fine appearanca of
Emperor Alexander. Of course, such mistakes
are only possible with nonexperts, and the Chry-
santhemums are most catered for at these fhows,
as is only right. I should like to suggest that
where there is a doubt as to the quahfications
(as fruic experts) of the judges available, collec-
tions would be best avoided, the prizes being
given for single dishes of certain specified varie-
ties, the best in each division, as is done in the
single dish classes at big shows ; then we should
see only the best, and each variety would be
brought into direct competition. This would also
do away with the attempts to grow a large num-
ber of varieties in preference to a smaller number.
Nurserymen's catalogues are no safe guide as to
the definition of class to which a certain variety
may belong, as it is to the interest of nurserymen
to classif}' an Apple as good for both divisions,
provided it has the slightest claim to the dis-
tinction.— CORNUBIAN.

— I am pleased to see that " W. S.' and
" B. M." have taken up the question " Appl
Cooking or Dessert." The latter is correct in his
supposition that at the recent exhibition of the
National Chrysanthemum Society at the Royal
Aquarium an exhibitor staged in the classes for
six dishes of Apples, dessert, fit for table, and six
dishes of Apples, cooking, Blenheim Orange and
Cox's Pomona in bath classes, and gained the first
prize in both. In the "Fruit Manual," Blenheim
Orange is defined as either for cooking or dessert,
but, strictly speaking, more suitable for the latter.
Cox's Pomona is described only as a cooking
Apple. There was no lack of fine fruit from all
parts of the country which were classified cor-
rectly, and merited more diecriminate and careful
judgment. —T. W. Startup, Wia Farleigh.

I cannot agree with you, Mr. Editor, that

Emperor Alexander Apple is purely a cooking
variety (p. 448) when it is generally used for
dessert. Besides, it is superior for that purpose
to many of the so-called dessert sorts. All
Apples that are eligible for cooking and dessert,
even although not of the finest quality for dessert,
among which Alexander may be included, have a
perfect right t3 be included in dessert classes at
shows. "B. M."onths same page takes excep-
tion to Blenheim Orange and Cox's Pomona
being shown in both sections. Both are entitled
to be so shown, as they cin be employed for
either purpose. The exhibitors complained of

were quite within their right, and the judges only
did them justice. Some varieties of dessert
Apples are very much superior to the so-called
cooking sorts when cooked. Were any exhibitor
to show Cox's Orange in a clasa for cooking sorts
would "B. M." disqualify, or pass the lot over?
We very much want some standard whereto
judges and exhibitors could look for guidance in
matters of this kind.— R. C. H.

%* If "R. C. H." will kindly refer to Mr.
Barron's notes on Emperor Alexander at p. 183 of
"British Apples" he will find that he classes
this variety as suitable for cooking only. It is in
the valuable work referred to said to be large,
soft, £cid, and of second cjuality ; whereas a des-
sert Apple should be of medium s'zj, firm, juicy,
and of first-rate quality. No one who knows any-
thing of fruit would think of showing Cox's
Orange as a cooking Apple.— Ed.

The question as to what varieties of Apples

areentitled to be classed for dessert is justnow being
forced to thefront. If allowed to remain unanswered,
it will but remain in an unsettled and unsatisfactory
condition. I have suggested that the fruit com-
mittee of the Royal Horticultural Society should
deal with it, and issue an authoritative list of re-
cognised dessert Apples, leaving to show com-
mittees and judges to accept it or otherwise. So
long as show schedules use the term "dessert,"
which has of course a certain recognised meaning,
juit so long will it be needful to make clear what
in both Apples and Pears are recognised dessert
varieties. As a rule we require the existence of
certain flavour in dessert fruits, which is not mere
sweetness, or softness, or acidity, but an innate
iiuality easily appreciated by the palate, but not
so easily described. The presence of that flavour
seems to be the chief guide in determining which
are dessert Apples, although many not possessing
it are yet very pleasant eating. — A. D.

I think most gardeners will agree with the

views of " W. S." (p. 448) in his notes on the above
subject. I think if judges would only have the
courage of their opinions, it would soon have a
wholesome effect for the better. It is not only
from an exhibitor's point of view that such awards
are misleading, but they mislead the public.
Many persons go to such shows, and if they do
not know any better, the first prizj collection,
whether it contains true dessert Apples or not,
takes their eye and the varieties are noted accord-
ingly. Medium sized fruits of cooking Apples of
certain varieties are very handsome in appearance,
but these do not require the same care to produce
as true dessert kinds. Fancy (1 olden Noble,
Emperor Alexander, Cellini, Lane's Prince Albert,
Golden Spire or Gascoigne's Scarlet being entered
as dessert ! Because such varieties are classed as
such in trade lists, I do not think that should be
taken as a criterion that they are so. The same
with so-called dessert Pears ; one-half the varieties
exhibited as dessert fruits are only fit for stewing.
— A. Young, Withy Court, Stourjmrt.

PUBLIC GARDENS IN BERLIN,
surprised, on visiting Berlin last July, to

see the grass and vegetation generally in the gar
dens of the Germin capital resplendent with a
verdure that was truly astonishing. In Germany,
as in England, the drought had been extreme and
the summer heat intense and continuous, but, in
spite of this, the gardens presented a picture of
freshness, all the more wonderful from the fact
that the soil in and around Berlin is of a very
poor, sandy nature. I was not long in discover-
ing the secret. The grounds are well mulched
and manured during winter, a great part of the
lawn is re sown every spring, and abundance of
water is constantly supplied during the summer
months. Such treatment means constant care
and labour, it is true, but the result certainly
seemed worth the trouble, for most of the lawns
I saw were simply perfection. Even right under
the shade of trees in such densely wooded grounds
the Thiergarten, a delightfully brilliant verdure
produced by an ever-young crop of fresh grass
which is renewed every year.

The next greit difference between the parka and
gardens of London and those of Berlin is that the
latter contain considerably more plantations, and
therefore provide for a greater number of shady
walks. The average summer heat of London is
not nearly so great as that of Berlin, and the cool-
ing shade of trees is therefore in request on ex-
ceptionally hot days only, while during a Berlin
summer the heat would be more uniform through-
out the season. In England generally, therefore,
parks and gardens contain more '^rass, which often
retains its verdure throughout the winter, when
the lawns of the Continent would be either
browned by hard frost or covered with snow.

I will now briefly review some of the principal
public gardens of Berlin, and as a detailed de-
scription of each would be out of the question, I
will mention only such of the principal features
as would seem interesting from the English gar-
dener's point of view.

The Thier(!art:n'.
The Thiergarten is to the Berliner what the
Bois de Boulogne is to the Parisian. Its principal
approach from the centre of the city is through
the celebrated Brandenburg Gate and in direct
continuance of that delightful street called Unter
den Linden. It is, roughly speakinn', about 3^
kilometres in length and about 1 kilometre in
width. Two centuries ago it was a forest, but
during the reign of Frederick the Great it was
converted into a public park, consistini; mainly of
straight avenues diverging in star fashion from a
central point. But during later periods it was
treated in a more picturesque manner by the
landscape gardeners Lenne, G. Meyer, and Neide,
and their present successor. Director Maechtig.
Straight lines and curves have been harmoniously
blended, and a succession of lakes and irre <i:ular
ponds has been introduced with good etfect.
There are no large tracts of grass, unbroken by
plantations, as a good deal of the forest character
had to be retained, but wherever there is lawn
between or beneath the trees it is of that delight-
ful verdure which is so refreshing to the eye and
which I have described above. Flower beds are
mostly confined to the parts near the principal
entrance and to the large square near the House
of Parliament known as the Ko^nigsplatz, and
adorned in the centre with that magnificent
monument called the Column of Victory. The
principal trees are Oak, Birch, Acacia, Sycamore,
Thorns, and Beech, with here and there some
Chestnuts and an undert^rowth of Snowberry,
Elder, Spir.-ea, &,c. The most picturesque part is
probably the portion containing the so-called
Neue See, or new lake, but the most solemn and
impressive feature is the dignified surroundings
of the monumental statues of King Frederick,
William III. and his consort. Queen Louise
(mother of the old Emperor William the First).
Last, but not least, I would mention the play-
grounds for children provided, mostly under shady
trees, not only in the Thiergarten, but in all
public gardens in Berlin. On the principle that
the juveniles are best kept out of mischief by
giving them somethinj; to do, huge heaps of sand
are provided, in which the children may dig about
to their heart's content, and the spades and
buckets of the little ones could not be employed
more assiduously on the seashore which is so far
away. These large sand heaps are, of course, re-
newed periodically and are allowed on gravelled
playgrounds only. Grass-covered play j^rounds are
also 'provided and kept free for other games. The
Thiergarten is the largest of the Berlin public
gardens, and though other grounds have more
artistic merit, none surpass it in usefulness, as a
cool and shady recreation ground near the centre
of the city.

The HuMnoLDTHAiN'.

This public park is situated in the north of
Berlin, and its area in English measure would
amount to somewhere about 80 acres ; but though
not very large it is so admirably planned through-
out, that it may well be called one of the master-
pieces of its late designer, Gustav Meyer. This
landscape gardener has, perhaps, acquired greater

500

THE GARDEN.

[December 19, 1896.

fame than any other on the Continent. He was
disciple of Lenn,: and died in 1877. The wall of
the directorial building is adorned bv a lard
medallion bearing a life-size roproduct'ion of his
head in mail.'.e, and in his honour the broad
double avenue H-hich forms the main entrance to
the park from the Brunnenstrasse has been named
the Gustav Meyer Allee. The avenue trees
need consist chieSv of Walnut, Horse Cliestnut,
Lime, and Plane, connected with each other bv
graceful festoons of Vines. One or two of f uch
broad avenues was absolutely ncc3ss.iry, but
otherwise the park is Uid out in the irre>>-ular or
picturefcije style. The greatest charm consists
in tha admirab'e way in which the grouping of
the trees and srhrubs has bsen effected, and the
eayingthifthegreitestartis the CDncealment of
art IS here truly exemplified. In his delightful
etfecte of light and shade in the landscape, in his
P3r.e:t y natural style of grouping, and in his
gradual amalgamation of plantations and lawn,
O. Meyer has never been surpa=.sed. A peculiarly
charming and natural effect is the way in which
often two, three or even more Hems of trees
spring up from the same spot as we so often see
them in Nature. The Humbaldthain contains
large tracts of undulating turf as well as large
plantations with irregular bays and recesses
which change the scene with every step. There
arenostiffouthnesof any sort, and though the
grouping IS intended also as a scientific lesson in
goagraphical botany by keeping plants of the
same native country together, the blending is
ettectad sj harmoniously, that no lines of demarca-
tion between the plants of various zones can be
detected. Near the centre of the first avenue is
a pile of buildings which contains the residence
ot .M. Maechtig (the present director) and rooms
lor the teaching of botany and other sciences
Ihe first geographical zone reached from thit
point IS marked by irregular, but artistic groups
of trees and shrubs from China and Japan
Ihese contain among othars handsome specimenf
of bophora japonica, Paulownia imperialis, Brous
sonetia papyrifera. Polygonum Sieboldi, Cas
tanea japonica, Catalpa syringiefolia, Gleditschis
orientalis and many others. Conspicuous
among the American section were Viburnum
L^ntago, Quercus macrophylla, Picea alba
-hsculus macrostachya, with long spikes of
wtiite flowers, Acer virginicum rubrum, the Night-
flowering Viburnum, Hicorius minimus (Hickory),
Juglans cinerea, and a great variety of others
more generally known. Asia is represented by
Khus Cotinus, Pterocarya caucasica, Cara.»ana
frutex, Pyrus salicifolia, Quercus macrcsperma,
r;yrus ela-ignifolia, and Acer monspessulanum.
The last named has small Ivy shaped leaves of a
bluish green or grey colour. The leaves are shiny
and last till late in the autumn. This plant also
possesses the merit of flourishing beneath the
shade of other trees From Asia there are also
represented a whole host of other plants too
numerous to mention. The European section
contained nothing particularly new or striking
except plants well known in this country, but I
couli not help admiring the grace and beiuty of
Alnus glutmosa laciniati, with long arching
"I

branches of graceful Fern-like foliage. Here
may also mention Alnus glutinosa oxyacanthi-
lolia, and Alnus cordata, the former with Thorn-
ike foliage and the latter with heartthaped
eaves. What a garden could be made in Eng-
land if this grouping according to the geo.'raphi-
cal habitats of the various plants could be carried
into effect, eay, at Kew or Regent's I'ark. In
Germany, where the winters are so severe the
choice of varieties must naturally be limited' but
in England even the plants of India, New /Zea-
land, Australia, and Africa might be called into
re.|uis-tion. The Humboldthain is well kept
and IS full of interest to the professional gardener
as well as to the amateur, but bright^ flowers
there are few, except in the parts from which the
general public are excluded.

TlIK FRIKDRIfH.SH.VI.S'.

The public park bearing this name is larger than
the Uumboldtbain, and, being situated at the

cast end of Berlin, it is fretiuented mostly by the
labouring classes of the population. It is older
than the Humboldthain, but not so beautiful nor
so well kept. During the time that (J. Meyer
was director of the public parks of Berlin he
made some important improvements, and the
parts around the lake and near the ttalue of
Frederick the Great are very picturesque ; but,
on the whole, the park is inferior to the other
p iblic gardens of Berlin.

The Victoria Park.
This is the latest addition to the Berlin paiks,
and differs materially from any other public gar-
den by virtue of its wild, mountainous chaiacter,
which is partly natural and partly artificially
produced. The Victoria Park is much smaller
than the Humboldthain, and is situated on the
so-called Kreuzberg in the southern part of Ber-
lin. The laying out was begun in 1S8() and com-
pleted in IK!I3 from the designs and under the
superintendence of M. Waechtig, the present
director-general of the public gardens of Berlin.
I'ntil that time the Kreuzberg was merely a large
sandhill with a few Ecatteied Acacias and Syca-
more trees here and there, and traversed by a
natural gully partly clothed with vegetation
The top of the hill was crowned by a handsomi
Gothic monument, erected aliout eighty jears ago
in commemoration of the victories over the
French in 18U and ISl."). During the recent
innovations it was found necessary to raise this
monument, which has otherwise remained intact
but the base of which is now about KiO feet aliov(
the level of the main road passing in front of the
park. The rhff d'n un-e of the Victoria Park, as
now laid out, is a magnificent waterfall some
S."i feet in height, which thunders forth through
apparently natural ravines and over rocky cliffs and
boulders at the rate of 10 cubic mMres of water per
minute. This fall traverses the whole park from
just below the monument to a rocky basin near one
of the chief approaches, viz., that from the Gross-
beeren Strasse. Being exceedingly wild and irre-
gular in character, this waterfall is of natural
appearance, and shows none of the horrors of such
geometrical cascades as may beseenatChatsworth
and elsewhere. The apparent irregularity is still
further increased by one large and several smaller
falls branching off from the main watercourse.
At its source the water is seen to emerge in
large and small streams from crevices in the rocks
as often found in Nature, and its course is an irre-
gular and winding one. The rocks consist of
limestone skilfully arranged to represent Nature,
but as they are calculated more for distant effect
than for close inspection, they unfortunately thow
several crevices filled with cement instead of with
alpine plants, and the plants used for their adorn-
ment consist mostly of rank-growing climbers
like Ampelopsis, rambling Roses and such dwarf
plants as Junipers, Yews, &c. The basin at the
foot of the fall is about ISO feet long, and sur-
rounded partly by scattered rocks protruding
here and there from a well-kept undulating lawn,
and partly by a bright foreground of naturally
grouped Hemerocallis and Funkias, mixed with
Geraniums, Lobelias, Iberis, Phlox Drummondi,
Tagetes and others. There are also groups of Iris,
Yucca, Polygonum cuspidatum and other effec-
tive plants. Ascending the hill by one of the
many walks that wind in gentle curves through
undulating lawns and well-grouped plantations of
conifers and deciduous trees, one notices several
groups of nice flowering shrubs. The evergreen
shrubs so common in English gardens ate of course
unknown here, as the very first winter would kill
them. Evergreens are, therefore, mostly restricted
to various kinds of Box, Yews, &c , and most of
the flowering shrubs are deciduous. I noticed
among others Cytisus capitatus and Spira?a Dou-
Howering in profusion. From the highest
summit, ie., from the base of the before-men-
tioned monument, a magnificent view is obtained
not only of the park, but also of the city and its
surroundings. The gully which formerly traversed
a portion of the park has been treated as a ravine,
with Ivyclad elopes from which apparently natural

rocks protrude here and there ; this has been named
the Wolfeschlucht (or Wolves'-den), and in it Ferns
and the large existing trees, consisting mostly of
Acacias, Sycamores, and oveihanging Elms and
Oaks, have been used with good eiiect. What
seemed to me an excellent style of grouping, very
different from that generally practised in Englaod,
is the apparently natural irregularity with which
all groups of planting amalgamate gradually with
the lawn, instead of forming hard-and-fast out-
lines of more or less stiff appearance. Herbaceous
plants and annuals of all sorts play an important
part in this work, and the effect was a very pleas-
ing one indeed. As the soil is generally of a diy
sandy rattr.?, great care has been taken not to.
waste the rainwater that falls on the paths, &r.
With this view sinks and gratings are avoided, and
every now and then the paths are traversed by
what, during the dry season, appears as an
irregular desiccated streamlet, but is in reality
an inconspicuous form of gutter for conveyirg
the surface water to plantations which need it.
The enormous quantities of water used for the
fall are forced up by two powerful engines, each
of fifty horse power. The water which has fallen
over the rocks collects in a basin, and is forced
again and again to the top, but in order to pre-
vent stagnation, about one-fouith or one-fifth cf
the water is allowed to flow into the drains and
the deficiency is supplied from six deep wells.
The park contains also a playground and many
cosy recesses with seats, affording delightful
views. The lawn in the Victoria Park is of the
same faultless freshness as in the other Berlin
gardens, and betokens tender care and unoeasirg
labour.

There are several other public gardens in the
German capital. The splendid Treptower I'ark,
for instance, I have already described in my notes
on the Berlin Industrial Exhibition. There are
also several which I did not have time to see, but
those mentioned above will suffice to give a f a r
idea of the best of the Berlin public gardens.

Elmxide, ExUtr.

F. W. Meyer.

THE GARDENS AT LYONS, CO. KILDARE.
The widespread demesne at Lyons belongs to the
Cloncurrys, and includes the great hill of Lyons,
which stands en one side of the fertile plain
through which the river liffey flows, an elevation
which forms a well-known landmark in the neigh-
bourhood of Celbridge and Straffan. The resi-
dence is fronted by a spacious lawn and flower
garden ; there are a lake of over 30 acres, exten-
sive woodland drives and walks, and a rich and
sheltered kitchen garden. The gardener's cottage
hero forms a pretty feature, covered, as it nearly
is, with evergreen Cotoneaeter, an avenue of Roses
leading to the door.

The plant stoves and greenhouses contain a
varied and choice selection of exotics. Palms,
Orchids and Ferns being in great beauty. One
speciality of the summer flower gardening here
consists of tuberous- rooted Begonias, of which
some thousands of splendid tubers are grown,
and another feature consists of Carnations, all the
best varieties being represented in the open bor-
ders of the kitchen garden, or in a greenhouse

pecially devoted to the culture of the Malmaison

.nd perpetual bio

kinds. All the best

forms of the Malmaison race are grown, including
some very fine healthy specimens, that when in
flower last autumn (ccured a special award of a
silver medal from the Royal Horticultural Society
of Ireland. Mr. W. Rigg, the gardener, is a
great lover of these dainty and fragrant flowers,
and his extensive stock of newly-planted layers
is ot the strongest and most healthy description.
Lord Rosebery, Corunna and Monte Cristo are
three of the best and most robust yellow flowered
kinds as grown here, while Fireball and Sunrise
considered by Mr. Rigg to be two of the best
scarlet varieties in cultivation. The flushed or
rosy-petalled Princess Alice of Monaco and the
well-known yellow Germania were producing very
fine blooms indoors, and many seedlings are being

December 19, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

501

raised of all the sections. Chrysanthemums and
zonal Pelargoniums were very bright and showy
in a large ridge-and-f arrow conservatory, and the
brilliant golden pompon Alice Stephens attracts
everyone's attention as a most effective decora-
tive variety, even as seen alongside the largest
and finest cf Japanese, Anemone and incurved
blooms. Amongst a very strong and free-bloomed
group of zonals, one known provisionally by Mr.
Kigg under the name of Gregory is a very fine
scarlet, others in tine condition being Clytie,
Caliban and Lizzie Brooks.

In this cool house there is a very fine and
healthy plant of the old-fashioned Oak-leaved
Myrtle, a fragrant shrub now very tarely seen.
This is Myrica quercifolia, a bu?h of which
is growing in the temperate house at Kew.
Here is also a strong plant of the sweet-scented
Daphne indica rosea, about 4 feet in height by
fully as much in diameter. The plant has been
planted out in the floor or border of the house
near the glass for several years, and, so far as one
can now see, it appears to be upon its own roots,
and not grafted, a practice that very often renders
this sweet and pleasing half-hardy shrub extremely
short-lived. A very line batch of Freesias occu
pies a shelf near the glass, and the growths are
supported by a few Larch sprays, a method that
is easier, quicker, and more pleasing in appeir
ance than the usual stiff method of staking. In one
of the warmer houses there is a fine collection
Rhapis, Howeia (Kentia), Aieoa, CalamuB,
Geonoma, and other Palms, well grown in small
pote, the surface cf the soil being elegantly
covered with growing Lycopods (Selaginellas'
and other fresh and tender greenery. A very
strong batch of flowering Calanthes is grown here
the kinds being C. Veitchi type, and also a palei
form having the rosy flowers mottled boldly with
white, the spikes being also more erect and more
densely bloomed than is the case with the normal
rosy form or typical variety. Dendrobium chry
santhum and a strong plant of D. formosum eigan
teum were in bloom, a strong growth of the latter
bearing several of its ivory white and yellow Lily-
like blooms, which, apart from size and beauty of
form, exhale a very delicious arcma. AUamanda
Wardleana, the smooth - leaved Bougainvillea
glabra, Stephanotis, Paesiflora kermesina, Ipomrea
Horsfallise, and other beautiful climbers are
luxuriant and flowering freely in the stove?.
The crimson Ipomrea bore such a rich pro
fusion of its flowers and glossy black buds,
that I asked Mr. Rigg for his secret of culture,
and so found out that, other things being equal,
it flowers much more freely if its strong leading
shoots are stopped at the points occasionally,
this naturally causing the formation of the latera'
buds on growths from which the flowers are pro
duced. The deep crimson-flowered form of Lapa
geria rosea and its white variety grow and bloom
very freely in a cool conservatory even thus late
in the season. Sweet-scented Violets are largely
grown in frames, and of nearly all the approved
kinds, but a special favourite is a very fragrant
double- blossomed kind, evidently related to the
Parma Violet, but having more shining leaves
and longer flower stalks. This variety was raised
in Ireland, where it is known as the Coolcronan
Hybrid Violet, and it appears to have b
brought into notice by Mr. Andrew Cimpbell when
he was gardener at Cong, in Co. Galway, s
years ago. Roses grow well at Lyons, and there
is a fine old plant of Solfaterre dangling over the
low arched garden entrance. There are fine oli
standards and dwarf or low-trained examples of
the best varieties, and on the wall of one of the
men's lodges, sheltered by surrounding walls and
buildings, is a fresh and healthy specimen of the
evergreen, single - blossomed Macartney Ro;e
(R. bracteata), bsside it being Climbing Exon
ensis, or Devoniensis, and thi- old pink Chins
thickset with its shell-petalled buds thus late in
November. The Macartney Rose is a souvenir of
one of the earliest and most successful of our
ambassadors to China, and is so distinct and
effecti%-e as seen fresh and healthy, that one
wonders to see it so sparingly cultivated even in

gardens where the genus Rosa is somewhat of a
speciality.

A new rock border and shrub garden are being
made, and there are other signs of well-directed
activity. The timber consists of fine Beech and
Scotch Fir, Silver Fir, Larch, and other trees,
and a good deal of fresh planting has been effected
of late years, so that the p'^ntations now add
much of shelter and beauty to the other interest-
ing features of the place.

As before alluded to, the great round-topped
hill of Lyons forms a distinct and characteristic
landmark from the plains below, and during the
summer months it is a favourite place for picnics
and excursion parties, the views from its grassy
summit being both extensive and very beautiful.
In the spring months the Pine woods and planta
tions are very fresh and green with the young
leaves of the tasselled Larch, the ground below
being then one dense and fragrant carpet of wood
Hyacinths or Bluebells. F. W. B.

THE PROPOSED "HOME OF HORTI-
CULTURE."
Thf, need of some meeting-place for gardening
people has l"Dg been felt, but the scheme of
Mr. James L. Wood, "In honour of Queen
Victoria's Glorious Reign,' and for which he
craves publicity through the press, certainly
does not meet the want in any right way. This
gentleman suggests the erection of a building
and the establishment of a garden somewhere
in the centre of London upon lines altogether
unworthy of the object. It is difticult, too, to
trace any connection between horticulture and
the permanent exhibition of goldsmiths', leather-
sellers', and carriage-builders appliances that he
would make a feature cf in tb, proposed build
ing. "Musical arrangements" are not essential
and although Mr. Wood promises that they
shall be of the highest class, and mentions
" National Festival Concerts," it is easy, judg
ing by precedent, to foresee a transition into
the tight-rope and skirt-dance state of affairs,
when the "scarlet curtains," which we learn
are to conceal the various courts on concert
occasions, might certainly be an acquisition

The central idea of this scheme is that a place
ij wanted fur great shows, whereas nothing of
the SOI t is recjuired. There are half a dozen places
in London where shows can be held, from the
Temple Girdens and the Botanic, both ex-
cellent, to the Ciystal Palice, and shows under
open-air conditions in summer-time are very
much better than shows in a closed building lik
a great hall.

Finally, it is extremely doubtful if there are
many gardeners who would care about paying
i:25 or £12 IOj. to have tine names, as " life
governors," even with the additional attractions
of a picture gallery, and that in the "Gardeners'
Club-room," another feature cf the buildin
" refreshments will be supplied to them at a
reduced tariff."

The history of such enterprises as the one
proposed by Mr. Wood during the past thirty
or forty years is very instructive to anybody
who takes notice of such things. It began with
the Crystal Palace, which has ruined everyone
connected with it, and has done no good to
gardening unless as offering a colossal example
of what to avoid in the way of ugly extrava-
gance. The Alexandra Park is another dismal
example of the schemes planned for the " good
of horticulture." That also came into existenc3
with a great flourish of trumpets, leaning very
much on "horticulture," but nobody ever got
anything by it except the builders, who dis-
figured a beautiful landscape by its ugly pre-
sence. As for the "Aquarium," we remem-
ber the flourishes about the lovely and select

winter garden it was going to be, and now
when there is a show there we have the plejsure
of seeing the flowers through a fog of bid
tobacco smoke and other varied distractions
not in any way for the good of any gardener
that finds his way there. Therefore, if any
le is built for the gardening confraternity,
all we can hope is that it will be absolutely
distinct from anything of this sort and not a
show scheme of any kind.

The history of the partial ruin of the Horti-
cultural Society itself is the history of an
extravagant project of this kind in which an
enormous sum of money was sunk in a false
and showy scheme of ghastly and useless corri-
dors, broken stone bedding and broken stone
fountains, &c , that all looked very well on
paper, but when carried out pleased nobody
and served no good end. In fact, the less of
such places gardeners see the better, and owners
of gaidens would do well to give no encaurago-
ment to such extravagant schemes.

What is really wanted is a simple and
dignified building for meetings without any
irrelevant side-shows, musical or otherwise,
with their now invariable accompaniments of
tobacco and " liquor."

FINGER AND TOE.
QtJiTE recently Mr. M. C. Potter, of the Durham
College of Science, Newcastle on Tyne, has made
soma very interesting experiments on the finger
and toe fungus (Plasmodiophora bra8sic;i) for the
purpose of ascertaining how long it can remain
alive in the soil. This is a very important point,
as it is most desirable to know when infested
ground may be considered free from this pest. He
gives the following account of bis experiments in
Nature of November 12, ISflCJ i —

The length of time for wliich Plasmodiophora
brassicae can retain its v.tality in the sod m the
absence of any cruciferous plants is still a matter of
uncertainty. In order to as -ertain this, in November,
1893, 1 established a series of experuuents intended to
eittend over a period of six years. In these experi-
ments six bcd3 (A to F) and six large flower-pots (A
to F) were prepared and strongly infested with pieces
of Turnip root badly diseased with finger ard toe,
one bed and one flowerpot being sown with Turnips
each successive spring. The beds and flower-pots
acted as duplicate experiments, and the soil m both
remained unmanured and was carefully guarded from
the intrusion ti Plasmodiophora brassicaj, while all
cruciferous plants were rigorously excluded. In 189't
in bo:h pot and bed A tinger and toe appeared. In
1895 in pot B finger and toe was found on four
plants out of six ; in the bod B 8 per cent, were
diseased. In 1896 the same result was strikingly
shown. After a period oi three years the bed C and
pot C were siill found to be diseased, four out of live
plants being affected in the latter and 10 per cent, in
the bed. Marsio had previously shown that the
germs of this disease retain their vitality for two yea's.
Jly experiment shows that this period can be in-
creased to at least three years.

It is to be hoped that Mr. Potter will continue
his experiments, so that we may know definitely
when ground may be considered free from this
fungus. At present it is certain that it is unsafe
to cultivate any cruciferous plant in soil that has
been infested by it within three years, unless
means have been taken to destroy it.

G. S. S.

Using liquid manure.— Farmyard manure
water, most valuable in the hands of the experi-
enced, is productive of much mischief when used
at random. Where so many err is in giving too
strong doses to plants while as yet the roots are
few. Belter apply it often and weak than seldom
and too strong. Some things of course will stand
and even require it far stronger than others, as,
for instance, Vines when in full growth and carry-
ing heavy crops of fruit. Chrysanthemums and
Camellias also require stronger doses than the
majority of plants, although mischief is sometimeB

502

THE GARDEN.

[DhCEMBER 19, 1896.

wrought even with these subjects by excefsive
feeding. I have found half li(|uid manure and
half clear water to suit \inee, as a rule, but I
always, after using it, admit air as freely as pos-
sible during the day and leave a little on all night,
increasing it somewhat as soon as safe the follow-
ing morning, as sometimes the tender young leaves
of Vines are aftected by the amoionia when a strong
sun shines upon the house unless this precaution
is taken. Peaches bearing heavy crops of fruit
may be safely treated similarly to'Vines, so far as
strength is concerned, and the same may bo faid
of Figs. For Pines in pots, one part liquid to three
parts pure water is a safe proportion. A half-and-
half mixture is quite safe for Cucumbers and
Melons. Here, again, the precaution as to ad-
mitting a little air at night, and still more early
next morning is needed. Pot Strawberries in
their early stages of growth, or until the fruit is
set, thou!d have it at the rate of cne pait liquid
manure to three parts clear water, the strength
being increased to ci|ual proportions of eacli when
the fruits are swelling. The best results with
such things as Eucharis, Gardenias, AUamandas,
and siniiUr stove subjects, also Pelargoniums and
Fuchsias, are produced by adding liquid manure
so as to render the mixture the olour of pale ale.
Liquid manure is also useful in warding off insects
in vineries and Cucumber houses, but careful venti-
lation is necessary or much barm may follow. —

Societies and Exhibitions.

ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

December ].").
If anyone perchance had the idea that this meet-
ing, the last of the present year, would not be of
sufficient interest to induce him to attend, he will
beyond any doubt have reason to regret his deci-
sion upon reading the report now published.

The display in the Drill Hall was a most bril-
liant one for the season of the year, making in a
measure the gloomy appearance of the building
somewhat brighter. If the glass upon the rool
and the rest of the building were kept well
cleansed the appeararca would not be so bad, and
again, in a structure such as this the interior de-
corations should be as light as possible, but this
does not seem to have been considered.

Of Orchids there was a beautiful display, a finer
probably never having been seen in December.
Calanthes were present in abundance, and many
of these of intensely rich colour, notably C.
Veitchi splendens, whilst other kinds (hybrids,
too) were most plentiful. The hybrid Cypripe-
diums were to be seen in large numbers, and these
comprised the best now in season. Several lovely
hybrids of the La-lias and Cattleyas were also
shown in good form. There was also another fine
example of Vanda ci^rulea with flowers of an in-
tensely deep blue, another instance, be it noted,
cf a plant grown in a vinery. Theexhibits before
the floral committ3e were of a varied description.
Chrysanthemums being, as a matter of course,
still in the majority. Of these there were a few
promising novelties, as will be noted further on.
The few exhibits of Carnations were a welcome
change, amongst them being a few distinct
novelties of promise. The hybrid Rhododendrons
of the javanicojasminiflorum section and allied
forms were shown well, two certificates being
awarded. Beriied plants now in season were shown
aho, and that in good style, notably Skimmias and
dwarf Oranges, both of which are pleasant changes
bothe oft-recurring formsof Solanumcapsicastrum.
Of Cyclamens there was one good collection, in
which the English strain of seedlings was staged
in conjunction with that from Germany, to the
marked advantage of the former. Some well-
grown and, for the season, well-flowered examples
of Rose Enchantress were to be seen ; as a winter
Tariety this bids fair to be an acquisition. The
winter-flowering Geraniums of the zonal section
with large flowers made a brave display of bril-
liant colours ; these, of course, came from Swan-

ley, from whence also came some beautifully
grown plants of double Primulas. A finely grown
circular group of Poinsettias with well-developed
bracts was also staged, the plants being quite
dwarf.

Of fruits, Apples and Pears were the most plen-
tiful, and of these there were some most meri-
torious examples to be seen, highly coloured
and well kept. The new Grapes Lady Hutt and
Appley Towers were both to be 'seen. The
former, as a white variety for late keeping, will
undoubtedly make its way, and the latter al
as a good keeper has muchto rccmmend it. The
mystery surrounding a so-called new Grape,
shown under the name of Mrs. Wingfield, has now
been satisfactorily solved: it is proved f]
nothing more nor less than our old fiiend the
Black Morocco, now rarely seen. The same
Grape, coming from another source under the name
of Muscat Hamburgh, assisted in a measure to
clear up this matter. In this case the name was
palpably wrong, and as the Vines in both in-
stances were obtained from the same source under
the name of Muscit Hamburgh, the mistake w
easily corrected. It is satisfactory at the sat
time to note that no attempt had been made to
put forward this old Grape as a seedling of recent
raising, its origin being freely given.

Orchid Committee.

First-class certificates were awarded to the fol-
lowing : —

L.>:lio-Cattleya Rosai.ink (L. Dominii x C.
Triana-).— This is a remarkable secondary hybrid,
C Trianic being the seed parent. It is interme-
diate in character between the two, the features
of C. Dowiana, used in the production cf L.
Dominii, being very prominent. The sepals are
white, flushed with rose ; petals very broad, of
fine form and substance, pale rose wrth a broad
white margin ; lip crimson purple, margined with
rose in front. The cantre of the lip and throat are
purple, suffused with yellow and lined with white.
From Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons.

L.Ei.TA iE.i-:sTAN.s ALi'.A (Ashworth's var.).—
This differs from the original plant of L. p. alba
(previously certificated) in that the flower is pure
white, the sepals and petals being remarkably
fine. The flowers of the plant previously noted
hat a considerable amount of rose on the lip.
From Mr. E. Ashworth.

Botanical certificates were given to Platjclinis
uncinata, a distinct and pretty species with pale
green flowers in the way of those of P. filiformis ;
Bulbophyllum auricomum, a sweet scented va-
riety with racemes of white flowers ; Brassavola
vinosa, a pretty variety with large flowers, the
sepals, petals, and lip white, with purple spots
at the base. All these came from Sir T. Lawrerca,
Bart.

At the commencament of the business of this
committee the report of the sub-committee, who
had been deputed to meet the council in respect to
the Orchid paintings referred to in our report
when the matter was first brought forward, was
read and adopted. It has now been handed back
to the council, who apparently looked favourably
upon it, and we hope shortly to be able to record
that they have put the proposition into effect.

Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons were awarded a
silver Flora medal for a beautifully arranged
group, prominent in it being Lalio-Cattleya
Semiramis (C. Gaskelliana x L. Perrini), sepals
and petals deep rose, lip crimson-purple in front,
white in the centre, the base of the throat lined
with purple ; Epidendrum Wallisio-ciliare, sepals
and petals lemon yellow, lip creamy white with
purple markings in the centre ; a fine plant of
L.-C. Pallas with three flowers, several remarkable
forms of Cypripedium Lee anum, C. insigne repre-
sented by two large made-up pots, C. T. B. Hay-
wood, C. Arthurianum, C. Euryades (a cross be-
tween C. Leeanum and C. Boxalli), the dorsal
sepal white at the top, shading to pale green at
the base, the whole being covered with large dis-
tinct spots. C. Lytins (C. Spicerianum x C.
• i-nanthum superbum), very distinct, the dorsal
sepal white, veined and heavily suffused with rose

at the top, dark brown at the base, the petals
green, suffused with brown ; a fine plant of Cym-
bidium cyperifolium, like a miniature form of C.
Traceyanum, Epidendrum elegantulum, and a
good form of Odontoglossurn Wilckeanum with
five flowers were aUo in this group.

Messrs. H. Low and Co. sent a small group,
amongst which were some fine forms of Cypripe-
dium Leeanum, C. Harrisianum superbum, C.
Lathamianum, various forms of Lalia arceps,
Cattleya Bowringiana lilacina, and a small plant
of Calanthe Veitchi alba. Messrs. F. Sander and
Co. sent a group, prominent in which were
a fine specimen cf Dendrobium Johnsonia' with
upwards of twenty spikes of flowers, Dendrobium
sanguinolentum well flowered, Cymbidium Winn-
ianum, Trichopilia brevis, Lalia Gouldiana with
six spikes of flowers, L. autumnalis alba, Phaio-
Calanthe Arnoldiu-, various forms of Cypripedium
Leeanum and other rare and interesting forms of
Cypripediums. Mr. J. Cypher, Cheltenham, sent
a distinct Zygopetalum seedling in the way of Z.
Clayi, but with a much larger lip.

Sir T. Lawrence, Kurford Lodge, sent or e of
the finest groups we have ever seen at this feason
of the year. A gold medal was never more de-
servedly awarded. It consisted of about seventy
plants of hybrid Calanthes, for which this collec-
tion is noted. Prominent were the dark C.
Veitchi superba, and in striking contrast C. V.
alba, both varieties remarkably well flowered. C.
burfordiensis is an excellent dark form, and C.
V^ictoria Regina has pale rose flowers. In C. ver-
sicolor the sepals and petals are white, lip white,
with rose-purple disc. Amongst Cypripediums
were a fine plant of C. Leeanum giganteum
with four flowers, and several forms of C. Lawre-
bel, C. conco Lawre, and C. Fascinator. La;lia
Marriottiana with four spikes of its delicate rose
flowers ; Maxillaria lepidota, a grand specimen
with over lOU flowers; Dendrobium Wattianum,
a distinct variety with flowers in the way of those
of D. Jamesianum, but much smaller ; (Jycnoches
maculatum, Zygopetalum Burkei, and various
rare hybrids and species of Masdevallias were also
included. Mr. J. T. Bennett Poe was awarded a
silver Flora meJal for a group consisting of speci-
men plants well grown and flowered of ( '.ilanthe
Veitchi, C. vestrta oculata, C. v. lutea, a grand
plant of Zygopetalum Mackayi with five spikes of
flower, Cypripedium Spicerianum, good forms c f
C. Leeanum, and a good dark form of Vanda
cuTulea. Mr. J. Bradshaw, The Grange, South-
gate, sent cut spikes of Cymbidium Winnianum,
sepals and petals pale yellow, lip creamy whit 3
potted with bro%vn, several good forms of
Odontoglossum crispum, Lalia Gouldiana with
four flowers, Cypripedium Charlesworthi, C
insigne, and good forms of C. Leeanum. Mr.
J. VV. Temple, liroombridge, sent a fine plant of
La-lia anceps Amesiana, sepals pale rose, petals
pale rose shading to rose-purple at the tips, lip
deep crimson-purple in front, the side lobes
purple, shading to yellow and lined with brown at
the base. Mr. F. W Moore, Glasnevin, sent
Maxillaria setigera. Mr. T. Statter, Stand Hall,
Manchester, sent Cypripedium Lucariianum super-
bum, which resembles a good form of C. nitens ;
C. Koberti (C. superbissimum x C. Leeanum)
and C. anamense. Major Mason, The Firs,
Warwick, sent C. insigne giganteum. It had
been previously shown under the name of " Hare-
field Hall " variety by Mr. E. Ashworth, who had
a cut flower for comparison on the present occa-
sion. It is a remarkable form, the dorsal sepal
2j inches across, white at the tip, pale green at
the base, heavily spotted with large dark brown
spots. Mr. Ashworth also had C. Leeanum gigan-
teum and C. nitens magnificum. Mr. (i. S. Ball,
Manchester, had C. Leeanum magnificum, one of
the largest and finest-shaped flowers we have seen,
and C. Swainburnei magnificum, a large heavily
spotted form previouely certificated. Baron
Schruder sent cut flowers of La-lia anceps Amesi-
ana, L. anceps Dawsoni, L. a. alba, L. Gouldiana,
Odontoglossum crispum Schmderianum, ground
colour white, heavily barred and spotted with
reddish-brown ; Cypripedium insigne Sandcri-

December 19, 1896.]

THE GARDEIM.

503

anum and various others. Dr. Hoigkinson,
Wilmslow, sent La^lia autumnalis atrorubena, L,
a. alba, and a grand dark form of L. anceps.
Major Joyce sent two fine forms of Dendrobium
Johnsoni.-B. Mr. S. G. Lutwyche sent various
Cypripediums, both hybrids and specie3.
Floral Committea.

Awards of merit were given to —

Khododendrox Little Beadtv (R. Monarch x
R. malayanam).— This is quite distinst in that it
possesses a dwarfer habit, producing a profusion
of its smaller trusses of flowers ; the colour is a
deep red which extends to the base of the tube,
the trusses compact, bearing on an average eight
flowers each. The foliage also is of a dark green
colour. From Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons, Royal
Exotic Nursery, Chelsea.

Rhododexdkox Nobilids (R. Teysmanni x R.
javanicum).— This is a grand hybrid with large
trusses, bearing eleven flowers to the truss, the
colour being a deep golden yellow with orange
coloured anthers. The growth is robust, and the
plint. promises to make a fine specimen ; the in-
dividual flowers reflex and render it all the more
distinct, and at the same time possess great sub-
stance. From Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons.

Carnation Jcliax (perpetual flowering). — A
very promising variety with dark crimson
coloured flowers, darker than those of the old
Clove, but in the same way and fully as large,
with the great advantage of being non-bursting,
no single pod showing any trace of this failing.
The habit also is good. From Mr. Jas. Douglas,
Great Bookham.

Carnation W. Robinson (May).— An intensely
bright scarlet variety of the true Tree section, with
flowers of medium size (in this respect most useful
in many ways) ; the pods show no symptoms of
bursting, whilst the flowers are produced in pro
fusion. From Messrs. Crane and Clarke, March,
Cambridge.

CiiRYSANTHEMDM CuRisTMAS GoLD. — Japanese
recurved ; very much in the way of W. H. Li
coin, possibly deeper in colour and with longer
florets. It is evidently a good keeping variety
the fully- developed blooms being fresh to the base
From Mr. P. Ladds, Swanley.

Conspicuous among the many admirable things
shown in this section was a group of plants of a
new Rose, Enchantress, from Messrs. \Vm. Paul
and Son, Waltham Cross. This new acquisition
a hybrid between the China and Tea-scented
Rosea, is of a delicate blush-white colour, and
flowers very profusely. It is of graceful hab:t
and should prove a very useful thing for this sea-
son of the year (silver Flora medal). Messrs. W.
Cutbush and Son showed a group of Skimmias
and Oranges. The litter consisted of dwarf,
sturdy, and handsome plants, bearing a great
quantity of fruit in various stages of ripeness
Tha Skimmias were very heavily laden with their
trusses of brilliant red berries, and helped to form
a very decorative and showy exhibit (silver Bink-
sian medal). A nice group of cut Chrysanthemum
blooms came from Messrs. Young and Dobinson,
Stevenage, Herts (bronze Banksian medal).
Messrs. H. Cannell and Sons put up a fine collec-
tion of zonal Pelargoniums, arranged in bunches
on a groundwork of Maiden-hair Fern. The
trusses were throughout of great size, and the
quality and condition of the individual blooms
all that could be desired. Some of the best varieties
were A. F. VVotten, white, veined and splashed with
bright salmon; St. Cecilia, rich salmon ; Zenobia,
rich rose ; Countess of Morella, scarlet and white ;
John Ruskin, vivid scarlet ; O. W. Holmes, pale
salmon ; Mrs. P. Routh, delicately shaded pink ;
Snowdrop, a very pure white ; and King of Crim-
sons, a superb flower. In the same group were
also some very dwarf and freely-flowered Primulas
' (silver-gilt Banksiin). A group of Cyclamen was
shown by Messrs. Hugh Low and Co., Clapton.
The plants were excellently grown, dwarf, and
very strong. The foliage was beautiful, clean,
and healthy, and of good substance. Most of the
blooms were exceedingly beautiful both in colour
and form. In the group was a plant of Bush Hill

Pioneer, a curious new variety, with fringe-like
growths on the fronts of the petals (silver Bank-
sian medal). A group of plants, chiefly small
varieties suitable for table decoration, was staged
by Mrs. Wingfield, Ampthill (gardener, Mr.
Empson). Small Crotons and I)rac:i?nas were
well grown and admirably coloured. A pretty
plant of L;flia anceps formed a centre to the
group (silver Banksian medal). A small group
of decorative plants, chiefly Drac.-vnas nicely
coloured, came from Messrs. John Peed and Sons,
Roupell Park Nurseries (bronzB Banksian medal).
From Mr. A. Pears, Spring Grove House, Isle-
worth (gardener, Mr. Farr), cams a very brilliant
group of excellent Poinsettias (silver Flora
Several varieties of Chrysanthemums were shown
by Mr. W. Wells, Redhill, Surrey. Golden Gate,
Etoile de Lyon, Rose Wynne, Mrs. Filkins, a
good variety for vases ; Le Moucherotte, a hand
some bronze-yellow, and Mrs. Bonjeal, a new
golden yellow seedling, were among the best
(bronze Banksian). Mr. Robert Owen, Maiden-
head, also showed a few good varieties, including
Owen's Superbum, a fine yellow Japanese with
thick curled petals, and W. H. Divers, a grace-
ful golden yellow. From Messrs. Veitch and
Sons came a few varieties of their exquisite
javanico-jasminiflorum hybrid Rhododendrons.
Among them were R. nobilius, n splendid rich
yellow flower, very large and shapely ; Little
Beauty, a small, but very brilliant crimson bloom ;
Taylori,i bright rose pink ; Princess Frederica,
soft buS'; Cloth of Gold, and Aphrodite, del
cate flesh colour. A small collection of handsome
and brilliantly coloured Anthuriums, chiefly
seellings, came from Sir Trevor Lawrence. The
same exhibitor also showed some prttty and
graceful varieties of Primula obconici Improved
(silver Flora medal).

Fruit Committee.

There was a representative lot of fruit bstore
this committee, three good collections of hardy
fruits being staged. Messrs. Rivers had a very
fine collection, the fruit from Wantage being
notable for its fine colour. Grapes were very
good from various sources, and Tomatoes from
Spring Grove and Frogmore excellent.

Messrs. Rivers staged over fifty di
of superb Apples, a few of the dessert fruits being
very fine both in colour and size. It is only fair
to add several of these had been grown under
glass. The Cox's Orange were beautiful samples,
and though we do not advocate the culture of
Apples under glass, such a fine exhibit proves
what may be accomplished in places where these
fruits do not thrive in the open. Such varieties
as Wagener, Buckingham, Lord Burghley, Peck"
Pleasant, Pine Golden Pippin, St. Martin, a new
variety given an award last meeting, Sutton
Beauty, Golden Reinette, with a good selection
of Russets, formed the best of the dessert varie-
ties. Among the cooking kinds, Lady Henniker,
Mere de Manage, Sandringham, Emperor Alex
ander. Lane's Prince Albert, Cellini, Rymer,
and Peasgood'a Nonsuch were fine (silver
Knightian medal). From Mr. Fyfe, gardener to
Lord Wantage, Lockinge Park, came some sixty
dishes of great merit, but they lost much of their
value by being crowded up in a small space.
Many of the varieties were highly coloured, and
though sonn, such as Worcester Pearmain, were
out of season, the fruits were firm and good, showing
the chalk these Apples were grown in is favourable
to keeping. Some very fine Blenheim Orange and
Queen were noticeable. There were also good
dishes of Warner's King, quite red on one side,
Alfriston, Lord Derby, Wellington, Lane's Prince
Albert, 'Tower of Glamis, Cox's Pomona and
Stone's. Among dessert kinds the best were
Scarlet Russet, Rosemary Russet, Boston Russet,
Cox's Orange, Duke of Devonshire and Claygate
Pearmain, with good Easter Beurr^ and other
Pears (silver Knightian medal). Messrs. Laing,
of Forest Hill Nurseries, staged a smaller collec-
tion. Bismarck was excellent, also King of
Tompkins Co., Waltham Abbey, Blenheim, Tib-
bett's Pearmain, Sandringham, Alfriston and

Flower of Kent. Of dessert kinds, Baumann'a
Reinette, Cox's Orange, Ribston Pippin and several
Russets were very fine (silver Banksian medal).

From Mentmore Gardens Mr. Smith sent three
bunches of Grapes, the varieties being Lady
Hutt (a white Grape of recent introduction) and
Appley Towers (a black variety from the same
cross), remarkable for their size, shape and good
quality, certainly proving them to be splendid
acquisitions as good late kinds, and well meriting
the cultural award given. The other kind staged
was sent as Black Muscat, but it was Morocco.
This same variety was staged as a new Grape by
Mr. Empson, Ampthill House, Beds, under the
name of Mrs. Wingfield. This had been shown
on previous occasions, and fortunately the com-
mitteo having Mr. Smith's Grapes, which came
from the same source as Mr. Empson's,''were able
to identify them. Mr. Empson also sent a seed-
ling Apple, but deficient in flavour. Some finely
coloured Muscat Grapes came from Mr. Fyfe.
Mr. Allan (gardener to Lord Suffield, Gunton
Park, Norwich) sent a new Pear, President
Barabe, of specially good quality. It is a medium-
sized russet fruit, and certainly an acquisition to
the December varieties. This Pear was recently
favourably noticed in these pages by Mr. Craw-
ford. An award of merit was carried by four-
teen to five votes, but unfortunately it was
upset by the rules of the society, by which
six fruits must be sent, and there were only
three. Doubtless we shall see this variety shown
again, as it is well deserving of the award, there
being so few good Pears at this season.
Mr. Ross, Welford Park, Newbury, sent some
fine varieties of new seedling Apples, including
Opal, a variety given an award of merit last De-
cember, and four others. Ross Pearmain, a very
pretty fruit, is a seedling from Golden Reinette.
Elsie, a seedling from Peasgood's Nonsuch, is
somewhat like its parent. Mrs. Phillimore is a
seedling from Lord Burghley. Freedom, a seed-
ling from Welford Park Nonsuch, is somewhat
like Ribston. The committee wished to see
several of these varieties earlier in the season
next year. Mr. Farr, Spring Grove House Gar-
dens, Isleworth, sent a basket of All the Year
Round Tomato, nice fruits of good colour, receiv-
ing a cultural award. From the Royal Gardens,
Frogmore, Mr. Thomas sent excellent Frogmore
Selected "Tomatoes, good firm fruits and of excel-
lent quality. From Mr. Empson came large
Mammoth Capsicum and Tomato Young's
Eclipse, very poor in comparison with the above
varieties. Mr. A. Dean, Kingston, sent a useful
box for storing seed Potatoes as used by the
Surrey County Council, cheap and useful for the
purpose. Messrs. Libby and Fleming, Wood
Street, E C, sent some paper plates and dishes,
very light and suitable for exhibiting fruit.

For the Veitch prizes for flavour there was no
lack of competition, there being eleven lots of
Peirs and fourteen of Apples. For Pears, Mr.
Powell, Ilsington House Gardens, Dorset, was
first with fine Winter Nelis ; Mr. Cotterhill, Ton-
bridge, second with Glou Morceau, Nouvelle
Fulvie being very close. Josephine de Malines, a
February or even later fruit, was staged by
several growers. This shows we cannot rely upon
the late kinds for late use. Bergamote d'Esperen
was also staged. Mr. King, Gatton Park Gardens,
Reigate, was first for Apples, staging a fine dish
of Cox's Orange. Mr. Powell was second with
Blenheim Orange. Barnack Beauty, McLean's
Favourite, Mannington Pearmain, Lady Henni-
ker, and Reinette du Canada were also shown.

NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY.
A BUSY meeting of the general comraittee was
held at Anderton's Hotel, Fleet Street, on Monday
evening last, when Mr. B. Wynne presided. The
proceedings, although of unusual length, related
in a large measure to details concerning the shows
for 1897, and before these were entered upon Mr.
Harman-Payne read an interesting report of the
visit of the N.C.S. deputation to the Ghent and
Paris Chrysanthemum exhibitions last month.

504

THE GAl^DEK

[December 19, 1896.

It is too lengthy for insertion here, but it may be
mentioned that, on the motion of Mr. R Ballan-
tine, the rejort of the deputation will be printed
in the society's schedule for next year.

An alteration has been made in the meetings
of the floral committee. In future they will be
held at 3 o'clock in the afternoon instead of at an
earlier hour, as hitherto, and will bs fixed for
Mondays. The society's shows for IS'.C will be
held at the Royal Aquarium as before, and
on the following dates : September 7, !S and 9,
October 1:^, 1." and 14, November!!, in and 11,
and December 7, S and '.I. Owing to some dif-
ferences of opinion as to certain varieties being
admitted into the incurved section, a sub-com-
mittee was appointed to discuss and report on
the question of cla,«sification of certain varieties
cf doubtful character. A representative number
of growers will form this committee, consisting of
Messrs. T. Bevan, Geo. Ciordon, H. J. Jones, (i.
Stevens, E. Beckett, J. Lyne, J. Wright, J. W.
Moorman, C. Gibson, \V. H. Lees, W. Mease, G.
Witty, A. Rowbottom, F. Langdon, R. Dean, and
Harman Payne.

It was resolved that the annual meeting of
members should take place on Monday, February
•22. Gold medals, accompanied with testimonial?,
were proposed to be presented to the secretary
and foreign secretary in recognition of their ser-
vices to the society for some years past.

New members, bringing the total to upwards of
200 for the year, were elected, and the Leyton-
stone Sctiety was affiliated.

Notes of the Week.

Pelargonium New Life is the name of a
very curious mixture of white and scarlet, and it
:s difficult to say which of the two predominates.
It is a curiosity pure and siuiple.

Spiraea Thtinbergi.— Some plants of this
little shrub brought on in the greenhouse are now
smothered with pure white blossoms. The latter
are very small individually and appear from the
axillary buds on twiggy branches.

Pelargonium A. J. 'Wotten.— This is a very
fine kind for winter blooming, the flowers, as also
the trusses, being of large size. The colour is a
clear salmon pink, with occasional blotches of
white suffused with the primary shade.

Iris fimbriate. — Some examples of this hand-
some species are now producmg their pretty
fringed llowers in the succulent houfe at Kew.
When freely flowered it is among the most useful
and striking of greenhouse plants, and as such
well worth attention.

Malmaison Carnation Princees ofWale?.
— We have received a box of flowers of this from
Mr. Davies, gardener at Xidd Hall Gardens,
Ripley. Yorks. They are very finely grown and
handsome, with the usual size of opulent fatness
of the Malmaison race.

Iris alata (Scorpion Iris).— The flowers of this
species are deep azure-blue, and for the cold
house it would form a good companion to the more
frail I. Vartanl. The plant is of easy culture.
A snug nook in the rock garden sheltered from
wind^ will suit it, or it may ba grown in shallow
pans in the frame.

Saintpaulia ionantha rubra.— This is a form
with red-purple flowers and is equally as free
flDwering as the type, while another bearing the
varietal name cr-lestis has flowers of an exquisite
sky-blueehade charming in the extreme. Thehabit
in each case is a counterpart of that of the type.
Fresly-flowered examples of each were shown by
Mejsrs. Cannell on Tuesday at Westminster.

Iris 'Vartani.- A frail little bulbous species
wich flowers of a pile azure-blue, and certainly
interesting from the fact that its natural flower-
ing time is November and December. A small
pan with several flowers expanded wa? sent from
Tottenham to the Drill Hall on Tuesday. This

little species is not more than 6 inches high. It
is found wild in the districts about Nazareth.

Eacharis grandiflora Moorei.— This is a
very pure and chaste form, thou<xh much less dis-
tinct from the typical species in its general aspect
than E. Stevensi or E. Mastersi : indeed, it may
be described as a small form of the type, the
flowers being smaller and the foliage less robust
and vigorous. Much of this, however, may be
due to the individual size and \ igour of the bulbs.
Helleboras niger maximus. — A fine clump
of this well-known form crowded with flower-
buds was shown by Mr. Ware at the Drill Hall
on Tuesday last. It is doubtless among tlie most
worthy occupants of the hardy garden at this
season of the year, and where lar<,'e patches exist
they are valuable from a cut flower point of view,
and, protected by a sheet of glass, a handlight or
frame, their beauty remains a long time in perfec-
tion

Rose Enchantress.— A group of this winter-
flowering kind from Messrs. Paul was much
admired on Tuesday at the last meeting of the
R.H.S. for this year. The flowers are of a creamy
shade with a blush shade internally. The variety
is a hybrid between the China and Tea-scented
forms, but appears to possess no fragrance. The
footstalk is rather weak and causes all the blooms
to droop over, which does not improve their
appearance, while the flowers are produced most
freely.

Thyrsacanthus rutilats.— A score of fyears
ago the drooping inflorescences of this plant
were more frequent in the warm greenhouse at
the end of the year than is now the case, the
plant having to give place in many instances jto
subjects more generally useful. Yet, notwith-
standing it has been neglected of late, the species
is worth growing for the brightness of its droop
ing racemes. It is not adapted for cutting,
therefore in many gardens it is never seen, while
in others it plays quite an unimportant part.

Narcissus Corbularia albus.— Some well-
filled pans of this dainty little gem were sent
to the Drill Hall on Tuesday last from Totten-
ham. The pure white of the blossoms, of which
there were at least a score in each pan, is very
charming, though the application of too much
warmth, so evident in the weakened stems, was
doubtless to blame for their drooping so much. A
cold frame or house is ample for the protection of
its blossoms from storms and the like, as the
plant of itself is perfectly hardy even with the
thermometer at zero.

"White French "Willow (Epilobium angusti-
folium). — Many people are, with good reason, shy
of planting the French Willows because they run
so strongly at the rooi. In good garden ground
they certainly do ramble over-much ; their growth
is too strong and tall, and the flower-spike,
though always graceful, has the individual blooms
too widely spaced to make a good garden flower.
But grown in poor, sandy soil its height is only
3 feet to i feet, the spike is condensed to an ex-
cellent and well-filled shape, and the leaves are
of a pale golden green that goes well with the
milk-white flower. — (i. J.

liuculia gratissima. — Among the whole list
of greenhouse shrubs flowering at this season of
the year there is nothing to eijual this. Indeed,
in its every aspect it is a noble plant when in
bloom, not the least attractive feature of the plant
being the delightful fragrance of the flowers. T
now a very fine plant may be seen at Kew in the
No. 4 range bearing something like thirty of its
handsome heads of pink blossoms, the largest
being equal to a good-sized head of Hydrangea.
It is to be regretted that this handsome shrub is
not more generally grown, particularly in (juite
cool structures, such as suit the Camellia, this
temperature being ample to keep this fine Hima-
layan subject in perfect health and vigour.

Begonia Gloire de Lorraine.— For blooming
at mid-winter this is a mcst valuable kind, the
flowers coming in such profusion as to almost hide
the foliage. It may not be generally known how

well suited this variety is for suspending quite
near the glass in the warm greenhouse. In this
position, aided by the increased light and warmth,
the dainty sprays of blossom provide a display
that is ([uite exceptional among greenhouse
plants in winter-time. There are now in the
Begonia house at Kew some splendidly flowered
examples of this plant, loaded, so to sptak, with
the exquisite rose pink blopsoms, which, spreading
horizontally and then slightly drooping, reader
't a most welcome plant at this dull time of year.
i most noticeable feature is the small pots in
which the plants are growing, these being le-e
than 6 inches across and not so deep as the pots of
this size usually are. Even in these the suspended
examples in each case were a mass of bloom about
iches across.

Obituary.

M. CHARLES PROSPER VAN GEERT.
We regret to have to announce the death, on
December 12, in his eightieth year, of this highly
esteemed Belgian nurseryman. Last year he had
a paralytic stroke from which he seems never to
have recovered. M. Van Geert was a Chevalier
de I'Ordre de Leopold and a member of council
of the leading horticultural societies of Belgium.

Gardeners' Royal Btnevolent Institution

—Lord Rothschild has fixed May 26 next for tie
fifty-eighth anniversary festival dinner of this in-
stitution at the Hotel Metropole, and at which
his lordship will preside.

Silver wedding celebration.— At the Drill
Hall, Wordsley, on Tuesday evening, the silver
wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Edward ^\'ebb, Stour-
bridge, was celebrated. The employes of the firm
presented the happy pair with a massive and
costly silver bowl and a pair of claret jugs, the
whole forming a noble and beautiful set.

Names wanted. — If the names referred to by
M. Correvon (p. 482) are those of woods, possibly
they may be found in the " Reports of the Juries
of the Exhibition of 1S51," wherein Professor
Solly devotes about l.'JO pages to his report upon
the woods of the world and the trees which pro-
duce them. If Kara is the same as Karri, it is
Erythrina abyssinica. Kheyrey is the Arabic
name for the Wallflower. If Tanak is an abbre-
viation of Tanekaha, it is the Tasmanian name
for one of the Taxads— Phyllocladus rhomboidalis
— which is sometimes grown in greenhouses in
England. — W. T.

The weather in "West Herts.— Until the
14th the weather had been mild, but since then
both the day and night temperatures have been
low, and during the night of the l.'ith the exposed
thermometer showed l.'f of frost. Both at 1 foot
and 2 feet deep the temperature of the soil is at
the present time about seasonable. Rain has
fallen on all but two days this month, the total
measurement being very nearly .'i inches, or half
an inch in excess of the average for the whole
month. Since the month began sunshine has
been recorded on only five days. — E. M., Berk-

riled.

Eesseit Apples.- Will "J. C." kindly send
name and address. It is impossible to recommend any
Apples unless we know for what part cf the country
tiiey are required.

Apple

Names of fruit.— ff. dreenwood.-
Boston Kusset; 2, Wadlmrst Pippin.

Names of plants.— Shrubbery.— 1, Ligustrum
lueidum var. Alivoni ; 2, L'gustrum lucidnm ; 3, Gaul-
tlieria Shallon ; 4, Peruettya mueronata; 5, Iris

ffetidissima variegata ; 6, Phillyrca angustifolia.

T. T. — 1, send better specimeu ; 2, Caladium esculen-

tum ; 3, Ruecus androgjnus. W. R.— \, Cattleya

guttata leopardioa ; 2, Comaridium (Cymbidium)
ochroleucum.

THE GARDEN.

505

No. 1310. SATURDAY, Deoember 26, 1896. Vol. L

"This Is an Art
WWch does mend Nature : change It rather ; bnt
The Art itself is Natoke."— SAatejpeart

Flower Garden.

the winter garden.

The gratitude of all, whose lives are made
■ happier by the beauty of flowers, is due to
' Mr. Edward H. Woodall for his charming
paper on the winter garden. No man writes
with a mure comprehensive knowledge, or a
more reverent appreciation of his subject; and
he communicates the results, which are given
to his love and to his humility, with the en-
thusiasm which inspires, and the information
which instructs us to follow in his steps.
lie sets before us an object lesson, a picture
which all must admire and desire to copy,
and which a very large majority of gardeners
may copy, if they will. They may find, he
proves to us, a sunny sheltered nook, in
which Flora shall be crowned with her
Christmas Roses, and shall

Dress, as the nobles dress,
lu cloth of silver and golJ,
t in royal crimson (Pyracantha), imperial purple
(Veronica), or clad in robes of virgin white
fEupatorium). Here she listens with a serene
disdain to the howling winds outside, even as
some merry little maiden, concealed in the
I shrubberies at holiday time, peeps through her
I bower at the seekers, who seek in vain, and
exults in their disappointment with a joj',
which is almost more than she can bear.

Mr. Woodall is a florist without a fad.
He believes in the rewards of observation
and service ; he has received them , as it has been
said ; but he has no faith in the coercions
of restraint. He would not say of a Rhodo-
dendron, as I have heard it said, that it was
a beastly fraud, because it declined to throw
up huge trusses of bloom with its roots in a
chalk soil. He would no more think of
planting a Rhododendron in chalk than of
dibbling Orchids into a ploughed field of clay,
or forcing Lilies of the valley around the
crater of Vesuvius. You could not induce
him by the screws of the Inquisition or the
smUes of Venus to trace with sharp shears on
a Yew fence the lineaments of a man with a
gigantic nose of the Roman order, surmounted
by a head- dress about the size of a small
sauce tureen, and representing

The hero of a hundred fights,
Who never lost an English gun,

but in the rapid evolutions of battle must
frequently have lost his hat. Therefore Mr.
Woodall gives us only that which is natural,
possible and real. He would not have us say
to Nature, '■ Permit me, my dear madam, to
suggest some improvements, which you would
■ probably have made with my advantages of
experience and taste ; " but he asks for her ap-
probation or criticism, however severe, of his
use and arrangement of her bounteous, beau-
tiful gifts. And so, in this winter garden, he
does not tell us to fill our beds with tiny

evergreens, as though we had just set up in
the nursery business, or were laying out ceme-
teries for tombs and tender inscriptions over
the bodies of our childhood's and boyhood's
pets — the white mouse, the Java sparrow, the
piping bullfinch, the bright-eyed squirrel, the
magpie, the jackdaw and the jay ; with a
miniature crematorium, in which dolls of
wax, once so winsome with their golden hair,
and their blue eyes and their smart frocks,
and their exquisite silk socks and red leather
shoes, but now sans eyes, sans ears, sans every-
thing except the wax, may be expeditiously re-
duced to ashes.

Mr. Woodall is not too sentimental. He
is " tender and true," as Douglas, in his affec-
tion, devoted in his loyalty, and enthusiastic
in his admiration, but he does not gush. He
does not raise such clouds of incense that you
cannot see the altar. He simply says, "I
have something beautiful to show you, but if
you cannot discern its beauty, no words of
mine can make blind eyes to see." And when
he takes you into his garden he does not in-
troduce you to fantastic females and poets,
much too bright and good for human nature's
daily food, who bore you with allegories,
rhapsodies, and hifalutin. His idea, I
fancy, of a goddess in the garden would be a
brigiit smiling damsel or dame, ruddy, like
David, and of a fair countenance, with a
despicable hat, but delightful boots, with a
short skiit, but a long apron, with huge
pockets filled with bast and wire and scissors
and knives, carrying in her right hand a well-
worn spade, and in her left a basket or "skip"
containing trowel, saw, &c.

Mr. Woodall, like a wise gardener and a
true gentleman, is unselfish. He tells you
what he knows, and he wants you not only
to know, but practically to enjoy your know-
ledge. Some fifty years ago I had a dear old
gardener who came to me fro]n the county of
York, and who was as quick in aciiuiring as
he was slow in communicating information. I
had a clerical brother in-law some dozen miles
away who was a very keen and formidable
opponent at our local exhibitions, and as the
time of competition drew nigh, and we
were exulting in our possession of some new
varieties, in the success of some improvement
in manuring, or pruning, or training, he would
whisper to me from time to time, in tunes of
awful warning, "You won't tell our rela-
tion." And never shall I forget his counten-
ance when another potent adversary, strolling
with me through the houses, turned to him
and asked him to explain his system of grow-
ing Calceolarias

" Vox faucibus ha^sit." Then he gathered
himself together and said slowly, "It depends,"
and went away to his work. So would I say to
those who have read Mr. Woodall's paper, if you
would have a bright little December garden,

To twinkle in the wintry moon

And cheer the nngeniil day

" it depends," not on him, but on you.

S. RE5XOI,1)S-HoLE.

The Deanery, Rochester.

CHRISTMAS ROSES.
The most seaBonable hardy flower juit now is
doubtless the Christmas Rose, and not only sea-
sonable, but of great value where the plants are
really grown successfully. That this most desir-
able ultimatum is not more frequently attained is
no doubt due to a variety of causes, some of these
latter quite within the reach of the cultivator,
while others, alas, and this very frequently, are
quite outside his graep. From some years of close
practical experience among these plants, com-
bined with a study of their habits and mode of
rooting, I am inclined to the belief that the un-
satisfactory condition of many plants we see from
time to time is largely due to the season of the
year at which they are divided and transplanted.
I take it that it may be accepted as a good rule
with any subject producing either a limited
supply of roots or producing such roots at dis-
tinctive intervals, that if the best results are ex-
pected, they should be forthcoming by adopting
such a method in transplanting them as to retain
the greatest bulk of their roots intact. If any
given subject can be planted immediately prior
to the new main roots of the year being put forth,
it follows that the vigour and force of such roots
go to the proper maintenance of the plant. The
period of this new root- formation in the case of
these Christmas Roses is late summer or early
autumn, the exact date depending entirely upon
the amount of heat and moisture present or ab-
sent during the preceding months. Generally, how-
ever, it may be accepted that the second or third
week of August is much the best of the year for
taking this work in hand, for it is about this time
that the large fleshy roots protrude from the
underside of the restricted rhizomes of which
the plant is composed. Let alone, these roots in
a year or two will descend to nearly or quite
3 fest deep, and who shall gainsay the value
of a full complement of such roots to the plant in
question. At p. 434 the advice tendered by
" A. D." "as the best time for this is usually m
February so soon as the flowers give over." At
such a time, however, it is an utter impossibility
"even with the greatest care to preserve all the
fleshy roots " which your correspondent regards
as essential to the future prosperity of the plant.
Indeed, the preserving of these very roots is
of the greatest importance, and it is by fol-
lowing the advice tendered by "A. D." that we
often see these very plants in a debilitated state
instead of vigorous and luxuriant. Some may
think that the disturbing of these plants, as I
have now suggested, would be harmful to the
coming flowers, but this is not in the least the
case. On the contrary, it is by the very presence
of these new main roots that the plant is fortified
and that it will produce its blossoms of equal
worth and in equal proportion. Planting in 1 eb-
ruary and March is in a large degree responsible
for the complete collapse of the newly -made
leaves during a dry May and June, simply be-
cause the roots that should sustain under these
trying conditions are either wanting altogether
or out of all proportion to the requirements of
the plant at the time. „ ,, ,

The niger section of the genus Hellebore is not
characterised by the production of roots during
the greater part of the growing season, as in
the case of Pyrethrums, Michaelmas Daisies, and
the like ; if it were, the plants would be esta-
blished with as perfect ease as those named.
There are, however, what may be t«rmed two
sets of roots produced on healthy, established
examples each year, viz., the fleshy or main roots,
which issue about August, and the twiggy or
fibrous roots that furnish the main roots, and that
are put forth, I believe, simultaneously with the
new foliage when flowering is complete. Al-
most precisely the same thing occurs, only
in varying degrees, with other genera, or at
least some portion of them, notably, how-
ever, in P.-eonies, Flag Irises i.e I. ger-
manica so-called, Adonis, &c., the last-named
being quite easy to establish in many ga-^dens by
adopting the slme rule. I feel sure that those
gardeners who have experienced difiiculty with

506

THE GARDEN.

[December 20, 1896.

the (.hristmas Rcse would in a great meisur
overci lue that ditbculiy by the adjp ion of early
autumn plantint:. Tno^e who require pots of
such thinijs for the groenhouss cannot do better
than lift the plants at the time stated, and having
given a thoroiiuh watering, stand the pots behind
a shady wall for a few days. Plants thus treated
sutler less and may be returned to the border
again with but little bss. A deep soil, fairly
rich, but keeping any rank manure always fuV
from the roots, and a shady position are cm
ditions best suited to the growth of these valu-
ab.e plants, beating in mind always the need for
ao;ng them thoroughly well, for once well planted
and established they are safe for a dozen years
Without disturbance, and much to the advantaire
o: the plants themselves. Such examples a7e
then handsome even in their tufts of vigorous and
sometimes shining leaves, while their flowers may
be gathered almost by the bushel. A shari
knife is the least desirable implement to use ii
dividing the^e plants, and not unfrcquently cut
more than it is intended at the start. A less
dangerous and more useful tool is the prong of a
small handfork inserted in the firm part of the
crowu sideways, and if the latter be large, then
two such forks should be used back to back.
By gently wrenching in an outward direction the
trunk is severed even with the grain and with
ecircely the loss, so to speak, of a single root.
Finally, one word of caution. Never transplant
very large examples of this fine perennial intact
with the hope of immediate effect.

E. H. Je-nkins.

yellows, viz., Mies Audrey Campbell, Duke of
Orleans, Corunna and J D. Pawle. I grew all
these varieties side by side in the open air during
the severe winter of IS94 .">. and whereas I lost
quite oO per cent, of Ketton Rose, I did not lose
a smtrle plant of the four varieties of yellows. If
" E. B. " has grown only Oermania, Pride of Pens
hurst, &a , let him try" the four varieties named,
and I am ipiite sure he will have no cause to com
plain of them in any way. — G. \V. L.

Pliormiums.— With reference to the in(]uiry
of Mr. Prinsep in The O.irdex (p. 46>S), I may in-
form him that I have the variety from Powers-
court growing here, and it has stood 31' and 3.3°
of frost with very little injury. It was very much
crippled in the severe February of lS!i."> when our
total of frost for that month was :]Xi'. The
plants have now ijuite recovered and are 6 feet
high. Besides being more erect, I think this va-
riety more glaucous than the type. P. Colensoi
and P. \ eitchi are also quite hardy here, while P
tenax is very tender, and I have given up trvim?
to grow it.— F. Bkpfurd, SlrafaH House.

Carnation Mile. Carle.-There are very few
white perpetual flowering Carnations that can
equal this for freedom in those gardens where it
18 suited. The variety is somewhat slow, how-
ever, in building up a good plant, but when this
IS done its perpetual character is seen to advan-
tage. Frequently the young plants of eight or
ten months old at this time of year produce very
thin, almost transparent, petals that cause many
to discard it. These same plants, however, care-
fully tended, often yield a capital lot of bloom in
early summer long before the border kinds can be
obtained, and for this reason it is valued by many
growers of these ever- welcome flowers.

JapsnAnemones.-It would be interesting to
have fuller parti.ulars respecting the seedlingi of
Anemone japonica said to have been raised in
Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh. Emile
Lemoine states in The Gakdex of March 30 18'Jj
that for a space of fifty years A. japonica had
shown Itself sterile in Europe, and also iiuestions
the probability of Whirlwind being a seedling It
seems strange that a plnnt, which authorities tell
us seldom produces seed even
country, should '
di

Herbaceous plants.— In northern gardens
generally the most striking features in the grounds
during summer are the herbaceous plants, and
where there is abundant space there is little
fear of over-doing this important branch of
gardening. At one time it was a practice too
common to fill every available space with bedding
plants ; much sacrifice of borders and valuable
ground was made to carry out the fanciful tastes
which predominated for some years and which
in many cases militated again5t other branches on
the place. Both vegetables and florists' flowers
suB^ered much from the bedding mania. But go
w^here one will now, matters have changed to
the old style of gardening so fashionable in our
early days, when a place with a good collection of
herbaceous plants on it was widely known. At
our leading exhibitions the most attractive ex-
hibits are shown generally by the nursery and
florist trade. At Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth, Dun-
dee, and indeed at nearly all the minor exhibitions
grand displays have been made. Carnations,
Dahlias, Roses, Gladioli, herbaceous plants, al-
pmes, &c , filled the greater part of an immense
tent at Dundee last autumn — M. Temii.e, Carron

, , native

the farst recorded instance pro-
inge of such variety. For two years I
have endeavoured to get seed from A. j. rosea by
fertiliflmg with pollen of A. j. Lady Ardilaun, but
without success. The reverse cross also failed.—
T. Scott, Ash ford.

,h5^i^T Carnations -"E. B." (p. 4U7) states
that he has nevor yet found a yellow Carnation
at once perfectly hardy and free. He surely can-
noi, have tried any of the newer varieties or he
would never venture such a statement. Take the
variety ' E. B.' mentions as not looking at home
side by side with a yellow, viz., Ketton Rose
ihia variety cannot compare either in vigour or
freedom of bloom with any of the following

FLOWER GARDEN NOTES.
A RETROsrECT.- One of the first things that must
undoubtedly be acknowledged when indujoing
a short retrospect on the season of ISOtfis the
value of hardy plants, especially if our lot happens
to be cast where we are dealing with a li.-ht and
shallow soil. True, there is a way of deahn..- with
bedding plants that enables a good display" to be
made under such conditions, but, given a hot,
dry summer, it incurs constant waterini' and a
big Item in shape of labour, and even"then a
ery fleeting return ; whereas the majority of
perennials will come safely through without any
extra attention, save what is entailed by careful
planting and a good surface mulching. In look-
ing back on IsnG, and with a reference to the few
notes taken from time to time, I find old favourites
holding their own well, and proving in their re-
spective seasons about the most useful thinc^s we
had. DaS^odils were more than ever in request
and It was diflicult at times to supply the demand
tor cutting and yet preserve in the difl-eient
brakes a fair show. Obvallaris, Horefieldi, Barri
congpicuus and poeticus ornatus were noted as
specially useful. Let me just remind those who
are likely to want these flowers in quantity for
Easter that this festival is rather late in 1S97
towards the end of April. Referrin- to a flower'
contemporary with the earliest Dafi-odil, the
bnowdrop, I had a diflSculty in doing much with
this on our light, sandy soil until it was shifted
to a north-west border in the lowest part of the
garden, and here among the Polyanthuses it grows
strong and well. From a purely cut-flower stand-
point the crimson and purple shades in Polyanthus
were most serdceable, presumably because with
late DaS^odiis to hand the colour furnished by
these was not recjuired in the more formal-lookine
flowers. Pyrethrums were noted as very good
but more quickly over than usual, and no supply
of water being to hand, new growth was not made
sulticiently early to ensure a second flowering
However, despite the rather unfavourable season
the verdict on the Pyrethrum would be that of an
invaluable early flowering plant. Antirrhinums
simply revelled in the hot, dry weather and gave
an early and long-sustained display. I am not
much in love with the very dwarf section except
for special bedding purposes. Where it is found
advisable to grow as much as possible alike for

the flower basket and the open garden, the stronger
growers are much the more serviceable, and a
prompt removal of the central spike is followed
by the very rapid development of side shoots and
adenfeheidof bloom. Pnloxes (both the early
and late-flowering section^) were remarkably fine,
and they may safely be recommended to the notice
of tho.'e seeking material for a bold and prominent
bed. One little point in connection with the dura-
tion of the flower-spikes may be noted — the newer
varieties throw up such a very dense head, that
the lower pips are apt to be hindered in their ex-
pansion if those immediately above them are not
picked off when decay sets in. This seems a
small matter, but it means the preservation of the
spike practically intact for another week or ten
days. Neither Pieonies nor Spir*as were quite a
success ; at least the former, although exception-
ally brilliant, had a very short season, and a lot
of the lower part of the spikes of Spirteas did not
expand. Exceptions to the failure were S. fili-
pendula fl.-pl., that does better in a dry than a
wet summer, and S. astilboides, that I "have in
company with a colony of Polyantha Roses on a
north-west border. On" a simdar site I am plant-
ing a batch of Montbretias, with the idea of get-
ting a supply for the flower basket after those in
a sunny position are over. Carnations were a
decided success, the supply of flower remarkably
good and long sustained ; the weather, too, was
favourable for the propagating, the layering was
only just finished when the rain came, and a
showery time through the greater part of August
and September gave early and good plants. Sun-
flowers were very good, lacking in vigour so far
as growth was concerned where old clumps had
been left undisturbed, but about the usual height
th young, carefully planted stuff'. Those who
have not yet acquired H. grandicephalus striatus
should make a note of the Fame. It is an abso-
lutely unique Sunflower in the matter of colour,
the kind of flower that is picked out at once from
among its fellows in the open, and may safely be
relied on to produce a sensation when used in
<iuantity for dinner-table decoration. I noted
the Starworts more closely this year, and came to
the conclusion that the division into sections for
successional flowering might be extended as fol-
lows : The stiff and formal sorts for lines or bold
masses, the graceful feathery sorts mainly for the
flower basket, and the big showy varieties as
occasional clumps in front and between flower-
ing shrubs. It is the two latter that are most in
favour here, and I adhere to an opinion often
expressed, that a garden may as well be without
Roses as St.arworts, especially the late autumn-
flowering sorts. Cordifolius, Diana, vimineua,
Caesiope, and Tradescanti are indispensable.

MuLCiiixii lioRDERs. — I have taken advantage of
the frosty days to run a specially prepared mulch on
the herbaceous borders. I write specially prepared
because there is a wide difterence between putting
on a lot of cakes through which young growth has
a ditiiculty in forcing its way and a mulch at
once a protection, a stimulant, and that is no
hindiance to growth. I mix together some time
during the summer equal parts of stable manure
d Beech leaves, toss on the same a few cans of
liijuid drained from the cowyard, and give it one
or two turnings as it may require. It breaks
down at this season capital short stuff, free
enough to run through a five-tined fork and just
adapted for the purpose. Anything only wanting
a little protection and not a stimulant, as clumps
of Nicotiana aftinis,Galtonia candicans and stools
of hei I piceous Fuchsias, get a covering of the foliage
of the deciduous Cypress, a mulching material I
can thoroughly recommend to all those possessing
trees of this Taxodium. It is soft, light, not liable
to be disturbed by rough winds, and it is only a
very exceptional frost, or rather a succession of
the same, that will penetrate a l2inch mulch of
this foliage. I notice in connection with tobacco
that a daily paper has a special note to the effect
that an Austrian professor has made the discovery
that it is a perennial. So far as Nicotiana attinie
is concerned, this is no news to English gardeners ;
it has occupied with mo the same site, duly making

December 26, 1806.

THE GARDEN.

507

its reappearance every spring for many seasons.
Given exposed situations, a mulch is, however,
necessary if the frost is likely to penetrate to the
fleshy roots that remain in the ground.

Clareynont. E. BuRRELL.

GARDENING BESIDE LAKE LEMAN.

A VISIT to the gardens on the margin of Lake
L^man is always instructive, but this year they
present a double amount of attraction. With the
exception of the right shore at the lower end of
the lake between Clarens and Villeneuve, where
all the intermediate localities, such as Montreux
and Territet, are ensconced low down in their
sheltered nest from the northern blasts and re-
ceive the full benefit; from the winter sun, the
winter here is ralhsr severe for months together.
A visitor to Geneva in December would, however,
be surprised to see trees and shrubs there with-
standing low degrees of temperature which would
appear excessive if they were not in reality tem-
pered by the vicinity of the lake, notwithstand-
ing its altitude of 373 metres above the level of
the sea. There may be seen thriving not only
Euonymuses and Japanese Privet?, Cupressus
torulosa, Mimosa Julibrissin, Laurus nobilis,
Lagerstnemia indica, &c., but even the Fii; tree
ripening its fruit at an altitude of 500 metres.
This lake climate, so singular, the nature of which
has been well studied long since and which vies
in mildness with the climate of the Mediter-
ranean parts of Provence, Exhibits its highest
form of expreeeion at the lakes of Northern
Italy (Maggiore, Como, Orta, Garda, &c.). This
year (1896) the interest in horticulture has been
highly stimulated by the Swiss National Ex-
hibition. The remarkable vitality of the Swiss
in various branches of industry has, in the case
of horticulture, manifested itself in the perma-
nent and occasional exhibitions which have been
already described in this journal, but to which I
may again refer here with advantage. Thus, since
last spring up to the present time, the collections of
trees and shrubs shown by MM. Fr.ibel, of Zurich,
and Thibault-Lyand, of Chene, near Geneva, and
the choice specimens of conifers and various other
trees exhibited by M. Boc^ard, of Geneva, have
become verymuch more effective through increased
vigour of growth. I noted amongst the exhibits
of M. Frabel, Hedysarum multijugum, which
produces continuously its violet flower- clusters ;
Amorpha canescens, recently figured in the Itevue.
Hortkole ; Cytisus shipkaensis, a dwarf species,
with numerous white flowers ; a Sorbus (of the
Aria section, but with entirely white flowers), a
superb species, as yet undetermined ; Ailantus
pendulifolia, with very long leaves on a rachis
over 3 feet in length ; Daphnipbyllum glaucescens,
a strong specimen ; Cercocarpus parviflorus,
Chamfedaphne calyculata, Securinega ramiflora,
Ceanothus Fendleri, Prunus Jacquemonti, Rosa
nutkana, R. Watsoniana, R. Vichuraiana, R.
nitida, Spirrea Menziesi, Baccharis salicina, Ar-
temisia tridendata and Sacobatus vermiculatus. I
also noticed grafted standards of Calophaca vul-
garica (grafted on Caragana) and Lonicera
Alberti (grafted on L tatarica I, Potentilla Sale-
sowi, and the collection of hybriih from Clematis
Pitcheri and C. coccinea, &c. Amongst the ex-
exhibite of M. Thibault were Colletia serrati-
folia (?) ; Clematises Gipsy Queen, Alexandra,
Ndgresse (Viticella), Mme. Granger, Viticella
rubra grandiflora, Mme. Baron-Veiliard, &c.

Aquatic plants are popular at (ieneva. The
Nymph«!is, which M. Lagrange, of Oullins, has
helped to distribute so widely in the Lyons dis-
trict and elsewhere, and of which M. LatourMar-
liac is at present a most distinguished hybridiser
and raiser, were well represented at the exhibi-
tion, where I saw in splendid flower Njmphtea
Marliacea albida, N. Laydekeri rosea, alba rosea
(of Caspary ), odorata sulphurea, Marliacsa Chi
tella, Candida, alba plenissima, pygmaja alba
vola, odorata rubra, Kalmiana tuberosa, and
exquisita. M. Micheli contributed hie share of
rare plants : Lilium Henryi, from China, a

Lily with decurved flowers, resembling those of a
pale orange-coloured L. bulbiferum ; Albuca Nel-
soni, from Natal, with large white flowers marked
with green lines ; Crinum Powelli, a hybrid
(hardy, with the protection of a mulching' of
leaves) between C. longiflorum and C. Moorei,
and producing numerous pink funnel shaped
flowers (sometimes sixteen on one stem) : a collec-
tion of charming Gladioli, hybrids of G. Lemoinei,
amongst which were Mme. Desbordes-Valmore,
white and pink, spotted with scarlet ; Schiapa-
relli, deep violet-blue ; Auguste Vacquerie, light
sulphur colour, spotted with ciitnson and yellow ;
General de Nausouty, dark violet speckled ;
Emile Augier, sulphur, white and red ; Henri
Moissan, lilac-blue, spotted with violet-blue ; J.
Foussat, pink, with a lart;e reddish violet spot.
The floriferous Cannas of the Crozy series were
splendid, and amongst the novelties of M. Vaucher,
director of the Ecole d'Horticulture at Chatelaine,
near Geneva, were some fine plants which will
soon be put into commerce. M. Vaucher also
exhibited an enormous clump of Cannas, com-
pofed of 200 plants of the variety Reine Charlotte
in flower.

Amongst the good perennial plants which I
noted in passing — some of them long known, but
too seldom grown at 'present, others rarer or of
more recent introduction— I must specially men-
tion Asclepias tuberosa, which is pretty com-
monly grown in this district, and A. incarnata ;
Nepeta grandiflora, of vigorous growth and suit-
able for rockwork : Monarda didyma, Prunella
grandiflora, and Sisyrinchium bermudianum, well
adapted for shaded positions on rockwork, &c.

In the alpine garden designed by M. AUemand
and furnished with plants by M. Correvon— a gar-
den which has been the admiration of all visitors
— I was agreeably surprised to find a second sea-
son of charming bloom. The Edelweiss (Gnapha-
lium Leontopodium) was there in all its silvery
whiteness ; the Carline Thistles (Carlini sub-
acaulis) expanded their glistening rosettes : the
Aconites (Aconitum lycoctonum and A. Anthora)
held up to view their yellow panicles; the Sun-
flowers of the Alps (Uoronicum, Aronicum, and
Arnica) again displayed some of their golden
flower-heads. These, together with Linarias,
Geraniums, and especially Campanulas, formed an
ornamental picture which was continuously re-
newed, while its attractions were enhanced by
contrast with the verdure of the turf and the
whitish tones of the scattered rooks.— Ed. Andke,
in Revue Hortkole.

Orchids.

NOTES ON ORCHIDS.
The aim of the grower must now be to keep all
plants that usually rest at this season quite
dormant, and these of course comprise a large
number of species. In the resting season, as
with the growing season, a deal of difl'erence
exists between the treatment of various kinds.
Phatenopsids have by now quite tinished grow-
ing, and must be kept as quiet as possible.
Any plants carrying their flowers or forming
scapes will need more water than others having
none. Some plants may still be showing a
little activity at the root, and these, too, must
be humoured a little. All that is required for
the others is an atmosphere sufllciently moist to
prevent too rapid evaporation from the foliage
and enough water at the root to keep the
leaves plump. Not a drop of water should
touch the leaves now. Plants growing in sus-
pended baskets are, of course, not very likely to
be wetted overhead, but those on the stage may
be when damping down. If they can be raised a
little higher, this will obviate the danger to a
certain extent and the plants will beneiit by the
, „. increased light. Never allow the temperature
tall to drop below 60° where the 5Ioth Orchids are

grown if this can be avoided, or probably some
of the leaves will become loosened at the axils,
and all such will drop in the spring. If the
Sphagnum about them has grown too luxuriantly
durin°g the summer months and appears to hold
more moisture than is advisable, this must be
trimmed back a little. The same may be
said of some other Orchids, such as the heat-
loving Oncidiums, as 0. Papilio, O. Krameri-
anum, O. Jonesianum, Scuticaria Steeli, or
any others of a true epiphytal nature. The
small-growing Angrajcums are somewhat similar
to Phalfenopsids in their requirements, but A.
eburneum and A. virens are just breaking into
flower and must be kept moist. Large pieces
of the former are, in fact, quite as active at the
roots as they have been at any time through
the summer and are watered almost as fre- •
quently. Notwith.standing the brilliant season,
Catasetums have not done well with me,
several plants having smaller pseudo-bulbs than
last year, and in no case is much improvement
apparent. These may be kept quite dry now,
a decided pfriod of dry rest being necessary.
The same with Thunias and Calanthes. Thesa
may be repotted in order to save time later in
the" season, but they must be kept warm and
dry all the same. Calogyne cristata has
finished up well and is showing for bloom. Here
a little moisture is obviously needed, no Orchid
more rapidly showing the result of too dry
treatment than this. The last formed pseudo-
bulbs should never shrivel ; all the nutriment
contained in them is required, and if any of it
is allowed to -naste, the result will soon be ap-
parent in poor flowers and weak growtns.
There are other species in the genus that require,
perhaps, less water, especially in spring, when
the young growth is just starting, but
in no case must the pseudo-bulbs shrivel.
Epidendrum bicornutum is a difficult subject
to deal with at this time of year. Moisture it
must have, and in considerable quantity, nor
must it be kept cool, yet it is necessary to its
well-being that the growths remain dormant.
Each trrower must to a certain extent take his
own course with plants of this description, but
I may say in regard to it that moist atmo-
spheric conditions with comparatively dry roots
are more to its taste than the opposite, and less
likely to encourage thrips, its inveterate enemy.
Miltonia vexillaria is now in active growth, and
the temperature for this Orchid must not fall
much below 55° on the coolest nights. It is im-
portant that it receive no check from any
cause, whether it is dryness of the atmosphere,
draughts, or the attacks of insects. Keep the
glass clear above, and if any plants are in a
doubtful condition at the roots, re- pot into
sweet open material without delay.

Among Cattleyas, the early flowering sec-
tion, as represented by C. Percivaliana and
C Trianie, will need more moisture than
the summer-flowering kinds, which are nearly
all at rest. This will not, of course, apply to
arowths out of season, as mentioned in my
Fast notes. L»lia anceps has been hne this
season and many more flowers have yet to open.
L superbiens is pushing up its immense spikts
and must be kept moist, the same applying
to sheathing plants of L. purpurata and
L grandis tenebrosa and others. Maxil-
lariai and Lycastes are pushing up flower-
spikes strongly, and the quietest time for
these useful plants may now be said to have
passed. In the cool house Disa grandiflora is
growing away rapidly and must be kept moi=t
at the foot. It may also be syriuged_ overhead
with chiHed water daily, and all the air possible
allowed by day and on warm nights when the
atmosphere is moist and mild. What a grand

508

THE GARDEN.

[December 26, 1896.

grower D. Veitchi is, and also easy of propaga-
tion. It is one of the very best of its class, and
as it is fairly cheap, this pretty hybrid may be
tried even where D. grandiflora fails. A sur-
facing of Sphagnum Moss over the compost
helps to teep the roots moist, but care is ueces-
sarj- that no slugs or other insects are intro-
liuoed therewith. Any of the Pleioues that
have tiiiished flowering, such as P. lageuaria or
l\ maculata, should be repotted without delay,
for if they commence to make new roots it is
difficult to avoid injury to these in shaking out
and replanting. Fix them firmly in their new-
compost and give little or no -water until they
cc mmecce rooting. Continue to watch for the
spikes of the various Odontoglots now pushing
up and keep them well in sight, wrapping a
little cotton wool around the base of each if
.'lugs are troublesome. A little warmth must
be kept on the pipes, this allowing the house to
be freely ventilated in suitable "weather, and
all cleaning operations must be pushed on as
rapidly as possible.

plants will have assimilated food enough for the
season and may be kept quite dry. The plants
while in bloom must not te placed in draughty
rooms and corridors if it can be avoided, but if
due care is taken, they are among the best of
Orchids for indoor decoration. R.

CALAXTHE VE.STITA.
Ix the varied forms of this Orchid we have a num-
ber of plants of the greatest value and beauty,
and though it is hardly wise to make compari-
son.-^, I consider them far before C. Veitchi in the
latter point. The pure white ground of most of
the varieties is shown up so sharply by the deep
tints in the eye-like blotch, that it gives
the blossoms a decided character lacking in the
soft rose tints of the hybrid. As a rule, C.
tita does not grow so strongly as C. Veitchi, but
the bulbs when they attain only medium
produce fine spikes of flower. There are two
loims of this species better known than
other— C. v. luteo-oculata and t'. v. rubro-ccul
these being characterised, ss the varietal na....„
imply, by a yellow and red eye-like blotch re-
spectively. Each form finds its admirers, and,
taken on the whole, one is as popular as the other.
The former has the more chaste appearance, but
the latter is the more showy of the two, and they
are both eijually easy to grow. Fairly large pots
make a better display than smaller cnes, but, "
course, t-ach grower will use the size most co
venient according to the purpose for which the
plants are grown. Equal parts of peat fibre,
loam and chopped Moss, with a little well-dried
cow manure, make a good compost. It may be
made richer for very strong plants, but it is easy
to remedy any shortcomings in this respect by
feeding after the pots are full of roots. The
plants may be repotted at any time after the
flowers are past, but must not be left long enough
for the young flioots to commence rooting, or it
will be diflRcult to avoid injuring these. The old
roots will in most cases be quite dead, so may be
removed, and in repotting allow the compost to
come just high enough to steady the pseud.
bulbs. The surface of the soil may be finished
little bit below the rim, as in ordinary potting,
and in filling up throw in plenty of rough, broken
crocks or charcoal. The drainage must be good
and covered with Moss to prevent the finer por-
tions of soil being silted downwards when the
plants are watered. If repotted while ftill dor-
mant, the pots may be placed on a dry shelf in a
warm hcuse, and no water allowed until the
growth is starting. When the young shoots
the base commence to root, the soil must be
thoroughly moistened with a rosed can and left
until It IS fairly dry before giving a further
supply. All through the growing season the
plants must be kept in a light position, and only
sufficiently shaded to prevent injury to the foliage
the water supply being gradually increased as the
pot 8 become filled with roots. If seen to be necessary
a few applications of liquid manure mav be given'
but capital results are often obtained without hav-
ing recourse ta any stimulants. Water must be
partially withheld as soon as the foliage begins to
turn colour, and by the time it has fallen the

SACCOLABIUM GIGANTEUM.
Looking at this species, one would hardly think
it a difficult plant to grow, great fleshy leaves
and vigorous roots being generally associated
with long life and vigour. That this plant does
not possess the latter will be evident to anyone
who has grown it many years. Newly-im-
ported plants usually arrive in good condition,
and take with a will to whatever they are given
in the way of rooting medium. The first few
seasons' growth is free, and flower- spikes of
good quality are freely produced. After this
many hundreds of fine plants dwindle away by
degrees, or] in some cases collapse all at once
owing to some slight error of culture. "There
must be some cause for this," someone may fay.
Unfortunately, there is more than one. Its
habit of flowering at mid-winter, when the
growth is at its very lowest ebb, is one, the
long densely-flowered racemes constituting a
strain upon the plants that only strong in-
dividual ones can stand, and to which those pre-
viou.sIy weakened by inconsiderate treatment
usually succumb. Another, and probably the
principal, cause of failure is an unsuitable
atmosphere. In our Orchid houses we can
command plenty of heat and moisture ; light
and shade may be regulated almost to a
nicety with due care, but what the plants
want is the constantly changing air, the
freedom to root and leaf, and the congenial
moisture afforded in their native haunts by the
proximity of larger forms of vegetation. Ob-
viously this is out of the question under culti-
vation, but still the desideratum need not be
lost sight of. In large tropical houses where
Palms, Cycads, and Tree Ferns luxuriate there
exist conditions more nearly approaching it
than can possibly be obtained in the ordinary
Orchid houses far too much in vogue. Such
structures when well hosed down in the morn-
ing keep moist even when a good supply of air
is kept on, while a few inches of top ventUatiou
on the smaller class of house mean a dry at-
mosphere unless the can and syringe are kept
going very frequently. Then the plants being
further from the glass with the loliage of the
plants aforementioned over them, no more
shading than is necessary for these need be
given, and as this is confined principally to the
roof, plenty of light -will reach the Orchids from
the sides. When growing in an ordinary Or-
chid house, a clear light without being too hot
is of great importance, plants grown in such
being more likely to pass the winter safely than
if unduly shaded. The heat of the East India
house suits it best all the year round, for no
resting season is required, though the plants
usually steady down a little after flowering.
The roots seem inclined to run longitudinally in
straight lines rather than twine about the rods
of a basket, and I have a fine plant now bloom-
ing in a deep pot of the ordinary make sus-
pended from the roof. When growing in this
way drip must be carefully guarded against,
one drop of icy cold water in the middle of the
plant often killing it outright. The plants
should never be hung from hooks screwed or
driven into the rafters, but always midway
between two from an iron rod running the
length of the house.

Tlie treatment of newly-imported plants does
not materially differ from that recommended
recently for Aerides roseum and other.s, but

considerably larger pots or baskets must be
used and the crocks must be in a rougher state.
Established specimens must be well watered at
the roots during summer and a fair supply
given until the flower-spikes are over. Then if
root-action seems sluggish, keep the plants well
on the dry side for a week or two, but never
allow the temperature to drop much below (iO°
at night. It is best in all cases, of course, not
to let the foliage shrivel in the least, but if it
does a little during late winter, the increasing
moisture in spring will set all right again. A
more serious matter is spot, which sometimes
attacks the best and most vigorous plants,
spreading by degrees through the leaf tissues
and rendering the plants unsightly in the ex-
treme. This is of most frequent occurrence in
houses kept too moist and cool with a stagnant
atmosphere, though it sometimes appears in
the best managed collections. Kothing but cut-
ting away the injured portions is likely to be of
any avail against this pest, and plainly this
kind of cure cannot go on too long. The blos-
soms of S. giganteura occur on densely-flowered,
cylindrical racemes about a foot long. They are
creamy white, with purple markings about the
base of the sepals and petals, the lip having
lines of a similar hue. They are very lasting,
and all the time they are open emit a most
delicious fragrance. It comes from the East
Indies and was introduced in 1804. H. R.

Oncidium nubigenum.— The pretty little
white and purple flowers of this variety make a
welcome change from the yellow flowers of most
Oncidiums. It is now in bloom in the cool house,
where it thrives, being a native of very great
altitudes in Ecuador. It is not a very free-rooting
plant, consequently a good deal of care is neces-
sary in the preparation of the campost and in
watering ; but once get it well established, and
little difficulty will be found in keeping it healthy.
While growing it must be kept constantly moist,
frequent very light dewings from the syringe
keeping the foliage cool and free from insects.

Camaridium ochroleucum.— This singular
and not very showy species comes from a corre-
spondent for a name. It is closely allied to the
Cymbidiums, and differs in having a gracefully A\
curved column not unlike that of Cycnoches.
The sepals are greenish white, the petals very
narrow, and the lip has a few reddish markings
about it. It requires the heat of the East India
house, and should not be treated quite so liberally
as the large growing Cymbidiums as regards
compcst. Equal parts of peat and Moss, with
crock,- added, will suit it well, and it thrives
under pot or basket treatment.

Dendrobium aureum. — The blossoms of this
early-flowering Dendrobe cannot be said to be as
showy as those of many of its congeners, but the
delicate colour and delicious fragrance are strong
recommendations. The plants, as a rule, do not
exceed a foot in height, and have pale green stem-
like pseudo-bulbs and narrow leaves. The flowers,
which occur in racemes of two or three from the
nodes on the ripened bulbs after the leaves have
fallen, are creamy yellow on the outer segments,
the lip downy, yellow, with lines of crimson. D.
aureum is a tropical species, reijuiring while
growing a moist temperature and plenty of light.
Towards the latter part of the season itmay with
advantage be hung in the full sun, a thorough
ripening being needed if the plants are to flower
freely. Strong plants may be given medium-sized
pots, according to their growth, but weaker or
badly rooted ones must be very closely confined
at the root. In repotting, take ecjual parts of
peat and Moss and mix together, adding plenty
of hard material in the layers rather than mixing
it with the other ingredients. By having plenty
of plants the flowering season may be prolonged
from early in November until April. The variety
philippinense is a large growing geographicalform,
not so useful a garden plant as the type.

December 26, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

509

ZYGOPETALUMS.

though not so showy as some other
Orchids, are, nevertheless, well worthy of a
place in all collections, as they bloom at a time
of the year when choice flowers are scarce. The
scent, too, of most of the species is very agree
able As Zygopetalums make lar^'e leaves it is
necessary they should be allowed plenty of root
room, otherwise they will fail to grow satisfac
torily Potting should be done directly the
flowers are cut lu most works on Oichids peat

turned out. In potting see that the compost is • with the syringe to keep down insect pests, as

well worked in between the roots, and do not both red spider and thrip are very troublesome,

press it too lirmly or there will be some difli- and when these are allowed to make the least

culty in the young fleshy ones pushing their headway there is but a poor chance of a healthy

way into it. When potted the plants should growth, without which it is impossible to get

occupy a light position, and as it IS usually early strong, well developed flower-spikes. Many

in tilt, season -nhtn such work takes place, it people try to grow these plants in too low and

will not be necessary to shade Very littk any a temperature, the consequence being that

water will be needed till the young roots com they fail to make satisfactory progress, often

mence to take hold of the fresh soil, but the dying oft altogether. As most of the species

foliage must be occasionally damped over with

from th

Qrou/p of Zygopetalums. From a ph

is recommended for growing these plants in,
but I prefer a compost composed of two parts
fibrous loam to one of dried cow manure broken
into pieces. The plants having been turned
out of their old pots, all the sour portions of
soil should be removed with a pointed stick,
taking care in doing so not to injure the roots
more than can be avoided, or it will take the
plants some timw to recover. If well rooted
they should be shifted into pots at least two
siz33 larger than those from which they were

ted Parle, Ucl-field.

The soil, how-

Z. Bdrkei,

climate of Brazil,
dent they cannot put up
with cool treatment, and,.
from the nature of their foli-
age and pseudo-bulbs, it
must be apparent to all
that they cannot do with
drying off', as it were. The
temperature during the
summer should range from
(iO" to 65° at night, with
a rise of from 15° to 20°
by day, according to the
state of the external tem-
perature. During winter
the thermometer should
never be allowed to fall
below 55°, even in severe
weather, for at that time,
though growth is not very
active, the young roots are
putting forth, and are
therefore easily injured.
A humid atmosphere ought
always to be maintained
when the plants are in
active growth, and manure
water may be used pro-
vided it is weak. As au-
tumn approaches and the
plants show signs of ma-
turing their leaves, less
water at the roots will be
needed, but on no account
should the soil be allowed
to get dry. It is during
this stage that root action
is least active, for as soon
as the flower-spikes show
themselves growth com-
mences ; on this account
the plants should never be
subjected to a low tempera-
ture. There are some spe-
cies much more difticult to
grow than others, but by
a close study of their habits
it will soon be found out
what suits them best ; there-
fore those who have hither-
to failed to grow them
satisfactorily would do well
to give them another trial.
Amongst some of the best
will be found

ZlClOPETALUM BRACIIVPE-

TALUM.— This ehowy species,
which usually flowers at the
end of the year, was intro-
duced from Brazil about
fifty years ago.
distinct species, with long
y marked flowers,
diameter. It usually
December. It was sent home by Mr.
ho found it growing in the swamps in

the syringe to keep it fresh. ^ — .,„.., . . -

ever, should on no account be allowed to be- narrow leaves, having curiouely
come dry, or root action will be slow. When ^^''^J^^°^t-Luf'"T'°„.„= !!
the plants have started into active growth more
water will be needed, and as the pots become
filled with roots it will be necessary to examine
them daily in case any should get dry, as the
long plaited foliage will need much support.
During the summer, shade should be afforded,

as the young foliage is very tender. The, „._ ^

i plants should also be frequently damped over same time of the year, and when well grown make

owers I
Burke, 1
Guiana.

Z. Clavi is a beautiful hybrid raised by Colonel
Cjav about twenty vears ago. It is of robust
habit, having foliage about 1!S nrhes long.

Z. cRiNiTi'M AND Z. iNTKioiEDiuM are forms of
the old Z. Mackayi. They all flower about the

510

THE GARDEN.

[Dkcember 26, 1896.

handsome specimens, the long spikes carrying
from five to eiaht flowers on each, frequently two
spikes on each growth. '/.. Mackayi was intro-
duced into this country in the early part of the
present century.

Z. M.vxii.L.\"uK is also a very free-Eowering
epfcies, with a nch purple lip.

Z. Bi KTi, a native of Costa Rica, is one of
those jieculiar species that Orchid growers si me-
times tind it difficult to find a suitable place for.

There are many other species of this lovely
genus which all require about the same treat-
ment. Some may be put at the warmest end
of the house, while others should enjoy a cooler
and airier position, all, however, require shade
during the summer, and a fair amount of water,
accordirg to the strength and size of their
leaves when in active growth. If close atten-
tion be paid to other matters in the way of ven-
tilation and keeping the plants free from insect?,
there is little doubt but that they will grow
satisfactorily. H. C. Pkinsep.

Oncidium Jcnesianumflavens.— Thifdiffers
from the type in having faint orange markings on
the outer seyments in place of the deep chestnut-
brown. These are too near the tint of the yround
colour to show up well, and they give one the idea
that they would be better away. Like the type,
it delights in tropical heat and moisture, much
more in fact than most South American Orchids.
The roots take « ell to wood blocks, and in any
case the receptacle used must be small and abun-
dantly drained.

OdontoglosEum Ceivantesi paEctatisBJ-
mum —This is a very profusely spotted form of
the type, the sepals and i_etals being thickly
covered with bright rosy pink markings. It
occasionally crops up among importations of the
species, but is far from plentiful. Like the type
it delights in cool, shady, and moist quarters,
and the roots must be confined to pots or pans of
limited size. Equal parts of peat and Moss should
be used as compost, only a thin layer en the sur-
face being required. Keep the roots in a nice
racist condition all the year round.

Laelia anceps Barkeriana.— This variety ie
not so large as many others, but very deeply
coloured, the narrow sepals and petals being
bright ro.'y purple, the lip much deeper in colour,
showing up the jellow crest well. Formerly rare,
it is still far from plentiful, a larger and paler
form having in some ca?es to do duty for it. It
makes a splendid contrast to the white varieties,
than which it is much freer blooming. Grown in
small baskets or on rafts in a good light it reijuirf s
an ample water supply while growing, but when
at rest very little will" suflice. Repot this plant
early before the roots get far advanced ; in fact,
when the flowers are over the sooner it is done the
better.

PUuiTDa nobilis. — The chaste, white blo--
scms of this pretty Orchid, shown up by the
dense yellow eye like spot in the centre of the lip,
are always welcome, especially when thty come
in winter. They are larger considerably than
tho-e rf P. fragrans, of which it is sometimes
considered a variety. For sprays, buttonholes,
and other purposes fcr which cut flowers are in
request they are admirable, lasting well in water
and also retaining their perfume for a long time.
When established it is not by any mean- a diffi-
cult plant to grow, but it will not thrive in a dry
atmosphere, ncr can the roots be induced to enter
a close or waterlogged ccmpoft. Thrips are its
worst insect enemy, these iosects being attracted
to it in a remarkable manner. Good peat and
Sphagnum Mc.:s kept in an open condition
good drainage suit it well, and when once the
roots have attained a gocd hold of this they may
be kept fairly tLoist all the year round.

Lseiia automnalis delicata. — A plant pur-
cha-ed under this name is now flowering, and
though dictinct from the type, is net to showy
The sepals and petals are of the faintest purple

rose imaginable, the margin nearly white and tips
flushed with rather a deeper hue. The lip is
rose, coloured with streaks tf a pretty lavender
tint, the centre yellow and white. The plant is
small and appears to have much narrower foliage
than the typical form. A light, sunny position
at the coolest and most airy p;irt of the Cattleya
houte or in the Mexican house, of course, if one is
at command, should be chosen for it. The plants
do well in shallow baskets or on rafts Avith only
a light surfacing of material. A very distinct
growing and resting season is necessary, the roots
requiring abundance of water during tho former
period.

Cyp.jpedium Bcxalli atratum.— A good
form of this Orchid comej from a correspondent,
the dorsal sepal being very fine. The margin of
white is well defined and clear, the dark spots in
the centre showing this oflf to perfection. Like
the useful old C. villosum, to which it is very
closely related, the typical C. Boxalli and all its
varieties are easily grown and seldom fail to bloom
freely. Eijual parts of peat, loam fibre and
chopped Sphagnum, with plenty of crocks to en-
sure at-ration, will do well as comf-ost, the plants
when once established in this thriving well in a
moist greenhouse or intermediate fernery. Though
a native of Burmah, it will do well in the Cattleya
house, and must be freely watered at the root.

Calanthe Veitchi alba.— This beautiful va-
riety of C. Veitchi is a charming Orchid, the
blossoms, of the purest white, produced on long
graceful spikes, as in the well known hybrid.
Those who are fortunate enough to possess it may
easily increase their sti ck by cutting up the
pseudo-bulbs. Each fair-sized bulb will make
ihree or four if carefully split vertically and laid
on a bed of Sphagnum in a close propagating
frame. As soon as the young shoots that form
attain 1 inch or a little more in height, they may
be potted up singly, still nursing them carefully,
and giving very little water until the new roots
start. In two years these make good flowering
bulbs.

ODONTOGLOSSUM ROEZLI.
There are few more beautiful objects than a large
and well-flowered specimen of this splendid Or-
hid, and when such an one is exhibited it always
licits a great deal of praise from visitors. Iti
ery free flowering nature makes it rather a difli
culc plant to cultivate, and only where iis wanti
are thoroughly understood and properly catered
fur is it at all likely to be a success over a lentjth
ened period. It requires considerably more heat
than any other in rhe genus, thriving best in
good light in the East India house, where the
temperature is brisk and atmospheric moisture
abunrlant. It is seldom at rest, one set of pseudo-
bulbs being hardly finished before new growths
again make their appearance : consequently the
roots must not ba dried summer or winter, but
always watered according to the state of growth.
The roo's, though freely enough prodreed, are
very impatient of anything sour or close about
them, so that with thriving plants somewhat
frequent repotting is neces.'ary. The best time
to do this is when the pseurio bulbs are attaining
maturity and the roots aia being emitted from
the base. Use everything about them scrupu-
lously clean. I have often seen the surface of the
compost over run with a troublesome and un-
sightly fungus owing to dirty or decayed
labels having been placed in Orchid pots. The
pots need not be large, but must be well drained,
and only a rather tnin layer of c mpo-t is neces-
sary. Freth growing points of Sphagnum Moss
and the very be.<t and toughest of peat fibre with-
out a particle of sand or dutt nr>ay be used for
compo-t, and as much as possible of the old
material must be worked out fconi between the
roots with a pointed stick. Plant tiritly. keeping
the base of the bulbs above the rim on a neat
c jne-shaped mound, trimming off all ragged ends
of peat or Moss. Place them back at OLce into the
growing (juarters, and water carefully until the
roots are entering the compost freely. L'ght

dewings overhead with warm water from the
syringe may be given at closing time when the
weather is bright. This helps to keep red spider
and thrips in check, tlie latter being one of the
't intect foes to this class cf Orchid. If any
of these are seen about the plants they must be at I

once cleared off, the easiest way being to fumi-
gate the house first and afterwards to sponge each
plant separately. Dip them fir.«t in tepid water,
roots, leaves, and all, and afterwards dip the
heads in a weak solution of tobacco and soft soap,
placing them on their sides, so that the liqu'd
drains away from the compost. Then wash them
leaf by leaf with the sponge and afterwards rinse
with clean tepid water. This cleanliness is in
fact of the very utmo.'t importance, without which
all other cultural details are futile. O. Rotzli is
a variable species, the typical form bearing
flowers each about 3 inches across the labellum,
which is clouded white with a central blotch of
purple and a yellow crest. The vai iety roseum is a
lovely form, in which the white in the type be-
comes a delicate rose, while album has pure white
blossoms, with the exception of a yellow blotch
near the column. All the varieties are native of
Colombia, whence the type was introduced in
1873. R.

L.KLIA ALBIDA.
The blossoms of this species are very refined
and delicately tinted, and if the plant were
only a little more amenable to culture it would
be one of the most useful of winter-floweiing
Orchids. It is quite distinct from all the
other Mexican Ltclias in habit and flower-', the
latter occurring on erect scapes, and in the type
nearly white, with just a tinge of lilac purple on
the sepals and petals, the lip purple with a yellow
centre. U.-ually the plants are satisfactory for a
season or two afier being imported, but a back-
ward tendency is usually apparent after about the
fourth or fifth season, and this, as a rule, cannot
be arrested, the p'ants getting weaker and the
bloom spikes smaller year by year. It is import-
ant that the plants be given a suitable and lasting
root-hold at the fir.-t, and, taking everything into
consideration, large rough blocks will be the best
for medium-sized and large plants. If pans are
used the plants come away all right, but soon
grow out of them, with the result that larger
sizes have to be used and naturally more com-
post. This is not, of course, the case with the
blocks, for only a little Moss need be placed
about tho leading bulbs and no disturbance will
be necessary Trellised blocks may be used if
preferred, the plants being easily fixed to these,
but difficult to remove on account of the roots be-
coming entwined about the rods. The first season
the plants do best in the Cattleya house ; after
this the Mexican house proper suits them. Plenty
of air all the year round is of great benefit, and a
light position not fiir from the roof should be
afi'orded them. Roots are freely emitted in early
spring, and from this time onward there must be
no stint in the vater supply until the new p.^eudo-
bulbs are fully matured At no time must they
be quite dry, as the spikes need support, and
shrivelling must be prevented at all cost. In
the pans a very light surfacing of compost only is
needed, and this must be of the best quality,
whatever peat is u^ed being quite free from all
earthy particles and sand, this if present silting
down among the drainage and choking it. An
inveterate foe to Ladia albida is the soft woolly
scale so frequently seen on Ltelias and Cattlejas.
It seems to get to every part of the plant, and is
very difficult indeed entirely to get rid of. A
moist atmosphere must be kept up at all times.
R.

Dendrobium superbiens.— A good form of
this Uendrobe is well worth all the care necessary
to grow it well, but when one comes across varie-
ties of a poor, washed-out purple tint, and con-
siders tho number of easily grown and handsome
things this genus contains, it is a i|uestinn if
these are worth keeping. Several such I have
seen this year, and in strong contrast to this is a

December 26, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

511

spike sent from a neighbouring collection with
fourteen charming flowers. These are very rich
in colour, and, although they have been open for
live weeks, are quite fresh. A strong heat and
abundant moisture while growing and almost total
exposure to the sun are necessary in growing this
plant.— H. R.

liSelia purpurata.— I never remember the
plants of this superb Orchid so forward as they
are this season. The pseudo-bulbs and sheaths
on large plants here are quite finished, and almost
every young bulb has its sheath. Doubtless this
is due to the prevailing conditions in early
autumn, and as the plants are now at rest, I hope
that the flowers will not be produced before the
usual time. Evidently the treatment of this
Orchid should tend one of two ways -. either keep
the plants at rest until the spring and let them
come quickly into flower, or endeavour to get
them, as noted above, well finished in time for a
good rest in sheath. It is bad policy to have them

every collection. It does well and flowers freely
under the same treatment as suite the type.

Sophronitis violacea.— This is hardly the
class of plant to appeal to preem -day Orchid
fanciers, yet the blossoms are extremely pretty,
the soft rosy purple hue being not too common
among cool house Orchids. The bulbs are not,
as a rule, much above an inch high and the blos-
soms about the same distance across. In a very
shallow pan or on a piece of cork lightly dressed
with Sphagnum it is not difficult to grow, pro-
vided the atmospheric ccnditions are kept steady
and the roots carefully and judiciously attended
to. These must never be really dry or the tiny
pseudo bulbs scon shrivel and become weak. It
comes from the Organ Mountains in Brazil, and
was introduced in iH-iO.

Odontoglossum Rossi rubescene.— Though
a geographical form only of the species, this is
quite as distinct as many so called species. It is
much larger, and the sepals are beautifully

quite erect scapes. The sepals are much elon-
gated, joined at the base, and there forming a
hollow, which contains the genital parts of the
flower. The colour is a brownish yellow, varying
considerably in difl'erent plants, and marked with
streaks and spots of purple-brown. It is a native
of New Grenada, and was introduced in 1870.

Oxalis Jloribimda. From a photograph se.it by Mr. H, G. Clos", Kirtlington Pari-, Oiford.

on the move about the end of October and then
growing sluggishly all through the winter. I
have noticed the same thing in connection with
L. grandis tenebrosa, but in this case the flowers
are actually produced in autumn, while those of
L. purpurata keep until spring in embryo. — R,

Liycaste Skinneri alba.— This is one of the
best of the white winter-flowering Orchids in
country districts, but one which within the fog
area of the metropolis soon succumbs to its bane-
ful eSects. Quite as large as in a medium form of
the type, the blossoms are of the purest glisten-
ing white on the sepals and petals, the lip being
also white with a yellow centre — the effective
combination that gives most white flowering Or-
chids such a charm. Thoujih still rather highly
priced at the nurseries, it is much more plentiful
than many albinos, and doubtless it is only a
question of time before we shall see it in almost

spotted with red their entire length : the petals
are spotted at the base, the rest pure white, the
triangular lip also pure white with a bright yel-
low crest. As a rule, only two or three flowers
are produced on each spike, but the plants are so
free blooming that even a small specimen looks
well furnished, and at this time of year very
bright and cheerful. The blossoms last six
weeks in good condition, and are useful for cut-
ting. Like all the varieties of O. Rossi, it is of
singularly easy culture, thriving in the cool house
all the year round and in almost any kind of pot,
basket, or pan.

Masdevallia macrura.— This is a grand
species, and owin;.; to its strong-growing charac-
ter and the consequent ease with which it may be
propagated is becoming much more plentiful
than formerly. The blossoms last a long time
in good condition, and are produced singly upon

Stove and Greenhouse.

OXALIS FLORIBUNDA.

One of the most useful of all Wood Sorrels is
this species, which has several names, i.e.,
rosea, lilacina, alba, arborea, A-c, and which is
perhaps the b;st known of the exotic species of
Oxalis grown in this country. It is well named,
thrives under ordinary greenhouse treatment,
whether grown in pots for the embellishment of
the stage, in baskets or pans suspended near
the roof, as shown in the illuatratiou. or as an
edging in conservatories, as in one of the houses
at Kew. It will grow in any light soil pro-
vided it gets a liberal supply of water and sun-
shine, and it seeds so freely that it may easily
become a weed. The plant forms a very short
herbaceous st'm which is sometimes buried,
sometimes exposed (hence, I suppose, the name
arborea), and is crowded with long-stalked, tri-
foliate leaves. The scapes are from 6 inches to
a foot long, and they bear umbels of medium-
sized elegant flowers each about an inch across.
There are white, pink, purple and variegated
varieties The species was introduced from
Chili in 1823.

For an account of some of tliC best of the
cultivated species of Oxalis, of which about 200
are known, and also for a picture cf the largest
and handsomest of them ail, viz , O. Bowieana,
the reader should refer to The G.4kden, May,
1890, p. 508. In some parts of Cornwall, and
also in the garden of the Rev. Mr. Ewbank in
Ryde, Isle of Wight, 0. Bowieana is grown as
a hardy border plant and is most satisfactory.
I believe it would grow and flower well out-of-
doors generally if treated as a summer bedding
plant, as, indeed, it used to be grown in
Battersea Park. W. W.

Striking Carnations in autumn. — Although
depending principally upon February-struck cut-
tings to supply the chief batch of plants for
winter-flowering, I usually put in a limited num-
ber of cuttings, say during October or the be-
ginning of November, and 1 find that with a little
care 90 per cent, of them root satisfactorily. In
spring, so few gardeners having a real propagat-
ing house, the cuttings are ntcassarily placed in
Cucumber or Melon houf es, in which case generally
both the bottom and top heat is much greater than
is good for them. Now, however, one can even in
such houses just give a bottom-heat of say T'l',
and at the same time maintain a maximum top-
heat of G0°. Thus treated they do capitally, pro-
vided clean strong cuttings are selected. I use
handhghts for the purpose, and always leave a
small aperture for the escape of any superfluous
moisture, thus avoiding damping. My batch so
treated this autumn rooted in a month, and will
now be wintered in a cool, airy house close to the
roof glass after being potted into very small pots.
I would advise all those who have not special
means in spring to make up a small warm bed of
leaves in a cool house rather than to run the risk
of failure from the unsuitable temperature of
Cucumber houses.— J. C.

Ardisia mammillata. — This is a very distinct
and at the same time uncommon species of Ar-
disia, which was first introduced to this country
about ten years ago, and in the early part of 1888
Messrs. Veitch were awarded a first class certifi-
cate for it at one of the meetings of the Royal
Horticultural Society. It is in general appear-

512

THE OARDEN.

[December 2C, 1896.

ance vtry d.tfcrent fr m the well known A. cttna-
lata, but", as «ith that species the highlvcolouicd
berries form tho pni.cipal ornamental feature. A.
mammilUta hag an upright unbranchtd stem
thickly clothed with pale green ovate leaver,
each about 6 inches long, and disposed in an
almos: horizontal manner. A peculiar feature cf
these leaves is that they are thickly puckered all
over the surface, thus presenting the appearance
of being cnvered with small wart-like elevations,
and from the centre of each one springs a whitish
hair, which gives to the leaves quite a hoary lojk.
The flowers a e borne in small clusteison s-hoit
stalks, pushtd out Irom the upper portion of the
main .-tern, £>nd are succeeded by berries, which
are when ripe of a scarlet colour, and remain
fresh and bright for a long time It is quite a
dwarf growiig subject, and will flower and fruit
freely when not more than 6 inches high. Owing
to the somewhat dense style of leafage the berries
are often partly hidden from view. This Ardifia
requires the temperature cf a stove and needs to
be well supplied with moisture, but at the same
time it resents being syringed overhead. It is
easily increastd by seeds, which ripen re.idily
enough and do not lie long before they germinate.
— H. P.

Disbudding Tree Carnations.— The hint
thrown out by Mr. Craw ford rt disbudding Tree
Carnations is well worth considering, as in cutting
the blooms very often two or more buds have to
be sacrificed. An extra bud to a fullblown
flower is certainly of value, but I think it is ad
vieable to throw the extra strength into the main
bud. Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Crawford,
I was supplied with over -21 o cuttings, and have
now that number of large healthy plants in (i
inch pots. These have been grown entirely under
the directions as put forth by Mr. Crawford in
Tjie G.\riies, and are good evidence of the sound-
ness of his teaching. It is quite evident tint
Tree Carnations are coddled too much by some
peeple during the winter, with the result that the
flowers do not open kindly, and tlie plants are
further ruined for the production of healthy cut-
tings. Healthy cuttings grown under cool treat-
ment will root lor a certainty, given ordinary cire.
Marguerite Carnations do t-\cellenlly disbudded.
This season, instead of planting the plants out
and lifting in the autumn, I have grown them
throughout in .") inch and G inch pots. In tli^se
sizes ility do not grow so rampantly as whan
planted out, and being disbudded down to a
dozen or two dczen blooms, these grow to quite a
presentable size. My plints will produce a suc-
cession throu^liout the winter. — A. Yol N(;.

PelBrgonium Kcenig Albert. — The various
notes that appear from time to time in Tuts Gai;
DE.v, pointing out the many desirable qualities
possessed by the double-flowered Ivy leaved
Ptlargoniums and the different uses to which they
may ba put, remind one thatit is now just twenty-
one years since the first member of this tection
was distributed in this countrj'. This was the
variety Kitnig Albert, which was raised by M.
Ofcir Litbmann, of Dresden, and distributed in
the spring of Ih'n, the price charged for it in this
coun;.ry being l.'is. a plant. It sold reidily and
scon became popular, for not only was it iiuite
a break away trcin any of the varieties then in cul-
tivation, but at that time new Pelargoniums could
be sold in quantity at a h'gher price than is the
case now-a-days. This Pelargonium possessed
the true Ivy leaved character, whereas the varie-
ties popuUr at the present day are for the most
part of st.£fer' growth, which in all probability they
owe to a ccitiiin amount of intercrossing with the
zonal section. This is also shown in the flowers
as well as in the leaves and style of growth. It
was about half a-dozen years later that many mem-
bers of this group put in an appearance, we be-
ing principally indebted to M. Crouase and M.
Lemoine lor the earliest varie--ie3. Within the
last half a dozen years or so there has been no
great advance to record in this section, though
a very desirable variety (Kyecroft Surprise) re-
ceived an award of merit in 1S9J. Souvenir de
Charles Tamer— which is, I should say, the most

popular variety of the present diiy. wa? awarded
a certificate August 11, 1SS.">. Though these
double-flowered varieties with an infusion of zonal
blood did not make their appear.ince till a few
years after Kunig Albert, yet there were some
forms of this section with single blossoms before
that time. The best known— r.iised by tho late
Mr. John Wills as long ago as lS(i9— were Willsi
and Willsi rosea. — H. P.

Asparagus scandens.— In the very interest-
ing article on varieties of Asparagus (p. -iH'.)) no
mention is made of Asparagus scandens, which is
a decidedly ornamental member of the genus, and
one of the oldest South African species that we
have in our gardens. It is certainly at the present
time very little grown, though one occasionally
meets with a gcod example of it. There is such
an one in No. 4 greenhouse at Kew, where it is
employed for furnishing one of the pillars that
support the roof, and very well adapted it is for
such a purpose. This Asparagus is, as indicated
by its specific name, of a climbing habit of
growth, and to furnish a f-cn-en or pillar up to
10 feet or I'J feet in height it is of considerable
merit. The leaves are not so light and elegant as
those of A. plumosus, A. tenuissimus, and others
of that class, being more like those of A. Sprengeri,
which has considerably advanced in popularity of
late. In A. scandens the leaves are from a half
to three-ciuarters of an inch in length, somewhat
curved, and of a very bright green colour. They
are mostly borne in two opposite rows, whicli,
being arranged nearly on one plane, give the
b.-anchletsa flattened frond like appearance. The
climbing stems are numerous and well furnished
with foliage, consequently if trained to a pillar
they form quite a dense mass. As in all the
others, propagation may be carried out to a
limited extent by division, but established plants
will doubtless produca seed, for I see the Kew
plant has now a few blossoms on it. — T.

THE CYCLAMEN AS AX AUTUMN-
FLOWERING PLANT.
I (AX well remember when the normal form of
Cyclamen persicum was our only type ; when it
was regarded as a spring flowering plant only,
and when gardeners adopted the barbarous plan
of planting out the corms in an open, sunny spot
after they had done blooming, in the belief that
thorough roasting and resting were necessary to
induce the plants to blossom the following season.
Now all is changed, and the Cyclamen is now re-
garded as a subject to bloom in October and on-
wards instead of in March and April, as heretofore.
The treatment which induces this early flowering
appears to coincide entirely with the nature of
the plant, for not only does it grow freely and
bloom abundantly, but continuously also. There
is now great variety in tint with flow^ers of
enormous size undreamt of half a century ago.

The Cyclamen was seen in fine form at the
December exhibition of the National Chrysanthe-
mum Society. The groups of these plants shown by
Messrs. Orpwood, of Uxbridge, and Bowles, of
Hanwell, comprised over 200 superficial feet, and
the flowers showed up wonderfully and formed
imposing masses of colour. No flower probably
stands a heated atmosphere better than the
Cyclamen. Notwithstanding the cross breeding re-
sorted to for the purpose ol obtaining new varie
ties, it is yet found in experience that a plant of
any one variety if isolated will reproduce itself
in considerable proportion from seed. But the
Urge majority of those who grow this flower for
autumn or winter decoration prefer a mixture of
colours, ranging from pure white to maroon-
crimson. The remarkable development in the
depth and richness of f.nt found in the Cyclamen
is noteworthy. Thd growers of fifty years ago no
more imagined a crimson Cyclamen than they did
a blue Rose or Carnation, and yet we have it to-
day, brilliant in tint and large in size. It was at
one time thought that only the light varieties
coul 1 be advanced to the larger-flowered type,
while the crimsons would remain for ever small.

but the latter have reached the giant stage also.
Some of the crimson Cyclamens are so much
shaded as to be unduly dark, and then they lose
their lustre. The aim of raisers should be to pro-
duce bright reds, scarlets and crimsons ; the more
radiant the better.

Essentially a greenhouse plant, the Cyclamen is
not unduly tender, doing best in an eciiiable tem-
perature. There must be artificial warmth to main-
tain it in bloom after October, though solar heat
will suttica to bring it into flower at that period.
Where heat is applied it should be regulated as
evenly as possible. Extremes in this respect
should be avoided. Abundance of light is all-im-
portant in autumn and winter, but in summer,
when the plants are in cold frames and making a
free growth after potting, some shade from the
sun is required, and an atmosphere moist rather
than dry. R. p.

DOUBLE PRIMULAS.
TiiKRK are many so-called double Primulas which
are raised from seed, but these drop their flowers in
the s.ame manner as do the ordinary single varieties.
The true double varieties do not seed, and the
flowers do not drop off. Taking the old P.
sinensis alba-plena there are few plants which
keep up such a succession of bloom throughout
the winter. Though the individual flowers are
not so large as those of other varieties it is cer-
tainly the most prolific. The varieties fimbriata,
candidissima and Fairy very closely resemble
oach other, all having rather fuller flowers, the
petals fimbriated instead of being diviHed into
two lobes as in the old variety. The varieties
raised by the late Mr. Gilbert some years ago are
also well worthy of attention, but they are more
difficult to manage. Being of vigorous growth
they do not usually form a number of crowns like
the old variety, hence, they cannot bo so readily
propagated, yet where they do succeed the fine
large Qoweis are much appreciated, and they are
well worthy of the extra care necessary. I find
there is little difficulty if the stock is healthy to
start with. They shouM stand on a cool moist
bottom, well exposed to the light, giving suffi-
cient fire heat to keep a fairly dry atmosphere,
and careful attention to watering, especially avoid-
ing too much moisture. At the same time the
slender thread-like roots soon suffer if allowed to
get too dry. A good compost for potting is
fibrous loam, leaf mould, and some well-rotted
manure, with a liberal addition of sharp sand. In
potting the plants the crowns should be kept well
down on the surface. It is a mistake to suppose
that if the leaf stalks are partly buried damping
will follow, the contrary is the case, for the new
roots come from the stems, and as they aivance
in growth these will not be able to reach the soil,
and the plants soon get weakened. When the pots
are well tilled with roots liquid manure may be used
freely, but if grown on too vigorously they do not
flower so freely as plants of moderate growth.
H.

Rhododendron Star of ladia.— This, one

of the many javanico hybrids that have been
raised by Messrs. Veitch, has beautiful trusses
of rich orange flowers, very showy, and certainly
most decisive in tone. Aurora is another, with
salmon red flowers, and Triumphans has richly-
coloured flowers, vet}- intense in their brilliant,
almost cardinal hue.

Bomareas. — There are now several species of
Bomarea in cultivation, and included amongst
them are some very beautiful climbers, but in many
gardens they are ceitainly not a success ; indeed,
it is quite the exception to meet with a good
thriving example of some of the be.'t kinds. In
the succulent house at Kew many of the species
are planted out and trained to the roof, a situa-
tion which just suits them, for during the year
many of them flower very freely. (>ijite recently
Bomarea Carderi was bearing one of its large,
wide-spreading heads of blossom, which in-
dividually are in size and shape a good deal like
those of a Lipageria, but of a totally different

1896.]

THE GARDEN,

513

colour — pink, with brown spot?. The smaller
growing B. ollgiintba was alfn in flower, and,
taken altogether, this is one of the most satis
factory members of the genus, aa it pushes up a
large number of shoots, each of which when strong
enoush is terminated by a cluster of brightly
coloured blossoms of a rich jellow spotted with
brown. Not only are the flowers verj- attractive,
but at Kew this species seeds freely, and when
ripe enough the capsule splits and exposes the
bright red seeds, which remain attached for a long
time. Bomareae are nearly related to the Alstra--
merias, and, like them, the shoots are pu-'hed op
from an underground rootstoek, and when fully
developed are termirated by a cluster of flowers.
For this reason especial care must be taken that
the growing shoots are not injured in any way,
as if the point is broken the flowers are lost.
On this account slugs must be particularly
guarded against just as the young shoots are
making their appearance above ground. Bcma-
reas succeed much better planted out in a well-
drained border than in pots, the soil employed
being of an open nature, fay equal parts of loam
and well-decayed leaf-mould, with a liberal amount
of sand. They are usually spoken of as green-
house plants, but they succeed best in a tempera-
ture above that of an ordinary greenhouse, for in
a structure from which frost is just excluded
the flowers do not open kindly during the winter
months. They need a light position, as if at all
shaded the flowers are pale. — H. P.

LIBONIA FLORIBUNDA.
Few winter-flowering plants are more useful
than this Libonia, yet how seldom one meets
with it. Of easy culture, good bushes clothed
from summit to base with their pretty bugle-
shaped flowers of red and yellow being alike
useful for house or warm conservatory decora-
tion, also for cutting. One thing which, how-
ever, must be guarded against is putting the
plants into rooms lighted by gas, as this soon
causes the leaves to turn yellow and fall oflf.
Given a gas-free atmosphere, however, they
will last for some considerable time in good
condition. For the adornment of small glasses
also they are useful in a cut state, and look
well used in dinner-table decoration. It is ad-
visable to raise a fresh stock of plants annually,
although it is as well to save a few old plants,
cut them back, thin out the growths, and grow
them on to form large bushts in 8-inch pots,
these coming in very handy for placing singly
in ornamental vases in the house or for the de-
coration of the stove or intermediate house
Cuttings are best taken ofl" in February, these
having been encouraged by cutting hard back
several old plants in January and placing them in
a moist, warm house to break freely. They quickly
root, when they must be potted oflF into small
pots, using 6nely sifted loam of a light nature,
a little leaf-mould, and silver sand. An ordi-
nary stove suits them best for a time, or, say,
till April, when after being shifted into 4i-inch
pots an intermediate house will do. With ordi-
nary care and an occasional syringing overhead
growth will be rapid, and when roots become
numerous a little diluted liqiiid manure once or
twice a week will be beneficial. If a pit having
a flow and return pipe in it can be spare 1, the
plants may be planted out in it in nice loamy
soil towaids the end of May and lifted a^ain in
September. The only insect which troubles
Libonias much is red spider, but with good culti-
vation and avoiding a root-bound condition this
pest can be kept at bay. If kept in pots all the
summer the syringe must be freely used twice
a day, as an arid atmosphere is not only un-
favourable to a free and healthy growth, but
also encourages this insidious insect. If those
who have not yet tried Libonia floribunda for
winter decoration will only do so, I am quite

certain they will be pleased with it. It is use-
less attempting to keep plants in the same pots
a second year, as they are such free-rooting
subjects, and when so treated invariably lose
all their leaves. J. Crawfokd.

Liiium Harrisi. — Many failures have to be
recorded with this Lily. Sometimes the bulbs
refuse to start into growth at all, or if three or
four are placed in one pot some will, perhaps,
start weeks before the re^t, those remaining dor-
mant the lorgest usually being the weakest, and
often failing to develop perfect blooms. I must
confess to having had indifferent success with
Harrisi for a year or two, but think I have now
discovered its particular wants. One .and the
chief is that the buibs be potted as early as pos-
sible after being received, as bulbs left in shops
or on shelves in gardens for several months in-
variably shrivel and lose much of their weight,
after which they do very little good. The same
remark applies to all sections ot Lilies. Harrisi
also seems to need rather deep potting, say from
2 inches to 3 inches of soil over the bulbs, as if
plump when put in, if left so that a portion of the
crown is visible, shrivelling, more or less, takes
place. Further, the soil in the pots must be kept
pretty dry from potting time until new growth is
say an inch long, and even then only small quan-
tities of water must be given till roots are tairly
numerous. Neglect of this rule generally ends
in basal rot. I find, also, that stiff non-porous
soil does not suit it, or at any rate to be sure of
the formation of young roots at the start, a good
quantity of heavy sandy soil must surround the
bulbs, in fact it is a good plan to embed each in
silver sind and leaf mould. Old gardeners who
grew fine beds of those beautiful old Lilies lanci-
lolium rubrum and album, used to mix abundance
of leaf mould in the beds each season, some using
road grit or the sweepings of walks and drives.
Plenty of light is likewise needed or a weak elon-
gated growth is sure to follow. Green fly must
not be allowed a footing, or in a very short time
the foliage turns sickly and seldom recovers.
Some say that the bulbs will flower twice in one
year, but I find that the bulbs, after having
flowered in pots, do not seem to be of much use.
-C. C. H.

Kitchen Garden.

EARLY TOMATOES.
Wheke very early Tomatoes are expected, or
say by April, many gardeners make it a rule to
strike a number of cuttings from autumn-bear-
ing plants in October, believing, and rightly so,
I think, that plants so raised come into fruit
sooner than seedlings. One great drawback,
however, with plants saved through the winter
in small pots is that, however near they may be
kept to the glass, they almost invariably become
drawn and weakly, so much so, in fact, that if
saved entire a;id potted on, say, in January,
growth for the first month or so is too weak to
produce bloom-trusses sufliciently strong to
fruit ; consequently the plants are bare of fruit
for a long distance from the pots, and much of
the trellis is wasted. By far the best plan is to
keep the plants in a temperature of from 55"
to 00"^' during November and December, and to
take 6 inches of the shoots and insert as cut-
tings the first week in January. These if
plunged in a gentle bottom-heat, each cutting
occupying the centre of a small pot, and a night
temperature of from 60" to 05'-' maintained,
rooting will take placs in three weeks, when
the plants must be raised near the roof glass,
where growth will be both rapid and strong.
If potted on from time to time the final shift
may be given in March, 9-inoh pots or 10-inch
pots being used. Usually by this time a few
small fruit will have set, and these will swell

away and ripen in April if the plants
are not subjected to cold air during the potting
process. A good holding loam, preferably
maiden, with a free addition of sifted mortar
refuse and a small quantity of bone-meal, suit.s
them well. Small pots for very early bitches
are imperative, as a too free root-run induces a
strong and unfruitful growth at this compara-
tively sunless teason, and the plants are gene-
rally thrown away as soon as the first flush of
fruit is gathered, as they do not pay for fresh
growths to be taken up from the base, as do
spring raised plants. Where it is preferred to
allow the autumn-struck plants to fruit, they
should, in order to make the best of them, be
shifted in January from their small pots into
0-inch ones, but instead of potting in the
ordinary way the leaves should be removed from
the lower pait of the stems, the latter being
bent round inside the pots when three parts
filled with soil and secured with small wooden
pegs. By this means a dwarf plant to begin
with is secured, and from each of the joints of
the embedded stem young rootlets will quickly
start, these greatly strengthening the plants as
growth advances. A common mistake made
with early Tomatoes is giving them too much
heat during the dark sunless days of January,
and even in February a night temperature of
00^ is ample. A moist, stuffy atmosphere often
given bv the inexperienced is also fatal to a
solid growth and good set of fruit. Attacks of
insects need not be feared from a dry, buoyant
atmosphere. J. Crawforh.

Flavour in yellow Turnips. — The note at
p. 450 is interesting in one way and misleading
in another, as to get a strict test with regard to
flavour " D." should have had bulbs grown on the
same soil and of the same age. I have nothing to
say against the yellow-fleshed varieties ; indeed,
I am fond of them, but one must be careful not to
discard our well-known kinds for the yellows, as
many employers donot think sohighly of their colour
as " D." He states white Turnips are not always
gocd, baing hard and hot, and thus objectionable.
Turnips are often tao old. That is not the fault
of the variety, but of the grower. I consider a
quickly grown Snowball in the early summer or
a Red Globe in autumn equal to any yellow
Turnip, given same culture. — W. I. M.

Tur..iip Golden BilL— Those who saw the
splendid roots of this Turnip at the recent show
of the National Chrysanthemum Society will not
need to be informed of the value of the yellow-
fleshed varieties for winter use. The roots staged
were perfect specimens, many being grown north
of the Tweed, showing their value for certain soils.
I would point out the value of Golden Ball as a
keeping variety for use in any garden where
Turnips are in request. I admit some may object
to the colour, but none w ill to the flavour. The
quality is excellent, and this, combined with its
good keeping, should make it a favourite for win-
ter supplies. The roots are not inclined to
coarseness if givan a (juick growth.— G. W. S.

Pea Autocrat.— There is scarcely another Pea
that has received such a prominent notice as this,
although there are so many first-rate sorts for
summer and autumn growth to be had. The
many references during the past sea=on, together
with the notes now appearing in The Garden,
stamp this as being one of the finest of
autumn Peas, and I anticipate that it will get
even a larger sale during the coming spring. A
variety that claims such universal praise is not
likely to be very easily surpassed, at any rate
not for some time. The past season has been a
most disappointing one for Peas generally, and
one that cxn defy such untoward .seasons is de-
serving of all the praise bestowed.- W. S., Wilts.

Cacumber Progress.- There appears to be
no lack in the introduction of new Cucumbers,
and I may safely add most of them may be

514

THE GAKDEK

[December 26, 1896.

classed as shapely frnite with a small seed space
and good eating qualities. Several of the new
forms are a distinct advance on the older types.
Xone that I have given a trial to this year has
given me more satisfaction than Progress, a new
variety given a first class certificate in ISiU. The
quality is all one may desire, not coarse ami of a
rich dark green colour with few spines. It is one
of the most perfect exhibition fruits I have seen.
It is not on that account, however, I advise its
culture, but for its free-bearing and extra good
ifuality. The well-known Telegraph was one of
the parents of Progress, and it possesses many of
it? parent's good qualities, but is less inclined to
form a neck than the older form, and, in my
opinion, a heavier cropper. It is a grand frame
Cucumber and one equally good for summer or
winter ufo. as I have it fruiting freelv at this
season. I rind it does not seed freely.— G. \V.

Onion Record.— This variety was prominen*
at the recent show of the National Chrysanthe-
mum Society, and appears to be a special
favourite, as it was in splendid condition and one
of the best staged. It is not as an exhibition
bulb I am writing in its favour, but as a goad
all-round variety for home use. I have grown
the above variety for several seasons, and each
year I am moie pleased with its cropping quali-
ties. Its keeping qualities are equal to thofe of
the useful Bedfordshire Champion, one of the
best for winter use. I think a globe-shaped
Onion always keeps better than a flat one. This
may be a small matter, but such is my experience,
and Kecord, as regards its shape, is perfect, and
a very fine variety for poor, light soils. It never
fails w ith me and is a very good winter vegetable ;
indeed, grown for this purpose it is excellent, be-
ing noted as of superior quality for caokiog whole,
on account of its mild flavour. The bulbs are
very solid, and when not grown very large are
most useful for general use.— G. W.

auality in Celery.— Celery is of excellent
'juality this season, and up till now I have not
aug a single indifferent stick. The growth is
solid and sound, with a sweet nutty flavour.
Slage have given very little trouble. \Yith a
satisfactory root run to start with, no one need
trouble about the application of liquid manure.
My practice for years has been to give two or
three slight dressings of salt along the sides of
the rows, and this seems to be just what Celery
likes. This and not too early earthing will grow ex-
ceUent Celery. Veitch's Superb White and Major
Clarke s Sol;d Red, with Standard bearer for a
late supply, are my three favourite varieries. I
believe in getting a good strai.i, but at the same
time cultivation answers for a deal. My impres-
sion is that heavy waterings of liquid manure
with dressings of other artificial fertilisers are
answerable for much of the faulty Celery and
its early decay. Grown strongly, the leaf-stalks
become pithy and these soon decay.— A. ^'ln■^^:.

Stachys tuberifera.-This high-class vege-
table, in reference to which notes appear on pages
.3'.I2 and -^56, called by some the Chinese and by
others the Japanese Artichoke, though at present
but little grown, possesses qualities that should
enenre its popularity if given a fair chance in the
kitchen, uhich "A. D.," not unreasonably,
doubts. Where it is well cooked ard properly
served there cm be no two opinions as to its
being particularly palatable. The following
method of cooking it is calculated to do full
justice to the merits of this appetising tuber.
Thoroughly wash in cold water ; dry on cloth :
drop into boiling fat in a whitebait basket : take
out and drain on wliite paper. When thus pre-
pared the colour of the sm^dl tubers is a golden
brown and at first sight they are not unlike white-
bait. In fict, I have partaken of them, with the
accompanioaents of brown bread-and-butter and
lemon, under the title of hlan.haUhs de ttrrt
which ccimple^ly mystified the guests and led to
several que-tions as to the nature of the excellent
dish. Served in this manner, of c-Durse without
'°e bread and butter and lemon, it is a valuable
addition to the gime course. The tuber is of eajy

culture, and from gardens where it is once grown it
is not likely. to be allowed to disappear.— S. W. F.
SmaU or large vegetables.— At p. 436
"H. C. P." gives such strange advice and comes
to such diverse conclusions that his note is diffi-
cult to understand. He is puzzled how judges
arrive at their decision, but it is anything but
puzzling to those who care to examine minutely
into each exhibit. I admit judges, in common
with other mortals, are liable to err, but to say
they did not take all points into consideration at
the recent A(iuarium show is a strong indictment
" H. C. P." should explain. He then goes on to
ask why were the rules or code of judging of the
R.H.S. ignored. He must ask the N.C S. for an
explanation. I had no idea the latter society had
anything to do with the R.H.S., or was bound by
its rules in any shape or form. Again, he states
little judgment was brought to bear on the awards
given. This is, I presume, only his own version,
and certainly an erroneous one, as if he thinks
the judgment wrong, why does he not specify his
points and not gooff into general subjects as to
the growth of vegetaoles ? In one place he praises
size, in another he condemns it. I trust the
N.C. S. will note hi? objections and select him as
judge to rectify the many faults at issue.—
Grower. ^

Books.

AN INTRODUCTION TO STRUCTURAL
BOTANY.*
A CLE.\R and handy text-book on the structure of
Ferns, Liverworts, Mosses, Seaweeds, fungi, luc
teria and Myxomycetes, fi.r the use of botanical
students in the field, or fcr facilitating practical
work in the laboratory. Part 1, published in
lS9-t, dealt with three types of flowering plants,
viz., the Wallflower (exogens), the white Lily
(endogens), and the Spruce Fir (gymnosperms) :
and in the present or second volume the types are
twenty-three in number, being described and
illustrated in seven chapters. The two handy
little volumes are well printed, and really form a
most valuable contribution to structural botany—
that is to say, of the anatomy and physiology of
type plants selected from each great natural
division. They are the best and clearest ele-
mentary works I know of for the use of botanical
students and advanced gardeners. F. W. B.

ORCHIDS OF SOUTH AFRICA.t
TuE first part of this useful and interesting work
was issued in ISSS, as vol. v. of the Transactions
of the South African Philosophical Society, and
contains thirty-six plates, with introduction and
descriptions. As a rule the Cape Orchids are not
of the -showy class now so popular in our hot
houses, but to this sweeping assertion the great
scarlet Diea grandiflora of the Table Mountain
forms a brilliant exception. Curiously enough,
Mr. Roland Trimen, F.RS , studied the life-
history of this plant in 1863 (see Linn. Soc.
Jour. (Botany), voL vii., ]>S64, p. 144, with
plate) On its native mountain this Disa has a
wide range of altitude, growing vigorously in
great and dense masses, being apparently propa-
gated exclusively by the formation of new lateral
growths or tubers. Isolated plants, such as might
be expected if the species seeded freely, are rarely
seen. Considering the showy flowers and the fact
that no insect now seems to aid in its fertilisation,

* " An Introduction toStructural Botany." Part 2 -
Fl.jn-erless Plants. By Duckintield Henry .Scott
M. A., Ph.D., &c,, Hon. Keeper Jodrell Labora-
tory, Kew. Pp. 312, with Index and Illustrations.
Lon.l'n: Adam and Charles Black. ISIIO. Price
33. (id.

t "Icones Orchidearum Austro-Africanarum, extra
Tropicarnm; or, figures with descriptions of ' e.xtra
tropical Sooth African Orchids." by Henry Bolus
£'-^-^;o ^'A''- '•■ P"* -■ ^"""^O" ■■ W. VVeslev and
Son, 28, Essex Street, Sirand, W.C. 1896. (With
titty plates, partly coloured.)

Mr. Trimen inferred the probable extinction of
the insect, or insects, that in former times per-
formed the othce of cross fertilisation, thi? having
been possible by the bush fires so prevalent before
the British and Dutch occupation of the Cape-
town district Be this as it may, it is cheerful
news to gardeners who grow this noble terrestrial
Orchid to know that it holds its own so bravely
by vegetative means of increase only, and as re-
cent regulations have forbidden its indiscriminate
collection for sale, it is likely to be seen in all its
native beauty beside the streams on Table Moun-
tain for many years to come.

Taken as a whole, this work " is intended as an
attempt to describe the Orchids growing on the
peninsula of the Cape of Good Hope : to give
their names and synonyms, to arrange them as
far as possible in groups, to adduce the stations
where they are found, and their further distribu-
tion as far as is known. To this is added a list
of collectors and of books and papers already
published upon the subject of South African or-
chidology." That the author regrets that it does
not go further is of course quite natural, and he
regrets that he has been unable to clothe "these
dry bones with living lUsh and blood, and exhibit
the life-history of some of the complex and curious
organisms here enumerated." But we are satisfied
that the author has done the best he could in
" the leisure of an active business life during
several years," and we wish others would follow
his example and illustrate things by drawings or
the roughest of sketches even of natural objects
rather than trust entirely to wordy descriptions
and the so-called logical speculations about them.
These two volumes of descriptions and plates of
the South African Orchids are most valuable and
complete, so far as they go, and we hope the
author will go on with the series until the native
material is exhausted, and so present to us a full
record of the Orchid flora of the South African
district. F. W. BuRBiDfiE.

Garden Flora.

PLATE 1098.

THE GREATER BINDWEEDS, OR
HEDGE BINES.

(with a coloured plate of CALYsTElilA
.SVLVATICA AND C. SEPirjI VAR.*)

There are not a few of the attractive plants
grown in our gardens that require to be used or
planted with extreme caution in order to avoid
future trouble, and amongst these beautiful
robbers or usurpers we must place the great
Hungarian Bindweed and the rosy pink form
of our own native Calystegia Sepium. Both
are far too insidious and grasping ever to be
used on good borders or in beds amongst
shrubs or herbaceous plants, for if once they
stitch their white thong-like roots into clumps
of other things it is next to an impossibility
ever to get them out again, and meanwhUe they
smother up everything during their season of
giowth. They are, as the illustration well
shows, mo.st elegantly beautiful in growth and
in blossom, and places appropriate may readily
be found for them in which while growing
rampant they can do no harm. We may, for
example, safely and satisfactorily plant them
beside woodland walks or in copses in positions
where they can twine and dangle from Hazel,
Birch, or sapling trees of various kinds. Even
in winter their dead bine and warm brown
leaves give colour to the landscape and form an
additional cover for game and birds of all
kinds ; or they may be planted here and there
in Thorn or Quick-set hedges at points where

Dra vn fcr The Gardkx by H. G. Moon. Litho
_ uhed and printed by J. L. Goflart, successor to
GniUaame Severeyns.

-XT uf.n«w*
--3 2.1 ,8»S

\

A /-^ A T ^ /

T A o^ATT T-Arnrr^A cti r^ c^^r^ nrr T"K/r \ r a "d

Dkcembee 26, 1896.]

THE GARDEN.

515

their beauty may be seen from fooptaths or
roads, whUe I know of nothing better for
quickly growing up and hiding ugly iron pali-
sades or railings. I once saw a cottager's pig-
stye made beautiful by the great white Bind-
weed, common Hop Vines, and the great
French soup Gourd, which, planted in the
little garden behind, had scrambled on to the
red-tiled roof, which it completely covered
with its great red fruits and succulent green
leaves.

Not unfrequently there are isolated shrubs
on grassy lawns that do not themselves flower
or are of no great importance, and these may
often be covered with either one or other, or
both, of these Calystegias. As thus used in
places where they are easily kept within reason-
able bounds by the scythe or lawn mower, they
are not at all dangerous, and at the same time
are very beautiful from July until they are
killed ott' by the frosts of October and Novem-
ber. One of the most effective combinations I
ever saw was made by planting the great Poly-
gonum sachalinense and roots of these Bind-
weeds in well-enriched earth in a large hole
made on a grassy lawn in a half-shaded place.
The Polygonum threw up its great shoots to a
height of fully 10 feet, arching gracefully out-
wards over the closely-mown grass. Over these
great leafy wands the Calystegias clambered and
entwined themselves, and when their great
flowers expanded the whole group was very
much admired. I have also seen these Bell
Binds, as they are sometimes called, grow very
prettily over the arching shoots of Willows
and Bamboos in half-wild places where they
did no harm. But there are many other ways
and many more suitable places in which to
plant these flowers which, rampant though
they be, are far more ornamental in more or
less out-of-the-way or derelict corners than are
their usual weedy occupants. The white-
flowered Calystegia sylvatica in deep rich sod
will grow fully CO feet high in a single season,
and was very beautiful during the past season
up a Laburnum tree in my own back garden.
C. sylvatica is a native of South Europe and
the Caucasus and North Africa, and, except in
size, differing but slightly from our native
species. C. Sepiuni var. incarnata, the rosy
pink form in the plate, is generally supposed to
be N. American, but is naturalised in at least
one or two places in Ireland. Mr. Smith, of
Newry, told me a long time ago that a rosy
flowered var. of C. Sepium existed in quantity
on the side of the railway near the junction at
Coraghwood, Co. Down, and I have heard of
its growing apparently wild el.sewhere in Ire-
land. Such a plant would be almost sure of es-
tablishing itself anywhere if thrown out of a
garden, and a railway embankment is in itself
a suspicious locality, so that it is safest,' per-
haps, to assume that the pink var. of C. Sepium
is not really native, but probably an escape
from cultivation. F. W. B.

Cheap rates for market gardeners.— One
thing which has always handicapped market gar-
■deners and florists residing at a good distance from
London is the heavy railway charges, this, to-
gether with the commission charged by salesmen,
taking in many cases all the profit off. It is
gratifying, however, to learn that the Great
Eastern Railway now convey market garden as
well as farm produce frona any station in East
Anglia to the metropolis at the rate of 20 lbs. for
4d. This, I think, is very reasonable, and will
make it still better for several of my friends in
that district who enjoy the advantage of supply-
ing West-end shops direct, thus saving the middle-
man's profit. One grower does this with Violets
and Carnations, but then the quality of both is

The Week's Work.

KITCHEN GARDEN.

Cakkots (in HOTr.EDs.— Where early Carrots are
much appreciated, the close of the year should see
a good hotbed of leaves and manure made uj, for
their production. Fortunately, Carrots do not
reijuire a great amount of top protection as long
as they have warmth underneath them ; indeed,
they are far better without it, so that it is only
necessary to provide a framework that will sup-
port one or two thicknesses of Russian mats when
such covering is wanted. In my own case I use
old unglazed lights over the beds, and these are
supported at front and back on planks set up
edgeways and covered on frosty nights only. Of
course, good watertight sashes are better, but
these are generally required for other purposes.
Of far greater importance than the coveriug is
the bed itself, and this should be thoroughly well
made and trodden firmly so as to ret lin a moderate
heat throughout bad weather for many weeks. To
do this (juite a large proportion of the material
should consist of good hard leaves, or say three-
fourths of the whole and the remainder of stable
litter. I advise the making of quite a large bed,
even if the whole of it is not required, as the
bigger it is, in reason, the less fear there will be
as to loss of heat. It ought also to be deep, stand-
ing not less than 4 feet above the ground level
when finished. Firmness and a tolerably level
surface are necessary items to bear in mind, so it
is well not only to tread firmly at first when mak-
ing, but again at intervals of two or three days
after the heat has risen and before the soil is put
on. In preparing the soil, choose that which is
light and sandy and mix with it all the wood
ashes that can be conveniently spared for the pur-
pose, as this will assist growth considerably. I
also like to pass the whole through a sieve, and
for the Short Horn varieties I use about 4 inches
depth of soil. Thin, broadcast sowing is the moat
suitable method for such beds, and as a quick-
growing variety the Parisian Forcing can hardly
be beaten.

Seakale. — There should be no further delay in
lifting the whole stock of this which is required
for forcing, as the crowns are now well rested and
ready to respond to gentle forcing when wanted.
The work of lifting can b3 done in mild weather
with far less injury than when the ground is hard
frozen, and it is in every way preferable to have
it all under cover before January is upon us, for,
mild as the weather up to the time of writing has
been, we cannot expect to get far into the new
year without getting a spell of frost that will put
an end to ground work for the time being. Take
care of all thongs which are large enough to make
planting sets, as they are easily kept if treated as
I recommended in my notes at the end of last
month, and though they may not all be wanted,
it is best to get sufficient to allow for discarding
any which show signs of rust at planting time.
This caution is especially necessary where the
Lily White variety is liable to go a little wrong ;
not that I have had any personal experience of this
defeat, but I have seen it elsewhere and regret
that it is £0, as I consider it in appearance a long
way ahead of the old purple, and with both varie-
ties planted side by side here, I find the Lily
White makes the better crowns.

Lettuce. — Where the supply of these has run
or is likely to run short, a very good substitute
for the tender hearts of full grown plants may be
had by sowing thickly in heat, seeds of any pale
coloured variety and cutting the produce while
young. For this purpoes Cabbage varieties have
been recommended, but I prefer either the Paiis
White Cos or Hicks' Hardy, the latter being
particularly crisp and substantial. .\ pan or two
of seeds sown at intervals will provide a lot of
salading and tone down a little of the bitterness

of Endive and Chicory which become' too
apparent, when these have to be used in excess.
An early vinery or other fruit house now at work
would be an excellent place in which to raise such
salading.

Cuii ORV. — I have advised the use of this for
cooking in a green state, and with a view to help-
ing out the Spinach crop at a critical tima it will
be well to select all roots over and above what
may be wanted for saladings, and pack them
snugly into a corner of a forcing house which is
just being started. All they want is a little soil
packed between the roots, a good watering to
settle the soil and then to be letc alone. If room
is scarce it can be dealt with economically by
building a mound of soil and roots, the latter to be
placed crowns outwards, and it is not even neces-
sary that they shall be vertical so that they may
occupy the whole surface of the mound. Many
good and tender pickings may be had from a few
roots, as they go on producing secondary shoots
for some weeks.

DicGiNO.— This should go on whenever the
weather is fit, as there is no more uncomfortable
feeling during a continued frost than the thought
that ground work is behindhand and no prospect
of getting on with it. Many crops, too, do best
on ground that has been dug some time pre-
viously, and the plots for these should be prepared
first. Notable among such crops are Onions and
Peas, and for these the ground ought certainly to
bo dug before the new year. Odd bits of the early
borders should also be dug, as these come in nicely
for sowing early crops, and seeds may be sown on
narrow borders, where no treading need take
place, at times when digging would be unwise, if
not impossible. Early Cauliflowers, too, thould
be prepared for, as they do not care for soil in
too loose a condition.

LooKiNi: AHEAD. — Before bidding good-bye to
the old year, it should be the custom with the
head of a garden, of whatever size, to put on his
thinkinu' cap and to arrange a set plan for next
year's cropping. If this is done the work goes on
more smoothly, mistakes are not so easily made,
and the occupants of the various plots are more
certain of getting the special treaoment tney de-
serve and need. This looking ahead— not for-
getting a few backward glances too — is all the
more necessary in gardensmore limited in size than
the demands retjuire, as we are thus enabled to
avoid a surplus of this and that, and utilise th.^
space so saved for an increase of others which may
have run short. The seed list, too, should be
scanned, with a view to adding, if possible, a few
new things which have been noted as doing espe-
cially well elsewhere during the year. At the
same time, old standard things mutt not be dis-
carded until the new ones have been prove! ; in
this way possible failures may be avoided, while
we keep a little up to date with our crops.

J. C. Tallack.

FRUIT UNDER GLASS.

Frcit iiipfsES.— By the end of the year the ma-
jority of these structures in most gardens will be
cleared of their crops. The trees should, there-
fore, be pruned and cleaned, and the houses washed
down and made ready for starting again whenever
they are required. The advantages of getting all
such work done now are manifold, not the least
amongst them bsing that more time and care can
be bestowed on them now than when the days are
getting longer. It should always be the aim of
gardeners to get the work well in hand before the
turn of the days, for usually there are many
things that must be done in spring that will not
allow of any delay. Where there aie sever.al
Peach hou.se8 that follow each other in succession
these can all be got ready in bad weather, the
trees tied, borders forked over and watered, so
that if it be necessary to use them for forwarding
early crops of Peas and salads, this can be done
without interfering with the work of getting the
houses ready. The same may be said of late
vineries, except it be those in which Grapes are

516

THE GARDEN.

[December 26, 1896.

still hanging. Where any Vine eyes are required
for propagating, select some of the best ripened
shoots and libel them properly, after which insert
their ends in soil in the pitting eheii. The month
of November wa?, on the whole, a very fair one
for keeping Grapes, there being but few fogs and
not so much rain, less than 1| inches having
fallen here. December, so far, ha^ been the
opposite, thare having been more than double the
quantity up to this date, so that constant watch-
fulness is needed to keep the t! rapes from spoil-
ing. Where there are only a few bunches still
hanging in a house, these should be cut with
sufficient wood attached that the ends may
be inserted in water; the house can then be
cleaned as before advised. But where Grapes
are still hanging that are required to be kept till
March, every care must be exercised to keep them
from spoiling, for where the roots are in outside
borders and exposed to the influence of the
weather, the soil will have become thoroushly
soaked, so that the berries will be charged ta
their utmost capacity with juice, the least excess
of damp in the atmosphere of the house in which
they are hanging would cause them to split or
milciew ; therefore a gentle heat should be main-
tained in the hot-water pifjes to raise the tem-
perature a few degrees above that externally. Air
at the same time should be admitted to prevent
any condensation. All leaves will by this have
fallen : if not, where any remain these should be
picked up as soon as they fall to lessen the risk
of damping. Liok carefully over the bunches
every two or three days, and remove all berries
thatshow the least signs of decay. Keep an eye
on rats, mice and birds, as these sometimes get
through the ventilators and do considerable
damage before they can be caught. During incle-
ment weather the trees in orchard houses should
be pruned and dressed ; those against walls and
trellises may be nailed or tied in position. Where
special structures are set apart for the cultivation
of Apricots, as is advisable in districts where they
do not succeed sati-factorily in the open, the
trees should be pruned and put in order if such
work has not alreidy received attention. All
shoots should be liberated ami re-tied or nailed in
position. It is a mistaken economy to allow any
shreds or ties to remain, as such invariably cut
into the wocd and cause canker or gumming. If
the trees receive due attention in the summer,
very little pruning will be necessary, only the
leading shoots shortened, or any that may have
become worn out removed. By getting all such
work done now there is less risk of injury to the
buds when they commence swelling. Any trees
in pots that have been plunged in the open should
be protected in case severe frost should set in,
which would prevent their being removed under
cover if the soil were frozen too hard.

Melons. — Where ripe fruit of these is required
by the end of April or early in May, a few seeds of
some quick growing variety should now be
One seed only ought to be placed in the centre of a
3 inch pot, and to ensure quick germination plunge
them in a brisk bottom-heit. The seeds will come
up more regularly if put into the soil with the
pointed end downwards, and the plants will grow
more robust afterwards. As soon as the seedlings
appear through the soil, place the pots near to the
glass to prevent the plants from becoming drawn,
as by to doing a more sturdy growth will be pro-
duced. For a first batch pot culture is preferable,
as they take up le?s room and so allow the Melon
house to be utilised for other purposes. The first
lot of tipe Melons is always appreciated, as they
come in at a time when dessert fruit is not over-
plsntiful ; therefore those who can command suffi-
cient heat would do well to grow a few.

Stkaw KERKiF.s IX POTS. — Owing to the absence
of sun during September and October, the crowns
of these have not matured so well as one would
wish. It is therefore doubtful if the early batches
will push up their flower stems so slrongly as is
desirable, and many miy go blind. To prevent
any mishap, introduce another batch into a suc-
cession house that they may be in reidiness for
moving forward in case the others do not prove

satisfactory. In many establishments these have
to be grown on shelves in other fruit houses, and
,as they are often put in at the time the houses
are got ready, some of the most promising should
be selected for the earliest batch. Where the balls
of any have become dry so as to have left the sides
of the pots, after cleaning their surface of any
needs, the soil should be made firm and the pots
afterwards plunged in water for a few hours till
the balls are thoroughly soaked, as it is useless
attempting to force plants in a dry condition. With
the exception of a few winterly days at the end of
the last month there has not been any cold weather
to seriously check the growth, so that, unle-s plants
were rested by being kept comparatively dry, they
will have scarcely got dormant. Where they are
in cold frames, keep the lights tilted both night
and day till severe frost sets in, and if sunny in
the daytime, remove the lights altogether.

FRrrr room.— Most of the late varieties of
Apples and Pears are keeping well this year con-
sidering the rough time experienced during Sep-
tember and October. Those that were allowed to
hang late on the trees still retain their freshness,
many varieties such as Lane's Prince Albert, York-
shire Greening, and others of that class not show-
ing the least signs of ripening. Pears gathered
from walls have kept well, Wintar Nelis, Passe
Colmar, Huyshe's Victoria, and other first-class
flavoured varieties being excellent. Pay close at-
tention to the c3ndition of the ventilation of these
structures, and whenever there are signs of
moisture settling on the fruit, open the venti-
lators at the apex a little on fine days to allow it
to pass off, otherwise decay will be sure to set in.
Any that show signs of becoming specked should
bo removed at once, that they may not aifect the
others. With so much wet weather it is difficult
to keep such places exactly as one would wish,
but with close attention any serious danger may
be averted. Grapes in rooms must be closely
watched to prevent any mishap. Take the
bunches out of the bottles occasionally and
examine them, and should there be any signs of a
berry going deciyed this ought to be removed at
once. Keep the bottles filled with water that the
fruit doss not shrivel. It is not advisable to apply
fire- heat unless there is danger of moisture sett ling
on the berries, when such must at once be ex-
pelled. Instead of doing so when the nights are
cold, apply the heat in the daytime and open the
ventilators a little so that all will have passed off
before nightfall, when the place should be closed
again, taking care to exclude all light. If these
little items receive due consideration, fruit may
be kept in good condition for a long time.

H. C. Prixsep.

Trees and Shrubs.

EVERGREEN SHRUBS IN THE FLOWER

GARDEN.
As at this season people are apt to recon
aider the arrangement of their gardens and
the ground round the house, we propose to say
a word in favour of a new way of dealing with
flower gardens, so far as most places are con
cerued, and that is, in all large and bare flower
gardens, terraces and the like, to use hardy
shrubs more freely. We do not mean massing
in stiff, pudding-like masses of shrubs, such as
has been occasionally done with evergreens, but
rather an attempt to do what has never been
done, so far as we know, and that is to show
the natural beauty of the best evergreen shrubs
in the flower garden itself.

To anyone who considers the question from
an artistic point of view, the great bane of all
modern bedding-out and terrace gardens is the
flatness and hardness and the absence of all
grace except that of the flower itself, so that
in summer the effect may be very poor and even
ugly, and in winter there is nothing at all.

This kind of effect is the bane of our gardens,
and people who visit countries like Madeira and
Algeria acknowledge that there is something
more in the garden than the bare pattern of the
beds and little low groups we see in the Eng-
lish flower garden or the grave-like flats which
come when all is over in the autumn. How
are we to get this bushy growth which makes
the flower garden so much more interesting and
soft in eft'ect, and, moreover, gives us, if we
rightly use it, the background which is so
good for our flowers, as well as light and
hade and beauty and variety of form, all.
tilings worth thinking of I The JDutch gardener,
who only knew the Vv'illow, clipped it, and got
his background from that and a few other
ings, which means, in a garden where it is
carried out to a large e.\tent, the destructiin of
the natural form of the shrub or tree, as the
case may be ; but, bad as this way is, it does give
little form and background, Uthough we
think that it gives something that could be got
quite as well from natural forms and things.
We should not only not clip them and distort
them in any way, but we should not even plant
them so close that they would fail to show their
natural forms. If we crowd, as a good many
people do our Rhododendrons and Azaleas,
we, of course, cannot see any individual beauty
of form that each kind may have. Almost
every kind has a peculiarity of form which
ouuht to be shown, and which in the case of
old bushes may become a really beautiful
thing. We are very much richer now in beau-
tiful evergreens than we ever were before, those
people living near the .sea or in sheltered
valleys and in warm soils having a much larger
choice than tbose who live in cold valleys or
in inland districts, but everywhere something
to improve the look of things by bringing the
form and verdure and foliage of evergreens
nearer to us in the garden, and for these gar-
dens, of courst-, a good background is necessary,
but so many places are bare, with large breadths
of terrace and other things near the house that
really are wretched winter and summer, and
in such places we can set to work in various
ways.

Firstly, in all peat or free soils where Rhodo-
denilrons and Azaleas, and what are called
American plants, do well, a very pretty kind
of garden might be formed of evergreen shrubs,
very carefully chosen and set rather thinly, so
that we might grow the beautiful Lilies and
other flowers which thrive in the same sort of
soil between them. This evergreen flower
garden, as we might term it, might suit those
who objected to the continual disturbance of
the flower garden, and did not see their way out
of it in any other way. Where, as sometimes
happens, there are difl^erent kinds of gardens
near the house, this might be done on one side
and be a charming contrast to the other, and
in such a garden we could have the choicest
Rhododendrons in carefully chosen colours,
Kalmia, Andromeda, and all the pretty plants
which do well among the evergreen shrubs.
Rhododendrons being a host in themselves.
They should be in simple beds, which would
allow of good cultivation and grouping, and in
certain soils this is one of the most delightful
kinds of gardening that can be done.

Secondly, where we do not wish to give the
beds altogether to the evergreens, there might
be at the corners of a large garden, or imme-
diately surrounding it, separate groups of the
same kind, and in a garden in which there are
beds and borders there is no reason why we
should not have groups of Kalmia taking part
in the bed or border itself. In the case of very
small gardens we might get our background of

Decembek 26, 1896.

THE GARDEN.

517

shrubs in their nat ira' form, and in front the | i

the

hardy and hie were so that they were all dead

injured in the spring of the third year.

In all my experience -nith coniferous seeds from
the Pacific coast with the thousands on thousands
of miles I have travelled, and the time and expense
and the trying of patience and strength, I hive
not been able to lold one tree for the term of

spaci davj:ei to the flowe:^. In all cises the i

plauviug should be cf the choicer kinds, as is

generally the case, never, if possible, using

grafted plants, so that we may avoid the risks

of planting on the pontieum Rhododendron,

which so often kills the choicer kinds put upon

it, and also robs them of any distinctness of

form they may have. The ungratted shrub will ] g.^g years. My last experience was four years

always be more likely to show its own character ago with the Weeping Spruce. I had written to

than the grafted one. While taking up this seed collectors to get me the seeds at any cost.

view of separate groups we can offer another My son, who was then in California, tried every

good change, and that is, by using the more way to get someone to collect it, so I wired him

inttresting deciduous summer-leafing shrubs , in August, 189:2, that 1 would come out and we

among the evergreens here and there, which would have it. The small group of these tress

all give beautiful different shades of green and stands on the summit of the Siskiyou^ Mountiips

made a more rapid growth than mine ; at class certificata was awarded it on March -24, but,
nd of the two years mine were sound and of cource, the specimens hid baan brDught on

different forms, and tend to encourage the kind
of bushy, half mystic effect we seek instead of
the usual flatness and hardness ; and where we
can call upon the choicer deciduous, as well as
the evergreen, shrubs it will be seen that we
have a very large choice indeed, especially when
Wb see how well they will associate with the
hardy flowers and bulbs.

AMERICAN PINES.
Hardy Evergreens.
following list of Evergreens

perfectly

hardy in the north-west

American Arbor-vita; (Thuja occidentalis) and
all of its varieties. Balsam Fir (A. balsamea),
Fraser's Fir (A. Fraseri), Siberian Fir (A. sibirica),
Colorado White Fir (A. concolor). White Pine
<P. Strcbus), Red Pine (P. reeinosa). Mountain
Pine (P. Mugho), Scotch Pine (P. sylvestris),
Austrian Pine (P. austriaca), Norway Spruce
<Picea excelsa), White Spruce (Picea alba),
Colorado Spruce (Picea pungens), Douglas Spruce
(Pceudotsuga Douglasi), from Colorado, Juniperus
communis, procumbene, and prostrata.

All thi Ev-ergreens that are hardy in the north-
west are hardy in the east. The American Arbor-
vitje is haidy, also all the many varieties it has
produced, including Hoveyi compacta, sibirica,
pyramidalis, golden, &c., but the Pacific coast
species are not hardy. I may say further that
there is not a Pacific conifer in all the Pacific
elope that is hardy in the north-west except the
few species that are found in the Rocky Moun-
tains, including Picea pungens, Douglas Spruce,
Abies concolor, Picea Englemani, and Pinus pon-
derosa, and even the seeds of these if collected on
the Pacific coast will not produce trees that will
stand this climate. Mr. Parsons, of Flushing,
imported a large quantity of Douglas Spruce
seeds at the time of the California gold discovery
forty-seven years ago, and seedlings raised from
them were planted liberally all through the east
as far south as Washington, and failed in a few
years. During the summer of IStjS I noticed
D.iuglas Spruce trees that had been brought from
Pike's Peak, Colo., hy gold hunters in their
waggons, and planted in Kansas, Omaha, and
Western 111 nois, that had stood for several years
and had started from the terminal bud ever}*
spring aft r t'le year they were planted, and the
same was true of Picsa pungens.

About 1870 Professor C. S. Sirgent received
from Profejsnr C. C. Parry, Douglas Spruce seeds
from C'lorado, and they produced trees that are
now 30 feet to 40 feet high and as hardy as the
Oreen Mountain native conifers ; the same is true
of the seeds I received from C. C. Parry at the
same time. In 1865 I imported from California
large quantities of coniferous seeds of all the noted
species, and continue! it for three years. The final
result was that not a tree from all these seeds ever
left the nursery except in smoke from the brush
piles in which they were burned. After I saw the
trees brought bv the Pike's I'eakers and had re-
ceived seeds of Douglasi and pungens from Color-
ado, Burnet Landreth sent me several pounds of
Douglasi to raise the seedlings until two years old
to plant in his forests in Virginia. I sowed
them side by side with our Colorado seeds. His

where it crosses the coast range, and I thought
that trees on such an exposure would stand
like those on the bleak promontories in Color-
ado. After leaving the railroad on the highest
point we went 40 miles in a hired carriage,
left it there, and another day brought us
up to the summit of the .peak of the Siskiyou
Mountains on horseback : but such a day ; how
can I describe it ? Such noble trees, varying in
specie.* as we ascended, but when we reached the
summit in the evening the fog was such as I had
never experienced. I have seen the heaviest Lon-
don fogs, and the heaviest fogs in the Redwoods
on the coast, but I never siw a fog like that
Siskiyou fog. We took men with us that could
cUmb like squirrels, we had eight pack-horses
loaded with the small cones and sent down to the
coast and shipped them by the Pacific Ocean to
San Francisco, then my son went back over this
whole route and took men and collected the seed
lings, only 200 or so in all, while he could have
collected millions of other kinds. The cones of
this tree are small; the seeds run Tti.OOH to the
pound. I sowed the seeds myself and they can
up finely, and we had over 2lJ0,tKtii growing we
How could we carry them through V They made
their first growth. In commencing their second
growth many went back. At the end of the season
we had half still living about three quarters of
inch high, and they stood the winter fl ell with
protection. The second spring they started
we had hopes, but in the attempt to start their
second growth they all failed, and so did all the
transplanted trees my son brought before thi
close of the third year.— Robert Docclas, ii
Gardening (Chicago).

TREES AND SHRUBS CERTIFICATED
IN 1890.
The year 1895 was remarkable for the small
numliar of trees and shrubs that received cer-
tificates or awards of merit from the Riyal
Horticultural Society, there being only nine
subjects so honoured throughout the entire
year ; while in 1894 the number was thirty.
In 189G there is a considerable advance on the
preceding year, for seventeen subjects, in-
cluding two hardy Bamboos, have obtained
recognition from the floral committee.

CuPRESSUS Lawsoniana filieera is the first to
mention ; an award of merit was bestowed on this
on March 10. This variety of Lawson's Cypress
is very distinct from any of the others, for the
branchlets are long and slender and but little
divided, sub-pendulous, while the sacondyear they
become more or less tasselled at the points, from
which other slender drooping branches are in turn
produced. In the formation of its shoots this Cu-
pressus bears a considerable resamblance to Ra-
tinospora filifera, but this last forms a dense,
broadly conical specimen, whereas the Cupressus
is much taller in proportion to its widt^h, and of a
looser, more open style of growth. The variety
of Lawson's Cypress is by no means new, and
has been more than ones noticed in the pages of
The Garden-.

Decttzia Lemoixei.— This will in all pro-
bability prove to be a valuable flowering shrab,
and thj finest acquisition of the year. A first-

der glass for that purpose. It is one of the
many good things which we owe to that eminent
hybridist, M. Lemoine, of Nancy, and its history
has been already given by thit gantl-smm in The
Garden-, October 28, 183."). In style of growth
the branches of D. Lamoinei are striighter and
stouter than those of D. gracilis, more regular,
shorter, and more numerous than those of D.
parvi9ora. The inflorescence of D. Lemoinei re-
sembles neither the flattened cjrvmh of D. parvi-
flora nor the elongated cluster of U. gracilis, but
takes the form of an ereat branching panicle,
which is sometimes hemisphericil in shape and
sometimes like a broad based cons. Eaah panicle
bears from fifteen to twenty-five large, well-
opened, pure white flowers. As shown at the
Drill Hall when the certificite was awarded, this
Deutzia attracted a good deal of at-,enDion. In
France D. Lemoinei was awarded high honours
on its first public appearance on April 12, 1894.

Juniperus communis aurea. — This golden-
leaved variety of our native Junipar is a very
pleasing shrub, particularly bright and efFactive
when at its best. Twenty years ago it would
have been thought highly of, as coniferous plants
were then general favourites, but there is not
such a demand for them nowa-days. A first-
class certificate was bestowed upon it on April 21.
Rhododendron Schuppeneachi — This dis-
tinct Rhododendron is one of the plants that we
owe to Mr. J. Veitch, who during his prolonged
tour abroad sent it to England. lo is a native of
China, buo is also cultivated in Japan, and has
proved to be quite hardy in this country. It is
nearly related to Rhododendron sinensa (the
Azalea mollis of gardens), but the flowers are
much more widely expanded than in that kind,
being, indeed, as far as shape is concerned, more
in the way of those of the Indian Azilea. R.
Schlippenbachi forms a loose growing shrub, with
stout branches clothed with broadly ovate leaves,
while the flowers, which make their appearanca
at much the same time as the leaves, are each
about 3 inches in diameter and of a rosy lilac,
spotted towards the centre with brown. Diffjrant
individuals, however, seem to vary a good deal m
the colour of their blossoms. Apart from its value
as a hardy flowering shrub, this Rhododendron will
in all. probability be used by the hybri list in the
production of new varieties. It obiainai an
award of merit on April 21.

Cerasus pseudo Cerasus ( Waterer's variety). —
This is a very fine form of the double-blossoniad
Japanese Cherry, the individual blooms being
large and full, the colour white, slightly tinged
pink. It is a rather slow growing, sturdy plant,
whose flowers are freely produced from short
spurs all along the younger shoots. It inay be
kept in pots and fljwerel for years, or it will
bloom etiually well in the open ground. The
leaves are large, pointed, and sharply serrated.
Messrs. Veitch received an award of marit for
this.

Acer p.almatum line-Aru^oeum.— This is a very
pretty variety of the variable lapinesa Acer pal-
matum, the difl'erent forms of which hive proved
to be quite hardy in this count:ry. The growth
of this is twiggy, while the leivas are dividad
into long narrow lobes, cut to very near the base.
When first expinded the leaves are tinged with
red, but change to green later on. Its elegant
habit and distinct appearance render this Acer
well worthy of the award of marit which it re-
ceived on May 5, .

Pyrus floriiu-nda Sciiiedeckeri— This va-
riety of Pvrus floribunda differs from the typical
form in being of a soiffer and more cojopac:
habit of growth. The blossoms, too, are larger
and semi-double, while those of the ordinary kind
are single. As, however, a great deal of the
beauty "of P. floribunda depends upon the ex-
tremelv graceful arrangement of its branches, it
is not likely to be superseded by the newer form,
which is of stiffer growth.

RaoiioDENDRON PROFUSION. —This is an ex-
tremely prettv hardy Rhododendron, of which,

518

THE GARDEN.

[December 26, 1896.

however, we have now a long list of beautiful va-
rieties. The flowers, which are borne in great
profusion, are of a pleasing shade of rosy pinl;.
This and the preceding were given awards of
merit on May .■>.

BriiDU-.iA CoLvii.LEi.— At the Temple show
some cut branches of this were shown and a tirst-
class certiticat* awarded. This Buddleia is a
native of the Himalayas, but is too tender for
general laltivalion in this country, the specimens
Daving been seijt by Mr. Gumbleton from his
garden at Balgrove, Queenstown. It tirst flowered
ihere in .Tuly, 1S;I2, and a coloured plat 3 of it
was given in TiiK Garpex, June lo of the follow-
ing year. The long, conspicuously veined and
regularly serrated leaves are very handsome, while
the flowers, which are borne in terminal clusters,
are of a beautiful rose colour, with a whits throat.
Mr. Gumbleton tells us, save planting it against
a south wall, this Kudileiahas never received any
protection, but then the south of Ireland has such
a favourable climate for tender subjects.

Hvi-ERicrM MosERiANCM Tuucn.ciK — This va-
riegated-leaved St. John's Wort has been many
times exhibited, but it never obtained recog-
nition until the last Ttniple show, when an
award of merit was given it. This Hypericum
originated at Oileans, in France, in 1S91, and was
distributed three years later. When fully ex-
posed to the sun the leaves ac(iuire a very rich
colouring, for in many leaves the green portion is
limited to a small irregularly shaped blotch in the
centre, the rest of the leaf being when young of
a yellowish hue sufl'ueed with red, but as the leaves
mature the yellow changes to a kind of reddish
carmine, especially in the most exposed portions
of the plant. The leaves of the variety tricolor
are narrower than those of the typical H. Moser-
ianum, owing to the carmine-tinted poition being
somewhat contracted. From the leaves being
more or less of a yellow hue, the golden blossoms
which are freely borne do not stand out so con-
spicuously as on the ordinary green leaved form.

Rhododesdros W. M. Aroekxe — This variety,
shown in the shape of cut blooms, is a hybrid be-
tween K. Fortunei and one of the garden forms.
The flowers, which are borne in large trusses, are
of a soft rose colour with a lighter centre and a
small dark blotch at the extreme base of the
upper segment, while there :ire a few brownish
spots close to it. The individual blooms are of a
good size.

Rhudodexukon Helen PAti,— This is another
variety of much the same parentage, the blossoms
of which are pale pink with a deep rosy margin
The outside of the bloom is also of a rosy tint
The interior of the flower has at the base some
brownish spots. Both these varieties were shown
by Messrs. Paul and Son, of Cheshunt, and to both
awards of merit were given at the Temple show.

A/.ALEA Diamond. — This is a very distinct hardy
deciduous Azalea, whose large blush-pink blossoms
have each a very conspicuous bright crimson blotch
on the upper portion. This contrast in colour
forms a marked feature of this Azalea.

Azalea M. Ue.si;ois.— The large flowers of this
are of varying shades of orange and salmon, ac
cording to the length of time they have been ex
panded. It is said to be a hybrid between A
mollis and one of the pontica section, and it
ia to all appearance a thoroughly good gard
variety. Awards of merit were bestowed upon
both of these Azaleas at the Temple show.

Clethra (anesiens. — This is interesting, as
being the Old World representative of the North
American Pepper Bush (Clethra aloifolia), for
thin newer kind ia a native of China and Japan.
Both the flowers and terminal branching panicles
are l.irger than in the Xorth American species.
A flrst-class certificite was awarded it on July 14,
and at the time it was stated that this Clethra
had proved to be hardy at Coombe Wood.

BAME^^sA lAi.MATA. — This Bamboo, which
rcachts a height of 4 feet to ~> feet, or sometimes a
lifJe more, ha.-* oblong-shaped leaves, each from 9
inches to a foot long and 3 inches or more in
width. They are bright green on the upper sur-
face and glaucous beneath. Thsse leaves are

generally disposed near the ends of the shoots,
and being arranged in two rows spread out like
the fingers of the hand, hence the specific name
of palmata. The large leaves of this Bamboo
furnish its most prominent characteristic. It is
of a vigorous constitution and an aggressive
nature, as the rhi-
zDines quickly tia-
vel some distance
from the parent
plant.

Pjivi.i.risTACiivs
KUMASASA. — This
is a very distinct
and pretty
boo, about 2 feet
high, whose stems
branch freely, the
shoots in their turn
being plentifully
supplied with dark
green leaves, which
are about :i inches
long and an inch
wide. It has pro
ved to be quite
hardy, and is use
ful for many de
corative purposes
A first-claiis certi
ficate was aw arded
to both of these
Bam boos
Messrs. Veitcl I n
exhibited the
have of lat» m%

Lord Annesley's beautiful garden at Castle-
wellan should appear at the same time in The.
Garden and in the d'ardenem' Chronicle, and still
more smgular to note the two different opinions
regarding it, for in The Garden (p 449)
" F. W. I;.' has nothing but praise (and I think

impel uUis. Fiom a pkotoqrapli
Chiton College, Bath.

quite a special feature of this class of plants.
Both these Bamboos were described in detail by
Mr. Freeman-Mitford in his interesting and ex
haui-tive series of articles on the Bamboo garden,
published about a couple of years ago in The

IRUEN.

Vitis CoignetisB.— It is somewhat singular
that mention of the Japanese Vitis Coignetise at

justly so) for this Vine, on the other hand, the
Oarilentrs Chroiiide, in the course of an exhaus-
tive article on the gardens at Castlewellan, of
which the first portion only has yet appeared,
i-peaks of it thus : " Vitis Coignetia-, about which
so much undeserved notice was m»de a few years
ago, is found here, as ebewhere, ditticult of pro-
pagation, and a Vine measuring 1.5 feet in width
is being abundantly layered. Whether Mr. Ryan

December 26, li

THE GARDEK

519

will succeed in obtaining fresh plants by this
method ha^ yet to be provei. Many American
Vmes, and some others cultivated for their fruits
in this couatry, have leaves more handsomely
coloured in the autumn than this species ; the
colour is reddish purple." Such is the conflicting
ideas of two different writers, but I feel sure the
majority of readjre will uphold the opinion ex-
preesed in The Garden" rather than that told else-
wbere.-H. P.

*,* It colours very well with us in Sussex, even
small plants. — Ed.

PAULOWNIA IMPERIALIS.
This magnificent Japanese forest tree seldom
flowers well in England, but in the south of
Europe its racemes of violet-coloured and violet-
scented blossoms are well known and are
universally admired in the beginning of May.
The specimen here shown is an annual shoot,
the plant is in fact grown as an herbaceous
plant. Every autumn the yearly shoot is sawn
off in October, and in the following spring a
number of buds appear on the old wood. All
but three or four of these are rubbed off, those
which are left are allowed to grow for a few
weeks ; then all but one, the strongest, are
suppressed, this one is allowed to grow.

The photograph was taken by Mr. Bromhead
in the first week in August of this year. The
largest leaf was 2 feet wide and 3 feet long in
the blade. Before the time came to cut down
the shoot it had added 2 feet to its stature.
The plant is ten years old ; each year its shoot
is finer, but I attribute its exceptional size this
year to the constant sunshine of the early
summer and to the liberal supply of water
which it received. I turned on the hose for
half an hour, two or three times a week, to its

roots. G. H. WOLLASTON.

Clifton College, Bath.

BIRCHES.
The silvery shafts of the common Birch form a
very conspicuous feature in woodland scenery,
and f ome of our painters never seem tired of re-
producing this tree in one or other of its ever
varjing forms. Other species beside this possess
the silvery bark to a greater or less extent, but
there are some which are in gere al apfearauoe,
particularly at this season widely removed from
our own native specif p. One of the most notice-
able just now is the Red or River Birch (Beula
nigra), native of a considerable tract of country in
North America, and valued there as a timber tree,
the wood being clofe grained, handsome, and
easy to work. In this country it does not feem
like'y to be of any particular value from a timber
point of view, but as an ornamental tree it cer-
tainly merit-' more attention than has been given
it by p'anters. Where the soil is not too dry it is
of free growth and forms a bold specimen, the
trunk being often divided into several large
brant hes at but a little heif;ht from the ground.
The biancblits are not nearly so numerous as in
most individuals of the common Birch, and they
have not the weeping tendency so noticeable in
that. kidd. In both, however, the bark forms the
most striking winter feature, but in totally differ-
ent ways, for in the Red Birch the bark, which is
of a kind of reddish cinnamon cilour, partially
peels off and remairs attached to the main trunk
and principal branches in good sizei flak>^s,
which give to a specimen cf it a singularly wild
and picturesque appearance. The new bark
which is thereby exposed in patches is of a
peculiar kind of browni'h butf A few good
specimens of the Red Birch grouped together will
in a fairly moist spot form a noticeable (eiture in
park or woodland scenery. True, they take some
ime to form large trees, but they rii-play the
characteristic shedding of their bark while still
young. Although bearing the specific name of
nigra a still more sombre looking tree at this

season than the above is Betula lenta, known as
the Mountain Mahogany. The bark of this is at the
pie-ent time of a dull blackish hue, thus furnishing
a direct contrast to our native species. This is
during the growing season remarkable among the
other Birche? by reason of its larger leaves as well
as longer catkins, but it is not very generally
planted, indeed in some districts it does not appear
to thrive particularly well. It is found through-
out a wide district in North America and is there
greatly valued for its timber, which i? principally
sought after by cabinet-makers for many pur-
poses. The white bark of tlia common Birch is in
some individuals very much more pronounced than
in others, while apart from this feature our native
species gives us an almost endless variety in the
number and disposition of its branches and minor
twiggy for one (fastigiata) is as upright as a Lom-
' hardy Poplar, while in direct contrast to this we
I have Your gi, whose long whipcord like shoots
j will sweep the ground. Between tliese two ex-
tremes numerous other forms occur. Two species
I with particularly silvery bark are the North
American Betula papyracea and the Japanese B.
' corylifolia. T.

I Cotoneaster rotundifolia.— A clump of this
' Cotoneaster at Kew forms one of the brightest
features to be seen there at the present time in
I the open ground. It consists of a score or so of
' plants from a yard to 4 feet high, all of which are
thickly studded with brieht red berries. Nearly
I all the others have lost their fruits, perhaps from
birds, but these stand forth untouched. A few
leaves have already dropped, principally from
I the upper portion of the very strongest shoots,
but nearly the whole of them, which have now
assumed a bronzy hue, still remain on the plants.
As seen at Kew, it is certainly one of the very
bast of the dwarfer Cotoneasters, but one does not
always meet with such a brightly-coloured form
under the name of C. rotundifolia, for it is fre-
quently applied to a member of the buxifolia
class, whose berries are a good deal duller in hue.
One of the newest of the dwarf Cotoneasters,
viz., C. horizontahs, has been ag-ain very beauti-
ful this autumn, and it gains additional admirers
every year. It is, however, now almost lenfless.
This last has the merit of being perfectly distinct,
so thut it is never confounded with any other,
which cannot be said of some of them, as a good
deal of confusion exists among these dwarfer
Cotoneasters. The larger C. Simonsi is also very
beautiful just now, and much the same may be
said of the tree-like C. frigida.— T.

Orchard and Fruit Garden.

RIBSTON PIPPIN APPLE ON OWN
ROOTS.
Most gardeners know the uncertainty attending
the culture of this highly-flavoured dessert
I Apple. Canker is the greatest enemy of this
' Apple, and it is little short of folly to plant it
where the natural soil is heavy without making
good preparation for the roots. A few years
affo a Surrey nurseryman advertised trees of
Rihston Pippin on its own roots, recommend-
ing th m as resisting canker far better than
those which were grafted. I purchased several,
w'rich were of course in bush form and not
sritable for orchard planting. I am glad to say
they have done well, making short, firm
growth and fruiting fairly welJ, although it
is but right to add the soil is light and well
drained, this Apple doing well in it as a rule.
My own experience is, and much of it was
gained in Essex, a county noted for its many
and good Ribstons, that it succeeds by far the
best where the soil is sandy, on a gravel sub-
soil ; and further, that the espalier form suits
it remarkably well. When planted where the

soil is the reverse of this, provision should be
made by first taking out, say, at least a good
cartload of the natural soil, afterwards draining
it well by means of clinkers, brick ends or simi-
lar refuse to a depth of 9 inches, and replacing
the compost with good, sound loam of a sandy
nature, adding a sixth part old mortar rubble
in a fine state, elevating the trees somewhat
above the ordinary ground level, and mulching
with rough, leafy material in hot summers.
Shallow planting ia very essential, its value
being proved by the fact that often when trees
of Ribston Pippin are planted in a medium soil
and do fairly well for a few years, canker seta in
immediately the roots descend somewhat, a re-
turn to health generally taking place if lifting
and replanting are practised. This fact points
to the necessity of feeding the roots from the
surface, this being done by giving slight top-
dressings of loamy soil and rubble or charcoal
every second year. This is my rule, and I find
it answers weU. In purchasing trees a thorough
inspection is necessary, as sometimes young
nursery stock of this varinty is att'ected by
canker, in which case it is useless planting them.
Have any readers had any experience of the
Ribston on its own roots? — J. Ckawfokd, in
the Field.

Shortening Vine shoots.— I am very thank-
ful to Mr. Iggulden for his answer to my ques-
tions about shortening Vine shoots. As to the
omission Mr. Iggulden alludes to, I have always
depressed the ends of the rods. It is always a
rule with me to take out the points of the lateials
at the upper end as soon as possible. Mr. I.
says : " The plan I advocate and practise is that
of stopping young canes at the height or length
at which they are to be left at pruning time."
I tried this practice once, but then three or four
of the dormant eyes started, so that I was afraid
to try this stopping again. I stopped the young
growing canes at a length of about 7 feet. The
upper two, three, or even four eyes pushed forth.
The one at the upper end I let grow unmolested
till it reached the wall, where it was stopped.
The two or three other ores formed very weak,
small shoots, which were entirely cut away in the
autumn. Did I act rightly or not ? At the winter
pruning the leader was cut right back to the
stopped place. Unfortunately, I cannot under-
stand the following lines of Mr. Iggulden. He
says: "The greater part grew stronirly, were
stopped at a length of S feet, the laterals result-
ing at the first joint." I have two vineries. In
the earlier house are planted Black Hamburgh,
Foster's Seedling, and Madresficld Court; in the
later one, Black Hamburgh, Madre.-field Court,
and Gros Colman. Is the selection of the kinds
whioh grow together good or not ? Would it be
better Co grow Gros Colman in the earlier house
Hivi Madresfield Court in the later one r It is not
very early fcrcing. In the first house the Grapes
are ripe about the end of May ; in tie later bouse,
some weeks later.— R. Katzer, Si. Peter-ibmrj.

Tae Pear of the Century— DoyenEe du

Comics. — This Peir proves every tucceading year
the best that has been introduced in our own
time, as the stocks of fruit show not only in
France, but in England. The better fruit comes
from Guernsey. The supplies sent thence to
Covent Garden have been beautiful. No pains
should be s[_ared in finding out what suits it best
■n each district or soil. It should bd grown on
the Pear or free stock, as well as on the Quince,
until we find out what stock suits it be^t ; and in
the case of such a precious fruit as this, we,
against the opinion of the trade, think that every
person interested in the fruit should try at any
trouble to see how so noble a Pear does on its
iiwn roots. To say this is not to say that it is a
tetter way, but that it is most unwise, as the
nurserjmen of Europe do, to absolutely ignore
the most natural method, and invariably use only
grafting to increase their trees. We see sickly

520

THE CxARDElN.

[December 26,

Pear trees and with cracked fruit in many a gar-
den, of which the true cause would be clearer to
get at if there were trees on their own roots to
compare with those grafted on the Quince and
the wild Pear stock. As it is probable now that
in the whole of Kurope one could not get a single
young tree of this Pear on its own roots (from
cuttings or layers), our readers who wish to test it

may

know

rhat to expect. To show the influence

of the stock over the fruit, even when the influence
is not wholly bad, we may speak of an instance
lately seen in an excellent garden at Madresfield,
where Mr. Crump, a good fruit frrower and keen
observer, showed us lately fruit of this Pear, both
grown on the (,'uince and on the Pear stock, the
fruit of the tree on the free or Pear stock being
much larger and finer in form. If any fruit in
Britain ever deserved to be studied thoroughly
it is the Doyenne du Cornice, whether we grow
Pears for our private use or for market supply.
—Field.

Pear Beurre du Buisson. — This most ex-
cellent January Pear is, I think, little known,

best fruits set close to the base of the spur
growth. I always find long spurs barren. —
S. H. B.

OUTDOOR GRAPES.
Althoi'OH the amount of rain and consequent
absence of sun experienced right away from the
middle of August would seem to indicate the
non-ripening of outdoor Grapes and a visita-
tion of mildew, it was not really detrimental,
but on the contrary the crop was very good
both in quantity and quality. The long spell
of hot dry weather right up to the date men-
tioned above was no doubt responsible for this
as the fruit had advanced well on the ripening
stage before the change of weather. A con-
siderable number of articles have been devoted
at different times to the culture of outdoor
Grapes, some writers strongly advocating their
cultivation on a more extensive scale, others
protesting that they are not worth wall room. I

the berries of very fair size, considerably
larger than in the average Sweetwater. The
quality was decidedly good, the watery-
element that is often a feature in outdoor
Grapes being absent, and instead, the berries
were firm, solid, and sweet ; in fact, to thos&
who like a sweet Grape it is preferable to
several of the showy indoor sorts. The fact
that the well-known hardy sorts, like the
Sweetwater and Black Cluster, do very well
here will induce me to try the novelty, and I
hope to report on its merits another season.
There are few fruits that will go on bearing .
year after year without the slightest assistance
of any kind in the way of extra soil or manure,
as will the Vine when once established. The
old Sweetwater mentioned above is in a well-
frequented path that is as firm as a bit of
macadam, and it certainly has had nothing
extra for the last fourteen years. I work it on
the spur system, the Vine going away from a.

White Front ign

at Earlswoud, Uclhill.

a photograph sent hy 2Ir

although It has been in commerce for a good many ,
years. The late Mr. Ingram used to fruit it very I
euceeesfuUy and regularly at Belvoir Castle, and
considered it one of the bestof itg season. It is of
medium size, just large enough, in fact, for the
dessert. In walled gardens, where the produce is
marketed, this would be a capital Pear to plant,
as it is such a constant and heavy yielder that it
would pay well, good Pears in quantity being then
none too plentiful.— C. C. H.

PmniDg Apricots. — I am not an advocate of
severe pruning at this season if the tree can be
given free extension, as one may have to make
good a loss here and there, and it is well to lay in
young growths. On the other hand, I strongly
advise the removal of spurs which project a good
distance from the wall, as if these are shortened
there is a better chance of the fruit setting. In
regulating the spurs one cannot with advantage
difpente with those at all ungainly. Any close
observer of this fruit will notice bow o!teD the

think one may reasonably adopt a middle course,
and without going into ecstacies over them claim
that they are certainly worth the room and a
little attention bestowed upon them. Here
they can always be relied on to ripen sufficiently
to make some very good wine, and if a few of
the best bunches are slightly thinned and are
protected from wasps some sweet berries of very
fair size can be secured. The cropping qualities
of the particular Vine I have in view in penning
this note are indisputable. It very seldom fails,
and this year four bushels of fruit were taken
from 4W square feet of wall. Those who are
interested in the culture of outdoor Grapes will
welcome the new sort lately shown by Mr. Will
Taylor, of Hampton, which is known as Reine
Olga. The colour, as seen by gas-light, was
that of a dark Frontignan or a " foxy "
Hamburgh, the lunches were large and

central point with eight main branches hori-
zontally trained on either side, the spurs on
the branches being kept at about a foot apart
Occasionally one of the branches may show signs,
of weakness, and when this is so, a young rod
is let go the following summer either from
above or below to take its place. Better fruit
is always ol>tained by a little special attention
in the way of jjruning, cutting all weak, thii>
growth clean away, and reserving strong shoots
and buds for the next season's fruit. Black
Cluster does not grow so strongly as Sweet-
water, and the best fruit is obiained on the
long rod .system. — E. BntuELL, Vlarrmont.

*,* The Vine of which we give an illustration
to-day is growing over the front of Mr. W. Wells'
house at Redhill. It was planted about thirteen
years ago in a hole dug out of an asplialted fore-
court, some suitable soil being added. The Vine

December 26, 1896.J

THE OAPvDEX.

521

was intended merely to give ehade to the eeed
store which faces the sun. It is a white Frontig-
nan, and has always fruited and given a satisfac-
tory crop every season except a f ew y earsago, during
a wet and almost sunless summer. This year the
yield has been unprecedented, for Mr. Wells has
cut for himself and friends upwards of lOO
bunches of fully-ripened Grapes, which had been
thinned, and were almost equal to fruit grown
under glass. Altogether Mr. Wells estimates the
crop to have been about '21 cwt , and of the
bunches which remained he has made .10 gallons of
wine.

LATE PEARS.
I READ with interest Mr. Crawford's note on the
above at p. 446, and am pleased to find he thinks
80 well of a few of the newer kinds, some of which
this season with me have been excellent. I regret
I am unable to go as far as he does as regards their
keeping qualities. The really good fruits we
have for sprino- use are very few ; on the other
hand Mr. Crawford is further north and with a
different soil he may keep fruits much later than
I can. Take Le Lsctier. This fruits well with
me, and is, as stated, a valuable addition to our late
Pears ; but I am unable to keep it after January,
whereas Mr. Crawford gives March as its season.
My trees are cordons and on a warm wall. Of
course fruit from pyramid.s would keep better if
grown in a cooler soil and an ejst aspect. It is a
grand fruit. I only have it on the Quince, but I
can testify to its value for crop and quality. I
have not fruited President Barabe, but am pleased
to see such a good fruit- grower's opinion of it ; we
have so few Pears of any kind in April that it will
be a valuable addition. The well-known Josephine
de Malines, a most useful variety, is noted for its
value in spring. I regret I do not get it so good
as it should be. It is an excellent Pear, but
not one of our reliable kinds, as it is very shy and
does not keep so late as one could wish. It lacks
size even when given good culture. I found it
one of the best in Gloucestershire, but then the
soil was more suitable. Another grand fruit Mr.
Crawford notes is Nouvelle Eulvie. This
great favourite on account of its lateness and free
cropping. I must own it is not a handsome fruit,
being somewhat rough in appearance, but the
quality is excellent and a grand January fruit
(mine is now ripe). It does well as a pyramid.
Its only failing is that it shrivels badly if not al
lowed to hang late on the trees. Mr. Crawford
thinks a cool climate suits it, but such is not
the case here. My finest fruit is produced on an
east wall, but not so freely as from pyramid trees
in the open. I note there is no mention of
Duchesse de Bordeaux at p. 44(i, and I may
remark it is well worth including in Mr. Crawford's
selection of good late Pears. This is a large
January to March fruit of a fine russet colour,
flesh melting and richly flavoured. It is a fine
cordon variety. This autumn I have planted it
in the open. I tasted this fruit at the end of
February, and it was delicious. I should think it
will do in most soils on the Quince. Another
Pear, not new but of fine flavour, is Baurre du
Boisson, and though given as a December, or even
later Pear it was ripe this season in November.
The late Mr. Ingram thought it a grand variety,
and it is one of the few which have found favour
this autumn for flavour. Several noted at p. 44li
I cannot grow as well as I could wish. — G.

WVTHES.

To the late Pears mentioned by Mr.

Crawford the variety Beurre Perran must be
added. An award of merit was given last season
by the R.H.S. to this variety from a garden in
this county. It cannot be called a new variety,
as trees are scattered in various gardens through-
out the county. I have a nice young tree grow-
ing against a west wall from which I gathered
several fruits this season. This season it is ripe
earlier than usual. It is certainly a grand addi-
tion to our late Pears, being of excellent flavour
and fine grained, without the least trace of grit-
tineee. I wonder if anyone could give its history.
A few years ago I called attention to it in the

piges of The Garden. Possibly now an award
of merit has been awarded to this Pear, it may
be largely called for, as it certainly well deserves
tended culture. I note Mr. Crawford refers to
Josephine de Malines as a February to April
Pear ; grown against a south or west wall its sea-
son is more like December. I once had a tree
growing against an east wall, but the fruits never
ripened, and they kept green and sound until far
into the season, but of course these were useless.
Josephine de Malines is of grand flavour this
month.— A. YouNn.

>Gag

J. Neighuour, Oopjiffi
Incomparable

tlie case of the Gr
Hall, Eppimi.

Pear Hacon
to " J. C.'s" iuquiry as to this Pear
oa the Pear stocli growing a'ainst
wa3 plantfd about twenty-five yea
never free fruiting. What fruit it dli bear po33e«
the good qualities that our leadlttg growe.'s give it,

MES Neighbour.

In reference
know of a tree
east wall thit
120. This was

Alpine Strawberry des ftiiatre Saisons.—
Last summer the above variely fruited earlier
than usual, being in season in favourable weather
well into October. Quatre Saisons is a fine va-
riety and of delicious flavour. It repays annual
planting to get size of fruit and a long succession.
The culture is simple. The plants are soon
obtained In quantity from seed sown early in the
spring In boxes and then pricked out into rich
soil, cr from runners. — G. Wytiies.

Colour in Guntrn Fak Strawberry.— I
was pleased to read lately Mr. Wjthes' remarks
on this fine second early Strawberry, more especi-
ally about Its colour. I know of no Strawberry
which colours more deeply or more surely right
to the apex than Gunton Park, and that, too, in
seasons not remarkable for sunshine. I think this
fact ought to be known as I recently saw it as-
serted in one trade catalogue that Gunton Park,
although a remarkable Strawberry, would not be
likely to become a market variety on account of
its having a white nose. Now this is not only
incorrect, but very misleading, as I have grown it
since its introduction, and have never once seen
a white nosed fruit. I know that market growers
are taking it up in the neighbourhood of London,
sufficient proof, I think, of Its suitability for the
purpose. It makes a most delicious preserv"
J. Crawkokd.

Two useful Grapes.— Two Grapes which are
seldom seen or heard of now-a-days, but which
would be found very useful to those who need
good flavoured varieties, early and late in the
year, are Chaptal and Chasselas Musque. The
former is a small bunched variety of a pure yellow
colour, not unlike Buckland Sweetwater, but
smaller both in bunch and berry. It ripens sooner,
in fact, in a garden near here grown with Black
Hamburgh It Is fit for use ten days or a fortnight
earlier than that variety. The bunches are of a
most convenient size for table, while the flavour
Is very good. As to its cropping qualities, it shows
bunches on almost every lateral, and it will
hang for a considerable time without either shrivel
ling or decaying. The skin Is very thin and the
pulp sweet and refreshing. I cannot find any
mention of It in the trade lists, but have no doubt
it could be obtained. Chas=elas Mu£(|ue Is, of
course, fairly well known amongst Grape growers,
though the old school grew it more extensively
than present day gardeners. This is another
most useful Grape, resembling the Black Ham-
burgh in appearance, and still more so Alnwick
Seedling, and almost equalling the former
in flavour. It will, with care, keep sound
and plump well into the spriny,' months, and, like
some other sorts, notably Gros Gulllaume, im-
proves by hanging. The Vine has a very hardy
constitution atd crops most freely. It will suc-
ceed well enough in a cool vinery, but the finest
bunches as well as the beat flavour I have secured
from a Vine growing in a mixed house of heat-
loving Grapes, ripening about the beginning of
September.— C. C. H.

SHORT NOTES.— FRUIT.

Plum Persbore Yellow.— As "N.N. says
in TUE Gakden (p. 440) it is surprising how rich this
becomes when preserved. I planted three standard
trees of it at Bickley about ten yearsago. They never
tailed to bear a heavy crop after the second year of
planting, and the birds do not peck out the buds as in

Chrysanthemums.

HAIRY CHRYSANTHEMUMS.
Most Chrysanthemum growers will remember
the stir that was caused by the introduction of
the forerunner of this modern race, Mrs.
Alpheus Hardy, and the subsequent additions.
The whole section, however, cannot be regarded
as a very satisfactory one, because it is hard for
the average Chrysanthemum exhibitor to bestow
his approval on any novelty that is not likely
to be of service to him on the showboard, and
hairy varieties, either from want of size or
beauty, seem to be but little appreciated.
There may be excellent reasons for this lack of
appreciation, just as there are no doubt for the
opposition to the inclusion of certain mongrel
Japanese incurved varieties in the old-esta-
blished show section, but on these reasons
there is no need to dilate at the present moment.

From a decorative point of view— that is, for
oroups of Cfhrysanthemums for eft'ect— the hairy
vaiieties are certainly well worthy of considera-
tion. Grown to a moderate size and freely
flowered, they lend an attraction to groups that
one would little suspect, unless seen as I re-
cently saw them in Belgium and in France.
L'nfortunately, so many varieties in cultivation
in England are dull in colour and often appear-
by their curious fluffy nature to be stale, and
this may account for the somewhat little use
that has been made of them at our leading
shows. On the Continent there seems to be a
much greater variety of them than here, and i
was much struck with the peculiar silky lustre
which is characteristic of the novelties men-
tioned below. Whether it is cultivation or cli-
mate it is diflioult to say, or it may be that these
varieties are better than most of those intro-
duced into England. Whatever the reason miy
be, it is a matter beyond doubt that hairy Chry-
santhemums were frequently used at the Con-
tinental shows with very great elTect, and mate-
rially enhanced the artistic arrangement of th3
groups in which they figured.

As all the readers of The GARDE^J are not
growers and exhibitors of big show bloomy 1
have considered it useful to give a selection ot
those hairy sorts which appeared to me to be
most worthy of cultivation by any who desire to
grow them for decoration. They would afso
add very much to the beauty of a bouquet or
bunch of Chrysanthemums in a vase.

Mme Sckareck. — Japanse incurved, with very
narrow grooved florets, very silky in appearance :
Dale blush, with vellow shade in the centre.

Mlle. Henriette Berloz.-A very large
Japanese incurved, but thin ; florets narrow and
curly at the tips ; silky blush.

AiiBi; Pierre Arthur— Japanese, witn me-
dium-sized florets, loosely incurving ; colour a
glistening bronze.

Beaute Lvoxnaise.— Like most of the section,
a decided Japanese incurved, but having narrow
florets and ball like in build ; colour dull crimson,
centre golden.

Duvet Bl-a..sc.— Japanese, and, as its name im-
plies, white in colour.

Souvenir de Nd'Olas Belisse.— Very pretty
Japanese; colour bright terra-cotta, shaded
golden bronze, reverse golden.

522

THE GAKDEN.

[December 26, 1896.

Gloire Lyonsaise.— a Japanese with very
long droopins florets, good size : colour rosy pink.

Mme. J. CHArRf.— A very deeply built flower
of the Japanese type; flcrets rather^narrow and
sharply pointed, long and drooping : "colour deep
reddish carmine, with reverse of gold.

Pktemal i>e Rozevii.le. — Florets sharply
pointed ; colour dull crimson, with reverse of
golden bronze, tipped gold ; an e6fective variety.

Beu.e des Gukdes. — A Japanese incurved,
with rather narrow grooved florets, very close and
cjmpact in build ; cjlour very prettvpale pink,
tinted yellow.

Fletk Lvonnaise— Japanese incurved, with
fl.ittish florets : colour dull rosy carmine, reverse
goldun.

Mrs Leslie A. Warp.— Japanese, with long
drooping florets and rather broad ; colour a deli-
cate shade of bright gold-cinnamon or buff, re-
verse bright golden yellow.

PROvisEn; PoiRiKi;,— Japanese incurved, dull
carmine-crimson with goIden-bronz3 reverse, tips
golden : one of Calvat'g new seedlings.

S.irvKNiR DE Moi.ixEs.— Japanese, with rather
medium-sized florets curiously pointed and curly
at the tips ; colour golden bronze, streaked car-
mine-red.

Mme. Feklat.— Japanese incurved, with very
narrow florets deeply grooved ; white, shaded
pink.

Amaranthe.— Japanese, with narrow florets ;
colour indicated by the name, very rich and deep
in tone, reverse silvery.

Haiky Whitk— Japanese, with tips of pointed
florets incurving, rather close and compact and a
large flower : colour white, tinted yellow.

Mme. X. Rev Joivin.— A very pretty Japan-
ese incurved, with broad grooved florets, blooms
of good size and very globular, pretty shade of
deep rosy pink.

AcA.ior.— Japanese incurved; colour inside
deep crimson-chestnut, reverse golden bronze.
This and the six preceding will probably not be
put into commerce till 1S9S.

Raphael Collin.— Japanese incurved ; floret?
of medium width and grooved ; colour a beautiful
shade of golden bronze, reverse silky yellow.

Raihais — Japanese incurved; a very attrac-
tive variety ; colour rich reddish golden bronze,
reverse very bright gold.

MArRii E Boissari).— Japanese incurved with
rather broad florets deeply grooved, and blooms
very solid : pure golden yellow.

Le.k adie Gkntils - A bright pale golden yellow
sport from Enfant des deux Mondes.

FRi;RE JoviNus.— Japanese incurved ; florets
very narrow and grooved and having a peculiar
lustre ; CDlour golden chestnut-bronze.

Drai.ux.- Crimson and gold ; might be de-
scribed as a hairy Edwin Molyneux, only the
florets are much narrower.

C. Harman-Pay.nk.

Notes on Chrysanthemums —Will you teil
me which of the following four kinds is the best
and which can be discarded : Puritan, Loui-e, Eda
Prass, and M. Gruyer r Are Ivory and Gladys
I'.outh worth growing/ If so, for large or for
small blooms ': I should be very happy to know
a yellow Chrysanthemum of true Japanese
character which produces large and showy flowers
and is of easy culture, in the way and of the form
of Charles Davis, but of a clear yellow or golden
hue : the growth must not be too tall. Just now
Souvenir de Petite Amie has flowered with me
for the first time. I doubt if it be true. The
plant is very dwarf, blooms white, large, but veiy
flat, with narrow, spreading florets. If this de-
scription answers to Souvenir de Petite Amie
then I confess that I am not satisfied with it!
Xiveum, just opening for the first time, looks
very promising. Mile. The'rc-se Rey has splendid
blooms, but the growth is too tall. Alberic
Lunden I have discarded. Of Mme. M. Ricoud,
the growth is rather tall, but the flowers are fine.
Amy Chandler is a very nice white kind, capital
growth, and the blooms of a charming form. To-
day I discarded Peter the Great, and put in its

place Mrs. T. S. Fogg. Mme. Carnot is just
opening with me. The colour of Commandant
Blusset when opening is very fine indeed, and
very like that of the old E. Audiguier, but when
the blooms are fully open, then they lose much of
the liveliness of the hue. I cannot understand
W. Seward ; one always hears of it as the best
dark variety. Its colour is when opening splen-
did, but when fully open all the beauty is gone :
then there is a faded hue. The stalks are too
weak and do not support the blooms. I hoped
Deuil de J. Ferry might be of a similar colour,
but I was mistaken ; it is just opening and looks
like amaranth. G. Childs behaves rather strangely.
I grow of this sort about a dozen plants. Some
flowers are very fine, rich velvety crimson and
opening well : others are orange red ; the florets
curl, will not open, and finally damp otT. — R.
Katzer, St. PeUrshurr/.

Notes of the Week.

Pelargonium Niagara.— The name here
chosen is indicative of the snow-white trusses of
the variety. Individually the blossoms are very
large and well formed, thus making it a most ac-
ceptable kind.

Begonia Haagaana.— This has much to
commend it to growers of the winter-blooming
section of these plants by its very profuse flower-
ing, the large heads of showy flowers being very
effective in the warm greenhouse at the jiresent
time.

Poinsettias. — These fine decorative stove
subjects are now at their best in many gardens,
and the vivid colouring of their brilliant scarlet
bracts is displayed to great advantage beneath
the usually leaden sky at this season of the year.
In decorations of the choicest kind these are among
the finest plants that can be employed.

Araucaiia Balanase.- The small example of
this species with its solitary cone growing in a
pot in the Palm house at Kew gives but little
idea of the great height to which the plant
attains in its native habitat of Xew Caledonia.
Here it is said to reach 130 feet to 16o feet high,
and, from its very distinct habit, must form an
attractive plant.

Tulip bulbs with three flowers.- 1 have
enclosed you a few Proserpine Tulip bulbs. Two of
them have three perfect flowers on each stem, and
the others have two flowers. I have had several
come at different times with two flowers, but have
never had them with three flowers before. Is it
not a very uncommon thing for Tulips ? — W^.
Rn'H.VRDSON, Hassockx 2i'nrstrt/.

Peristrophe speciosa. — If quaint rather than
beautiful in its individual flowers, this plant,
nevertheless, becomes attractive by reason of the
number of its blossoms. These latter are of a
purple or mauve-lilac hue, a curious mixture and
somewhat rare among greenhouse plants. Its
compact habit fits it for association with many
things, while it will be welcomed for its long con-
tinued flowering.

Rochea falcata. — This vigorous succulent is
now producing its large heads of brilliant flowers,
and a few plants are always attractive at this
time. Frequently capital results ensue where
some strong tops are taken in April and May and
rooted in a very sandy loam, afterwards growing
them on in Sinch pots. The flowering period
from such plants, however, is not always the eaue,
as much depends on the strength of the cuttings
as also the season of growth.

Agave Kerchovei var. major.— This is the
corrected name of the species recently,.,referred
to in The Garden as A. Roezli. The fine examfle
now flowering in the great Palm house at Kew is
composed of several rosettes, the central one of
which has produced an erect, columnar in-
florescence from 12 feet to 15 feet high. The
blossoms are of a pale creamy white, slightly
tinged green, as near as could be determined, as

the expanding flowers were fast approaching the
top.
Rhododendron Little Beauty.— This is a

wonderfully free-flowering variety, as demon-
strated in the little bush shown last week being
crowded with its compact trusses of flowers.
These latter are very brilliant in cilour and most
difficult to correctly describe The colour ap-
pears to be a mingling of crimson and vermilion,
and the flowers are very striking as well as at-
tractive at this season. Little Beauty is a hybrid
between Monarch and Malayanum.

Choisya ternata in pots.- Well known as a
choice shrub in the sheltered portions of the
garden, the above is perhaps too rarely seea in
pots. Even if it did not flower at all the glossy
loliage which is so abundant is always pleasirg,
and in the cool house or orangery it would provo
effective in large tubs. In such places its pure
white and scented blossoms would be sure to meet
with due appicciation, and where ample root
room was afforded success would almost of a cer-
tainty follow.

Agathaea coelestie.— As a winter flower, the
charming Daisy. like blossoms of this are very
beautiful, the colour good and the flowers avail-
able on good stems. Few things are more profuse
flowering. Particularly is this true of old plants
that have been cropped over cnce or twice during
summer ; such plants grown in 8 inch pots will
yield a surprising lot of bloom, useful alike for
srnall vases or the dinner-table throughout the
winter. The plant is easily managed, and should
be more frequently grown for winter flowering.

Epacris hyacmthiflora candidissima. —
This is a very fine variety with snow white, erect
trusses of bloom, the spikes being densely clothed
with flowers for at least IS inches of their length.
Among the erect growing kinds this is certainly
one of the finest whites, while the pink-flowered
form, E. hjaiinthiflora, is equally noticeable for
its long, compact spike and the dense manner in
which it is studded with bloom. A few plants of
each kind are well worthy of cultivation, the
flowers lasting some time in good condition in
(|uite cool structures.

Benthamia fragifera. — This has for a lorg
time been very ornamental with its numerous red
berries, the weight of fruit bending down many
of the branches to the ground. I have never seen
so many berries on the trees before. The berries
seem much more palatable than usual, as the
birds are taking them several weeks earlier than
in other years. This may have been caused by
the unusually dry, hot summer. I wonder hist
beautiful flowering tree is not more generally
planted, as it has stood '25° of frost here with
comparatively little iujury.—W. 0.,Fola, Cor!;.

Rhododendron Princess Alexandra.— In
spite of the fact that this variety has been pre-
viously noted in The Garden, tlie fact is yet
worth recording that a compact bush about 2
feet high and the same through has been in flower
for upwards of two months and in quite a cool
greenhouse. At the present time it is carrying
upwards of half a dozen of its magnificent trusses
of bloom. The flowers are usually termed pure
white, but in reality the shade is blush-white.
For winter-flowering it is one of the gems of the
whole race and should be grown in all collections.

Carnation Mme. d'Albertina.— For winter
flowering this fine Carnation will quickly super-
sede the better-known JIme. Theii-se Franco.
The colour is a full rose-pink, scarcely so deep in
the former as in Mme. T. Franco, while the
flowers are nearly twice the size and open per-
fectly in mid-winter. Plants of this fine variety
were shown by Messrs. Crane and Clarke, of Cam-
bridge, at the Drill Hall last week. Worthy of
note, too, is the fact of so large a flower having a
perfect calyx, while after being a week in water,
one of the blooms exhibited is nearly as gocd as
ever.

Senecio grandifolius.— A large group of this
giant of its race may now be seen in No. 4 green-
house at Kew. The plant is of such noble aspect
that one regrets it is not perfectly hardy, and

December 2i;, 1896 '

THE GARDEN.

523

therefore suitable for bold positions in the wild
garden. The large corymbs of flowers which ter-
minate the giant stems are individually small.
The largest of the Kew examples is about 6 feet
high, the handsome deeply toothed leaves being
about 18 inches long and 12 inches broad. Doubt-
less if specially grown for the purpose the plant
would make a fine subject for the bolder sub-
tropical garden, and be productive of line effect.

Aipinia mutica —Quite recently the plant
bearing this name was flowering splendidly in
the large Palm house at Kew. There were three
flowering growths on the example in question,
the blooms, some thirty in number, appearing in
a terminal spike-like raceme. The buds prior to
expansion are pink, but presently a white calyx
is revealed, as also a duplex corolla, the lip of
which is large and of a bright orange-yellow,
curiously veined and striped with crimson. This
beautiful and graceful species comes from Borneo,
and requires a high temperature to grow it suc-
cessfully.

Iris stylosa alba.— The above Iris has been
in flower here for several weeks, and is still throw-
ing up numerous flower-buds. This profusion of
flower has doubtless been caused by the extremely
dry summer, and, judging from this experience
order to get this plant to flower freely it should be
planted on the hottest and driest situation that
we can find. If the flower-budsarecut just before
they open they last for a long time in a vase or
flower glass, and with a few green leaves or
fronds of Maiden-hair Fern they look equally ss
ornamental as many Orchids. Their delicate per-
fume is another advantage. — W. 0., Fota, Cork.

Senecio macroglcssus.— The Cape Ivy, as
this plant is called, is one of the few climbing
species of this great genus, producing its somewhat
Ivy-like leaves on smooth glossy stems. Now and
again the plant may be seen gi owing trained to a
trellis, though it is infinitely better suited for a
rafter near the glass, when having laid in the
main growth allow it much its own way. Thus
grown the plant has a rather pretty appearance,
producing its flower-heads on long axillary pedun-
cles and giving a profusion of them over a long
season. The ray florets are of a pale yellow hue.
The plant is now flowering in the succulent house
at Kew.

Carnation Wm. Robinson Improved. —
This variety was exhibited at the Drill Hall last
week and obtained an award of merit, the floral
committee, however, refusing to sanction the latest
addition to the name. Possibly, without seeing the
two forms, they were justified in so doing. As I
have seen both kinds, I hesitate not to say they are
quite distinct in habit and flower, the " improved "
kind being an infinitely brighter and more vivid
scarlet, without the dull leaden hue that is notice-
able in the original. Had the habit been iden-
tical, the improvement might have been referred
to better culture in some instances. It is to be re-
gretted the Messrs. Crane and Clarke had not
staged an equal number of each kind to show the
distinct habit of growth.— E. J.

The weather in West Herts.— The past
week proved very cold, particularly during the
daytime, the temperature of the air in shade un "
to-da}' (i2ad) at no time rising higher than oi
and throughout one day (isth) remaining below the
freezing point. On the coldest night the exposed
thermometer indicated 18° of frost, which is the
greatest cold registered by it as yet this winter.
At -2 feet and also at 1 foot deep the ground is
now about 3° below the average for the month.
No rain fell during the week, but on two days
there were slight falls of enow, that on the 17th
nearly covering the ground. The atmosphere
was very calm, the highest rate of movement at .30
feet above the ground amounting to but 6 miles
an hour. The weather has again been very dull,
no sunshine at all being recorded on four days,
and lees than an hour on two other days. — E. M.,
Btrkhanuted.

Grub destroying Primulas. — I send you a
small box containing a Primula destroyed by some
grub that has penetrated the plant at the collar,

as you will see. It is a new experience for me,
and I should be glad to know what the grub is,
and if it is peculiarly attached to Primulas. I have
lost several plants in this way. — J. D.

*jj* Your Primulas are attacked by the grubs
of the black Vine weevil (Otiorrhynchus sulca-
tus). These grubs are very fond of the roots of
Ferns, Primulas, Cyclamens, Begonias, Slrawber-
ries, and ether soft-rooted plants Insecticides
cannot be made to reach them with any eS'ect
The only thing to do is to turn them out of the
roots. The weevils feed en the leaves of Vines,
Ferns and various other plants, but only at night :
they hide themselves most cunningly during the
day. They may be caught by laying the plants
on which they are feeding on their sides over a
white sheet, or if th.at is not practicable, lay the
sheet under the plant, then after dark turn a
bright light suddenly on to the plants and the
weevils generally fall ; if they do not, shake the
plants smartly. The weevils are nearly black and
each three-eighths of an inch in length. The

clay-coloured weevi

i-ery near

'.ativ

to the

other, is rather smaller, but has the same habits. —
G. S. S.

The Deodar Cedar.- Mr. Simpson i.« not ap
parently finding much support in hia champion
ship of the Deodar, as the following remarks in s
contemporary will show : "I am glad to hear of
its growing so finely at Wcrtley, but it does not
do so generally in Yorkshire ; and the notion that
it would have made a profitable plantation, even
there, is quite a mistaken one. Forty or fifty
years ago the East India Company imported into
England several tons of Deodar seed, thinking
that so valuable and hardy a timber tree ought to
be planted extensively in England. I have never
heard that any valuable timber has been tha re-
sult of that importation, and I never expected that
any such would be the result."— C. W. Stkick-

L.iXD.

We have a letter from Mr. F. W. Moore,

curator of the Botanic Gardens, Dublin, about
the hardiness of the Deodar in Ireland. He
writes; "As to the hardiness of Cedar of
Lebanon and Deodar in less favoured parts of
Ireland, my opinion from observation, and the
opinion given me by several whom I consulted, is
that the Deodar is a much inferior tree to the
Cedar of Lebanon. I have had Deodars at Glas-
nevin raised from seed which were severely in-
jured by frost. I think it is a most unsatisfactory
tree."

Societies and Exhibitions.

HAMBURG INTERNATIONAL HORTICUL-
TURAL EXHIBITION.
The Board of Agriculture have received informa-
tion through the Foreign Office that an inter-
national horticultural exhibition will be held in
Hamburg from May 1 to September 30, 1897,
under the presidency of the burgomaster of that
city. Besides a general "permanent ' exhibition,
outdoor and indoor, open throughout the summer,
arrangements have been made tor special exhibi-
lions of plants, &c., at diS'erent seasons. The
permanent exhibition will consist of various
classes of trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, groups
of plant.?, technical appliances, garden plans,
preserved fruits, wines, and dried flowers and
grasses. Except in the case of living plants
inder cover, scientific botanical objects, and gar-
den plans, for intending competitors should give
notice of their intention to exhibit by March 1,
1897, entries for the permanent exhibition closed
on November 1, 1890, and exhibitors of technical,
industrial, and artificial products applying after
the latter date must, if their exhibits are accepted,
pay double rates for the rental of spaca. Gold,
silver, and bronze medals, as well as money prizss,
will be awarded.

The dates ot the special exhibitions, and the
latest dates by which all applications must be re
ceived, are as follows ; —

1. Spring exhibition from May 1 to 7, 1897, for

plants in season (groups, single plants, novelties).
Entries close March 1.

2. First special exhibition, May 30 to June 3,
for Pelargoniums, floral arrangements, early
vegetables. Entries close fourteen days before
the opening.

3. Second special exhibition, July 2 to 6, for
Gloxinias and other bulbous plants, Roses (cut
Bowers), cut flowers or twigs of trees and shrubs,
6oral arrangements (to consist chiefly of Roses).
Entries close fourteen days before the opening.

4. Third special exhibition, July 30 to August 3,
fpr Begonias, Carnations, cut flowers (Dahlias,
Gladioli and Carnations), fruit trees in pots.
Entries close fourteen days before the opening.

5. Autumn exhibition, August 27 to Septem-
ber 5, for plants in season in pots (groups, single
plants, novelties, &c.), floral arrangements, vege-
tables. Entries close August 1.

6. Fruit exhibition, September 17 to 30. En-
tries clcs9 September 1.

All applications for space, as well as for full
particulars as to rent, conditions, prizes, &c.,
should be addressed to the offices of the exhibition,
3, Grosse Reiohenstrasse, Hamburg.

Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund —A meet-
ing of the executive cammittee was held on Dec.
18 at the Hotel Windsor, Victoria Street, Mr. W.
Marshall in the chair. The chief business of the
committee was the selection of the candidates
for election at the next annual meeting, which is
announced to be held on February 19 at Ander-
ton's Hotel. The following special donations
were reported as having been received ; Mr.
J. J. Nelson, Chesterfield, £3 15?. 2d. ; Mr. H.
Herbst (box), £3 12i. 7d. ; Shirley and District
Gardeners' Mutual Improvement Association,
£2, proceeds of concert ; from Mr. Burbury,
Highbury, Birmingham, 17s., and other smaller
sums.

MR. ANTHONY WATKRER.
The following interesting note is from the
Garden and Furrsl about the late Mr. Anthony
Waterer : —

Anthony Waterer died at Knap Hill Nurseries,
at Woking, in Surrey, on November 16, after a
short and painless illness, in the seventy-hfth
year of his age. He is most widely known as the
originator of many of the best hybrid Rhododen-
drons in cultivation, and he and predecessors in
his family did more than any other firm to popu-
larise the cultivation of Rhcdodendrons, Azileas
and other hardy shrubs of this class. The Knap
Hill Nurseries, which hid long been notable, grew
in e!z3 and reputation under Mr. Anthony
Waterer's management, and at the time of his
death had become probably the greatest nursery
of hardy plants of the kind. For Rhododendrons,
hardy Azaleas and the choicest conifers it had no
rival. Anthony Waterer had many correspondents
in the United States, and his connections here
date from the time of Downing, who imported
plants from Knap Hill for the Capitol grounds at
Washington. After Downing's death the unpaid
bill for these plants was found among his
papers by his executor, Henry Winthrop Sar-
gent, of Fishkill. Mr. Sargent was a classmate
of Charles Sumner, and through his assistance
he succeeded in obtaining from Congress an
appropriation to pay this bill. From this sprung
the friendship which existed for years between
Mr. Waterer and Mr. Sargent, who for many
years was one of the principal horticulturists of
the United States. From this friendship others
sprung, until gradually all the principal cultiva-
tors of hardy trees and shrubs in the United
States became friends and clients of Anthony
Waterer, who of late years had devoted special
attention to breeding Rhododendrons capable of
supporting the climate cf America. A man of the
highest integrity, rough in manner, but kind of
heart Mr. Waterer was a type of the English
cultivator of the old school not often seen now.
We all owe him a debt of gratitude for the plants
he has produced for us, and those who have had

524

THE GARDEN.

[December 20

the advantage of his friendship will never forget
hi^ strong and interestic;^ personality.

There is one thing we omitted to state in our
account of Mr. Waterer and which is not men-
tioned in the al>ove, that while other nursery-
men, and even editors, are very apt to laugh at
the claims we are urging of the necessity of
trying ornamental shrubs and trees on their
own roots, he was not at all of that class, but
saw it was right, and was wisely preparing for
it, 80 that in his nursery only could we tind
many examples of Rhododendrons on their own
roots.

Obituary.

THE REV. CHARLES FELLOWES.
I RKi^RET to have to inform you of the death, at
the age of eighty-four, of the Rev. Charles
Fellowes, the president of the National Dahlia
Society, which took place at the Rectory, Shot-
tesham, Norwich, on the ITthinst. Hehadheld tlie
living for 5S years, his appointment datin;_' from
1S;<S. What are known as florists' flowers found
in him a grtit admirer, and for the pa?t sixty
years he took an enthusiastic interest in and grew
them, raising many new varietie? of D.\hlias,
Picotees, and Pinks in particular, not a few of
which have become standard varieties. One of the
earliest seedling Dahlias was Cassandra, sent out
by tho late Mr. Charles Turner in 1S46, and since
then all his new varieties wtrc distributed from
Slough, also Picotees and Pinks. Among the
leading exhibition Dahlias of the present day of
Mr. Fellowes' raising may be mentioned Agnes,
Canary, Diadem, (loldfinder, Maud Fellowes,
Prince Bismarck, Prince of Denmark, Sunbeam,
and Sunrise ; and of the fancy section, Laura
Ha^lam, Hero, Prince Henry, and Sailor Prince.

With Picotees Mr. Fellowes was especially
successful, having raised many the late Mr. E. S
Djdwell termed "glorious varieties,'' One, Mrs.

Payne, a heavy rosa edge, ha? figured more pro-
minently at Carnation shows than any other
variety. Sent out in ISTS, it is yet foremost in its
class for puritv, shajie of petal, and finish. Other
tine varieties raised bv Mr. Fellowes are Princess
of Wales, Duchess of York, a fine new variety
not yet distributed : Clio, of the present year ;
Morna, Countess, Haidee, Gazelle, .Juliette,
Evelyn, &c. The laced florists' Pink found in
him a groit admirer, and he raifod many new
varieties, chief among them The Rector, which
was distributed a few years ago. also Princess
Louise, Favourite, Enchantress, Bessie, Lustre,
Ophelia, Pandora, Zoe, Eurydice, &o.

Mr. Fellowes' attempts at raising new seedling
show Pelargoniums were scarcely so successful, but
some years ago three of his seedlings, viz , Ariel,
Dasdemona and Lucifer, were among the best
varieties of that time. As an amateur cultivator
of Roses he had at one time a? good a collection as
anyone in the country, and the Rose was one of his
favourites to the last. His greatest triumph? as
an exhibitor were with Dahlias, and thiity years
or S3 ago he could defe'xt such growers as Dodds,
Robinson, &C., and it was with great glee he
would recount his triumphs over these and other
opponents.

In many aspects of country life he excelled ; he
was a successful farmer, having a farm attached
to his rectory from which he obtained tine crops ;
as an excellent shot and a keen rider to hounishe
at one time was also widely known. The poor of
his parish found in him a sympathising friend and
helper. R. D.

Public Gardens.

New open tpace at Islington.— A special
meeting of the Islington Vestry was held last
night to settle Unally the proposed purchase from
the Corporation of London of the vacant land at
the Islington Cattle Market, for the purpose? of

an open space. A proposition to accjuire only
2 J acres of the land having been defeated, the
following resolution was carried by 50 votes to 8 :
"That, whilst ndbering to the opinion that the
price demanded by the City Corporation is (bay-
ing regard to the purpose for which the land is
required) an exorbitant one, the vestry, in the in-
t3re?ts of the densely- populated area affected,
resolve to purchase the land in question for
i'lU.iiiiii."

Praaervation of Dartmoor Forest.— The
Plymouth Corporation has passed a le-olution ex-
pressing satisfaction at the efforts which are being
made to prevent further encroachments on the
forest of D.irtmoor. It also approved of the pro-
posal that the foreet, with all its rights and privi-
leges, should be acquired by the county of Devon,
and decided to offer to bear its proportion of the
cost of such accjuisition, subject to the stipulation
that all objact? of anti<iuarian interest should be
preserved from injury, and that the body charged
with the duty of regulating the forest should be
armed with "full regulative powers, consistent
with the rights of the commoners, for the pre-
servation of indigenous plants and animals.

"The PoBtmen'a Park."— The purchase of
the vacant space in Little Britain, adjoining the
Aldersgate (iarden, better known as the " Post-
men's Park," is now a certainty. The London
County Council has approved of the payment to
the fund of tJUi ', as had been recommended by the
Open Spaces Committee of that body. Tho Fish-
mongers' Company has generously forwarded Km
guineas, the Mercers', Skinners' and Merchant
Taylors' Companies have subfcribed .'>0 guineas
each, the Goldsmiths', lirocers' and Drapers' Com-
panies £'>0 each, the Cooks' Company lU guineas,
and the Joiners' Company £,">. It is hoped that
the total amount subscribed will defray the cost
of laying out the alditional space and railing it in.

Names of fruit— Cr. Wright— 1, Blenheim;
, specimen too smaU to identify.